Columbus’ Egg? Qualifications Frameworks, Sectoral Profiles and Degree Programme Profiles in Higher Education

During the last 25 years international mobility has become paramount in higher education. International and national authorities and higher education institutions have set-up effective structures to facilitate and implement this process. It has become part of a higher education modernization process which obtained a serious push with the start and development of the Bologna Process in Europe as of 1999. However the same authorities have been far less active in finding answers on how to facilitate this process in terms of curriculum development, quality assurance and recognition. The initiative was largely left to individuals supported by their employing organizations. These have proven to be visionaries. Their efforts have led to competence and learning outcomes based descriptors for meta-qualifications frameworks and to important reference points / meta profiles for subject areas. Academics have been strongly involved in developing the latter and by doing so have offered a more sustainable basis for implementing reforms based on the student-centred approach, which is so relevant for today’s world in terms of employability and citizenship. The most recent development has been the development of Tuning sectoral qualifications frameworks which allow for bridging the two European meta-frameworks, the EQF for Lifelong Learning and the QF for the European Higher Education Area, with sectoral and degree profiles. This can be seen as a breakthrough initiative because it offers us a transparent model which is developed and owned by academics and can easily be used by all involved in programme design and development, quality enhancement and assurance and recognition of (periods of) studies.

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Qualification Frameworks and Field-specific Approaches to Quality Assurance

International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education ◽

10.4018/ijqaete.2011010104 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 44-57

Author(s):

Giuliano Augusti ◽

Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Reference Points ◽

Specific Knowledge ◽

Peer Reviews ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Subject Specific ◽

Degree Structure

“General” and “field-specific” Quality Assurance procedures, although sharing many “technical” instruments (self evaluation reports, peer reviews, benchmarks vs. reference points, etc.), have different directions. The motivations behind “field-specific” initiatives are critically presented in this paper. They are strictly correlated with Qualification Frameworks that, while preserving the autonomy of higher education institutions in defining their teaching offers, define common and transparent employability objectives for the benefit of students, graduates and all other stakeholders. However, “while learning outcomes have been generically defined for the degree structure”, it is now necessary “to further develop descriptors for subject specific knowledge, skills and competences. ... leaving still plenty of freedom for programme diversity.” (Bologna Process, 2009a). Qualification Frameworks and field-specific Quality Assurance lead naturally to “pre-professional accreditation” that can be given an international value by “European Quality Labels”.

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WEB-BASED INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR SURVEYS OF THE QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION (ROUNDUP)

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij3002311k ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 311-314

Author(s):

Kristina Kilova

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Information Systems ◽

Bologna Process ◽

The European Union ◽

Web Based ◽

Quality Of Higher Education ◽

Use Of The Internet ◽

Set Up ◽

The Bologna Process

Strategic aim of the European Union is to build a competitive and dynamic economy based on knowledge and ensuring sustainable economic growth. In the context of the Lisbon agenda and the Bologna process, the main resource for achieving this goal is undoubtedly the quality of education. This makes the issue of the quality of higher education extremely relevant. In universities have been set up systems to manage the quality of higher education. As main criterion for assessing their work serve surveys giving feedback on the entire process performed. More intensive use of the Internet enables the creation and use of web-based information systems for surveys of the quality of higher education.

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Conformity or confusion? Changing higher education grading scales as a part of the Bologna Process: the cases of Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Learning and Teaching ◽

10.3167/latiss.2009.020103 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 39-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Bettinal Lien Dahl ◽

Åsa Lindberg-Sand

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Political Process ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Classification Systems ◽

General Level ◽

Grading Scale ◽

Intended Learning Outcomes ◽

The Bologna Process ◽

Grading Scales

The aim of the Bologna Process is to make higher education systems across Europe more transparent. It is crucial for this purpose that confusion concerning the characteristics of the systems should be replaced by conformity. But, as we will show, conformity brought about at one level may create confusion at another. The curricular aspect of the Bologna Process focuses on a shift to outcome-based and student-centred programmes. Syllabi should now be based on intended learning outcomes (ILOs) and should be adjusted to general level descriptors for qualifications. However, the Bologna documents give no explicit recommendations about the use of grading scales. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the reforms of higher education induced by the Bologna process included a change of grading scales and referred to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). Through these three case studies, we describe and analyse the political process and argumentation underpinning the decisions to change the grading scales in each country. This includes the problems, both experienced and perceived, with the old grading scales, the various national assessment traditions and the new grading scales. The purpose of the change was not the same in each country, but the ongoing adaptation to a seven-step grading scale was thought to ease the international recognition of the national grades, making mobility easier. Though a seven-step grading scale was implemented in both Danish and Norwegian higher education and also by an increasing number of Swedish higher education institutions, the translation of grades only works on a superficial level. The grading scales designed are fundamentally different as classification systems; they attach different numerical values to grades with identical labels and they relate differently to norm- and standards-referenced judgements of learning outcomes. The information condensed in similar grades from the three countries cannot be equated. The vision of simple transparency turns out to be an illusion.

