Index
What is Tuning Academy?

1

Tuning Academy Structure2

Tuning Academy Activities

2

What is Tuning?

3

Tuning as a Methodology

4

Tuning Projects: Europe

5

Tuning Projects: Latin America

6

Tuning Projects: Africa

7

Tuning Projects: Russia

8

Other Tuning projects

9

Tuning and Thematic Networks

10

Tuning Research

11

Tuning Training

12

Tuning Community

13

Tuning Publications

14

Tuning Journal

15

Tuning in Figures

16

Tuning Academy Website

16

Who we are17

What isTuning Academy is an International Higher
Education and Research Centre for the development and enhancement of the quality of learning,teaching and assessment in higher education,
focusing on the competences for intellectual development, employability and citizenship in a global
context.
Tuning Academy has its origin in successful innovative and large scale projects which have been carriedout in close cooperation with and under the directionof the University of Deusto (Spain) and the
University of Groningen (The Netherlands) since
2000.
The aim of the Tuning Academy is to be an organisation which is permanently aware of social demands
and future needs, playing a key role in Higher Education through research, experimentation, educationalinnovation and support for decision making in policy
on education and employment.

Tuning Academy objectives
The objectives of the Tuning Academy are to:• Systematize and disseminate the experiencegenerated in many international projects;• Guarantee the scientific-academic quality of all
projects developed under the Tuning designation;• Serve as an international reference for developing
models of teaching, learning and assessment
in Higher Education;• Develop professional profiles adapted to theneeds of society;• Foster the pursuit of higher academic quality inuniversities globally;• Promote comparability and transparency inHigher Education in different subject areas atinternational level.

1Tuning Academy Structure
Tuning Academy is organised in three units:

Projects
Research
Training

Tuning Academy Activities
In order to fulfill these purposes, the Tuning
Academy carries out activities. The most specific,
important and immediate are:• Sustaining the Tuning methodology for identifying and analysing common features at sectoral, discipline and subject-specific levels on thebasis of consensus between relevant stakeholders;• Developing and exchanging information on
curriculum development in focus areas, andcreating curricula models expressed by metaprofiles and reference points for each area,
optimising recognition and international academic integration of degree certificates;• Creating and sustaining an observatory to analyse and predict emerging competences, newcareer profiles and lifelong educational needs
in new social contexts;• Creating and sustaining international networks
capable of submitting examples of effective
practices, stimulating innovation and quality
through reflection and mutual exchange;

2• Offering beneficiaries the possibility to takepart in international cooperation programmesby creating study, cooperation and research
projects;• Fostering the organisation of events andmeetings with experts and academic authorities;• Providing assessment and technical assistanceto governments, institutions, and public andprivate organisations, which request these
services;• Promoting the publication of studies andprojects related to the purposes of the Tuning
Academy;• Providing programmes of staff development for
specific groups.

What is Tuning?
Three definitions encompass most of the reality of
Tuning:Tuning as a Network of Communities of Learners• Tuning is a project for the universities and by theuniversities.

A useful way of understanding Tuning is as a networkof interconnected communities of practitioners
and learners who reflect, debate and elaborate
instruments and share the results. They are academic
experts, gathered around a discipline or theme
within the conscious context of building mutual
trust and confidence. They work in international,
intercultural groups, respecting the autonomy ofco-participants at the institutional, country andregional level and generously sharing knowledge
and experiences. They work in an organized system
according to regional needs, remaining focused on
accountability and goal-centeredness by articulatingand evaluating clear aims, objectives and outcomesat every step of the way.

• Tuning is a network of communities of learners.
• Tuning is a methodology for designing andimplementing degree programmes.

Tuning as a Project
Tuning as a project has a background and a context.
It was born out of the needs which emerged in
1999 with the Bologna Declaration. Two of thesewere the need for the mutual recognition of periodsof study abroad and of degree qualifications. The
result became very visible: a project by and fromuniversities which focused on an intercultural systemfor developing outcomes-based, student-centred
and competence-based learning. Although Tuning
was developed as a project to meet the concreteneeds of a region and was never intended to bebroader in scope, many regions found an importantvalue in adopting and adapting it to their contexts
and needs. Its strength lies in the fact that while themethodology is a useful tool, the aims and objectivesof projects are authentic to particular regions. It hasdeveloped further into a powerful instrument ofunderstanding and cooperation between regions
across the world; it is a way of reaching global
consensus beginning from the institution, thecountry and the region. In this context, the different
regions of the world feel drawn to become partof the project or to launch parallel processes ofsearching for recognition, identifying relevance andbuilding quality in higher education, starting fromthe needs and choices of their students, academic
staff, employers, social organizations and diverse
relevant groups.

