News@ September 2011

1 newssefi ndash 9 2011 ndash SEFI ndash wwwsefibe ndash infosefibe

2011 SEFI Student year

NEWSSEFI 92011 SPECIAL EDITION WEE2011

The SEFI newsletter contains information about SEFIrsquos recent activities as well as a summary of the latest stories in higher Engineering Education in Europe and worldwide Newssefi is sent for free to SEFI members All previous issues are available on wwwsefibe ldquomembers onlyrdquo All staff and students of an institution an association or a company member of SEFI are entitled to receive free copies of the newsletter

So if you know anybody interested in a free copy please contact us

IN THIS ISSUE

SPECIAL

1ST WORLD ENGINEERING EDUCATION FLASH WEEK

FROM SEFI

- Obituaries John Klus David R Reyes - Guerra

- SEFI STUDENT Column

- ECCE Final Conference

FROM MEMBERS AND PARTNERS

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF AALBORG

- Master in Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education

FROM EUA

- New report analyses success factors for developing university

lifelong learning

- New EUA report examines ldquoQuality Culturerdquo in European

universities

- EUA response to the EC Communication lsquoSupporting growth

and jobs - an agenda for the modernisation of Europersquos higher education systemsrsquo

- Tracking Learnersrsquo and Graduatesrsquo Progression Paths

(TRACKIT) project enters second phase

FROM FEANI

- FEANI Input to the Green Paper on Modernising the Profes-

sional Qualifications Directive

FROM EUROPE

FROM THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

- Council of Europe highlights the role of education in building

a culture of living together

FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISION

- Young researchers given funding boost from European Re-

search Council

FROM GENSET

- European Gender Summit

FROM SWEDEN

- Teaching Teachers to Teach Sustainability - Across discipli-

nary course for integrating ESD in Higher Education

FROM THE UK

- Foreign students opt for online search

FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD

- Rankings methodology fine-tuned for 2011-12

- International students lsquodo not use Facebook to choose their

universityrsquo

FROM AUSTRALIA

- Time to stop lsquospruikingrsquo PhDs

FROM LATIN AMERICA

- Latin America forges Bolognandashstyle links at home and in

Europe

- Funding to strengthen debate

FROM THE WORLD BANK

- GLOBAL The changing concerns of higher education

PUBLICATIONS

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this issue

Do not forget to inform the students about the free SEFI membership in 2011

2011 SEFI Student Year



SEFI Annual Conference

This year the SEFI Annual Conference was organised by ISEL in Lisbon on 27-30 September in the context of the 1st World Engineering Education Flash Week The conference brought together 700 participants corporate representa-tives academic delegates and students coming from 60 countries Further to the high level scientific contributions ( 181 papers presented in working sessions and in e-sessions) and the top level invited presenta-tions on topics such as the International Engineering Education Partner-ships (Prof Leonardo Pineda RCI) the Attractiveness of Engineering Education (Prof Kamel Hawwash University of Birmingham) the Global Mobility (Prof Mervyn Jones Imperial College London) the Virtual and Remote Controlled Labs (Prof Suzane Zvacek University of Kansas) the Sustainability of Engineering Education (Prof Didac Ferrer Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya) the European Union Committee of the Regions (Dr Markku Markkula Aalto University) the Accreditation of engineering study programmes (Prof Francesco Maffioli Politecnico di Milano) the Curriculum development (Prof Erik de Graaff TU DelftUniversity of Aalborg) the Engineering Education Research (Prof Jonte Bernhard and Prof Maura Borrego) the event was also remarkable on several aspects Let us mention only a few of them the very fruitful exchanges between the professors and the students attending the conference (pairing activi-ties) the strong involvement of our corporate members and partners the use of the new technologies ndash a tablet was offered to the participants informing them of a series of flash events and encouraging them to con-tribute on line to the discussions - the interaction with the engineering education societies from the world holding their conference during our Flash Week the fantastic location in the Pavilion Atlantico along the river Tagus without forgetting the fantastic weather and the great atmos-phere

Amongst the conferencersquo highlights we can mention the opening cere-mony chaired by Prof Kolmos President of SEFI and Prof Quadrado President of ISELVice-President of SEFI that was the occasion for the audience to hear the very interesting presentation made by Mrs Lesley Wilson Secretary General of EUA on ldquoGlobal University Rankings and their impactrdquo (available on wwwsefibe) the message received from the President of Portugal Anibal Cavaco Silva the successful SEFI Corporates Round Table chaired by Mr Fouger (Dassault Systems) with invited con-tributions from Mathworks Hewlett Packard Granta Siemens and Cy-press the cooperation with the students during the whole duration of

the conference the Best papers Awards and the Ceremony of the SEFI Leonardo da Vinci Medal awarded this year to Luis Ignacio ldquoLulardquo da Silva former President of Brazil

The Conference was also the occasion for our Society to reinforce its relationships with the other major engineering educationprofessional organisations present in Lisbon namely ASEE (whose president Prof Don P Giddens (Georgia Tech ) was present the entire week) IGIP FEANI CLAIU ENAEE LACCEI ASIBEI BEST SPEED and of course IFEES (see later below)

As usually the SEFI General Assembly was organised after the Closing session of the Annual Conference This year it brought together 100 members and representatives of institutions members of SEFI It was notably the occasion to approve the activities of the Society for the pe-riod 2010-2011 as presented by Prof Kolmos in her Presidentrsquos report and by our Working groups and Task Forces chairpersons as well as the accounts 2010 and the provisional budget 2012 presented by our Treas-urer

The Assembly also elected Mr Xavier Fouger (F) from Dassault Systems SEFI Vice-President for the period 2011-2014 and of Profs Caporali (University of Flor-ence) Dumciuviene (Kaunas University of Technology) Froyen (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) Jolly (PolytechrsquoOrleacuteans) Murphy (Dublin Institute of Technol-ogy) Nordstroumlm (University of Aalto) Varadi (University

of Miskolc) and Wolff (VIA University College) as new members of the Administrative Council (for the full composition of the Council please visit wwwsefibe)

It was also the time for the transfer of presidential powers from Prof Kolmos (right) (University of Aalborg DK) to Prof Wim Van Petegem (left) (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven B) who will act as SEFI President for the period of 2011-2013

SEFI ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011 1st World Engineering Education Flash Week (WEE)

Lisbon

27 September ndash 4 October 2011



The Assembly cordially thanked Anette Kolmos for her brilliant work and fantastic achievements over the last two years It also expressed its strong support to Wim Van Petegem for his two-year Presidency

The Assembly was followed by the 2011 SEFI Fellowships Ceremony

The awards were given this year to Profs Padilla (Director of ENIM and founder of the Cartagena Network) (left) Auer (IGIP President) (center) and Macukow (Warsaw University of Technology) (right) in recognition of their meritorious services towards engineering education over the last 5 years

The Flash Week also welcomed meetings of LACCEI ENAEE of EUGENE the annual conference of PAEE a workshop of the IFEESSEFI IIDEA Insti-tute as well as a series of extra activities (IGIP SPEE)

And last but not least in the context of this First EE Flash Week SEFI and ISEL have had the pleasure to organise the 2011 IFEES Summit in Lisbon on 1-2 October 2011

The Summit had an excellent programme and a strong participation of IFEES members and observers (including many students) from throughout the world The Opening Ceremony was hosted by IFEES President Krishna Vedula together with Joseacute Carlos Quadrado and Claudio Borri and the Summit was articulated on three main sessions Curriculum for sustain-ability Mobility and accreditation Intergenerational Discussion of Criti-cal Issues)

