International
journal
issue #3
05/2018
Solutions for networking
wwiitthh
Russian
HEIs
Dear Readers, they prefer to be contacted by their interna-
tional partners first.
Our journal, Higher Education Discovery In other words, we are currently observing
(HED), was first introduced to the general the active development of the proactive uni-
public in May 2017 during the International versity policies of internationalization and
Conference of Asia-Pacific Quality Network transparency which are evolving in higher
(APQN). A year has passed and we are grate- education institutions over the globe. With our
ful for the warm welcome and honored to have journal we aim to support this global tendency
made strong partnerships with higher educa- using a variety of tools.
tion institutions over the globe since then. One of such tools is network website
One year is a too short lifespan, yet our HEDclub.com which currently has over 400
journal has accomplished a lot: we have had registered higher education institutions from
a bunch of meaningful events, effective meet- Russia and abroad. The website is a good plat-
ings, bright ideas, strategic initiatives and form to inform the academic public on the
many more. Our readers might wonder what meaningful events, to find partners for the
the outcomes of the first year are? First and projects and build consortiums. Thanks to the
foremost: the global system of education is website any higher education institutions can
extremely diverse. We were privileged to get take part in an Online Fair which is a regular
to know higher education institutions from 80 event maintained by the platform.
countries of the world and build strong part- Another tool that has been developed for
nerships with them. Even though the national our partners is a range of information support
environment and educational policies are strategies. We hope this tool will significantly
diverse, the departments of international contribute to enhancing the internationaliza-
cooperation at different universities over the tion and developing cross-border partnerships.
globe face similar challenges and represent I encourage you to participate in the journal
similar hierarchical academic and informa- as a partner, as a reader and as an advocate for
tion structures, tools, criteria, and objectives. the ideas you find useful by continuing conver-
Thus, the survey carried out by the department sations on HEDclub.com website.
of international cooperation in 2017 revealed Ekaterina Shigapova,
that 96% of respondents preferred active strat- Editor-in-Chief
egies of partner search, only 3.7% stated that
NETWORKING SOLUTIONS
STANDARD PACKAGE ($200)
Emailing your cooperation offer to the heads of
International Departments
There are currently 700 email addresses of Russian higher
education institutions in our mailing list, which is regularly
revised and updated. The newsletters sent on your behalf
are personalized and can be mailed at any day of the week,
whichever you wish. Upon emailing your potential partners,
we produce a written report. The mailout is carried out within
14 days of the payment receipt.
PREMIUM PACKAGE ($1,500)
Communicating on the phone your cooperation offer to
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There are currently 700 addresses and phone numbers of
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is regularly revised and updated. Based on the results of
communication we produce a written report on the interest
to your cooperation offer. The PREMIUM package includes
emailing your cooperation offer to the heads of International
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SUPER PACKAGE ($2,500)
Face-to-face communication with your Russian col-
leagues at the all-Russian conference “Information
transparency in the sphere of education and science:
the art of self-presentation”
The SUPER package includes emailing your cooperation offer
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cating on the phone your cooperation offer to the heads of
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Guest status to be awarded (individual service)
• Conference participant
• Key speaker
• Exponent (poster session)
• Participant of the round table discussion
56 20 25
IUNC Eurasia 2018 The Croatian Academic Mobility
Qualifications As a Key Component
Higher education Framework: of Internationalization
cooperation forum and one- a Reform in Brazil
to-one meetings, networking Instrument for the
and social activities, Educational System Inbound or outbound: the pen-
awards for achievements in dulum of students' priorities is
internationalization and a Learning outcomes as central always swinging.
Russian-style party. elements of CROQF make How to support both?
a basis for development
of qualifications and
occupational standards and
evaluation of educational
programs.
Round University Ranking:
Specifications
Teaching or research, international diversity or financial
sustainability: what is the most important? 20 indicators help
sort out any problem and introduce a sophisticated but clear
ranking classification of leagues, dimensions and subject
areas.
6 QS WORLDWIDE 2018:
the Road to
University Excellence
52
50 44 47
Dreams Come True Russian-Bavarian Joint Bavarian-
at Ekaterinburg Cooperation in Russian Conference
State Theater Higher Education on Interdisciplinary
Institute and Science Humanities and
Social Sciences
Drama theater, movies, Partnership, research and
puppet shows, musicals, joint events are the three
television, literature— dimensions that construct
any career that can make you cooperation.
a star.
