EULER — EULER-FRANEKER MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

Willemstad, Curaçao  ·  www.efmu.nl

POLICY ON ALIGNMENT OF PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES WITH RECOGNIZED QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS (EQF AND BLOOM’S TAXONOMY)

Policy number	EULER-QA-QF-2025-01 — Academic Programs, v1.0
Approved by	University Foundation Governing Board and University Executive and Academic Board
Effective date	06/25/2026
Next scheduled review	[Effective date + 3 years]; PLO review annually; external benchmarking every five years
Policy owner	Global Academic Chairman with the QA / IQA Office
Responds to	AAC Expert Report (June 12, 2025), Standard 4, Condition 6 (Condition 17 of 34)
Publication	University website (Policies and Programs pages) and EGNYTE — “Current and Active Policies”

 

1.  Purpose

This policy formally aligns the program learning outcomes (PLOs) of all EULER programs with recognized qualifications frameworks — the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy — so that every program outcome reflects the appropriate level descriptors and expected graduate competencies. It directly responds to AAC Condition 17 (Standard 4, Condition 6):

“Qualifications Framework: Program learning outcomes are not clearly aligned with a recognized qualifications framework (e.g., EQF, Blooms Taxonomy). The institution must revise program outcomes to ensure they reflect the appropriate level descriptors and expected graduate competencies.”

2.  Scope

This policy applies to all EULER programs — the European LL.M. in International Law, the Master in International Relations and Global Development (both EQF Level 7), and the PhD in International Relations and Global Development (EQF Level 8) — and to the PLOs adopted for them in the EULER Curriculum Mapping Matrix (EULER-QA-CM-2025-01, AAC Condition 16). The two instruments share one PLO set: this policy states the frameworks and level alignments; the Matrix maps courses to the PLOs.

3.  The Frameworks Adopted

3.1  European Qualifications Framework (EQF)

The EQF is the eight-level, learning-outcomes-based framework of the European Union, serving as a translation instrument between national qualifications systems. Each level is described in three domains: Knowledge (what a learner knows and understands), Skills (what a learner is able to do), and Responsibility and Autonomy (the learner’s capacity to apply knowledge and skills independently). EULER’s master’s programs are aligned with EQF Level 7 (second cycle, EHEA); its doctoral program with EQF Level 8 (third cycle). AAC accreditation standards, which draw on the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) as well as American practice, expressly reference outcomes-based frameworks of this kind; the alignment also serves ESG Standard 1.3 (student-centered learning with appropriately defined outcomes).

3.2  EQF level descriptors

Level 7 domain	Descriptor (master’s degrees)
Knowledge	Highly specialized knowledge, some of it at the forefront of knowledge in a field of work or study, as the basis for original thinking and/or research.
Skills	Specialized problem-solving skills, including research and/or innovation, required to develop new knowledge and procedures and to integrate knowledge from different fields.
Responsibility and Autonomy	Manage and transform work or study contexts that are complex, unpredictable, and require new strategic approaches; take responsibility for contributing to professional knowledge and practice and/or for reviewing the strategic performance of teams.

 

Level 8 domain	Descriptor (doctoral degrees)
Knowledge	The most advanced and specialized knowledge at the forefront of a field of work or research, as the basis for original thinking and/or research; critical awareness of knowledge issues in a field and at the interface between fields.
Skills	The most advanced and specialized skills and techniques, including synthesis and evaluation, required to solve critical problems in research and/or innovation and to extend and redefine existing knowledge or professional practice.
Responsibility and Autonomy	Substantial authority, innovation, autonomy, scholarly and professional integrity, and sustained commitment to the development of new ideas or processes at the forefront of work or study contexts, including research.

3.3  Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy provides the cognitive hierarchy against which each outcome’s verb and demand are set:

Level	Definition	Typical action verbs
1. Remember	Retrieve relevant knowledge from long-term memory	define, list, recall, identify, state
2. Understand	Construct meaning from instructional messages	explain, summarize, paraphrase, classify, discuss
3. Apply	Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation	implement, execute, use, solve, demonstrate
4. Analyze	Break material into parts and determine how they relate	differentiate, organize, attribute, compare, deconstruct
5. Evaluate	Make judgments based on criteria and standards	critique, assess, justify, evaluate, recommend
6. Create	Put elements together into a coherent, original whole	design, construct, develop, formulate, produce

Graduate outcomes concentrate in the upper taxonomy: master’s PLOs operate principally at Analyze–Create; doctoral PLOs at Evaluate–Create. The Introduced / Reinforced / Mastered (I/R/M) levels of the Curriculum Mapping Matrix correspond to rising Bloom’s bands: Introduced ≈ Understand–Apply, Reinforced ≈ Apply–Evaluate, Mastered ≈ Evaluate–Create.

