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It is for this reason that EUA designed the Creativity Project as part of a palette of activities offered by EUA such as the Institutional Evaluation Programme and a workshop series aimed at strengthening European universities. The Creativity Project is also connected to a series of current and past EUA projects such as the Quality Culture the Doctoral Programmes and the Doc Careers (Doc Careers I and Doc Careers II) projects. All these activities point to the need for engaging institutions and stakeholders in a major change process and provide practical recommendations for doing so.
Partners in the Creativity Project were invited to formulate operational recommendations to all actors involved because fostering creativity in higher education will require the joint efforts of higher education institutions governments and other external partners.
As an exploratory project the report also outlines various routes for taking its findings to the next level.
This paper presents issues which EUA considers important for universities in addressing the impact of digitalisation and thus which we propose to explore over the coming years in collaborati ...
Over the past three years, EUA has been working on a number of initiatives related to higher education learning and teaching. Activities include knowledge building and studies, institutional ...
European higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing increasing demands for more flexible learning and flexibility in learning paths. ...
Transnational joint education provision — education jointly developed and delivered by two or more institutions in different countries — has emerged as a desired experience for many students, a ke ...
In the context of European higher education, learning and teaching centres are generally located within an institution, with their primary mission being to support the development of the institution ...
Based on the work of the EUA Learning & Teaching Initiative and the outcomes of the 1st European Learning & Teaching Forum, this paper underlines the importance of learning and teaching (L& ...
The wide-ranging ambitions of the European Green Deal provide a policy framework to integrate the scientific, educational, and institutional dimensions of universities’ contribution to the green tra ...
In its review of the "Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning", the European Commission engaged in a public consultation, due to close on 19 May 2017. ...
Abstract In the summer of 2016 NOKUT conducted a survey of academic teachers’ perceptions of quality in ‘their own’ educational programmes. From this survey, the theme of teacher coll ...
The European University Association (EUA) would like to respond to the issues paper on the New Skills Agenda, that it has received both as a member of the EQF Advisory Group (AG) and the Bologna Follo ...
The challenges around addressing student mental health and wellbeing are not new. Over recent years thenumber of students disclosing a mental health condition in the UK has increased: 47,625 more stud ...
This presentation highlights an initiative to improve teaching effectiveness by means of transdisciplinary projects involving students from different study programs, working in teams to solve real pro ...
The exponential change in IT forces inevitably a transformation of all industries in an unprecedented way. Teaching and learning at universities are no exception. For a millennial old institution that ...
Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities is a three year project that aims to mainstream digital in teaching and learning across the seven Irish universities by addres ...
“The EU consultation collects the views of stakeholders regarding the potential of European policies and projects to contribute to the development of a “European Area of Skills and Qualifi ...
Study programme development is one of the most challenging processes at universities since all faculty is involved. And in our experience, the redesign of already existing programmes seems to be even ...
This report aims to provide the reader with an insight into the discussions and conclusions of the thematic peer groups with each chapter consisting of the summary of one thematic peer group presentin ...
The European Principles for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching were developed as part of Erasmus+- funded EFFECT project (European Forum for Enhanced Collaboration in Teaching), coordinate ...
This briefing looks at the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on higher education in Europe over the past six months. In particular, it examines the sudden shift to emergency remote learning and teaching, ...
Based on data collected in 2021 by the International Association of Universities (IAU), Michael Gaebel and Henriette Stoeber reflect on the impact of the pandemic on European higher education. ...
The European Commission’s Industrial Strategy for Europe and the European Digital Strategy launched in the spring of 2020 offer an opportunity for a broad and holistic approach to fundamental challe ...
The EUA Charter has been elaborated on the basis of extensive consultation, not only with EUA’s 800 member universities and 34 national Rectors’ Conferences, but also with a wide range o ...
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The present policy input comprises EUA’s key messages for the European Commission’s public consultation on micro-credentials in the summer of 2021. The results of the consultation will feed into t ...
The present study on e-learning intends to contribute to closing a data gap and to stimulate the discussion on the further development of national and European policies on the issue and to supportits ...
The European Commission is developing a set of non-binding commitments for EU member states regarding enabling factors for digital education. This policy input summarises EUA’s input ahead of an eve ...
