Comparative Study on the mobility of students and quality assurance of bachelor's degree programs in Japan, Europe and the United States

正如马丁·特罗所预料的那样，高等教育从大众化到普及化的转变带来了各种各样的变化。一方面，背景和造诣各异的学生都有机会接受高等教育。另一方面，越来越多的学生在非传统机构学习或参加远程学习课程，通常是在线学习，这些课程有时由营利性机构提供。课程变得更加模块化，以获得单位学分为重点。一些模块课程可以获得证书，这些证书是学位课程的一部分，而其他模块课程及其证书与获得学位没有关系。学生流动和转学的扩大对学位课程的一致性提出了挑战。关键问题是：(a)如何验证成绩单（包括授予的学位和证书），(b)如何评估学习经验（可能形成更多的编辑，证书或学位）的真实性，内容和水平，并将其与接收机构提供的学习经验进行比较，(c)接收机构如何确定可接受并适用于教育证书（即学位）的学习经验（即学分）。有些人认为认证是一种有用的机制，但是根据获得的学分和授予的学位的质量，认证真的是确保课程标准的万灵药吗？在美国，州立法、全州范围内的倡议和认证机构制定的认证标准有助于促进学分从一所高等教育机构转移到另一所高等教育机构。在欧洲，欧洲学分转换制度、文凭补充制度和质量保证机制改革都是减轻学分转换、学生学位和入学信息的行政负担的手段。根据我们对日本所有四年制大学的调查和比较研究，我们研究了高等教育机构如何决定哪些学分可以转学，以及各州和认证机构如何促进学分转学过程。少

As Martin Trow expected, the transition from mass to universal access higher education brings about various changes. On the one side, students with quite varied backgrounds and attainments have opportunity to access higher education. On the other hand, growing numbers of students study at non-traditional institutions or take distance learning courses, often online, which are sometimes provided by for-profit institutions. The curriculum becomes more modular with the focus on earning unit credits. Some modular courses lead to certificates which form a part of degree programs, while other modular courses and their certificates have no relation for earning degrees.The expansion of student mobility and transfer between institutions is a challenge to the consistency of degree programs. Key issues are : (a) how academic transcripts (including degrees and certificates awarded) are verified, (b) how the authenticity, content, and level of the learning experience (which probably take shape as cr … More edit, certificate or degree) are evaluated and compared to that offered by the receiving institution, (c) how the receiving institution determines the learning experience (i.e. credit) acceptable and applicable toward an educational credential, namely a degree. Some argue that accreditation is a useful mechanism, but is accreditation really a cure-all to ensure the standards of programs in light of the quality of credit earned and degree awarded?In the U.S., state legislation, statewide initiatives, and the accreditation standards that accrediting agencies set help facilitate the transfer of academic credits from one postsecondary institution to another. In Europe, the European Credit Transfer System, the diploma supplement and the reform of quality assurance mechanisms work as devises for reducing administrative burden of transferring academic transcripts and information about student's degrees and enrollment. On the basis of our survey of all four-year universities in Japan as well as the comparative study, we examined how higher education institutions decide which credits to accept for transfer and how states and accrediting agencies facilitate the credit transfer process. Less