New Magazine on the Bologna Process

At the Hedda Blog, I note this announcement about a new magazine designed to explicate the issues and the achievements of higher education reform in Europe.

For casual observers, the Bologna process can be a challenge to decipher technical terms and jargon, and to search for the core issues. (For some background, see here, here and here).

This new publication seems quite accessible. In fact, you can access it here.

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Bologna Process

Yesterday and today, European Ministers of Education are meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the Bologna Process - the largest and most ambitious higher education reform in history.

Earlier this week, the European University Association released its Trends VI report - part of a continuing evaluation of these reform efforts.

The European Students Association have also released a report that provides their perspective on Bologna.

Major new Bologna Process Report Published

This announcement from the European University Association...

A new report published today by the European University Association (EUA) analyses the implementation of the Bologna Process and its impact over the last decade on higher education across 46 countries in Europe in the context of broader reform processes affecting European higher education.

The ‘Trends 2010’ report – based on questionnaire responses from 821 universities, 27 national university associations, and site visits to 16 countries – will be presented in Vienna this week to mark the official launch of the European Higher Education Area and the end of the first phase of the Bologna reform Process (that was started in 1999).
This major study (the sixth in the Trends series) analyses the implementation of the Bologna ‘tools’ in universities (e.g. new degree structures, credit transfer and accumulation systems, and the use of the diploma supplement) since the outset. Importantly, it also assesses progress towards the underlying aims of the Bologna Process, such as improving quality of teaching, graduate employability, and mobility of students and staff. Equally, it looks at some of the key challenges for policymakers as they look ahead to the next decade of higher education cooperation.

EUA President, Professor Jean-Marc Rapp, will present some of the key findings from the study at this week’s Bologna Ministerial meeting. “We are now at a crucial point in the history of European higher education cooperation. This study shows that after ten years the ‘Bologna architecture’ is now firmly in place to build a strong common higher education area,” he says. ‘”However, it is crucial now that these reforms receive the necessary support from all stakeholders in order to create a flexible European Higher Education Area which provides graduates with all of the necessary skills to succeed in the 21st century,” he adds.

Download the report here.

Download the press release here to read some of the key findings.

The Bologna Challenge

I've posted several times about the Bologna Process -- European higher education reform (for example, see here, here and here).

Today's Inside Higher Ed features Q and A with the author of a recent book, called The Challenge of Bologna.

This interview is quick -- and worth wide reading.

Re EU - Two Observations

As a more than casual observer of the European Union, I stumbled across two disparate developments that might be of interest...

First, appearing before a Subcommittee of Foreign Affairs in the US House of Representatives, Phillip Gordon reported on: "The Lisbon Treaty: Implications for Future Relations Between the European Union and the United States".

(Major) changes in the EU institutions attract very limited media attention in the US. The Treaty of Lisbon deserves more reflection on our part. Nevertheless, I'm encouraged that the US State Department has a deeper appreciation of its effects on Transatlantic relations and world affairs.

Gordon concluded his testimony:

The United States faces a daunting array of global challenges that no one country can handle on its own. For a variety of critical issues, from climate change, to the Doha Round of trade talks, from the Balkans, to Iran, solutions will require working in close concert with our European partners. We believe that the Lisbon Treaty represents a serious effort by our EU partners to streamline their policymaking process. We understand that, as with all efforts to reform complex institutions, this is a work in progress, and that it may take time for the new institutions to demonstrate their impact. Nevertheless, we hope that the changes brought by Lisbon will make the EU a stronger partner for the United States, and increase the role of Europe on the world’s stage. We want the EU to be that stronger partner and we certainly intend to do our part to engage closely with the new institutions, but in the end their ultimate effectiveness will be determined by the will of EU Member States to invest in them.

***

Second, I note that the EU is assembling more programs and resources to foster cultural and economic relations with China. For example, see the project named simply, "Understanding China". Several organizations across Europe, including the University of Antwerp, are working together in this project to provide executive training, policy dialogue forums, news summaries and a virtual community for European people and companies that want to learn how to do business in China. This is an interesting model. Perhaps US universities would do well to emulate.

Two European University Projects to Watch

I've noticed two project announcements at the European University Association that American universities should watch.

The first is the development of guidelines for responsible partnerships in university-industry research collaborations. See announcement below.

...EUA President Jean-Marc Rapp officially launched the new ‘Responsible Partnering’ Guidelines for collaborative research between universities and industry.

The guidelines - published jointly by EUA, the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA), the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), and the Public Research Organisations Transfer Offices Network (ProTon Europe) - are a voluntary code of conduct for enterprises and public research designed to maximise the benefits of collaborative research for all parties in a sustainable way.

Originally launched in 2004, the updated guidelines include analyses of issues such as State Aid, European Community recommendations on IPR management and the results of the EUA DOC-CAREERS project on university-industry partnerships in doctoral research.

Professor Rapp called on the European Commission to endorse these revised guidelines, underlining they could be an important first step in developing the ‘Open Innovation Charter' that has been proposed by the Commission’s high-level advisory group (ERAB).

