Background information

The ECTS Users’ Guide provides guidelines for implementation of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) - a tool that helps design, describe, and deliver programmes and award higher education qualifications. It is being revised to ensure that it serves the needs of a broad range of stakeholders, and to give practical guidance to higher education institutions to improve the design, application and assessment of learning outcomes, as asked by Ministers in Bucharest in 2012.

The ad-hoc Working Group on the revision of the ECTS Users' Guide was set up to achieve this task. The European Commission is facilitating the work of the group, which is composed of representatives from 14 countries: AM, BE-nl, DE, FR, HU, IT, LT, MD, NL, NO, SE, UA and UK as well as from 4 organisations: ENQA, ESU, EUA and EURASHE.

Purpuse of this meeting

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and share ideas related to the draft revised ECTS Users’ Guide.

Specific aims of the meeting are the following:

• Share viewpoints on the draft Guide, ensuring that it fully reflects the state of on-going work since its previous revision in 2009 on student-centred learning, learning outcomes and curriculum design, lifelong learning, mobility and recognition, quality assurance, etc.
• Give feedback on the draft Guide, ensuring that it serves the needs of its stakeholders.
• Provide recommendations to the Commission on points to consider, so to ensure a smooth and effective implementation of the Guide.