Bologna Process

The controversies over the Bologna process in Germany also have aprinciple side, and that concerns the concept and the idea or thephilosophy of higher education and particularly of the university.Contrary to the Bologna rhetoric which evokes the spirit of the 'European' university, the values of free inquiry, academic freedom(also for students!), critical thinking, institutional autonomy etc, there is a different picture of the university, of teaching and learning behind the 'Lisbonised' Bologna system which belies the Sunday speeches. That isa picture of prescribed modularised curricula, developed and organisedby professional curriculum developers, a rationalised system of countingcredits, hours, 'workload' (load!), controlled by quality assuranceexperts under the umbrella of European Bologna superstructures.