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The Bologna Process between vision and reality:

Opportunities missed and realised in current

European university teaching reforms

Dr. Sybille Reichert , Zürich

IV. International Congress on

University Teaching and Innovation

5th of July 2006

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Table of Contents

What is the Bologna Process -- Its ingredients, hopes, vision and processes with respect to innovation ?

How do visions and realities meet in the implementation• Bachelor• Master• Quality Assurance• Relation to Research

What are the institutional and systemic effects of the Bologna educational reforms?

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Bologna and Prague objectives

common degree structures (Bachelor /Master) establishment of transparency instruments: ECTS, Diploma

Supplement recognition of foreign degrees and study abroad periods promotion of European and/or joint programmes promotion of mobility cooperation in quality assurance promotion of LLL social dimension, HE as a public good/ responsibility significant role of HEIs and students in this process link with European Research Area, doctoral studies

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Bologna as a Process of Innovation:Vision and Hopes

International readability and attractiveness Move to outcome-based/ student centered learning and

teaching, as new structuring principle of curricula Quality enhancement through better comparison More coherent approach to teaching, more institutional

attention to quality of teaching More institutional attention to international dimension and

good practice abroad Bologna has also become a means of transporting

national & institutional reform agendas

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Bologna: From national commitment to institutional reality

It takes concerted action on all levels to make the European Higher Education Area a reality…

national commitment

national legislation

national incentives/

support

institutional leadership/

policy

instit. communication

deliberationdecision

instit. reality

Only 6 countries have provided some funding for implementation at institutional level

Bologna reforms have become an integral part of inst. strategy

Almost all countries have by now introduced the two cycles system. Few HEI were still waiting for more detailed governm. regulations, some governments plan amendments. But majority of HEIs still find that nat.legisl. undermines auton. decision-making

Role of academics: investing lots of extra time and ideas, many taking up the challenge.

Some scepticism remaining. Signs of reform fatigue.

An overarching international process of peer pressure

Bologna scorecard 2005 (self-declared national data): What is hiding behind these colours?

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Average Scorecard Performance

Two-cycle systemQuality Assurance

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The Bachelor 1

Slow but steady progress toward establishing

Bachelor as self-contained degree

Duration: Mainstreaming for readability vs.

different programme profiles

Overload: content compression

Academic validity: not enough grasp of a field

Information to students lacking

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The Bachelor 2

Employability is the key concern of the Bologna reforms.

How can Bachelors be regarded as employable?

What makes university education different from professional education if the key concern is employability?

How do universities identify the needs of the employers? To what extent should they respond to these perceived needs and to what extent should they identify and prepare for future needs themselves.

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Modularisation, Learning Outcomes and Student-centered Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Many HEI have modularised their programmes (ECTS, TUNING), but very different interpretations of “modularisation”. Students welcome the concept of modularisation but complain it often has been done superficially, not leading to more flexibility.

Move to student-centered approaches? Many HEI are familiar with the concept of LO or competence-based learning. Very few HEI voiced explicit criticism or reservations against LO. Unclear how far implementation goes.

To what extent are qualifications frameworks relevant for universities? Very positive reference to qualifications frameworks (QF) in DK and Scotland (curricular dev., recognition); but little has happened elsewhere (Germany exception).

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The Tuning Project From 2000 – 2006, more than 150 university departments

organised an extensive trans-national reflection about subject specific and generic competences from the perspectives of different subject areas.

Five lines of approach have been distinguished to organize the discussions in the subject areas: • generic (general academic) competences, • subject-specific competences, • the role of ECTS as an accumulation system • approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment: subject groups

reflected on good practices, in particular how teaching, learning activities and assessment can be best organised in order to allow students to reach the intended learning outcomes of a course of study

• the role of quality enhancement in the educational process (emphasizing systems based on internal institutional quality culture).

