1. INTRODUCTION:

The global process of education for the 21st century already touch continent and societies ,and will surely acquire more relevance and meaning through the two decades ahead. Educational ideas and practices are increasingly shared by peoples and nations at different levels of development and inheriting diverse traditions. Education is no longer confined to national realities and horizons ;beyond these boundaries of the past global vistas appear rapidly and made education more and more a human concern confronting common problems and offering opportunities to all. New dimensions of time and space projected by the march of science technological developments, especially the revolution of communications, have brought people close to each other in thought, actions and aspirations. The interdependence of nations goes far beyond the structures of economy and communications. International education is seen as the more and more best instrument for moral and human solidarity without which man cannot solve the emerging global problems and man cannot cope with the problems of living together happily and creatively. In order to make education to cross border, it is essential to meet the standards of it in the concerned universities or institutes. This is made possible through the use of equivalency of courses and transcript.

2. EQUIVALENCY OF COURSES:

Course equivalence refers to the equivalence of different versions of a course, usually arising from differences in locations offered, particularly offshore versions of locally delivered courses, different modes of delivery, or offering in a language other than English. It is the term used in higher education describing how a course offered by one college or university relates to a course offered by another. If a course is viewed as equal or better than the course offered by the receiving college or university, the course can be noted as an equivalent course. A course equivalency can be unilateral, meaning it is deemed equivalent by the receiver. Or, it could be bilateral, meaning both sender and receiver acknowledge their acceptance of each other's course as equivalent. The methods and measures used to determine course equivalency vary by institution, state, region and country.

2.1. COLLEGE TRANSFER

Issues of course equivalence may also need to be considered in relation to new modes of delivery of existing courses, for example where a new version of a course replaces an industrial experience requirement with alternative learning experiences.

Overall principle Courses are regarded as equivalent if they have the same intended learning outcomes and consequently the same graduate profile. Equivalent courses should therefore have the same overall educational aims and assess their achievement at the same standard. College transfer often requires the determination and evaluation of prior course learning. Receiving institutions usually maintain course equivalency tables listing how courses equate by sender institution. Unless the receiving institution maintains an online public reference to the course equivalency tables, sending institutions often have difficulty projecting transferability of their course offerings. As a result, student transitions from sender to receiver, if outside the normal path, can be very problematic. This has led many states to legislate reforms, regulations and mandates to augment the tracking of course equivalencies in recent years.

2.2.IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF STANDARD

2.2.1.ASSURANCE OF STANDARDS

Equivalent courses need to ensure that the same standards are applied in assessing learning outcomes. Assessment moderation processes should ensure that the same standards are required for achieving pass, credit and higher grades in each course. In practice, this is most likely to mean regular moderation of samples of assessed work from core subjects in the equivalent courses. It does not mean that the same distribution of grades needs to be obtained in each course, as this may be inconsistent with the principle of criterion referenced assessment.14

2.2.2.COURSE STRUCTURES AND SUBJECT MATERIALS

Equivalent courses need not necessarily have the same structure, but each structure adopted needs to enable students to achieve the same learning outcomes. In practice, equivalent courses would normally have the same core subjects. An equivalent course may vary in the choice of majors, sub-majors or electives that are offered, and may offer more limited choices than the original course provided this does not compromise students' ability to achieve the overall learning outcomes. Core subjects offered in equivalent courses may vary in their exact content, modes of delivery or some modes of assessment in order to adapt them for local contexts, provided their learning objectives remain the same and the teaching and learning activities and forms of assessment are constructively aligned to allow students to achieve the learning objectives. It is expected that for the same subjects offered in equivalent courses, the same level and general type of teaching and learning materials should be used. Where the content of certain subjects is modified to suit local and/or cultural circumstances, or the mode of delivery so requires, corresponding modifications to the use of teaching and learning materials may be appropriate.

2.2.3.TEACHING STANDARD AND SUPPORT

Where external staff are employed for the delivery of the course, the faculty concerned must ensure that these staff are well qualified to teach the course, taking into account their teaching qualification, experience and language ability. Faculties must also establish a coordination mechanism for regular communication between the teaching staff onshore and offshore, for the assurance of teaching and assessment standard as well as for any necessary training or support for the offshore staff. On shore staffs are deployed to teach offshore, appropriate administrative and other support to these teaching staff must be provided. Special briefing and/or orientation should also be arranged so that they may adapt to the different teaching situations and seek support as needed. Equivalent courses should have equivalent overall admission standards.

