20 years of Bologna - a story of success, a story of failure

Abstract

The Bologna Process is a unique harmonisation process taking place outside the policy-making framework of the European Union. It aims at enhancing the comparability and compatibility of higher education structures and degrees across Europe, as well as to institutionalise quality assurance mechanisms. The aim of this article is to provide a condensed, up-to-date overview of the Bologna Process with regard to structural characteristics, before embedding it into a discussion on processes on voluntary policy convergence and to which extent we should be able to find this kind of policy harmonisation in the realm of the Bologna Process. Related to this are questions why this, in principle, completely voluntary process of policy harmonisation, has appealed to so many countries and why they might or might not feel committed to the implementation of its policies and tools.

Keywords:

• Bologna Process
• policy diffusion
• policy convergence
• transnational communication
• non-implementation

ORCID

Eva Maria Vögtle http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1348-9688

Notes

1 As consultative members to the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG, see section 1.2).

2 Student centred learning emphasises, among other things, innovative teaching methods, digital technologies, and pedagogical innovation.

3 Since a first pilot study in 1994, the EUROSTUDENT project collates comparable data on the social dimension of European higher education. It focuses on the socio-economic background and on the living conditions of students, but it also investigates temporary international mobility. The project consists of a network of national partners in each participating country (see eurostudent.eu for more information on the project).

4 The Eurydice network provides information on education systems and policies, it consists of 42 national units based in 38 countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme and a coordinating unit based in the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency in Brussels.

5 Thus describe what students need to know, understand and be able to do by the end of the learning process.