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Socrates/Erasmus
European Policy Statement
What is the European Policy Statement (EPS)
The European Policy Statement (EPS) is an integral part of the Institutional
Contract that the K.U.Leuven has signed with the European Commission in
the framework of the Socrates/Erasmus programme. In its EPS the K.U.Leuven
outlines the context in which the planned Socrates/Erasmus activities
will take place.
Contents
Mission Statement of K.U.Leuven
- In its very first sentence, the mission statement of K.U.Leuven
indicates the importance of the university's international mission:
"Founded in 1425, the K.U.Leuven is a Flemish University of
catholic signature with an international orientation. It has the legal
statute of private institution. As a university it is a scientific institution
in which research that opens up new horizons and knowledge transfer
are both essential and complementary." The statement further
mentions the fundamentals of K.U.Leuven's educational stand: "As
a university it distinguishes itself from other educational institutions
by the fact that its teaching is based on and nourished by its own research
and by its interdisciplinary approach." On research, it expresses
K.U.Leuven's international ambitions: "In a number of fields
of research the university aspires to count among the centres of excellence
in Europe and in the world." K.U.Leuven has a tradition of
international exchange and hospitality: "As an internationally
oriented university , the K.U.Leuven is heir to a centuriesold tradition
of hospitality towards foreigners. Thanks to intense interuniversity
collaboration and to the exchange of students and staff members, its
development and transfer of knowledge actively contribute to the enrichment
of culture and science, in Europe and throughout the world."
- The educational concept of K.U.Leuven consists, therefore, in a fundamental
interweaving of education and research. Its educational ideal is based
on openness, creativity, and interdisciplinarity. In addition, the scientific
education of its students has to be integrated in an larger ethical,
cultural and social education.
This interweaving of education and research has made K.U.Leuven not
only an international research centre, but also an institution in which
education and training are continuously being renewed in a context of
life-long learning.
It fulfills this mission on its campuses in Leuven and Kortrijk.
- K.U.Leuven fulfills its mission in the framework of the decree of
June 12, 1991 on the universities of the Flemish Community.
The Bologna Declaration
In accordance with Flemish policy on this issue, K.U.Leuven will contribute
to the realisation of the European higher education space (Bologna declaration,
1999). From 2001-2002 onwards, it wants to design and implement its curricula
within the boundaries of this new framework, an operation which will be
finished by 2009-2010.
European Policy Objectives
- The K.U.Leuven bases its European educational policy on its mission
statement, as well as on the Bologna declaration and its implementation.
It goes without saying that this is closely linked to its internal research
policy, which aims at quality research on an international level.
With the Bologna Declaration in mind, K.U.Leuven strives to achieve
the following objectives:
- The European profiling of its programmes;
- The integration of these programmes into an undergraduate - graduate
structure, the initial higher education phase of lifelong learning;
- The development of post-academic training in a European context;
- To contribute to the improvement of European quality standards
in higher education;
- The European accredidation of its programmes.
The K.U.Leuven charges its faculties with the introduction of a systematic
policy to attain these objectives.
- Within this framework K.U.Leuven strives to achieve the following
specific objectives:
- to broaden and deepen the academic curricula through
programmed cooperation with other universities, in conjunction with
research.
- to guarantee a European education to its students through
its openness towards and exchanges with various European universities.
The awareness of a European identity through the positive appreciation
of linguistic and cultural differences contributes to a considerable
degree towards achieving this aim.
- to extend its role in the provision of scientific services
to a wider European community in cooperation with European partner
universities.
- The K.U.Leuven subscribes to the objectives of the European Union
towards further cooperation in teaching and research, and wishes to
act as a partner to the European Commission in the preparation and execution
of its programmes.
European Strategies
- To achieve these objectives the K.U.Leuven has developed the following
European strategies:
- student and staff exchanges
- the further implementation of its ECTS policy in all faculties
- the internal reinforcement of the European dimension in its curricula
and courses
- transnational cooperation in the areas of curriculum and course
development
- the organisation of international programmes and research schools
in associaton with prominent research centres
- the implementation of new technologies in education.
The interpretation of these strategies will be differentiated according
to the specific aims of each study cycle.
- The K.U.Leuven will support these strategies through:
- the involvement of its university centres and services
in the elaboration of specific educational issues that are raised
in an international context, such as curriculum and course development
and the organisation of distance education
- the reception, as a host institution, of foreign students
and staff and their integration into the Dutch language and Flemish
culture.
