Spotlight on the power of self-assessment - supporting the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC)

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and Holmes Institute Dublin (HID) participated in the ERASMUS+ AR25 project with the support of NARIC Ireland at QQI. Their experience has been captured as part of a recently published report: ‘Spotlight on the power of self assessment - Institutional recognition practices’.

Quality assurance of recognition procedures is key to move to fair and smooth recognition in line with the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC). Robust recognition practices also support compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) standard 1.4.

The LRC, developed by the Council of Europe and UNESCO, was ratified by Ireland in 2004. It provides a common legal framework to improve the recognition of higher education qualifications across signatory countries, supporting mobility and learner fairness. (See Ireland’s ratification details)

To support institutions in meeting these commitments, the European University Association developed the “Spotlight” tool, which allows higher education institutions (HEIs) to use a European instrument for the first time to assess the compliance of their recognition procedures with the LRC.

Engagement with the "Spotlight" tool can also support HEIs applying for the TrustEd Ireland mark. In particular Section 5.2 of QQI’s Code of Practice which clearly sets out the expectation that “higher education providers operate fair, transparent and consistent admission policies that support the successful participation of international learners in their chosen programmes”.