EUA Quality Culture: Implementing Bologna Reforms

Transcription

1 UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE FINLAND EUA Quality Culture: Implementing Bologna Reforms 1. What is my university s concept of a quality reform with respect to the Bologna process? Note: as for detailed specification of aspects, please refer to the Template for the Network Reports which was provided by EUA last week (date: 5 th Nov), after our meeting (added to this in separate file) a) What is my institution s Bologna philosophy, i.e. : aa) How does my institution make sense of / understand the Bologna declaration and the Prague communiqué, especially its key proposals/terminology (as for these, see items under 2. below):? In the Maastricht and Amsterdam summits the EU leaders accepted the principle that educational structures would remain outside the EU decision-making and under national legislation. Thus the process which started in Bologna is a new way to create European unity and above all a political and technical exercise aim- ing at enhanced quality and uniformity. The University of Tampere has no explicitly defined ideas or programme vis-à-vis the implementation of the Bologna declaration and the items specified afterwards. Thus the university has no articulated agenda regarding Bologna reforms. The decisions taken in the University during the last 1-2 years reflect rather the national discussion and needs manifested in the Finnish context. There is a distinct idea that the Higher Education sector in Finland (including the university and polytechnic sector) is on the threshold of major changes and the question is when and how to start and who will convert the national will into a working programme. A national committee appointed in January 2002 finished its work at the end of October. The main aim of the committee was to prepare the major development on national level plan and harmonize the national will with the ideas of meetings held in Bologna, Lisbon, Prague etc. bb) Does your university see specific links between these items? The idea of a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as a attractive, competitive and ef-

2 fective entity compared to the educational markets of North America and South-east Asia and Australia, is widely understood to be the main target of the process. This does not, however, mean that all the convergent measures listed in the Bologna declaration and subsequent documents, including the Prague communiqué, will produce the EHEA envisaged in Bologna and after. While in the first phase structural changes were seen as the most important ones, the content and way of organizing the processes has lately become on the focus of the discussion. Furthermore, we believe that all measures will converge on aiming at the same goal. The level of higher education will be raised in two respects: by enhancing the academic quality of teaching (and learning) and by increasing the working life relevance of the degrees. Although several activities have been listed below (in question 2) the most important item remains the creation of the EHEA. These ideas have been discussed in Tampere on faculty level and in the newly appointed Council for Teaching and Learning the primary impetus of the discussions being the suggestions and ideas of the above mentioned national committee. cc) What are my university s priorities in implementing Bologna? The University has not set any specific priorities for implementing the Bologna ideas. The process in general has been described below (in question 3). When the planning of new Master s programmes taught in English (in addition to those implemented in the social sciences since 1990) started in November 2001, the main ideas of Bologna were taken into account. Now the curricular process is nearly finished and the programmes will be launched in b) What is my university s understanding of aa) Quality management Quality management means rather the techniques used to achieve and maintain the desired quality than the way the organization functions. The mere existence of the quality system (ISO, TQM, BSC etc.) neither changes the organization nor enhances its performance. What is needed is commitment on all functional levels to enhance quality. Regarding Tampere the administrative structure and the decision-making process of the University are to be evaluated in in a joint project involving four major Finnish universities. bb) Quality culture Quality culture means that the organization as a whole has accepted the quality elements of the functions we would like to enhance. We do not expect sudden improvements, the most important issues are commitment to quality work and incremental but continuous changes in our performance. The faculties and departments have created their own definitions regarding e.g. the quality of teaching and learning. There is always some kind of implicit quality concept or philosophy behind the model created. In Tampere the next step may be certain unanimity regarding the processes we would like to monitor and the feedback system to identify the changes needed and implement them. There is always a distinction between effectiveness and quality. When we speak about the good quality of the institution we appeal to the personnel and students we would like to