- cooperation with institutions in neighbouring regions in the framework
of its Euregional policy
- participation in European networks and consortia that
promote the internationalisation of education and allow for educational-economical
multiplicator effects
- the teaching of almost all European foreign languages in its Institute
of Modern Languages and Centre of Modern Languages.
The International Relations Policy Statement
In early 1999, the Academic Council at K.U.Leuven approved the International
Relations Policy Statement, in which aspects of the European Policy Statement
are integrated and elaborated:
- The internationalisation of research is steered by academics contacting
colleagues and labs abroad with which they wish to collaborate. The
university and academic authorities supply the necessary means to enable
these international contacts: fellowships, travel subsidies, postdoctoral
placements abroad, scientific research communities, etc.
- The faculties are requested to reflect on internationalising first
and second-cycle education in Dutch (i.e. through collaboration with
Dutch universities). In this, they are supported by the International
Relations Office and the Research Coordination Office. The results of
this reflection are expected in November 2000 and will lead to new policies
in the course of the academic year 2000-2001.
- Faculties can strive towards more first and second-cycle English-language
programmes, with or without the collaboration of foreign universities.
More English-language courses for last-year students can be considered
as well. However, the Flemish government opposes this policy. The position
of the Flemish Council on this issue is not encouraging. K.U.Leuven
will take this matter up with the Flemish Inter-university Council (Vl.I.R.).
- The existing postgraduate courses have been evaluated by the Education
Coordination Office and the International Relations Office. K.U.Leuven
now offers 35 excellent post-graduate programmes in English. In most
cases, and increasingly so, there is cooperation with foreign universities
and knowledge centres. Quality programmes in Dutch are encouraged to
participate in the international market with a foreign-language section.
- K.U.Leuven continues to attract more promising foreign doctoral students
and has raised the level of grants accordingly. Outside Europe, special
efforts are being made to attract Chinese and Latin-American students.
- K.U.Leuven's involvement in development cooperation has been strengthened.
K.U.Leuven continues to play a prominent part in Flemish inter-university
cooperation programmes. In future, where appropriate, more collaboration
with other European universities.will be sought
- The Erasmus programme will continue to receive additional funds, from
the central level as well as from the faculties.
- K.U.Leuven continues to play an active role in international
networks and associations.
- The bilateral agreements with foreign universities have been reviewed
and K.U.Leuven's policy in this area has been fine-tuned.
Operational Plan
In view of these strategies the K.U.Leuven will deploy the following
activities through faculty implementation plans:
- At first cycle level the K.U.Leuven acquaints its students
with various aspects of European expertise in the basic disciplines
and counsels them in their choice for participation in student mobility
schemes in the latter phases of their studies by informing, motivating
and advising them. Staff mobility schemes and curriculum development
are also be targeted towards these aims.
- At second cycle level the K.U.Leuven promotes student mobility.
At the present time the exchanges have reached the level of 600 incoming
and as many outgoing students. It will see to it that students are selected
on the basis of talent, motivation and dedication, and that social circumstances,
physical disabilities or gender do not form any obstacle to student
mobility.
With a view to promoting the European dimension in the education of
students remaining at their home university and to improve teaching
quality the K.U.Leuven will encourage its faculties to integrate curriculum
modules of other European universities into their course structures
or to develop and offer these modules in cooperation with their European
partners, such as, courses, seminars, study weeks, training periods
or apprenticeships, etc. This should be viewed in close relation to
exchanges of staff members. Wherever it is possible and desirable, this
can also be achieved through virtual means, i.e. through self-study
course material or telematics.
- At third cycle level the K.U.Leuven wishes to emphasise international
teaching and research programmes with a view to building a European
research community and a European potential of very highly qualified
professionals. It has traditionally set up a large number of international
programmes through its own funding: Master degrees, specialisation and
complementary postgraduate programmes. Moreover, it attracts a large
number of doctoral students through its Research Fund.
The K.U.Leuven will now request all its faculties to participate in
at least one international educational programme or international research
school associated with a prominent research centre. This may be a Leuven
initiative with a European impact, or a multinational modular undertaking
with a substantial contribution by Leuven.
Student and staff mobility at this level form part of this policy. To
enhance its impact on a European level and to improve access for foreign
students the K.U.Leuven will invite its faculties to set up international
programmes in such a way as to make them accessible through virtual
means as well.
- As far as staff mobility is concerned the K.U.Leuven encourages
its departments to provide for staff exchanges in each programme. These
are preferably to be combined with intensive contacts with foreign research
centres. A continual cycle of mutual quality improvement of teaching
and research ought thereby to be created.
