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23
March 2005
ACA Newsletter March
Academic Cooperation Association
CONTENTS
1. News from the ACA Secretariat and ACA Members ACA Secretariat: launch of the online survey on perceptions of European higher education Why and how do students from non-EU countries choose an international education, and how do they perceive European higher education? The ACA online survey aiming to find out about “perceptions of European Higher Education in third countries” is now accessible at www.aca-studentsurvey.org. The survey targets non-European students who are thinking about an international education in an EU member state, in the US, in Australia or elsewhere. Participating students can win one of many attractive prizes. The main instruments of the European Commission-financed study are standardised surveys (on-line and paper). These surveys are carried out globally (online-survey), and as an in-depth study at schools and higher education institutions in six countries (paper-based survey), namely in Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, China, and India. The major share of the work on this project is carried out by the ACA Secretariat, in conjunction with the Association for Empirical Studies GES, as well as the offices of the ACA members British Council, EduFrance, Nuffic, and DAAD in the countries included in the study. For more information on the study, see http://www.aca-secretariat.be/02projects/Perceptions.htm.
Public Swiss Higher Education: Harmonization of the start of lecture courses Public Swiss Higher Education Institutions harmonize their calendars. From 2007/2008 on, all lecture courses at the tertiary level will commence on the same date. This is what the three rectors’ conferences (of scientific universities and federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences and pedagogical universities) decided at their meeting on 10th March. This harmonization is a crucial step towards a common higher education landscape and the successful implementation of the Bologna Guidelines. (Source: CRUS - Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities http://www.crus.ch/ )
The Finnish Ministry of Education has set up a working group to explore the possibility to impose tuition fees on students who come to Finland from outside of the European Union and the European Economic Area to pursue degree studies either in Finnish universities or polytechnics. The working group is expected to evaluate the impact of introducing tuition fees for foreign students on the internationalisation of the Finnish higher education, to discuss to what extent it is necessary for higher education institutions to offer non-EU and non-EEA students tuition that is liable to charges, as well as to specify for which purposes the funds collected from non-EU and non-EEA students should be used. The working group will also become acquainted with the current tuition fee policies and practices in the other EU and EEA countries. CIMO is represented in the group by Director Ms Ulla Ekberg. The working group has been contracted until 31 August 2005. (Source: Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) http://www.cimo.fi/Resource.phx/cimo/mainpage/mainpage.htx )
Evaluation of French Language CentresThe French Ministry of Education has recently announced the launch of a new quality control scheme for Language Centres in France that teach French as a Foreign Language. Evaluation will be on a voluntary basis and will take into consideration five criteria: 1) welcome / support; 2) teaching and programmes; 3) premises and equipment; 4) teaching staff; 5) centre management. Centres that receive the official seal of approval will appear in the catalogue of French Language Centres which is distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and which can be downloaded from: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/education/langue_fr/fle/ressource/FD002137.pdf This initiative will be of valuable help to international students who plan to come and study in France. (Source: EduFrance)
ÖAD: Austria-Latin America Cooperation This publication provides an overview of existing co-operations between Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences and scientific institutions in Latin American countries. The brochure is bilingual and trilingual, respectively (German-Spanish-Portuguese). It can be obtained from: info@oead.ac.at
The project “Croatia for Bologna“, which is coordinated by the ÖAD, was approved by the European Commission and is financed in the framework of the Tempus programme. For the establishment of a Bologna Follow-Up group in Croatia and the training of the promoters more than 100,000€ are available for 2004/05. The ÖAD is in charge of the coordination and the financial administration and is also organising a seminar in Vienna for the further training of the Croatian Bologna promoters.
DAAD organizes aid for Indonesian students in need The DAAD initiated a relief campaign to provide assistance to the Indonesian institutions of higher education and especially to students from Aceh and Northern Sumatra affected by the tsunami disaster. In cooperation with the
Indonesian institutions of higher education the DAAD offers several
hundred scholarships to those students from the disaster zones who have
lost their means of livelihood and at worst their families. The purpose of
the scholarships is to enable these students to continue and complete
their studies in Indonesia, especially in case they are from the
completely destroyed University of Banda Aceh.
