Article I. – Definitions
[Treedt in werking op een nader te bepalen tijdstip]
For the purposes of this Convention, the terms below shall have the following meaning:
Access: the right of candidates who have undertaken studies and obtained diplomas
or degrees to apply and to be considered for admission to higher education
Accreditation: a process of assessment which is undertaken by the competent authority
and which enables a higher-education programme or institution to be recognized or
certified as meeting appropriate quality assurance standards
Admission: the act of, or system for, allowing holders of qualifications to pursue
higher education at a given institution and/or in a given programme
Lifelong learning: all learning activity through formal, non-formal, or informal studies
covering the entire lifespan and with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence
Open and distance learning: ways of providing higher education through different forms
of face-to-face learning, distance learning, or non-traditional training modes using
information and communications technologies (ICT), or a combination of the foregoing
Prior learning: the knowledge, skills and competence an individual has acquired as
a result of formal, non-formal, or informal, assessed against a given set of learning
outcomes or standards
Formal learning: learning derived from activities within a structured learning setting
provided by an education institution authorized to deliver such learning activities
Informal learning: learning resulting from daily life activities related to work,
family, or leisure or other informal activities
Non-formal learning: learning acquired within the framework of an education or training
institution not belonging to a formal education system
Quality assurance: an ongoing and participatory process of assessing and enhancing
the quality of a higher-education system, institution, or programme by means of acceptable
quality standards
Competent recognition authorities: governmental or non-governmental bodies with competence
in higher education officially recognized in compliance with specific regulations
and authorized to make decisions on the recognition of studies, diplomas and degrees
obtained abroad
Qualification giving access to higher education: any degree, diploma, or other certificate
issued by the authorized entities in the country of origin, attesting the completion
of an education programme, and giving the holder of the qualification the right to
be considered for admission to higher education
Secondary education: the stage of studies of any kind, as defined by a State Party,
which is immediately before higher education and which is sufficient for continuing
to higher education
Higher education: any form of teaching and research after the secondary education
level, legally recognized as such, including university education and various forms
of tertiary education; this level may be accessed by all persons with the competences
required for higher education, supported by a diploma, degree, or certificate of secondary
school completion, or by other mechanisms for this purpose determined by the State
Party concerned
Assessment of institutions or programmes: the process for establishing the level of
educational quality of a higher-education institution or programme
Assessment of qualifications: the written evaluation by a competent body of the certifications
of foreign qualifications obtained by an individual
Higher-education institution: an institution providing higher education and recognized
by the competent authorities of a State Party as belonging to its higher-education
system and authorized to issue diplomas, degrees and certificates at the higher-education
level
Qualifications framework: a system for the classification, publication and organization
of quality-assured qualifications according to a set of criteria
Academic mobility: the movement of individuals outside their own country for the purpose
of studying, researching, teaching, or conducting other academic activities
Period of study: any component of a higher education programme which has been evaluated
and documented and, while not a complete programme of study in itself, represents
a significant acquisition of knowledge or skill
Refugee: any person who, as a result of well-founded fear of being persecuted for
reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or
political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality and is unable
or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him- or herself of the protection of
that country, or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his
or her former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to
such fear, is unwilling to return to it
Displaced persons: persons or group of persons who have been forced or obliged to
flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result
of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence,
violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed
an internationally recognized State border
Recognition: an administrative act by competent recognition authorities which, within
the regulatory framework of each State Party, corroborates the official status and
academic level and value of a diploma, degree, or certificate of a foreign education
qualification, or of prior learning, or of partial studies; the said act generates
academic rights equal to those held by national citizens with similar diplomas, degrees,
or certificates; these rights refer to:
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a) the continuation of studies;
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b) engagement in academic teaching or research activities in higher education;
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c) the facilitation of the recognition of professional qualifications for use in accordance
with national legislation
Learning outcomes: statements of what an individual is expected to know, understand
and be able to demonstrate upon completion of a learning process
Academic credit system: a regulated way of describing an education programme by assigning
credits to its components, based on different parameters such as the workload of the
student, learning outcomes and face-to-face contact hours
Diploma supplement: a reference document describing the nature, level, context, content
and status of the studies successfully completed by the person whose name appears
on the original diploma to which the supplement is annexed
Degree, certificate or diploma: document that constitutes official proof of the qualifications
acquired by an individual after having passed a stage of training or completed full
training