EGM 30 download.pdf - European Federation of Geologists

More documents

Recommendations

Info

100%Euro-Ages90%80%70%60%% of degrees50%40%30%20%Non-BolognaDoctorateMasters240 ECTS180 ECTSShort Cycle10%0%DenmarkIcelandIrelandKoreaNorwayPolandSwedenUnited StatesNetherlandsSlovak RepublicEstoniaFranceItalyUnited KingdomOECD averageEU19 averageBelgiumAustraliaCzech RepublicPortugalFinlandNew ZealandSwitzerlandAustriaGermanySloveniaSpainHungaryFigure 1. The proportion of Three Cycle System degree types in some Bologna signatory nations and in other countries worldwide. The data is extractedfrom OECD Education at a Glance (2010). The degrees that are ‘non-Bologna compliant’ do not correspond to the Three Cycle System (see text)of European Quality Assurance Agencies.These meetings define the actionlines that each nation needs to undertaketo establish the legislative, administrativeand academic framework to implementthe Process. The action lines have beenrevised with time, making the BolognaProcess a vital and ongoing process. It wasoriginally intended that this process shouldbe completed by 2010. However, in spite ofconsiderable progress being made at institutional,national and international levels,these reforms are not yet complete. On12 March 2010, Ministers from the countriesparticipating in the Bologna Processadopted the Budapest-Vienna Declarationand officially launched the EuropeanHigher Education Area. In this declarationthey note “further work, involving staffand students, is necessary at European,national, and especially institutional levelsto achieve the European Higher EducationArea” (see the Official Bologna Processwebsite, 2010, for details). Much work hastaken place outside of these conferences,in particular the Tuning Project (Tuning,2010) has developed tools to assist changeat the level of the Institutes of Higher Educationand professional programmes. TheTuning Project is an EU-funded projectof the European Universities in which thesubject of Earth Science has been an activearea of investigation since its inception in2000. This article will review the role ofBologna action lines and Tuning in implementingthe Bologna Process within EarthScience Higher Education in Europe.Principle components of the BolognaProcessThe ‘Three Cycle System’The Bologna Process requires that highereducation in signatory states follows theso-called ‘Three Cycle System’. The basicBachelor (Cycle 1) degree should takeeither three or four years with the Masters(Cycle 2) degree being attained after a totalof five years of study. The Doctorate orCycle 3 degree should then take anotherthree years after having completed bothCycles 1 and 2. There is, however, somevariation in this system. There is a ‘ShortCycle’ degree, usually available after twoyears, in some professional courses. Also,the length of Masters programmes variesfrom one to two years to complementthe three to four years of Bachelor programmes.In a community in which freemovement is a fundamental right somestudents may achieve a Masters in fouror in six years, whilst most do so in theprescribed five years. Also, some countriesallow students to proceed from a Bachelordirectly to a Doctorate, although increasinglythe Masters is deemed to be covered ina programme of certified Doctoral trainingwhich is in addition to the research requirementof that degree. Whilst there has beenconsiderable debate within Europe thesematters are not yet fully resolved. Figure1 shows the proportion of degrees awardedby countries both within and outside theBologna Process that correspond to the‘Three Cycle System’ (OECD Educationat a Glance, 2010). The number of non-Bologna compliant degrees will decreasewith time as new courses are initiated.Quality AssuranceThe development of a pan-European QualityAssurance system for higher educationwill be the driver which monitors and promotesthe implementation of the Bolognareforms. This is currently a work in progresswith, in 2009, about one third of signatorynations still only embarking on the process.In general, the model that is followedis that where the discipline, programme,department, office, or institute producesa self-assessment report that is critically10 European Geologist 30
evaluated with feedback. The evaluationprocess also involves a site visit. Thisprocess must involve students and shouldbe externally, preferably internationally,validated. A set of guidelines have beenpublished by the European Associationfor Quality Assurance in Higher Education(ENQA, 2009) whose purpose is toestablish European standards for internaland external quality assurance, externalquality assurance agencies and a Europeanregister of quality assurance agencies. Thequality of degree programmes in all signatorystates will, therefore, follow similar,regular, validated assessments, effectivelyremoving the argument that degrees in onestate are of a different quality from thosein another.Recognition of Degrees and DiplomasThe main international legal text that aimsto further the fair recognition of qualificationsis the Council of Europe/UNESCOConvention on the Recognition of Qualificationsconcerning Higher Education inthe European Region (Lisbon RecognitionConvention, see Council of Europe,2010). The recognition of qualifications isthe responsibility of each country, meaningthat higher education institutions areresponsible for the recognition of qualificationsfor the purpose of further studywhereas professional bodies or employersare responsible for recognition for the purposesof the labour market. There are manyaspects to the recognition of higher educationalqualifications throughout Europe;however, the European Credit Transfer andAccumulation System, the Diploma Supplementand Qualification Frameworks areessential requirements for this to happen.The European Credit Transfer and AccumulationSystemThe European Credit Transfer and AccumulationSystem (ECTS) is the fundamentaltool that allows comparison of coursesand degrees across Europe. ECTS grewout of the need for transportable certificationfor students who took part of theircourse work abroad under such schemesas Erasmus Mundus. However, this systemmust now be applied to all courses andprogrammes and a