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，高等教育从大众化向普及化的转变带来了各种变化。一方面，具有不同背景和成就的学生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，有时是由营利机构提供的。课程变得更加模块化，重点是赚取单位学分。一些模块课程导致证书成为学位课程的一部分，而另一些模块课程及其证书与获得学位无关。学生在院校之间流动和转移的扩大对学位课程的一致性提出了挑战。关键问题是：（a）如何核实成绩单（包括学位和证书），（B）如何核实学习经历的真实性、内容和水平（这些可能会在考试中形成）， 关于我们 编辑、证书或学位）进行评估并与接收机构提供的进行比较，（c）接收机构如何确定可接受的和适用于教育证书（即学位）的学习经历（即学分）。有些人认为，认证是一个有用的机制，但认证真的是一个万灵药，以确保在获得学分和授予学位的质量的程序的标准？在美国，州立法、全州范围的倡议和认证机构制定的认证标准有助于促进学业学分从一所中学后教育机构转移到另一所。在欧洲，欧洲学分转换系统、文凭补充和质量保证机制的改革是为了减轻转移学业成绩单和有关学生学位和入学信息的行政负担。根据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接受哪些学分进行转移，以及国家和认证机构如何促进学分转移过程。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