2.2.4. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND SUPPORT

Faculties offering equivalent courses offshore must ensure that learning support is provided to enable students to pursue their studies and achieve the desired learning outcome of the course. This includes:

- access to teaching and learning advice from teaching staff

- access to appropriate library and other learning resources;

- access to advice on other support services available for offshore students in general and specific for students enrolled in that course;

- access to course and other student information;

2.2.5. TRANSFER BETWEEN EQUIVALENT COURSES

In principle, students should be allowed to transfer between equivalent courses, but in view of the possible variations of the courses such as the course structure and materials, delivery arrangements and learning environment, transfer should be subject to the candidate meeting all admission requirements of the course they are transferred into; and subject to approval by the Faculty. For example, a student enrolling in a course taught in a language other than English wishing to transfer to an equivalent course which is taught in English must meet the English requirements for admission into the latter course and vice versa.14

2.2.6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

For quality monitoring of equivalent courses, the same assessment standard must apply, where course tracking mechanisms and processes available for the onshore course cannot apply in the offshore situation, specific processes must be designed and arranged so that course tracking data on equivalent key performance indicators for both courses can be collected and assessed . These courses should also be reviewed and re-accredited together.

2.3.USE OF ELECTRONIC TOOLS IN EQUIVALENCY

Colleges and universities historically have utilized standalone electronic tools to track course equivalencies and facilitate the course evaluation process. Institutions, led by state education agencies are shifting to collaborative tracking tools and shared repositories like the National Course Atlas to facilitate how they propose, evaluate and manage course equivalency decisions online in a proactive manner. Further, utilizing shared collaborative tools enables institutions to ensure systematic procedures applied quickly, accurately, and equally by reducing the duplication of effort and the lack of transparency across institutional curricula since both sender and receiver see the results when sharing a common repository.

2.4.ELEMENTS FOR EVALUATING EQUIVALENCY

The most common course attributes evaluated to determine course equivalency are description, academic credits, accreditation, type of instructor, method of instruction, length of the course, number of meetings, total class time, level of rigor, level of instruction, learning outcomes, grade scale, pre-requisites, co-requisites and textbook. This is not an exclusive list of course attributes. Generally, faculty performs the determination of course equivalencies. Course equivalency decisions can be appealed by presenting evidence to an academic department.

3. THE INDIAN’S THREE YEARS BACHELOR’S DEGREE:

The present Indian system of higher education owes much to India’s pre-1947 past under British rule. Following the practice of the senior British universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham, Indian universities instituted a three-year duration for their first degrees. It is for this reason particularly that will seek to compare the treatment of holders of Indian three-year degrees to holders of British three-year degrees.

The most usual three-year bachelor’s degrees encountered in India are those of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (which may be awarded with or without classed honors) and Bachelor of Science (B.S. or B.Sc.) In addition to these qualifications, there are other bachelor’s degrees that are awarded after a four-year course, such as Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) and Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), and second or higher bachelor’s degrees such as the Bachelor of Library Science (B.L.S.) which require another bachelor’s degree as a pre-requisite for entry.

The three-year Indian Bachelor of Arts degree often represents well in excess of the 1800 contact hours that are usual for a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited institution in the United States. This position may provide a significant reason to regard these Indian three-year B.A.s as of equivalent or higher standing than their U.S. counterparts, notwithstanding the fact that the U.S. degree is spread over four rather than three years. The U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree commonly represents 1800 hours and 120 credits, which is significantly less than the Indian three-year degrees referenced above.

3.1.PRINCIPLES OF DEGREE EQUIVALENCY EVALUATION IN FOREIGN NATIONS

The Indian students complete twelve rather than thirteen years of secondary education is frequently a cause for not granting the three-year bachelor’s degree equivalency with a bachelor’s degree issued in countries like United States.

However, in “General Guiding Principles for Good Practice in the Assessment of Foreign Credentials”, prepared by the Canadian Provincial Assessment Committee, a strict year-for-year equivalency is stated as not always applicable if the content of the course (in this case, the contact hours in particular) justifies particular consideration,

Each academic year of study, as recognized by the official designated authority in the country of origin, should in general be granted no more than one academic year of recognition. However, this year-to-year comparison may be overruled by other factors, such as education outcomes, or the structure and content of the educational program.”

The Council of Europe, in its “Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications” (adopted by the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee at its second meeting, Rīga, 6 June 2001), states the following,

“ The assessment of a foreign qualification should focus on the qualification for which recognition is sought. Previous levels of education should be considered only where these levels have a serious bearing on the outcome of the assessment and should, as far as possible, be limited to qualifications of a level immediately preceding the qualification for which recognition is sought.”

“The most pertinent example is perhaps that deficiencies in an applicant's secondary school leaving qualifications may affect his or her first degree qualifications, or partial qualifications at first degree level, to such an extent that full recognition at first degree level cannot be granted. However, it should be emphasized that this would be an exceptional situation.”

These recommendations indicate that an equivalency evaluation of the Indian three-year Bachelor’s degree that is based on the number of years of secondary schooling without taking into account its content in terms of contact hours risks producing an inaccurate outcome and one that does not reflect the academic content of the degree undertaken.