Accreditation in Education
Publishing House
Russian Education Finnish Higher Director
Export: Internal Education Policy: Ekaterina Shigapova
Internationalization Quality, Efficiency,
Equity and Interna- Editorial staff
The ways, models and tionalization Marina Bryliakova
opportunities to make
education international. How to choose right ap- Olga Grebneva
proaches, principles, aims Natalia Gorlanova
37 and tools? Marat Gainutdinov
29 Andrei Egorov
Ekaterina Ivanova
Kristina Parulava
Aleksandra Riabinina
Irina Semenova
Ekaterina Sindeeva
Andrei Shumelev
Contents hedclub.com
Round University Ranking: Specifications
Oleg Solovev........................................................................... 6
The Croatian Qualifications Framework: a Reform Instrument
for the Educational System
Jasmina Havranek, Silvija Vrgoč........................................... 20
Academic Mobility As a Key Component
of Internationalization in Brazil
Kristina Parulava................................................................... 25
Finnish Higher Education Policy: Quality, Efficiency,
Equity and Internationalization
Kristina Parulava................................................................... 29
Higher Education and Research in France:
the Winds of Change
Kristina Parulava................................................................... 33
Russian Education Export: Internal Internationalization
Gulnara Krasnova, Andrei Baikov, Ekaterina Arapova..........37
Russian-Bavarian Cooperation
in Higher Education and Science
Nikolas Djukić........................................................................ 44
Joint Bavarian-Russian Conference
on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Social Sciences
Rudolf Schüßler, Nikolas Djukić.............................................47
Dreams Come True at Ekaterinburg State Theater Institute
Anna Glukhaniuk................................................................... 50
QS WORLDWIDE 2018:
the Road to University Excellence........................................ 52
IUNC Eurasia 2018............................................................... 56
Educational Venue:
Career Guidance Exhibition in Belarus................................ 59
5 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018
World education rankings
Round University
Ranking:
Specifications
Oleg SOLOVEV, Round University Ranking (RUR) is an
Editor of Round University Ranking international ranking of leading world
6 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 universities published by RUR Ranking
Agency (Moscow, Russia). The ranking
provides comparison of 930 leading
universities from 80 countries around
the world for eight years (2010-2017)
according to 20 indicators distributed
into four areas: teaching, research,
international diversity, and financial
sustainability. Such a wide coverage,
both geographically and temporally,
makes the RUR ranking a unique tool for
choosing universities for study and work
as well as comparing higher education
institutions on a global scale.
hedclub.com
World education rankings
Principles and sources of ranking RUR ranking is:
• a navigator in the world of higher education enabling
The RUR rankings are based on inclusive- applicants and their parents to choose the appropriate
ness, balanced and stable methodology as higher institution and the way of training;
key principles of compilation.
• a tool for students helping to choose a higher educa-
FACT tion institutions for their short-term programs or change
RUR compared 930 leading universi‑ their main place of study;
ties from 80 countries around the world
for eight years (2010‑2017) according to • a tool for teachers and professors enabling them to
20 indicators distributed into four areas: find suitable vacancies and make decisions about coop-
teaching, research, international diversity, eration with their colleagues in the other universities;
and financial sustainability. In addition to
the overall ranking, RUR includes 30 rank‑ • an assessment tool for the management of uni-
ings on six subject areas: humanities, life versities evaluating the competitiveness of a university
sciences, medical sciences, natural sci‑ on the national and global scale and making the appro-
ences, social sciences, engineering. priate management decisions aimed at comprehensive
improvement of the university’s international competi-
tiveness;
• one of the assessment tools for business evaluating
Inclusiveness. There are no restrictions the university and making decisions about cooperation
for any higher education institution in the with a particular higher education institution;
world to limit their participation in the RUR
ranking such as the number of publications, • a tool for the state to comprehensively assess the
the availability of undergraduate programs, country's higher education system as well as a way of
maintaining national prestige.