Download the Responsible Partnering Guidelines.

The second is the development of a Charter for European Universities on Lifelong Learning.

EUA, in a Consortium with the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) and the European Access Network (EAN), is launching a new project entitled ‘Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS)’.

The EU-funded project is designed to support Europe’s universities in implementing the commitments made in the European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning and thus to assist them in developing their specific role as lifelong learning institutions forming a central pillar of the Europe of Knowledge.

This project will offer approximately twenty universities with different profiles and interests in lifelong learning (LLL), and which are at different stages of LLL implementation, an opportunity to develop and enhance their strategic approaches to this issue, through interactive discussion with colleagues from all over Europe. At the same time, it will allow them to contribute to the development of policy recommendations for the European Higher Education Area.

The participating universities will be selected through this call for participation and interested universities are invited to use the following application form. The deadline for receipt of applications is 11 December 2009, 12.00 (midday) CET.

Please visit the project webpage or email Michael Horig for further information.

The Three Year Degree

My apologies for taking a long hiatus, but I'm back...

Recently, Newsweek magazine published this provocative essay by Lamar Alexander.

Bologna: The Next Ten Years

Last week the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education on the Bologna Process marked ten years since sweeping reforms of European higher education began.

The Ministers issued this brief communique to summarize Bologna achievements, and to announce shared priorities for continuing reform through 2020.

In brief, the Ministers emphasized involvement of all stakeholders (e.g., students, employers, faculty, regional authorities) in planning and implementation. They are committed to student-centered learning, and to improve access to higher education. They also emphasized the roles that higher education institutions will play in economic recovery, and in supporting lifelong learning.

Finally, they highlight the importance of student mobility - or, in our terms - study abroad.

Here's an excerpt.

...mobility of students, early stage researchers and staff enhances the quality of programmes and excellence in research; it strengthens the academic and cultural internationalization of European higher education. Mobility is important for personal development and employability, it fosters respect for diversity and a capacity to deal with other cultures. It encourages linguistic pluralism, thus underpinning the multilingual tradition of the European Higher Education Area and it increases cooperation and competition between higher education institutions. Therefore, mobility shall be the hallmark of the European Higher Education Area. We call upon each country to increase mobility, to ensure its high quality and to diversify its types and scope.

Within each of the three cycles, opportunities for mobility shall be created in the structure of degree programmes. Joint degrees and programmes as well as mobility windows shall become more common practice. Moreover, mobility policies shall be based on a range of practical measures pertaining to the funding of mobility, recognition, available infrastructure, visa and work permit regulations. Flexible study paths and active information policies, full recognition of study achievements, study support and the full portability of grants and loans are necessary requirements.

More News on Bologna

On the eve of the Ministerial Bologna Conference, as well a counter conference organized by groups opposing Bologna -- four new releases...

First, a new Eurobarometer survey of over 15,000 university students from all 27 EU member states (plus Norway, Iceland, Croatia and Turkey). This is a rare opportunity to assess students' views and experiences with higher education.

The objectives of this special target survey were:

• to identify opinions about access and equity in the higher education system
• to identify the purposes of higher education according to students within the system
• to assess opinions on the quality and transparency of the higher education institutions (HEIs)
• to identify students’ plans for - and obstacles to - studying abroad
• to discuss issues such as recognition of short study periods abroad and ECTS credit points
• to identify opinions about the greater cooperation of universities and businesses, and the need
• to foster an entrepreneurship mindset as part of higher education programmes
• to identify the post-graduation plans of Bachelor and Masters level students.

Second, the European University Association recently published a Survey of European Masters Degrees after ten years of the Bologna Process. If you're interested in building partnerships with European universities, you'll want to read this.

Third, the Institute for International Education published results from a survey of US Universities' response to 3-year Bologna-Compliant degrees.

Finally, the Economist published a brief essay called Bolognese Sauce which provides a fairly pessimistic view of the future of European higher education. One cause for concern -- European countries still struggle to meet target spending (as a percent of GDP) in higher education.

Take a look at the article, and the comments that follow.


The graph below illustrates:

Bologna: The Basics and the Big Picture

On his first trip to Europe in office, President Obama is working to re-establish the crucial alliance between the US and European States. One way to do this is to encourage Transatlantic collaborations in higher education. In fact, funding mechanisms, such as the Atlantis program are designed for this purpose. However, US universities must appreciate the reforms of the Bologna Process to build effective European partnerships.

Later this week I'll lead a class discussion in the MU Honor's College to elaborate on this point. During this discussion, I'll draw mainly on two sources.

The first source is Bologna for Pedestrians, provided by the Council of Europe. It provides an easy-access reference in FAQ format.

The second is a recent paper presented by John Yopp, called Systems of Higher Education in the US and Europe: Convergence and Collaborative Opportunities. The is a pretty lengthy power point presentation available in a somewhat awkward format. However, it's worth the time to read because it describes:

1. the nature of the opportunities afforded to US universities through the Bologna Process
2. the reasons why we may not fully appreciate them.