Distinctive (Quality) Feature

The distinctive (quality) features are included in the accreditation system because they can contribute to national and international profiling of programmes and institutions. Profiling can be done on aspects that are not directly related to the quality as assessed in a programme assessment or an institutional audit. Programmes can profile themselves on, for example. the orientation of a programme (such as particular research) or specific objectives (such as sustainability).

There isn’t a set list of distinctive (quality) feature. Programmes and institutions are free to propose and apply for any type of distinctive (quality) feature.

Recently, NVAO has however developed frameworks for the assessment of the following distinctive (quality) features:

• distinctive (quality) feature internationalisation
• distinctive feature small-scale and intensive education
• pilot distinctive feature Entrepreneurialism (in Dutch only)

The Netherlands: distinctive feature

Institutions can combine the institutional audit or programme assessment with a request for a distinctive feature. When the request for a distinctive feature is not linked to an institutional audit or programme assessment and is awarded, the distinctive feature will be valid until the end of the running accreditation period.

An audit panel or assessment panel assesses a distinctive feature by reference to the relevant framework in combination with the criteria for distinctive features (assessment framework for the higher education accreditation system, distinctive features).

Flanders: distinctive quality features

Flemish institutions are given the opportunity to emphasise distinctive quality features during a regular programme assessment. This can then lead to an annotation in the accreditation report indicating that the programme does indeed hold this distinctive quality feature. The criteria for awarding a distinctive quality feature can be found in the Flemish accreditation framework.