EUA Strategic Plan The need for strong universities has never been greater in addressing societal challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, resource scarcity, ageing populations, migration a ...
Following the widespread concern and debate provoked by the arrival of ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the European University Association’s Learning and Teaching Steering Co ...
Trends 2015 is the seventh in the series of Trends reports published by the European University Association. The main goal of Trends 2015 is to document the universities’ perceptions of the chan ...
This report is based on a project entitled “Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies”, or SIRUS, which was co-funded by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme. ...
This EUA report gives a detailed overview of the development of Master degrees in Europe. Based on a wide-ranging survey of European students, universities (leaders and academics) and employers, it sp ...
These Guidelines for Quality Enhancement in European Joint Master Programmes are addressed to all higher education institutions either considering or actually running joint programmes. It is the ...
EUA developed this project with the twin objectives of using the experience of joint programmes to find solutions to a range of issues in the European higher education landscape that need to be r ...
This survey represents the first attempt to describe and analyse systematically the present state of the art in respect of Master level degree programmes and joint degrees offered ...
Cette étude est la première à décrire et à analyser systématiquement l’état des lieux actuel des cursus de niveau master et des diplômes conjoints proposés dans l’Europe&nb ...
EUA requested its collective members (the rectors’ conferences) to react on the European Commission’s draft Memorandum on Lifelong Learning and to comment on the impact of nati ...
L'EUA a demandé à ses membres collectifs (les conférences des recteurs) de réagir au projet de mémorandum de la Commission européenne sur l'apprentissage tout ...
With the rapid development of MOOCs, EUA published an occasional paper in January 2013 on MOOCs for discussion at the EUA Council, and for information for EUA membership. The present paper a ...
Over the past year, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have received a great deal of attention from the academic community and the media. The EUA Secretariat has followed the development of the MOOCs ...
Trends 2018 examines how learning and teaching at European higher education institutions evolves in the context of changing demands, technological and societal development, and European- and national- ...
In recent years, the enhancement of learning and teaching has become a priority, not only for higher education institutions, but also for national governments, the European Union and the Bologna Proce ...
The EFFECT project produced a feasibility study on how teaching enhancement can be promoted in the most efficient manner at the European level. Launched at the 2019 European Learning & Teaching Fo ...
Attention to career paths in teaching and staff development, in order to enhance learning and teaching, has gained importance in the European policy arena in recent years. This paper is the result of ...
Higher education stakeholders are increasingly aware of the need for systematic continuous professional development opportunities for university teachers. This report reflects the outcomes of the work ...
The evaluation of learning and teaching is one central activity through which universities monitor the fitness-for-purpose of their education provision. This paper represents the outcomes of the work ...
Active learning encompasses a broad range of pedagogical approaches involving the learner in every step of the educational process, with the objective of stimulating ownership and critical thinking sk ...
Universities across Europe are calling for a more student-centred, inclusive university environment bringing together all actors of the university community, while also implementing measures to achiev ...
The digital transformation of our societies is moving ahead, changing the way that we work and interact. It is also changing learning environments and the need for digital skills. ...
Ample evidence suggests that even though student-centred learning is a topic of great interest and benefit to universities across Europe and beyond, there are widespread difficulties in addressing the ...
At the centre of a student’s university experience stands the programme that they follow. Therefore, creating curricula that are fit-for-purpose is at the heart of an institution’s teaching missio ...
The EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Internationalisation in learning and teaching” considers strategic and comprehensive internationalisation as a fit-for-purpose and timely me ...
Assessment is an essential and influential element in the learning journey of all students. There is commitment across universities to promoting a holistic assessment design, based on co-creation betw ...
The concept of evidence-based learning and teaching is complex and multifaceted. The EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Evidence-based approaches to learning and teaching” underst ...
There is a legitimate need for data on the performance of higher education institutions. It is important for the institutions themselves, as well as their stakeholders, including society. The use of i ...
Micro-credentials have attracted interest as a means to increase the effectiveness and flexibility of higher education and to provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the labour force. ...
Digitally enhanced learning and teaching is widely used across the European Higher Education Area, with general acceptance growing over the years and institutions widely acknowledging the benefits it ...
In Europe today, almost every higher education institution uses digitally enhanced learning and teaching. Since EUA began exploring this topic in 2013, digitally enhanced learning and teaching has bee ...