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The Master level In spite of Bologna-Consensus on Ma programmes: huge

variety, focus on competitiveness• Duration: In many countries 180+60 ECTS not seen as

internationally competitive.• UK, IR, NL, Sweden: 1y-Ma (often > 60 ECTS) particularly

attractive.• 300+ ECTS programmes continue to exist in some countries (PL,

HG, IR, Scotland) and disciplines (medicine, engineering) Tendency to create too many M-programmes: no institutional

strategy Ma programmes often designed with narrow focus on preceding

Bachelor programmes. Some HEI welcome opportunity to define interdisciplinary Ma. “Stand-alone” Ma still the exception.

Vertical mobility seen first as a threat, but increasingly also as an opportunity.

Future lack of public funding for Ma level?

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Degree Structures: Joint Degrees

Major instrument for international positioning & visibility Rising interest (2005 already more than 2003 surveys

where level of interest in Joint Degrees had been “medium to low”).

Legal situation regarding JD is slowly improving. In most countries JD are now legally possible (at least not explicitly excluded), the others will amend their legislation.

Existing programmes: information and exact figures are available only in some countries.

One of the biggest practical problems with JD is quality assurance/accreditation –European guidelines would help.

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Access to higher education, progression through the system

Access to Ba programmes: In many countries no real selection is possible: all holders of formal

qualification have to be admitted .Some HEI are worried that this will weaken their competitiveness at the European level.

Access to Master programmes: Most HEI can select candidates but even here some constraints can

be found. Automatic right for local Bachelors to access Master level.Admission to doctoral level: In most but not all HEI left to the discretion of the faculty.

Increasingly a matter of doctoral schools which are spreading However, in a small group of HEI no selection seems to be possible

at any point, neither at Ma nor at PhD level. More and more HEI want to select students that correspond to their

institutional profile and quality standards.

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Toward Comparable Structures and Beyond: Opportunities for Innovation

find meaningful internationally compatible and academically viable definition of degree levels, describe learning outcomes,

make use of the opportunity for more far-reaching curricular reform of teaching contents and methods

make concrete sense of the slogan „flexible learning paths“ (flexibility between what?), use modular structures and ECTS to underpin such flexibility

select areas for targeted positioning (masters, link to reserach strengths, good networks, even joint degrees)

define selection and recognition procedures to define student body

adapt adminsitrative processes and develop staff to meet new needs

contribute to reflections and decisions on the institutional profile and its articulation/ communication with the „outside world“

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Quality Enhancement :Putting Quality Assurance

into Context

Quality Enhancement > Quality Assurance Qual. Enhancement = Sum of many methods of institutional

development Ex: Added value of Bologna reforms

Opportunity to reflect and review curricula

Opportunity to reform teaching methods (student centred learning, continous assessment, flexible learning paths)

Strengthening horizontal communication and institutional transparency

Most limiting factor for quality enhancement is not nature of internal or external QA but limits to resources when room for improvements identified.

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Internal Quality Development: Teaching, Learning, Services

Instruments (e.g. student questionnaires, discussion on curricula in committees)

Institutional organisation of quality development, especiallyfeed back

Synergies between qual. dev. of different functions

National Constraints

External QA Processes?National Quality (Dis-) Incentives?

Institutional autonomy systematic approach to quality development

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Relation of Internal and External QA

External QA more appreciated in build-up of internal QA

Institutions find that internal qual. processes are more improvement oriented and more attuned to institutional goals.

an advanced internal quality culture should be mirrored in a light external quality control.

Degree of Advancement of Institutional Qual. Development

Positive Impact / Effectiveness of External QA

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Quality Assurance: future challenges

At institutional level: establish improvement-oriented QA without disproportionate

costs and administrative burden build up coherent internal quality assurance which makes

synergetic use of external QA procedures and reduces their extent in the long term

Between national agencies: creating transparency, exchange of good practice but also enough common criteria to allow for mutual recognition of each

others‘ principles and procedures without undermining positive forces of competition; acceptance of accreditation labels from abroad

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Impact of Bologna Reforms on Research and Research Training

