Programme

Sunday, 24 March 2024 – Grand Hotel Bucharest

19:00

Welcome cocktail and dinner (Rapsodia Hall, 1st floor)

Monday, 25 March 2024

08:30 – 09.30

Registration of the participants. Welcome coffee (Ronda Hall, 1st floor)

09:30-10:15

Plenary Session – Welcome Addresses (Ronda Hall, 1st floor)

  • Diana-Loreta Păun, Advisor, Presidential Administration of Romania
  • Ligia Deca, Minister of Education
  • Adrian Curaj, General Director, UEFISCDI and Conference Co-chair
  • Remus Pricopie, Rector, National University of Political Science and Public Administration
  • Marian Preda, Rector, University of Bucharest

10:15-11:30

Expert panel focusing on hot topics: Future of the Bologna Process: Towards the Iași / Chisinau EHEA Ministerial Conference (2027) (Ronda Hall, 1st floor)

Panelists: Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones, Jamil Salmi, Sjur Bergan, Liviu Matei, Maria Kelo, Romiță Iucu, Adrian Curaj, Cezar Haj

11:30-12:00

Introduction to the thematic sessions (Ronda Hall, 1st floor)

  • Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones – Internationalization of Higher Education – beyond 2020 EHEA targets
  • Jamil Salmi – Access, inclusion, completion, and employability – responding to the needs of students and society
  • Liviu Matei, Sjur Bergan – Building an EHEA furthering the fundamental values of higher education
  • Maria Kelo, Romiță Iucu – Innovative teaching and learning towards a sustainable and effective student-centered learning
  • Adrian Curaj, Cezar Haj – Digitalization and the future of European higher education: Implications for public policies

12.00 – 12.30

Coffee break

12:30-14:00

Paper presentations and debates I (parallel sessions)

Session 1: Internationalization of Higher Education – beyond 2020 EHEA targets (Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones) (Rapsodia Hall, 1st floor)

  • Internationalisation or Europeanisation? Capturing Dynamic Concepts Starting from Higher Education Institutions, Mattia Quinteri and Junaid Kajee (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems, Austria)
  • Internationalisation with limitations: Bologna Process and internationalisation of the third mission of the university, Flora Laszlo (Central European University)
  • Exploring Services and Support for International Mobile Students: An Institutional Survey Analysis of Erasmus Careers Project, Adriana Perez-Encinas, Pablo Villarrubia and Sandra Tobon (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid)

Session 2: Access, inclusion, completion and employability – responding to the needs of students and society (Jamil Salmi) (Opera Hall, 2nd floor)

  • The social dimension of higher education: an exploratory study for the validation of quality assurance indicators, Adrian Opre (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania), Dana Opre (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania), Cristina Ghițulică (National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Romania) and Sebastian Pintea (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania)
  • Beyond the Binary: A Comparative Analysis across Europe of Non-Binary Student Experiences and Methodological Considerations for Gender Measurement, Johanna Dau (Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna)
  • Social inequality contested: Prior Learning Assessment in the context of displacement, Lisa Unangst (Empire State University, New York, USA)

Session 3: Building an EHEA furthering the fundamental values of higher education (Sjur Bergan, Liviu Matei) (Opereta Hall, 2nd floor)

  • The development of fundamental values in the EHEA, based on the covering paper, Sjur Bergan and Liviu Matei
  • New frameworks of reference for academic freedom: local, regional or global, Liviu Matei and Giulia D’Aquila (King’s College, London)
  • The Future of Fundamental Values in the Bologna Process: Russian War in Ukraine and Re-Thinking Safeguards Against Non-Democracies, Kateryna Suprun and Jussi Kivistö (University of Tampere)

Session 4: Digitalization and the future of European Higher Education: Implications for public policies (Adrian Curaj, Cezar Haj) (Coralle Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Conversations with a purpose: the impact of ChatGPT among higher education students, Enrique Planells-Artigot (ESIC University, Spain), Santiago Moll-Lopez (Universitat Politècnica de Valencia) and Adolfo Nuñez-Perez
  • Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning For Student-Centered Education, Aurelian Ionescu (Regional Department for Defense Resources Management Studies), Luciana Morogan (Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, Bucharest, Romania) and Adrian Groza (Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
  • Education 4.0: Navigating the digital wave of connected learning, Petrișor Laurențiu Țucă and Bogdan Gabriel Georgescu and Ciprian Mihai Dobre (National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Romania)

Session 5: Innovative teaching and learning towards a sustainable and effective student-centered learning (Maria Kelo, Romita Iucu) (Melodia Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Academics at the core of student-centered teaching and learning: lessons learnt from the experience of the Center of Academic Development of the West University of Timișoara, Velibor Mladenovici, Mădălin O. Bunoiu and Marian D. Ilie (West University of Timișoara, România)
  • University teachers’ willingness to support an inclusive and effective student-centered learning, Elena Marin (University of Bucharest) and Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts (University of Crete)
  • Promoting Student-Centered Teaching Through A Professional Development Program For Academics – A Mixed Study, Radu Bălan, Velibor Mladenovici, Mădălin O. Bunoiu and Marian D. Ilie (West University of Timișoara, România)

14:00-15:30

Lunch

15:30-17:00

Paper presentations and debates II (parallel sessions) 