DAAD Bologna Conference „Student Mobility in the European Higher Education
Area 2010“ 2. European Policy
EC cancels the 11th and 12th selection rounds of the programme ALFA II The selection rounds of the 11th and 12th ALFA II have been cancelled due to limited funding available and staff allocation. Deadlines were planned for 30 April and 30 October 2005. The European Commission assures us that all the other actions of the programme continue: management, monitoring and evaluation of the approved projects implementation. Considering the 10th round, the selection process follows its course and, at the appropriate time, results will be communicated to the coordinating institutions. The form and the dimension that cooperation in the field of Higher Education between the EU and AL will take will be defined as part of the programming of the Directorate-General Foreign Affairs (RELEX) 2007-2013. A future programme will be based on the conclusions and recommendations of an overall evaluation due in late 2005, on the basis of the analysis of the results/ products of the projects implementation, as well as on a general reflection regarding the regional cooperation EU-AL strategy. (Source: European Commission ALFA (América Latina - Formación Académica http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/alfa/important_notice_en.pdf )
At the Danube Rectors’ conference in Bratislava, Education Commissioner Figel’ announced that the EU has reached a stage where the main emphasis is no longer on setting goals, but rather on the means to achieve them. He noted that “the main reason {for limited progress in Bologna} is the lack of funding for the process of reform; genuinely renovating curricula is certainly not an easy task that can be done at zero cost. The second obstacle on the way to modernisation is that in several countries the national regulatory framework does not allow them to undertake the necessary changes.” In the same spirit, the Commissioner also emphasized that autonomy and efficiency are fully compatible and found autonomy to be a basic condition for responsiveness. He supported the Danube Rectors' Conference and their endorsement of a university model based on institutional autonomy. In October last year, the European Commission proposed to the Council and the European Parliament that they issue a recommendation to the Member States to take measures to:
Concerning this future, the Commission reports that it will multiply its efforts to inform and support the reform process. Commissioner Figel’ closed by noting that Universities and higher education are and will remain a high priority for the Commission. (Source: European Commission press release 7. March http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/05/141&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en) European Charter for Researchers promoting mobility The number of European researchers may have risen from 5.4 per 1000 of the workforce in 1999 to 5.7 in 2001. But, it still remains significantly lower than the level in the USA (8.1) and Japan (9.1). In a bid to change this situation, the Commission wants to make a career in science more attractive through a European Charter for Researchers and a Code of Conduct, adopted on 11 March 2005. The aim is to give individual researchers the same rights and obligations wherever they may work throughout the EU. Key objectives are to provide researchers with long term career prospects by improving their employment and working conditions, to create more favourable conditions for mobility within a given research career path and to introduce different means of judging scientific merit. Charter: http://europa.eu.int/eracareers/pdf/Recommendation_code_charter_EN_final.pdf (Source: Euractiv.com 15. March) 3. Public Tenders and Calls for Proposals in the EU
Erasmus
Mundus
–
(European Commission GRANT)
International education (PAPER)
Research (GRANT)
Framework contracts in the information and communication field
Leonardo
Da Vinci –
(European
Commission GRANT)
Asia-Link
International education (GRANT) 4. Other SourcesSpain lays the framework for new degree structureThe Spanish Government has laid the framework for a new degree structure and has earmarked €6.6 million this year for Bologna pilot projects and strategic planning. A royal decree provides an open framework for the reform and does not settle the question of whether first degrees should last three or four years. But it does spell the end for the current two-cycle structure of first degrees. Domingo Docampo, rector of Vigo University and head of European convergence at the Spanish Rectors' Conference, expects some second-cycle courses will be incorporated into first degrees, while others will become postgraduate courses. José Juan Moreso, vice-chancellor of academic affairs at Barcelona's Pompeu Fabre University, said it would offer a good opportunity to weed out first degrees for which there is little demand. It will also mean masters degrees will be fully incorporated into the regulated public system. Until now, universities have charged market rates for fees and there have been no common guidelines on programme lengths or content. (Sources: Times Higher Education Supplement, 11. March)
Public Swiss Higher Education Institutions: Harmonisation of the start of lecture courses Public Swiss Higher Education Institutions harmonize their calendars. From 2007/2008 on, all lecture courses at the tertiary level will commence on the same date. This is what the three rectors’ conferences (of scientific universities and federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences and pedagogical universities) decided at their meeting on 10th March. This harmonisation is a crucial step towards a common higher education landscape and the successful implementation of the Bologna Guidelines. The decision of the three rectors conferences to harmonise the date on which their courses commence represents a considerable improvement in the basis for cooperation between the higher education institutions in Switzerland. This measure is in accordance with the coordinated implementation of the Bologna Guidelines. The academic year will
continue to be organized in two semesters. What is new is that the first
semester’s lecture courses will now commence in the middle of September
(week 38). For the universities and federal institutes of technology, the
semester will end in December and, for the universities of applied
sciences, in January (their exams take place at the end of the semester).
