2025
Microcredentials
In recent years, Flanders has taken cautious steps to introduce microcredentials into higher education. However, it was only with the introduction of the Higher Educatio, Advancement Fund (Voorsprongfonds) that the higher education landscape in Flanders had the opportunity to fully embrace the concept of microcredentials. Experiments were conducted with new microcredentials, vision development was undertaken, and the topic received full attention from the Flemish Education Council (VLOR). Additionally, within the lifelong learning working group, institutions co-created a draft framework of agreements for the use of microcredentials.
The characteristics of a microcredential according to the agreed framework:
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The study load of a microcredential is expressed in ECTS credits and generally ranges between 3 and 20 ECTS. In exceptional cases, deviations are possible, allowing for microcredentials worth more than 20 credits. The upper limits are linked to regulations regarding the minimum duration of a postgraduate programme (20 credits) or a master's degree (60 credits).
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A microcredential may be offered in physical, hybrid, or distance learning formats. Higher education institutions always take the target audience into account when determining the mode of delivery.
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A microcredential is defined by a set of learning outcomes. The content of the microcredential is aligned with the needs of the learner, the labour market, and society. These are communicated to students in advance. The learning outcomes are classified within one of the levels of the Flemish Qualification Structure.
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For a Type 1 microcredential, the qualification level is the same as that of the programme. If the building blocks of the microcredential come from programmes of different qualification levels, the level with the largest share is used. In the case of a tie, the institution makes a decision.
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For other microcredentials, the learning outcomes must always be classified.
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Within a microcredential, learning outcomes are assessed. The evaluation method is communicated to students in advance.
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A higher education institution provides appropriate student support. Ideally, students enrolled in a microcredential have access to the same services as associate degree, bachelor's, and master's students, although this is not always feasible. The institution determines a tailored educational offering.
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Admission requirements for a microcredential can be freely determined by the institution. Given the nature of microcredentials, restrictions should be minimised as much as possible.
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Microcredentials are qualifications and can be used within an EVK (recognition of prior learning) procedure to apply for exemptions.
This draft framework of agreements should be seen as an initial concretisation of the broader policy on lifelong learning in higher education in Flanders. Further debate and thorough coordination are still required, not only among higher education institutions but also with other stakeholders in the field of lifelong learning.
The current government is committed to establishing a system for awarding microcredentials in higher education to promote lifelong learning.
Evaluation of the Quality Assurance System in Flemish Higher Education
Higher education institutions ensure the quality of their education through internal quality assurance and external quality procedures, under the supervision of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). For new programmes, this is done through the new programme assessment, in which an independent committee evaluates whether the programme is likely to meet quality standards in the future. Existing programmes undergo periodic accreditation, in which an independent committee determines whether they meet quality requirements.
Additionally, every recognised university or university of applied sciences undergoes an institutional review once every six years. An independent committee assesses the education policy, internal quality assurance, and quality culture. A positive review automatically extends the accreditation of all existing programmes. A negative review means that each programme must be reaccredited individually.
All quality assurance procedures begin with a self-evaluation, followed by an assessment with an on-site visit by a panel of experts. Students, alumni, and external experts are also involved in this process. Ultimately, the NVAO makes the final decision regarding programme accreditation and recognition.
In 2024, the Flemish Higher Education quality assurance system was evaluated. This evaluation is part of recent changes introduced in the 2018 Decree on the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education, with key amendments including the final decision to work with institutional reviews and procedures that allow greater autonomy for universities and university colleges.
The study evaluates the current state of the quality assurance system and provides recommendations for future developments in safeguarding the quality of higher education.
Regarding the description and evaluation of the current situation, the study focuses on:
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A descriptive analysis of the procedures and reporting formats, examining how they are structured, used, and experienced by various actors in the quality assurance system (e.g. committees, quality assurance agencies, higher education institutions such as university colleges, universities, and officially registered institutions).
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An evaluative analysis examining various aspects of quality, including:
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The reliability and validity of current procedures and tools.
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Which aspects of quality have been demonstrably assessed and which remain underexplored.
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The extent to which the system addresses essential components of education quality.
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Whether the overall set of procedures and tools is sufficient to ensure quality.
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Whether the system contributes to reducing administrative workload.
Both the descriptive and evaluative analyses aimed to identify barriers and facilitators within various aspects of the system. The study involved multiple stakeholder consultations, an extensive document analysis, and the support of a panel of independent (international) quality assurance experts.
The study's conclusion indicates that the existing quality assurance system, with its procedures and instruments, is capable of making valid and reliable statements about higher education quality and safeguarding it. Therefore, major system-level changes are not necessary. However, some improvements are recommended to further optimise the system. These include:
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Addressing reporting formats.
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Re-evaluating system-wide analyses.
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Increasing the transparency of procedures and their publications.
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Introducing adequate processes that suit all higher education institutions, including smaller or more specialised institutions.
2023
Further implementation overview 2021-2022
2021
Higher education advancement fund
In implementation of the Flemish Resilience Relaunch Plan, on 26 February 2021 the Flemish Government approved the draft of the vision note 'Voorsprongfonds hoger onderwijs' . The Higher education advancement fund will make our higher education stronger, more flexible and more digital. In the future, digital will play an even bigger role in our society than today. The corona crisis has given us a golden opportunity to anticipate this. At the same time, we have become aware of the indispensable importance of the tangible and the physical in our lives. The important thing now is to use it to our advantage. We start from the opportunities that present themselves post Corona and at the same time we tackle structural challenges. We aim for innovations that give higher education a stronger labour market/social focus, a focus on lifelong learning and a 21st century, digital character. Flexibility, innovation and sustainability are paramount. To realise this ambition, we focus on 3 action lines:
- The development of a Flemish educational portfolio that is future-proof and flexible: Within this action line, we will focus on the implementation of trajectories that lead to a future-proof and flexible educational portfolio in all higher education institutions, the reorientation of curricula and a broad process towards a new profile of higher education in Flanders.
- Offer many more opportunities for lifelong learning within higher education: Within this action line, higher education institutions can develop concrete initiatives that focus on the (re)design of their educational offer to make it accessible and flexible with a view to lifelong learning. In addition, work will be done on the Flemish vision on lifelong learning in higher education
- Devote a great deal of attention to digital forms of education: The advancement fund wants to support educational institutions in the quality preservation of new work forms within higher education whereby an ideal mix of physical education on campus and digital education at a distance is pursued.
Extra attention for students' mental well-being
An important condition for successful study and an essential value for inclusive higher education is attention to students' mental well-being. More and more students in higher education are suffering from mental strain and the corona crisis has intensified the attention on the already dormant challenge of students' mental well-being. In this context, a project on students' mental well-being is being launched.
The project runs in 3 phases. In a first phase, which is currently ongoing (until May 2021) an up-to-date picture is drawn up via research with regard to the mental wellbeing of Flemish and Brussels students in higher education. In a second phase, running from the beginning to the end of 2021 (and thus partly running parallel to phase 1), a Flanders-wide policy on the mental well-being of students will be develop. The third phase, which will start on 1 January 2022, will combine the recommendations from the first phase and the environmental analysis from the second phase into a set of policy measures, which will then be implemented.