The Devil in the Detail: Contradictory national requirements and Bologna master degrees

This article compares the national-level requirements for master degree provision in England, Denmark and Portugal following the implementation of the Bologna Process, and ponders upon the reconcilability of these requirements in cross-national initiatives (e.g. joint degrees). In all three countries, master degrees have to comply with the national qualification frameworks, which have been verified against the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area. Other regulations apply, however. In Denmark and Portugal, higher education degrees are tightly regulated by legislation, while the Academic Infrastructure developed by the Quality Assurance Agency in the UK acts as a broad reference for degree design, giving English institutions a high degree of freedom. Findings reveal the existence of contradictory requirements which have arisen further to policy adaptations, made possible by the non-legally binding character of Bologna and its loose policy mechanisms.     

Students' experiences concerning course workload and factors enhancing and impeding their learning – a useful resource for quality enhancement in teaching and curriculum planning

The aim of the study is to deepen our understanding of factors which students experience as important in learning, in order to improve the quality of teaching and curriculum planning. A total of 132 veterinary students participated in the study by answering a questionnaire containing open‐ended questions. Most of the comments on factors enhancing learning were associated with teaching practices. Factors related to the planning of teaching, including curriculum and course overload, were commonly mentioned as impeding learning. The students rarely commented on their own actions. The results have been widely implemented in quality enhancement procedures at the faculty, such as curriculum planning and reform, planning of individual courses, improving teaching and assessment practices and arranging support for students' reflection.

L'objectif de cette recherche est d'approfondir notre compréhension des facteurs qui sont important en matière d'expérience d'apprentissage des étudiants, de façon à améliorer la qualité de l'enseignement et la planification curriculaire. Au total, 132 étudiants en sciences vétérinaires ont participé à la recherche en répondant à un questionnaire contenant des questions ouvertes. La plupart des commentaires portant sur les facteurs facilitant l'apprentissage étaient associés aux pratiques d'enseignement. Les facteurs reliés à la planification de l'enseignement, tels quel la surcharge au niveau du curriculum ou du cours, étaient communément mentionnés comme nuisant à l'apprentissage. Les étudiants ont rarement fourni des commentaires au sujet de leurs propres actions. Les résultats ont été largement utilisés dans le cadre de procédures d'amélioration de la qualité au niveau de la faculté, entre autres en ce qui a trait à la réforme et la planification curriculaires, à la planification des cours individuels, à l'amélioration des pratiques d'enseignement et d'évaluation, et aux mesures visant à soutenir la réflexion des étudiants.     

Through Student Eyes: Perceptions and Aspirations of Students from the Armenian State Agrarian University and Selected European Universities

Abstract

This research compared attributes of students enrolled in the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) with university students from 30 European countries (EFMD) about graduate study policy issues. A cross-national comparative design used a survey questionnaire to explore contextual, social and cultural phenomena. Samples included 801 ASAU and 3,265 EFMD students. Demographics of samples were similar. Students were largely unaware of the Bologna reforms and the impact on study abroad. Slightly more than half of EFMD participants were in a bachelor's programme compared to 96% of ASAU students. ASAU students held a more pragmatic rationale for foreign study, ranking ‘advancing professional careers’ as the top reason, while EFMD students chose ‘overall experience’. Obstacles included bureaucracy, funding and accommodations. Although groups had similar geographical preferences for foreign study, Eastern Europe was more preferred by ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students planned graduate enrollment ‘immediately following the degree’ compared to one-quarter of ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students were aware of mobility scholarships compared to three-quarters of ASAU students. One in two EFMD students reported university media rankings important compared to one in seven ASAU students.

The Bologna Declaration accelerated horizontal collaboration among European universities. Students have a larger collective voice in curriculum change. The findings of this research provide a better understanding of student aspirations, motivations, expectations and barriers. These findings can contribute to guiding policies and procedures for recruitment, admission, retention and mobility.     

The Bologna Process: perspectives and implications for the Russian university

This article draws on the discourses of educational policy in Europe to focus on the implications of the Bologna Process for higher education in Russia. The Bologna Process, as a multi-dimensional discourse involving a variety of social actors, reflects some of the complexities and contradictions of globalisation, in many local cases evoking responses and leading to outcomes which were neither planned nor predicted by the official educational policy planners. The role of international organisations in the reform of Russian higher education is considered and the barriers, limitations and possible consequences of Bologna for the Russian situation are explored.     