The 2011 IFEES General Assembly followed the Summit with as results the election of Joseacute Carlos Quadrado (SEFIrsquos candi-date) as IFEES President-Elect He will be the IFEES President for two years effective in October 2012

Jennifer Deboer (SPEED) Erik de Graaff (SEFI) Euan Lindsay (AAEE) Ivan Esparragoza ( LACCEI) and Duncan Fraser (AEEA) were elected to the Executive Committee for two years

Next year the IFEES Summit will be organised in Buenos Aires from 15th to 18th October 2012

The IFEES Summit was immediately followed by the 2011 ASIBEI Annual Conference also organised in the context of the Flash Week and that as the other ones encountered a major success

EECD kick off

Prior the Flash Week was also organised by SEFI and ISEL in the context of their involvement into the EUGENE EU Academic network project and with the financial support of Dassault Systems and of Hewlett Packard the kick off meeting of the European Engineering Deans Council (EEDC) On this occasion 25 engineering deans signed the so-called ldquoLisbon Dec-larationrdquo expressing their unanimous support to the creation of the EEDC as non-profit organisation (based in SEFI HQ in Brussels for the initial period) The full text of the Declaration will be available on wwwsefibe by the end of October

Were appointed for the interim period President (interim) Prof Ludo Froyen Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (B) Vice-President (interim) Prof Joao Rocha Superior Engineering Institute of Porto (P) Members of the interim administrative Board Prof Mike Murphy Dublin Institute of Technology (IE) Prof Gerhard Mueller Technical University of Muumlnich (D) Prof Prof Ivanov Rosen Ruse University (BG)

The first General assembly of the EEDC should be held in march 2012

SEFI HQ are in charge of the registration of the EEDC as association under

Belgian law

On the top of all these events discussions took also place in the context

of the 4th European Convention for Engineering Deans that will be or-

ganised by the University of Birmingham on 29-30 March 2012 together

with SEFI and CESAEER In this context the Deans attending the EEDC kick

-off meeting and the Conference participants were invited to send their

suggestions for Convention topics to Professor K Hawwash (Univ Of

Birmingham)

Franccediloise Cocircme

The participants to the EEDC kick-off meeting in Lisbon



FROM SEFI

Obituaries

We would like to present our sincere sympathies to their respective

families and friends

We will not forget them

SEFI STUDENT Column New school year ahead new opportunities to encounter It is just the end of September and for sure the most arising subject among students and professors is the new school year Of course within the SEFI network this topic has a strong competition from the forth-coming SEFI Annual Conference and the Flash Week in Lisbon Most people say that another school year could be seized as a new beginning or a fresh start depending on the perspective For students I can say that each year is always a new beginning because it is starting every time with new choices for specialization and for the optional subjects you can choose during your studies While engaging and attractive this rhythm of life during the university years it could be difficult for some students to make strong bonds and friendships with their colleagues Unfortunately during my studies I have not managed either to form such strong friendships with my colleagues as I did during my high school period Needless to say I don not think that I am a non-friendly person It seems that this problem was also noticed by an university from Panama which has developed a new method to tackle this problem In the first year students are recommended voluntary to create a team of six persons with the objective of keeping this team structure until their graduation After passing their graduation the university rewards these teams which have complete or almost-complete graduation among their members by returning a certain amount of their tuition fees Besides the financial aspects the goal is also to stimulate the cooperation between the students during their studies They should learn to help and take care of each other and also to keep them close to the university together In many cases the members of these teams will meet again while working for the same company or when starting their own company Having a degree in the same field and a graduating in the same years will increase definitely the chances of meeting one another after their graduation Moreover If you know your future company more better your colleagues can definitely smooth your transition from university to university So next time if you will sit besides someone new even it is just for a Human Sciences lecture do not miss the opportunity and make acquaintance to himher

Andrei Bursuc BESTSEFI AC member New members

We are particularly pleased to welcome the following members amongst our network and to cooperate with them in a near future Corporate Member

Cypress Semi-Conductor Corp USA

Individual Members Keith Willey University of Technology of Sidney Australia Nael Barakat Grand Valley State University USA USA Alex Friess Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai UAE Ivan Esparragoza Pennsylvania State University USA Annette Berndt University of British Columbia Canada Jean-Claude Arditti Retired Professor Supmeca France Silvia Rodriguez Denaire UPC Barcelona Spain Maria Puteh University Technology Malaysia Malaysia Han Bing Kong Research Centre for Science Technology amp Education China Shouwen Yu Research Centre for Science Technology amp Education China

John Klus (1935-2011) It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Prof John P Klus in Madison Wisconsin USA on Friday eve-ning September 2 2011 at age 76 John was a Founder of IACEE in 1989 and served for six years as IACEEs first President from 1989 to 1995 In 1987 he was awarded the SEFI Leonardo da Vinci Medal for his fantastic commitment towards Engineering Education

David Reyes-Guerra Sr (1930-2011)

It is with deep heartache and profound sorrow that we announce the death of David Richard Reyes-Guerra Sr on Saturday Au-gust 20th in Miami Beach FL at age 80 from complications of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) He was the Vice President of the Commission on Accreditation of the Quality of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of El Salvador David was a member and a supporter of our society for decades



Kim Scalzo State University of New York USA Linda Krute North Caroline State University USA Patrick Simonnin Universiteacute Catholique de Lille France Cristina MR Caridade Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra Portugal Bogdan Bucur Technical University of Cluj-Napocea Romania Leonid Kholkine University of Porto Portugal Iona Bour TU Delft Netherlands Vitalijs Terenjevs Riga Tech University Latvia Carolina Mendes Vega Portugal Nagia Sudha Mangeshkar Vankalaya KTH Sweden Final Conference of the Project ECCE The final Conference of the project ECCE - Engineering observatory on Competence based Curricula for job Enhancement - was organized by SEFI in Brussels on September 8th With nearly 50 participants the final Conference was a real success involving stakeholders from across Europe The conference was opened with the kind participation of Peter Bauer From DG Education and Culture and Andreacute Richier from DG Enterprise and Industry Four high quality Keynote speakers were invited to express their views on the gap between industry needs and engineering education curricula Professor Helen Atkinson president of the Engineering Professors Council presented her views on a academic approach in collaboration between the Industry world and University She was followed by two speakers issued of the industry world Adam Mereacutenyi from Microsoft Hungary and Xavier Fouger from Dassault Systegravemes The both offered two complementary though different approaches on curriculum enhancement in Engineering Education The last Keynote speaker was Guillaume Perrin President of the French National Board of Engineering Students (BNEI) who introduced the point of view of students and student organizations in the evolution of their own curricula Results of the project were presented in the afternoon The set goal of ECCE was to classify and identify appropriate learning outcomes and the definition of engineers degrees throughout different universities In doing so they used the EUR-ACE (European Accredited Engineering programme) as a guideline which worked with 24 different learning outcomes which are summarize into 6 main directions knowledge and understanding engineering analysis engineering design investigation engineering practice transferable skills These six have different characteristics and would be evaluate in the face of the company view what they are expected in contrast to the theoretical and soft skill knowledge that engineers get from the university In the end they aim to set up a common frame about what could be expected from a engineer on master or bachelor degree in minimum During the last part of the conference the participants got the chance to discuss about the results and the topic itself in small working groups Throughout the discussions all ECCE project members felt the necessity of such a project and the acuity of their research (Picture by Derin Ural Kamel Hawwash opening the conference with the two representative of the European Commission)