3

Tuning as a Methodology
Tuning is a methodology with clearly designed
steps but with a dynamic perspective that allows foradaptation to different contexts. The methodology
has a clear objective: to build compatible andcomparable descriptions of degrees that are
relevant to society and that are intensively focusedon maintaining and improving quality. Thismethodology explicitly calls for the process to value
and preserve diversity coming from the traditionsof each country. These requirements demand acollaborative methodology, based on a consensus
being developed by experts from backgrounds as
varied as possible. These experts are expected tohave the capacity to understand the negotiable
and non-negotiable geographical realities as muchas they must understand essential elements of thediscipline and the degrees themselves. The Tuning
methodology has four lines of work which help
to organize discussion in specific subject areas:
identifying relevant generic and subject specificcompetences and elaborating a meta-profile
for the subject area; exploring how a mutuallyagreed cumulative credit system can facilitate
student mobility; exchanging good practices inapproaches and techniques in teaching learningand assessment; and finally exploring how quality
assurance frameworks can be used at programme
level to enhance student learning.

Economics

Social Work

Communication

Ecology

Tourism

Administration

Education

Languages

Architecture

Psychology

Law

Information

4

Management

Engineering

Tuning Projects: Europe
Four projects for the EU region andsome neighbouring countries• Tuning Educational Structures in Europe (a pilot
project) (1 December 2000 - 31 January 2003)

9 Subject Areas
Business Administration, Chemistry, Educational
Sciences, European Studies, Geology/Earth Sciences,
History, Mathematics, Nursing, Physics• Tuning Educational Structures in Europe –Phase II (1 February 2003 - 31 December 2004)• Tuning Educational Structures In Europe –Phase III: Validation, dissemination and further
development (1 January 2005 - 1 October
2006, Socrates-funded partners; 15 April
2005 – 30 November 2006, Tempus-fundedpartners)• Tuning Educational Structures in Europe IV:
Curricular Reform Taking Shape. Learning
Outcomes and Competences in Higher
Education (1 December 2006 - 1 March 2009,
Socrates-funded partners; 15 June 2007 1 September 2008, Tempus-funded partners)

32 countries involved
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania,
Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK,
Ukraine.

165 Universities

14,334 Stakeholders consulted• 3,039 Academics• 7,131 Graduates• 2,291 Students• 1,873 Employers

37 Publications in 11 Languages• Croatian (2)• English (19)• French (2)• German (2)• Italian (1)• Macedonian (2)• Polish (1)• Russian (1)• Serbian (2)• Spanish (3)• Ukranian (1)5Tuning Projects: Latin America
Three projects• Tuning - America Latina (Tuning Latin America)(1 October 2004 - 30 March 2007)• Tuning America Latina: Carreras basadas
en Competencias (Tuning Latin America:
Competence-Based Degrees) (1 January 2006 –30 June 2008)• Tuning America Latina: Innovación Educativa ySocial (Tuning Latin America: Educational andSocial Innovation) (3 January 2011 – 2 April
2014)

33 countries involved
Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela;
as well as, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands,
Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK.

200
Universities,
18
National
Tuning Centres and 12 Associations(Councils of Rectors, University
Associations, Ministries of Education)

6

15 Subject Areas
Agronomy, Architecture, Business Administration,
Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Sciences,
Education, Geology, History, Law, Mathematics,
Medicine, Nursing, Physics, Psychology - and thecross-curricular area of Social Innovation.

27,398 Stakeholders consulted• 5,443 Academics• 8,462 Graduates• 11,215 Students• 2,278 Employers

56 Publications in 3 Languages• English (19)
• Spanish (18)• Portuguese (18)
• Spanish and Portuguese (1)Tuning Projects: Africa
Two projects• Feasibility Study on the Relevance of a Tuning
Approach in higher education for Africa(1 March 2010 – 28 February 2011)• Tuning Africa - EU Strategies Tuning Seminars(25 September 2011 – 31 March 2013)

31 countries involved
Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,
Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan,
Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

60 Universities
5 Subject Areas
Agricultural Sciences, Civil Engineering, Teacher
Education, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine

4,323 Stakeholders consulted• 1,130 Academics• 1,051 Graduates• 1,304 Students• 838 Employers

