Padua hosts the national conference on “European Degrees: toward a full internationalisation of the higher education system”

The University of Padua is hosting today the conference “European Degrees: toward a full internationalisation of the higher education system”. The event aims to reflect on the potential of European Degrees in the perspective of global internationalisation of Italian universities. The Arqus Coordinator, Dorothy Kelly, and part of the EDLab project team will participate in the event. In addition, representatives from the European Commission, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research, as well as various Italian and European universities, will contribute to the discussion.

The theme of the conference is more relevant than ever: on 27^th March, the European Commission presented a new package of proposals to promote transnational cooperation for undergraduate courses and international mobility of university students, the so-called “Blueprint for a European Degree”. The initiative represents a significant step towards a European Degree, a qualification awarded by multiple European universities and automatically recognized throughout the Union. Essential for the awarding of the European Degree will be the compliance with a series of criteria that joint programmes must meet, such as: excellence in education; joint course management; student mobility; interdisciplinary and employability; and adherence to European values.

This important achievement has been actively contributed to by six pilot projects (involving over 140 institutions) which, in the last 12 months, have analyzed the criteria for issuing the Joint European Degree Label, tested its effectiveness and potential attractiveness. Namely, the EDLab project, developed by Arqus together with three Alliances (ENLIGHT, EUTOPIA and SEA-EU), has played a significant role in conducting this testing, with particular focus on France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

Moreover, thanks to numerous consultations with university professors, staff, and students, companies, ministries, and quality assurance agencies, the projects have developed a series of recommendations for overcoming regulatory obstacles related to joint programs.

Three of these projects, EDLab, SMARTT, and ED-AFFICHE, will present their results during today’s conference at the University of Padua. In particular, the EDLab project has seen the active involvement of the University of Padua and other partners from the Arqus Alliance together with ENLIGHT, EUTOPIA and SEA-EU Alliances.

“We are delighted to see how EDLab has provided valuable insights and practical testing to support the realisation of the European Degree vision outlined in the recently published European Commission initiative”, commented the Arqus Coordinator, Dorothy Kelly.

“The criteria proposed for the European Degree are the result of the constructive dialogue we have had over these months with the Commission, and the new formulation of the criteria broadly reflects the work carried out by EDLab” added Professor Thiene, Delegate of the Rector of the University of Padua for Joint Degrees and International Rankings.