Steffi-Anne Kalisch SEFI HQ

SEFIrsquos Physics Working Group SEFIs Physics Working Group fosters communication and exchange between academic teachers whose focus is teaching physics in engineering education International conferences under this very title are prominent events having been organized nearly biannually in various places all over Europe This year the 7th such conference was hosted by the University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim a more than one hundred years old institution in southwest Germany focussing on engineering education About fifty participants from fifteen countries worldwide met to discuss professional aspects under the general scope is physics a core competency for engineers or just a mere add-on a soft skill a nice to have The introductory invited talk already presented by Dr Rainer Weiss deputy managing director of Freudenberg Forschungsdienste the central research unit of a major German industrial company initiated a most lively discussion the level of which was esteemed very high by the participants This level was kept throughout the conference when Prof Christian Kautz of Technical University Hamburg-Harburg as second invited speaker gave a deep and profound insight into physics teaching research results and his contributions to this field He successfully linked his presentation to the contents of the nearly thirty contributions submitted for presentation at the conference and for publication in the conference proceedings (for availability see httpptee2011eu) which were received very well and were intensely discussed by the participants Their majority being physicists they were delighted by the final highlight of the conference Professor Markus Oberthalers (University of Heidelberg) invited talk on many-particle Bose-Einstein condensates at temperatures close to absolute zero and the implications of such quantum systems on precision measurements of positions This topic clearly was outside the scope of the conference but it was meant as a treat for the professional group that had gathered and through Professor Oberthalers lively and passionate presentation it sure was received as such - All in all the 7th International Conference on Physics Teaching in Engineering Education was a success and it may serve as an indication for this that hardly any of the participants departed early and missed the Farewell Dinner in Heidelberg in the evening of the second and final day

ProfDr Steffen Bohrmann SEFI Working group on Physics in Engineering Education

University of Applied Sciences Mannheim FROM MEMBERS AND PARTNERS FROM AALBORG UNIVERSITY UNESCO Chair in Problem Based Learning Opening of a Master in Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education The Master in Problem Based Learning in Engineering and Science will start February 1 2012 at the Aalborg university Denmark Deadline for application is extended to December 1 2011 For more information please visit the homepage httpwwwmpblaaudk Registration httpwwwmpblaaudkApply+for+Admission



FROM EUA

New report analyses success factors for developing university lifelong learning A new report published on 31st August 2011 analyses the different factors that enable universities across Europe to engage in and develop successful lifelong learning strategies ldquoEngaging in Lifelong Learning Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS)rdquo is based on the outcomes of a two-year EC-supported project involving 29 universities from 18 different European countries which has been led by the European University Association (EUA) The findings have be presented and discussed at a two-day conference taking place at the University of Southampton (UK) Over the last decade lifelong learning (LLL) has become increasingly important for universities in particular as a result of the economic downturn and demographic changes which have increased pressure on them to develop coherent strategies to widen access and participation in higher education Over the course of the SIRUS project participating universities shared their experiences with the aim of documenting and inspiring other universities to address these challenges The project was also designed to follow up on the uptake of the 2008 ldquoEuropean Universitiesrsquo Charter for Lifelong Learningrsquo which contained a series of commitments for both universities and governments to develop lifelong learning activities Co-author of the report Hanne Schmidt said ldquoThe project results indicate that while national legal and financial frameworks play an important role for universities the single most important push factor for developing successful LLL has been the active engagement of university leadership in creating inclusive and responsive university strategiesrdquo The report proposes that most universities go through a three-step sequence in developing an institutional LLL strategy involving an adaptation stage an organisation stage (where strategies are put in place) and finally a cultural stage (where universities adopt a new way of thinking a LLL culture and a shared vision across the institution) It also assesses the framework conditions that are crucial for supporting the successful development of lifelong learning According to the participating universities the two most important conditions were funding and legislation Only 12 of the 18 countries represented by universities in the project believed such lsquosupporting legislationrsquo was in place Furthermore only four countries outlined that specific funding for the development of lifelong learning activities was available Many of the universities also pointed out that their respective governments had been slow to respond to the commitments in the EUA Lifelong Learning Charter Regardless of the framework conditions in place the report argues that there are four common elements when universities develop and implement strategies which involve diversifying student populations and diversifying services to learners educational provision and external partnerships Universities agreed that for successful implementation both support from the university leadership and the proactive engagement of staff was crucial Partnerships and cooperation with other universities and also with non-university partners including the private sector were identified as another strategic priority for the success of LLL The report also looks to address the different challenges and obstacles which arise when universities seek to create this engagement both within their own institution and externally The SIRUS project was carried out by a consortium led by the European University Association including the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities the European Access Network and the European University Continuing Education Network (Source httpwwweuabeNews)

Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies Dissemination conference and new report on lsquoEngaging in Lifelong Learningrsquo Lifelong learning (LLL) has become increasingly important for universities as they are in a critical position to link it to their research and teaching activities and thus develop institutional responses to the economic downturn and demographic change The project ldquoEngaging in Lifelong Learning Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS)rdquo explored the different factors that enable universities across Europe to develop successful lifelong learning strategies It brought together 29 EUA members from 18 countries who over a series of workshops shared experience and developed their institutional LLL strategies Co-funded under the European Commissionrsquos Lifelong Learning Programme it was carried out by EUA in collaboration with the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) the European Access Network (EAN) and the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) The project is one of the measures that EUA has launched to take up the 2008 ldquoEuropean Universitiesrsquo Charter for Lifelong Learning On 31 August 1 September at a final conference hosted by the University of Southampton (UK) the project report ldquoEngaging in Lifelong Learning Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS)rdquo was presented by the authors Hanne Smidt and Andreacutee Sursock A major conclusion of the conference has been that in order to be successful lifelong learning needs to be better integrated into the university and linked to its other missions To quote one example it has been highlighted that to sustain and develop LLL continuous support of the institutional leadership is key Speakers and participants addressed the issue of building LLL into the university culture and developing it as a core element for its civic engagement There was also general agreement among participants that the concept of the lsquoengaged universityrsquo which the SIRUS report refers to might be a way for promoting LLL ndash inside and outside the institution ndash and linking it to research and learning as part of a third mission of engaging with the local community and employers (Source httpwwweuabeNewslettersnewsletter-15-2011aspx)

New EUA report examines ldquoQuality Culturerdquo in European universities A new report published last week examines the range of different factors and conditions that help to create a ldquoquality culturerdquo within Europersquos universities The report ldquoExamining Quality Culture Part II Processes and Tools - Participation Ownership and Bureaucracyrdquo is the result of EUArsquos EC-supported project ldquoExamining Quality Culture (EQC)rdquo which has been carried out in collaboration with the German Rectorsrsquo Conference (HRK) and QAA Scotland The term ldquoquality culturerdquo in the title refers to the creation of a shared set of values and commitments to monitoring quality within universities The report argues that establishing a quality culture is the most effective and meaningful way for universities to ensure that quality assurance (QA) mechanisms improve quality and support change within universities This culture can be promoted through the creation of a space for debate and discussions about quality mechanisms and thus encourage their broad ownership The report also stresses the need to clarify lines of responsibility and accountability in order to ensure that internal quality assurance mechanisms improve quality levels At a launch event in Brussels on the 16 September co-organised by the Polish Presidency of the EU report author Andreacutee Sursock presented the study findings to an audience of European HE stakeholders Her presentation was followed by a panel discussion with representatives from universities a student body and a QA agency ldquoThis report highlights that the vitality and sustainability of a quality



culture depend upon both internal and external factorsrdquo she explains ldquoIt has shown that universities with effective quality cultures are generally located in an open environment which avoids over-regulation and enjoys high levels of public trust These universities do not limit themselves to the definition of quality processes as set by their national QA agenciesrdquo The first part of the EQC study (published last year) based on a survey questionnaire showed that universities had made remarkable progress in developing quality mechanisms The second phase which was based on 59 interviews with ten European universities examined in greater depth the extent to which these mechanisms and processes have resulted in quality cultures The full report can be downloaded httpwwweuabepubsExamining_Quality_Culture_Part_IIpdf (Source httpwwweuabeNewslettersnewsletter-16-2011aspx)