etc. The only exception effective as of 2016 2017 RUR rankings had the changes but they
is a number of restrictions concerning the were related to data processing methods
initial indicators of universities: the num- and the elimination of the found anomalies
ber of academic staff, students, publications, rather than changes in the methodo logy
etc. If a university does not reach these indi- basics.
cators, it is assigned the average value of the Traditionally, the rankings of the uni-
universities of the host country then. These versities are represented by the so-called
restrictions are implemented to remove league tables. Within the framework of such
a number of anomalies from the ranking, type of rankings the data for individual met-
which will be discussed below. It is worth rics are reduced to a single score. This is a
noting that a university can participate in classical ranking, in which universities are
the ranking in any case, even though it does evaluated by a number of parameters and
not overcome the threshold values. are ranked according to the decrease of the
Balanced Methodology. Initially, we final score. The final score is an aggregation
proceeded from the concept that weights (i.e. compilation) of scores for a number of
should be the same for all indicators of indicators.
the ranking, i.e. 5% each. As testing made There is an alternative to league tables,
it clear, such approach led to anomalies in i.e. the systems of comparison and correla-
the ranking results (for more details refer tion, which provide the clustering of higher
to the International Diversity chapter). education institutions according to similar
Thus, we found a compromise solution say- characteristics instead of ranking. Thus, the
ing that the weights inside the measuring ranking is no longer a ranking in the strict
directions (groups of indicators) should sense of the word. It rather becomes a set
be the same, so that no indicator had an of indicators, which customers use to com-
advantage over the others. In so doing, the The methodology development sought to answer
presence of a large number of indicators the following primary questions:
and small weights should minimize the
volatility of the ranking. • What basic principles should be used as a basis for
the methodology?
Stable Methodology. The methodology
of ranking, i.e. the number of indicators, the • Should the ranking be presented in the format of a
distribution of weights between them, and traditional system of leagues or a system of comparison/
the initial data source should undergo mini- correlation of the universities?
mal changes. Eight versions of the 2010-
• What data should the ranking be based on?
7 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
pare universities in accordance with their sen the Institutional Profiles by Clarivate
goals and objectives. Analytics, the former Thomson Reuters IP &
Finally, it was decided to stick with the Science Solutions.
first option—a league table. First off, most The Institutional Profiles are an annu-
of the rankings were built precisely on this ally updated database containing all three
principle, which makes this format famil- abovementioned types of data. There are
iar and understandable to users. Secondly, more than a hundred of unique indicators
the system of user comparison in the strict for each higher education institution within
sense is not a ranking because in this case this database so it allows choosing appro-
each user has his/her own ranking. Thirdly, priate indicators for any area of university
the team of RUR Ranking Agency counts to activity.
combine both approaches in the long term Groups of measurement
so that on the one hand, there will be the
ranking as a league table, on the other, there The next task after selecting the data
will be introduced elements of comparison source is to define the methodology model,
and correlation. which is the basis for defining specific indi-
The procedure of choosing the data types cators and distributing the weights between
used for the assessment of universities has them. This task is divided into three sub-
become the key factor determining the tasks: (i) selection of measuring directions
methodology structure. (groups of indicators); (ii) definition of the
The main types of information to create a minimum and maximum limits of indica-
ranking are bibliometric data, statistics, and tors for both the entire ranking and certain
reputational data. groups of indicators; (iii) determination of
Bibliometric data are based on informa- the weights of the groups and indicators.
tion obtained from bibliometric systems The modern university is an extremely
such as Web of Science Core Collection, complex phenomenon and can include
Scopus, Google Scholar, etc. As a rule, the several campuses, hundreds of structural
term bibliometric means the number of pub- divisions, thousands and tens of thou-
lications in scientific sands of employees,
journals, the number of RUR principles: tens and hundreds
citations for these pub- inclusiveness, balanced of thousands of stu-
lications and all deriva- and stable methodology dents. Universities are
tives of those indicators. becoming the basis of
Scientometric data scientific and techno-
refer to the type of data most widely used in logical clusters driving the growth of cities
university rankings. and regions. The mission of the university
Statistics include the information pro- has long gone beyond the limits of teaching
vided by the universities, i.e. staff indicators or presenting the knowledge by means of its
(number of academic staff, researchers, etc.), translation, as it was in the Middle Ages.