Session 1: Internationalization of Higher Education – beyond 2020 EHEA targets (Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones) (Rapsodia Hall, 1st floor)

  • Results of the third edition of the EAIE Barometer, a survey exploring the developments of internationalisation in European higher education as viewed by professionals directly involved in this work across the European Higher Education Area, Laura Rumbley (EAIE)
  • The Role of Erasmus+ Capacity Building Projects in Internationalizing Armenian Higher Education, Lusine Fljyan (Northern University, Armenia)
  • Study-abroad Portals in the EHEA: A Case Study of the StudyInRomania platform, Wesley Felipe da Silva Siqueira (University of Bucharest)
  • The role of language preparatory programme and governmental scholarships in increasing the participation and graduation of international students in Romania, Cristina Ramona Fiț (National University of Political Science and Public Administration, Romania) and Mihai Cezar Haj (Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding, Romania)

Session 2: Access, inclusion, completion, and employability – responding to the needs of students and society (Jamil Salmi) (Opera Hall, 2nd floor)

  • The need for tailored support for long-term students, Franziska König and Bettina MJ Kern (Technical University of Vienna)
  • Do Early Signals Count? Exploring Potential Root Causes of University Dropout, Ștefan Marius Deaconu (University of Bucharest), Roland Olah (UEFISCDI), Cezar Mihai Haj (UEFISCDI)
  • Exploring Delayed Transition into Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Romania, Lithuania, Austria, and other European countries, Sylvia Mandl and Martin Unger (Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna)

Session 3: Building an EHEA furthering the fundamental values of higher education (Liviu Matei, Sjur Bergan) (Opereta Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Digitalisation v. the Values of Higher Education: Opportunities, Threats, Recommendations to the EHEA, Petri Mäntysaari (Hanken School of Economics, Finland)
  • Academic Freedom of Doctoral Candidates, Frameworks for doctoral education, Pil Maria Saugmann and Hannah Schoch (European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers)
  • transnational policy tool: monitoring the fundamental values of higher education in the European Higher Education Area, Liviu Matei (King’s College, London), Daniela Crăciun (University of Twente) and Elisaveta Potapova (Public Policy and Management Institute Vilnius)

Session 4: Digitalization and the future of European Higher Education: Implications for public policies (Adrian Curaj, Cezar Haj) (Coralle Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Leveraging International Platforms and Projects for Industry x.0 skills in higher education, Roxana Voicu-Dorobantu and Cătălin Ploae (The Bucharest University of Economic Studies)
  • Why digitalize? An Investigation of Virtual Internationalization Governance in German Higher Education, Dr. Jana Berg and Luzia Ferreira-Santos (German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies)
  • Exploring Degrees of Connection: Challenges and Acceptance of the European Degree Label towards Shaping the Future of Higher Education, Romiță Iucu, Simona Iftimescu, George Gunnesch-Luca, Alexandru-Mihai Carțiș (University of Bucharest), Nadia Fernández de Pinedo (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Angela Melley (University of Glasgow), Mattea Capelli (Sapienza Università di Roma)

Session 5: Innovative teaching and learning towards a sustainable and effective student-centered learning (Maria Kelo, Romita Iucu) (Melodia Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Student-centered learning in higher education: relevant quality assurance indicators, Adina Elena Glava (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania), Cristina Ghițulică (National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, România), Adrian Opre (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania) and Petrisor Laurențiu Țucă (National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, România)
  • One-time pedagogical events to teach academics instructional models and the effect on students’ perceptions of teaching effectiveness, Marian D. Ilie, Laurențiu P. Maricuțoiu, Mariana Crașovan, Marius Lupșa Matichescu (West University of Timisoara, Romania) and Adrian Marcu (“Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania)

19:00

Dinner  (Grand Hotel Bucharest, Sky Lounge, 21st floor)

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

09:30-11:00

Paper presentations and debates III (parallel sessions) 

Session 1: Internationalization of Higher Education – beyond 2020 EHEA targets (Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones) (Rapsodia Hall, 1st floor)

  • Educational Spaces as Immigration Sites: A Critical Examination, Aisling Tiernan (RWTH Aachen University)
  • Exploring academics’ views regarding Erasmus teaching mobility, Elena Marin (University of Bucharest) and Donatella Donato (University of Valencia)
  • The European Universities Initiative (EUI): where are we now and where to next?, Andrew Gunn (University of Manchester)

Session 2: Access, inclusion, completion, and employability – responding to the needs of students and society (Jamil Salmi) (Opera Hall, 2nd floor)

  • Connecting Academia and Business on the Quadruple Helix. Employers’ Support to Optimize Training in Higher Education, Venera-Mihaela Cojocariu, Elena Nechita, Gabriel Mareş, Liliana Mâţă (Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacău, Romania)
  • Ascending the Social Ladder: Exploring Professional Advancement and Employability Among First-Generation Graduates in Romania, Ștefan Marius Deaconu (University of Bucharest) and Alina Roiniță (Ministry of Education, Romania)

11:00-11:30

Coffee break

11:30-13:30

Reports from the parallel sessions and debates. Conclusions of the conference. Q&A (Ronda Hall, 1st floor)

13:30

Lunch 

* Each parallel session will include two/three papers presented by authors and a Q&A Session for each paper