comprehensive set ofguidelines for the correct implementationof ECTS has recently been published(European Commission, 2009). A year ofstudy, which comprises about 1500 hoursof total student commitment (not to beconfused with formal timetabled contacthours), permits the award of 60 ECTScredits on satisfactory completion, that iswhen the student passes all the assessmentsfor that year. A Bachelor degree,therefore, requires a minimum of 180 anda maximum of 240 ECTS credits. It shouldalso be noted that these credits must becumulative, in other words the studentneeds to acquire them at the level of eachyear of study. Some ECTS credits can beacquired at a lower level, but this limitedfacility exists only to allow students totake other ‘minor’ subjects. The EuropeanCommission may award an ECTS Label toan institution of higher education that ‘hasshown excellence in applying the EuropeanCredit Transfer and Accumulation System(ECTS) and the Diploma Supplement (DS)’(see below). At the time of writing only 65IHEs (approximately 1% of the total) havebeen awarded such Labels, but this numberis bound to grow especially as it will give acompetitive advantage to those IHEs whopossess such Labels in terms of attractinginternational students.Diploma SupplementThe Diploma Supplement is the instrumentwhereby an institution of higher educationgives a full and transportable account of astudent’s achievements. It accompanies alocally awarded higher education diplomaand provides a standardized description ofthe nature, level, context, content and statusof the studies completed by its holder. Thisproduct should not only make it easier forstudents to study abroad, but also shouldassist with professional mobility. IHEs canbe awarded a Diploma Supplement Labelin addition to the ECTS label.National and European QualificationFrameworksThese Frameworks (NQF/EQF) describethe qualifications of an education systemand how they interlink. National qualificationsframeworks describe what learnersshould know, understand and be able to doon the basis of a given qualification as wellas how learners can move from one qualificationto another within a system. Theyapply to all levels of educational attainmentcovering school, workplace training, andhigher education. The European QualificationsFramework (European Commission,2008) provides a meta framework throughwhich individual NQFs can be compared.The NQFs take priority and may differin detail from the EQF, but must have anagreed mapping onto the EQF. The aim isto provide both individuals and employerswith a tool to compare the qualificationslevels of different countries, differenteducation and different training systems.Few countries yet have fully implementedexternally validated NQFs and about onethird of signatory states are only embarkingon the process. An example of themapping between an NQF and the EQF isprovided in Ireland where Cycle 1 degreescan be either of 180 ECTS credits (Level 7or ‘Ordinary Bachelors Degrees’) or 240ECTS credits (Level 8 or ‘Honours BachelorsDegrees’ or ‘Higher Diplomas’) inthe NQF (see www.nqf.ie) which map toLevel 6 (Bachelors Degrees) of the EQF.MobilityThe Ministers responsible for HigherEducation in the countries participatingin the Bologna Process in the communiquefollowing the London Conference inMay 2007 issued the following statement.“Mobility of staff, students and graduatesis one of the core elements of theBologna Process, creating opportunitiesfor personal growth, developing internationalcooperation between individualsand institutions, enhancing the quality ofhigher education and research, and givingsubstance to the European dimension”.Workplace and societyIn the Leuven Communiqué of 2009 theMinisters identified a list of priorities forthe coming decade, which included: thesocial dimension of higher education;lifelong learning; employability. A recentEurobarometer Survey, FLASH 260,(European Commission, 2009b) amongstudents in higher education reported thatthe vast majority of students want: wideraccess to higher education; universitiesto further develop cooperation with theworld of work; wider access to lifelonglearning. In particular: 97% wanted theknowledge and skills they needed to besuccessful in the labour market, 91% recognizedthe need for personal development;87% supported the principal thateducation should facilitate people to playan active role in society; a similar proportionagreed that higher education should“foster innovation and an entrepreneurialmindset among students and staff, and thatthere should be a possibility to undertakework placements in private enterprises aspart of a study programme” (EuropeanCommission, 2009b). The Bologna Processshould provide a platform for bettercooperation between IHEs, industry andsociety. Something that may prove crucialif the geoscience profession is going tomeet the challenges of the future.The recognition of prior learning (RPL)and lifelong learning (LLL) are also essentialEuro-AgesEuropean Geologist 3011
Page 1 and 2: N° 30 Dec 2010European GeologistRe
Page 3 and 4: Contents European Geologist 30PageF
Page 5: Euro-AgesA leap towards transparenc
Page 9: The Bologna Process, initiated in 1
Page 13 and 14: this sort of bottom-up approach the
Page 15 and 16: students are now undergoing this tr
Page 17 and 18: practice and incorporate these matt
Page 19 and 20: Learning outcomes and skill levelsf
Page 21 and 22: • Independent analysis of earth m
Page 23 and 24: How academia and industry createPro
Page 25 and 26: acks up the Federation of EuropeanM
Page 27 and 28: Euro-AgesFigure 1. Location of the
Page 29 and 30: solved only by a ‘New Deal’ in
Page 31 and 32: ACTIVITIES GROUPS UNIT DESCRIPTORS
Page 33 and 34: database and information available
Page 35 and 36: Professional registration in Canada
Page 37 and 38: Other requirementsTo become registe
Page 39 and 40: Euro-Ages and geology in SwedenTher
Page 41 and 42: On regulations and renewalsRegulati
Page 43 and 44: All finalists received a certificat
Page 45 and 46: Introducing PalaeontologyA Guide to
Page 47 and 48: 1. Vertical fall test, Switzerland2

EGM 30 download.pdf - European Federation of Geologists

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?