Maria Kelo Senior Officer, ACA Amsterdam, 22 March 2007 Bologna Process and mobility – good, bad, or insignificant?

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 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 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!