scholarly journals What Does It Take to Build a Social Dimension Strategy? A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis of Romania and Austria

Author(s):  
Simona Torotcoi

Abstract Unlike other action lines of the Bologna Process, slow progress has been made towards making the social dimension an implementable policy. The social dimension had to overcome a significant start-up difficulty. It entered the Bologna Process with no clear definition, guidelines or projection of concrete policy measures. In 2015, with the adoption of the Strategy for the Development of the Social Dimension and Lifelong Learning in the EHEA to 2020, participating countries were asked to come up with concrete national plans to address the participation of underrepresented groups in higher education. This paper looks in depth at two country cases that attempted to create the necessary conditions for such strategies, Austria and Romania, and asks what are the successful conditions for building a social dimension and lifelong learning strategy in line with the Bologna requirements? The common point for these countries is that both of them attempted to build a social dimension and life-long learning strategy, however, one of the countries came up with a strategy, yet other national strategies and policies were in contradiction with what the strategy promoted, whereas in the second country no strategy was developed beside the involvement of the main stakeholders. The data for the analysis comes from interviews conducted in November 2017 with stakeholders involved in the formation of these strategies, ranging from student representatives to educational experts, and governmental representatives.

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 485-505
Author(s):  
Iryna Kushnir

This article belongs to a limited body of scholarship concerning inclusion in the Bologna Process. The Bologna Process aims to create the European Higher Education Area with comparable higher education structures within the European Higher Education Area member states. Unlike previous research that focuses on the implementation of one of the Bologna Process inclusion-related action lines (i.e. lifelong learning, student-centred education and social dimension), this article adopts a broader lens, and investigates the evolution of the meaning of ‘inclusion’ in the key international Bologna Process policy documents. This article argues that there is still a lack of clarity around the meaning of ‘inclusion’ in the Bologna Process, and the list of underprivileged groups that the Bologna Process aims to include in higher education, is absent. This article calls for an urgent review of this problem in the Bologna Process at the European Higher Education Area ministerial conference scheduled for 2020 which will set the agenda for post-2020 work in the European Higher Education Area.


2013 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 65-81
Author(s):  
Marija Stonkienė

Straipsnyje analizuojami kuriant Europos aukštojo mokslo erdvę keliamo strateginio tikslo – užtikrinti aukštojo mokslo socialinio matmens plėtotę – informaciniai aspektai. Informacinių socialinio aukštojo mokslo matmens aspektų svarbą pabrėžia tai, kad ES švietimo ir mokslo politika grindžiama atvirojo koordinavimo metodu. Informaciniai socialinio aukštojo mokslo matmens aspektai analizuojami atliekant ES politinių strateginių dokumentų, Bolonijos proceso dokumentų ir Bolonijos proceso pažangos ataskaitų duomenų tyrimą. Analizė parodė, kad vis daugiau dėmesio skiriama informaciniams socialinioaukštojo mokslo matmens aspektams, nepakanka informacijos apie socialinį aukštojo mokslo matmenį, stinga nacionalinių duomenų, kyla nepalyginamumo problemų. Analizuojant Bolonijos proceso ataskaitas pastebėta besiplečianti informacinė socialinio aukštojo mokslo matmens aprėptis.Reikšminiai žodžiai: Europos aukštojo mokslo erdvė, Bolonijos procesas, socialinis aukštojo mokslo matmuo, socialinio aukštojo mokslo Europos aukštojo mokslo erdvėje matmens standartai, socialinio aukštojo mokslo Europos aukštojo mokslo erdvėje matmens rodikliai, socialinio aukštojo mokslo Europosaukštojo mokslo erdvėje matmens rodiklių duomenys.Information aspects of the social dimension of higher education in the European higher education areaMarija Stonkienė Summary This paper deals with the informational aspects of ensuring the social development of higher educa­tion – the strategic objective in creating the Euro­pean higher education area. The importance of the informational aspects of social dimension in higher education is indicated by the fact that the EU educa­tion and training policy is based on the open method of coordination. Informational aspects of the social dimension of higher education are examined by performing an analysis of the EU documents on policy strategy, the Bologna Process documents, and the Bologna pro­cess progress report. The investigation has revealed a growing emphasis on the informational aspects of the social dimension of higher education, which is caused by the lack of respective information, the shortage of national data and non-comparability problems. In the analysis of the Bologna process report, the paper notes an expanding reach of the informational aspects of the social dimension of higher education.


TEME ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 043
Author(s):  
Jelena Gajic ◽  
Marina Savkovic ◽  
Dušan Borovčanin

Almost two decades after the implementation of the Bologna Process in higher education around the world, the question of the applicability, justification and effectiveness of reforms implemented globally arises. The aim of this paper is to explore the attitudes, optimism versus pessimism, more precisely student representatives’"mood" regarding the implementation of the Bologna Process and Bologna tools. The overall sample consists of student representatives from 17 European Higher Education Area countries. The results of the research should be a step towards further higher education reforms, or, more precisely, a proposal to modify the existing plans, bearing in mind the different conditions and characteristics of the countries where they are implemented and their willingness to accept the reforms. The results indicate that mobility, diploma supplements and quality assurance are the most positive aspects of BP and employability, the social dimension and the financing model of higher education are weak points of BP.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110222
Author(s):  
Lars Ulriksen

Twenty years after the signing of the Bologna Declaration, this special issue contributes to a discussion of the Bologna process with a particular focus on the implementation of the two-cycle degree structure (3+2) and the practices and paths of higher education students. In this introduction, it is argued that there is a need for more research concerning the policy as text, that is, the way the Bologna process is enacted by students and teachers in their daily practices. The 3+2 degree structure has indeed affected the practices of students, particularly by introducing a new transition and decision point in many countries. However, when considering the Bologna policy as text, it becomes visible that there are differences in the students’ concerns and practices across the six countries represented in the papers in the issue. This is not only the case due to differences in the national contexts prior to the Bologna process, but also to the role of other factors affecting the enactment of the policies. Thus, there are variations in the implementation – for example, concerning the social dimension – and the enactment differs due to national as well as programme differences, and differences related to academic disciplines.


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