Professional Development Services

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Objectives of This Session

• What we wont do
• Be the expert on all things Bologna
• Provide detailed training on the Bologna Process
  and its tools
• What we will do
• Give you an overview of the Bologna Process and
  the status of development
• Point out resources you can use/follow to learn
  more
• Help you plan for a wider campus dialogue

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NAFSAs Role

• Objectives for 2007
• Inform and educate international educators
• Encourage on-campus dialogue
• Activities in pursuit of those objectives
• Joint Symposium with European Association for
  International Education (EAIE) in Amsterdam
  (March)
• Bologna Supplement to International Educator
• Regional Conference presentations
• Webinars (November/December) to stimulate
  on-campus dialogue
• ? 3

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Why is the Bologna Process Important?

• Encompasses 46 countries in the European Higher
  Education Area (EHEA)
• Western, Central and Eastern Europe (except
  Belarus)
• Also Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia
• Currently more than 36,000 EHEA graduate students
  in the U.S.
• Third largest group outside of India (56,000) and
  China (48,000) Open Doors 2006
• More.

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Why is the Bologna Process Important?

• Presents challenges and opportunities for U.S.
  campuses and their enrollment strategy
• Admissions and credential evaluation
• Graduate deans and faculty
• Education abroad
• Joint and dual degrees

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The Larger European Context

• Bologna Process is part of a larger European
  agenda
• Changes in the past 15 years
• European Economic Community ? European Community
• Common currency ?
• Schengen agreement ? open borders
• Social programs ? European Community
• Underpinning philosophy
• Harmonization not homogenization
• Respect for and celebration of diversity of Europe

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Bologna Process Objectives

• 19 June 1999 29 European Ministers in charge of
  higher education sign a Bologna Declaration,
  establishing the European Area of Higher
  Education by 2010, and promoting the European
  System of higher education world-wide, affirming
  their intention to
• Adopt a system of easily readable and comparable
  degrees
• Adopt a system with two main cycles
• Establish a system of credits
• Promote mobility by overcoming obstacles
• Promote European cooperation in quality assurance
• Promote European dimensions in higher education
• ? resource www.bologna-bergen2005.no ? 7

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Elements of the Bologna Process

• Bologna-compliant degrees
• No Bologna degrees
• Tools designed to interpret and convert work in
  one country to work in another
• The tools
• The three-cycle system Bachelor, Master,
  Doctorate
• European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
• Diploma Supplement
• Quality assurance

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Three-Cycle System Bachelor, Master, Doctorate

• First degree and second degree, commonly called
  bachelor and master
• Names not mandated many countries have opted for
  the bachelor/master terminology
• Ultimately a third cycle, doctorate, will be
  added
• Degrees designed to lead from one tier to another
• Based on credit accumulation
• Length of the degrees not individually mandated
• However, first degree must be at least 3 years
• The first two tiers generally add up to 5 years
• Variations 31, 41, 32, 42

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European Credit Transfer System

• ECTS European Credit Transfer System
• Originally created for Erasmus program in 1989
  familiar and already in use
• Baseline for ECTS is 60 credits per year as full
  load
• Actual definition of ECTS is a measure of student
  workload
• Includes an optional grading scheme
• First degree (bachelor) 180 ECTS
• Second degree (master) 120 ECTS (300
  cumulatively)
• Implications for education abroad

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Diploma Supplement

• Not a transcript, but an addendum to the degree
• Shows program of study, courses taken, grades
  received, ECTS credit values, and grading scale
• Includes educational system of the country
• Provides all information in English and local
  language
• Not issued until conclusion of degree program(s)
• Issued when degree awarded
• Presents a challenge for application to U.S.
  graduate schools
• Also will present a challenge to our European
  colleagues!
• ? 11

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Quality Assurance (QA)

• Most institutions in signatory countries have
  some form of quality assurance built in at the
  programmatic level
• All signatory countries have at least ONE
  (several have more than one) national quality
  assurance body
• BUT
• Coordination between national QA bodies and
  schools is not fully established yet
• Concern exists that QA procedures can be costly,
  too bureaucratic, and might stifle creativity
  designed to better prepare students for evolving
  societal needs
• BOTTOM LINE
• Much work remains to be done in this particular
  dimension of the Bologna Process

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Status of Implementation2006

• 82 of institutions have three-cycle structure in
  place only 2 report no plans to move to three
  cycles
• 75 use ECTS for credit transfer 66 use it for
  credit accumulation
• 49 issue Diploma Supplements to all graduating
  students
• Additional 11 issue to students who request it
• Additional 38 (for total of 98) plan to issue
  it
• 95 conduct internal quality assurance
  evaluations
• At least one independent national body for
  quality assurance exists in two-thirds of the
  Bologna signatory countries
• Source EUA survey, 908 institutions responding

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Whats Coming Priorities for 2009