- In order to support student exchanges the K.U.Leuven continues
to organise an information and reception programme, including an orientation
week. It also provides language courses in the Institute
for Modern Languages. The self-study package "Vanzelfsprekend"
enables students to learn Dutch at home before coming to Leuven. On
the spot, the K.U.Leuven organises a course in Dutch language and Flemish
culture. Furthermore, it offers a high-quality social service for foreign
students. The integration of foreign disabled students can serve as
an example in point. For this accomplishment the K.U.Leuven has received
the European Helios Award of the European Commission. Foreign students
are also able to remain in permanent contact with their home universities
through the K.U.Leuven's information technology network (e-mail and
Internet access).
- The K.U.Leuven supports educational innovation in the framework
of European cooperation, for instance through curriculum and course
development and through the application of new forms of instruction
such as distance teaching, including the use of telematics and multimedia.
To this end the faculties can apply for support to research centres
on faculty level such as the Centre for Education Policy and Innovation
and the Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology, and to central
university services such as the University Education Office, the Leuven
Institute for Innovative Learning, the Audio-visual
Service, the (Euro) Study Centre Open University, University Lifelong
Learning and the Leuven branch of EUROPACE
- The K.U.Leuven will continue to play an active part in European
networks at the institutional level, among them the Coimbra
group, which unites Europe's oldest universities, and in the two
main European distance teaching networks, i.e. EUROPACE,
which it supports to a considerable degree, and the EADTU
network, for which it has set up two Euro Study Centres (in Leuven
and Kortrijk). The cooperation between these networks allows for a joint
design of education and the provision of their own (distance) teaching
programmes in fifty to a hundred different places throughout Europe.
The K.U.Leuven will also contribute to the Dutch-Flemish consortium
for educational innovation at the Dutch Open
University.
Moreover, the K.U.Leuven continues to stimulate its faculties to perform
a leading role in faculty networks such as the European
Law Faculties Association and the Conference
of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research
(CESAER).
Lastly, the K.U.Leuven continues to encourage the efforts of individual
staff members in the framework of the former ICPs: the success
of the Socrates programme depends to a large extent on the dynamics
generated in the past through these networks.
Participation in networks will not prevent the K.U.Leuven from remaining
open to cooperation with other universities.
- The K.U.Leuven has appointed faculty coordinators to support and implement
faculty policy. The International Relations Office will coordinate the
whole. Each year the impact of the Institutional Contract with the European
Commission on the current policy statement will be evaluated.
- As in the past, the K.U.Leuven will contribute to a considerable degree
to the implementation of its European policy. This contribution focuses
on the strengthening of the European dimension in its normal programmes,
the preparing of its students for their stay abroad, the organisation
of the reception of foreign students and their social and cultural integration,
facilities targeted towards disabled students, aspects of educational
support, contributions to institutional and faculty networks, supporting
services rendered by academic and administrative staff, both at the
faculty and at central level, etc.
The Global Perspective
The K.U.Leuven will not limit its efforts to Europe. It has traditionally
had a global calling as well. K.U.Leuven and UCL (Université Catholique
de Louvain) have answered this calling in the past by founding Lovanium
in Congo. Since then, K.U.Leuven has broadened the cooperation with other
continents, on the basis of equal partnerships. The Interfaculty Council
for Development Cooperation has approved a policy statement on this issue.
Expert groups for each continent prepare the strategic policies of K.U.Leuven
for their respective areas, to wit, America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
As far as Europe is concerned, the broadening of the European higher education
space towards Central and Eastern Europe is one of the current priorities.
Thematic Network
K.U.Leuven has coordinated the European Ethics Network (prof. J. Verstraeten),
which no longer receives Socrates funding. At present, K.U.Leuven's Prof.
H. Van Coppenolle coordinates the Thematic Network "Educational
and social integration of persons with a handicap through adapted physical
activity". The university plays a leading role in Europe and
world-wide in the area of adapted physical activity. The Thematic Network
is linked to the European Master in Adapted Physical Activity, which was
established earlier with European funding. The aim of this Thematic Network
is to achieve, on the one hand, common European strategies on educational
programmes for specialists (on different educational levels) in adapted
physical activity, and, on the other hand, to implement national 'integration
cells' in all partner countries with representatives from education and
research, the government, and associations of people with disabilities
. This will in the long term lead to a better integration of people with
disabilities. Professor H. Van Coppenolle is chairman of the European
Association for Research into Adapted Physical Activity and coordinator
of the Master programme mentioned above. Leuven is without a doubt a European
centre of excellence in this area and has received the United Nations
Peace Medal Award for the movie "I am not disabled"
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