1. Internationalization

Since its beginnings, the Bologna Process was meant to strengthen the competitiveness and attractiveness of the European Higher Education by fostering the students’ mobility and creating the framework for the international dimension of higher education. These two themes were both very high on the agenda of the Bologna Process Ministerial Conference held in Bucharest, Romania, in 2012. Discussions on these subjects resulted in adopting a “Mobility for better learning”Strategy – as annex to the Ministerial Communique –, thus agreeing that all member countries will develop and implement their own internationalization and mobility strategies with concrete aims and measurable mobility targets, contributing to the achievement of the EHEA objectives.

Converging with this document, the European Commission has launched in 2013 “The European higher education in the world” strategy that aims to promote mobility and cooperation between the member states and the non-EU countries. According to this policy document, “a comprehensive internationalization strategy should cover key areas grouped into the following three categories: international student and staff mobility; the internationalization and improvement of curricula and digital learning; and strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building. These categories should not be seen as isolated but as integrated elements of a comprehensive strategy.” (EU Communication, 2013)

Giving the particular interest manifested by the EHEA member states for these subjects, we invite researchers to send us their contributions analyzing good practices, introducing comparative research or new theoretical insights into these topics, either for the institutional level or for national level.

2. Financing and governance

EHEA member states are starting to recover from the financial crisis that had global effects, and thus use this opportunity to strengthen higher education governing structures and financing processes. Moreover, the Bucharest Ministerial Communique (2012) has reaffirmed the commitment of the European Ministers of Education to support a sustainable educational system by assuring the highest possible level of public funding for education, while encouraging HEIs to intensify their attempts to draw upon other appropriate financing sources. EHEA Ministers also commited to intensify the policy dialogue on both financing and governance of higher education.

In this context, we invite researchers to write papers on case studies or compare cases regarding:

• different financing systems within the EHEA and beyond;
• governance principles and policies both at institutional level and systemic, national level;
• strategic allocation of budgetary resources;
• efficiency in the delivery of public services.

As well, papers could also analyse and discuss different case studies regarding the impact of institutional policies in matters such as programs selection / educational paths or diversification of funding streams.

3. Excellence and diversification of higher education institutions’ missions

During the last few years the universities felt an growing pressure coming from the society to better address its’ needs and answer to the needs of the community that the institution serves, thus contributing to the development and consolidation of the knowledge society. One way to better address these requirements is to diversify the spectrum of HEIs missions in such a way that they better reflect their goals and in line with the existing challenges.

Moreover, the U-Multirank initiative raised the debate about heading for excellence versus increasing access to education. Although diverse ranking systems all over the world are being used as excellence measurement instruments, they are still controversial. In response to some of the expressed concerns, U-Multirank has been designed as a multidimensional, user-driven new approach to international ranking that follows five elements of the higher education: (1) teaching and learning, (2) research, (3) knowledge transfer, (4) international orientation and (5) regional engagement, thus providing a solution for the complaints previously raised against other ranking systems.

However, there are voices considering “that system-wide excellence in student learning is attainable at reasonable cost, using education policies differing from conventional market-oriented reform strategies prevalent in many other countries”.

Therefore, we invite researchers to register papers presenting their view over excellence in higher education, feasibility studies of rankings, case studies or comparative cases on various measures aimed to foster excellence and increase diversification in higher education.

4. Teaching, learning and student engagement

Student centered learning became a political aim since the 2009 leuven/ Louvain la Neuve EHEA Ministerial Conference, when this concept was defined for the first time in the political context of the EHEA. Considering the interest of the EHEA in this topic, its open character and the fact that teaching and learning are essential processes on which higher education systems are grounded, the organizers decided to ask for more contributions on these subjects.

Potential authors are invited to write papers on any of the following themes, thus enriching the knowledge base in line with the current ‘hot topics’ linked to SCL and teaching and learning:

• Usage of technology in Teaching and Learning (e.g. flipped classroom etc.);
• MOOCs/SPOCs/hybrids etc.;
• integrating research into teaching, case study, real problem, etc. and/or other forms of engaged, active, student-centered learning;
• how students learn – new advances in how students mind works during learning – achieving deep learning, etc.;
• assessment of learning outcomes;
• Quality Assurance in teaching and learning;
• institutional research and Teaching and Learning.

5. Social dimension/ Equity

Political commitments within the Bologna Process have underlined the need to develop the social dimension of higher education and to decrease inequalities by widening participation for under-representative groups of students. Since 2001, this policy field was operationalized in political commitments regarding equity, access and completion of studies in higher education, through recommendations for setting quantifiable objectives at national level, adopting government strategies, as well as clear targets for widening access and participation.

