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Dear Member of EURASHE,At the annual meeting of the CDESR (Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research, in French, 'Comité de Direction pour l' Enseignement Supérieur') of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (24-25 March) the Republic of Kazakhstan made its first appearance on the European higher education scene after having been accepted as a full partner in the Bologna Process at the Leuven -Louvain la Neuve Conferene in 2009.The Kazakh Vice Minister of Education rightly called it a historic moment and several members (countries and non-governmental organisations) eagerly expressed their willingness to cooperate with the new 'Bologna' partner. Do we have to recall to our members and partner organisations that already in 2007 EURASHE took on board (as associate members) a varying number of Kazakh state and non-state universities, sharing with them our experience on Quality Assurance and cooperation with the world of employment. With this change of status of the partner country the logical step for EURASHE was now to accept these partner universities in our association as full members, next to the other countries of the EHEA. Attention should now go to sharing our expertise with our Kazakh members in areas that are specific for professional higher education, as now they will have full access to all 'Bologna' instruments through their own government and also seek the company of their academic counterparts.The meeting of the CDESR could be called historical form other viewpoints as well, now that the Council of Europe has decided to be more on the forefront with their general political agenda.So far the Steering Committee for HE (CDESR) has co-existed with another steering group specifically geared to 'school education' (CDED). These are Fora where the Council of Europe, as a political body, consults with the country representatives who signed the Cultural Convention and with a growing number of non-governmental members, like EUA, ESU, EI, EURASHE (called 'experts' with observer status) on the education policy of the Council.The Council of Europe thus clearly distinguished between the two consultative bodies, one dealing with 'school education' and the other with 'higher education and research'.Members of the CEDSR Group reacted with great apprehension when the Director General of Education, Culture, etc. of the Council of Europe announced at the latest CEDSR meeting that in future the two committees may merge, not only because of budgetary constraints, but also because of a regrouping of the policy of the Council of Europe around three clusters, namely Human Rights, Civil Democracy and Rule of Law. In this new context the distinction between 'school education' and 'higher education' was not felt to be relevant anymore, as activities on such priority areas were now supposed to be convergent under any of the three mentioned priority areas.On hearing this, the Assembly unanimously advanced rightful arguments that the Council of Europe was in a better position to serve its role as the 'conscience of and a defender of human values in the Bologna Process', (next to fulfilling a leading role in the field of Qualifications Frameworks and in Recognition issues), if it could continue to consult with stakeholders via a separate committee on higher education (CDESR) as is the case now. Subsequently a Recommendation was drafted to convince the Council of Europe to come back on the decision of a merger with the Steering committee for Education (CDED). Naturally at such moments our thoughts went to those higher education institutions (also among our membership), who (rightly) feel discriminated against and suffer the consequences of this also on a European level , by the mere fact that they are not within the remit of their own Ministry of Higher Education (and Research), but rather under the Ministry of Education, with all consequences in the field of funding, QA provisions, access to mobility programmes and relevant student grants.Surely the policy makers for such institutions would certainly be able to come up with even more relevant arguments in favour of one higher education sector in all Bologna countries, with different priorities and perspectives than is the case for school education. EURASHE, in agreement with the Chair of the CEDSR is now preparing a Recommendation to the Council of Europe, on the one hand to endorse the proposal to keep the CEDSR as a separate Committee for higher education, while at the same time expressing its concern that the dual country representation in the Steering Committee (one government member and one member from the 'academic' community) should in future also reflect the diversity of higher education, with at least the possibility to delegate an expert from professional HE as well. The above reflections should not divert us from what is the main content of this Newsletter , namely recalling and reporting on the latest noteworthy EURASHE and 'Bologna'events.On 9th March, EURASHE had its first Forum on the impact of the Bologna reform in countries in Central Europe, later extended to the Baltic States and some countries from Eastern Europe. Irrespective of the changing geographical perspective it turned out a to be an inspiring exercise to have the experts from the participating countries reflect on those Bologna issues that are a major concern in these countries, such as qualifications framework, employability, profile of institutions and graduates.The Convention of the EURASHE (a stocktaking on the Bologna implementation in professional higher education, co-organised with the Academic Cooperation Association, ACA) was attended by our Council members, delegates from individual member institutions and experts external to EURASHE. This new EURASHE event, hosted by Budapest Business School, took place on 10th March and laid the focus on a core issue of professional higher education, namely its relation with the labour market, with an input from the Universities of Applied Sciences, members of EURASHE.The plenary keynote contributions and discussions in the thematic workshops sessions provided a useful input for our contribution to the Ministerial Conference in Budapest and Vienna in the following two days. (see also the EURASHE website www.eurashe.eu). During the latter event a 50-person EURASHE delegation enjoyed the hospitality of the Hungarian colleagues in the Budapest Parliament and some also made the momentous journey to Vienna where in the Hofburg Conference Centre the colour of badges was an insurmountable obstacle for mobility from one venue to another. We would like to thank our colleagues who accompanied us on this journey between two cities and certainly those who made efforts to follow the Viennese conference proceedings on the live screens from the not so comfortable public space in the Hofburg. Hopefully memories of the ball on the previous evening could make up for that.
