Website: Bologna Secretariat The EHEA status quo Quality assurance and recognition Ligia DECA Head of the 2010 – 2012 Bologna Secretariat Networking visit of SEE QA experts to the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) and the Bologna Secretariat 20 October Bucharest, Romania

Website: Bologna Secretariat The BFUG Secretariat Main role: “...to provide neutral support to further the consolidation of the European Higher Education Area under the exclusive authority of the BFUG and its Chairs and Vice-Chairs.” Functions: Administrative and operational support for BFUG, its sub-structures (WG and networks) and the Board (minute-taking, background documents drafting, assisting chairs in planning the meeting, communication etc.); Create and maintain the EHEA permanent website ( and electronic archives; Act as an internal and external contact point for the EHEA, while ensuring dissemination of information on behalf of the Chairs or based on direct requests; Participate in organising the April 2012 Ministerial Conference and Bologna Policy Forum.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Chairing of the BP and timeline BFUG Chairs: July – December 2011 – Poland and Armenia January – June 2012 – Denmark and Azerbaijan July – December 2012 – Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina BFUG Vice-Chair: July 2010 – June 2012 – Romania BFUG meetings: BFUG Board meetings: Cracow – October 2011; Yerevan – 7 September 2011; Copenhagen – January and March 2012; Copenhagen – 30 November 2011; Azerbaijan – 21 February

Website: Bologna Secretariat Challenges The Leuven/ Louvain la Neuve (2009) agenda: “ 7. The objectives set out by the Bologna Declaration and the policies developed in the subsequent years are still valid today. Since not all the objectives have been completely achieved, the full and proper implementation of these objectives at European, national and institutional level will require increased momentum and commitment beyond 2010.” The move of focus from “structural” Bologna action lines to more “transversal” thematic priorities: social dimension, mobility, internationalisation, student centered learning etc. Looking at possible links between ‘core’ Bologna areas such as QA and recognition, but also QA and mobility, SD or employability; Maintaining political momentum at EHEA level in a time of inward looking policies.

Website: Bologna Secretariat The EHEA unfolded Bologna action lines EHEA Objectives/ HE priorities 5 Pre-Leuven (as listed in the Work Plan) Post-Leuven (as listed in the 2009 – 2012 Work Plan) Mobility Degree structure Employability Recognition Qualifications frameworks Lifelong Learning Quality Assurance Third cycle Social dimension Global dimension Stocktaking Beyond 2010 Social dimension: equitable access and completion Lifelong Learning Employability Student centered learning and the teaching mission of higher education Education, research and innovation International openness Mobility Data collection Multidimensional transparency tools Funding (?)

Website: Bologna Secretariat BFUG Workplan Working groups:  International openness: The European Higher Education Area in a Global Context  Mobility  Qualification frameworks  Recognition  Reporting on the implementation of the Bologna Process  Social dimension  Transparency tools Networks:  EHEA Information and Promotion Network  Network of NQF Correspondents  NESSIE (Network for Experts of Student Support in Europe)  Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) network 27 th of September 2010Ligia DECA6

Website: Bologna Secretariat Perspectives Discussions and activities in view of the upcoming Bucharest MC: The EAR (European Area for Recognition) Manual = a practical interpretation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Criteria & Procedures; The EHEA Mobility Strategy; The debate on QA – the EQAR external evaluation and the MapESG E4 project which could result in a recommendation for the revision of the ESG; IPN - potential project application on testing the feasibility of a EHEA wide HE promotion strategy; The Social Dimension Observatory – still under discussion; The 2012 target for development of NQFs and preparation of self- certification; Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference ( October 2011), Bucharest.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Discussions on QA How do we further the European dimension of QA? One predominant discussion in the BFUG – allowing external reviews within a specific Bologna Process country to be conducted by other QAAs listed in EQAR; Revision of the ESG:  E4 recommendation: ‘...regarding their clarity, applicability and usefulness (but NOT the content)’;  2009 European Commission progress report on QA: education/doc/report09_en.pdf: education/doc/report09_en.pdf ‘It is also worth noting that despite that fact that the 'European Standards and Guidelines' were developed in context of the Bologna Process, they do not refer to the importance of complying with the EHEA’s basic requirements (e.g. concerning the Qualifications Framework or the use of ECTS) and main priorities (such as employability and mobility).’ (page 6)  Recommendations from various BFUG WGs - guaranteeing progress in the fields of recognition, qualifications frameworks, mobility and social dimension by enlarging the concept of ‘quality’ in HE to include Bologna priority areas ; QA=policeman of the EHEA?  No BFUG consensus, but a clear wish for more governmental involvement in the future revision process, as well as in the development of European QA in general.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Recognition and QA The Report by the EHEA WG on Recognition to the Bucharest Ministerial Conference includes among its recommendations to the Ministers: ‘The inclusion the institutional recognition procedures among the issues covered by internal and institutional and national quality assurance mechanisms.’ It is meant to: -Solve the dilemma of the compliance of procedures for recognition with the Lisbon Recognition convention vs. academic freedom by including the procedures for recognition at the HEIs level in the criteria for internal quality assurance; 1.Recommendation for ENQA: ‘ENQA will foster its full members the need to explicitly include in their evaluation procedures a clear statement about compliance with the LRC both at the institutional and programme level’; 2.Recommendation for QAAs: ‘…to include compliance of the institutional recognition procedures with the legal framework of the Lisbon Recognition Convention into in issues covered by external quality assurance’; 3.In case of ESG revision:‘quality of recognition procedures at HEIs should be included into the Part 1.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Personal reflections  Quality is something of societal concern and the QAAs monopoly of being clearance houses for institutional or programme quality might be challenged;  Definite need for more cooperation and regional exchanges;  The EHEA QA architecture is in place, it is now time to make full use of it. In this QAAs have a key role;  Transparency of QA activities is the key to the support and trust of academic communities, employers, governments and the larger public;  No trust, no recognition;  Interesting time to (re)discuss what quality is in the current framework conditions and the roles of various actors in ensuring and enhancing quality in higher education.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Thank you very much for your attention!