data on the student population (total num- Therefore, a natural question arises: how
ber of students, number of various diplo- can we sort out and choose the key aspects
mas/degrees awarded, etc.), financial data of the universityʼs activity among the vari-
(total budget, R&D budget, etc.). ety of the others and reflect them in the
Reputational data are collected from ranking methodology? It is worth taking
specially conducted reputational surveys into account that there is no ranking to be
showing which universities respondents able to cover all aspects of the universityʼs
choose considering them the best in terms activities since each university has its own
of the quality of teaching, research, etc. unique features. Not to mention that some
After a careful evaluation we have cho- areas of activity are more amenable to quan-
titative accounting (scientific activity), the
RUR uses two main and two auxiliary directions of others are less (educational activities).
the university's assessment. Teaching and Research After a careful analysis of all possible
constitute the meaning of the institution's activity
and its basis. International Diversity and Financial areas of activity, we chose two main and
Sustainability are supposed to measure additional, two auxiliary directions of the universityʼs
background aspects of activities. assessment. The main directions constitute
the meaning of the institutionʼs activity and
its basis. The auxiliary ones are supposed to
8 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
measure additional, background aspects of the following structure: 20 indicators; four
activities. The main activities are Teaching measured groups; five indicators in each
and Research. The auxiliary activities measured group; and equal weights in the
are International Diversity and Financial measured groups.
Sustainability.
Based on the availability of the STRUCTURE in figures
Institutional Profiles database, it was decided RUR ranking has:
to choose five indicators for each of the four • 20 indicators;
measured groups. • 4 measured groups;
• 5 indicators in each measured group;
Taking into account that there are no sci- • equal weights in the measured groups.
entifically based and universally accepted
criteria for selecting weights of indicators, it
is decided to assign equal weights within the
indicator groups. Hence “Round,” the name TEACHING (40%)
of the ranking, comes, which denotes the Teaching is one of the key missions of
symmetry of the methodology. the higher education institution and at the
The International Diversity and Financial same time it is the hardest activity to mea-
Sustainability groups are assigned 10% of sure. For example, what is the correct way of
weights. The weight of each criterion was evaluating professorʼs talent as a lecturer?
2% because there are five evaluation param- Therefore, the only way to assess the qual-
eters. ity of teaching in the global ranking is to
Thus, 20% are distributed between use such formalized indicators as the num-
two areas. The rest of 80% are left for the ber of academic staff divided by the number
Teaching and Research groups. of students, etc. After careful selection we
We consider both Teaching and Research have chosen the following five indicators to
as two primary missions of every university. be included in the Teaching area.
Therefore, the remaining 80% are equally 1. Academic staff per students (8%).
divided: 40% for each of the two groups, and This indicator shows how many faculty there
8% for each of 10 indicators within these are per student in a university. This is a
groups. standard indicator used in world university
Summarizing the above we have come to rankings due to objective reasons. As
the conclusion that the RUR ranking has already mentioned, measuring the quality of
Group of Measurement Indicator Weight
TEACHING (40%) 1. Academic staff per students 8%
RESEARCH (40%) 2. Academic staff per Bachelorʼs degrees awarded 8%
3. Doctoral degrees awarded per academic staff 8%
INTERNATIONAL DIVERSITY (10%) 4. Doctoral degrees awarded per Bachelorʼs degrees awarded 8%
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY (10%) 5. World teaching reputation 8%
6. Citations per academic and research staff 8%
7. Doctoral degrees per admitted PhD 8%
8. Normalized citation impact 8%
9. Papers per academic and research staff 8%
10. World research reputation 8%
11. Share of international academic staff 2%
12. Share of international students 2%
13. Share of international co-authored papers 2%
14. International reputation outside region 2%
15. International level 2%
16. Institutional income per academic staff 2%
17. Institutional income per students 2%
18. Papers per research income 2%
19. Research income per academic and research staff 2%
20. Research income per institutional income 2%
9 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
education is one of the most difficult tasks amount of equipment and resources.
