THE BOLOGNA PROCESS PROGRESS, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA

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THE BOLOGNA PROCESS PROGRESS, RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA

• AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL SEMINAR
• THE BOLOGNA PROCESS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR
  AUSTRALIA
• 7th September 2006, Canberra
• Stephen Adam University of Westminster, UK
  Bologna Promoter.

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THE BOLOGNA EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION A reaction to
globalisation a way to reform antiquated
educational systems - to make them fit for the
21st century
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Focus on

• The Bologna Process - clarifications and
  observations
• Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde - alternative visions of the
  EHEA exist
• Main drivers of change actors
• Progress to date - 10 Action lines
• Most significant developments
• Communication from the Commission - Brussels
  10th May 2006
• London Ministerial Conference - May 2007
• Why European universities (generally) react
  positively to Bologna
• How (many) European universities are reacting to
  Bologna?
• What are the implications and challenges for
  Australian education?

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1. The Bologna Process - clarifications and
observations

• An intergovernmental process designed to create
  the European Higher Education Area by 2010 (not
  an EC initiative)
• Driven by 45 Ministers who are committed to
  converge their HE structures
• It is about the mobility, recognition,
  efficiency, competitiveness and attractiveness
  of European higher education
• The reform process is marked by incredibly
  rapid developments
• A vision-reality gap exists (see the Trends
  ESIB Black book)
• Various Bologna developments are now beginning
  to cohere and
• synergies are emerging
• Many developments were inspired by UK, Irish,
  Australian, South African, New Zealand reforms
  but it is not about mimicking these
• It is not clear what it will be like to exist
  in the EHEA 2010 the vision is incomplete
  (London 2007 may be the defining meeting)

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Problem it is not clear where the Bologna
Process will end up
Bologna Process
help
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The Bologna Process suffers from multiple
personality disorder!
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2. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde alternative visions
of the EHEA

• NIGHTMARE
• Dominated by free-market ideology
• Creates uncontrolled competition
• Allows unregulated TNE
• Harms educational integrity/autonomy
• Fails to improve educational quality
• Drives down standards
• Curriculum driven by markets
• Harms educational/cultural diversity
• Creates standardised programmes
• Creates HEI dichotomy - elite rest
• Benefits minority to detriment of majority

• UTOPIA
• EHEA embodies clear educational, social and
  political principles
• Successfully merges competing agendas
• Promotes a clear European identity
• Creates more institutional diversity
• Drives up quality and ed. standards
• Increases mobility (not just for elite)
• Improves access, choice opportunities
• Improves flexibility (LLL) efficiency
• Simplifies transparency recognition
• Improves educational cooperation
• Benefits all students, citizens, states, etc.

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3. Main drivers of change actors
LOCAL Increasing institutional autonomy and
diversity of mission More internal/external
competition (TNE) financial pressure New
technologies impacting on teaching, learning and
assessment NATIONAL Existence of outmoded
educational systems and qualifications Development
of new style national qualifications
frameworks Transnational education and
globalisation INTERNATIONAL Expansion of the
global education market (student
pressure) European Commission initiative (Erasmus
Mundus, etc) GATS challenges to public
education and subsidies MAIN PLAYERS European
Commission, Council of Europe, EUA, EURASHE,
ESIB, ministries, professional bodies,
Rectors conferences, UNESCO, etc. OFFICIAL
BOLOGNA SEMINARS
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4. Progress to date 10 Action lines

Introduced in the 1999 Bologna Declaration 1. Ado
ption of a system of easily readable and
comparable degrees 2. Adoption of a system
essentially based on two cycles (now
three) 3. Establishment of a system of
credits 4. Promotion of mobility 5. Promotion of
European co-operation in quality
assurance 6. Promotion of the European dimension
in higher education Introduced in the 2001 Prague
Communiqué 7. Lifelong learning 8. Higher
education institutions and students 9. Promoting
the attractiveness of the European Higher
Education Area Introduced in the 2003 Berlin
Communiqué and 2005 Bergen Communiqué 10.
Doctoral studies and the synergy between the
EHEA and ERA
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5. Most significant developments

• Mixed progress
• Recognition (1997 Lisbon Recognition Convention)
• Qualifications frameworks (national
  overarching)
• Quality assurance (external reference points)
• Credits (ECTS) and three cycles
• Learning outcomes/curriculum reform
• Institutional reform institutional autonomy

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6. Communication from the Commission to the
Council and the European Parliament - Delivering
on the modernisation agenda for universities,
education, research and innovation (Brussels,
May 2006)

• The modernisation of universities is identified
  as a core condition for the success of the Lisbon
  strategy global knowledge-based economy
• Universities seen as foundations of European
  competitiveness
• Stronger action is required to drive this agenda
  including the EIT
• Europe has 4,000 institutions, 17million
  students, 1.5 million staff
• Universities are insufficiently diverse and often
  hindered by ministries
• Require better university-business linkages
• Agenda for change
• Increase mobility
• Improve autonomy and accountability
• Incentives for partnership with business
• Improve employability of graduates (skills)
• Improve funding
• Enhance interdisciplinary transdisciplinarity
• Improve attractiveness of European higher
  education
• Commission to play a catalytic role in above
  (grab the money)!