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Professional Pedagogical Mobility of Educators in the European Context

Comparative Professional Pedagogy ◽

10.2478/rpp-2018-0042 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 57-63

Author(s):

Oleksandr Iyevlyev

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Teacher Training ◽

Bologna Process ◽

International Mobility ◽

International Dimension ◽

European Context ◽

Professional Mobility ◽

Teacher Students ◽

The Bologna Process

Abstract The article deals with the features of promoting and organizing professional pedagogical mobility of educators in the European context. Therefore, theoretical framework of the current research includes relevant documents of the Bologna Process (the Sorbonne Declaration, the Bologna Declaration (1999), the Prague Communiqué (2001), The Berlin Communiqué (2003), The Bergen Communiqué etc.). It was specified that one of the main objectives of the Bologna process was to promote mobility of educators since it is an indispensable condition for the existence and development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It was indicated that professional mobility of educators occupied a prominent place in the Bologna process, determined attractiveness and competitiveness of the EHEA worldwide and improved the quality of higher education and research. It was clarified that the following important aspects of the international dimension of teacher training and professional mobility of educators providing such training should be considered in order to improve the international mobility of teacher students: teachers of the native language for foreigners should have experience of study in the country of the language taught; it is important to encourage HEIs to recognize school work internships related to the teaching subject that were completed abroad in the framework of the study exchange programme; development of international faculties in HEIs should be encouraged. It was found that the following ways could enhance the international dimension of teacher training and support professional mobility of educators providing such training: an acknowledgement of the importance of this particular student group as well as a commitment to improving the framework conditions, such as national regulation which may hinder the mobility of teacher training students. It was concluded that professional pedagogical mobility in the European context was targeted at culminating the personality of teacher students - future educators. Based on the obtained findings, some relevant recommendations were outlined to enhance the quality of professional pedagogical mobility of future educators in Ukraine.

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Acquisition of general competences using project-based learning

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'18) ◽

10.4995/head18.2018.7994 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Paula M. Castro ◽

Francisco Laport ◽

Adriana Dapena ◽

Francisco J. Vazquez-Araujo

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Teaching Experience ◽

Project Based Learning ◽

Project Work ◽

Explicit Learning ◽

Education Programs ◽

Transferable Skills ◽

The Bologna Process

During years, professors of higher education focused on the outcome of the assimilation of information through learning (i.e., in the acquisition of knowledge). In a European context, the Bologna Process has accelerated and spread the process of defining explicit learning outcomes for higher education programs, including those in terms of general competences and transferable skills. Our teaching experience in engineering degrees have shown that these students have difficulties for understanding the math basics of some disciplines. For greater effectiveness in knowledge acquisition, we consider as an essential issue the inclusion of laboratory activities based on computer simulations performed using software. For acquiring those general competences and transferable skills, our proposal also includes several projects in which our students must develop skills such as communication, teamwork or problem solving. We have observed that such projects allow students the development of their creativity, an improvement in oral and written communication, and also an optimal training for the B.S. degree project work and even for their future professional life.

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Modernization of Ukrainian higher education in the context of Bologna process

Ukrainian society ◽

10.15407/socium2013.03.077 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 (3) ◽

pp. 77-85

Author(s):

Vitalii Lukashchuk

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Modular System ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Bilateral Agreements ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Internal Mobility ◽

Modernization Process ◽

The Bologna Process

The article analyzes the problems of modernization of higher education in the context of the Bologna Process.It is noted that during the transition to credit-modular system Ukrainian universities face several challenges: significant difference in the curricula for bachelors and masters; remaining of “Specialist” qualification; organization of individual work of students; not solved issue of providing “internal” mobility of students and teachers; low level of financing and others. It is emphasized that further modernization process within the Bologna process involves expansion in Ukrainian higher educational institutions of practice of concluding of parity partnership bilateral agreements on compatibility educational plans and courses in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian standards and high European quality of disciplines and directions of study.

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Qualifications frameworks for the European Higher Education Area: a new instrumentalism or 'Much Ado about Nothing'?

Learning and Teaching ◽

10.3167/latiss.2008.010205 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 77-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Berit Karseth

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Curriculum Theory ◽

Traditional Curriculum ◽

European Higher Education Area ◽

Much Ado About Nothing ◽

Institutional Responses ◽

European Higher Education ◽

The Bologna Process

The purpose of this article is to explore the development of qualifications frameworks as a key element in the Bologna Process, which aims to develop a European Higher Education Area by 2010. By setting up descriptors of learning outcomes, a European qualifications framework is intended as an instrument that enables Europe to coordinate and exchange qualifications. Furthermore, the article analyses the proposal of a national qualifications framework in Norway and institutional responses to it. Despite general support for the idea of a framework, the analysis shows that the institutions question the possibility of a qualifications framework that fits all types of educational programmes.With reference to curriculum theory the article concludes that the idea of a qualifications framework based on measurable learning outcomes represents a turn towards an instrumental curriculum approach in higher education, in contrast to a traditional curriculum approach which foregrounds disciplinary content and its mastery. Drawing on institutional theory the article also questions the possible impact of qualifications frameworks in higher education.

