The Survey Of Some Aspects Of European Higher Education At The Beginning Of The Third Millennium

Milestones, features, and tools of development of European Higher Education Area at the beginning of the third millennium are mentioned. The paper sharps its attention to significance and the structure of ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) and DS (Diploma Supplement), and the way they are to be used for quality assurance of internationalization of European educational and labor space. The substantial role at the implementation of so called Post-Bologna process plays the European University Association. 1. Milestones of the European Higher Education 1.1 Lisbon Convention 11 April 1997 The Convention aims to facilitate the recognition of qualifications granted in one Party in another Party. It provides that requests should be assessed in a fair manner and within a reasonable time. The recognition can only be refused if the qualification is substantially different from that of the host country and the onus is on its educational institution to prove that it is. The Convention was signed by a number of countries from and extra of the Europe. 1.2 Sorbon declaration of the four EU ministries of education 25 May 1998 Sorbon declaration is a kind of the prologue to Bologna Declaration issued by the four EU leading countries : Germany, France, Italy and UK. It introduced all main principles embodied to the following Bologna Declaration. 1.3 The Bologna Declaration 19 June 1999 Joint Declaration of the European Ministers of Education The main principles of the Bologna process: 1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, also through the implementation of the Diploma Supplement, in order to promote European citizens employability and the international competitiveness of the European higher education system 2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate. Access to the second cycle shall require successful completion of first cycle studies, lasting a minimum of three years. The degree awarded after the first cycle shall also be relevant to the European labor market as an appropriate level of qualification. The second cycle should lead to the master and/or doctorate degree as in many European countries. 3. Establishment of a system of credits such as in the ECTS system – as a proper means of promoting the most widespread student mobility. Credits could also be acquired in non-higher education contexts, including lifelong learning, provided they are recognized by receiving Universities concerned. 4. Promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement with particular attention to: a. for students, access to study and training opportunities and to related services b. for teachers, researchers and administrative staff, recognition and valorization of periods spent in a European context researching, teaching and training, without prejudicing their statutory rights. 5. Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies. 6. Promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education, particularly with regards to curricular development, inter-institutional coProceedings of the 11th IEEE International Conference and Workshop on the Engineering of Computer-Based Systems (ECBS’04) 0-7695-2125-8/04 $ 20.00 © 2004 IEEE operation, mobility schemes and integrated programs of study, training and research. 1.4 Prague Communiqué : Towards the European Higher Educational Area: Communiqué of the meeting of European Ministers in Charge of Higher Education in Prague 19 May 2001. Ministers agreed on further actions following the six main objectives of the Bologna process: Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees Adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles Establishment of a system of credits Promotion of mobility Promotion of European cooperation in quality assurance Promotion of the European dimensions in higher education Furthermore ministers emphasized the following points: Lifelong learning Higher education institutions and students Promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area 1.5 Berlin Communiqué of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Higher Education – „Realizing the European Higher Education Area“ 19 September 2003. Ministers confirmed the continuation and progress at all areas of Bologna process and declared new areas of activities in European higher education. They came to conclusion to promote closer links between the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) and the ERA (European research Area) in a Europe of Knowledge, and of the importance of research as an integral part of higher education across Europe. It is necessary to go beyond the present focus on two main cycles of higher education to include the doctoral level as the third cycle in the Bologna Process. The importance of research and research training and the promotion of interdisciplinarity in maintaining and improving the quality of higher education and in enhancing the competitiveness of European higher education more generally should be emphasized. Ministers call for increased mobility at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels and encourage the institutions concerned to increase their cooperation in doctoral studies and the training of young researchers. Networks at doctoral level should be given support to stimulate the development of excellence and to become one of the hallmarks of the European Higher Education Area. Educational authorities will make the necessary effort to make European Higher Education Institutions an even more attractive and efficient partner. Higher Education Institutions are asked to increase the role and relevance of research to technological, social and cultural evolution and to the needs of society. Ministers understand that there are obstacles inhibiting the achievement of these goals and these cannot be resolved by Higher Education Institutions alone. It requires strong support, including financial, and appropriate decisions from national Governments and European Bodies. Among other topics and idea of the Quality Assurance of higher education seems to be very important. The need of developing of the shared criteria and methodologies on quality assurance is of essential meaning. ENQA (European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) is granted the mandate to develop an agreed set of standards, procedures and guidelines on quality assurance, to explore ways of ensuring an adequate peer review system for quality assurance and/or accreditation agencies or bodies, and to report back through the Follow-up Group to Ministers in Bergen in 2005. One of the main role for the QA will play networks of national agencies. National quality assurance systems should by 2005 include: • A definition of the responsibilities of the bodies and institutions involved. • Evaluation of programs or institutions, including internal assessment, external review, participation of students and the publication of results. • A system of accreditation, certification or comparable procedures. • International participation, co-operation and networking. ENQA intends to set up a European Register for Quality Assurance Agencies, covering public, private and professional agencies, operating on a regional, national, institution itself and this provides the basis for real accountability of the academic system within the national quality framework. Among the other QA tools “Quality Culture within Institution itself” which provides the basis for real accountability of the academic system within the national quality framework and “Transnational Evaluation and Accreditation” are mentioned. 2. Sources of the Bologna Process There are several sources the Bologna process has been controlled by. They represent both the tool of decision and later the documentation of the history of development. The most important are reports of comprehensive European projects called Trends and Tuning. Proceedings of the 11th IEEE International Conference and Workshop on the Engineering of Computer-Based Systems (ECBS’04) 0-7695-2125-8/04 $ 20.00 © 2004 IEEE