beijing a. charon wauters

Beijing, October 13, 2006

Internationalization Processes in European Higher Education

Antoinette CHARON WAUTERSUniversity of Lausanne, Switzerland

European Association for International Education

IAU International Conference ‘Internationalization of HE New Directions, New Challenges’

Beijing - October 12-15, 2006


Internationalization Processes in European Higher Education

SUMMARY

1. Which Europe?2. The Role of the European Union

Programmes3. The Bologna Process4. The HE Europa-wide general trends5. Conclusions


1. Which Europe?

A. Geographical Europe

• 966 million inhabitants• 49 countries• 41 national languages

B. European Union

• 457 million inhabitants• 25 countries• 20 national languages


but also:

III.C. The "ERASMUS-Europe" D. The "Bologna Process Europe"

32 countries including 7 non-EU states

45 countriesup to Vladivostok


2. European Union HE Programmes:From inside …

• During the 80’s, the EU launched and developed an internal Europeanization process in HE institutions through Education Programs

• ERASMUS, started in 1987, has forced the European universities to actively internationalize, discover each other and network by fostering mobility of studentsand teaching staff

«the time of cooperation, and Europeanisation»


ERASMUS Program 1987-2006 Achievements

• Since 1987: 1.2 million students have benefited from the program for study abroad

• A European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is now widely understood and accepted

• Joined projects in curriculum development

• In 2005: 2,199 HE institutions in 31 countries (+CH)budget 159 Mio €, 144.000 students, 21.000 teachers


Further development of EU-Education programmes: 2007-2012

COMENIUSPre-school

and School education

ERASMUSHigher Education

and advanced training

LEONARDODA

VINCIInitial and continuing vocational education

and training

GRUNDTVIGAdult education

Life Long Learning 2007-2012Total budget requested: 7 Billion EUR

Transversal programme: policy development, language learning, Information and communication technology, dissemination


2. European Union HE Programmes…to outside.

EU-Education programmes worldwide

With North America : EU/US, EU/CNDWith Asia : Asia-Link, EU-Vietnam, et..With the Mediterranean Area : TEMPUS/MEDAWith Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Region : EDULINKWith Latin America: ALFA and Alβan

And ERASMUS MUNDUS to make European HE more attractive.


3. The Bologna Process: Internal and external aims

“Bologna Declaration” 1999 -Heads of European Governments and States (45 so far) agreed to:

- reform their higher education structures to achieve a greater transparency and compatibility (Bachelor min 3 yrs – Master)

- assure worldwide competitiveness of the European Higher Education

- launch an action programme up to the year 2010

= “the time of improved cooperation… and competition”


3. The Bologna ProcessInternal and external aims

An ongoing process :Action lines

a. introduced in the Bologna Declaration 1999

1. Adopt a system of easily readable and comparable degrees

2. Adopt a system based on two cycles

3. Establish a credit system4. Promote mobility5. Promote European cooperation in quality assurance

6. Promote a European Dimension in Higher Education


3. Bologna Process: Internal and external aims

An ongoing process :

action linesb. introduced in the Prague communiqué 2001

7. Develop life-long learning

8. Involve Higher Education institutions and students

9. Promote the attractiveness of the European Higher Education

c. introduced in the Berlin Communiqué 2003

10. Develop doctoral studies and synergy between EHEA and ERA


3. Bologna Process: Its impact on internationalization

A. Bologna has forced European universities toimplement reforms at a local, national and European level

– Gain of experience in implementing reforms

– Catalyst for new thinkingAND– Having implemented or implementing the reforms, institutions

discover the external dimension of Bologna

– Many universities are rethinking the role of internationalisation. What for ? And with which means ?


3. Bologna Process: its impact on internationalization

B. Bologna has reinforced elements of internationalisation in EHE institutions

– Increasing creation of networks, alliances and partnerships for curriculum development, research and innovation

– Growing number of joint degrees

– Discovering of vertical mobility of students and of the need fornew degrees in order to attract good students - and/or fee paying students

– Development of marketing and promotion of EHE abroad.



C. Many of the Bologna features contribute to raise the attractiveness of European HE:

– Give better visibility to the University curricula at 3 different levels: 1st cycle (Bachelor), 2nd cycle (Master), 3rd cycle (Doctorate)

– Introduce mobility and transparency tools (ECTS credits and Diploma Supplement)

– Reduce the legal barriers to international mobility among Bologna countries as well as third countries

– Introduce international quality evaluation procedures in all Europe

– By its convergence process, help raising the profile of European HE and reflect a search for common answers to common problems.



D. Spin-offs of reinforced elements of internationalisation in EHE institutions

– Improvement (?) of horizontal mobility of students

– Improvement of mobility of young researchers

– Internationalisation of staff

– Internationalisation ‘at home’

– Double degree/co-doctorate (co-tutelle)

– Virtual mobility

– Cross-border education


4. The HE Europa-wide General Trends

All universities worldwide face common problems:

• A smaller world: increased travel and communication facilities

• Increasing need of transnational education

• Growing competition between regions and institutions

• Stimulating role of international HE rankings and quality evaluation tools

• Debate on trade in educational services (GATS)

• etc…


4. The HE Europa-wide General Trends

The European Universities face conflicting demands:

• Be more local / more European / more global• Increase mobility within Europe / attract more students and

scholars from outside Europe• Improve academic quality / be more responsive to labour market

by providing more employable skills• Provide compatible curricula across Europe / maintain cultural

diversity• Etc…

...and, of course, do all of it with decreasing /freezed public funds!


4. The HE Europa-wide and Worldwide: general trends

Where do we stand?• An increasing number of students and teachers are

attracted from abroad to European HE institutions (Unesco UIS)

• In the 2006 ranking of the ‘Times Higher Education Supplement’ this week, among the 100 best HE institutions worldwide, there are 41 European institutions:

UK 15, Netherlands 7, France 5, Switzerland 5, Germany 3, Belgium 2, Denmark 1, Russia 1, Ireland 1, Austria 1

We still have a long way to go!


5. Conclusions (1/2)• Since 2 decades, European Higher Education

institutions have been submitted to internal and external trends that have forced them to change and organize their internationalisation

• The Bologna process, is the biggest educational reform ever undertaken in Europe (and worldwide)and the HE institutions in the Bologna countries are taking into account not only the national and European implication of the process but also its external dimension.


5. Conclusions (2/2)According to their specific needs and profile, theEuropean HE institutions have now to rethink or develop their internationalisation strategy in order to better target regions and partner institutions :

- type of activities- recruitment policy for staff- mobility possibilities for students and

researchers- language policy (all English or NOT, …)

etc…

Which means a lot of work for EHE and…


…increasing extra-European collaborations