4.  Program Learning Outcomes — Framework Alignment

4.1  European LL.M. in International Law — EQF Level 7

PLO	Outcome (abbreviated; full text in the Curriculum Mapping Matrix)	EQF domain(s)	Bloom’s level
1	Advanced knowledge of public international law (treaty law, state responsibility, dispute resolution)	Knowledge	Understand → Analyze
2	Analyze and interpret international legal norms; apply to complex factual scenarios	Knowledge; Skills	Apply → Analyze
3	Critically evaluate primary and secondary legal sources	Skills	Evaluate
4	Formulate coherent legal arguments in written and oral forms	Skills	Create
5	Conduct independent legal research (databases, jurisprudence, doctrine)	Skills; Responsibility & Autonomy	Apply → Create
6	Recognize ethical dimensions of practice; demonstrate professional responsibility	Responsibility & Autonomy	Evaluate
7	Complete a substantial legal research thesis (original or synthetic contribution)	All three domains	Create

4.2  Master in International Relations and Global Development — EQF Level 7

PLO	Outcome (abbreviated)	EQF domain(s)	Bloom’s level
1	Explain major theories of international relations and development	Knowledge	Understand
2	Analyze global governance structures and their development impact	Knowledge; Skills	Analyze
3	Evaluate development policies, aid effectiveness, and the SDGs from stakeholder perspectives	Skills	Evaluate
4	Apply qualitative and quantitative research methods	Skills	Apply
5	Critically assess global challenges; propose evidence-based solutions	Skills; Responsibility & Autonomy	Evaluate → Create
6	Communicate complex ideas in reports, policy briefs, and presentations	Skills	Apply → Create
7	Conduct an independent research project (capstone/thesis)	All three domains	Create

4.3  PhD in International Relations and Global Development — EQF Level 8

PLO	Outcome (abbreviated)	EQF domain(s)	Bloom’s level
1	Formulate original research questions at the frontier of knowledge	Knowledge	Create
2	Design and execute a multi-year research project with appropriate methodology	Skills	Create
3	Contribute to scholarly debates through publications and presentations	Skills; Responsibility & Autonomy	Evaluate → Create
4	Advanced competence in research ethics (consent, data management, review)	Responsibility & Autonomy	Evaluate
5	Produce a doctoral dissertation making a significant original contribution	All three domains	Create
6	Teach or mentor at university level, or demonstrate research leadership	Responsibility & Autonomy	Apply → Create
7	Situate research in societal and policy contexts, with impact beyond academia	Responsibility & Autonomy	Evaluate

Verification of level fit: each master’s PLO set includes forefront specialized knowledge (PLO1), specialized problem-solving and research (PLOs 2–5), and responsibility/autonomy (PLOs 5–7), matching the three Level 7 domains, with mastery demonstrated in the defended thesis; the doctoral set operates at the forefront of the field with the dissertation as an original contribution, matching Level 8. No program outcome sits below the Apply level, and every program culminates in Create.

5.  Course-Level Alignment

• Every course syllabus identifies which PLO(s) the course addresses and at what level, through the standard alignment table of the Curriculum Mapping Matrix (CLO → PLO → I/R/M → assessment method), the I/R/M levels carrying the Bloom’s correspondence stated in Section 3.3.
• Assessment instruments match the taxonomy: Response Papers evidence Understand–Analyze engagement; Major Papers evidence Analyze–Create; oral examinations and thesis defenses evidence Evaluate–Create under live questioning.
• The QA / IQA Office verifies alignment statements in the termly syllabus audit (shared with Conditions 16 and 18).

6.  Implementation and Quality Assurance

• Adoption and publication: the aligned PLOs are adopted with this policy; program handbooks and program pages present them with their EQF level within three months of the effective date.
• Annual review: the University Executive and Academic Board reviews all PLOs annually against the EQF descriptors and Bloom’s levels; any proposed modification must include a justification of continued alignment and flows through the Curriculum Mapping Matrix change control.
• External benchmarking: every five years, EULER benchmarks its PLOs and level descriptors against peer institutions using the EQF and Bloom’s Taxonomy as common reference points, reporting results to the Boards and the AAC.

7.  Evidence of Compliance

• This adopted policy, signed and dated, containing the descriptor tables and PLO alignment mappings.
• Program handbooks and program pages presenting the EQF-aligned PLOs and program level.
• Sample syllabi with course-level alignment statements.
• Board minutes adopting the aligned PLOs; annual review records.
• Website captures of the published PLOs for each program.