On the way to London Dr. Maria Ebel

Lisbon Convention April 1997 Sorbonne Joint DeclarationMay 1998 Bologna DeclarationJune 1999 European Council in LisbonMarch 2000 Prague CommuniquéMay 2000 European Council in BarcelonaMarch 2002 Berlin CommuniquéSeptember 2003 Bergen Communiqué May 2005 Ministerial Conference BadenOctober 1998 Conventions LondonMay 2007

Lisbon Convention – April 1997 Council of Europe / UNESCO „Convention on the recognition of qualification concerning higher education in the European region“ holders of qualification issued in one country shall have adequate access to an assessment of qualification in another country no discrimination... recognition may facilitate access to the labour market all countries shall encourage their higher education institutions to issue the Diploma Supplement* ) * ) additional document, provides details of the curriculum, academic education and awarded degree

Sorbonne Joint Declaration – May 1998 The four ministers in charge for France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom „Joint Declaration of the Harmonisation of the Architecture of the European Higher Education System“ Europe of knowledge is to a large extent shaped by its universities... encourage students to spend a period outside their universitiy... two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate, should be recognized for international comparison and equivalence use of credits (ECTS scheme)... joint degrees, pilot initiatives and dialogues

Ministerial Conference Baden – October 1998 EU countries / EFTA / assoc. The Italian minister proposes a meeting in Bologna in 1999

Bologna Declaration – June ministers / 29 countries „Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education“ European higher education area (EHEA) – 6 objectives 1.adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees (Diploma Supplement) 2.adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles 3.establishment of a system of credits (ECTS) 4.promotion of mobility (students, teachers) 5.promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance 6.promotion of necessary European dimension in higher education

European Council in Lissabon – March : EU should be the most competitive and dynamic region of the world Europe of knowledge These ask for economic expansion and for evolution and concrete goals of educational systems

Prague Communiqué – May ministers in charge of higher education „Towards the European Higher Education Area“ Prague: symbol for Europe as a whole Higher education: public responsibility Lifelong Learning Higher Education Institutions + Students = partner

Prague Communiqué – May ministers in charge of higher education „Towards the European Higher Education Area“ Bologna Follow up Group (BFUG) EUA EURASHE ESIB Council of Europe UNESCO CRE ENQA Croatia, Cyprus, Turkey: Socrates, Tempus

European Council in Barcelona – March 2002 First European Council after EURO has been introduced Taking stock of economic progress and knowledge society

Berlin Communiqué – September ministers in charge of higher education „Realising the European Higher Education Area“ 6 Bologna objectives Considering Lisbon 2000 and Barcelona 2002 Refering to the organisations of BFUG, especially ESIB and CRE Quality Assurance ENQA 2005: two cycle system recognition of degrees

Bergen Communiqué – May ministers from European countries „To take stock of the progress of the Bologna Process since the Berlin meeting in September 2003“ and „To set directions for the further development towards the European Higher Education Area to be realised by 2010“ Taking stock of the degree system quality assurance recognition of degrees and study periods Further challenges and priorities: higher education and research the social dimension mobility EHEA and cooperation with other parts of the world

London – May 2007

ECTS The European Credit System TheEuropean Credit System originally (1989!!) was a transfer system, to describe the amount of academic work necessary to complete course units recognition of students’ work performed abroad standard forms (ECTS application form, learning agreement, transcript of records), information (package)

ECTS The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System Courses of study leading to recognised qualification are described using ECTS credits. Official length of the study programme is the basis of allocation of credits. 60 credits measure the workload of a full-time student during one academic year. The workload is around 1500 – 1800 hours per year, 1 credit stands for around 25 to 30 working hours Credits can only be obtained after successful completition of the work required and appropriate assessment of the leaerning outcomes achieved. Student workload in ECTS consists of the time required to complete all planned learning activities such as attending lectures, seminars, independent and private study, placements, preparation of project, and so forth Credits are allocated to all educational components of a study programme

ECTS Today It has become a Europe wide accumulation system, an essential tool for more flexible higher education, e.g. part-time students, recurrent study periods and in general lifelong learning ECTS credits are increasingly used as a tool for designing curricula and thus provide a useful means for monitoring results and improving teaching/learning performances.

How to design curricula Tuning Educational Structures in Europe Tuning Educational Structures in Europe ….. project launched by the European Commission. More than 150 universities, 9 disciplines (business, chemistry, education science, European studies, geology, history mathematics, nursing, physics) Tuning Methodology but the national requirements have to be considered! One goal of Tuning: how to compare curricula.

How to design curricula First cycle (undergraduate)180(240)ECTS Second cycle (post) graduate120( ? )ECTS Third (doctoral) cycle 180(240)ECTS

How to design curricula Top down is better than Bottom up! Tension between what a student should learn and what he/she is able to learn. Student oriented programme versus a teacher oriented programme (student-centered system) Level of a course e.g.Basic level course (introduction to a subject) Advanced level course (further strengthening of expertise) Type of a course e.g. Core course (part of the core of a study programme) Related course (supporting course for the core) Levels and types offer crucial descriptors. A good idea would be to develop a code system: 5-B-C (5 credits, offered at a basic level, part of the core of the programme)

How to design curricula The objectives of a programme should be specified in terms of the learning outcomes and competences. Generic and subject-specific competences (skills and knowledge) Generic competences = general competences (e.g. capacity for analysis, capacity for independent learning, co-operation and communication,...) Subject-specific competences = subject related (e.g. chemical analysis, sampling techniques,...) Learning outcomes and competences can be reached by different types of teaching and learning methods.

How to design curricula Bologna Process(Ba/Ma) a system of qualifications in higher education comparable between countries “descriptors” Bachelor’s degrees are awarded to student who…. Master’s degrees are awarded to student who…. Dublin Descriptors.

How to design curricula An approach I. Module (number of credits/ student hours) II. Planning educational activities / determining student time involved IV. Adjustment of the unit either with regard to the number of credits allocated or the educational activities III. Checking of workload by student evaluations in terms of real time involved

On the way to London Dr. Maria Ebel