Competences, learning outcomes and convergence: a case study – University College Cork Ireland

My university, University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, was nominated by the European Universities Association (EUA) as one of the case studies for this forum. The EUA is an association which represents higher education institutions in 43 countries throughout Europe. It plays a major role in supporting reform and change in higher education, especially through its Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) and its support for Quality Culture within universities. It has played an important role in supporting European universities to implement the Bologna Process, including the European Credit Transfer System, modularisation and semesterisation, rewriting courses and programmes in terms of learning outcomes, reviewing doctoral education, and supporting joint Masters programmes. Of particular relevance to this forum was its Quality Culture project on Teaching and Learning, specifically the collaborative project relating to Learning Outcomes, in which UCC was a partner institution.