It does not happen often that the AEC Newsletter contains what might be considered old news. However, this is the case with this article on the CALOHEx project and the Qualifications and Assessment Reference Framework developed specifically for Higher Music Education. The framework represents the latest development of the AEC Learning Outcomes and was adopted by the AEC Council in March 2024.

We have been encouraged from several sides to reiterate the message about the framework, which builds on the AEC Learning Outcomes from 2017 and offers several advantages. AEC therefore recommends that member institutions use the CALOHEx framework as a basis when carrying out regular updates of their study programmes.

The EU-funded TUNING-CALOHEE and CALOHEx projects address key questions for higher education:

  • Do students across Europe develop the competences they need?
  • Are study programmes delivering on their promises?
  • Can students’ achievements in different countries be compared in a meaningful way?

The projects provide frameworks and tools that support the design of high-quality degree programmes and facilitate comparison and recognition across countries. They follow an outcome-based approach and aim to provide transparent information for higher education stakeholders – universities, employers, quality assurance organisations and, most importantly, learners.

CALOHEx builds on the earlier CALOHEE project (“Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Europe”), both initiated and coordinated by The Tuning Academy at the University of Groningen.

While CALOHEE focused on five subject areas – Civil Engineering, Teacher Education, History, Nursing and Physics – CALOHEx expanded the work to additional disciplines, including Business Administration, Information Engineering/ICT, International Relations, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, and Creative and Performing Arts and Design (CPAD). The CPAD field covers design, film, fine arts, performing arts and music.

Within the CALOHEx project, a CPAD group was established to develop Qualifications Reference Frameworks (QRF) and Assessment Reference Frameworks (ARF) for EQF levels 6 (Bachelor), 7 (Master) and 8 (PhD). These frameworks combine EQF descriptors (Knowledge, Skills, Wider Competences) with the EHEA Dublin Descriptors.

AEC nominated Kjetil Solvik (Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo) and Marijn Abbink (Royal Conservatoire, The Hague) to participate in the project as members of the CPAD group and to form the Music Group.

After the CPAD group developed a general framework consisting of eight dimensions with corresponding descriptors, the Music Group created discipline-specific subsets and learning outcomes to ensure that the framework reflects the specificities of higher music education. Throughout the process, the group consulted regularly with an AEC reference group.

The results of the Music Group’s work are available here:
https://www.tuning-calohex.eu/music

The resources include:

  • background texts on higher music education
  • typical degree profiles
  • typical occupations and employment fields
  • learning outcomes frameworks for music
  • examples of good practice within higher music education.

The CALOHEx Qualifications Framework aims to facilitate transnational curriculum development and the recognition of studies and is fully compatible with both the Dublin Descriptors and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). One example of its use is within the IN.TUNE Alliance, where it supports the development of joint courses, modules and programmes.

AEC would like to thank Kjetil Solvik, Marijn Abbink, as well as Georg Schulz, Ester Tomasi-Fumics, Jacques Moreau and Stefan Gies for their important contributions to this work.