EUA response to the EC Communication lsquoSupporting growth and jobs - an agenda for the modernisation of Europes higher education systemsrsquo The European Commission published its Communication ldquoSupporting growth and jobs - an agenda for the modernisation of Europes higher education systemsrdquo The Commission said this reform strategy aimed ldquoto boost graduate numbers improve teaching quality and maximise what higher education can do to help the EU economy emerge stronger from the crisisrdquo EUA welcomes the Communicationrsquos emphasis on the key role that higher education and research play in reaching the Europe 2020 strategy objectives and in contributing to efforts for achieving smart sustainable and inclusive growth and thus also the proposals in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 to significantly increase the budget devoted to investment in knowledge While EUA supports skills enhancement as a means of promoting graduate employability the association would also like to underline that the further modernisation of Europersquos higher education systems depends on strong universities and other higher education institutions able to pursue their core missions of knowledge development transmission and dissemination as well as playing their central role in the innovation chain EUA is pleased to see the references in the Communication to several of the issues proposed in EUAs May 2011 response to the Consultation addressed in the Modernisation Agenda earlier this year in particular core issues such as quality improved university autonomy and public funding and the importance of addressing the professionalisation of university management However EUA believes that these are pan-European issues that will be crucial in the years to come in supporting higher education institutionsrsquo further development and thus to the continued modernisation of Europersquos higher education systems While it is clear that the ldquomain responsibility for delivering reforms in higher education rests with Member States and education institutions themselvesrdquo as stated in the Communication EU level actions should not only be limited to supporting longstanding activities focused on improving transparency mobility and international exchange and cooperation EUA also believes that given the massive changes taking place in higher education support should be given to the professionalisation of university leadership and management This will be crucial to making the many of the ongoing reforms truly sustainable and would send an important signal towards both Member States and institutions Given the global role of universities EUA also looks forward to collaborating on the development of the strategy for internationalisation of European higher education which can be expected to further enhance the international visibility and recognition of European higher education and its readiness to collaborate with partners around the globe EUA also welcomes the proposal to launch a high-level expert group on modernisation as an opportunity for constructive and more long-term dialogue between the European Commission Member States and

stakeholders and confirms its readiness to contribute actively to such a process The modernisation agenda as well as priorities for investment in education and research post 2013 will be discussed at EUArsquos Council Meeting in October More information about the EC Communication can be downloaded here httpeuropaeu (Source httpwwweuabenews)

Tracking Learnersrsquo and Graduatesrsquo Progression Paths (TRACKIT) project enters second phase This month EUA launched the second phase of its TRACKIT project with site visits to three Belgian universities Vrije Universiteit Brussel Universiteacute Catholique de Louvain and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven The TRACKIT project is mapping and comparing the way universities and higher education authorities track the progression paths of students and graduates The core question of the project is how HE systems and institutions 10 years into the Bologna Process ensure the provision of high quality student-centered learning opportunities for a large and diversified studentship considering also the changing needs of the labour market The project looks at data collection and analysis at institutional and national levels but is focused on how these are actually used for improving learning content and conditions In the first phase of the project (October 2010 to September 2011) EUA has analysed at the national level how 31 countries collect data and track students and graduates The second phase will now involve site visits to 20 universities in 10 of these countries over the next six months A conference will then be organised to present the preliminary results of the research before a final report is published at the end of the project in autumn 2012 The project which is co-funded by the European Commissionrsquos Lifelong Learning Programme is carried out by EUA Hochschul-Informations-System GmbH (HIS) Lund University the University of the Peloponnese the Danish School of EducationAarhus University and the Irish Universities Association For more information visit the project website wwweuabe (Source httpwwweuabenews)

FROM FEANI FEANI Input to the Green Paper on Modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive (Directive 36) The European Federation of National Engineering Associations has today presented to Commissioner Barnier (DG Internal Market) on the Green Paper on Modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive FEANI represents more than 35 million engineers in Europe The profession is in some EU-countries regulated in others partially regulated or not at all regulated Where the profession is not regulated there are no Competent Authorities FEANI as the European Professional Engineering Organisation proposes the EU to be the ldquode factordquo Competent Authority through its National Members in those countries FEANI agrees that a professional card would facilitate the recognition process not replace it It furthermore proposes its EngineerING-card as the professional card for engineers since it provides a collection of verified information carried out by peer decision in committee and not by civil servants carrying out an administrative task with or without using IMI For the engineering profession criteria of educational accomplishments professional experience and continuous professional development are considered to be of paramount importance FEANI believes that Art 11 should be



phased out as duration is not a reliable proxy for knowledge and skills the number of years of study is not as relevant as the content of the training FEANI recommends a transition to EQF In addition to this FEANI is not in favour of the introduction of a common platform which is for the engineering profession unrealistic in view of the many different disciplines and the heterogeneous regulations in the different member states It encourages the EU to research whether the profession is not overregulated in those countries where the engineering profession is regulated and what the reasons are for the regulation (Source European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) website FROM EUROPE FROM THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE Council of Europe highlights the role of education in building a culture of living together In the aftermath of the dramatic events in Oslo the Council of Europe discussed the role of education in building a culture of living together at a Forum organised on 22 and 23 September in Kyiv (Ukraine) What competences and attitudes do our education systems need to develop in order to educate citizens with the will and ability to live together How can we promote life-long-learning which will not only enhance competitiveness and employability but also encourage social inclusion active citizenship and personal development The Forum discussed these questions in a series of workshops bringing together academics government and civil society representatives throughout Europe The discussions have built on the recent Council of Europe report on Living Together Combining diversity and freedom in Europe in the 21st century which makes a series of concrete recommendations to promote intercultural education A regional meeting of Ministers of Education from Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Kazakhstan Moldova the Russian Federation and Ukraine has also taken place It provided Ministers with an opportunity to assess the progress their countries have made in implementing qualifications frameworks examine common challenges share best practice within the region and consider further possibilities for regional cooperation in furthering the European Higher Education Area (Source httpwwwcoeinttdg4highereducationdefault_enasp)

FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION Young researchers given funding boost from European Research Council Hundreds of early-career researchers across Europe are set to receive increased financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) as it announces its funding programme for the next five years As part of the ERC Starting Grant competition just over EUR 670 million will be awarded to some 480 researchers with individual grants worth up to EUR 2 million Now in its fourth year the competition continues to receive high numbers of applications this year saw a 42 increase compared to last year The estimated total budget for the whole programme has also increased by nearly 15 from last year ERC grants are now highly coveted in the research community not least among younger researchers who often struggle to find funding comments Research Commissioner Maacuteire Geoghegan-Quinn I am committed to ensuring that the ERC can continue funding the cream of the crop This helps make Europe more competitive on the world stage and contributes to making the Innovation Union a reality

