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Bologna Process and mobility – good, bad, or insignificant?. Amsterdam, 22 March 2007. Maria Kelo Senior Officer, ACA. This presentation. Bologna aim: enhanced mobility Bologna impact on intra-European mobility Mobility between the US and Europe
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Bologna Process and mobility – good, bad, or insignificant? Amsterdam, 22 March 2007 Maria Kelo Senior Officer, ACA
This presentation • Bologna aim: enhanced mobility • Bologna impact on intra-European mobility • Mobility between the US and Europe • Beyond Bologna: impacts coming from elsewhere
Bologna objective – enhanced mobility • Harmonisation of degree structure more easily readable and comparable • Introduction of a number of “tools” to facilitate mobility and to remove existing obstacles • Facilitate employability across boarders Create a borderless European higher education area
Bologna and intra-European mobility • Too short time to assess the impact of the degree structure on mobility • Picture further blurred by other factors influencing mobility flows • Data collection is not adapted to measure mobility
Problems with data • Measuring tool ‘passport’ captures foreign, not (necessarily) mobile students • Available data do not differentiate between bachelors and masters level (ISCED 5A or ISCED 6 only) • Official international data do not capture short term mobility Usefulness for measuring Bologna impact on mobility?
Bologna and intra-European mobility (2) • General fear: decreased horizontal mobility (or shorter periods of stay abroad) – especially DE • No evidence available either way (too early, deficient data) • Steps to be taken to ensure short-term mobility does not die out
Bologna and intra-European mobility (3) • Little known about impact on vertical mobility • Expected to increase such mobility (tools in place to facilitate this, without great negative side-effects) Bologna may change the type of mobility that takes place
Bologna and intra-European mobility (4) • hard to evaluate the weight of the degree structure in eventually changing mobility patterns • Other tools come to count, but also independent reforms (e.g. ELTDPs) • Motivations vary between levels and range from ‘fun and sun’ to employment prospects and research environment
Europe –US mobility • Has the process had and is it expected to have a positive or negative impact? • Or will it change the kind of mobility taking place (degree vs. credit mobility)?
Europe –US mobility (2) • Main issue: recognition of 3-year bachelors • BUT: admissions decentralised, and often ‘case-by-case’ (holistic approach) • Degrees have never been entirely comparable what would really change?
Europe –US mobility (3) • Council of Graduate Schools survey 2006 • 18% of institutions do not accept Bologna 3-year bachelor for PG study (down from 29% in 2005) • 80% do not see it as an obstacle in itself
Europe –US mobility (4) • Open Doors: data do not show changing trends in shares of PG vs. UG students • UNESCO DATA: no distinction between the two levels • No reliable and comparable data on short term mobility from Europe to the US
US - Europe mobility • Low numbers (about 27 000 in 2002/03 in 32 European countries) of degree mobile students • Rather than Bologna, other reforms such as ELTD can perhaps increase such mobility • Different motivations for study in Europe
US - Europe mobility (2) • Including short term mobility: about 200 000 in 2005/2006 (OD) • 60% to Europe, 45% to top 4 destinations (UK, IT, ES, FR) • Largest growth area exchanges of less than a semester (56% of the total) • Only 6% of the total degree mobile • Relatively insignificant in terms of numbers and length of stay • Unlikely that such movement will depend on the new Bologna degree structure
US - Europe mobility and Bologna -the ‘bottom line’ • Recognition issues are nothing new: Bologna might not solve all problems, but could make things even easier • No evidence of big changes any direction; hard to attribute to Bologna • Other drives likely to have a far greater impact (+ or -) • Perhaps unnecessary and unjustified worry
Beyond Bologna • Lisbon process-related reforms may increase Europe’s attractiveness • increasing offer of programmes taught in English may encourage movement towards Europe • Increasing interest in more ‘exotic’ destinations? • Growing HE sector in China, India…
Beyond Bologna • No proof to date regarding impact of Bologna on mobility, within Europe, or between Europe and the US • Hard to say if mainly good or mainly bad, though perceptions seem to indicate the former • Mobility flows are likely to depend more on other factors than Bologna reforms
Thank you! www.aca-secretariat.be