Author Description

The Bologna Process is one of the largest endeavours ever undertaken aimed at reforming higher education continent-wide. It has created a framework of measures and policies aiming to foster greater compatibility and comparability of the national systems of higher education across Europe. Despite the impact reforms and change in higher education have meant for students in Europe since 1999, ESU is unfortunately again forced to report that progress has not yet caught up with the expectations propagated by the commitment and targets set by ministers. Seen from the perspective highlighted in this edition of "Bologna With Student Eyes," development over the past three years since the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Conference in 2009 has not been satisfactory in a number of areas, even deplorably sliding backwards on some of the key action lines. The focus of this publication is more on looking at the impact Bologna Process-inspired reforms have on students, graduates and wider society rather than focusing solely on the Process. A greater emphasis has also been placed on the EU Modernisation agenda's impact on the reforms linked to the Bologna Process. The authors hope this publication will present a clear picture of the challenges, progress and national variations across the European Higher Education Area. Individual section contains references. (Contains 27 figures, 3 tables, and 10 footnotes.).