With my best regards
Stefan Delplace
Secretary General
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EURASHE - WHO WE ARE
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European Association of Institutions in Higher Education
EURASHE is the association of Polytechnics, University Colleges, Universities of Applied Science etc. devoted to Professional Higher Education. EURASHE is an umbrella non-profit international organization with more than 800 members in more than 30 countries in the European Higher Education Area and outside of it through partnership agreements. Our members are National Associations of University Colleges, Individual Higher Education Institutions, professional associations & stakeholder organizations. EURASHE's main objective is to defend the interests of the professionally oriented Higher Education Institutions, and to continuously enhance the importance and the quality of professional higher education in Europe. EURASHE aims at contributing to the progressive development of the European Higher Education Area, especially through its active involvement as a consultative member of the Bologna Follow-up Group.
Read more about EURASHE.
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First EURASHE Forum for Central Europe sets the pace for future dialogue in Budapest on March 9th, 2010
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The EURASHE Forum Establishing Effective Dialogue on the effects of 'Bologna' on Professional Higher Education.
The Central European Forum for Professional Higher Education was an initiative by EURASHE that brought together experts on the PHE sector from Central Europe to establish a dialogue on relevant developments and challenges in the region. The key areas of the half-day Forum were the Mission & Role of PHE, Employability and Qualifications. Representatives from the , the Baltic States and from some East European countries had been invited as experts, but also joined in the discussions.
The Forum's objective was to set up a platform for discussion on the highlights and problems of the PHE sectors and institutions in the region of Central Europe of establishing a EHEA as brought about by recent developments, mainly by the Bologna process. Attendance was over 45 participants. Primary attention was paid to issues related to PHE, yet the scope of discussion was at times much broader, covering the entire landscape of HE and its links to society.
The key presentation of the one-day Forum was given by Sjur Bergan, from the Higher Education and Research Division of the Council of Europe, who presented the Qualifications Frameworks as the anchorpoint of the Bologna process. Feedback was then given from three experts, who commented from a specific perspective, namely from the Bologna coordination group (Vera Staszna, Czech delegate in the Bologna follow up Group, Bernd Wâchter, Director of ACA, gave the 'global' perspective, and Peter David, Budapest American Chamber of Commerce)) the 'business perspective.
Central European delegates then presented some aspects from their respective countries and then everyone (policy makers, academic experts and business representatives) participated in the ensuing open discussion. Among them were large delegations from the three Visegrad countries (CZ, HU, PL).
As a follow up to this Forum, the basic data on PHE sectors in relevant countries submitted by some participants before the Forum, along with the summary on the findings regarding the implementation of the Bologna reform in Central Europe, will be gathered in a publication. Also, participants will soon have a chance to further discuss and exchange their ideas through a new EURASHE online forum to be launched in April 2010.
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EURASHE March 2010 Budapest Convention
comes to a fruitful end
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A look back on the Budapest Convention
On 10th March 2010 EURASHE held its (first ever) Convention
prior to a Ministerial Conference of the Bologna countries. The 'Bologna'
Ministers were meeting in Budapest and Vienna to 'celebrate the tenth
anniversary of the start of the Bologna reform process, and also to launch the
European Higher Education Area (EHEA), which will take another ten year to
fully implement the reform in the growing number of countries, and especially
in the higher education institutions.
The Convention of EURASHE, organised in cooperation
with ACA (European Cooperation
Association), had the theme of "Implementation of the Bologna Process in Professional Higher
Education", and the event was hosted by Budapest Business School, the largest
University College of Hungary. A enriching and educational discourse took place throughout the day, with 10 keynote speakers coming to present from diverse european organisations in the morning, and thematic and effective discussion sessions were held in the afternoon.
For a complete
summary and evaluation of the convention by Stefan Delplace, the
Director-General of EURASHE, please the news report on our website.
To download speakers' presentations, the programme, or rationale of the Budapest Convention, please go here.