Impact of new programmes on research exposure at the different levels

Shift of research experience from Bachelor to Master level 3 years of Ba-programmes regarded as too short for appropriate res.

experience – Master level: primary level for research in action (although some more „professional“)

Often less time for independent research in new programmes due to compressed continuously assessed programmes

Impact of new structures and reinforced focus on teaching quality on research training at doctoral level

Impact of strengthened institutional communication on internal research cooperation – interdisciplinary programmes

Shifting time resources from research to teaching (teaching more time intensive, not compensated) if no new staff is hired

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Institutional Effects

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Strengthening the Institutional Level

Noticeable impact of Bologna reforms on institutional communication, new bridges between units and faculties

Some institutions used Bologna as part of their positioning, but rarely in relation to research strengths (only a minority had identified strategic res. priorities at institutional level in relation to intern. markets)

Research and education are separately managed at most institutions, development comes together at level of individual/ department but not of institution – but at the master and doctoral level there is a new opportunity to join research and education

Scepticism regarding idea of research priorities in terms of overarching themes

Growing awareness of need to increase marketing efforts, especially in Asia

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Bologna‘s goals: what could they mean for a given European university‘s profile?

What are the primary values which act as driving forces? e.g. flexible access, pushing frontiers of science (selective/competitive research)

Which community do I serve and which communities do I want to target in addition?

Where and according to which criteria do I recruit my students, teachers, reserachers, partners?

Which qualities, skills, competences, attitudes do I want to promote in my students, professors, scientific and adminsitrative staff?

Which reference points do I want to use in the development of my offer (teaching curricula: qualification frameworks, learning outcomes according to disciplines, programmes, research: emphases and their effect on teaching)?

How do I promote institutional thinking (beyond identification with disciplines) to allow for a will to coordinate thoughts and efforts? How and when do I include my partners in these sensitive already difficult deliberations?

How do I define success and progress in these processes? Which targets do I set and how do I defend these to the outside world (politicians, industrial partners)?

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Targeting Europe?

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Promote attractiveness where?

Figure 6: Priority Areas of European HEI (2003)

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10

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30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

EU EasternEur.

US/Can Australia ArabWorld

Asia Latin Am. Africa

Pe

rce

nt

RC (35)

Min (35)

HEI (760)

Shift of attention away from US to Asia in 2006

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Implementing Bologna: Success Factors

Success factors:1. Other ongoing reforms2. Problem awareness3. Institutional communication

between units and leadership4. Open dialogue with external

stakeholders5. Dialogue and willingness to

include key actors in design of reform (institutional / national)

6. Timing7. National financial support for Bol.

Reform only granted in small minority of countries

8. Autonomy: in half of BP countries can institutions decide autonomously over key elements of reform (liberal or prescriptive)

Transforming top-down reforms

into anbottom-up agenda

of institutional change

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Systemic Effects of Bologna Reforms

Move to student-centered learning in a majority of countries „Scolarisation effect“? More compact programmes, more

time pressure, more assessment, more efficiency, less time for independent study?

Blurring differentiation between universities and other HEI: Employability at Bachelor level, former competitive advantage of other HEI – new definition of differentiating profiles needed

Retreating State Funding?• Retreating from full funding of the Master level?• Not paying for move to more individualised learning paths?• Not increasing institutional grants = paying for quality

enhancement of teaching out of research resources

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Conclusions

HEI have adopted the Bologna reforms and accepted ownership in a majority of cases. The reforms have revealed and in some cases even strengthened the institutions‘ capacity for change.

According to HEIs, the Bologna Reforms have already brought a considerable array of added values and multiple opportunities for enhancing the quality of HE in Europe.

In view of its aims of enhancing the quality, attractiveness and competitiveness of HE in Europe, many opportunities for improvements are still waiting to be used, often on hold for lack of available resources.

Many institutions are ready to move forward and have identified priorities for change. Some but not all national contexts are providing good conditions for helping them make use of Bologna as a process of innovation.

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Thank you for your attention!