Final Report Pilot Project - Phase 1

Principles of a Pan-European CreditAccumulation Framework:Good Practice GuidelinesIntroductionA fundamental aspect of the «Tuning of educational structures inEurope» project is to aid the development of the European Credit TransferSystem (ECTS) 1 into an over-arching pan-European credit accumulation andtransfer framework. This is consistent with the Bologna process that seeksthe creation of a European higher education area by 2010. Crucial to theconstruction of this area are the convergence of national educationalstructures and the exploration of points of similarity between academicsubjects. The «Tuning» project seeks to help achieve this by exploringcommon learning outcomes and practices in five subject disciplines.The good practice guidelines set out below are designed further tounderpin the creation of a European credit-based framework, linked tolearning outcomes. They are consistent with the specific requirementsestablished in the Prague Communiqué where:«Ministers emphasised that for greater flexibility in learning andqualification processes the adoption of common cornerstones ofqualifications, supported by a credit system such as the ECTS or one thatis ECTS-compatible, providing both transferability and accumulation1European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) was created following a pilot project runby the European Commission 1988-1995 to promote student mobility and therecognition of periods of study abroad.215