Using International Advisory Panels for Quality Enhancement: a Case Study of Teacher Education in Norway

​In April 2016, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research commissioned the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) to set up an international advisory panel in connection with the implementation of the new master programs in primary and lower secondary (PLS) teacher education. The purpose of the advisory panel was to contribute to develop PLS teacher education on a high level through stimulating the quality enhancement work of teacher education institutions (TEIs). The Ministry specified that the tasks of the panel would include «counselling, recommendations and feedback». However, the panel would have no intervention authority. It would also operate independently from NOKUT’s audits and accreditation. In this regard, the Ministry emphasised that the group should be independent in order to establish confidence and trust among TEIs, and collaborate widely with institutions and organisations outside NOKUT. To accomplish this assignment, NOKUT established the Advisory Panel on Teacher Education. Composed of distinguished international teacher educator scholars, the panel met for the first time in 2017 and is expected to complete its work by the end of 2019. This paper proposes to use the panel’s work (2017—2019) as a case study to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges of using international advisory panels for stimulating the quality enhancement work of higher education institutions.