ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES
In order to address the project’s goals, the partners in this transatlantic consortium will:
- Conduct comprehensive studies of SCHE sectors in three different national settings with a focus on issues of recognition and quality assurance of SCHE programs and degrees, on the interface between SCHE institutions and industry and on the contribution of SCHE to life-long and life-wide learning systems.
- Organize a sequel of international Conferences/Round Tables in each of the three participating countries and provide a forum for international exchange of ideas and best practices identified in the three participating countries and the other national and international conference participants. Calls for proposals to attend the conferences will be directed to national decision-makers and representatives of the international higher education community. The three international conferences are:
- May, 2009, International University College, Dobrich/Albena, Bulgaria, “Recognition and Quality Assurance of Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs”;
- Fall/Winter, 2009, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA, “Strategic Approaches of SCHE to Addressing Economic and Social Development”;
- May, 2010, LEIDO: National Innovation and Expertise Center for Lifelong Learning, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, “Short-Cycle Higher Education and Lifelong Learning Systems”.
- Analyze and systematize conference results and prepare and disseminate findings to conference participants and policy-makers at the national, international and supra-national levels.
- Identify strategic partnerships and discuss options for future transatlantic collaboration in the development of dual/joint SCHE degrees in business and tourism and hospitality management. Discussions will begin with the first working group meeting planned for the Fall/Winter of 2008 (during the FIPSE/DG EAC Fall/Winter 2008 meeting in Europe) and progress throughout the project’s duration and planned meetings in the three participating countries. The Feasibility Study will be finalized with a visit of representatives of IUC, planned for June 2010, where final discussions will take place in Toledo, Ohio. This discussion will also present the basis for the development of a Pilot Plan for a SCHE business-related program in tourism and hospitality management on the basis of the US experience.
We believe that our goals and planned activities reflect an innovative strategic approach to addressing critical issues of short-cycle higher education in different countries in Europe and the United States. Our efforts to collect, synthesize and document best practices amongst different partnering institutions from different countries across the Atlantic and offer a comparative analysis of issues in important policy areas is one valuable element of this innovative strategic approach. While different countries grapple with country-specific issues in their efforts to align their higher education systems with social and economic needs, the important role of the SCHE sector in all participating countries, and in Europe and in the United States in general, has been increasingly recognized. Our aim to systematize and voice different countries’ concerns and identify best practices and policy approaches will contribute to policy and practice both amongst the institutions involved in the project and in institutions across Europe and the United States. Next, our aim to bring together members of the national and international academic community and policy-makers to share practices and ideas on strengthening SCHE is yet another innovative element of our strategy. Finally, dual/joint degrees in the SCHE sector are still rare and our initiative to conduct a feasibility study on creating such degrees speaks to the commitment of all participants to long-term, stable collaboration.
