Glossary
AccreditationAs defined in the Bologna Declaration, the study structure of the European
Higher Education Area should essentially be characterised by two cycles –
undergraduate and graduate. Accreditation is a central instrument to support
the necessary processes of changes in European higher education systems. Like
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evaluation,
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accreditation serves to assure quality when implementing new (ex ante
steering) degree programmes and also to monitor existing ones (ex post
steering). Accreditation, i. e. certification of a degree programme, will take
place after review of the minimum standards for content and specialisation,
the vocational relevance of the degree to be awarded and the coherence and
consistency of the general conception of the degree programme. It will be
awarded for a limited period of time within the frame of a transparent, formal
and external peer review. Thus, the degree programme has to be reviewed after
a certain time. The process of a peer review is steered by agencies which are
also reviewed through regular external evaluation. The instrument of
accreditation of certificate degree programmes is relatively new in Europe but
is increasingly gaining acceptance in the countries involved in the Bologna
process.
Further
information at:
http://www.accreditation-council.de/European
Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA):International
Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE):
http://www.inqaahe.nl/Bruges
ProcessThe term
“Bruges Process” refers to the increased co-operation in European vocational
education and training, similar to the Bologna process in higher education. At
their conference in Bruges in October 2001, the Directors-General for
vocational training initiated a
co-operation process in the field of vocational education and training. The
European Council affirmed this idea in Barcelona (15 and 16 March
2002). As an initial response, the European Commission invited representatives
of 29 European countries (EU member states, future members of the EU and EEA
countries) and social partners to a meeting in order to discuss concrete
initiatives and measures to improve vocational education and training in
Europe. The transparency of qualifications and skills is to be improved
through a new, universal instrument, integrating existing tools such as the
EUROPASS Training, the European curriculum and the certificate supplement. In
addition, strong support was given to a credit transfer system in vocational
education and training at the European level, complementing ECTS (European
Credit Transfer System) in higher education. These measures are to be
implemented within a voluntary co-operation process which will be top priority
for the Danish presidency. A European framework for vocational education is to
be developed by 2010 in order to enable the citizens to move freely between
jobs, business sectors and countries. According to Viviane Reding, EU
Commissioner for Education and Culture, the transfer of qualifications and
skills is the precondition of lifelong learning and increased mobility.Further
information
at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/bruges/index_en.html
Diploma SupplementThe European
Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO developed the Diploma Supplement
in order to improve international transparency and to facilite academic and
professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates
etc.). The document – attached to a higher education diploma – describes in
the respective national language and in English the nature, level, context,
content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully
completed. The Diploma Supplement provides additional information on the
national higher education system, in order to fit the qualification into the
relevant educational context. Information on the current state of the
implementation of the Diploma Supplement in the countries participating in the
SOCRATES programme is available
here.More
information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/recognition/diploma.html#1
Doctoral studiesThe “Bologna
process” focused so far on academic studies, in particular on the
implementation of a system based on two main cycles. Now doctoral and
post-doctoral studies are to be included into the European debates on the
structural reform in the higher education systems. Already in 1992, the
Ministers of Education of the EU member states Belgium, Denmark, Germany,
France and the Netherlands agreed on improving the transparency and adjusting
the existing systems of doctoral studies. Since 1994 doctoral students are
promoted within the framework of the EU-HCM/TMR research programme. In 1991,
the confederation of European Union Rectors‘ Conferences proposed the
implementation of a „European doctorate“ as an additive certificate and
suggested that doctoral students are to spend at least a year abroad. This
would not only improve the education of young scientists but also support the
networking of European universities and research institutes. Structures and
quality of doctoral studies in Europe were discussed during the semi-annual
consultations of the Directors-General for higher education of the EU member
states under the Swedish Presicency in Halmstad (May 2001) and under the
Spanish Presidency in Cordoba (April 2002). Furthermore, the European
Commission submitted a report concerning the mobility of doctoral students in
the context of SOCRATES/ERASMUS programmes (so-called
Mitchell
report).