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7. The London Ministerial Conference May 2007

• The London Conference and the resulting London
  Communiqué will probably
• Explore/describe the key characteristics of a
  strong, dynamic,
• diverse, coherent and attractive EHEA
• Move the focus from the rather independent 10
  action lines to how
• they link - the synergies between them
• Focus on the EHEA as a coherent whole move
  from process to
• outcome
• Not establish any new goals or initiatives
• Set priorities for 2007-2009
• (The final decision will be taken by the
  Bologna Board, BFUG ultimately Ministers)

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8. Why European universities react positively to
Bologna?

• It offers improved survival in a competitive
  environment
• Better opportunities for students and graduates
  mobility and flexible learning paths
• Improved European and global visibility
  (strategic benefits)
• European partnerships, strategic alliances and
  joint degrees
• Improved international recognition and quality
  assurance
• Access to European Commission funding
• Governments globalisation are giving them few
  alternatives!

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9. How (many) European universities are reacting
to Bologna?

• Developing detailed institutional strategy
  towards Europe as part of a wider international
  strategy involving
• Strategy statement with a clear declaration of
  institutional commitment
• Implementation plan targets and identified
  resources
• Disseminate information instigate staff
  development
• Select strategic European partners (academic
  twinning)
• Consider long term staffing implications
  (language, skills, nationality, qualifications,
  experience)
• Re-evaluation of curricula embed an appropriate
  European dimension paradigm change towards more
  student-centred learning
• Re-engineer qualifications to focus on
  employability skills
• Create large scale staff, student and programme
  mobility
• Develop joint/dual award Masters (Erasmus Mundus
  funding)
• Express programmes/modules in terms of ECTS
  credits (apply for label?)
• Issue Diploma Supplements (consider other
  EUROPASS developments)
• Consider implementation of jointly supervised
  Doctoral studies exploit European research
  funding opportunities

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10. What are the Implications/challenges for
Australian higher education?

• There appears to be a global reaction to the
  Bologna phenomenon - huge interest in Latin
  America, US/Canada, Africa China and SE Asia.
  Countries outside Bologna are seeking/exploring
  compatibility.
• It is likely that regional groups of countries
  will seek to create their own version of Bologna
  which in turn may link to the European
  initiative.
• Bologna will intensify competition - in
  particular at the second cycle level students
  will demand more mobility focus on the student
  experience.
• There will be more product differentiation and
  branding of higher education within such
  educational frameworks.
• Some Bologna tools and practices may become the
  global norm (Diploma Supplement, 1997 Lisbon
  Recognition Convention, credits, cycles, learning
  outcomes, student-centred learning,
  lifelong-learning, qualifications frameworks,
  external reference points and approaches towards
  quality assurance, etc. A methodological
  convergence?
• The rapid emergence of new style qualifications
  and qualifications frameworks aids transparency
  and the formal comparison between educational
  systems, institutions and qualifications.
• Qualifications will become more focussed on
  employability and employability skills need to
  be fit for purpose

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The future holds a revolution in qualifications,
recognition and mobility - the architecture,
tools infrastructure and methodologies of higher
education

• There are a number of local/institutional,
  regional, national,
• international challenges for Australia
• Institutions will need to react and position
  themselves (see section 9) in terms of the new
  global educational realities
• Education institutions will become more
  diversified
• HEIs will seek more international cooperation
  (academic twinning)
• More autonomy will lead to increased
  responsibility and more emphasis on strict
  quality assurance systems (internal external)
• Difficult strategic decisions will need to be
  taken at all levels
• A multi-level strategy should emerge from the
  national debate to prepare and equip the higher
  education sector for the future.
• Australia is obviously well placed to provide
  leadership and educational good practice for the
  Asia-Pacific region if you do not do this
  someone else will!

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FINAL THOUGHT National educational systems are
not like isolated desert islands. They are
inevitably becoming more interrelated - Bologna
is something no country should ignore!
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Useful references and links

• Bologna Bergen website http//www.bologna-bergen2
  005.no/
• Bologna secretariat website http//www.dfes.gov.u
  k/bologna/
• Council of Europe website http//www.coe.int/
• ENIC-NARIC Network http//www.enic-naric.net/
• European Association for Quality Assurance in
  Higher Education (ENQA) http//www.enqu.net
• Erasmus Mundus call for proposals 2006
  www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/mundus
  /call07_en.html
• ESIB National Unions of Students in Europe
  http//www.esib.org/
• Europe Unit (UK) http//www.europeunit.ac.uk/home
  /
• European Commission (DG for Education, Training
  and Culture)
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/so
  crates/ects/index_en.html
• European Universities Association (EUA)
  http//www.eua.be
• Trends IV report httpwww.bologna-bereen2005.no/o
  cs/02-EUA/050425_EUA_TrendsIV.pdf
• UK Socrates Erasmus Council http//www.erasmus.ac
  .uk/mundus.html