ERC President Helga Nowotny also comments on the popularity of the competition The marked increase in applications does not come as a surprise It confirms that demand for ERC funding continues unabatedly and I can confirm that the scientific quality remains extremely high [] For more information please visit European Research Council (ERC) httperceuropaeu (To read the complete article httpcordiseuropaeufetchCALLER=EN_NEWSampACTION=DampSESSION=ampRCN=33794) FROM GENSET (1) European Gender Summit Historically the engineering profession has failed to attract and retain women In Europe they make only 20 per cent of engineering graduates within the total population of nearly 60 per cent of female university graduates As Europe prepares to address the grand challenges facing society environment health energy and climate change fresh approaches are needed to ensuring availability of sufficient RampD human capital Until now the EC RampD strategy focused on promoting a thematic technology push facilitated by bringing researchers from across Europe together in collaborative networks primarily through the mechanisms of FP7 CIP and EIT Lessons from current approaches show that much greater flexibility creativity and cross-disciplinary research will be needed in the future if Europe is to achieve sufficient capacity to achieve the goals outlined in Europe 2020 Within the complex array of capacity variables to shape the quality of the RampD system gender equality and diversity represent a key and well understood ndash but much underutilized ndash tool to promote excellence and enable sustainable success This requires action at three levels participation (the presence and roles of women and men) cultures (assessment processes practices and attitudes to women and men) and knowledge (sexgender factors in research process and in innovation cycle) Including methods of analysis of social and biological similaritiesdifferences in the context of engineering curriculum would help prevent gender bias impacting on RampD process A good example is provided by voice recognition technology Early products failed to work effectively for women because the voice recognition algorithm assumed a male voice as the norm - the technology was tested in labs full of men - but womenrsquos voices are different Another way to demonstrate this impact is through transport improvements namely the design of the car seat and of the seat belt Current engineering solutions assume the male as the norm and have been tested on male crash dummies or scaled down male dummies pretending to be female The consequences are that women suffer much more severe whiplash injuries during car accidents than men and pregnant women are also at a risk of injuring the baby in a collision situation To discuss these issues and evidence 60 science leaders will take part in the forthcoming 1st European Gender Summit and take up the challenge summarized by keynote speaker the Commissioner Maacuteire Geoghegan-Quinn It is clear that time alone will not redress the under-representation of women in research or scientific leadership Specific measures are needed to support womens scientific careers and to address gender factors in the research process with a view to improving quality This will also help enhance scientific excellence in Europe The European Gender Summit will show how these issues can be tackled more effectively through collaboration between scientists gender research scholars and policy



makers The programme sessions will draw on solid research evidence to demonstrate that improved action on gender equality can yield improved creativity better scientific results and more successful organisations Notes The European Gender Summit will be held on the 8th and 9th of November at the Square in Brussels The Summit is convened jointly by genSET ESF and COST It is held under the patronage of STOA and is an official EU Presidency event under the Polish Presidency of the European Council wwwgender-summiteu wwweuroparleuropaeustoadefault_enhtm wwwpl2011eu (1) genSET gender in science is an FP7 project under the Science In Society programme and the Summit is based on the vision and ethos of genSET Portia Ltd is the coordinator of the genSET wwwgenderinscienceorg wwwportiaweborguk Enquires email teamgenderinscienceorg or call the Portia office on +44 (0) 207 367 5348 FROM SWEDEN Teaching Teachers to Teach Sustainability ndash A cross-disciplinary course for integrating ESD in Higher Education

In this article Joumlran Rehn from the Uppsala University explains the development of a cutting-edge course on ESD which mains purpose is to integrate sustainability to the university teacheracutes didactical competence ndash as content as well as a perspective ndash in their teaching

Introduction

On the order of the vice chancellor an in-service course on ESD for university teachers has been developed The basic purpose of the course is to strengthen the university teacheracutes competence to integrate sustainability in their teaching The course structure constitutes a ldquojourneyrdquo from the general level of sustainable development via the concept of ESD into the more concrete adaption of ESD to teaching of a specific subject The course use the diversity of the participants as an asset for introducing the interdisciplinary character of ESD and for creating stimulating exchanges of knowledge and perspectives Furthermore the course also opens up for cross-curriculum co-operation in higher education The course got very positive evaluations especially the mix of participants from different faculties and the concrete development work was very much appreciated Most of these development reports have been published as ldquogood examplesrdquo for other teachers to be inspired by

Background

In Sweden environmental issues have long been on the political mass media and educational agenda During the 1980rsquos and 1990rsquos ndash partly as a result of the Rio-conference and Agenda 21 ndash the discourse changed toward the concept of sustainable development (SD) The Swedish Government and several NGOrsquos has since been very active ndash nationally and internationally ndash in driving these issues forward taking active part in international conferences and treaties and developing national plans of action As education for sustainable development (ESD) has been recognised as one of the most important social activities to ensure a sustainable development for future generations the Swedish Government has also taken action in formulating laws and legislations to ensure that the educational system as a whole contributes in these efforts One important step was taken in 2006 when the Ordinance of Higher Education (as well as the Ordinance of the School system) was changed and a formulation was added clearly implying that universities

and colleges were obliged to contribute to sustainable development ndash mainly through education of students (but also in research efforts and co-operation with the surrounding society) Consequently the vice chancellor of Uppsala University ndash after a thorough investigation by a cross-faculty committee ndash decided to give the faculties the commission to implement ESD in all study programmes and applicable single courses Along with this commission the Division of Development of Teaching and Learning got the assignment to support this implementation by developing and running a course on ESD for university teachers (teaching in basic and advanced level studies) After an inventory of existing competenciesco-operation partners and expected needs for inspiration and support a one-week course was developed and launched during 2007

The basic purpose of the course is to strengthen the university teacheracutes didactical competence to integrate sustainability ndash as content as well as a perspective ndash in their teaching The long term aim is to ensure that all students when leaving Uppsala University have a basic ability to combine and transform their subject knowledge and their knowledge of sustainability into a personal behaviour as professionals and citizens The target group consists of teachers from all faculties with a special preference for teachers involved in the planning or management of study programmes or separate courses (basic and advanced level) hellip+

During a period of five-six weeks the participants work with their home assignments which could be formulating a developmental plan for the department designing a teaching event revising a course curriculum etc The last day of the course is devoted to presentations and discussions of the home assignments Focus is on pros and cons as well as hinders and possibilities Furthermore possibilities for cross curriculum co-operation are explored and the expectations from future employers of our students are discussed []

Read more httpwwwguni-rmiesnetnewsdetailphpid=1758

FROM THE UK Foreign students opt for online search

The number of students around the world studying at foreign higher education institutions has jumped by more than 400 over the past 30 years and is now heading towards four million a year But a new report says the traditional use of printed university prospectuses as a means of informing these mobile students is no longer effective as students turn to internet search engines and social media such as Facebook

The report Online Marketing to a Global student Audience was released recently by the British Councils Intelligence Unit It says students planning to study abroad are increasingly conducting their own independent research using a combination of online resources such as search engines and individual university websites

There is no question that the online presentation of information on a branded website with added interactive features that often include multi-language translations video content and downloadable documents instantly accessible and at minimal cost is the first point of call in a students decision-making process the report states

Respondents from most of the 13 profiled countries chose institutions websites as their first source of information An education exhibition could be considered as an offline presentation of the information a prospective student might find on an institutions website with the added benefit of a face-to-face interaction

Respondents from the majority of represented countries supplement institution-specific web-based research and exhibition attendance with other online resources and search engines

Since February 2007 the British Council has been conducting



international questionnaire-based research called Student Insight to collect data from prospective students interested in studying in another country The survey asks how students conduct their global research into their destination of choice the resources they have drawn on and how these have changed over time as resources diversify

Using its global network the council says it has collected more than 127000 responses from more than 200 countries