in ranking universities. Using this indica- 5. World teaching reputation (8%). The
tor, we proceed from the assumption that international reputation of the university
the more lecturers there are per one student, in the field of teaching shows the degree
the smaller the size of the student group is, of universityʼs fame in the international
and therefore the more attention a lecturer academic community. The initial data on
can pay to each student. This implies the reputation represent the distribution of
conclusion that the quality of teaching is respondentsʼ votes among universities.
better in a group where there are five stu- A special survey—Academic Reputation
dents per a lecturer than in another group, Survey—is conducted annually among rep-
in which there are 25 students per a lecturer. resentatives of the academic community to
The initial values of the number of aca- collect the reputational data. Participation
demic staff and students are calculated as in this survey is possible only by invitation.
reduced to the full time equivalent (for aca- In other words, it is the survey operator who
demic staff) or to the standard workload of determines the initial sample of potential
the full-time student. Therefore, the num- respondents who will receive an invitation
ber of academic staff and students in the letter to participate in the survey.
RUR University Profiles may not correspond As part of the survey, a respondent is asked
to similar values (“headcount”) found on to select up to 15 universities, which he/she
the other resources. considers the most powerful in teaching.
2. Academic staff per Bachelorʼs degrees Annually about 10 thousand representatives
awarded (8%). This indicator specifies the of the international academic community
number of academic staff per undergraduate participate in this survey around the world.
degrees awarded in a given year. In fact, this
indicator is a special case of the academic RESEARCH (40%)
staff per students ratio and it measures The quality of the research conducted at
undergraduate level programs. the university is the second important group
The reason for allocating this indicator in considered in the RUR ranking. Therefore,
a separate metric is that the level of bacca- Research has as much weight in the over-
laureate is the basis of higher education in all ranking of RUR as Teaching. Most of the
the world. Research metrics are scientometric and are
3. Doctoral degrees awarded per aca- based on data from the Web of Science Core
demic staff (8%). This indicator shows Collection bibliometric system.
the number of PhD degrees awarded or its 6. Citations per academic and research
equivalent per academic staff. In other staff (8%). This indicator helps to evaluate
words, the indicator shows how many suc- the intensity of the research conducted at
cessfully defended dissertations are per a the university. For this purpose, the num-
faculty on average. The more dissertations ber of citations of all universityʼs scientific
per academic staff are defended in the publication authors for a certain period of
university in question, the higher level of time (different for the 2010-2015 and 2016-
teaching we can expect at the third stage of 2017 rankings) is divided by the number of
higher education, i.e. PhD. academic staff and researchers who worked
4. Doctoral degrees awarded per at the university for a certain year. When
Bachelorʼs degrees awarded (8%). This counting the number of publications, only
indicator shows the ratio of PhD degrees “Article” and “Notes” indexed by the Web
awarded to Bachelorʼs degrees awarded. This of Science Core Collection bibliometric sys-
ratio reflects the proportion of the PhD pro- tem are taken into account. “Scientists” are
grams compared to the programs of the first understood to be only those employees of
level, i.e. Bachelorʼs programs. The higher the university who are engaged exclusively
the proportion of PhD graduates is, the in research and development without being
more the university is accordingly focused involved in teaching.
on the most complex and expensive level The version of this indicator in RUR
of training. A high percentage of PhD stu- 2010‑2015: the RUR 2010-2015 rankings
dents in the total number of students shows counted only one-year publications, and the
that the university has a sufficient number citation periods for the same publications
of academic staff and researchers capable were two years. For example, the RUR 2015
of preparing the PhDs as well as a sufficient ranking used data on the number of univer-
10 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
sity publications for 2012 and citations for in particular are predominantly research
the same publications for 2012-2013. The programs, then universityʼs contribution
number of teachers and researchers was into the science of the future is assessed.
counted for 2012. The higher the percentage of students at
The choice of such a short time interval the post-Bachelor level is, the more sig-
was determined by the need to give the nificant contribution to world science this
ranking a greater dynamism due to a shorter university can make. Also, this indicator
period of counting bibliometric informa-
tion. In 2016, it was decided to abandon the helps evaluate the human resources of the
annual periods of counting publications and university. Accordingly, the higher the per-
biennial ones for citations since the vola- centage of Masterʼs and graduate students
tility of indicator scores was significantly is in the university, the more highly quali-
higher than the periods when longer peri- fied scientific cadres the university should
ods of counting bibliometric information possess.