The results of the Convention
proceedings provided an input for EURASHE's contributions to the Ministerial
conference in Budapest and Vienna the days that followed, where EURASHE also
presented its Bologna 2010 Publication.
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| EURASHE's 20th Anniversary Annual Conference in Tallinn is on the Horizon |
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Preparations for the EURASHE Annual Autumn Conference are in full bloom
This upcoming 14-15
October 2010, EURASHE is excited to announce the organization of its 20th
Anniversary Conference which will be held in Tallinn, Estonia. The
theme of the conference this year will be "Implementing Bologna: Turning
rhetorics into reality." This theme will speak about the ways to
continue the execution of the Bologna process reform in our Higher
Education institutions in the post-Bologna Process era.
Also, in special
celebration of its 20 year anniversary and collaboration with partners
from MENON, EDEN, and ESU on a joint-project called EQUNet, a special
conference track will be held, entitled "The Social dimension aspect in
the higher education reform process: Research findings about Fair Access
to Higher Education." This special conference track will focus on Fair
Access to Higher Education by disseminating the recent finding on
barriers due to educational background, socio-economic conditions and
structural problems in higher education.
For more information on
the EURASHE 20th Anniversary Conference in Tallinn, please go
to:
EURASHE 20th Anniversary Tallinn Conference
For more information on
the EQUNet project, please go to: EQUNet
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Preparations for the Nov 2010 Fifth European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF 2010)
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| 2010 Theme: Building Bridges: Making Sense of QA in European, National and Institutional Contexts
Nov 18-20, 2010 in Lyon, France
The European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF), is an annual event
co-organised by EUA, ENQA, EURASHE and ESU and supported
by the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme, is the
European conference on quality assurance in higher education that brings
together all of the key stakeholders in the field - higher education
institutions, quality assurance agencies and students.
The EQAF
provides a unique platform for the higher education and QA communities
to follow, shape and anticipate developments in the area. The main
purpose of the event is to foster a dialogue on quality assurance that
bridges national boundaries and leads to a truly European discussion on
QA in higher education (notably through the Bologna process higher
education reforms), and to create a common European understanding of QA
through a dialogue among different stakeholder groups.
The 2010 Forum's theme is "Building bridges: making sense of QA in European, national and institutional contexts." It will seek to examine how quality assurance tools and
processes
implemented at institutional and agency level:
- relate to European and national level policy discussions and
decisions, and
- interact with and support institutional quality frameworks and quality
culture.
Through plenary and parallel sessions, the discussion will focus on the
grass root level of
quality assurance in the context of the ongoing development of the
European Higher
Education Area.
For more information on the EQAF 2010 Forum, go to:
EQAF 2010 coordinated by the EUA.
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A look at the "Level 5, the missing link" Project
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| Updates on the L5Missing Project Coordinated by EURASHE
Nov 2009 - Oct 2010
The objective of this project is to make a
detailed analysis of existing Short Cycle Higher Education (SCHE) in 32 of the
Bologna signatory countries.
SCHE programmes can be found
at L5 of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and as an intermediate
level of the first cycle of the qualifications framework for the European
Higher Education Area.
This study will be an enlarged
update of the similar study in 2002 - 2003. See previous study here.
This comparative study should
spread information about this SCHE so as to increase access to Higher Education
and involvement in LifeLong Learning. Another key objective is to enhance
transparency, portability of degrees, mobility, employability and Quality
Assurance in Higher Education. It is hoped that the study can be used as a
strategic policy document by ministries of education and institutions of higher
education in the implementation of the NQF.
EURASHE with its partners in
the project is currently surveying national policies and institutional
practices in the scope countries.
Learn more about the survey at: L5 Project
or you can visit the project's website at: www.EQlevel5.eu.
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Updates on the FLLLEX Project
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The impact of LLL strategies on Professional Higher Education.
Jan 2010 - Aug 2012
The objective
of the project FLLLEX is to identify challenges and implications of Lifelong
Learning (LLL) incorporation into European Higher Education institutions
(HEI's).
The project
was initiated and is supported by EURASHE, the project coordinator is
KHLeuven
- Leuven University College. The consortium includes 24 partners from 10
European countries. The project is supported by a grant within the EU
funded Lifelong Learning Programme.
Lifelong Learning opens up a multitude of new possibilities for HEI's,
but its impact on organisations is: What is the role of higher education in the
wider landscape of Lifelong Learning? What are the institutional changes
envisioned for the future? What strategy and policy advise can the project
propose to other HEI's as well as European and national players?
On the basis
of an overview of the different strategies concerning LLL and assembling policy
and expectations of the involved states, a survey will be conducted: The survey
targets on gaining knowledge on the expectations of important stakeholders in
LLL: the learners, the businesses and the business training providers will be
asked about their motives and/or barriers to engage in LLL.