In its latest report the researchers focus on students from 13 countries to discover if the use of online resources has superseded traditional face-to-face methods of gathering information They set out to find if the availability of digital technology - or lack of it - sustains the need for traditional student recruitment techniques or whether the use of less expensive online marketing might be applied to those countries where institutions hope to recruit new students

These two resources online information searching and exhibition attendance complement each other in the early decision-making phase thus allowing prospective students to build their knowledge base about the options that are available to them the report says

The pattern in the use of information by these prospective students then develops to involve other resources as students narrow their searches and seek to benefit from the guidance of wider groups of people who may be accessible to them

It says students from Bangladesh Hong Kong Pakistan and Thailand asked friends and family members for information at a relatively early stage in their decision-making while those from China Japan Korea and Taiwan said they would use an education agent as a source of information

Respondents from Hong Kong Mexico Pakistan Thailand and Turkey often preferred to speak with a lecturer or staff member from their institution as a source Only Nigerian and Korean students said they would attend a presentation by an institution to gain information on overseas study

Prospective students from Bangladesh India Japan and Nepal said one source of information they would turn to would be printed materials The report says that in the absence of access to online resources a reliance on the more traditional - and some would claim outdated - print materials becomes more understandable

The report warns that universities responding to the global online trend with a one size fits all approach to digital marketing will miss out At the same time many institutions are investing more in promoting themselves online in an effort to reach students who nowadays exist in an increasingly complex and impenetrable digital landscape

Differences between the 13 countries studied in the report include students preferred language when surfing the web and which social media networking sites they frequent In China Korea and Japan English is not the dominant language online and although Facebook is globally popular students in China are more likely to use the Chinese free instant messaging service Tencent QQ

The report says that while increasing numbers of prospective international students are using the internet to help them generate a shortlist of study options when it comes to making a final decision there is still no substitute for face-to-face interaction with trusted advisors or university representatives

The decision-making process behind a commitment to undertake overseas study is one that dictates actions that will affect the rest of an individuals life Relying fully purely on digital media to make a life changing decision - without having experienced any tangible or concretely affirming evidence - would certainly amount to a huge leap of faith for a young person

Author of the report British Council research manager Elizabeth Shepherd said it was clear universities were already putting more resources into digital marketing in response to the massive growth in the use of the internet and social media

What this research shows is that universities need to develop an in-

depth knowledge of internet and social media usage in each of the countries they are targeting and tailor their digital marketing accordingly It might mean for instance that they must be prepared to provide information online in the native language of the students they are aiming to engage with Shepherd said

(Source httpwwwuniversityworldnewscomarticlephpstory=2011090214495385) FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD Rankings methodology fine-tuned for 2011-12

The final methodology for the 2011-12 World University Rankings has been unveiled by Times Higher Education ahead of the publication of the tables on Thursday 6 October 2011

Although this will be the eighth year that Times Higher Education has published a list of the worlds top universities the current rankings methodology was first employed in 2010 with all data and analysis supplied by a new partner Thomson Reuters

The methodology was developed over 10 months of open consultation during 2010 and with input from an advisory group of more than 50 leading figures from international higher education However the magazine has continued to refine the process and has confirmed a number of improvements for 2011-12

The rankings will continue to use 13 indicators across five broad areas of activity teaching industry income citations research and international outlook

The 2011-12 rankings will employ a new indicator that enhances its international outlook category In this category as well as looking at the proportion of international staff and students at each institution the new rankings will also take into account the proportion of research papers published by each institution that are co-authored with at least one international partner

Another key change this year is the introduction of subject normalisation for a wider range of performance indicators

These refinements to the methodology that was established in 2010 make the Times Higher Education World University Rankings even more sophisticated and carefully calibrated to properly reflect the unique structure of each of the universities we look at said Ann Mroz editor of THE

These rankings give real parity of esteem to the arts humanities and social sciences disciplines that are often neglected in such exercises and also give serious consideration to a universitys teaching environment

(Source httpwwwtimeshighereducationcoukstoryaspsectioncode=26ampstorycode=417368ampc=1)

International students lsquodo not use Facebook to choose their universityrsquo

Only 4 per cent of international students use social media to select a foreign university according to a worldwide survey of undergraduates

William Archer director of i-Graduate said results from a poll of 150000 international students suggested the importance of interaction via Facebook Twitter and YouTube was overestimated by universities

The i-Graduate survey which polled students at about 1200 global higher education institutions this year also found only 6 per cent of students were persuaded to choose their institution by information from staff at university fairs

ldquoIf you think about how much time and money is spent on these fairs you have to question that investment by universitiesrdquo Mr Archer told



delegates at the European Association for International Educationrsquos annual conference in Copenhagen this week

Regarding the focus among many higher education institutions on social media he added ldquoStudents are saying it is not how we choose our universityrdquo

The research found that 45 per cent of students said recommendations by friends were the most important factor when choosing followed by the institutionrsquos website (41 per cent)

Thirty-two per cent of respondents said parents were an important factor 22 per cent said they were swayed by the prospectus 17 per cent by meeting current students 16 per cent by teachersrsquo guidance and ranking placements and 11 per cent by a visit to the institution

The survey also found that 886 per cent of students felt meeting staff was of key importance when arriving at a foreign university while 742 per cent said the official welcome was important

Speedy access to the internet was also a major factor for 78 per cent of students

ldquoIf you cannot get access to the internet for a whole hour after you arrive you are not generally feeling very happyrdquo Mr Archer added

Jess Winters from the University of Groningenrsquos international office said social media had limited use in recruitment but was useful for communicating with international students when they arrive

It was also useful in managing expectations she said and in the case of Groningen had helped to address frequent complaints about housing and catering on campus

ldquoIt is better for foreign students+ to know about these problems+ before they arrive Why not tell them straight away as they will find out eventuallyrdquo she said


FROM AUSTRALIA Time to stop spruiking PhDs

ldquoOK I shall be the one to raise the question that cries out to be asked of my countrys university staff administrators and government financiers Why do we enrol so many PhDs Why do we entice so many bright young people into doctorates in the humanities and liberal social sciences

In May in The Nation William Deresiewicz pointed out that Yale was delighted if it could place half its graduating PhDs He was rightly derisive of cheap tenured professorial talking-up - or to use an apposite Australianism spruiking - of a life of the mind when the relationship between humanities graduates and academic posts deteriorates by the week This situation is made sadder as every PhD student Ive ever met has at some stage entertained romantic thoughts about a job teaching the discipline they have spent so much time studying

In Australia the plight has special features since its privileging within the university has fostered the national tendency to parochialism given the determination that every university must have its wodge of doctorates Worse it has done massive collateral damage to undergraduate teaching and learning

Administrators ironically many of them unplaced PhDs have for two decades urged staff to augment their postgraduate numbers A longed-for higher placing in the university rankings is thought to be dependent on the matter In following this line they have been pushed by government which finances every PhD candidate at 16 times the amount given for instruction delivered to an undergraduate

Because staff-to-student ratios ever widen canny staff develop their

own research schools deemed helpful in obtaining lavish research grants In turn much undergraduate instruction is passed to doctoral students with the myth that teaching experience will serve them well in their applications for (non-existent) jobs and with the penalty that they do the basic work of marking essays and seeing students in tutorials but cannot design their own courses

Australia is obsessed with immediate wealth and the sporting life in Perth motorways and ferries are named after footy stars and Olympic champions In not-accidental corollary the nations media are dominated by News International