• May 2007 meeting of Ministers of Higher Education
  in London
• Reaffirmed commitment to increasing the
  compatibility and comparability of European
  higher education systems while respecting their
  diversity
• Set priority themes for 2009 ministerial
  conference
• Stocktaking of the overall implementation
• Dialogue with the world academic community
• Design the evaluation of the newly established
  European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies
• Articulate future process after 2010

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Are all Bologna-compliant degrees 3 years?
• Are all Bologna-compliant degrees equal?
• To what extent are U.S. schools accepting
  Bologna-compliant degrees?
• Why should study abroad folks care about Bologna?
• To whom should we turn to get advice about what
  to do regarding Bologna?
• More? ? www.nafsa.org/bologna discussion forum
• ? 15

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Competitive Positioning

• Bologna impact on U.S. competitiveness
• Bologna promotes educational and employment
  mobility within Europe
• Bologna enhances Europe as a study and work
  destination worldwide
• The Bologna model vs. the U.S. model
• Australia ministry white paper
• China a keen observer
• South America moving toward Bologna model
• ? resource Bologna Supplement, pg. 16

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Graduate Admissions Considerations

• Review graduate admissions policies in light of
  many factors recruitment, applicant quality,
  departmental needs, readiness for graduate study,
  and program compatibility
• Bring more key players across campus into the
  admissions process deans, graduate department
  advisors, individual faculty, etc.
• Use your own sources of information on the EHEA
  to render a comprehensive judgment of what these
  reforms mean to individual institutions
• Exchange partner institutions
• Visiting international faculty
• EducationUSA offices

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Joint/Dual Degrees Opportunities

• Joint/dual degrees more common in Europe and
  growing
• Increased funds for mobility will further degrees
  
• Atlantis/FIPSE and PIRE grants
• U.S. masters degrees provide opportunities for
  U.S.-European collaborations
• Master's degrees are better developed in the U.S.
• Often easier to study abroad at the master's
  level with 3-year first degrees
• Increased international research collaborations
  in STEM disciplines provide opportunities
• More efficient use of resources exposure to
  world class faculty ? 18

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Joint/Dual Degrees Challenges

• Will U.S. universities accept 3-year degrees for
  undergraduate joint/dual degrees?
• Trends point to increasing numbers will accept
• Consider preparation and overall experience
• What will U.S. graduate schools require?
• Hours of study
• Exams
• Thesis/dissertation requirements
• What financial issues must be considered?
• Different approaches to tuition
• Teaching/research assistantships

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Study Abroad Considerations

• How to ensure accurate, objective, consistent,
  transparent transfer of academic credit?
• U.S. and European institutions agree on key
  issues
• Syllabus content
• Time in class
• Classroom activities
• Independent learning
• Outcomes assessment
• ECTS creates a common European credit system
• U.S. study abroad professionals need to stay
  informed

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Undergraduate Admissions Considerations

• How will transfer credit be handled?
• Recognition of institution by Ministry of
  Education or other body?
• Use of ECTS, grade conversions
• What are admitting institutions policies
  regarding degree requirements?
• Number of credits to be done at institution
• Number of credits to be done in major field
• Completion of general education requirements
• How will 3-year degree holders be regarded when
  they apply for a second undergraduate degree?
• Implications for degree requirements and
  financial aid

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Getting Colleagues InvolvedWho?

• Graduate admissions
• Graduate deans
• Senior international officers
• Joint/dual degree programs
• Study abroad
• Undergraduate admissions
• Registrars
• Research offices
• Others?

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Getting Colleagues Involved Resources

• Bologna Supplement to International Educator
• ? as pdf at www.nafsa.org/bolognasupplement
• Bologna Special Focus Network on www.nafsa.org
• Practice resources
• Bologna Processgeneral description
• Tools of the Bologna Process
• Country-by-country implementation information
• Implications for U.S. higher education
• Discussion forum
• Events and Training listing
• Your exchange partners in Europe!

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Getting Colleagues Involved Actions

• Create a meeting
• Pass out the IE supplement pdf and lead a
  discussion
• Give this presentation
• Available on-line on the Bologna Special Focus
  Web site (Practice ResourcesImplications for
  U.S. Higher Education)
• Sign up for a fall Bologna Webinar at
  www.nafsa.org/events.sec
• November/December 2007
• Good way to start a conversation

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Thank You!

• The 2007 NAFSA Bologna Process Task Force
• Diana Carlin, Chair, University of Kansas
• Hans de Wit, Windesheim Honours College
• Paul DeYoung, Reed College
• Rolf Hoffmann, German-American Fulbright
  Commission
• Fiona Hunter, Università Carlo Cattaneo LIUC
• Patricia Parker, Iowa State University
• Ellen Silverman, The City University of New York
• Linda Tobash, Institute of International
  Education
• Robert Watkins, University of Texas-Austin