IFLA EAA ERA Panel - Education Recognition and Accreditation Panel
Establishing a system for global recognition of landscape architecture programmes is one of IFLA’s crucial long-term member services, and it is especially for those countries that do not yet have a national system of landscape programme validation. Such a mechanism can make the movement of graduates easier, especially if this occurs across IFLA Regions. Anyhow, IFLA does not aim to impose a global system of landscape architecture education but to appreciate and value regional differences in terms of culture, history, and landscapes. For the purpose of developing, assessing, implementing, and later updating such a recognition system, in 2016, the Education Recognition and Accreditation Working Group was established and mandated first to develop policies and procedures for Programme Recognition and then consider Programme Accreditation -I.e., a recognition in which the assessment of education programmes outcomes is included alongside the curriculum delivery- as a global quality system for landscape architecture education.
- Main activity: IFLA Recognition and Accreditation overview
Education Recognition and Accreditation Panel Working Group Members
Mike Barthelmeh
IFLA Education Recognition and Accreditation Panel Chair
Mike Barthelmeh, a retired faculty from Lincoln University, New Zealand, has held the role of IFLA delegate for the NZILA New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects since 2017. He has previously served three terms on the Executive Committee of the NZILA, one of those as Vice President, contributing to the preparation of a range of professional practice documents over several decades. Mike was made a fellow of the NZILA in 1997. Mike accepted the position of Honorary Secretary for the Asia-Pacific Region of IFLA shortly after becoming the NZILA delegate. As a member of the APR Executive Committee, he adapted the IFLA constitution to create a new constitution for the APR, allowing the region to develop a formal framework for managing its affairs, confirm its operating processes, and better control its finances. Mike has also continued his interest in education through the IFLA APR Education and Academic Affairs Committee, preparing the region's education standards and accreditation procedures. These standards and procedures were approved by the World Council after a pilot review in Indonesia in 2018, providing an opportunity for programmes of landscape architecture across the region to consider their curricula and resources against a global benchmark standard.