The research papers could, therefore, focus on:

• widening access to higher education and increasing graduation rates;
• access, participation and success of under-represented groups in higher education;
• national strategies, plans and targets in the field of social dimension;
• financing and cost-sharing;
• student support services;
• academic related services as counselling and orientation, flexible learning paths, alternative access routes, including the recognition of prior learning for enhancing social dimension.

The authors are invited to submit comparative research on measures implemented by different higher education systems or higher education institutions, offer examples of good practice and study the impact of different policies in the sphere of social dimension.

6. Education, Research and Innovation

The Bucharest Ministerial Conference in 2012 has underlined the importance to promote quality, transparency, employability and mobility in the third cycle, ensuring that the third cycle contributes to bridging the EHEA and the European Research Area (ERA). An ad hoc working group on the third cycle has analyzed the achievements of institutional, national and European policies on innovation of programmes, on employability, on internationalization and mobility and drew recommendations on further improvements, in line with the Salzburg recommendations and the European Commission “Principles for Innovative Doctoral training”. In addition, many European countries are implementing reforms aimed at empowering Doctorate holders and young researches to realize their full potential, on the basis of the competencies achieved, and contribute to societal and economic innovation.

Therefore, we invite the researchers to write papers sharing their view upon:

• trends and good-practices at the institutional level in the implementation of European policies (meaning Salzburg, Principles for Innovative Doct Training, Bologna Ministerial recommendations) on the third cycle;
• instruments and activities leading to the development of the third cycle as the nexus between higher education, research and innovation, and, consequently, between the EHEA, the European Research Area and wider international policies in the field, of research and innovation;

7. Quality Assurance

One of the purposes of the Bologna Declaration (1999) was to encourage European cooperation in quality assurance of the higher education, with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies. Quality assurance has been a priority for the Bologna Process, but its mechanisms are not perceived as an end in themselves. Their ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of teaching and research and, in this respect quality assurance agencies act as a support for institutions in their continuing development and, equally, have a key role as protectors of the public interest.

Nevertheless, since 2005 the Ministers of Education adopted the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and this document has ever since governed and directed the way the quality assurance systems worked across EHEA. At the EHEA Ministerial Conference that took place in Bucharest in 2012, the European Ministers of higher education decided that the time has come to revise the EGS, according to the results of the first phase of the Bologna Process, and gave the responsibility to an extended E4 Group. Moreover, the OECD project Feasibility Study for the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes brought to attention the question of quality assurance of the teaching and learning process. Therefore, we invite researchers to write and submit papers addressing this dimension from the perspective of the challenges faced by the quality assurance systems to integrate the governmental priorities, the main goals of the academic communities, as well as needs of the society at large (e.g. through the signals received from the labour force market).

8. The impacts of the Bologna Process on the EHEA and beyond

After 15 years from signing the Bologna Declaration and starting to build the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as a framework for raising the attractiveness and competitiveness of the European higher education system by settling common values, principles and using comparable instruments, it is now, once again the moment to reflect upon the effectiveness and political relevance of the public policies designed in this period, as well as of their impacts.

After the 2012 Ministerial Conference in Bucharest, the second phase of EHEA consolidation has started. However, it has been perceived that the momentum of the Bologna Process has diminished, thus making it less attractive for new states to join the EHEA as well as for the member states to get involved in implementing commonly agreed commitments. Therefore, organizers invite the authors to envision the future of European level policy making in general, and the EHEA and the Bologna Process in particular, by submitting papers tackling the current challenges faced by inter-governmental processes of this kind:

• not all member states within various regional and international political cooperation initiatives advance in the same rhythm, thus making the scenery extremely different across the covered higher education area;
• the core issues that the EHEA or other initiatives should cover in the future;
• instruments for know-how transfer and ensuring capacity of change.

9. Evidence-based policies in higher education: data analytics, impact assessment and reporting

The EHEA relies on increasingly detailed pictures of how commonly agreed policies and action lines have been translated at national and institutional level. Contributions analyzing the existing reporting tools are most welcome. In addition, recent trends such as massification of higher education, have contributed to growing the governmental interest in establishing evidence-based policy mechanisms to ensure quality and accountability in higher education. Rigorous evidence-based policies in higher education seem to be the future and the key solution to current challenges faced by governance. In this context, organizers invite authors to analyse and present in their papers concrete case studies of evidence-based policy-making and derived impact assessments (ex-ante or ex-post).