The 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Approaches in learning and teaching to promoting equity and inclusion” explored how universities can best support inclusion and equity ...
The 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Meeting skills and employability demands” explored how universities can ensure that their study programmes reflect the dynamic demands ...
The 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching” discussed how learning and teaching can embrace and promote sustainability, and ...
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, higher education institutions around the world adjusted their activities to an emergency online mode in the first half of 2020. As institutions have the main respon ...
The report analyses major and recent national policies and initiatives aiming to support the enhancement of learning and teaching in 30 countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). ...
This report outlines the conclusions of the Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group “Curriculum and assessment”, which examined how to embed digitally enhanced learning and teaching (DELT) and ...
This report outlines the conclusions of the Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group “Strategy and organisational culture”, which explored the role of strategy and organisational culture in pro ...
This report summarises the findings of the EUA Thematic Peer Group ‘‘International Partnerships’’ which explored digitally enhanced internationalisation of higher education in detail. The repo ...
This report presents the final outcomes of the EU-funded “Leadership and Organisation for Teaching and Learning at European universities” (LOTUS) project. ...
This report summarises the findings of the 2022 EUA Thematic Peer Group which explored collaborative teaching practice (CTP) in higher education in detail. ...
This report summarises the findings of the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group “Digitally competent teachers in designing quality learning environments”, which was active throughout 20 ...
This report summarises the findings of the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group "Needs and wellbeing of students and staff", which was active throughout 2022. ...
This report summarises the main results, insights and open questions of the DIGI-HE project and sets them in the wider context of Europe’s institutions and systems. As such, this final report public ...
On 27 March, the European Commission published a new higher education package, including proposals for Council Recommendations on a European recognition and quality assurance (QA) system and attractiv ...
As of 1 March, four new members start their mandate on the body which provides strategic guidance to EUA’s Learning & Teaching activities. ...
On 6-7 February 2024, an EUA-led project which aims to analyse, and strengthen related institutional capacity and strategies for staff development and academic assessment at European higher education ...
In 2022, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), will celebrate its 70th anniversary. ...
EUA welcomed three new members to the EUA Learning & Teaching Steering Committee on 1 March. ...
The secretariat of the Education Department of the Council of Europe launched a call for applications for the Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity. The deadline for applications is ...
The Education Department of the Council of Europe launched the application period for Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity during Covid-19, open until 20 August. ...
Sustainable learning and teaching was at the centre of the 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups, which have wrapped up their cycle of work. ...
EUA member Utrecht University will host the annual conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) 8-11 November 2023. The event will take place at the Ra ...
To facilitate networking and collaborative projects The University of Crete Teaching and Learning Centre, in Greece, is currently in the process of creating an international map of Teaching and Learni ...
The International Conference on Faculty Development “Developing Faculty members’ Pedagogical Acuity” will take place at EUA member University of Crete on 15-17 September 2023 in Rethymnon, Greec ...
For the second time around, EUA member WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business) will host its Seamless Learning Conference from 20 – 21 April 2023. ...
Welcome to HigherEd in Practice, a podcast series from the European University Association. In this series, we introduce you to selected practices in European higher education, covering teacher traini ...
The call for contributions for the 2025 European Learning & Teaching Forum is now open. ...
To map approaches to staff development at European HEIs, and analyse how they work in their respective environments, the STAFF-DEV consortium invites contributions through a survey. ...
After decades of transformative reforms, universities appear more streamlined and effective. However, Bjørn Stensaker argues that it should not be taken for granted that internal restructuring and im ...
FAIR data is an essential component of the open research ecosystem. In this article, Alexander Refsum Jensenius argues that "FAIRification" can also benefit research-based and research-led education, ...
Commenting on the launch of EUA’s Green Deal roadmap for universities, EUA’s Sergiu-Matei Lucaci notes in Research Europe that driving sustainability means reshaping teaching, operations, strategy ...
In the run up to the European University Association’s first pan-European Learning and Teaching Forum in Paris 28-29 September, we speak to Professor Jean Chambaz, a European University Association ...
With nearly 40 per cent of Europeans aged 30-34 now holding tertiary qualifications, universities have their work cut out delivering good learner-paced education to increasingly large and diverse popu ...
