Pla 2016 - ESENESR, Poitiers (France) Robin Middlehurst - Leadership & innovation in higher education: case studies from the UK.

1. Governance and Adaptation to Innovative Modes
of HE Provision (GAIHE)
The future of HE and the place of innovation in the EHEA
ESENESR, Futuroscope, 26 January 2016
Guy HAUG, EHEA Expert, Advisor to the UPValencia

2. Innovation in the development of the EHEA
An unexpected, key actor: the EU
 policy initiative, impulse, push, ideas, analises
 Programmes, with innovative approaches to cooperation and
mobility, and later to system organisation and policies
 Budget for HE and for Research/Innovation
Structural innovation
 Organised mobility, integrated programmes, common tools (DS,…)
 Structure of systems: credits, Bologna structure of degrees
 Quality assurance agencies and their linkage across the EHEA
 Qualifications Frameworks (for HE, for LLL)

3. Innovation in the development of the EHEA
Policy innovations
 External dimension of the EHEA
 Funding recommendations (e.g. 3% in R&D, 1% in HE)
 LLL orientation
 Integration of all segments of HE systems for LLL
Governance/Management innovations
 New approaches to system management
 New approaches to institutional management
 Strategic planning and implementation
 Internationalisation strategies

4. Innovation in the development of the EHEA
→ Innovation as a main driver of the EHEA:
 At EU level
 National governments and authorities
 Institutions
 Persons
→ Reaches beyond « adaptation », « governance » and the EHEA
 Room for national, regional, institutional and personal initiatives
 Not only top-down governance, also bottom-up
 The building of the EHEA has stimulated reforms in other regions

5. Innovation challenge: strengthening the EHEA
Post-Bologna phase has begun:
 little more convergence expected: unequal understanding and implementation of
change process according to countries, HEIs, disciplines, …
 Endless enlargement of EHEA: ever more and increasingly different countries
→ EHEA = inner circle of well integrated countries, + growing outer circle
 Economic-financial «crisis» has led to huge divergence between national policies:
HE funding, reform of traditional national features of education system,
orientation towards LLL and society, etc. - in spite of greater mobilisation of
European Structural and Social Funds

6. Innovation challenge: strengthening the EHEA
New EU programmes Europe 2020
 ERASMUS + as a mammouth programme: geographical and thematic
integration, multi-purpose (internal + external, not only HE), indirect
(grants through national intermediaries), massive, with sometimes weaker
integration at host HEI and in local language
 Doctoral studies as part of Marie-Curie and ERA: very unequal
development of « Doctoral Schools » and non-traditional doctorates
 Decreasing innovativeness in some areas
(e.g. double-degrees, accreditation)
 Slow further development of new tools
(e.g. RPL, evaluation by foreign QA agency, «European» quality seals)

7. Innovation challenge: global «Quality»
Addressing properly the Digital Revolution
 Mainly re-active change in policies and practice, slow adoption of
pro-active change (ex: Open Resources, MOOCs)
 Skewed awareness of change implied by Digital Revolution:
- main focus on technological change in teaching material & delivery
- weak awareness of change in learners expectations and needs (maybe
the most crucial and lasting change not yet acknowledged in the EHEA)
 Adequate QA procedures for the evaluation of digital and mixed learning
are still mostly missing –even more so when for cross-border delivery
 Change of role of HEIs in teaching / learning:
→ from transmission of knowledge to certification of competencies
→ loss of universities′
last monopoly?

8. Innovation challenge: global «Quality»
Innovation needs for more flexible and relevant learning itineraries
 More focus on: - effective learning of KSCs by ever more diverse «learners»
- cost-efficiency of process and results
 More flexible itineraries for initial and continuous HE (LLL):
- more diverse access routes, adequate RPL and remedial courses
- bridges with professional/vocational education and with Continuing education
- more diverse learning schemes/methods: blended/reverse teaching, credits for
internships, projects, research, study abroad, languages, non-disciplinary modules
 Incentives for and recognition of Quality/Excellence in Teaching:
- through internal QA (teachers, curricula)
- in external QA procedures (need to offset bias in Rankings)

9. Innovation challenge: internationalisation
Europe again top destination of internationally mobile students (and scholars); yet:
- maybe not for the best reasons
- strong appeal of USA to the very best persons
Several simultaneous lines of change/innovation, diverse responses:
- from europeanisation to worldwide internationalisation
- from mobility/cooperation to internationalisation of studies and HEI
- from cooperation to coopetition or even plain competition
- from academic approaches to commercial, business approaches
⟹ divergence between countries in perceived role of HE in migrants
crisis, also leads to unequal resources for HEIs to address it

10. Innovation challenge: internationalisation
New rationales for internationalisation
 Acquisition of international competencies by all learners, not mobility of a few
→ implies innovation in curricula, teaching/learning, staff training, recruitment, governance
 Internationalisation as a key factor for differentiation, visibility, attractiveness, competitiveness
→ competition is brought to the courtyard ofall HEIs, both local and global
→ enormous room for innovative measures − for global as well as regional / local HEIs
International attractiveness / competitiveness: the EHEA in the international arena
 how readable and understandable are the EHEA degree structure and QA system for outsiders?
(quality seals, national agencies, networks, portals)
 development of integrated/joint double degree programmes (a major European innovation)
with non-European partners
 European (not national) seals in key professional areas: response to US, still weak (except EQUIS)
→ need to further develop EUR-ACE (Engineering), Euro-INF (Informatics), Euro-Chemistry, etc.

11. Innovation challenge: rankings
Need for innovative responses from European HE systems and institutions
 «worst news of last half-century» for European universities as a community ??
 unanimously criticised, but used as a reference by governments, students, HEIs
 Three main strategic issues:
- possible depreciation of teaching and social role of HEIs vs. research/publication
- highest risk is with undergraduate education, LLL, HE in less favoured regions / populations
- attention (over)focussed on postgraduate level
 Divergent responses at European, national and HEI level:
- «excellence» vs. «quality»: specific promotion of national poles of excellence
- merging policies (whole institutions, doctoral schools, resource centres,…)
- U-Multirank

12. Innovation challenge: governance
Addressing the 3 gaps faced by the majority of European HEIs:
- FUNDING GAP: overall, above all from private sources (LLL, fees, donations,…)
budgetary and financial freedom
- MANAGEMENT GAP: limited experience with strategic and professional approaches
staff management structures: enduring academic and union traditions
low financial incentives
one-model-suits-all structures imposed by national Laws
low, unequal opportunities for administrative staff in EU programmes
- MARKETING GAP: weak institutional identity and loyalty
limited experience with competitive communication, image building,
international recruitment, off-shore campuses, mobilisation of alumni,…

13. Likely scenario(s) for the next years
 Conditions for HE (and Research) will remain divergent in Europe:
→ innovation is likely to be more national in some countries than European
 Outer circle will continue lagging behind inner circle:
→ neighbourhood policies unlikely to offset differences
 Diversification and stratification will increase between and within countries:
→ profiling and alliances will be crucial: open, international
competitive leagues of leading research universities are likely to coexist
with various layers of more local HEIs
→ main area for innovation likely to be at postgraduate level,
although it is equally needed at degree and subdegree level + LLL
 Rankings and Quality Assurance will stay, but will have to change and diversify

14. Personal observations…
… meant as food for the discussion!
Thank you, Merci, Danke sehr, Muchas gracias