Bologna Process after Bucharest: Challenges and

expectationsGayane Harutyunyan

Bologna Secretariat

Yerevan, Armenia May 8, 2013

Ministry of Education and Science

of the Republic of Armenia

From Bologna to EHEA

Phases of Bologna Process

1999 - Conception: developing a vision of a common higher education space

2000-2005 -Policy developments: drafting the framework of EHEA ‘the devil is in details’.

2006-2010- EHEA Architecture: Implementation of agreed principles and guidelines at national levels.

2011- Consolidation: Full and coherent implementation of main policies at national and institutional levels.

Evolutionary Progress

“A Europe of Knowledge is now widely recognised as an irreplaceable factor for social and human growth and as an

indispensable component to consolidate and enrich the European citizenship, capable of giving its citizens the necessary competences

to face the challenges of the new millennium, together with an awareness of shared values and belonging to a common social and

cultural space”. (Bologna Declaration, 1999)

“The Bologna Declaration in 1999 set out a vision for 2010 of an internationally competitive and attractive European Higher

Education Area where higher education institutions, supported by strongly committed staff, can fulfil their diverse missions in the knowledge society; and where students benefiting from mobility

with smooth and fair recognition of their qualifications, can find the best suited educational pathways”.

(Budapest-Vienna Declaration on the European Higher Education Area, 2010)

Consultative Members and

Partners

Main documents of Bucharest (2012)

Bucharest Communiqué

Mobility Strategy 2020 for EHEA

Statement of the Third Policy Forum

Main targets of Bucharest Communiqué

(2012)

Quality higher education for all

Enhancing graduates employability

Strengthening mobility for better learning

Main questions

What are the major challenges according to the EHEA current state of affairs and the Bucharest ministerial commitments?

How to organise the follow-up work efficiently and oriented to the main goals of the Bucharest Communiqué?

How should EHEA interact with other regions of the world and what are the main policy topics for future dialogues?

Structural Reforms WG

Evolutionary Progress

“A Europe of Knowledge is now widely recognised as an irreplaceable factor for social and human growth and as an

indispensable component to consolidate and enrich the European citizenship, capable of giving its citizens the necessary competences

to face the challenges of the new millennium, together with an awareness of shared values and belonging to a common social and

cultural space”. (Bologna Declaration, 1999)

“The Bologna Declaration in 1999 set out a vision for 2010 of an internationally competitive and attractive European Higher

Education Area where higher education institutions, supported by strongly committed staff, can fulfil their diverse missions in the knowledge society; and where students benefiting from mobility

with smooth and fair recognition of their qualifications, can find the best suited educational pathways”.

(Budapest-Vienna Declaration on the European Higher Education Area, 2010)

“

The EHEA Ministers have declared in Bucharest:

“We will strive for more coherence between our policies, especially in completing the transition to the three cycle system, the use of ECTS credits, the issuing of Diploma

Supplements, the enhancement of quality assurance and the implementation of qualifications frameworks, including the definition and evaluation of learning

outcomes.” 

Challenges to overcome in SR

Uneven pace of structural reforms across the EHEA

Some policy areas were launched later in the process and the reform of structures has not been completed (e.g. qualifications frameworks)

Some reforms have not been implemented for all parts of the higher education system, e.g. the three cycle degree structure, where some areas – such as medicine – have largely been unaffected by the reform;

One EHEA country still has to ratify the Lisbon Recognition Convention;

Absence in some countries of quality assurance agencies qualified for membership of ENQA and/ or EQAR

Uneven implementation of certain aspects of the ESG, e.g. the participation of student representatives and international members of QA team

If implementation of structural reforms is not based on a reasonably coherent understanding , variations in interpretation and implementation may hinder the existence of coherent higher education structures in EHEA.

Main targets for the Structural Reforms

Widening access to HE: coherence vs. variable geometry should be considered

Different approaches to quality within EHEA; creation of more trust and transparency through provision of adequate and relevant information. Quality in relation to the HE systems; shift from merely speaking about quality to demonstrating evidence-based quality of education systems

Promote quality in the third cycle, be flexible in the context of joint programmes and provision of joint-degrees.

Employability is a transversal issue and it is important to understand how it is interrelated to quality, learning outcomes and other transparency tools.

Qualification frameworks , learning outcomes and quality : facilitate recognition of qualifications and better fulfill the societal needs of making informed decisions.

Develop common understanding of existing QA procedures with countries and regions outside EHEA.

Social Dimension and Lifelong Learning“The student body entering and graduating from HEIs should reflect the diversity of Europe’s population.” (2012 Bucharest

Communiqué

Focus Areas:

SD & LLL - widen overall access to quality HE; raise completion rates; increase the participation of underrepresented groups;

Employability - enhance employability, personal and professional development of graduates

Tools:

Mobilise the cooperation of relevant actors; support EHEA countries to adopt national measures; support the development of common approaches of monitoring the national access plans; promote the development and implementation of institution-level strategies; develop recommendations on implementing student-centred learning; guide and support the PL4SD pilot project both its peer learning and reviewing aspects.

)

Mobility and Internationalisation

Portability of grants and loans in the EHEA

Staff mobility

Fair academic and professional recognition (including informal learning)

Balanced mobility across EHEA

International openness to the other regions of the world

Revision of ECTS Users’ Guide

ECTS Users’ Guide should fully reflect the state of on-going work on learning outcomes and recognition of prior learning.

The development, understanding and practical use of learning outcomes is crucial to the success of ECTS, the Diploma Supplement, recognition, qualifications frameworks and quality assurance.

Institutions should further link study credits with both learning outcomes and student workload, and to include the attainment of learning outcomes in assessment procedures.

“Taking into account the “Salzburg II recommendations” and the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, we

will explore how to promote quality, transparency, employability and mobility in the third cycle…”

(Bucharest Communiqué 2012 )

Implementation of the Salzburg II Recommendations and the Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, mapping exercise based on the NQFs and links between and second and third cycles.

Proposals for improving quality and QA procedures and tools to increase transparency in the third cycle

Proposals to increase mobility, internationalisation and employability of the third cycle

Main target for QA

Develop a proposal on revision of the ESG (E4 Group with EI, EQAR and BUSINESSEUROPE) that will reflect the state of development on learning outcomes and recognition of prior learning.

Reinforce the role of EQAR by using the register better as a reference instrument:

Allow EQAR-registered quality assurance agencies to perform their activities across the EHEA, while complying with national requirements

as a tool to improve the confidence; include more QA agencies from the outside EHEA on the basis of the European ESG.

Bologna Policy Forum

Public responsibility for and of higher education within national and regional context.

Global Academic mobility: incentives and barriers, balances and imbalances.

Global and regional approaches to quality enhancement of higher education.

The contribution of HE to enhancing graduates employability.

Evolutionary Progress

“A Europe of Knowledge is now widely recognised as an irreplaceable factor for social and human growth and as an

indispensable component to consolidate and enrich the European citizenship, capable of giving its citizens the necessary competences

to face the challenges of the new millennium, together with an awareness of shared values and belonging to a common social and

cultural space”. (Bologna Declaration, 1999)

“The Bologna Declaration in 1999 set out a vision for 2010 of an internationally competitive and attractive European Higher

Education Area where higher education institutions, supported by strongly committed staff, can fulfil their diverse missions in the knowledge society; and where students benefiting from mobility

with smooth and fair recognition of their qualifications, can find the best suited educational pathways”.

(Budapest-Vienna Declaration on the European Higher Education Area, 2010)

 

Bologna SecretariatE-mail: secretariat@ehea.info

www.ehea.info

See you in Yerevan on

14-15 May 2015…Thank you !