The Bologna Process and Its Impact on University-Level Chemical Education in Europe

Abstract

This article describes the Bologna Process, an effort by a consortium of nearly 50 European countries trying to standardize the higher education system in Europe. Starting from a nonbinding agreement (the 1999 Bologna Declaration), the Bologna Process involves a voluntary joint venture for the construction of a European higher education area (EHEA). The process focuses on three major goals: (i) facilitating and improving the mobility of University students and professors; (ii) enhancing the attractiveness and employability of higher education in Europe in an increasingly competitive global environment; and (iii) building more transparent and homogeneous structures. Working across several specific objectives (adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, a common system of credits and grades, quality assurance, promotion of lifelong learning, and others), this convergence process strives to obtain a comparable, common, coherent, and attractive space for the tertiary education sector in Europe by the year 2010. The proposed system of credits, known as ECTS (European credit transfer and accumulation system), promotes a shift from teaching to learning in university education. In this way, the Bologna Process emphasizes students’ learning outcomes and modern pedagogical methodologies, including active learning. Basic implications in the European system for chemistry education are summarized, including information about a framework bachelors degree program in chemistry called the European Eurobachelor, which is intended to set a standard for chemistry higher education.