Revision of the qualification framework at the Technical University of Denmark: Part 1: Concepts

When the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) adopted the National Qualification Framework (NQF), it was implemented as an add-on to the existing concept in place for describing educational outcomes, rather than by redesigning the educational outcomes themselves. The system in place does not emphasize the type and extent of knowledge, skills, and competencies adequately to facilitate programme development and evaluations. In this work, an expansion and reorganization of the qualification elements in the NQF at DTU is proposed as a means to facilitate a more detailed design and evaluation of the educational programmes. The top level categories of knowledge, skills, and competencies are reorganized into four categories: -to know, - to be, -to interact, and -to do. Knowledge of praxis is a new element in the category -to know. The new category, -to be, includes mind-set development and self-instruction. The category, -to interact, includes competencies in communication and teamwork. The category, -to do, includes operative skills and competencies in problem solving. Each of the four main categories contain a number of qualification elements. Suitable taxonomies are suggested for each of the main categories.