博洛尼亚进程中高等教育质量保证一体化探究

20世纪90年代,劳动力的流动性促使欧盟成员国意识到共同资格认证的重要性,不断增加的欧洲各国高等教育之间的协作要求学校和系统都需要更大的透明度和理解力。《柏林公报》、《卑尔根公报》以及欧洲大学协会所颁布的五个趋势报告对欧洲高等教育质量保证一体化问题作了系统和详尽的解释。另外,欧洲高等教育质量保证协会（ENQA）颁布的《欧洲高等教育质量保证标准及指导方针》以及其他形式的报告也对欧洲高等教育质量保证的现状和趋势做出了详尽的论述。质量保证是实现欧洲高等教育空间的重中之重,虽然困难重重,但也充满希望。     

Strengthening Agricultural Libraries in Pakistan

Abstract

Inflow of current information is vital to support agricultural research for sustaining an adequate level of productivity. Agricultural libraries in Pakistan have extremely deficient collections. Little application of information technology has been made in these libraries. Deficiency of trained manpower has been another area of critical concern. These problems have prevented these libraries to cater tbr the information needs of the Pakistani's scientific community in an efficient manner. A library strengthening project, with financial assistance of USAID, was designed to elevate the status of agricultural libraries in Pakistan. One of the objectives was to develop multi-media collections in these libraries by providing core journals on microform and other electronic media. This paper discusses different facets of the project related to project design and development, and strategies used for collection development and application of information technology. It also discusses the criteria for the selection of library application software. The paper also recommends measures to improve library cooperation and resource sharing among agricultural libraries of Pakistan. Needs for appropriate funding and application of promotional activities are also highlighted.     

中世纪三所大学前身的起源与比较

现代的大学来源于中世纪的大学。至少有三所大学时常被列入中世纪最早的大学。它们分别为萨莱诺大学、博洛尼亚大学、巴黎大学。这三所大学的起源很值得去研究。其起源面临各种各样的问题。它们究竟是如何克服那些问题的?笔者认为,这三所的共同和不同之处一定能够给予现代的大学某些启示,使得大学能够发展得愈来愈完善。     

Global impacts of the Bologna Process: international perspectives,local particularities

The paper examines the transfer of the Bologna Process (BP) outside Europe, focusing on its ‘external dimension’ and dynamics in global settings. It argues that the BP impacts on the internationalisation activities of universities, especially with regard to cross-border transparency of qualifications, transnational improvement of quality assurance and interregional mobility of students or scholars. However, the outcomes following the international transfer of the BP-model are unclear. As the BP-model makes its way to regional, national and local contexts, it meets existing policy discourses and practices, whose priorities may in fact differ from its postulates. The paper asserts that the non-linear conceptualisation of this model outside Europe is significantly affected by the socio-economic, political, historical and cultural context of each region. National visions, economic demands, political will, social objectives, administrative regulations, cultural traditions, ideological norms and philosophical ideals transform the BP-model as it is incorporated into each system of higher education.     

背景与基础:博洛尼亚进程的多源流分析

博洛尼亚进程是法国等发起国借助欧洲框架进行整体协调一致的高等教育改革,达到增强自身以致整个欧洲的高等教育竞争力和吸引力之目的.博洛尼亚进程之所以能推进欧洲高等教育的一体化改革,是因为欧洲人历来就具有"全欧理念",也因为欧洲政治、经济的一体化已经发展到一定阶段,对高等教育的一体化提出必然要求,欧洲高等教育领域已有的一些制度和政策也为欧洲高等教育的一体化奠定了基础.     

波洛尼亚进程中法国的四种声音:一体化VS保持特性

欧洲的波洛尼亚进程(Bologna Process)无疑开创了高等教育一体化的新时代.然而,如同欧洲政治经济一体化的进程一样,在波洛尼亚进程中也充满了种种争议与矛盾.本文以法国为例,选取了政府、院校、教师与学生这四个主体,阐述并分析了他们对于高等教育一体化的态度,最后分析了法国高等教育所面临的一体化与保持自我特性的矛盾.