- INTRODUCTION
The development of vocational education and training without borders, and securing transparency in the recognition and certification of the learning outcomes acquired abroad, thusly extending the national scale to the European scale, which are the broad definitions of the aims of Eurspace Project, requires, in essence, constituting a common ground for each participant. The removal of borders and the establishment of transparency, eventually reaching for the European Scale via recognition, validation and attribution of credits should, therefore, be built on Learning Outcomes corresponding to all participants – which arises the need for the establishments for Learning Outcomes common for each of them. In this regard, the following topics should be well established in order to reach a common ground for Learning Outcomes:
- Learning outcomes: Learning outcomes are statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on completion of a learning process. Learning outcomes are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence.
- Units of Learning Outcomes: A Unit of Learning Outcome (also called “unit”) is a component of a qualification consisting of a coherent set of knowledge, skills and competence that can be assessed and validated. This presupposes that the units of learning outcome are structured comprehensively and logically and that they can be examined. Units of learning outcome can be specific to a single qualification or common to several qualifications and may also describe so-called additional qualifications which are not part of a formal qualification or curriculum.
- POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN IDENTIFYING COMMON LEARNING OUTCOMES
The initial requirement of Learning Outcomes is that they should be formulated in such a way as to be understandable and thus “manageable” for all those involved. The next phase is for them to be “common”. This means that the partners define the knowledge, skills and competences of a specific Learning Outcome in in such manner that will be recognizable by all those involved.
- Assessable vocational competences in the form of vocational qualifications accepted by all parties involved.
- The general training plans, curricula or qualification profiles applied in each partner institution or country should be taken into consideration in order to match the corresponding parts of the Learning Outcomes.
- They should be verifiable and assessable by all parties involved, compliant with a Framework of Evaluation applicable for the common Learning Outcomes.
- The knowledge, skills and competences should reach the same output in order for the Learning Outcome to be approved as common for all parties involved.
- The Learning Outcomes identified as “common” should not contradict the curricula and other elements of the educational aspects of a participating partner.
- METHODOLOGY USED IN EURSPACE PROJECT WHEN IDENTIFYING COMMON LEARNING OUTCOMES
Via the Pilot Project, it is aimed to standardize the recognition, validation and certification of Units of Learning Outcome, throughout all the European Countries who are willing to and can participate, with the focus being on Cookery Course within Hotel and Restaurant Management field. Accordingly, a Matching Methodology has been developed. In this methodology, the following steps have been followed in order to identify the common Learning Outcomes:
- The partner institutions have inserted their Learning Outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and competences of that specific Learning Outcomes of the Cookery Course into a common template.
Table 1: Learning Outcomes and their elements per partner.
| PARTNER COUNTRY: ………… (PT, ES, IT, FR, LT, RO, TR) | ||||
| TRAINING FIELD: …………….. (COOKERY, PASTRY) | ||||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | KNOWLEDGE | SKILLS | COMPETENCE |
| UNIT NAME 1 | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME 1 | |||
| KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME 2 | ||||
| KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME 3 | ||||
| UNIT NAME 2 | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME 1 | |||
| KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME 2 | ||||
- The partner institutions have examined and compared the Learning Outcomes from each and every partner.
- The matching Learning Outcomes out of the units presented have been identified.
Table 2: Identifying Matching Learning Outcomes.
| MATCHING LEARNING OUTCOMES | ||
| TRAINING FIELD: …………….. | ||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | MATCHING COUNTRIES
(PT, ES, IT, FR, LT, RO, TR) |
| UNIT NAME 1 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| UNIT NAME 2 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| UNIT NAME 3 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 4 | ||
| UNIT NAME 4 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| UNIT NAME 5 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| UNIT NAME 6 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 4 | ||
Table 3: Sample table for a specific unit and the learning outcomes with its elements.
| TRAINING FIELD: COOKERY | ||||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | KNOWLEDGE | SKILLS | COMPETENCE |
| INTERNATIONAL SOUPS | Prepares international soups |
The learner knows and understands: – Different international cookery culture; – Soup cultures of different cultures; – Characteristics of international soups; – International soup varieties of different cultures; – Garnishing, preparing and serving international soups as their originals. |
The learner is able to:
– Cook international soups; – Prepare garnish – Get products ready for service. |
The learner:
– Prepares equipment and ingredients for the international soups; – Cooks international soups as per the characteristics and type; – Prepares garnish as per the characteristics and type of the international soups; – Prepares international soups for service; – Follows Health & Safety and hygiene procedures. |
- TEMPLATES FOR IDENTIFYING COMMON LEARNING OUTCOMES
Template 1: Learning Outcomes and their elements per partner.
| PARTNER COUNTRY : ………………… | ||||
| TRAINING FIELD : ………………… | ||||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | KNOWLEDGE | SKILLS | COMPETENCE |
| UNIT NAME 1 | ||||
| UNIT NAME 2 | ||||
| UNIT NAME 3 | ||||
Template 2: Identifying Matching Learning Outcomes.
| MATCHING LEARNING OUTCOMES | ||
| TRAINING FIELD: …………….. | ||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | MATCHING COUNTRIES |
| UNIT NAME 1 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| UNIT NAME 2 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| UNIT NAME 3 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 4 | ||
| UNIT NAME 4 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| UNIT NAME 5 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| UNIT NAME 6 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 3 | ||
| Key Technical Outcome 4 | ||
| UNIT NAME 7 | Key Technical Outcome 1 | |
| Key Technical Outcome 2 | ||
Template 3: Learning Outcomes revised in a common form.
| TRAINING FIELD: | ||||
| UNIT OF LEARNING OUTCOME | KEY TECHNICAL OUTCOME | KNOWLEDGE | SKILLS | COMPETENCE |
| UNIT NAME |
The learner knows and understands:
|
The learner is able to:
|
The learner:
|
|
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning.
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the establishment of a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET).
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (2008). The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF). Luxembourg.
Publications Office of the European Union (2011). Referencing National Qualifications Levels to the EQF, European Qualifications Framework Series: Note 3. Luxembourg.
Publications Office of the European Union (2011). Using Learning Outcomes, European Qualifications Framework Series: Note 4. Luxembourg.
Publications Office of the European Union (2017). Defining, writing and applying learning outcomes, A European handbook. Luxembourg.
ANNEX I – TECHNICAL SHEET
- This framework aims to provide:
- a definition of Learning Outcomes;
- a definition of Units of Learning Outcome;
- information on the identification of common Learning Outcomes;
- a description of the methodology used in Project EURspace when identifying common Learning Outcomes:
- Template for Learning Outcomes per partner;
- Template for identifying matching Learning Outcomes;
- Template for Learning Outcomes in common form.
- This framework is intended to be used in determining:
- a definition of the professional profile of an intended occupation;
- units of learning outcome, key technical outcome, knowledge, skills and competence within a specific training field for the participating institutions;
- the matching learning outcomes for a specific training field for every participating institution.
- This framework is intended for the use of schools, public bodies and other private enterprises who participate in mobility projects.
- This framework is intended to be applied to the mobility students from participant institutions in order to determine the learning outcomes that they are expected to attain.
- Phase and Stage of the Pedagogical Circuit in which the Framework should be used:
- Phase 1: Before Mobility
- Stage 1: Identifying the expected Learning Outcomes
