Socrates 2000 Evaluation Study: Overall Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SOCRATES 2000 Evaluation Study November2000 Study for the European Commission Contract No 1999 – 0979/001 – 001 SOC 335BEV Edited by Ulrich Teichler Jean Gordon Friedhelm Maiworm Wissenschaftliches Zentrum für Berufs- und Hochschulforschung Universität GH Kassel, Germany ([email protected]) European Institute of Education and Social Policy, Paris, France ([email protected]) Gesellschaft für Empirische Studien Kassel, Germany ([email protected]) IN CO-OPERATION WITH Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, Netherlands European Forum on Education Administration Contents 1. Aims and procedures of the evaluation study 1 2. Participation in Erasmus: figures and patterns 13 3. Erasmus and the policies of higher education institutions 40 4. The Erasmus students' experience 64 5. Employment and work of former Erasmus students 99 6. The academics’ view of teaching staff mobility and Erasmus 118 7. Curriculum development activities and thematic network projects 142 8. Erasmus: observations and recommendations 176 9. Comenius, Lingua, Open & Distance Learning and Adult Education: 189 methodology and overall Issues 10. Comenius 212 11. Lingua 248 12. Open & Distance Learning 294 13. Adult Education 310 14. Comenius, Lingua, Open & Distance Learning and Adult Education: 325 conclusions and recommendations 15. The implementation of Socrates at national level 344 16. The Socrates support programme: framework and management 380 17. Overall summary and recommendations 401 Literature 423 1. Aims and Procedures of the Evaluation Study 1. Aims and Procedures of the Evaluation Study By Jean Gordon, Friedhelm Maiworm and Ulrich Teichler 1.1 The SOCRATES Programme and Its Evaluation Schedule The European Community action programme on education, SOCRATES, was adopted by the European Parliament and Council Decision No 819/95/EC of March 1995 for the period from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1999. Several former educational programmes and actions (ERASMUS, LINGUA, EURYDICE and ARION) were integrated, revised and supplemented, and new programme components were established (notably COMENIUS and OPEN and DISTANCE LEARNING). Hence, the SOCRATES programme set in motion the implementation of an overall programme in the field of education at a European level. The general objective of the SOCRATES programme is described in Article 1 of the Council Decision regarding the establishment of SOCRATES: “This programme is intended to contribute to the development of quality education and training and the creation of an open European area for cooperation in education”. In the perspective of lifelong learning, its is to optimise the skills and competencies of the citizens of Europe, to strengthen equal opportunities and to encourage the development of active and responsible citizenship with a European dimension. These general objectives are made operational by nine specific aims described in Article 3 of the Council Decision: “a) to develop the European dimension in education at all levels so as to strengthen the spirit of European citizenship, drawing on the cultural heritage of each Member State; b) to promote a quantitative and qualitative improvement of the knowledge of the languages of the European Union, and in particular those which are least widely used and least taught, leading to greater understanding and solidarity between the peoples of the European Union, and to promote the intercultural dimension of education; c) to promote wide-ranging and intensive cooperation between institutions in the Member States at all levels of education, enhancing their intellectual and teaching potential; d) to encourage the mobility of teachers, so as to promote a European dimension in studies and to contribute to the qualitative improvement of their skills; e) to encourage mobility of students, enabling them to complete part of their studies in another Member State, so as to contribute to the consolidation of the European dimension in education; f) to encourage contacts among pupils in the European Union, and to promote the European dimension in their education; 1 1. Aims and Procedures of the Evaluation Study g) to encourage the academic recognition of diplomas, periods of study and other qualifications, with the aim of facilitating the development of an open area for cooperation in education; h) to encourage open and distance education in the context of the activities of this programme; i) to foster exchanges of information and experience so that the diversity and specificity of the educational systems in the Member States become a source of enrichment and of mutual stimulation.” Article 8(1) of the Council Decision obliges the European Commission to undertake