The change in the wording of the seventh
were used.
The version of this indicator in RUR indicator is due to the fact that since 2015
2016: the 2016 version has five-year peri- Clarivate Analytics has not collected data on
ods of accounting for publications and the number of students admitted to the first
six-year periods for citations. The 2016 year of PhD level programs at the subject
ranking has: (i) a period of accounting for area level.
publications: 2009-2013; (ii) a period of 8. Normalized citation impact (8%).
accounting for citations: 2009-2014; (iii) a The Normalized Citation Impact (NCI)
year of accounting for academic staff and shows the ratio of average citation of uni-
researchers: 2013.
versity publications per average citation in
7. Doctoral degrees per admitted the world, type of publication and subject
PhD (8%). This indicator assesses the qual- area for a similar time interval. For exam-
ity of the student preparation for the PhD
level. For this purpose, the number of dis- ple, “the value of NCI is 1” means that the
sertations defended at a given university universityʼs scientific publications are cited
during the year under review is divided by in the same way as at the world average
the number of PhD programs and their ana- (100%). The value of 2.15 will show that the
logues accepted for the first year. Thus, the authors of the university are quoted as 215%
average percentage of students defended of the world average, etc.
PhD degrees is determined relative to There are some differences between NCI for
those taken for the first year of education different years of the RUR ranking. The ver-
for educational programs at this level. A sion of this indicator in RUR 2010-2015: the
higher percentage, therefore, shows the one-year periods of accounting for publica-
organizational level of a PhD program and tions and two-year periods of citations were
motivation of students. In addition, a high used to calculate NCI in 2010-2015 versions.
percentage of defended dissertations shows Such short periods were associated with
how a work system between academic staff the RUR analytical teamʼs original concept
and PhD students is built at the univer- claiming that short periods would provide
sity. Conversely, the lower the defended/ a certain dynamism to universities. On the
enrolled ratio is, the worse the motivation one hand, it really happened. On the other
of students and the conditions of work at hand, in a number of cases just a few pub-
the PhD level are.
The version of this indicator in the sub- lications could have an unjustifiably high
influence on the final position of the uni-
ject rankings of 2016-2017: RURʼs seventh versity in the ranking. In this regard, it was
indicator in the subject rankings is stated as decided to increase the counting intervals
“The share of post-Bachelor students in the
for both publications and citations in the
total number of students.”
This indicator measures the proportion following versions of the ranking.
of students enrolled in the first year of the The version of the indicator in RUR 2016:
Masterʼs program, PhD (and equivalent the 2016 version used the NCI sum for five
programs) out of the total number of stu- periods: five-year periods for accounting for
dents in this higher education institution. publications and six-year periods for cita-
Since the Masterʼs programs and the PhDʼs tions according to the following scheme.
11 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
NCI Publications Citations participating in the RUR ranking. The initial
2013 2009-2013 2009-2014 sample of respondents is formed on the basis
2012 2008-2012 2008-2013 of authors contacts indexed in the Web of
Science Core Collection logs. Participation
2011 2007-2011 2007-2012
in the survey is possible only by invitation.
2010 2006-2010 2006-2011
In other words, any third parties, includ-
2010 2005-2009 2005-2010 ing universities themselves, cannot send
Clarivate Analytics a list of participants rec-
ommended for the academic survey.
The version of this indicator in RUR 2017: In the survey each respondent:
for the calculation of the NCI indicator, • selects one or more narrow subject
publications for a five-year time interval categories, according to the classifica-
and six-year period of citations of the same tion scheme of the Web of Science Core
publications are calculated. Collection scientific categories;
This scheme of calculating NCI seems to • selects up to 15 higher education insti-
be the most stable. On the one hand, the tutions, which he/she considers as leading in
counting periods are quite long, on the terms of the level of research conducted on
other hand, there is no artificial summation the subject categories that the respondent
of NCI for several years as it was in the edi- indicated at the beginning of the survey.
tion of the 2016 ranking. The number of votes on the enlarged
9. Papers per academic and research subject areas is used to compile the subject
staff (8%). This indicator shows the level rankings of RUR. The total number of votes
of scientific productivity of the university. given for universities in all subject areas is
For this purpose, the number of scientific used in drawing up the overall ranking, i.e.