The EUA Thematic Peer Group on the evaluation of learning and teaching has enhanced a student partnership project at Queen’s University, Belfast. Claire Dewhirst, chair of the Thematic Peer Group, e ...
The continuous development of teaching competences needs commitment at all levels. It is a systematic process that requires a framework for teaching performance, a professionalisation body, preferably ...
The need to better professionalise academic teaching careers is now on the agenda of more and more universities in Europe. Iwona Maciejowska from Jagiellonian University explains why these universitie ...
Higher education institutions have been and are investing in finding a better balance between the valorisation of teaching and research. The example of KU Leuven, in Belgium, shows that even though an ...
The relationship between higher education institutions and society, as well as between learning and teaching, is evolving. This is driven by the changing ways in which students learn, different types ...
A higher education institution’s graduates reflect the achievement of intended learning outcomes as well as successful learning and teaching practices. Jurgita Vizgirdaite from the Kaunas University ...
As discussions are underway at the European Learning & Teaching Forum, EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives an overview of the extensive work taking place in the field, including reports, lessons learnt by ...
Student-centered and active learning are a necessity for European universities to remain relevant to young people and society. Cecilia Christersson and Patricia Staaf of Malmö University discuss the ...
Research-based education is happening in Europe, but there are clear challenges with how it is defined and understood. Bjørn Stensaker from the University of Oslo breaks down the topic and makes some ...
The University of Jyväskylä in Finland is redefining the role of language and communication skills in curriculum development and aiming to educate multilingual academic professionals. A university-w ...
Addressing the lack of recognition for the value of effective teaching requires more than making participation in teaching enhancement yet another requirement for academics, writes EUA Director, Highe ...
Quality assurance and the enhancement of learning and teaching are no longer exclusively the responsibility of those with the explicit responsibilities attached to their job titles. As EUA’s Tia Lou ...
The shift to a student-centered education system has implied disruptive change in learning and teaching. Roberta Moscon from the University of Trento discusses how more higher education institutions a ...
An interview with Michael Gaebel.In 2013, a European Commission high-level expert group report pointed to the fact that in all areas of education becoming a teacher usually requires formalised pedagog ...
The European Universities Initiative is a great opportunity to deepen collaboration and revive the debate about necessary system level reforms. However, it is important to be aware of the risks. EUA ...
The quality of student assessment is one of the major concerns in Europe’s universities. Emmanuel Sylvestre from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland discusses the issues related to student ass ...
Why should universities collect formative data at the course level if they aim to make evidence-based improvements in learning and teaching? Murat Sözer and Zuhal Zeybekoğlu from the Koç University ...
Internationalisation of the learning experience within higher education is becoming progressively important with an increased emphasis on non-mobile domestic students. With increased attention to sust ...
Learning is the core of education, and curriculum design is the key to learning. It combines all dimensions of university education and contributes significantly to its quality. This is, however, easi ...
The importance of learning outcomes has gained traction at Europe’s universities in recent years. The topic is also important in sectors beyond higher education, but often with a different purpose. ...
The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the renewed importance of universities’ civic engagement, whether it takes the form of a direct contribution to healthcare, research on the virus, or explaining ...
The role of students in universities is changing and should change. With an increasing focus on skills building and individual learning paths, students can no longer passively receive education. Nina ...
In Georgia, higher education institutions traditionally offered classroom learning and teaching before the Covid-19 crisis. The state of emergency changed this as universities quickly switched to onli ...
Almost 90% of European higher education institutions moved online in April and May due to the Covid-19 crisis. This would not have been possible some ten years ago. EUA expert Michael Gaebel gives a b ...
In recent years, a series of new international university rankings have come into the spotlight. Their focus differs from those of more established, comprehensive rankings in that they aim to highligh ...
The idea of a European degree is fascinating and attractive, but it also raises many conceptual and practical questions. What does a European degree mean? How would it differ from the current degrees ...
Micro-credentials are growing exponentially in popularity, attracting the interest of various stakeholders due to their flexibility and ability to meet the demands of a rapidly changing labour market. ...
The radical digitalisation of higher education due to the Covid-19 crisis offers an opportunity to engage in deeper institutional change addressing the digital and green transitions. As Natalia Timus ...
