Academic Credit Systems Visibility in Portuguese Speaking Countries

Abstract

This article is a synthesis of a social research on the importance of academic credit systems inspired by the present international trend towards dynamics, reforms, and quality improvements in Higher Education. The aim is to contribute to the inter-institutional awareness on the need to structure and implement academic credits as enablers of academic mobility in the Portuguese Speaking Countries. Thus bearing in mind the limitations in Human Capital graduated from African universities to be able to pursue postgraduate academic training mainly within American and European universities; actions were put in place to structure and implement credits in an academic daily basis, in order to achieve the Human Capital development both in scientific and interpretative knowledge. These actions were based on social integration of procedures of inter-institutional awareness related to structuring and implementing academic credits in Higher Education Institutions both public and private. The chosen methodological approach, its development and practical examples are mainly qualitative. Due to active research, a type of social research based on the observation of phenomena associated to action and problem solving strategies; where the researcher’s (and other people involved) engagement and participation are the keys for change. The obtained results show the need to structure and implement academic credits as enablers of academic mobility in Higher Education Institutions in the Portuguese Speaking Countries.