The Challenge of Bologna: What United States Higher Education Has to Learn, and Why it Matters That We Learn it

In 1999, a declaration formalizing ‘the European process’ was signed at and informally named for Europe’s oldest university: Bologna.
The Bologna Process
has transformed higher education in Europe. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about the ability of America’s higher education system to position the country for competitiveness in a global economy, about its failure to broaden access and participation, or to respond to calls for accountability, and specifically about whether it is ready to address the redoubtable challenge that Bologna Process represents on all these issues. In this book Paul Gaston assesses the Process’ accomplishments, weighing its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluates which features pose a threat, which we can learn from, and which may be inappropriate for our system of higher education. Bologna’s achievements in making higher education more accessible, in rationalizing and making consistent the evaluation of credits, and the definition and measurement of learning outcomes for all disciplines, all constitute a major
wake-up call
for American higher education. If we consider Europeans’ increased participation in higher education, their increased graduation rates, and the fact that Europe is retaining more of its students and attracting more international students, American higher education may be losing its competitive advantage. For all these reasons, it is vital that educators and policy makers understand Bologna and its implications for American higher education. It represents a formidable challenge on a matter of national priority. This book provides that understanding by offering a realistic and balanced account of Bologna’s achievements, and suggesting how US higher education can constructively and effectively respond.