3 recruit, when we underline accountability we follow the ideas set by the bodies financing and governing the higher education institutions. External quality definition usually sets its focus on the economic and quantitative issues not on performance. When we evaluate our own quality we may follow several principles. E.g. the moral principle (imperative) is our personal attitude towards the work we do. Do we really give our best to the students and the University? On the other hand the professional imperative is fulfilled when we are appreciated members of the occupational group, e.g. the teaching staff. Both approaches contain internal quality definitions. 2. How can Bologna tools be used for achieving quality programmes in the sense defined under 1.? a) Degree structures (Bachelor/Master). When speaking about the degree structure and the working-life relevance of the degrees, especially the Bachelor s degree, we have to keep in mind the prevailing Finnish tradition, which emphasizes the Master s degree as a leaving certificate for work life. If the Bachelor degree is seen as a future leaving certificate for working life, we shall have to sell it both to the academic community and to the labour market. Since the beginning of the 1980s the university sector in Finland has seen the Master s degree (or equivalent) as a leaving certificate, only in jurisprudence and kindergarten teacher education is the lower, Bachelor s degree, used. In the second half of the 1990s, however, when separate Master s programmes (with a clear orientation to produce skills needed especially in working life) were introduced in quantities, interdisciplinary programmes became common. This could have been possible earlier, too, but the external funding of the programmes made it more appealing. In the University Strategy, accepted in the spring 2001 extensive (extensive = based on basic sciences in each field of study) Bachelor s programmes were mentioned as a way to develop the new Bologna-compatible degree structure. Either professionally or scientifically diverging Master s programmes would be introduced on the basis of the new Bachelor s degrees. According to this idea every faculty could have only just a few Bachelor s programmes whereas on the Master s level the gamut of options would reflect the various needs of working life and academic society. E.g. in my own field the structure of educational degrees could be built on one Bachelor s programme with rather scientific than professional aims, whereas the Master s programmes could fulfil the needs of various professional skills and confer competencies needed by educators and teachers or other educational specialists. There always seems to be a dichotomy or certain tension between academic and professional needs, and structure and content of the curriculum should combine both needs in the best possible way. b) Combining academic quality with relevance to lasting employability. Statistics Finland provides reliable data combining the level of education achieved and appropriate or adequate employment. Although the situation varies field by field the first posts after gradu-

4 ation are very seldom adequate or permanent ones, usually Master s degree holders get permanent work corresponding to their level and field of education within two years of graduation. Direct feed-back regarding degrees and their working life relevance is available through various sources: 1) professors and senior teachers have fairly good contacts with working life in their respective field; 2) career services have their own statistical surveys covering the employment of new graduates, and networks providing information on special skills needed in working life or provided by degree holders; 3) ad hoc surveys are done by individual departments like the departments of Education, Sociology, Marketing, Public Governance etc.; and finally 4) University alumnae may be used as a source of information. Thus reliable information is available, the difficulty lies in, how we use the information, what conclusions we draw and how we develop the curriculum to fulfil the identified needs and how fast the changes can be implemented. E.g. when in 1998 extra funding was allocated to develop specialists for key posts in various branches of IT enterprises on a strictly professional basis the programmes were planned and implemented in half a year. Actually these new openings have produced new solutions, which have combined skills achieved at work with the (theoretical) knowledge gained through formal education. They have also combined into one degree and curriculum the information and skills offered by several separate educaational institutions thus facilitating co-operation which otherwise most probably wouldn t come about. c) Credits, esp. ECTS (incl. modularisation). The University as a whole is a well equipped capacity to take full advantage of the European Credit Transfer System. A system of credits has existed in Finland since 1980, when it was introduced using the Scandinavian, mostly Swedish example. According to the Finnish system of credits, one study credit corresponds to approximately 40 hours of student work (incl. contact hours and independent work). In addition to the Finnish credit system the European Credit Transfer System, ECTS, is used in all higher education institutions, although it is not mandatory. In fact the national credit system can be easily converted to follow the ECTS. In Finland the only problem so far has been the distortions in the evaluation of workload. Student performances are quite extensive in some fields of study (especially in the humanities) compared to the credits acquired. Therefore we cannot simply automatically convert the old Finnish credits into the new European system but we must carefully review the workload, too, to avoid the old distortions in the new system. There is, however, another difficulty: When evaluating the student workload and converting it into credits more attention has to be paid to learning outcomes. This is even more important in the case of courses taken abroad and following different curricula. Grading and scaling is pure technical conversion; what really counts is the definition of learning outcomes and the ways the appropriate quality of teaching and learning is maintained in the institution abroad. In this sense it is worth noticing that the adoption of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and the evaluation of the workload of the curricula, as well as the adjustment of the Finnish degree system to the European Credit Transfer System were mentioned as future goals for the work of the national committee