This information shall serve HEI's in better defining their role within
the LLL landscape: A self-assessment tool will be developed, so that HEI's will
be able to asses if they match up with the expectations of the different
stakeholders (according to policy, learner's needs, curricular aspects ...). The
results will be reviewed by a panel of experts. The goal is to provide
benchmarking for the individual institutions and to test the tool before
further dissemination in Europe.
You can
discover further information on the FLLLEX project at its website: www.flllex.eu
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| An inside look of the MENON NETWORK
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Enhancing Access through a focus on Equity by the MENON NETWORK
Nov 2009 - Oct 2012
Widening participation in higher education is a major component
of education policy in many member states of the European Union and the
Bologna-Process. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the number of
young people entering higher education, but also the proportion of
"under-represented groups" (those from a lower social strata, ethnic minorities or people with disabilities). Social inclusion is
important to HE as the "EU 2020" strategy, and its forerunner the
Lisbon-strategy alike, focus on strengthening education as "one of the most
effective ways of fighting inequality and poverty".
The MENON NETWORK project aims at increasing access to higher education for all margnalized and non-traditional groups, baased on a principle of equity. The network will analyse barriers due to educational background, socio-economic conditions and structural problems in Higher Education.
To enhance this focus on equity and social inclusion in Higher Education, the EQUNet project was developed. EQUNet brings together 8 leading
European Stakeholder and Research organisations (including MENON Network,
Scienter, University of Ljubljana, HIS, ZSI, ESU, EURASHE and EDEN), with the
aim of enhancing equity in Higher Education. Over the project's lifetime, the
partnership will gather research on the topic, engage with actors in the field
through advocacy and through consultation, propose policy solutions to decision
makers and network with peers, experts and stakeholders.
The EQUNet project research results will be presented for the first time at the Tallinn Conference hosted by EURASHE this upcoming Oct 2010.
Learn more about the project on www.equnet.info
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Learning how to LEAN (Lean Learning Academies)
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The LEAN project at a glance.
Nov 2009 - Oct 2011
A project that will create strong links between the local and regional academic partners and the industrial partners in each of the participating countries. The goal of the project is to develop the didactical concepts in the field of engineering, in order to improve the education curriculum in the countries involved.
Learn more about this project at
Leanlearningacademy.eu.
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Ministers come together at the Ministerial Conference in Budapest to refocus Bologna objectives
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Ministers push towards
a complete intregration of Bologna.
The
Ministers responsible for higher education in the European Higher Education
Area (EHEA) met in Budapest and Vienna on March 11-12, 2010. Aside from their
welcoming of Kazakhstan as a new EHEA member, the Ministers mostly focused the conference on underlining their commitment to 'the full and proper implementation of
the agreed (Bologna) objectives and the agenda for the next decade set by the
Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué.
Over the two days of the conference, the Ministers discussed a variety of successes and shortfalls in the
Bologna Declaration's 2010 vision of a committed, diverse, knowledgeable and
mobile educational society in Europe. In their joint declaration they state
"while much has been achieved in implementing the Bologna reforms, the reports
also illustrate that EHEA action lines such as degree and curriculum reform,
quality assurance, recognition, mobility and the social dimension are
implemented to varying degrees. Recent protests in some countries, partly
directed against developments and measures not related to the Bologna Process,
have reminded us that some of the Bologna aims and reforms have not been
properly implemented and explained."
In
order to continue working on this, the Ministers have committed themselves to a
complete integration of the Bologna objectives; they recommit to academic
freedom and accountability in higher education institutions, to acknowledge the
key role of the academic community, to reaffirm the public responsibility of
higher education and to call upon all actors to facilitate an inspiring working
and learning environment. The Ministers underlined that the full and proper
implementation of the agreed Bologna principles would take place "by continuously
developing, enhancing and strengthening the European Higher Education Area and
taking further the synergies with the European Research Area, Europe will be
able to successfully face the challenges of the next decade."
The
Ministers will continue to push forward the progress and drive of the
Louvain-La-Neuve agenda until their next Ministerial Meeting which will take
place in Bucharest, Romania on 26-27 April 2012.
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A view on the 2nd
Bologna Policy Forum
held on March 12, 2010
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Taking steps towards a future of global knowledge development and circulation
Furthering the
continual progression of the Bologna Process and following up after the Bologna
Ministerial Conference in Vienna, European and global Ministers responsible for
higher education came together from all over the established EHEA (European
Higher Education Area) to assist the 2nd Bologna Policy Forum that took place
on 12 March.