4. ROLE OF United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO):

U.N.E.S.C.O. has produced several instruments concerned with the international recognition of qualifications. The “Recommendation on the Recognition of Studies and Qualifications” was adopted by the General Conference of U.N.E.S.C.O. in 1993, and is thus applicable to both India and the United States as U.N.E.S.C.O. member states. Among its provisions are the following, “recognition” of a foreign qualification in higher education means its acceptance by the competent authorities of the State concerned (whether they be governmental or non-governmental) as entitling its holder to be considered under the same conditions as those holding a comparable qualification awarded in that State and deemed comparable, for the purposes of access to or further pursuit of higher education studies, participation in research, the practice of a profession if this does not require the passing of examinations or further special preparation, or all the foregoing, according to the scope of the recognition; Member States should take all feasible steps within the framework of their national systems and in conformity with their constitutional, legal and regulatory provisions to encourage the competent authorities concerned to give recognition, to qualifications in higher education that are awarded in the other Member States, with a view to enabling their holders to pursue further studies, training or training for research in their institutions of higher education, subject to all academic admission requirements obtaining for nationals of that State. Member States should also take steps to define procedures for the recognition, of partial studies carried out in higher education institutions in the other States, for the purpose of the pursuit of higher education. In evaluating a qualification obtained abroad for the purpose of further studies, authorities should take into account the stages of study in the country in which the qualification was obtained, in order to permit people having completed one stage to continue to the next stage when they move to another country. Admission to an institution of higher education for the purpose of pursuing further studies, may, nevertheless, be dependent on other conditions, such as the availability of places, the passing of entrance examinations, or adequate knowledge of the language of instruction.”

5. ASSOCIATION OF INDIAN UNIVERSITIES (AIU):

Association of Indian Universities serve as an inter-university organisation, which act as a bureau of information and to facilitate communication for coordination and mutual consultation among universities .It act as a liaison between the university and the government(central as well as state) and to cooperate with other universities or bodies (national or international) in matters of common interest. It assist universities in obtaining recognition for their degrees, diplomas and examinations from other universities ,Indian as well as foreign.

5.1.MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

The Association of Indian Universities have signed Memorandum of Understanding with the following countries:

Arab Republic of Egypt

Russian Federation

Australia, Germany

Sri Lanka

As per the provisions of the Protocol and Memorandum of Understanding, the degrees awarded by the accredited Universities of these concerned countries, for the full time programs offered on the Campus of the country of origin, are accepted for admission to higher courses by Indian Universities on reciprocal basis. +2 stage Foreign examinations are also recognized by AIU .

6. ROLE OF INDIAN NURSING COUNCILIN PROVIDING EQUIVALENCY IN NURSING:

Indian possessing foreign nursing qualifications are examined individually and examination of the syllabi and confirmation from foreign authorities ,the nurses are granted approval for registration in India with the recommendation of equivalence committee under section 11 (2)(a)INC act 1947.The foreign national possessing foreign qualification can also work in charitable institution for a limited period with the approval of President, INC. Their transfer are period are examined/examined by the equivalency committee members and if they are found at par, temporary permission is granted under section 11 (2)(b) of INC Act.1947 for employment in charitable institutions..

7. CONCLUSION:

With globalisation of economies, technology transfer and an almost universal tendency to steer rapidly and progressively towards a dynamic new century ,changes in the trends in higher education is very essential. Higher education, as never before, is now absolutely linked to the employability concept. In India, the last few years have witnessed an overwhelming influx of multinational business partnership. Education abroad offers a rich variety of choices for the international student. India at its fastest developing pace in various fields like medicine, technology, engineering etc also attracts people from other countries to take up a career here. For the exchange of people to work in different places than their motherland, is facilitated by the equivalency of courses established by India and other nations.

8. REFERENCES:

1. Aggarwal JC. Development and planning of modern education. New Delhi; Vikas Publishing House;2003.p.27-29.

2. Gnanan A. Benchmarking quality in higher education. The Indo-U.K perspectives. Sterling Publication s;1999.p.124-137.

3. Prem Kirpal. Towards an international education for the 21st century. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House;1991.p.145-147.

4. Stella Antony. Foundations of external quality assurance in Indian higher education. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company; 2005.p.316-318.

5. Stella Antony. Development of quality assurance of higher education in India. Banglore: Acira Publishers;2001.p.405-407

6. Stella Antony. Making the most of accreditation: Balancing the national and international development in higher education. New Delhi: Concept Publication Company;1991.p.288-293.

7. Indian Nursing Council :To Establish Uniforms Standards of Training for Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. Equivalency .[Internet]. Available from : http://www.indiannursingcouncil. org/Equivalency.asp

Received on 08.04.2015 Modified on 22.06.2015

Int. J. Adv. Nur. Management 3(3): July- Sept. 2015; Page 278-282

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2652.2015.00016.5