In a rapidly-changing labour market, how can students be prepared to be citizens of the world, as well as the future job creators and workers? Wyn Morgan and Catherine O’Mahony look at the definitio ...
In this article, the EUA Secretary General contributes to UIIN’s newly released “The Future Universities Thoughtbook - Universities During Times of Crisis”. She analyses how universities have ri ...
When Covid-19 forced universities to quickly switch to online and blended learning and teaching, the European University Association was already deep into the preparation of a study on the topic. This ...
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European University Association, Andrée Sursock analyses two decades of transformation and renewal in Europe’s higher education landscape, and charts ...
The Covid-19 crisis has led to a widening of the scope and role of internal quality assurance at universities and a shifting of the focus of evaluation practices. With the challenge of ensuring the qu ...
Higher education graduates are faced with an ever-growing expectation to be digitally apt and well versed in an international environment. As Aloys Krieg of RWTH Aachen University points out, these to ...
The quality-led rationale of digitalisation in learning and teaching slowly moves back onto the agenda of higher education institutions – accelerated and enriched by experiences resulting from the C ...
This piece by Oliver Vettori of the Vienna University of Economics and Business analyses the tightrope walk of university leadership. It points out the importance of getting experts to agree on a way ...
The concept of leadership in teaching is not easy to pin down. Drawing from the LOTUS project, EUA expert Thérèse Zhang explores two definitions and highlights the roles that leaders in teaching cou ...
A successful curriculum is interdependent with a successful assessment. Manuel João Costa from the University of Minho emphasises the importance of institutions understanding their own assumptions ab ...
We must fundamentally address how to shape learning in the digital transformation. Breaking down the “Hagen Manifesto on New Learning”, Annabel Bils from FernUniversität explains why now is the t ...
EUA recently conducted an internal study mapping the impact of its learning and teaching activities. This article offers insights into the findings and how they might be useful to institutional, natio ...
Current assessment practices do not reflect what students know, understand and what they can do. A new assessment literacy that emphasises evidence-based instruction and self-regulation in student lea ...
Micro-credentials are expected to widen participation in higher education by supporting inclusion and facilitating access to education. They are also expected to close the skills gaps in the labour ma ...
National, system-level initiatives can support and enhance learning and teaching, as highlighted in the study National Developments in Learning and Teaching in Europe. While higher education instituti ...
Martin Prchal expands the debate on teaching and learning to how institutions should see themselves as learners in their continuous endeavours to improve the learning experience of their students. Her ...
Collaborative teaching is finally gaining momentum in and between European universities. But what tangible benefits does this offer to teachers and their institutions? Here, Joan-Tomàs Pujolà outlin ...
As places of teaching and learning, how can universities tangibly create a culture of togetherness and well-being? Here, Jochen Schellinger explains Bern University of Applied Sciences’ efforts to d ...
Beyond getting the technology in place, digitally enhanced learning and teaching (DELT) in higher education requires considerable resources and engagement, strategy and leadership. In this article for ...
The AI debate goes much further than cheating on exams or generating texts for scientific articles; it is also about university values. For University World News, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen explores th ...
Digital transitions pervade every aspect of our lives, but some university teachers still appear reluctant to develop their digital competences. For Barbara Bruschi and Manuela Repetto, it is urgent t ...
Does artificial intelligence pose a threat to learning and teaching? Heli Harrikari argues that AI should be seen as part of broader, fast accelerating digitalisation of higher education and can provi ...
The Staff development for learning and teaching at European universities (STAFF-DEV) project aims to analyse how staff development and academic assessment are conducted at European higher education in ...
The LOTUS project aims to contribute to capacity building and strategic change management for learning and teaching at higher education institutions across Europe. The project also aims to discuss and ...
The DIGI-HE project explores different ways higher education institutions can boost their strategic approaches to digitally enhanced learning and teaching and enhance their capacity. The goal is to e ...
The EFFECT project aims to facilitate the exchange of experience and effective methods in terms of university teachers’ development at the European level. By drawing upon such good practices, it wil ...
The EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups gather a selected group of EUA member universities each year to discuss and explore practices and lessons learnt in organising and implementing lea ...
Universities must drive developments in learning and teaching. This requires close collaboration with all major stakeholder groups, including national and European policy makers. In recent decades, n ...
