Clifford Adelman
Senior Associate
Institute for Higher Education Policy
Describe the Accountability Loop for higher education in Europe ala Bologna.
The 46 Bologna countries have agreed to an overarching qualification framework that employs an accountability loop with five steps. 1. Degree level. 2. Disciplinary level. 3. A credit system based on student workload, not faculty contact hours. 4. A diploma supplement that warranties what produced it. 5. Quality assurance that cements the previous four steps.
What are we calling accountability in the U.S. that really isn't?
In U.S. higher education, our voluntary system of accountability is simply numbers on a dashboard. To say that you issued 2,357 Bachelors degrees last year says nothing. Substantive reference points are absent. The European accountability loop provides substantive reference points for employers, faculty and the general public. The practice common in the U.S. of using standardized testing of 100 volunteer students as a proxy for what 2,357 students learned is ludicrous.
What two Bologna protocols would likely work well in U.S. higher education?
'Tuning' at the disciplinary level is one that's underway. The Tuning USA Project involves Indiana, Minnesota and Utah. They are studying the European model to establish learning outcome templates in five academic and one occupational discipline. Faculty are organized by discipline, which makes this project doable. Diploma supplements are involved in another project, also underway in Utah. A diploma supplement explains, among other things, what the student did to earn the diploma to which it is associated.
Have the Europeans developed new methods for part-time students?
Several countries are offering part-time students a contract with a degree outcome, rather than allowing them to proceed laissez-faire with the outcome unknown. When the privileges and responsibilities of part-time students are explicit, their chances of successful completion are better. This deserves attention in the U.S., where If we had no part-time students, our college access rates would be terrible.
How do the Europeans identify under-participating populations?
In more sophisticated ways than we do. They use demographic analyses at a considerable level of detail. As a result, they know where to go to fix problems. They know what they expect to find when they get there. They know which mechanisms of access and participation are likely to be effective with each population.
What role do student organizations play in Europe?
Historically, student unions have been very active in European higher education. They've been involved throughout the Bologna process. I read their writings, and I believe they've accomplished a lot. The Tuning USA project has at least one student on each disciplinary team.
Are the Europeans going to eat our higher education lunch?
The Bologna Process is developing what will become the global paradigm for higher education in 15 years. If we remain in place without adopting some of it, yes...they will eat our lunch.