Which way to Bologna? We will not come to terms with the reform unless we take a look outside.

This text argues in favour of an evolution of the Bologna process towards more student participation and an opening to the world they live in. Quality assurance is taken as an example of how self-reflectivity prevents the process from moving on. The reform’s role is ambivalent, with students being put right into the centre of the learning process, while at the same time defining them on the basis of their employability. Internationalisation offers a wide range of opportunities to open up the “Bologna system”, starting from the study abroad experience itself. International study courses are labs to experience new forms of learning which may well trigger cross-border change processes. Students should be valued as resource persons in their advanced use of social networks and new media.

10.08.2011 | Christiane Schmeken (Bonn)