European Higher Education & Research Area: Dreams and the reality The UK example

1. European Higher Education & Research Area:Dreams and the realityThe UK example Dr Andrea Petroczi

2. Teaching New universities Degrees & courses QAA Credit system Research The 20% rule RAE EU intentions: EHEA ERA European HE UK Higher Education system HEFCE League table Outline

3. EU: Bologna process • Bologna declaration • Declaration of intent (not policy or agreement) • Aim: harmonisation of the European HE qualification system • Not exclusive to EU membership • Signed by 29 countries • Deadline: 2010 Paris 1998 Prague 2001 Bergen 2005 Lisbon 1997 Bologna 1999 Berlin 2003 Salamanca 2001 Graz 2003 Glasgow 2005

4. Objectives of the Bologna declaration • Common framework of comparable degrees • Introduction of ‘undergraduate + postgraduate level’ across Europe • ECTS-compatible credit system • European quality assurance • Elimination of obstacles to free student mobility

5. Bologna declaration: implementation • Bologna declaration (1999) • turning point, declared interest (what to…?) • Prague (2001) • First step (how to…?) • Idea of the two-cycle system • Idea of the credit system • Promotion of quality assurance • Berlin (2003) • European Higher Education Area + European Research Area • Lifelong learning • New members (incl. Serbia-Montenegro) • Bergen (2005) • Questions and problems with implementation

6. EU: Credit system • European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), introduced in 1989 • The only tested and successful credit system across Europe • Initially developed for transfer, now moves toward accumulation system • Definition of ‘credit’ may be based on different parameters • Student workload • Learning outcomes • Contact hours

7. European Quality Assessment • European Network for Quality Assurance in HE (ENQA), 1999 • Basic premise for European QA: is it capitalising on existing national systems or creating an independent body? • Pilot study results show: • Common system would be beneficial • Autonomy/independence • Specific needs (national level) must be acknowledged • Mainly internal, self-examination • Inclusion of professional associations, alumni • Published reports (transparency) • Problems • Accreditation system and/or audits • European dimension • Bureaucratic and costly

8. HE in Europe • Eurydice – the information system on education in Europe • Includes but not limited to HE • Covers the education systems of • the Member States of the European Union, • the three countries of the European Free Trade Association which are members of the European Economic Area, and • the EU candidate countries involved in the Socrates Programme. • For more details on individual countries, visit www.eurydice.org

9. European HE Area European Research Area European HE Institutions European Research Institutions Country differences in languages, traditions, regulations, financial systems and interests!

10. EC FP 7 • 2007-2013 • “Building the ERA of knowledge of growth” • Cooperation • Ideas • People • Capacities • Research – Technology – Education (Lisbon agenda) • Must increase effort to support research (3% of GDP) • Dramatically increased (proposed) budget • New: European Research Council In billion Euros

11. European Research Area • Commitment to a long lasting effort strengthening Europe’s position • Half way… • Collaborative research is encouraged (mandated) • Applied research • Direct implications to EU • Problems • Rich gets richer • Bureaucracy (slow!) • Number of researchers In billion Euros

12. Problems • Difference between ‘what’ and ‘how’ • Satisfying multiple constituencies • Creating co-operation between potential competitors • Attempt to unification may easily lead to over-bureaucratisation • Uniform credit system, harmonised context, quality control • The 3+2 interpretation creates a need to harmonise the level of ‘incoming’ knowledge (high school graduates) as well

13. Higher Education in the UK England Wales N. Ireland Scotland

14. UK university system • Foundation degree (since 2001/02) • Bachelor’s, 3 years • BSc • BA • Master’s, 1 or 2 years • MSc • MRes • MPhil, 2 years • PhD, 3+ years

15. Getting to the University • GCSE (age 16) • 5 subjects • A-levels (age 18) • At least 2 or 3 subjects chosen • Open days • Central admission system (UCAS) • Straight (based on projected and actual grades) • Through clearance (actual grades) • Widening participation : Blair’s aim is 50% (18/30)

16. Status • Legally, private non-profit organisations, set up as ‘charity’ (not private universities, but one!) • Receive funding from the government, plus charge tuition fee (top up fee) • Board of Governors • Autonomy • Internal promotion • Degree/courses (through validation process)

17. UK Higher Education 2002-2003 Source: www.thes.co.uk Approx. 12 billion £s 146,857 academic staff Average age = 42 Female senior lecturers 22.5% Non-white senior lecturers < 10%

18. The Higher Education Funding Council for England • Distributes public money for teaching and research to universities • Aims to promote high quality education and research • Strategic aims • Widening participation and fair accessAim: to provide the opportunity of higher education to all those who could benefit from it. • Enhancing excellence in learning and teachingAim: to ensure that all higher education students benefit from a high-quality learning experience fully meeting their needs and the needs of society. • Enhancing excellence in researchAim: to develop and sustain a dynamic research sector that holds a strong position among the world leaders, and makes a major contribution to economic prosperity and national wellbeing and to the expansion and dissemination of knowledge. • Enhancing the contribution of HE to the economy and societyAim: to support all institutions in making a significant and measurable contribution, through knowledge transfer and related activities, to economic development and the strength of communities • Building on institutions' strengthsAim: to ensure excellent provision across the full range of activity within HE, by supporting institutions to focus on achieving excellence in what they do best and to collaborate based on their strengths.

