SHORT-CYCLE HIGHER EDUCATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BULGARIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM ASSOC. PROF. TODOR RADEV INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

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SHORT-CYCLE HIGHER EDUCATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK
OF THE BULGARIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMASSOC.
PROF. TODOR RADEVINTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States June
15-17 2009., Golden Sands resort

• The project has been funded with the support of
  the European Commission in the frame of Atlantis
  Programme, EU-US Cooperation in Higher Education
  and Vocational Training, project Short-Cycle
  Higher Education in the US and Europe Addressing
  Social and Economic Needs , n.
  20008-2434/001-001 CPT USPOLI. This presentation
  reflects the views only of the author, and the
  Commission cannot be held responsible for any use
  which may be made of the information contained
  therein

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• WORLD TENDENCIES
• EXPANSION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION
• DIVERSIFICATION
• LIFELONG LEARNING
• CHANGING NATURE OF KNOWLEGDE AND SKILLS

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• POPULARIZATION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION
• Practice examples
• Shortening the education duration
• Broadening the access to higher education.

• Dimensions
• Number of students after completion of secondary
  school level in the age between 20 and 24 as a
  percentage of the whole population in this age
• EUROPEAN UNION /EU 25/ - 57
• USA- 81
• BULGARIA 35.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• EXPANSION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION
• Conclusions
• There is a need for a change in the system
  increase of the number of students who are
  granted an admission and strengthening of the
  control during the studies in order to achieve
  better quality at the exit
• According to the Higher Education Act in the
  period between 2007/2008 and 2010/2011 a 100
  increase of the places for admission in the
  higher education institutions is envisaged in
  compliance with their educational capacity.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• DIVERSIFICATON
• Variety of different types and kinds of higher
  education institutions and programmes
• New structure and education degrees with
  different levels of qualification
• Different forms of study
• Proves from the practice
• Broadening the network of non-university
• higher education institutions.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• DIVERSIFICATION
• Dimensions
• In USA from 4200 higher education institutions
  more than 2200 are non-university higher
  education institutions
• In the Netherlands the number of non-university
  higher education institutions specialized in the
  applied sciences is higher than the number of the
  classic universities
• In Germany more there are more than 130 similar
  institutions (Fachhochschule)
• In Austrian we recognize Universities of Applied
  Sciences
• In France there are more than 450 so called
  Technological Institutes
• In Bulgaria the professional higher education is
  represented and developed within the structure of
  the specialized higher education schools and
  independent colleges.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• DIVERSIFICATION
• Conclusions (1)
• The variety of higher education institutions in
  Europe and across the globe provides better
  opportunity for social inclusion, broader access
  to education in different periods of life and
  wider choice of the type of education
• The different types of higher education
  institutions ensure the mobility possibility for
  the students
• In Bulgaria the higher education institution
  system is hierarchical and within it the
  professional colleges enjoy the lowest prestige.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• DIVERSIFICATION
• Conclusions (2)
• The structure of the higher education institution
  system is not recently updated and does not
  respond to the present needs
• The higher education institutions have lost their
  traditional face -they offer a wide variety of
  programmes, for example interior design and law
  
• In the framework of the same university we can
  find elements of the professional and academic
  education at the same time
• The difference between the specialized higher
  education institutions is not clear and evident
  for the end consumer the conditions for
  opening, validation, accreditation of a higher
  education institution and the education degrees
  which it offers are the same.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• LIFELONG LEARNING
• Examples from the practice
• The need of LL arises from the technological
  development
• LL provides opportunity for increase of the
  competitiveness and adaptability to labor market
• The universities have to rethink their position
  in the society and their links to the business.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• LIFELONG LEARNING
• Perspectives in front of Europe
• Up to 2030 (according to the statistics of EU)
• Increase of the elderly population with almost 14
  millions
• Decrease of the young population with approx. 9
  millions
• Number of students within the education system
  decreases with 2 millions
• Approx. 72 millions Europeans have insufficient
  or even missing qualification.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• LIFELONG LEARNING
• Todays situation
• Participation in the different forms of LL (in
  age between 30 and 34)
• European Union - 4,1
• USA - 7
• Bulgaria 1.6.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• LIFELONG LEARNING
• Conclusions on the ongoing lifelong learning
  process in Bulgaria
• The higher education system in Bulgaria is
  traditional, closed, and mainly oriented towards
  the Bachelors and Masters degrees
• The business has sporadic connection to the
  academic world and is not interested in
  short-cycle education programmes, because they
  are mostly unknown, do not seem to meet its
  requirements and the lifelong learning system is
  less developed
• The higher education institutions are not
  interested and motivated to develop short-cycle
  education programmes, because these programmes
  would require changes in the programmes and
  flexibility of the education

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• LIFELONG LEARNING
• Conclusions
• The processes of lifelong learning require and
  demand essential changes in the higher education
  system
• The University of the 21. century has a new
  function and role it should offer a wide
  variety of courses aiming at increase and
  improvement of the qualification in compliance
  with the needs and requirements of the business
  and individual consumers
• The lifelong learning processes open new horizons
  in front of the higher education institutions.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• Changing nature of knowledge and skills
• The universities should create and stimulate the
  development of new skills and abilities in the
  students
• Students should learn to study and work
  independently
• A new systematic approach should be acquired and
  applied
• New interactive forms of education should be
  applied in addition to the classical education
  forms in order to develop team spirit and other
  new skills in the students.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• HIGHER EDUCATION IN BULGARIA
• Until 1989 the higher education in Bulgaria is
  state,
• centralized, marked by a lack of public control
  and
• academic competition
• At present in Bulgaria the dependence of the
• higher education institutions from the state
• continues the state defines the budget, the
• number of students, the type of investments etc.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• Harmonization of the Bulgarian higher education
  with the European Higher Education Area
• European system for credit transfer and
  accumulation is introduced
• University systems for quality assurance are
  being developed
• Functioning education degrees Bachelor and
  Master.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• Qualification framework in the European Higher
  Education Area
• Short-cycle (within the framework of the first
  level) approx. 120 ECTS
• I cycle/level 180 240 ECTS
• II cycle/level 90 - 120 ECTS
• III cycle/level there is no system developed
  for credit transfer.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009
Qualification framework - Ireland
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BULGARIAEducation System in Accordance with The
International Standard Classification of
Education (ISCE)-97
International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009
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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• Structure of degrees in Bulgaria
• Within secondary professional education - from
  1st to 4th qualification degree with ascending
  requirements towards skills, competences and
  knowledge
• In higher education there is no such a
  framework
• With the adopted changes in 2007 for higher
  education, the education structure turned into
  the following scheme 323, a lot preferred by
  the private higher schools, or 414, in the
  state universities.

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International Conference Recogniton and
Accreditation of Short-Cycle Higher Education
Programs in Europe and the United States, June
15-17 2009

• Why to introduce the SCHE in Bulgaria (1)
• It facilitates the access to higher education
• The industry might mostly prefer such education,
  because it ensures the opportunity to shorten the
  period between studying and practicing
• The short cycle graduation and labor market
  entering would provide many people the
  opportunity to return to the higher education
  system and continue further on their education
  cycle

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• Why to introduce the SCHE in Bulgaria(2)
• SCHE with 120 ESTC awarded (up to 2 years) will
  give the opportunity for students mobility
  worldwide and recognition of the obtained
  qualification
• It provides the universities with the opportunity
  to think out their educational policy and to
  meet the needs of the business.

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