a continuous monitoring and evaluation of the SOCRATES programme and Article 8(2) stipulates that the Commission must "submit to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, before 30 September 1998, an interim report on the launch phase, and before 30 September 2000, a final report on the implementation of this programme." In Spring 1999, the European Commission invited to tender for the external evaluation of the SOCRATES Community action programme in the field of education in general (DGXXII/05/99) as well as for specific aspects of the SOCRATES programme (DGXXII/06/99). Following the call for tender, the European Commission awarded a contract to the Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work at the University of Kassel, Germany, to carry out the overall evaluation of the SOCRATES programme, subsequently called "SOCRATES 2000 Evaluation". Additionally, three specific evaluations were commissioned which cover the participation in the SOCRATES programme of persons with specific educational needs (European Agency for Special Needs, Copenhagen), the impact of Erasmus in the area of engineering (Sociedade portuguesa de inovação, Porto), and the results of Comenius Action 1 and Lingua Action E (Deloitte and Touche, Brussels). 1.2 The Organisation and Management of the Evaluation Study The SOCRATES 2000 Evaluation is coordinated by Professor Ulrich Teichler, director of the Wissenschaftliches Zentrum für Berufs- und Hochschulforschung (WZ I), Universität GH Kassel (Germany). The deputy coordinator is Friedhelm Maiworm, head of the Gesellschaft für Empirische Studien (GES), Kassel (Germany). Most of the evaluation study is divided into two sub-projects: – Sub-project A on ERASMUS was undertaken by the team in Kassel (project director: Ulrich Teichler, in cooperation with Friedhelm Maiworm), 2 1. Aims and Procedures of the Evaluation Study – Sub-project B on COMENIUS, LINGUA, Open and Distance Learning, Adult Education and Questions of common policy interest was undertaken by the European Institute of Education and Social Policy (EIESP), Paris (France) (project director: Jean Gordon). The sub-projects cooperated closely in conceptual and administrative matters. Moreover, they jointly undertook the study of European policies and activities at national level related to the SOCRATES programme and the survey at European level. Finally, both sub-projects closely cooperated in writing those parts of the final report which are transversal to all or some strands of the programme. Within the framework of sub-project A, the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) of the University of Twente, Enschede (Netherlands) (coordinator: Marijk van der Wende) have taken over various functions, in particular the analysis of policies in the national context and the results of the work of the Thematic Networks. Sub-project B was supported by the European Forum on Education Administration (EFEA) through the organisation of a workshop and various consultancy activities. Both projects involved other staff members of these institutions who participated in the information gathering and the analysis: Annette Fleck and Christoph Gilleßen (GES), Anne Klemperer and Sander Lotze (CHEPS), David Parkes and Stéphanie Caillé (EIESP). The international team brought together organisations and experts from nine countries: as consultants and interviewers: Astrid Berg (Denmark), John Heywood (Ireland), Barbara M. Kehm (Germany), Petri Lempinen (Finland), Montserrat Santos Sanz (Spain), Adrain Stoica (Romania), Pina Scalera (Italy) and Eva Michelidaki (Greece). Christina Keyes (EIESP) supported the study by editing the texts and Sybille Meyer (WZ I) by taking over the financial administration of the project. 1.3 Major Aims and Objectives of the Evaluation According to the invitation to tender, the main purposes of the SOCRATES evaluation are : – to assess how far the objectives of the programme have been achieved, – to provide quantitative and qualitative data regarding results and the range and types of impact on the target population and the education systems, – to assess the effectiveness and the efficiency of the organisational and operational mechanisms. The key questions to be addressed are as follows: (1) The impact of the programme: It should be analysed generally and for each Action with regard to the overall objectives set down in the decision to establish SOCRATES, as well as the specific objectives for each Action. The analysis was expected to integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches. 3 1. Aims and Procedures of the Evaluation Study (2) Use of Community funds: The evaluation was to examine the effectiveness of the use of Community funds to reach the objectives. (3) Implementation: The evaluation was expected to