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Implementation of European Educational Programs in Context of Kazakhstan’s Policy in Field of Higher Education (1995-2018)

Nauchnyy dialog ◽

10.24224/2227-1295-2020-5-376-392 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 376-392

Author(s):

O. N. Bogatyreva ◽

E. V. Shukusheva

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

European Union ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Educational Programs ◽

The European Union ◽

International Mobility ◽

European Higher Education Area ◽

Higher Education System ◽

European Higher Education ◽

The Bologna Process

The issues of academic mobility and internationalization of universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan are considered through participation in educational programs of the European Union TEMPUS and ERASMUS+. The main stages of the implementation of European programs are identified, which correspond to the main principles and directions of the policy of Kazakhstan in the field of higher education. Particular attention is paid to Kazakhstan joining “the Bologna Club”. It is emphasized that the TEMPUS program contributed to the integration of the Higher Education system of Kazakhstan into the European Higher Education Area and the country's accession to the Bologna process. The fact that European programs contributed to the implementation of the basic parameters of the Bologna process aimed at internationalization is positively assessed. The data on the involvement of Kazakhstani universities in the educational programs of the European Union, aimed at increasing the international mobility of students and deepening research in the field of European integration, are analyzed. The problems that hinder the development of internationalization and the active participation in European programs are also touched upon. It is shown that Kazakhstan is the only country in Central Asia that is part of the European Higher Education Area and has a national strategy for the internationalization of all universities.

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Can Students' Concept of Learning Influence Their Learning Outcomes?

Higher Learning Research Communications ◽

10.18870/hlrc.v2i2.23 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 18 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Despina Varnava Marouchou

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Font Size ◽

Conceptions Of Learning ◽

European Universities ◽

University Course ◽

The University ◽

The Bologna Process

This paper aims to readdress the lack of empirical data concerning university learning and in particular the dynamics students’ conceptions of learning may have on students’ learning outcomes. This paper is written at a time when the EU commission for Higher Education (HE) through the Bologna Process declaration has put into action, since 1999, a series of reforms needed to make European Higher Education compatible, efficient and competitive for students and academics alike. One of the reforms was the development of learning outcomes in the form of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). As part of the process the European universities require to identify and describe the learning outcomes a student is supposed to achieve, in a particular course. The learning outcomes are, now, expected to be clearly specified in all the university course syllabuses. The main argument stated within this paper is that the design of effective learning outcomes, such as the ECTS, especially for curriculum development, cannot be successfully achieved in the absence of the students’ own experience of how they conceive learning to be, including the methods (approaches) they use for learning. Thus, the first aim of this investigation is to analyse the students’ conceptions of learning and the second aim is to examine, through prior research evidence, the effects these conceptions may have on learning approaches and specifically on learning outcomes. Drawing on a 2007 study of Cypriot students’ conceptions of learning, this paper discusses the possibility of a relation between these issues and outlines the importance of taking them into consideration when exploring learning outcomes, curriculum and syllabus design and the professional development of faculty.

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Problems of Introducing a Competence Based Learning within the Context of Bologna Process

Pedagogika ◽

10.15823/p.2016.13 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 121 (1) ◽

pp. 187-189 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rimantas Želvys ◽

Aliya Akzholova

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Essential Difference ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Educational Management ◽

Central Asian ◽

Central Asian Countries ◽

Project Participants ◽

The Bologna Process

The article analyzes the problems of applying a competence-based learning in higher education. The Bologna process and development of common European higher education area (EHEA) is perhaps the most ambitious project initiated in higher education during the last several decades in Europe. However, not only European nations are involved in the Bologna process. In 2009 the Republic of Kazakhstan also became a member of the Bologna movement. The other Central Asian countries – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – do not formally participate in the Bologna process, but are inevitably affected by changes initiated by the Bologna declaration in the area of higher education. In order to support the development of educational studies along the Bologna lines, the European Commission funded the TEMPUS project „Modernization and Development of Curricula on Pedagogy and Educational Management in the Central Asian countries (EDUCA)“. Analysis of study programs developed in the course of implementation the TEMPUS project “Modernization and Development of Curricula on Pedagogy and Educational Management in the Central Asian countries (EDUCA)” showed that project participants encountered threefold problems of introducing a competence-based approach. The goal and objectives of the current study were to discuss these three strands of problems. The problems of defining competences are reflected in certain difficulties of including the component of ethical values. The problems of classifying competences are determined by attempts of the project participants to specify the broad classification offered by the Tuning methodology. The problems of differentiating between the competences and the learning outcomes arise due to the vague understanding of the participants what is the difference between the two concepts. They tend to treat them as synonimous, though in reality there is an essential difference. Competences are the qualities developed by the learner while learning outcomes are determined by the academic staff. Further clarification of the concept of competences will be needed in order to place the programs completely within the context of Bologna process.

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