publications is divided by the number of RUR World University Rankings.
academic staff and researchers working at
the university during the last year when the INTERNATIONAL DIVERSITY (10%)
publications were rated. Only “Article” and Internationalization of a university shows
“Note” publications are considered. the degree of its involvement in the global
The version of the indicator in RUR educational and scientific process. This
2010‑2015: (i) the period of accounting for measurement gives 10% of weight against
publications is one year (for example, pub- 40% of Teaching and Research.
lications of 2016 were rated in the ranking The relatively low share of internation-
of 2015); (ii) the period of accounting for alization in the overall assessment of the
citations is two years (for example, citations university is due to the fact that, as a rule,
of 2012-2013 were taken into account in the universities are limited in their ability to
ranking of 2015). influence the level of internationalization
The version of this indicator in RUR since this factor depends more on the geo-
2016-2017: (i) the period of accounting for graphical location of the university, on the
publications is five years (for example: pub- overall standard of living of the country, in
lications of 2010-2014 are rated in the rank- which the university is located, and on the
ing of 2017); (ii) the period of accounting for policy pursued by the state in international-
citations is six years (for example, the cita- ization of higher education.
tions of 2010-2015 are rated in the ranking 11. Share of international academic
of 2017). staff (2%). This indicator shows the level
10. World research reputation (8%). of academic staff internationalization at
The universityʼs reputation in Research the university. To this end, the number of
shows the degree of influence that the foreign professors and teachers (faculty)
studie s conducted at the university have on is divided by the total number of academic
the international academic community. In staff working at the university. Faculty is
its original form, the reputation is the num- considered to be foreign, if their citizenship
ber of votes given for the university. differs from the country where the univer-
The reputational survey called the sity is located. In the case of dual citizen-
Academic Reputation Survey is conducted ship, the priority is given to the citizenship
by Clarivate Analytics. On average, 10,000 of the home country. For example, if a join
respondents participate in this survey every citizenship lecturer works at a university,
year, leaving 60,000 votes for universities and one of the citizenships coincides with
12 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
the country where the university is located, The version of this indicator in RUR
and is native, then such a person will not be 2016-2017: (i) the period of accounting for
considered a foreigner. publications is five years (for example, pub-
The number of faculty is counted as the lications of 2010-2014 are rated in the rank-
Full Time Equivalent of this institution. ing of 2017); (ii) the period of accounting for
The high level of internationalization of citations is six years (for example, the cita-
the university characterizes the work con- tions of 2010-2015 are rated in the ranking
ditions of university academic staff and of 2017).
indirectly affects the conditions of studentsʼ 14. International reputation outside
education. The higher the university inter- region (2%). This indicator shows the repu-
nationalization level is, the more attrac- tation of the institution outside the geo-
tive conditions for work are created in this graphical region of the universityʼs location.
institution, and the more diversity of views The list of regions is as follows:
in the course of educational and scientific • Asia;
work can be expected. • Europe;
12. Share of international students • North America;
(2%). This indicator shows the share of • Oceania;
students of foreign origin, students in the • South America.
university on programs of three levels For example, if University X is located in
(Bachelorʼs, Masterʼs, postgraduate). Using Asia, then the voices given by out-of-Asia
this indicator, the attractiveness and com- participants in the reputational poll for
petitiveness of the university for students University X will be taken into account, i.e.
from all over the world are assessed. the voices from the remaining five regions.
A student is considered foreign, if his/ This indicator is a special case from the
her citizenship does not coincide with the global reputation, which takes into account
country where the institution is located. In the universityʼs votes from around the world,
the case of dual citizenship, priority is given including the region where the institution is
to the country of origin. In other words, if located.
a student studies in Country X and comes
from Country X, but also has Country Yʼs RUR International University Ranking
citizenship, such a student will not be is the first regularly updated global
considered foreign to any institution in ranking of Russian universities. The
Country X. Сonversely, he will be treated as ranking was developed to enable key
a foreigner in Сountry Y.
