Professor Paul D. Ryan:

There are two models within the ECTS, the first of which functions on the basis that there is a base university. For example, a student who is registered at NUI Galway and who opts to study in Germany for a year might come back with 60 ECTS credits and with a workload and mark. Even though different grading systems are in operation in different countries, by simply putting the two histograms together and normalising them, one can see the correlation. If a student is in the top 20% of a German university, for instance, one would assume that his or her mark would be in the top 20% of an Irish university and so on. That correlation is not difficult to do and happens quite routinely. The student then returns to complete his or her studies and is awarded a degree by NUI Galway, but some of his or her credits have come from that trip abroad. In fact, some of a student's credits may be awarded on the basis of experiential learning obtained before commencing a course. For example, a person could come in with experiential learning and be exempted from certain elements of the first-year curriculum. One is effectively being given these ECTS credits in recognition of one's portfolio.

That is the normal or standard model for the operation of the ECTS in this country. The other model is relatively new and exciting for Ireland and relates to joint degrees. I did a survey on Bologna compliance in NUI Galway and this was the only area in which I found a difficulty. A joint degree is very specifically a degree jointly awarded by two or more universities in two or more separate jurisdictions and valid in both jurisdictions. There was some problem about the legal position vis-à-vis the NUI degrees, but that is now resolved. This is an exciting development in Irish third level education which opens up the prospects of colleges here developing joint degrees with Russia or China, for example, if they have an ECTS model that we would accept. The universities are working hard to develop this product.