TUNING Guidelines and Reference Points for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Physics - Edition 2018

The present Guidelines has been issued in the context of the project ‘Measuring and Comparing the Achievement of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Europe (CALOHEE), an EU project aimed to develop the infrastructure for setting-up multi-dimensional tests for each of five subject areas, representing five significant academic domains: Engineering (Civil Engineering), Health Care (Nursing), Humanities (History), Natural Sciences (Physics) and Social Sciences (Education). In this document the results of the work of the Physics Subject Area Group is presented. This group was composed by 15 members representing different European countries, and a student delegate. The exchange of ideas among different countries and institutions has allowed identifying which competences a student should achieve upon fulfillment of physics degree, and to reflect on good teaching, learning and assessment practices to meet the target. The Reference Frameworks are based on a merger of the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area (QF of the EHEA) and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF for LLL). Their integration allows for combining two different philosophies and facilitates the use of the frameworks presented here in different contexts. While the QF of the EHEA covers in particular the learning process, the EQF focusses on the preparation for life in society and the world of work. The descriptors in the Reference Frameworks are organized on the basis of ‘dimensions’. A dimension indicates a constructive key element, which defines a subject area. Each subject area is based on a multiple of dimensions. These dimensions are linked to the five strands of the QF of the EHEA. By applying the categories of the EQF for LLL each dimension involves three descriptors – knowledge, skills and autonomy and responsibility (‘wider competences’) -, which reflect a progressive level of achievement. The Subject Area Qualifications Reference Frameworks are meant to serve as a sound basis for defining the programme learning outcomes of individual degree programmes of the first and second cycle (BA and MA). Basing the individualized sets of learning outcomes on the frameworks will guarantee that ‘standards’ which have been agreed and validated internationally are fully respected. The process of identifying the dimensions of the Assessment Reference Framework included a reflection on the most appropriate teaching, learning and assessment strategies needed to achieve the desired learning outcomes.