ECTSECTS
(European Credit Transfer System) is a credit system, which provides a way of
measuring and comparing learning achievements, and transferring them from one
institution to another. The system was initially established under the Erasmus
programme (1989-1996) and has been tested over a period of 6 years in a pilot
scheme involving 145 higher education institutions in all EU Member States and
EEA countries. Since the introduction of the Institutional Contract in the
SOCRATES/ERASMUS programme in 1997/98 all European universities can take part
in ECTS. As an effective instrument for creating curricular transparency and
facilitating academic recognition the ECTS system supports European-wide
mobility. Transparency is created by providing detailed information on the
curricula and their relevance towards a degree. The main tools used to make
ECTS work and facilitate academic recognition are the information package, the
learning agreement and the transcript of records. The possibility of using
ECTS within the field of vocational training is discussed at the moment.Further
information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates/ects.html#cl
European Higher Education AreaThe
construction of a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010 is one of the
most important objectives of the European Ministers of Education to promote
the co-operation of higher education institutions within Europe. Meanwhile, 33
signatory countries are aiming at implementing joint structures in the
European higher education systems and have approved a range of objectives
within the framework of the „Bologna process”. The mobility of students and
teachers, the recognition of degrees and quality assurance of study programmes
are to be improved. Furthermore, a structure based on two main cycles
(undergraduate/graduate) and a system of credits such as ECTS are to be
established. The first results of the implementation and priority-settings for
the time up to the Berlin conference 2003 can be found in the final communiqué
signed by the European Ministers of Education on the occasion of the Bologna
follow-up meeting in Prague 2001 (http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/prager_kommunique.pdf
).You will find
the Bologna Declaration of the European Ministers of Education of 19 June 1999
„The European Higher Education Area“ at:
http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/bologna_declaration.pdf
European Research AreaIn January
2000 the European Commission published a communication
„Towards a European
Research Area“ initiated by the Commissioner for Research Philippe Busquin. It
aims at the creation of better overall framework conditions for research to
make Europe the leading knowledge-based economy worldwide. The document
suggests a frontier-free research policy in Europe based on better cooperation
among researchers and scientists in the member states which will improve the
coordination of research activities within the EU and its member states
without additional bureaucracy and higher costs. The European Research Area
(ERA) shall promote a common use of scientific resources, create jobs on a
long-term basis and stimulate competition in Europe.Further
information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/area_de.html
http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/era-debate/era.htm
EUROPASSThe “EUROPASS
Training” – implemented on the initiative of the Council of Europe – is a
Europe-wide uniform bilingual document certifying periods of training outside
the country of origin and promotes the mobility of education throughout
Europe. The document records content and quality of the obtained
qualifications and provides details about the international experience, skills
and knowledge acquired. The “EUROPASS Training” certifies not only parts of
vocational training but also practical training periods in the field of higher
education.Further
information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/europass/broch_en.pdf
EURO-STUDENT 2000The
EURO-STUDENT 2000 project compares social and economic data of student life in
eight EU member states (Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, the
Netherlands and Austria). The data focus on various aspects of higher
education students‘ living conditions, e.g. study financing and its sources,
students‘ family background, government allocations, language proficiency,
sojourns abroad, housing and students‘ time budgets. The results of this study
are intended to provide essential information about the economic and social
structures of student life in Europe and shall be used within the development
of educational policy. The project will presumably be continued and expanded
on further countries. The results will be published in spring 2002.
Further
information on the project at:
http://www.his.de/doku/abereich/ausland/proj/Eurostudent/frameset.htm
EvaluationApart from ®
accreditation, evaluation is the central activity to
®
assure quality in higher education. To evaluate means to assess teaching and
academic studies in a subject or department and the related degree programmes.
Strengths and weaknesses of education and training should be demonstrated by
stocktaking and analysis and proposals should be formulated to promote its
quality as well. Evaluation is carried out through internal or external
procedures. The process of internal evaluation is comprised of the systematic
collection of administrative data, questioning of students and graduates, as
well as moderated conversations with lecturers and students. As part of the
process of external evaluation a review team visits the department in order to
review the quality of the academic studies and teaching. External peers are
lecturers or persons from vocational practice who discuss with students and
young scientists and present a final report. The evaluation of academic
studies and teaching has to be followed by an account of how effective the
measures of quality assurance are.