19. UK quality assurance system: TQA - QAA • Teaching Quality Assessment • Carried out by funding agencies • Periodic institutional self-assessment • New system by QAA (2000/2001) • Quality Assurance Agency for HE • Independent body • Safeguard public interest • Set clear standards and review performance • Scores (24) are used as recruitment tool.

20. DOCUMENTS Student handbooks Field specifications Module guides Assessment guidelines Marking schemes Written feedback (consistent and timely) Module Boxes (documents for 3 yeas, including sample work) COMMITTEES Board of study Staff Student Consultative Committee Assessment Boards Learning & Teaching Committee Internal audit: Quality Assurance Checklist PROCEDURES • Annual reporting (module logs, subject logs, field logs) • Approval of change • Validation • Internal subject review • Assessment • External examining • Student support (pastoral care) • Student module feedback questionnaire

21. EDUACTION HEFCE (per head in December) Top up fees (max. £3,000/year for undergraduate home fee students) Tuition fees from overseas undergraduate and graduate students RESEARCH HEFCE (RAE) Research Councils (UK) Private trusts, foundations, societies (may fund international co-operation) EU (international) Funding

22. RAE = Research Assessment Exercise • Peer review exercise to evaluate the quality of research • 4-5 years cycles • Ratings 1 – 5* (in reality, only 4+ receives funding) • Serve as a basis for distributing public funding for research (£5 billion after 2001 RAE) • Outcome is published and serves as recruitment tool for both students and staff

23. Research Councils • Research Councils UK (RCUK) • Eight Research Councils • Art & Humanities (AHRC) • Biotechnology & Biological Sciences (BBSRC) • Council for the Central Laboratory of Research Councils (CCLRC) • Engineering & Physical Sciences (EPSRC) • Economic & Social Research (ESRC) • Medical Research Council (MRC) • Natural Environment (NERC) • Particle Physics & Astronomy (PPARC) • Support research, innovation and training/development • Grant application system

24. Russell Group Doctorates 55% • Association of 19 major research-intensive universities of the UK (formed in 1994) • Member organisations University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, King's College London,. University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, London School of Economics & Political Science, University of Manchester, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Nottingham, University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, University of WarwickUniversity College London • Aim: promote teaching and learning to be undertaken within a culture of research excellence Grant support 60% Students 35%

25. New universities • Educational system was: universities + polytechnics • Polytechnics • Teaching vocational and industrial skills under LEA control • 1988 – removed from Local Education Authority (LEA) control • 1992 – Further and Higher Education Act • Reformed the structure of HE in England and Welsh into a single sector (polytechnics  universities). • Difference • Academic courses vs. professional training • Involvement in research activities • Trend • Pre 1992s expand into professional training (may drift toward graduate and international students) • Keeping research as high priority (new universities struggle to keep up)

26. Research vs. teaching? • The 20% rule for everyone • More than 20% is by • contract • „buy out”

27. UK University League Table • Universities do compete for students • League Tables compare universities to each other (or to their competitors) • Published by newspapers using different indicators, different weighting • RAE • Teaching (QAA) • Admission level • Degree class • Employability • Facilities • Research income • Student satisfaction (National Student Survey) • Can help but can hurt as well

28. Current Issues in the UK • Future of Undergraduate degree • Future of credit system • Widening participation and resources • Are Universities able to cope with it? • Top up fee increase • Student satisfaction (National Student Survey, www.tqi.ac.uk) • Surprisingly poor results in comparison with QAA • Factors shaping students’ expectations • Expected a staff survey soon • Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs • Paid below industry salaries • Research and/or teaching

29. Conclusions • QAA is about to be changed • RAE is about to be changed • Quality assurance, excellence and competition is important • Bureaucracy kills the very nature of higher education, takes valuable times and resources away from what HE should be about: teaching and research at the highest level • Frequent and constant changes is bad (moving goal posts) • Student satisfaction will be increasingly important. • Who are our ‘clients’?

30. Useful websites for the Bologna Process • The European University Association (EUA) • The National Unions of Students in Europe • The European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education(ENQA) • The European Distance and e-Learning Network (EDEN) • The Council of Europe • The European Union • The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre websites for information on subject specific information on the Bologna Process.