Publications in English and French

7Tuning Projects: Russia
Three projects• Tuning Educational programmes in RussianHigher Education Institutions (15 May 2006 –14 August 2007)• Russian Tuning ECTS based-model for
Implementation of the Bologna Process in
Human Sciences (15 June 2007-14 June 2008)• Tuning Russia (15 October 2010 – 14 October
2013)

Russia and 6 EU countries:
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and UK

29 Institutions throughout the threeprojects and more than 66 Russian
Universities during the Consultation
process
15 Subject Areas
Culture Studies, Ecology, Economics, Education,
Environmental Engineering, European Studies,
Foreign Languages, History, Information andCommunication Technologies, Interpreting andTranslation, Law, Management, Mathematics, Social
Work, Tourism

8

More than 9,000 Stakeholders consulted
In the third project only:• 2,220 Academics• 2,414 Graduates• 2,538 Students• 1,856 Employers

30 Publications in 2 Languages• English (15)
• Russian (15)Other Tuning projects
More than 15 other projects, including
Application of theTuning Approaches
in Georgian Higher
Education System

Creating National
Information Centersabout the Bologna Process
in the Kyrgyz Republic

Cooperation in Higher education between
the United States and the European Union to
produce a robust methodology to evaluate theapplication of the Tuning approach

Tuning-AHELO
project

Towards a Central Asian
Higher Education Area:
Tuning Structures andBuilding Quality Culture

Emerging Modes of
Cooperation between
Private Sector Organisations
and Universities

Tuning Australia
Pilot Project

Canada-EU Tuning
Feasibility Study

Tuning Sectoral
Framework forSocial Sciences
Tuning Educational Structures
for Internationalisation(Thailand-EU Cooperation
Facility)

Sectoral Qualiﬁcations
Framework for
Humanities & Arts
Competences in
Education and
Cross-Border
Recognition

EU - China
Tuning study

Tuning Middle Eastand North Africa

Other Countries and Continents Involved
Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Georgia,
India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon,
Libya, Palestine, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, USA, Uzbekistan

14 Additional Subject Areas

EU-Tuning India
Study

More than 30 Subject-Area-Specificand General Publications on the Tuning
Methodology in:• English• French• Georgian• Lithuanian

Art and Design, Art History, Dance and Theatre,
English Philology, Environmental Protection andFood Safety, International Relations, Language,
Linguistics, Literary Studies, Music, Occupational
Therapy, Public Health, Teacher Training (Pedagogy),
Theology.

9Tuning and Thematic Networks
The different aspects of the Tuning methodology
were also adopted and implemented by more than
35 different Thematic Networks, which represent

10communities of leading and most active educatorsin their respective professional areas

Tuning Research
Tuning Research promotes research on the
Tuning methodology, its implementation and its
impact on higher education all over the world.
The three major objectives of the Tuning
Research Unit are:1) to bring together and systematise the datacollected throughout the various Tuning
projects, as well as the Tuning activities ofthe different Thematic Networks, so as tomake these data readily available to theresearchers;2) to give greater visibility to academic publications related to Tuning and to stimulate
further academic discussion on the different
aspects of the Tuning methodology; and3) to conduct research on Tuning-related topics
and put in place measures that can facilitateand consolidate international academic
collaboration within the Tuning-related
domain.

Specific Goals
I. Tuning Data linea) Descriptions of databases created as aresult of various Tuning Consultations (about
Generic and Subject-Speciﬁc Competences
and about Students’ Workload) placed on
the International Tuning Academy internet
platform;b) Codebooks and databases available for
consultation at Deusto International Tuning
Academy premises;

II. Tuning Publications linea) Tuning Journal of Higher Education (see p. 12);b) All academic publications on Tuning reﬂected
in a constantly updated Publication sectionof the International Tuning Academy internet
platform;c) Hard and electronic copies of Tuning-related
academic publications, Tuning-projects andThematic Networks’ Tuning activities-related
documentation available for consultation at
Deusto International Tuning Academy Library.

III. Tuning Research linea) Tuning Impact research project stared by
Deusto International Tuning Academy inautumn 2013. Its major objective is to identify
cases of successful implementation of theTuning methodology all over the world andevaluate the impact the Tuning-promotedchanges have had;b) Short-Term Visit scholarship scheme, whose
aim is to provide ﬁnancial support to scholars
who want to spend one month at Deusto
International Tuning Academy premises
in order to advance their Tuning-related
research;c) Measures to promote Mid-Term and Longterm academic visits to the International
Tuning Academy premises;d) Network of Tuning scholars, whose active
communication will be facilitated thanks
to the creation of the interactive Tuning
Community space within the International
Tuning Academy internet platform.

c) Lists of Competences and Questionnaires
created within different Tuning projects
brought together on the International Tuning
Academy internet platform.