The equivalent of Times Higher Education is The Australians weekly supplement Higher Education This organ might be explained to a UK reader as aspiring to the political and intellectual quality of the Daily Mail True Perth is the only city not instructed by a Murdoch-owned daily But The West Australian finds its mission downmarket from Murdochism Its Saturday review section has been known to spend up to 100 words on a serious book There are rivers more on footy and that national icon the groin strain

No doubt plenty of doctoral research has value Yet for a nation with media like ours undergraduate study is immensely more important It is crucial to our democracy The arts and social sciences introduce each new cohort of students to beauty to the meaning of knowledge as well as to creative scepticism They enhance the ability to ask why They show how humankinds nervous but irrepressible inquisitiveness has helped us reach modernity They suggest that the material and the sporting are not the only yardsticks of human comfort and achievement

In a rational deployment of educational finance in Australia every undergraduate studying the arts and social sciences should be worth 16 times each postgraduaterdquo

By Richard Bosworth


FROM LATIN AMERICA Latin America forges Bologna-style links at home and in Europe

EU-funded project will develop affinities between institutions on two continents Paul Jump reports

Independence movements it is hoped that strong university associations free from government strictures will look beyond national boundaries and towards greater continental integration

While the Bologna Process of European integration in higher education may have its critics it is hoped that a new European Union-funded project will launch Latin America down a similar road towards harmonisation

The three-year euro35 million (pound31 million) project known as Alfa Puentes (Alpha Bridges) will see 23 umbrella organisations from across Europe and Latin America working together both to improve integration within Latin America and to improve links and mutual understanding between universities in the two continents

One of those organisations is the Association of the Montevideo Group of Universities most of whose member universities come from Argentina and Brazil Its executive secretary Aacutelvaro Maglia said greater integration of Latin American universities was necessary to enhance academic cooperation and to promote a political project of regional citizenship

Nicolaacutes Patrici executive secretary of the University of Barcelona-based Observatory of European Union-Latin American Relations which will act as an intermediary between the eight European and 15 Latin American participants in the project said that integration would drive up



educational standards and create a better space for economic development in the region

Dr Maglia said his organisation was one of the fruits of 20 years of vigorous development of integration in the south of the continent He added that there was already a formal process of higher education integration within the Mercosur common market founded in 1991 and currently composed of Brazil Argentina Uruguay and Paraguay with a number of associate member nations in the region

Mr Patrici who is Argentinian noted that the Andean region also had some experience of commercial integration via the Andean Community of Nations set up in 1969 and currently comprising Bolivia Colombia Ecuador and Peru But he said governments hopes that higher education could drive further regional harmonisation and development largely remained unfulfilled - due in part to the vast differences between Latin American countries levels of development

Brazil and Argentina are better integrated than Brazil and Peru even though Peru is also a neighbour of Brazil Mr Patrici noted

He said one of the key engines of European integration had been the development of a strong network of national university associations But he said the capacity of such bodies in Latin America - and the level of political attention they received - remained very patchy Hence one of the major focuses of the Alfa Puentes project would be to boost the capacity of such associations

Michael Gaebel head of the higher education policy unit at the European University Association which will lead the European element of the project said strong university associations were a natural outgrowth of the increasing independence of universities from governments []

Read the complete article httpwwwtimeshighereducationcoukstoryaspsectioncode=26ampstorycode=417408ampc=1

FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Funding to strengthen debate

Following the 10th anniversary of the 911 terror attacks on the United States the Open Society Foundations on Wednesday announced US$20 million in funding to strengthen debate programmes for students around the world

The Foundations said in a release that todays undergraduates had little recollection of a time before the war on terror which had the unforeseen consequence of stifling public discussion and the free flow of information

The aim of Global Debates is to help teach students the skills needed to debate public policy issues Noel Selegzi Director of the Open Societys Youth Initiative which houses the Global Debates initiative said Debate helps us recognise that public policy is best developed when the force of an argument and not the argument of force is most potent

Universities colleges and other institutions will be provided with up to three years of funding to integrate debate across disciplines the Foundations said The International Debate Education Association will help to identify and support grantees and implement programmes

Grants will be awarded to institutions that have either very small or no debate programmes or want to promote public debates within their broader communities or strengthen the ability of marginalised young people to debate controversial issues affecting their lives

The Foundations said the funding would also support the creation of educational materials an online debate mentorship programme international debate tournaments and competitions a Global Debate and Public Policy Challenge bringing together the worlds best

university debaters policy-makers and academics to tackle an issue of global concern and a series of Open Society Debates around the world that will address issues of global concern

(Source httpwwwuniversityworldnewscomarticlephpstory=20110916211133113) FROM THE WORLD BANK The changing concerns of higher education

The problems of access and equity are often considered jointly in World Bank publications and the implication is that one directly affects the other In order to address the problem of inequality in higher education it may be beneficial to view it as a two-step process Improving access will bring more applicants to the higher education system and improving equity will bring a larger number and greater diversity of enrollees in the system

There are dozens of potential solutions to eliminating inequality in a particular system but deciding on the most constructive strategy must come from understanding the nature of the problem Still in several World Bank publications a few overarching solutions are identified that can help to increase access and equity in all cases

Some access and equity solutions

First the Bank advocates a focus on access to financial support for disadvantaged students Students from wealthier families simply have more resources at their disposal giving them an advantage when pursuing higher education

These patterns can be particularly degenerative in countries where there are high numbers of high quality private secondary schools Students who are able to attend these schools are usually from families with higher income and are often better prepared for public university entrance exams

This leads to the second recommendation that the Bank makes improved primary and secondary education for all classes genders and groups

Often when a student from a disadvantaged minority is facing admission to a university the system has already failed her or him Its a harsh reality that many of these interventions come too late to assist the vast majority of disadvantaged students who have already suffered institutionalised discrimination in access to primary and secondary education

Therefore the Bank argues that improvements at the lower levels of education will improve students chances when pursuing higher education

The last general solution that the Bank mentions is adapting admissions criteria and imposing admissions quotas Admissions quotas eventually evolved into the practice of affirmative action which is discussed at length in the 2004 New Challenges report The authors define affirmative action as preferential treatment of minorities and disadvantaged groups

hellip+

To read to the complete article please go to httpw w w u n i v e r s i t y w o r l d n e w s c o m a r t i c l e p h p story=20110902174838417)



European Comission Higher Education in Europe Funding and the Social Dimension 2011 Understanding the social dimension In a social and economic environment where skills and competences acquired and refined through higher education are becoming more and more impor-tant (European Commission 2010) it is a societal imperative to expand opportunities to higher education to as large a proportion of the population as possible The process to achieve this goal is commonly referred to as the social dimension of higher education The development of most European higher education systems towards so called mass and even universal higher education systems illustrates the fast-changing nature of higher education Policies accordingly change as well

Read more httpeaceaeceuropaeueducationeurydicedocumentsthematic_reports131ENpdf

OECDrsquos Education at a Glance 2011 to be published Tuesday 13 September The 2011 edition of the OECDrsquos annual Education at a Glance has been published on September 13th Education at a Glance is the leading international compendium of comparable national statistics measuring the state of education worldwide This yearrsquos report includes indicators on the human and financial resources invested in education on how education systems operate and evolve and on the returns to educational investments With pressure on government spending growing and demand for higher education rising Education at a Glance aims to help educators and policy makers formulate strategies for maintaining quality in education The report also addresses analysis of tuition-fee reforms since 1995 the relationship between social background and student performance school accountability in public and private schools and job prospects for students in vocational and academic programmes For the first time Education at a Glance includes analysis of education systems in Brazil China India Indonesia Russia and South Africa For further information and to register for the news conferences wwwoecdorg

