Starting point
Quality assurance procedures regarding higher education programmes and institutions produce a variety of information. The agencies responsible for these procedures published and archived this information in a very diverse way.
In order to provide each other with information regarding their procedures and decisions, these agencies decided to set up an easily accessible database. Additionally, they wanted to provide (governmental) bodies responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications (diplomas), the so-called ENIC/NARICs, with information to facilitate their recognition procedures.
With this goal in mind a project was undertaken project to develop a database driven website. This website would:
- integrate currently available data and make all the data accessible online,
- provide an easy manageable way to automatically update the data under the responsibility of the different accreditation organisations, and
- serve as an online search engine for other interested parties.
The target audiences of the project were:
- ENIC/NARICs (who recognise foreign qualifications/diplomas),
- students,
- employers and
- higher education institutions and their associations.
At the time the development of Qrossroads started (2006), these target audiences had to search through multiple websites with different formats, information and languages.
Qrossroads therefore aimed to enable quick access to the information needed through one well-structured website in English.
As a consequence, Qrossroads should serve to benefit both the higher education institutions and their programmes that undergo quality assurance procedures as well as the ENIC/NARICs that recognise their qualifications