11

Tuning Training
The International Tuning Academy provides awide range of staff development in the area ofhigher education modernisation with emphasis on
the design and development of comparable andcompatible degree programmes.
The themes of the courses are closely related to thelines of the Tuning Methodology including:Competence-based approaches and studentcentred organisation of educational processes;
competence development and assessment;
workload and ECTS; approaches to learning,teaching, and assessment; and the role of quality
enhancement in the educational process.
Staff development is also aimed at the developingof criteria or reference points for common curriculaon the basis of agreed competences and learning
outcomes, as well as cycle level descriptors fordifferent subject areas. The experts of the Academy
provide subject-specific support to universities andacademics for enhancing the design and delivery of
programmes.

12

Tailored courses may arise from the general need ofa particular group of academics and management
to design a successful and distinctive comparable
and compatible programme(s), or from a specificneed, for example, to design joint degree(s) inorder to internationalise the educational process.
Courses can also include seminars and workshops
on important educational and HE strategic issues,
in-house seminars/workshops tailored to needs,
and individual advice where required.
Staff development is based on the Tuning approachto the work in Subject Area Groups so participants
can share ideas and best practices, as well as
learn from colleagues and speakers. Activities areinteractive and include the participation of expert(s)and presentation of recent case studies. They areprovided in different forms, and supported by awide range of modern technological approaches
and techniques, including blended and distancelearning, where appropriate.

Tuning Community
The Tuning Community is represented by a networkof academic experts, higher educational practitioners
and managers, who work in international groups,
communicating at institutional, country, regional andinternational level, generously sharing knowledge andexperiences.
The Tuning Community acts as a platform for reflection
and action about higher education, where members
have the possibilities of networking with professionals
in their own subject areas from many countries andregions of the world.

How to become a member of
Tuning Community
Individuals or organisations who participatedin at least one Tuning project or initiative,
automatically become members of the Tuning
Community. Individuals or organisations who
are active in the area of higher education and
who wish to join the Tuning Community may
apply online at Tuning Community web page
http://www.tuningacademy.org/tuning-community

The Tuning Community is based on the engagement
and commitment of institutions and individuals. It is
built on every person who takes part in it and sharesideas, initiatives and doubts. It welcomes contributions
from all academics and every professional who cares
about higher education and future trends in their field.
It rests on people from different regions of the world
who share aims and objectives of Tuning and have thecreativity and flexibility to adapt it to their needs. The
diversity of the Tuning Community allows members
to communicate regularly with their peers to discuss,share and benchmark their experiences.

Membership
Tuning Academy facilitates and actively encourages
dialogue and partnerships between different
academic groups and institutions. By joining theTuning Community, members become part of aworldwide international network. Membershipgives access not only to a peer-based academic
development network, but also to information(knowledge databases; research projects and survey
results; newsletters; magazines; presentations andpapers of all conferences and seminars), and to
Academy activities at preferential rates (conferences
and special events).

13

Tuning Publications
Reference points for the Subject Areas ofISURón
Un modelo de evaluacide Innovación Social
Universitaria Responsable

RussiaReference Points
for the Design
andDelivery of Deg
Programmes reeinSocial Work

RussiaReference Points
for the Design and
Delivery of Degree
Programmes in
Tourism

es in Physics

TuningEducational
Structuresin Europe

TuningEducational
Structuresin Europe

Iván Soto Espinoza (ed.)

Aurelio Villa Sánchez & Manuel

Poblete Ruiz (Eds.)

Competence-basedlearning
A proposal for the assessmentof generic competences

Reference
Points for the
Design and
Delivery ofDegreeProgrammesin Music

for the Design

and Deliveryof Degree Programm

Reference
Points for the
Design and
Delivery ofDegreeProgrammesin Physics

Educación Superior
en América Latina:
reﬂexiones yperspectivas en
Geología

Aurelio Villa (ed.)

