MODULE 1

Academic credits and curricula

Module 1 at a glance

Module 1 focuses on the relationship between academic credit systems and curriculum design, which is the foundational layer on which any mobility and recognition framework must rest. Before credits can be transferred, compared or recognised, they need to mean something coherent: something tied to learning, to workload, and to the academic logic of a programme of study.
This module explores what academic credits are, how they function within curricula, how African and European experiences with credit system reform have evolved, and what all of this means for the practical use of ACTS at the institutional level.

Learning outcomes for Module 1

Understand what academic credits are and what they measure, distinguishing between contact-hour based and workload-based approaches.
Recognise how curricula design and learning outcomes interact with credit allocation and transfer.
Situate African credit system experiences (ACTS, ACQF, regional frameworks) in relation to global lessons from ECTS and Tuning.
Identify concrete entry points for translating your institution’s curricula into ACTS-compatible structures.

The ACTS credit reference value and its rationale

ACTS establishes that 1 credit represents 20 to 25 hours of total student workload, with the full academic year corresponding to 60 credits (approximately 1,200 to 1,500 hours). This reference value is deliberately aligned with the ECTS standard to facilitate international recognition, particularly under the Addis Convention framework.
The range rather than a fixed value is intentional. It acknowledges:

Variation in institutional contexts: different disciplines, delivery modes and student populations may reasonably require different intensity levels within the range.
National calibration: individual countries may adopt a specific point within the range for consistency within their NQF.
Methodological uncertainty: workload estimation is inherently approximate and depends on assumptions about student preparation and study efficiency.

DOWNLOAD MODULE 1 GUIDELINE

ESSENTIAL READING

HAQAA3 State-of-the-Art Report: Credits and Recognition in Africa (short version and executive summary)

Comprehensive mapping of how credit systems and recognition practices currently function across African higher education systems. The conclusions of the study present the revised ACTS proposal

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

HAQAA3 ACTS Regional Consultation and National Policy Visit Reports
Country-specific and regional evidence on credit system implementation challenges and enabling factors.
European Commission (2015). ECTS Users’ Guide
Official document setting out the guidelines for the implementation of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
Tuning Africa (2014). Tuning and Harmonisation of Higher Education: The African Experience. University of Deusto and University of Groningen
Publication documenting the results of the first phase (pilot phase) of the Tuning Africa project, which examined learning outcomes and academic credits. This work laid the foundations for the creation of ACTS.
Wagenaar, R. (2019). A History of ECTS, 1989-2019: Developing a World Standard for Credit Transfer and Accumulation in Higher Education. International Tuning Academy.
It documents the evolution of the ECTS from a mobility tool into a global standard for student-centered curricular design. It outlines ECTS’s transition from a pure transfer mechanism to a system focused on workload-based accumulation and learning outcomes.
ACQF (2022) A Brief Handbook on the African Continental Qualifications Framework
It offers a compact presentation the ACQF: rationale, objectives and principles, and the ten Synthesis Guidelines. The Handbook is conceived for various user groups, from policy institutions to teacher training institutes, qualifications agencies and experts.
AUREA Consortium (2025) Report on the Current State of Automatic Credit Recognition
It is a report by the Erasmus+ co-funded Automatic Recognition Assessment (AUREA) project which presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of automatic academic recognition for credit mobility within the European Higher Education Area.