Continuing Professional Development in the Bologna process Pat Davies, Executive Secretary EUCEN conference - Bergen April

Bologna declaration(s)  Bologna 1999: ECTS-compatible systems also covering lifelong learning activities  Prague 2001: ‘Lifelong learning is an essential element of the European Higher Education Area. In the future Europe, built upon a knowledge-based society and economy, lifelong learning strategies are necessary to face the challenges of competitiveness and the use of new technologies and to improve social cohesion, equal opportunities and the quality of life.’

 Berlin 2003:  underlined the important contribution of HE in making lifelong learning a reality  national governments taking steps to align national policies to this goal  urged institutions to enhance the possibilities for lifelong learning, including the recognition of prior learning

Bologna realities  Trends III 2003:  Diversity of definition in HEIs: LLL – UCE – UAE  Gap between national policy and implementation  ‘most salient problem is clearly the lack of integration of LLL provision in the general strategies, core processes and decision-making of the institution’  Even in UK, Finland and France … CE/LLL centres not always recognised on equal footing

Trends III (contd): Percentage of HEIs reporting an LLL strategy:  35% had a LLL strategy  31% in early stages of developing one  26% planned to develop one  5% saw no need for one  3% no view

Trends IV 2005  No section on LLL (but in national reports)  On access: mostly about selection – calls for review of legislation  On modularisation: increased flexibility expected by students not been realised

Trends IV contd  On the recognition of non-formal/non-academic qualifications: ‘The topic is part of a wider theme of LLL that has very much been neglected so far in the Bologna discussion … it is still not perceived as an important topic in many institutions… often not understood …. limited awareness exists in many HEIs … often misunderstood as the permeability between the university sector and the polytechnics/college sector’. (p22-23)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)  Short courses, seminars, conferences, …  Masters courses

CPD: 4 questions 1. Should CPD be brought within the ECTS framework? 2. If so, how? 3. What is a Masters? 4. What is the link between CPD and Masters programmes?

CPD and ECTS Arguments for:  Accreditation increasingly required by professional associations  Individuals need tools  Bridges between different kinds of qulaifications  Does not have to be compulsory  New forms of collaboration for universities  Shift of focus to 3 rd mission

CPD and ECTS Arguments against:  Costly and time consuming for little reward  No solid evidence of need  Other priorities  Distort purpose of learning

How?  Assign a level  Formal assessment  New forms of assessment  New forms of quality assurance  Credit rating: competences or workload?  Accumulation and transfer rules

Recommendations  Universities should develop ECTS for CPD  It should be voluntary for learners  European Commission, European associatons and national agencies should promote a debate  European Commission should support pilot projects  Review in Trends report for 2007

What is a masters?  Academic or professional  Initial/follow-on or post experience  Follow-on or conversion  University-based or work-based  Taught or research-based or project-based  Disciplinary or inter-disciplinary or mult- disciplinary  Combination models

Link between CPD and masters?  The ‘building up’ model  The ‘dividing up’ model  To pay or not to pay?

Recommendations  Bologna co-ordinating group should:  support work to develop a common framework for terminology  promote sharing of case studies and models  Review in Trends report for 2007