The emergence and development of quality assurance schemes in European countries over the last 15-20 years has inspired many national case studies of the systems and procedures adopted. The methods, contexts, and procedures associated with this policy change are diverse. But although individual countries have set about changing policy in different…

Since its formal inception in 1976, EU cooperation in the field of education has known a number of major landmarks: the launch of the Erasmus programme in 1987, the inclusion of education for the first time in the Treaty (Maastricht, 1992) and, last but not least, the role given to education and training in the new EU 10-year economic and social…

Since 1986 when the National People's Congress ratified the Compulsory Education Law, China's achievement of nine-year compulsory basic education for its huge school-age population has been rapid and successful. However, the rate of achievement has grown unevenly across the country, reflecting the different economic development patterns of the…

The theoretical premise of this article is that policy is constructed and presented discursively. The Bologna process presents us with an example of such a policy construction process where the quality policy goals are set jointly in transnational settings, requiring different kinds of negotiations and discursive strategies. Discourse analysis of…

The increased number of adult college students in Sweden has meant less participation in student life, more group and project work, less traditional instructional methods, fewer textbooks in foreign languages creating a more provincial educational setting, nontraditional scheduling, and political debate over educational quality and the intended…

A paper prepared by a committee of EURYDICE, the Educational Information Network in the European Community, is presented. The impact of demographic change on the future development of European societies, including the development of national economies, the labor market, and the whole social system are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Trends in college student mobility to/from the Netherlands are examined, and specific themes are discussed in the context of public policy: recognition periods of study abroad; teaching/studying of English as a Second Language; personal learning styles in a new environment; quality assurance; employer evaluation of study abroad experience; and…

The Dutch vocational education system of qualifying students is examined, including national policy changes in response to identified problems, and ways in which the quality of qualifications will be assured in a reformed vocational education system to assure comparability with other European Community nations. (DB)

Recent trends in Finnish higher education are examined, from the formulation of national policy since the 1980s to recent experiments in financing and accountability, efforts at promoting efficiency, and the conflict between traditional academic collegiality and imposition of government decision making. (MSE)

This historical review concludes that, for the last decade, Danish education policies have been influenced by a minority conservative coalition government and in important ways, have been inspired by British and U.S. policy. This has included demand for user input into instruction, increased institutional autonomy, and evaluation of teaching to…

Three different approaches to the evaluation of higher education in European and Scandinavian countries are examined: evaluation of a single discipline across institutions (Finland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, northern Germany); evaluation of several disciplines within certain institutions (France, Germany); and internal evaluation of…

Recent developments of the Italian student body are marked by an increasing diversification of prevailing student profiles. The presence of new student groups is surveyed next to the groups which are the traditional target of national policies for higher education and student welfare. Examples of such traditional target groups are, amongst others:…