The Bologna Paradox:
Competition, Cooperation,
or Both?
Moderator: Terhi Molsa, Executive Director
Fulbright Center Finland
Presenters:
Irinja Paakkanen, Head of International Affairs
University of Turku
Linda Tobash,
Tobash Director of Placement Services
Institute of International Education
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Competition or Cooperation
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– Or Both –
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Commonalities
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Desire to enhance mobility of students
Desire to attract an international student body
Desire to prepare students for the demands
of a global world and marketplace
Desire to work cooperatively
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Joint and dual degrees
Tools and structures to promote transparency
and mobility
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Common degree structure
Credits
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Challenges
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Philosophical differences in approaches to
undergraduate education
Myths and misconceptions about each
other’s systems
Governance structures vary
Competing for top students
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The Larger European Context
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Bologna Process is part of a larger European
agenda
Changes in the past 15 years
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European Economic Community Æ European Community
Common currency Æ €
Erasmus Mundus Æmobility and recognition
Underpinning philosophy
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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:
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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
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Tools for Cooperation
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Conventions and Declarations
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Tools
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The Three-cycle System: Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
Diploma Supplement
Qualification Framework
Quality Assurance
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Status of Implementation—2006
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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
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Source: EUA survey, 908 institutions responding
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University Degrees In Finland
Post-graduate degrees
(Licentiate degree)
Doctoral degree
Master's degree
120 ECTS credits
2 years
Bachelor's degree
180 ECTS credits
3 years
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Finland and Bologna - Results
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Concrete steps taken: restructuring the
degrees with different actors in the same
subject fields
Participation in European Wide Tuning –
Project
HEI’s active role
Students’ participation
Adapting the European level initiatives to
national framework
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Why is the Bologna Process
Important?
Important
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Encompasses 46
countries in the
European Higher
Education Area (EHEA)
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]
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Competitive Challenge to U.S. Can
Promote Greater Cooperation
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Growing awareness of EHEA attractiveness
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Promotes educational and employment mobility
within Europe
Enhances Europe as a study/work destination
worldwide
Belief in capitalism and rationality of markets
‰ high quality best achieved through local competition
rather than central planning
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U.S Responses
Institutional Level
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Expanded international
recruitment efforts
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fairs, trips
communication
priority processing
More graduate level
recruiting
More grants and financial
assistance offered
Expansion of partnerships
‰ consortia, direct
exchanges, joint/dual
degrees
Expansion of branch
campuses in geographic
regions
National Level
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Presidential University
Summit in January 2006
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Dept. of State funded
University President tours
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European Union-United
States Atlantis Program
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FIPSE funded survey on
status of transatlantic
agreements
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Visa process streamlining
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Changing Knowledge Base—
Facilitates Cooperation
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Discussion moving from degree ‘equivalency’
and degree ‘comparability’ to degree
‘compatibility’ and preparation
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Growing understanding that Bologna is “an
organic, complex process with moving targets”
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Council of Graduate School: Findings
on Current Practices
2005
Acceptance of 4 year
degree only – 29%
Provisional acceptance of 3
year degree – 9%
Evaluation of course work
for equivalency using a
variety of measures –
40%
Determination of
competency to succeed
in U.S. graduate program
- 22%
2006
Acceptance of 4 year degree
only – 18%
Provisional acceptance of 3
year degree – 4%
Evaluation of course work for
equivalency using a variety
of measures – 49%
Determination of competency
to succeed in U.S. graduate
program – 29%
Taken from CGS International Graduate Admission Survey II and III
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Paradigm Shift
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Growing understanding of paradigm shift
initiated by the Bologna Declaration and its
increasing global impact
Globalization of higher education
Sets up an alternative: The Bologna model
v.s. the U.S. model
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Australia ministry white paper
China a keen observer
South America moving toward Bologna model
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Globalization of Graduate Education
CGS Banff Meeting (August 2007)
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Council of Graduate Schools (U.S.)
European University Association
Canadian Association for Graduate Studies
Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies (Australia)
The Association of Chinese Graduate Schools
“Graduate education, involving both masters and doctoral
programs, is the key to creating a knowledge-based
economy. While graduate education is in transition
globally, the Banff Summit is an important step towards
establishing inclusive, international collaborative action
to support and strengthen graduate education through
the sharing of best practices.”
Visit http://www.cgsnet.org/?tabid=289 for more information.
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Finland and Bologna: Challenges
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National cooperation could be more intensive
and wider
Were we too optimistic?
Spreading the word for society
Still problems in credit transfer and
recognition between HEIs
Commitment in institutional level could be
more prominent
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BALANCE
Bologna – A Long-term Approach to New
Certification in Europe
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Co-ordinator: Coimbra Group Office
Partners:
University of Barcelona (ES)
University of Cambridge (UK)
University of Graz (AT)
University of Turku (FI)
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Why Balance?
Little knowledge about Bologna Process – Need to
intensify dialogue with North American
universities
Objectives:
‰ Strengthening knowledge of Bologna Process in North
America
‰ Forging links between international offices in Europe
and North America
‰ Establishing stable and sustainable information links
‰ Increase student and staff mobility between Europe
and North America
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Project Activities
‰ 4 seminars in Europe: 2 seminars in 2007 (Cambridge and
Barcelona), 2 in 2008 (Turku and Graz). Issues addressed: Bologna
Process, Joint Degrees, Doctoral level in the Bologna Process,
Employability, International aspect of Bologna process, Transatlantic
HE initiatives and Co-operation programmes)
‰ Site visits at Coimbra Group member universities)
‰ 2 seminars in North America (2009)
‰ Project website (with relevant documents and links related to the
Bologna process and HE in Europe in general, presentations from
seminars, contact details
of participants, etc)
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Next Seminars
University of Turku (Finland)
11–13 June 2008
University of Graz (Austria)
15–17 October 2008
www.coimbra-group.eu/balance
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Competition
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AND
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Cooperation
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Thanks
Resources
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Slides and notes are a compilation of
presentations developed by:
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Irinja Paakkanen
Linda Tobash
NAFSA’s Bologna Task Force
Information from the Fall 2007 NAFSA
International Educators Supplement, The
Bologna Process.
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Appendices
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Three-Cycle System: Bachelor,
Master, Doctorate
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First degree and second degree, commonly called
bachelor and master
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Names not mandated; many countries have opted for the
bachelor/master terminology
Third cycle, doctorate, being added
Degrees designed to lead from one tier to another
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Based on credit accumulation
Length of the degrees not individually mandated
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However, first degree must be at least 3 years
The first two tiers generally add up to 5 years
Variations: 3+1, 4+1, 3+2, 4+2
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European Credit Transfer System
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Originally created for Erasmus program in
1989; familiar and already in use
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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
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Not a transcript, but an addendum to the degree
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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)
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Issued when degree awarded
Presents a challenge for application to U.S.
graduate schools
Also will present a challenge to our European educators
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Quality Assurance (QA)
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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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