5 which accomplished its work in October Diploma Supplement is the document Finnish authorities (the Ministry of Education) have recommended be used to enhance the transparency of Finnish degrees and to make the qualifications they offer more understandable to those who are not familiar with the Finnish higher education system. The University of Tampere has issued this supplement with all Master s degrees taken since August The supplement is retrieved from the student and study record database automatically. Further steps may be a) to define more precisely the academic orientation of the major subject and b) to issue supplements for doctor s degrees. If and when additional information (regarding the content of the degree) is needed graduates may present their personal portfolio, a transcript of study achievements or a document describing the curriculum of the degree taken. e) Mobility of students and teachers; esp. recognition procedures (study abroad periods / foreign degrees). The main taskforces in mobility issues and documentation of study achievements have been the Office of International Affairs and Registrar s Office in central administration. ECTS transcripts have been available since 1998 for greater flexibility in learning and qualification processes. Thus transcripts issued to students serve both transferability and accumulation functions. Together with appropriate quality assurance systems such transparency will facilitate student exchange and Finnish students access to the European universities and labour market. Together with appropriate funding ECTS has been the key instrument in student mobility. According to the Finnish law the fiancial support to study Finnish students are entitled to may be used for studies abroad, too. This in addition to the financially limited travel grants is the main tool for financing student mobility. An obvious fear has been expressed lately that in future the new two-tier degree will have such tight curricular structure that no space will be available for student mobility. Regarding teachers and scholars teaching commitments abroad are financed mostly by Socrates/ Erasmus grants allocated for mobility. Some additional funding is available through the University budget. Regarding research periods abroad funds allocated by the Academy of Finland and other sources like TEKES (the National Technology Agency) and some private foundations are available. Degrees taken abroad will normally be accepted as such when an applicant would like to continue his or her studies in a Finnish institution in the same or related field of science. Professional recognition may require an evaluation carried out by the Finnish NARIC/ ENIC. f) Development of joint degrees. The Finnish universities have so far been cautious regarding joint degrees. The main obstacle is most probably the inevitable and close mutual curricular co-operation, which is quite difficult to accomplish. Some pilot projects, however, have been implemented regarding double degrees. In social sciences there has been in Tampere one agreement on a double degree with an Estonian university. The outcome of this operation was, however, that the Estonian students who could acquire a double degree were content with the degree awarded by their home institution. On the other hand some polytechnic institutions have agreements which give the Finnish students the opportunity under certain condi-

6 tions to obtain the Master s degree in a partner institution abroad. Usually the prerequisite has been half a year of study (minimum) according to a mutually accepted curriculum in partner institution. In future co-operation between institutions in different countries may be badly needed, because joint degree may in future offer a new way to make studies abroad possible. Then studies taken abroad are not approved or recognized as a part of the degree, but they form an integral module in the curriculum. g) Quality evaluation procedures, accreditation. The tools is quality evaluation regarding teaching and learning are: The university established in 2002 the Council for Teaching and Learning and the Unit for Development of Teaching and Learning to replace the former Committee for University Pedagogy. Special awards for good teaching has been made 1) to a department which has shown clear devotion to enhancing its performance and 2) to a teacher who has been selected by students to be a teacher of the year or best teacher. Good work communities has been appointed on the basis of selection among those units, which have nominated themselves for selection. Furthermore a special Problem-Based Learning Unit was established in the Faculty of Education to help departments to adopt and apply new ideas and views in their teaching. The student and study record database is the main source of statistical data covering students, studies and degrees. 2-3 specialists maintain the database and they also provide information to departments for ad hoc surveys on the development of studies. University statistics follows students starting cohorts and their study achievements regularly producing time series on University, faculty, department and subject level. Thus ample information is available, unfortunately some of the those departments, which should use this data to enhance their performance, do not use this information systematically. Teachers and departments make course evaluations, collect and analyse (according to their own criteria) data regarding courses and seminars. Feedback meetings where evaluations are discussed, are held regularly. The Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC), established in 1996 and funded by the Ministry of Education is an expert body which organizes and implements evaluations. In the field of evaluation the council is continuing the work started by the predecessing institution, the Council for Finnish Higher Education. The Council organizes evaluations of quality work and institutional, programme and thematic evaluations. It moreover takes an active part in the European Commission s projects on quality assurance. It provides advisory and consulting services in the implementation of the evaluations, develops evaluation methodology and disseminates good Finnish and international practices to higher education institutions and the Ministry of Education. Every third year the council nominates ten highquality teaching units based on the claims of the universities, and Ministry of Education grants the awards (= substantial extra financing for 3 subsequent years) following the criteria and nomination made by the Council. This Council (FINHEEC) is currently hosting the Secretariat of the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). The Finnish Schools of Business Administration may be accredited upon invitation, but this is an exception. On the other hand feedback

