Trends V: Universities shaping the European Higher Education Area

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Trends V Universities shaping the European
Higher Education Area

• European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy,
• Lille 12 September 2008

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Presentation overview

• Will talk about
• The Context of Higher Education reform
  development in Europe
• Key issues from Trends V
• Implications for the future
• Wont talk about
• Pharmacy (or other disciplines)

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EUA at a glance

• 800 university members
• 46 countries
• 34 National Rectors Conferences Members
• Independent Voice for the University Sector
• policy dialogue (focus EHEA and ERA)
• projects and surveys
• services to members

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The Context increasing pressure to
modernise..

• Competion in a global knowledge society,
  demography storing up problems -gt HEIs should
• - Increase participation widen access
• - be more local, more regional, more European,
  more global
• - be more competitive / be more socially
  inclusive
• - increase mobility within Europe / attract more
  students and scholars from outside Europe
• - improve academic quality / be more responsive
  to labour market
• - provide compatible curricula / maintain
  cultural diversity
• - be more autonomous / conform to set framework
• - concentrate research / respond to regional
  needs
• - do it all with decreasing public funding...

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2007
Trends Series accompanying Bologna process
Trends V European Universities shaping the EHEA
2005
2003
Trends IV European Universities Implementing
Bologna

2001
Trends III Progress towards the EHEA
1999
Trends II Towards the EHEA
Trends I Learning Structures in Higher Education
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Overall attitude to reform

• 74 of institutions respond that  it is
  essential to make rapid progress towards the
  EHEA 
• 8 increase since Trends III
• Large majority in nearly all countries

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Three cycle system..
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Three cycle issues

• National interpretation of reforms
• Co-existence of old and new structures
• Employability issues
• Academic vs professional qualifications
• Motivation understanding institutions
  obliged to change vs those pushing for change
• (extent of) govt support to reform

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Lifelong Learning

• Confusing concept(s)
• Not (yet) a high priority in institutions 17
  only
• Site visits a range of institutional practice,
  but little strategic thinking
• Structural reforms have taken precedence over
  LLL, but opportunities now to use Bologna tools
  for flexible learning

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European policies impacting on universities

• The European Higher Education Area
• Bologna Process looking forward to post 2010
  what next?
• The European Research Area
• FP7 mid term review cost models for universities
• Research Careers and Mobility
• ERC EIT
• Internationalisation
• Growing EC interest programmes, (Erasmus Mundus
  etc)
• Governance, autonomy funding
• The ECs Modernisation Agenda for Universities

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Ongoing challenges

• Relationship of HEIs with government and society
• Understanding usage of Bologna tools
• Trust, on the basis of institutional quality
  culture
• LLL in context of changing demography
• Access and widening participation equality not
  in contradiction with quality, but fundamental to
  it
• Implications of the EHEA beyond 2010 in
  responding to global challenges
• Increasing emphasis on accountablity/comparability
  /rankings better info or distorting missions?
• Funding

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Final thoughts

• It is not the strongest of the species, nor the
  most intelligent that survives. It is the one
  that is the most adaptable to change. (Charles
  Darwin)
•  When you feel the winds of change, build a
  windmill, not a windbreak.  (Chinese proverb)