PRO-EAST Workshop Rome, 09-11.05.07

“Global Perspectives of Engineering Education”

Claudio Borri, Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs

Outline of the Talk1. Present Challenges: the difficulties Europe

is facing, the impact of the Reform of European Universities, major actions

2. Bologna Process: keeping the track …

3. Future Challenges

4. Universities and the dialogue between civilizations

1. Present Challenges

The European Growth Strategies

1985: Single Market Programme (removing all barriers to the free movements of goods, services, persons and capital to stimulate change);

… but it failed to boost growth! (A. Sapir)

2000: Lisbon Agenda :

“to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010”

i. Higher spending for research & HE

ii. Better spending for research & HE

iii.… this requires reforms at both EU & member states levels

More investment in knowledge

The Future

• A more dynamic, competitive & single market

• More investment in knowledge and education

European Commission Policies: catalysts for change

• ERC

• EIT

A European Institute of Technology

Public consultation on the possible missions, objectives, added-value and structure of an EIT (Nov. 2005)

“The search for knowledge has always been at the heart of the European adventure. It has helped to define our identity and our values, and it is the driving force behind our future competitiveness. In order to reinforce our committment to knowledge as a key to growth, the Commission proposes the creation of a “European Institute of Technology” to act as a pole of attraction for the very best minds, ideas and companies from around the world. The Commission will actively explore with the member states and public and private stakeholders on how best to take this idea foreword”

Source: Commission mid term review of the Lisbon Process (COM (2005)24)

2. Bologna Process (i.e. the Bologna Declaration

and European Engineering Education)

The Bologna Declaration

an (unexpected) agreement of the national Education Ministers deciding a general common

policy in the field of HE around 2010, in order to achieve a

“European Higher Education

Area”

The steps of the process … (1)

• May 25°, 1998: the start with the Sorbonne Declaration (4 countries)

• and then, June 19, 1999 the Bologna Declaration signed by 31 Ministers of Education (31 countries) at the «ALMA MATER UNIVERSITATUM » (est. A.D. 1088)

• March 2001, the Salamanca Conference participation of representatives of European Universities

• May 2001, the 1st follow-up Ministers’ Meeting in Prague. Convergence of the various HE national systems by 2010 towards a “European Higher Education Area“

• new Ministers’ Conferences in Berlin (2003): Albania, Serbia-Montenegro, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, The City of Vatican State, FYROM and the Russian Federation joined the Bologna process and signed the declaration

The steps of the process … (2)

• Bergen (2005): joining of Armenia, Azerbejan, Georgia, Moldowa, Ucraine, so that presently the « EHEA » counts

as many as 45 countries

• .... and forthcoming: London (2007)

The great challenge …

« We must in particular look at the objective of increasing the international competitiveness of the European system of higher education. The vitality and efficiency of any civilisation can be measured by the appeal that its culture has for other countries. We need to ensure that European higher education system acquires a world-wide degree of attraction equal to our extra-ordinary cultural and scientific traditions. »

Signed by 31 European Education MinistersBologna, June 19th , 1999

The “European Higher Education Area”

• Keywords: “Mobility”, “transparency”, “compatibility” and “comparability”

• Words like “harmonisation” and “convergence” are not used in the declaration itself but they appear in background documents.

• A special emphasis is put on the international competitiveness of European higher education.

The Bologna Declaration

First goal:

… as simple as “the adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, also through the implementation of the Diploma Supplement, in order to promote European citizens’ employability and the international competitiveness of the European higher education system”

The Bologna Declaration (cont’d)

Additional goals:

• Establishment of the system of credits – such as ECTS system – as a proper means of promoting the most widespread student mobility.

• Credits could also be acquired in non-higher education contexts, including lifelong learning, provided they are recognised by the receiving Universities.

The Bologna Declaration (cont’d)

• Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to develop comparable criteria and methodologies

• Promotion of the necessary European dimension in higher education, particularly with regards to curricular development for inter-institutional cooperation, mobility schemes and integrated programmes of study, training and research

The Crucial Point• Adoption of a system essentially based

on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate.

• Access to the second cycle shall require successful completion of first cycle studies, lasting at least three years.

• The degree awarded after the first cycle shall be “relevant to the labour market”

• The second cycle should lead to the master (and to the 3rd cycle: doctoral degree)

Central Question

How shall we best educate engineers for a career marked by

• globalisation

• international competition

• life-long learning

• new demands

• changing roles for engineers,

………..???

3. Challenges for the Future

IntroductionThe EHEA in Engineering & Technology: what’s special

?

- Implementation of Bologna agreement: very discussed

- Quality issues & accreditation: burning issue (quite advanced)

The ERA:

- Natural sciences & engineering is highly internationalised (since decades)

- European reserch funding in E&T: the FPs, ESF/COST, EURAB, and in the future: EIT ???)

- Attractiveness: how « attractive » is Europe to non-European young researchers ?

Introduction (2)The European associations dealing with HEE & R:

- SEFI

- CESAEER in the future: IFEES ?

- IGIP

The European Federation of National Associations of professional engineers:

- FEANI (CLAIU)

The students:

- BEST (Board of European Students in S & T)

Other stake holders of HE in E & T:

- EC, DG EaC; Industrial associations,

What is SEFI?

European Society for Engineering Education

Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs

Europäische Gesellschaft für Ingenieurausbildung

Founded in 1973

SEFI is nothing but its members• About 400 (250 institutions, assocıatıons, individuals)

• in 38 countries

... and the contributions from its members

SEFI’s mission

To support and promote European Engineering

Education

• by linking Engineering Education institutions and educators,

• by providing services to its members,

• by serving as an international forum and,

• by representing the European Engineering Education Community

Objectives

• to contribute to the development and to the improvement of EE;

• to provide appropriate services and information about EEE;

• to improve communication and exchanges between teachers, researchers and students;

• to promote cooperation between industry and those engaged in EE;

• to act as a link between its members and other societies or international organisations;

• to promote the European Dimension in EE;

• to contribute to the recruitment of good students in EE;

• to promote the position of EE and engineering professionals in society.

4. Universities and the Dialogue Between Civilizations

The Role of Universities

The role that Universities may play in the dialogue between civilisations at first:

“it is one of the mutual understanding between nations, and in favour of the preservation of an asset, without which nothing really makes sense:

peace”

(F. Seabra Santos

Ways in which dialogue may be achieved:

1. Through scientific and education co-operation

2. Through the horizontal and international co-operation allowed by the universities’ network

3. Through the participation of universities in the community to which they belong and which is represented in the spelling of the word “univer [s] [c] ity, written with both an “s” for sapience and a “c” for citizenship.

… and again: the role of Universities

What may Universities do, to help nations and individuals socialise, whilst respecting their differences?

“UNIVERSALISM OF VALUES WITHIN

THE DIVERSITY OF CULTURES”

(J. Daniel, Ed. of L’ Express Magazine)

Universities should work towards the materialisation of that model and use their specific means of mediation …

I thank you warmly for the kind attention !

Prof. Claudio Borri

SEFI President

119, rue de StassartB-1050 Brussels

Tel.: (+32) 2 502 36 09Fax: (+32) 2 502 96 11

sefi-president@unifi.it

www.sefi.be