MAPQFTOOL: A software tool to support national qualifications frameworks

Abstract

This paper presents MapQFTool, a software tool that provides support to the understanding and comparability of the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) of the various European countries. The paper starts by providing background information on the Bologna Process and the Qualifications Frameworks. It then addresses the limitations of trying to map the various NQFs against the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and through the EQF against each other and explains the advantages of automating this process using a software tool. The paper finally presents the software tool and its functionality; this is done by giving the design of the underlying database, sample data, sample queries and their results, as well as its system architecture and development platform.