7 from working life is widely used. Many students (especially in economic and technical sciences) prepare their theses in private or public enterprises and thus combine both the practical and academic criteria set for the theses. The employment of graduates is attended to carefully because this is one criterion when the Ministry of Education evaluates the performance of the university. Finnish higher education institutions are not accredited by accreditation agencies. A kind of external accreditation is carried out during the negotiations forming a part of the result oriented management system, in which the counter part is the Ministry of Education. No new programme may be introduced without the consent of the Ministry of Education. In addition to the academic criteria (where competing institutions have their say, too) also formal conditions incl. resources, premises and commitment of the university as well as other requirements will also be checked before the launching of a new programme is legal. Regarding research the Academy of Finland, after throughout evaluation grants awards to excellent research units. To enhance research activities the University established the Research Council in h) European dimension. The creation of the European Higher Education Area, EHEA, is in the long run the main aim of all educational cooperation. The work to promote this development through educational arrangements like European modules etc. is in its infancy even in smaller European countries, which have to obey the rules of Realpolitik. In smaller countries learning two or even three foreign languages at school is rather a rule than an exception. All academic curricula on Bachelor s and Master s level allocate time and resources for both spoken and written language studies. In most fields of study special attention is usually paid as a part of curriculum to European or global context in the development of various subjects or disciplines. Thus a certain European dimension is present in teaching and learning. i) Life-long learning. The heterogeneous student body increases the need for individual solutions vis-à-vis curricula or course and examination arrangements. Individual study plans enhance student commitment and expand the opportunities to use alternative options to achieve the required learning results. Universities offer special study arrangements as non-degree students for those in working life wanting to improve their professional skills. Applicants may (with minor restrictions) create their own study plan (the extent of studies being from one single course to larger modules of 45 ECTS). The faculty council decides the admissions of non-degree students. This is a kind of Finnish version of the Professional Development diploma. The courses offered are the same degree students take, thus the academic level of teaching is high. The arrangement is quite successful, because of the total number of students some 70 % are degree students pursuing studies towards Master s degree, the proportion of doctoral students is 15 % and non-degree students form the remaining 15 %. The open university is an option offered by every university and polytechnic institution to those who would like to develop their knowledge and skills, or to those who have not yet passed the entrance examination. So far the open university does not confer degrees, although the content and level of the courses is identical with that of the faculties and departments. Non-degree students as well as those studying