Reference Points

Agronomy
Architecture
Business
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Earth Sciences
Ecology
Economics
Education
Environmental Engineering
European Studies
Foreign Languages
Gender Studies
History
Informatics
Interpreting and Translation
Law
Management
Mathematics
MedicineMusic
Nursing
Occupational Therapy
Physics
Psychology
Social Work
Tourism

Life Long LearningLife Long Learning
24/7/08 10:45:40

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TuningEducational
Structuresin Europe

General Tuning publications

CLAR
to the Bologna Process.

Final reports:

Tuning-EuroPsy:
Reference
Points for the
Design and
Deliveryof Degree
Programmes
in Psychology

Universities’ contribution

Tuning EU I and II,
Tuning Latin America I and II,
Tuning Africa

English edition

Life Long Learning

20/2/08 10:53:43(11).indd 1

Maida Marty, César Esquetin
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Siuﬁ and Robert
Wagenaar (eds.)

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Reﬂections on
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Universities' contributionsto the Bologna Procesin Latin America

Informe Final
Proyecto Piloto - Fase 1

Final Report
Pilot Project - Phasev

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Education and Culture

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6/9/07 12:39:31

Realizado por más de 100 Universidades,,coordinado por la Universidad de Deustoon(España) y la Universidad de Groningen(Países Bajos) y apoyado por la Comisiónn
Europea

Crédito Latinoame
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Tuning Journal
Description
The Tuning Journal is a biannual peer-reviewed
ieewedjournal that publishes in English original research
seearcrch
studies and reviews of student-centred learning
ng
g and
an
nd
outcome-oriented education reforms at university
niveerrsiityy
level.

Objectives• To promote research into the «Tuningng MethModology» and to subject the tools developed
elo
oped
during Tuning projects and other projects
ts tofull academic scrutiny and debate.
• To support the careers of university academics
emics
by providing a platform whereby excellence inteaching, learning and assessment produces
research publications.
• To serve as a platform for students, teachers,
policy makers, administrators, and academics
across societies, cultures, professions, andacademic disciplines to share experiences andengage in constructive debate on competencebased learning in higher education.

Submissions• Manuscripts must not have been copyrighted or
published in any form, or be under consideration
for publication elsewhere.
• Manuscripts must be between 5,000 and
12,000 words including notes, biography,
references, captions and diagrams.
• The Notes and Bibliographies system of
the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.
chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html) shallbe used for manuscript preparation.

Publication format
In print and electronically.
First Issue: New Proﬁles for new societies• It was published on November 2013.
• It highlights the imperative to design higher
education programme profi les that adequately
address the needs of modern societies andrelated political, institutional, cultural, andpractical challenges.
• It contains contributions from recognised experts,
some of whom have been steadily working on
the subject for a long time particularly within
Tuning Projects.
• PDF versions of these contributions are available
for free downloading at:
http://www.tuningjournal.org/
Contact address
University of Deusto
Publications Service
Spanish Attn.: Managing Editor, Tuning Journal
Avenida de las Universidades, 24
48007 Bilbao; SPAIN
Phone: +34 944 139 003 (Ext. 3048)
E-mail: tuningjournal@deusto.es
More information
Available at http://www.tuningjournal.org/
15

Tuning in Figures• 103 countries involved• 45 subject areas (plus those focusedon by Thematic Networks)• 29 thematic networks• More than 640 institutions• 139 publications• In 14 language

Tuning Academy Website
http://tuningacademy.org

16

Who we are
Deusto International Tuning Academy

International Tuning
Academy Groningen

Pablo Beneitone
Director
pablo.beneitone@deusto.es

Senior Adviser

Edurne Bartolomé
Vice Director (Research)

juliamaria.gonzalez@deusto.esedurne.bartolome@deusto.es

Ladislas Bizimana
ladislas.bizimana@deusto.es

Ivan Dyukarev
ivan.dyukarev@deusto.es

Sara Goitia
sara.goitia@deusto.es

Margerethe Macke
margarethe.macke@deusto.es

Maida Marty
maida.marty@deusto.es

María Ortiz-Coronado
mortiz@deusto.es

Gipson Varghese
g.varghese@deusto.es

Maria Yaroshmariayarosh@deusto.es

Julia González

Robert Wagenaar
Directorr.wagenaar@rug.nl

Ingrid van der Meer
Project manager
y.van.der.meer@rug.nl

University of Deusto
Avenida de las Universidades, 24
48007 Bilbao, Spain

University of Groningen
Oude Kijk in't Jatstraat 26
9712 EK Groningen,
The Netherlands

dita@deusto.estuningAcademy@rug.nl

Deusto
University of Deusto