Besides
academic studies and teaching, the performance of research is evaluated at
different levels: with reference to national research systems, individual
institutions, research programmes or individual projects. In the field of
research evaluation internal and external evaluations are also employed.
Further
information at:European
Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA):International
Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE):
http://www.inqaahe.nl/
GATSThe GATS, established in January
1994, is a multilateral agreement that is – along with the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) – part of the legal structure of the
World Trade Organization (WTO). The mandate of the GATS, resulting from the
“Uruguay Round” negotiations, is the liberalization of trade in services and
the gradual phasing out of government barriers to international competition in
the services sector. Through the GATS, member-countries have made commitments
to open all, or parts of, their domestic services markets to international
competition. Member-nations must abide by two “principles”
clearly set out in the agreement: the “national treatment principle”, which
states that members should not discriminate in favour of national providers,
and the “most-favoured-nation principle (MFN)”, which states that members
should not discriminate between different member-nations. Education services
are one of the 12 sectors (e.g. health, tourism, banking, telecommunications)
included in the agreement. A new round of negotiations on trade in
services began in January 2000 and is due to be completed by 2005. The
discussion on the potential effects of GATS on the education sector is still
under way.Further information at:
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_e.htm
http://gats-info.eu.int/
www.aucc.ca/en/international/bulletins/declaration.pdf
(„Joint Declaration on Higher Education and the General Agreement on Trade in
Services“, AUCC, ACE, EUA, CHEA)
ISICThe
International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is an international document of
identification promoted by the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC)
and handed out by students’ organisations and travel agencies. ISIC is the
only international student card accepted by UNESCO since 1993. The cardholders
are offered discounts in over 90 countries for travel tickets, accomodation,
admission tickets etc.Further
information at:
www.isic.deLifelong Learning
The final
communiqué of the Bologna follow-up meeting in Prague in 2001 stressed the
importance of “Lifelong Learning” (LLL) as an essential element of the
European Higher Education Area. Lifelong Learning comprises all phases of learning, from pre-school to
post-retirement, and covers the whole spectrum of formal, non-formal and
informal learning. The
implementation of this idea will be facilitated by bringing together education
and vocational education in central aspects of different policies such
as education, youth, employment and research. A lifelong learning framework is to be developed to enable each
individual to choose among learning environments, jobs, regions and countries
in order to improve his knowledge, skills and competencies and to use them
optimally. An important condition for the implementation of LLL is the
development of a coherent system of credits that allows the evaluation and
recognition of diplomas and certificates acquired at school, at university and
in the framework of work-based learning. In this way, the transfer of
qualifications between schools, universities and the world of work could be
ensured. Continuing education and further training are essential responses to
growing competition and the use of new technologies and they therefore are
among the key approaches to achieving the strategic goal for Europe to become
the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world (European
Council in Lisbon,
March 2000). In October 2000, the European Commission dedicated a
memorandum to this issue and one year later published a
communication of the two commission members Vivian Reding (education
and culture) and Anna Diamantopoulou (employment and social affairs).
Further
information at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/index_en.htmlPlease see
as well the note “Towards Lifelong Learning” under “News”.Quality Assurance
A central
goal of the “Bologna Process” is to define and observe Europe-wide quality
standards in higher education. A precondition is the elaboration of comparable
methods and criteria to assess the quality of research and teaching. In 1998,
the European Council recommended stronger co-operation in this field. As a
response to this
Council initiative and the objectives of the Bologna Declaration, the
European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA)
was established. Since 1999,
ENQA
has supplied
information about proven practical experiences as well as the newest
approaches and discussions in the field of quality assessment and quality
assurance. In the course of the so-called Bologna Seminars, initial results of
the debate on European quality standards for the implementation of Bachelor’s
and Master’s degree programmes were presented in Amsterdam („The
European Dimension of Quality Assurance“).
The pilot project “Tuning Educational Structures in Europe”, born of a
university initiative in which 70 European universities participate, has
submitted reference criteria for the comparison of final structures and
teaching approaches for seven subjects (Business Studies, Education Science,
Geology, History, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics).
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evaluation, the instruments to realize and observe quality standards, is under
the supervision of evaluation and/or accreditation agencies in the individual
countries.
Further
information at:
