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Philippe Ruffio – Unit A5

Tempus – Modernisation in Higher Education

Modernising Higher Education: challenges and approaches

Tempus Seminar for Higher Education experts, Brussels 14-15 April 2008

• Key drivers of the HE evolution

• The challenges for HE reform

• Europe in move• The European approach •The Modernisation agenda•The Bologna process

• Concluding remarks

Outline

4 key drivers:

• Demographic changes

• Global competition

• Changes in science and technology

• Societal challenges

The HE evolution key drivers

• Number of people potentially having access to HE

Impact on the size and scope of the HE systems

• Age structureImpact on the training needs of pop. and willingness / capacity to invest in education

• Migration flowsEduc. = leverage for integration, for

offering new opportunities for mobile people, to prepare native people to leave in open and multicultural societies

Key drivers – demographic changes

Challenges in Europe:

• Ageing society and need for social cohesion• Attract more young people in HE (% age cohort)• Offer training opportunities for older people (low skilled) (LLL)• Attract talented and skilled people from 3C• Retain high skilled workers (brain drain to US and emerging economies)• Integrate the increasing number of immigrants

Key drivers – demographic changes

• A considerable shift in the distribution of the economic powers in the world• Companies and investments are moving to new areas

• New opportunities for growth and jobs• New threats in particular because of impact on labour market (quantitative and qualitative terms)

Key drivers – global competition

Challenges in Europe:

• Europe is poor in raw material and labour (in relative terms)• Strategy to develop comparative advantages on the basis of high value added products and services (capital and knowledge intensive goods)• Exploit the potential of innovation and of the Knowledge society (Lisbon strategy)

Key drivers – global competition

Impact on HE:

• HE has to contribute to the competitiveness of the economies (HE is recognised as a major player)

• Generate new knowledge and technologies • Increase the number of scientifically and technically educated people• Improve the connection between educ & labour market (mobility, adaptability)• Contribute to LLL to improve the skills and competences of the work force• Improve the cooperation capacity of the work force (intercultural & language education)

• HE is becoming a field of competition itself• Internally, Europe itself is already becoming an arena for competition and is promoting an open area for mobility but beyond…• Debate on liberalisation of education services (WTO negotiations in 90s)• Liberalisation is achieved for “privately financed education”• Marginal part of education is concerned but potential impact on activities such as: distance learning, mobility of people, off-shore campuses…

Key drivers – global competition

• Shorter and quicker technology life cycles• Increasing exchanges among disciplines and sectors• Expansion of digital technologies • Diversification and increasing number of information sources• Emergence of new S&T challenges

From technological innovation … to organisational and societal innovationFrom industry … to service sector

Shift to a new paradigm of innovation in the post-industrial society

Key drivers – changes in S&T

Impact on HE: …. new focus and priorities….

• basic and transversal skills• encourage creativity, research and innovation skills• transdisciplinarity and systemic approaches• entrepreneurship• critical mind• adaptability and flexibility

Key drivers – changes in S&T

• World is confronted to increasing complex challenges• Prominent topics for the decades to come, among others:

• global warming and energy issue• food and poverty• security and stability (terrorism and political tensions at global level)

Key drivers – societal challenges

Impact on HE:

• Contribute to innovation (including social innovation)•Imagine new ways of doing things•Improve efficiency of existing technologies

• Educate people and help them to adapt to new labour requirements (LLL)• Contribute to social cohesion, respectful relationships with other cultures and religions, development of common values and human rights

Key drivers – societal challenges

All the aspects analysed before are mutually overlappingIn brief, 3 main challenges:

• create a framework to enable the modernisation of HE

4 main issues in the EU context:• excess of public control on universities • fragmentation of HE• lack of funding• incentive mechanisms to stimulate and reward competition, innovation, risk taking, etc.

• develop ambitious development strategies for HE institutions

3 main objectives in the EU context:• more excellent universities needed – more differenciation • more flexibility in terms of structural organisation, management and human resource• better integration of the knowledge triangle

• adapt and redefine the content of the curricula

The challenges for HE reforms

• Shared consensus in Europe about the analysis and the main priorities• HE and Research have never been so high in the EU agenda (Lisbon strategy) • Most of the MS have launched ambitious reform programmes• A common approach and common priorities have been defined: the “Modernisation agenda”.•The European Commission has no direct power – Education is not a “common policy” (content & organisation of education is under the sole responsibility of MS)•The EC has a catalytic role:

• Promote policy dialogue and exchange of practices• Support financially projects and initiatives• Encourage the development of new tools and approaches

The European approach

The Modernisation agenda for universities includes 3 big reforms:

• Governance Reform• Funding reform• Bologna / Curricular Reform

Part of an integrated framework action plan, the Education and Training 2010 work programmeWithin the broad Lisbon strategy for Growth and Jobs (Knowledge Society by 2010)

The modernisation agenda for HE

The modernisation agenda for HEGovernance Reform

A new deal between governments and HEI State guidance of HE sector as a whole (no micromanagement / overregulation) Institutional autonomy and full accountability Strategic priorities to be set by institution Professional management of resources Building and rewarding of management and leadership Appropriate working environment for students & staff (flexible, attractiv, rewarding) Partnerships between Univ. and business

The modernisation agenda for HE

Funding reform

• 2% of GDP to modernised HE sector• Output financing / appropriate funding mix• Diversification of research funding portfolio• More income from private sources• Tuition fees an option, only if accompanied by

grants/loans• Increasing access = increasing income

The modernisation agenda for HECurricular Reforms

• Bologna reforms in place by 2010– 3 cycle system– Modernised curricula– Trustworthy QA

• Increase the level of mobility of students and researchers

• Speed up academic recognition• learning outcome approach (EQF)• Optimize regulatory framework for university-

enterprise cooperation• Develop generic skills and entrepreneurial mindset• Reinforce links with society

The Bologna process

Intergovernmental process in higher education

Aim: to create a European Area of Higher Education by 2010

Focus on curricular reform

Based on the experience of the EU in terms of University cooperation

Began in Sorbonne in 1998 (DE, FR, IT + UK)

Bologna Declaration in 1999: 29 countries joined

Now encompasses 46 countries

The Bologna process System of easily readable and comparable degrees

System with three cycles (undergraduate/graduate/postgraduate)

System of credits (ECTS) (transfert & accumulation)

Diploma supplement (DS) (joint UNESCO/Council of Europe/ EC initiative)

Promote mobility by overcoming obstacles (incl. pension arrangements, incentives for joint degrees)

European co-operation in quality assurance (comparable methods and criteria, Eur. standards & guidelines, Eur. register for QA agencies)

Promote European dimensions in higher education

• Reforms are needed to allow universities to play their full role in contributing to the social and economic development of our countries

• Despite the great variety of local situations major trends are common and priorities are very similar

• A long way ahead of us. Beyond organisations and structures, it is a matter of changing minds and individual behaviors

• Countries and systems have their own internal logics and coherences. Each country may find its own solutions because education is embedded in society. Education is a social reality.

Conclusive remarks

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Tempus – Modernisation in Higher Education

Thanks a lot for your attention…!