Azerbaijan and European Higher Education Area: Students’ Involvement in Bologna Reforms
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Mammadova, Lala
Valiyev, Anar
Abstract
This study explores the progress of the 14-year old Bologna
reform in major Azerbaijani public universities. The focus of
the study was to investigate the level of student involvement
in the transformation process of the European Higher
Education Area. The data for the research were collected from a
survey conducted among 2,400 bachelor’s and master’s
students, as well as through semi-structured interviews with
university administrators and experts. The study mainly
examines the key elements of Bologna process – degree
structure, quality assurance, mobility, and social dimension.
The study found that despite the remarkable progress in the
development of higher education system in the country, much
work still needs to be done at the institutional level to involve
students in all stages of the reform process. Huge discrepancies
and shortages are observed with respect to the role of students
in the quality assurance process both at the external and
internal level. In terms of the internationalization of
institutions, formal strategies and targets, as well as sufficient
funding, are not yet fully existent in higher education
institutions. Meanwhile, students in the chosen universities
are either unaware of student support services or unsatisfied
with the provision of those services.
reform in major Azerbaijani public universities. The focus of
the study was to investigate the level of student involvement
in the transformation process of the European Higher
Education Area. The data for the research were collected from a
survey conducted among 2,400 bachelor’s and master’s
students, as well as through semi-structured interviews with
university administrators and experts. The study mainly
examines the key elements of Bologna process – degree
structure, quality assurance, mobility, and social dimension.
The study found that despite the remarkable progress in the
development of higher education system in the country, much
work still needs to be done at the institutional level to involve
students in all stages of the reform process. Huge discrepancies
and shortages are observed with respect to the role of students
in the quality assurance process both at the external and
internal level. In terms of the internationalization of
institutions, formal strategies and targets, as well as sufficient
funding, are not yet fully existent in higher education
institutions. Meanwhile, students in the chosen universities
are either unaware of student support services or unsatisfied
with the provision of those services.