Lecture courses in the second semester will start in the middle of
February (week 8); in the universities and federal institutes of
technology they will finish at the end of May and in the universities of
applied sciences in the middle of June. The pedagogical
universities will have to organize their study structures both in
accordance with public schools, because of practical course work to be
done by students, and with the other types of university. Nevertheless
they are willing to harmonize as closely as possible with the other
institutions at the tertiary level. CRUS: Prof. Dr Ulrich
Gäbler, Vice-President of CRUS and Rector of the Dr Raymond Werlen,
Vice-Secretary General of CRUS, Johanna Ziberi , Swiss
Universities ‘ Internationalisation and Mobility; 0041 31 3066058 ;
johanna.ziberi@crus.ch (German / English / Italian) KFH: Dr Markus Hodel,
President KFH and Director university of SKPH: Prof. Dr Walter
Furrer, President SKPH, Rector of Pedagogical More information on the three conferences can be found at: (Source: CRUS) American Universities Step Up Their Sales Pitch Overseas: Costs and competition force colleges to hunt more aggressively for international studentsFor many people, both inside academe and out, the assumption is that American colleges don't need to work to attract foreign students. That is true for a few-dozen elite institutions, as well as those willing to accept any warm body that walks in the door. But for hundreds of others -- those solid but not stellar universities whose names are likely to evoke blank stares when mentioned abroad -- each application is usually the result of a lot of hard work. That has been the case for at least the past decade, as American colleges have increasingly seen international students as valued assets for their campuses -- intellectually, culturally and financially. An international recruiter for World Education Services, an international credential-evaluation service, says recruiters are no longer simply asking what tours they should join, but are setting up comprehensive systems to attract students. Some American universities have created a separate international-enrolment management unit to develop these systems. An American director of international admissions found that "anybody can pay $20,000 and join a recruiting tour, but if they don't have a strong institutional plan in place, they may not have success." (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11. February)
The developed world should make a long-term commitment to provide at least $5-billion over the next decade to universities in Africa, an international panel says in a report that was released on Friday. The recommendation comes from the Commission for Africa, which was set up last year by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. With the financial backing of the international community (U.S. $500-million a year, over 10 years), organizations such as the Association of African Universities and the Association of Commonwealth Universities may be potential starting points for…revitalizing Africa's institutions of higher education…and for developing centres of excellence in science and technology, including African institutes of technology. The commission's recommendations were deliberately unspecific. "It is not for us to be too prescriptive," Mr. Stern said. "It's up to us to make sure the resources are available." Mr. Thiam said that, in his opinion, regional institutions will be essential to the future of higher education in Africa. "One central idea that Africans have to accept now is to get together and have regional universities," he said. "Not every country has to have its own airline, and not every country has to have its own university." (Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, 14. March)
Top5. PublicationsA New Publication on Multicultural Guidance and Counselling The increasing number of foreign students in European higher education directly influences the work of administrative staff, trainers, lecturers, guidance counsellors, international study advisers, etc. These experts have a key position in facilitating the integration of the foreign students into all dimensions of life in their new home country. However, many experts working with international students have not necessarily the specific competencies to cope with the challenge of cultural and ethnic diversity at their work. Therefore, the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) took an initiative to publish a handbook titled Multicultural Guidance and Counselling - Theoretical Foundations and Best Practices in Europe. This publication fully in English is a compilation of articles written by Finnish and other European experts about counselling immigrants and ethnic minorities. The book can also be applied to giving guidance to international students. The readings of both enduring insight and immediate relevancy introduce the practice and the underlying theories of multicultural counselling from a European perspective. The handbook will be released around mid-March 2005 and it will then be available as a pdf-publication (375 pages) free of charge on CIMO´s homepage http://www.cimo.fi/english | Publications. The handbook has been funded by CIMO, the Finnish Ministry of Labour, the Finnish National Board of Education and the European Commission (Leonardo da Vinci). Further details about the handbook can be obtained from the editors, Mr Mika Launikari, CIMO mika.launikari@cimo.fi and Dr Sauli Puukari, University of Jyväskylä puukari@edu.jyu.fi.
Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe The European Commission has regarded language teaching as a priority for over 30 years. In 2002, the Barcelona European Council recommended that at least two foreign languages should be learnt from a very early age. So what is the situation today? Which languages are studied most? How are they taught? And how are those who teach them trained to do so? The indicators published by Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe offer a broad overview of language teaching at school in Europe. Full report:: http://www.eurydice.org/Documents/KDLANG/2005/EN/FrameSet.htm Summary report: http://www.eurydice.org/Documents/Eurydice_en_bref/EN/4_pages_langue_EN.pdf
Higher education across borders is a promising avenue for enhancing equity, access and the quality of higher education. Realizing its potential is a shared responsibility of many stakeholders, including the associations cited below and the higher education institutions they represent. We urge all engaged in planning, providing, monitoring, and negotiating higher education across borders to adhere to the principles articulated in this statement and to implement the action items. By taking these steps, and working collectively, we will help address the urgent need for national and international policy frameworks for sharing quality higher education across borders and affirm the value of higher education’s continued contribution to the public good. Full statement: http://www.unesco.org/iau/p_statements/index.html 6. Upcoming ConferencesMarch 31-April 2, 2005 3rd EUA Convention of European Higher Education Institutions: Strong Universities for Europe University of Strathclyde; the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University Supported by the Scottish Executive; the UK Department for Education and Skills; and the European Commission. Glasgow, UK Register: Early registration has passed; register ASAP
April 15
April
22–23
April
24 – 27
April
28-30
May 09-10
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