Topics for the 2nd meeting will include: the implementation of the Yerevan commitment with regard to the short cycle tertiary/higher education as well as the implementation of commitments with regard to the social dimension.

This meeting is organized in conjunction with an international seminar conference organized by Georgia on the topic Promoting the development of quality assurance in the Eastern Partnership countries.

Read more: WG Implementation - Tbilisi 03.06.2016 - Minutes

Background documents

WG Implementation - Tbilisi 03.06.2016 - Draft annotated agenda

Discussion on the procedure proposed by AG3

• AG Dealing with non-implementation - Brussels Jan 2016 - Draft Minutes
• AG3 Dealing with Non-Implementation: Working Paper I
• AG3 Dealing with Non-Implementation: Working Paper II

WG Implementation - Tbilisi 03.06.2016 - Social dimension

WG Implementation - Tbilisi 03.06.2016 - Short cycle (higher) education in the EHEA

WG Implementation - Organisation and report of the events

Conclusions

Source: BFUG Meeting 52 Bratislava Dec. 2016 - Work progress WG Implementation

During the Tbilisi meeting we discussed the following topics:

• Procedure proposed by AG 3 with regard to non-implementation: take note of the three key commitments; questions from the participants: does the document of WG 1 reflect the actual situation? What is the rationale behind the clustering of countries;
• Template for describing the initiatives: aims, audience, reporting outcomes; asking the organisers to focus a part of the programme on the implementation of the key commitments
• Concept note on Reversed Peer Review

Also during the Tbilisi meeting we had two thematic sessions, one dedicated to the Short Cycle and one to the Social Dimension.

Short cycle

After a discussion we came to the conclusion not to revise substantially the QF for the EHEA but to propose to delete the wording ‘within the first cycle’ in the Dublin descriptors; we would like to avoid too much new administrative procedures such as a new self-referencing exercise; Crucial is that credit transfer between the short cycle and the first cycle will be facilitated; Permeability and recognition of SCHE are topics that have to be addressed. WG2 encourages BFUG members to organize PLA on those topics.

Social dimension

Presentation by Martin Unger (Institute for Advanced Studies). Challenges identified:

• Lack of evidence and evaluation of the effects and impact of measures aiming at the SD at national and institutional levels;
• Involvement of central bodies of HEIs in order to go from small initiatives to institution- wider larger scale initiatives;
• The development of a financial support system is important;
• Stronger link between the secondary education system and the higher education system is needed to keep students from lower SES on track;
• Role of soft factors: social habits, interests and motivation as well as different educational background.

Presentation of the Austrian approach regarding the development of a national strategy. The national strategy on the Social Dimension aims at remedying such problems as a lack of national platform, lack of definition criteria for underrepresented groups, the imbalance in the representation of students with academic parents and those with lower SES parents and the disparity in access to HE among the Austrian provinces.

National strategy will be presented in December 2016 or January 2017. The Austrian Bologna Day 2017, March 23rd will be dedicated to the dissemination of the Strategy and mainstreaming the Social Dimension in Austrian Higher Education.

Related activities

• AT: PLA: Mainstreaming the Social Dimension, Vienna, March 22nd, 2017
• UK: annual HE Equality summit: November 2017
• Hungary: presentation of the impact of SD measures, late Spring 2017

Here we could refer to the two events that be organized by the Flemish Community of Belgium with regard to automatic recognition and the permeability between the different categories of higher education (short cycle to bachelor and to master). The outcomes of those initiatives will be taken on board in writing the final report.