During the
March 12 session, the international delegates held a dialogue on systemic and
institutional changes in higher education in the developing global knowledge
society. Later a debate was
facilitated discussing how higher education institutions can meet the growing
needs of our society; they talked about the mobility of staff and students, the
challenges and opportunities of brain circulation; and balancing cooperation
and competition in international higher education.
The meeting was
concluded with a policy statement which can be reviewed here.
To facilitate
more policy debate and exchange of ideas concerning the Bologna Policy Forum
across the EHEA, each international partaker will nominate a contact person to
function as a liaison point and events/information organiser by May 31 2010.
The next Policy
Forum will be held to coincide with the next Bologna Ministerial meeting taking
place in Romania in 2012.
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EURASHE Working Group Updates
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LLL Working Group First 2010 Meeting this April 1st
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Taking part of the 3 sessions that will be
held in 2010, the LLL working group will meet this April 1st in Brussels. This
year, the LLL WG envisions to develop a survey on international cooperation in
projects concerning LLL - using the network of EURASHE with associate members
outside Europe. The group will see the possibilities to have presentations and
workshops in seminars, conferences and other activities of international
organisations, next to EURASHE. And finally one of the objectives is to
investigate the possible cooperation with other international organisations,
involved in 'LLL strategies', in organising seminars and conferences, on
relevant aspects.
The agenda for this April meeting will involve
an update on LLL, présentations on the Bologna seminar on LLL and SCHE in
Budapest Nov 2010, the participation in the Atlantis seminr in Amsterdam June
2010, the outcomes of the RPL seminar in Brussels, and discussing and surveying
the situation and possibilities for EURASHE members to participate in projects
about joint degrees on levels 5 and 6.
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Mapping HE Diversity; the U-Map Project
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Development of an European Classification tool of Higher Education Institutions
A project launched in 2005 for which EURASHE
was on the advisory board, the U-Map project aimed to develop a better understanding
of the diversity of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European
Research Area (ERA) through designing a multi-dimensional European
classification system of Higher Education institutions. The project was carried
out in three phrases ; research, reflection and the final phrase of
fine-tuning which included developing an on-line classification tool as well
as an organisational model for the implementation of the classification. The
final report of the U-Map project was published in January 2010, and the
on-line classification tool is up
and working.
Learn more about this great U-Map project at
their website :
The U-Map Project Website
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StudyPortals ; making information sharing about Higher Education programmes easy
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| The answer to Europe's information gap
Back in 2006 when the project began, heaps of new Master's and endless academic
opportunities were available in Europe, but there as no European information overview.
Three students from
a
European study association set out to tackle this problem. Together,
they
created MastersPortal.eu: a website where students can find and compare
Master
programmes across Europe.
Today, international mobility is booming and what once was a student initiative
has
now become a professional organisation called StudyPortals.
With
Bachelors-,
Masters- and PhDportal.eu provide the information overview that Europe
was
waiting for. Proof of the success? Every month over 950,000 prospective
international students are drawn to the websites to find their perfect
opportunity amongst no less than 14,800 study programmes.
As a result, the websites are also widely embraced by
higher
education institutions across Europe. Over 600 institutions from 37
European
countries are participating! The website's very effective communication channels, reaching
out to
millions of prospective international students is helping StudyPortals to reach its aim of being
the
study choice platform in Europe. The future is European.
For
more information, visit MastersPortal.eu.
Institutions can list Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes free of charge
and
optionally make use of effective advertising services.
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EUTraining announces its 3rd annual
FP7 - European Summer Academy
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| FP7 European Summer Academy
Lake Balaton, Hungary, July 5-9, 2010
The FP7 project preparation and
management course is organised only once in a year and is held by experts
coordinating several FP7 projects developed by themselves. The practical
information obtained from these sessions guide the participants through
the entire lifecycle of a research project, from call identification to
post-project audits to succeed in the new programmes of EU funding.
Participants at the European Summer Academy will learn the differences
of FP7, CIP, LIFE+, LLP, how to identify and submit a proposal in FP7,
experience the entire life-cycle of an FP7 project, including financial
reporting and cost allocation, and will have the opportunity to enjoy
the best that the lake and its surroundings can offer.
You
can still benefit from the course's 2009 price until the 2nd April.
Check
out eutrainingsite.comfor more information on the training.
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The EURASHE secretariat
Ravensteingalerij 27/3
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 (0) 211 41 97
Fax: + 32 (0) 211 41 99
eurashe@eurashe.eu
www.eurashe.eu
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