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In response to the numerous challenges resident trainees currently face in their ability to competently acquire the requisite skills, knowledge and attitudes upon graduation, medical educators have looked to a competency-based medical education (CBME) approach as a possible solution. As CBME has already been implemented in many jurisdictions around the world, certain challenges in implementation have been experienced. One important challenge identified relates to how regulatory bodies can either assist or unintentionally hinder implementation. By examining the varied experiences from Canada, the USA and the Netherlands in implementing CBME, this paper identifies how regulatory bodies can support and advance worldwide efforts of furthering its implementation. If regulatory bodies restructure accreditation and regulatory criteria to align with CBME principles, work together in a coordinated fashion to ensure alignment of vital regulatory meaures throughout the training and practice continuum of a physician, and allow for (if not incentivize) individuals and programs to be innovative in adapting CBME to meet their local environments, it is likely that the worldwide implementation of CBME will occur successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalisation has transformed into mainstream strategy in higher education and is increasingly seen as adding value to the life of universities through improving its quality. But how do we assess the quality of internationalisation? This article evaluates a pilot project that aimed to qualitatively assess the internationalisation of programmes in the Netherlands and Flanders. The project took into account the diversity of internationalisation strategies, the desirability of certification and the increasingly important issue of learning outcomes, focusing especially on the challenging aspects and use of international and intercultural learning outcomes. The key outcome of the project has been the development of a new method for measuring the quality of internationalisation, which highlights the need for an enhanced framework for the interpretation of quality criteria, a stronger focus on relevant institutional contexts and a need to review the standards upon which quality measures can be benchmarked. The decision by European accreditation agencies to extend this methodology to the European level is presented as an important next step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-evaluation is supposed to be a valid, reliable and easy-to-use instrument to commit professionals to external quality assurance. The writing of a self-evaluation report is the first step in most higher education accreditation systems all over the world. Research on accreditation in the Netherlands and Flanders shows that professionals consider the writing of a self-evaluation report to be a very complex and time-consuming activity. Furthermore, there is a serious risk of 'dramaturgical compliance'. The research suggests that writing a self-evaluation report should not be part of a compulsory external quality assurance system. It is not a reliable instrument for control. Self-evaluation can be used for internal quality management, where it can be a powerful instrument for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]