Memorandum submitted by the University
of Southampton
1. IMPLICATIONS
OF THE
BOLOGNA PROCESS
FOR THE
UK HIGHER EDUCATION
SECTOR: ADVANTAGES
AND DISADVANTAGES
Advantages
(i) Greater clarity of the value of UK awards
throughout Europe.
(i) Importance of having reference points
of understanding in nomenclature and academic language for the
interpretation of learning outcomes within and between national
systems and the European framework.
(iii) It will remove barriers to greater
mobility between countries in Europe.
(iv) The UK may be able to attract the best
brains in Europe for second or third cycle degrees.
(v) UK will be part of a greater club.
Disadvantages
(i) Too much of a drive towards uniformity
will undermine the broad aims.
(ii) UK students may still be at a disadvantage
in employability until such times as the language teaching in
schools equips students to enter the European market.
(iii) The Bologna Process for the 45 countries
may be derailed by the Lisbon Strategy for the 25.
(iv) UK's position in the global market could
be severely damaged if the UK has to move from one year stand-alone
to two year Masters programmes (cf US and Australia).
2. THE AGENDA
FOR DISCUSSION
AT THE
2007 MEETING IN
LONDON—CLARIFYING
THE UK POSITION
(i) One year Masters programmes—time
spent or learning outcomes achieved?
(iii) Integrated four year PhDs, and 1:3
PhD programmes.
(iv) The worth of accreditation at subject
level when the UK has a long tradition of external examiners that
is not seen elsewhere in Europe.
3. THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THE
THREE-PHASE
STRUCTURE OF
HE AWARDS FOR
ONE-YEAR
MASTERS AND
SHORT UG COURSES
(HNCS, HNDS
AND FOUNDATION
DEGREES)
(i) The UK Masters provision has to compete
with those of our European colleagues on both quality and cost.
Currently UK Masters programmes are more expensive and shorter
than comparators in Europe and are based on learning outcomes
rather than notional hours studied, but indications are that access
to international employment for UK graduates whose qualifications
are not in conformity with the requirements of Bologna might be
compromised unless the UK engages properly.
(ii) The integrated four-year Masters courses
in Engineering, Science and Maths do not meet the Bologna requirement
for a separated two-cycle system, and, if they were made to, the
way they are funded would have to change.
(iii) To what extent is entry to Masters
programmes contingent on the first subject, related material,
or the graduate skills at bachelors level?
(iv) Short courses such as Foundation Degrees
(two years) would not qualify a candidate for a first cycle award,
so at minimum they would need to be "topped up" by further
study.
4. AWARENESS
AND ENGAGEMENT
IN THE
BOLOGNA PROCESS
WITHIN HEIS
(i) Aware, but engagement is variable. In
Southampton, we have a good level of awareness and scientific
disciplines are especially engaged.
(ii) Graduate entry to medicine across the
country is through a first cycle (four year programme) that leads
to a Bachelors degree and it is our belief that this is the right
level. It is not PG level.
(iii) In Physiotherapy and Nursing such programmes
across the country are pre-registration programmes but are at
M level.
5. OPPORTUNITIES
TO ENHANCE
THE MOBILITY
OF STUDENTS
FROM THE
UK
Yes, but only when language education at primary
and secondary level prepares students with appropriate language
skills as well as subject specific skills (eg science). This may
change as more European Universities adopt English as the language
of instruction.
6. THE POSSIBLE
IMPLEMENTATION OF
A EUROPEAN
CREDIT TRANSFER
SCHEME (ECTS) AND
A FOCUS
ON LEARNING
OUTCOMES AND
COMPETENCIES
(i) A significant focus should remain on
what the achievements of the students are, and not the time spent.
(ii) The Diploma Supplement indicates the
mark achieved, level and ECTS for every module taken. This is
designed to indicate a level of competence which will be transparent
between universities in different countries in Europe. The outstanding
question is whether that equivalence can or should be established
internationally given the questions raised about equivalence of
degree outcomes in the UK in the recent submission of the QAA
to the Burgess Committee on Degree Classification?
7. QA SYSTEMS
IN HE (TEACHING
AND RESEARCH);
THE COMPATIBILITY
OF UK PROPOSALS
AND BOLOGNA
(i) EHEA is a huge concept—the worry
is that politicisation of QA in Europe in some cases is causing
ossification of these into a legal code.
(ii) There is a risk that the "European
Standards and Guidelines" become prescriptive standards and
a compliance list to be checked.
(iii) Learning outcomes and credit—is
the credit awarded at minimum pass, threshold etc—this would
need specifying in the Diploma Supplement and there are differences
across the EHEA.
(iv) New paper on VETS from Europe strongly
recommends a common credit system of values.
(v) Confusion and complexity caused by Dublin
descriptors and the new eight stages of the EQF.
8. DEGREE CLASSIFICATION
REFORM IN
THE LIGHT
OF BOLOGNA
The Diploma Supplement will render UK degree
classification outmoded and of little value in the European job
market.
9. THE BROADER
IMPACT OF
BOLOGNA ACROSS
EUROPE: A
MORE STANDARDISED
EUROPE AND
THE CONSEQUENCES
FOR THE
UKS POSITION
IN THE
GLOBAL MARKET
FOR HE
International accrediting bodies may be needed
on a discipline by discipline basis to agree a common core of
specific learning outcomes. The Tuning project has already made
significant progress on this (Chemistry) and the other UK Professional
Accrediting bodies should be encouraged to lead on this although
it is not without its dangers.
December 2006
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