In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

21 October 2011 Sofia Bulgaria - EBBS -

Educational fair ldquoEducation Beyond Bordersrdquo Part II

httpwwweducation-worldeuindexphplang=2

20 October 2011 Melbourne Australia - ESMU -

EU-STEP Conference ldquoAssessing Higher Education Performance Initiati-ves and Implicationsrdquo

httpwwwlhmartininstituteeduau

PUBLICATIONS

19-21 October 2011 Krakow Poland - EIT-

Youth and Entrepreneurship - Drivers of Innovation

httpeitkrakowconferenceteamworkfrenuseful

24-25 October 2011 Shanghai China - ASEE -

ASEE Global Symposium

httpwwwaseeorgconferences-and-eventsinternationalglobal-colloquium2011note-to-authors

26-29 October 2011 Leuven Belgium - EUGENE -

Management Committee Scientific Committee First European Engineering Education Research Summit httpwwweugeneunifiit

17-19 November 2011 Antwerp Belgium - EUA -

European Quality Assurance Forum 2011

httpwwweuabeeqaf-antwerpaspx

17-18 November 2011 Nairobi Kenya - IAU -

Strategies for Securing Equity in Access and Success in Higher Education

httpwwwiau-aiunetcontentinternational-conferences

23-25 November 2011 Nijmegen Netherlands - EAPRIL -

EAPRIL 2011 conference

httpwwweaprilorgEAPRIL2011

24-25 November 2011 Patras Greece - EUCEET -

EUCEET Association Conference

httpwwweuceetupatrasgrDefaultaspx

28-29 November 2011 Coventry University UK -Coventry University with the support of SEFI -

3rd International Research Symposium

Keynote presentation by Anette Kolmos Past-President of SEFI Unesco Chair on PBL in Engineering Education

h t t p w w w m c o v e n t r y a c u k p b l 2 0 1 1 P a g e s problembasedlearning2011aspx

04 October 2011 Madrid Spain - REEN -

REES Research in Engineering Education Symposium

httpgroupsreenhome

8-9 November 2011 Brussels Belgium - European Gender Sumit -

EUROPEAN GENDER SUMMIT 2011

httpwwwgender-summiteu

20-22 October 2011 Beijing China - GEDC -

Global Engineering Deans Council

httpwwwgedcouncilorgfeatures2011-gedc-conference-beijing



To increase SEFIrsquos visibility and the relations between members

we are also on LinkedIn (as an enterprise and a group) and on Facebook (SEFI and SEFI Student)

We invite you all to join us on these platforms and establish our own digital SEFI network for discussions and mutual support

Do also not forget to contribute to and participate in our SEFI Blog httpwwwsefibeblog

We hope that you enjoyed this issue of NewsSEFI

The next issue will be published at the beginning of November 2011

Please send suggestions and contributions to infosefibe before 2nd November

SEFI receives the financial support of its corporate partners

and the support of its corporate members



SEFI Annual Conference

This year the SEFI Annual Conference was organised by ISEL in Lisbon on 27-30 September in the context of the 1st World Engineering Education Flash Week The conference brought together 700 participants corporate representa-tives academic delegates and students coming from 60 countries Further to the high level scientific contributions ( 181 papers presented in working sessions and in e-sessions) and the top level invited presenta-tions on topics such as the International Engineering Education Partner-ships (Prof Leonardo Pineda RCI) the Attractiveness of Engineering Education (Prof Kamel Hawwash University of Birmingham) the Global Mobility (Prof Mervyn Jones Imperial College London) the Virtual and Remote Controlled Labs (Prof Suzane Zvacek University of Kansas) the Sustainability of Engineering Education (Prof Didac Ferrer Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya) the European Union Committee of the Regions (Dr Markku Markkula Aalto University) the Accreditation of engineering study programmes (Prof Francesco Maffioli Politecnico di Milano) the Curriculum development (Prof Erik de Graaff TU DelftUniversity of Aalborg) the Engineering Education Research (Prof Jonte Bernhard and Prof Maura Borrego) the event was also remarkable on several aspects Let us mention only a few of them the very fruitful exchanges between the professors and the students attending the conference (pairing activi-ties) the strong involvement of our corporate members and partners the use of the new technologies ndash a tablet was offered to the participants informing them of a series of flash events and encouraging them to con-tribute on line to the discussions - the interaction with the engineering education societies from the world holding their conference during our Flash Week the fantastic location in the Pavilion Atlantico along the river Tagus without forgetting the fantastic weather and the great atmos-phere

Amongst the conferencersquo highlights we can mention the opening cere-mony chaired by Prof Kolmos President of SEFI and Prof Quadrado President of ISELVice-President of SEFI that was the occasion for the audience to hear the very interesting presentation made by Mrs Lesley Wilson Secretary General of EUA on ldquoGlobal University Rankings and their impactrdquo (available on wwwsefibe) the message received from the President of Portugal Anibal Cavaco Silva the successful SEFI Corporates Round Table chaired by Mr Fouger (Dassault Systems) with invited con-tributions from Mathworks Hewlett Packard Granta Siemens and Cy-press the cooperation with the students during the whole duration of

the conference the Best papers Awards and the Ceremony of the SEFI Leonardo da Vinci Medal awarded this year to Luis Ignacio ldquoLulardquo da Silva former President of Brazil

The Conference was also the occasion for our Society to reinforce its relationships with the other major engineering educationprofessional organisations present in Lisbon namely ASEE (whose president Prof Don P Giddens (Georgia Tech ) was present the entire week) IGIP FEANI CLAIU ENAEE LACCEI ASIBEI BEST SPEED and of course IFEES (see later below)

As usually the SEFI General Assembly was organised after the Closing session of the Annual Conference This year it brought together 100 members and representatives of institutions members of SEFI It was notably the occasion to approve the activities of the Society for the pe-riod 2010-2011 as presented by Prof Kolmos in her Presidentrsquos report and by our Working groups and Task Forces chairpersons as well as the accounts 2010 and the provisional budget 2012 presented by our Treas-urer

The Assembly also elected Mr Xavier Fouger (F) from Dassault Systems SEFI Vice-President for the period 2011-2014 and of Profs Caporali (University of Flor-ence) Dumciuviene (Kaunas University of Technology) Froyen (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) Jolly (PolytechrsquoOrleacuteans) Murphy (Dublin Institute of Technol-ogy) Nordstroumlm (University of Aalto) Varadi (University

of Miskolc) and Wolff (VIA University College) as new members of the Administrative Council (for the full composition of the Council please visit wwwsefibe)

It was also the time for the transfer of presidential powers from Prof Kolmos (right) (University of Aalborg DK) to Prof Wim Van Petegem (left) (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven B) who will act as SEFI President for the period of 2011-2013

SEFI ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011 1st World Engineering Education Flash Week (WEE)

Lisbon

27 September ndash 4 October 2011













EECD kick off





Belgian law







Birmingham)





FROM SEFI

Obituaries





















FROM EUA




















Introduction


Background





































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome






























EECD kick off





Belgian law







Birmingham)





FROM SEFI

Obituaries





















FROM EUA




















Introduction


Background





































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome




















FROM SEFI

Obituaries





















FROM EUA




















Introduction


Background





































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome



























FROM EUA




















Introduction


Background





































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome


































Introduction


Background





































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome










































































By Richard Bosworth




































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome













































hellip+







In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome























In October

In November

FOR YOUR CALENDAR







PUBLICATIONS



























httpgroupsreenhome


















News@ September 2011

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Transcript of News@ September 2011