Tuning SQF Humanities and Arts

The HUMART project is a break through initiative to identify common denominators in the academic sectors/domains of Humanities and the Arts. The project is implemented in the context of the Bologna Process, the creation of one European Qualifications Framework and the subject area reference points developed by Tuning. Furthermore the project seeks to create European wide transparency with regard to the relation between higher education and secondary and vocational education and training. This will allow for improved recognition of formal, informal and non formal learning against clear internationally established reference points.
At present the Higher Education sector is working with the two existing European Qualifications Frameworks.A Qualifications Framework is a common reference framework which links countries' qualifications systems, acting as a translation device to make qualifications more readable and understandable across different countries and systems in Europe. The Tuning HUMART project plans to bridge the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL) and the Qualifications Framework (QF) for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) at the level of academic sectors/domains.
A sector or domain is understood here as a combination of related fields of study which is based on more or less comparable learning profiles. Point of departure in this exercise are the reference points at subject area level as developed in the Tuning projects. The HUMART project seeks to develop a credit based sectoral qualifications framework to cover the levels 3 to 8 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) for Life Long Learning (LLL). The work will build on a comparable project for the field of Social Sciences which has been completed in the year 2010.
Objectives

The main objective of the project is to find out whether it is possible to develop a credit points based ‘overarching’ SQF for the Humanities and the (Fine and Applied) Arts which covers the levels 3 to 8 of the EQF for LLL. The HUMART project will build on the outcomes of the successful project the Tuning SQF for Social Sciences.

The most important objectives are the following:

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  • mapping of progression routes – on the basis of standardized questionnaire - regarding secondary general education and vocational education and training from the perspective of the sector as well as for each subject area involved. Identification of communalities and differences at national level; identification of entrance and exit points as well as entrance levels at levels 3 and 4 and possibly 5 on the basis of different learning routes taken;
  • establishment of subject area based working groups for Literary Studies, Linguistics, Theology and Art History which are requested to develop their own reference points and level descriptors for the levels 3 to 8;
  • preparation of subject area and sectoral level descriptors for the levels 3, 4 and 5 by the groups which already prepared the level 6 to 8 descriptors as part of the Tuning project, i.e. History, Architecture, Music, Dance and Theatre , Art and Design.
  • identification of communalities and differences at subject area level with regard to all nine subject areas and preparation of sectoral descriptors for the levels 3 to 8. These descriptors should be written in such a way that both the Dublin descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL are covered;
  • identification of (ECTS) credit ranges for the levels 3 to 5 as well as exploration of the link to the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) initiative;
  • identification of suggestions for fine tuning and bridging of the Bologna (Dublin) descriptors and the descriptors of the EQF for LLL;
  • testing of the provisional and final results during the running period of the project by admission offices at institutional level as well as (national) entities specialized in the recognition of prior learning.

Cooperation is foreseen with ENIC-NARIC which has completed two succeeding projects – CoRe I and CoRe II – supported by the European Commission to test the Tuning descriptors for recognition purposes and to advise on the language used for formulating sets of competences/learning outcomes. As a result a joint brochure is published in January 2011 entitled A Tuning Guide to formulating Degree Programme Profiles; Including Programme Competences and Programme Learning Outcomes.
HUMART outcomes
The outcomes of the SQF Humanities and Arts (HUMART) project are now available on the website. You are welcome to comment on the documents.

SQF HUMART Final Report 2010-2011
SQFs for the Creative and Performing Disciplines and the Humanities
Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Art History
Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Linguistics
Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Literary Studies
Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Theology and Religious Studies
ECTS and ECVET: Comparisons and Contrasts
EQF Level Descriptors Architecture
EQF Level Descriptors Art History
EQF Level Descriptors Visual and Performing Arts
EQF Level Descriptors History
EQF Level Descriptors Linguistics
EQF Level Descriptors Literary Studies
EQF Level Descriptors Music
EQF Level Descriptors Theology and Religious Studies.