8 in open university sector do not have right to make a degree. Using special admission procedure, however, the most qualified among them may be accepted to pursue studies towards Bachelor s or Master s degree and their previous studies will be recognized as a part of respective degree curriculum. The universities try to provide study options according to the needs of the students. Although the great majority of students are young, some have families and children some have regular or part-time work off campus etc. This all leads to find solutions to divide studies and curriculum into smaller units or modules more suitable for student. The entrance examination (for those who do not have an upper secondary level leaving certificate) can be compensated in every faculty by taking into account other qualifications like experience gained in working life. So far there is no consensus in the university sector on entrance requirements for those who have taken a polytechnic degree or pursued studies towards such a degree. The two branches, polytechnic and university education have been separated very strictly, although today there seems to be a clear demand to enable transfer from one sector to the other. National co-operation between departments is one result of the creation of separate Master s programmes. In most cases this development is not enough; to create lasting new openings departments need co-operation beyond the borders, with universities in adjacent areas like other Nordic or Baltic countries. This rather exceptional development between some departments should be a general trend in the future. j) Social dimension (stipends, services). Finnish degree students may use student financial aid given by the state and study loan. Study support is developed as a supplementary system in addition to other funding. In principle every degree student regardless of social background is entitled to the financial aid for 55 months (in medicine and psychology for 60 months) provided his or her own income does not exceed the limit set in the statutes. Many students have part-time work during their studies and they must calculate their income carefully, because the sum of income and study support is liable to taxation and if the total income exceeds the set level the financial aid may be deduced afterwards. There is also a housing allowance for students. While the study support is available for 55 months, the median study time, however, in most fields of study is months and thus the 5th study year (or subsequent years) has to be studied without support. The situation may alter if the students after Bachelor s degree go to working life before continuing their studies at Master s level and the whole system may be changed. For exchange studies abroad there are travel grants available, and financial aid can be used abroad, too. k) Student governance. The Student Union is by law an autonomous corporation of degree students with its own administration, which is separate from the University administration. Students may participate in the University administration in the department, faculty and university councils and in the rector s electoral body. On each level students form 1/3 of the members of the administrative body, whereas professors form 1/3 and other staff the last 1/3. Student members for the administrative organs of the University are nominated and selected by the Student Union. Students definitely have their say on every level and their opinion has to be taken into account

9 in decision-making. l) Role of universities in the national/ European debate. The University of Tampere is not a opinion-former in the national debate. However, the Finnish Council of University Rectors and Council of Polytechnic Rectors may be consulted and their communiqués will be quoted in the Finnish media in questions of general importance. Purely academic opinions do not interest the wider public. International associations of higher education institutions like IMHE, EUA or organizations like OECD may influence the European development decisively by their clearly stated opinions, communiqués and by the policy they have adopted. Note: the last three items j) l) (though important as such) are of minor significance for our project, unless these items are of relevance to quality management and quality culture (so, in our context they should be dealt with only with respect to these aspects). 3. How does my institution structure the process of implementing Bologna reforms as defined by its aims and priorities? a) Quality management with respect to the interaction of the various Bologna instruments among each other and with other institutional processes; with respect to clearly defined responsibilities; with respect to the system of actors and their respective roles; with respect to the constraints; with respect to the phases of conception implementation monitoring and feed-back into re-conception. In addition to the information given above the deans, faculties and departments are responsible for the quality of teaching and learning and they supervise the quality of teaching and learning, including the evaluation of theses and other information given in degree certificates. These bodies clearly acknowledge their responsibility for these issues. Teaching, however, is only one side of the coin, the other side being learning. Not only should teaching staff be involved but students, too. There always seem to be some key groups which have not committed themselves to the aims of the organization. So far in this University quality systems have not been implemented properly and therefore the mechanisms for monitoring quality are more somewhat inadequate. b) Quality culture (How) does my institution use the Bologna process as a tool and a source of inspiration for instigating a permanent process of constant qualitative self-reflection and improvement? Does my university employ any other means to establish and nourish awareness of, and inner support for, quality culture? How does my university use the process to enroot an intrinsic concept of quality in the university community? And how do these attempts relate to extrinsic approaches? Although the University sees the Bologna ideas as an integrated entity, this does not mean that they will be handled as an entity. Regarding various Bologna instruments there is no appointed administrative committee (ad hoc or permanent) to oversee the implementation of the items. In fact the university administration as a whole is involved in the process. Individual decision-makers prepare their parts of each Bologna item according to the normal

10 division of labour defined in the University statutes. Thee Bologna reforms form a remarkable entity aiming to enhance European competitiveness vis-à-vis North America and Southeast Asia. The European universities are preparing for this competition by internal co-operation and for that Bologna offers probably the best available tools. Regarding quality culture the University still has rather long way to go, because the weakest links define the level of the performance. The commitment of the University should be raised in the context of Bologna issues, too.