13. Share of international co-authored stakeholders—university entrants and
papers (2%). The indicator shows the pro- students, the academic community,
portion of publications with at least one
foreign co-author in the total number of university and state management—to
publications of the university. A foreign co- evaluate and make decisions on what
author is one of the authors of the publica- universities to choose in accordance with
tion who works in a country different from their personal needs and requirements.
the country where the institution in ques-
tion is located.
This indicator shows the scale of the The reputation of the university outside
universityʼs external relations, the degree the region is highlighted in a separate indi-
of its involvement in the international aca- cator because the reputation obtained from
demic community. At the same time, this “oneʼs own” region can show a significant
indicator largely depends on the region and percentage of votes from the total number
institution location country. of votes given for the university.
The version of this indicator in RUR The version of this indicator in RUR
2010-2015: (i) the period of accounting for 2010‑2015: only reputation in Teaching
publications is one year (for example, publi- outside the region is taken into account.
cations of 2016 were rated in the ranking of The version of this indicator in RUR
2015); (ii) the period of accounting for the 2016‑2017: the average value (the number
citations is two years (for example, citations of respondentsʼ votes) of reputation in both
of 2012-2013 were taken into account in the Teaching and Research outside the region is
ranking of 2015). taken into account.
13 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
of the university, along with International
Diversity. When calculating information on
all financial indicators, both public and pri-
vate investments in the university are taken
into account.
16. Institutional income per academic
staff (2%). This indicator shows the institu-
tional income per academic staff ratio (fac-
ulty). When calculating the total budget, all
incomes that the university received from
all types of sources (both state and non-
state) for a fiscal or calendar year are taken
into account.
As follows from the description, this indi-
cator is normalized, i.e. it is a ratio of total
budget to the faculty is taken into account
rather than overall budget of the institution.
This equates the opportunities of both large
and small universities.
17. Institutional income per students
15. International level (2%). This indi- (2%). This indicator calculates the level of
cator shows the overall level of institution university funding per student.
internationalization and the average for 18. Papers per research income (2%).
indicators 11-14. This indicator shows this number of pub-
The version of this indicator in RUR lications concerning the university budget
2010‑2015: International Bachelors (2%)— allocated for research. In other words, the
the indicator with this wording is relevant average cost of a publication is measured,
for the 2010-2015 rankings. By means of this which, in turn, shows the financing level of
criterion, the proportion of foreign students the universityʼs scientific activity per one
who are enrolled in the first year of Bachelor- unit of the final product—a publication in a
level programs is determined. This indicator prestigious academic publication.
was singled out in a separate metric despite The version of the indicator in RUR 2010-
the seemingly similar resemblance to the 2015: the period of accounting for publica-
“foreign students” indicator because higher tions is one year (for example, publications
education at the Bachelorʼs level has the of 2012 were rated in the ranking of 2015).
largest share among all levels of education. The version of this indicator in RUR
The version of this indicator in RUR 2016‑2017: the period of accounting for
2016‑2017: International level. In the 2016 publications is five years (for example, pub-
ranking the previous indicator was replaced lications of 2010-2014 are rated in the rank-
by the current version, i.e. the average ing of 2017).
score of indicators 11-14 due to Clarivate 19. Research income per academic and
Analytics stopped collecting information on research staff (2%). This indicator evalu-
the number of foreign students admitted to ates the relative funding of the scientific
undergraduate programs and our partner in activity of the university. For this purpose,
data collection and processing. the total amount of the research budget is
divided by the number of academic staff
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY (10%) and researchers in the university (academic
High financial capabilities of the univer- staff).
sity are one of the indispensable conditions We do not use “the number of research-
for quality education and research. At the ers” as the only one (i.e. the university staff
same time, the financial indicators of the who are involved only in research activities)
university largely depend on the overall eco- because the understanding of “a researcher”
nomic level of the country where the uni- differs in the countries all over the world.
versity is located. That is why, despite the Thus, the denominator uses the number of
objective significance of financial indicators both academic staff and researchers staff.
for the development of the university, this 20. Research income per institutional
indicator has 10% of the final assessment income (2%). The share of the research
14 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
Initial Data
Category Parameter
Sub-category 1 Number of academic staff (faculty)
Human resources Number of researchers—i.e. university employees
involved only in research activities without lecturing
Statistical data Sub-category 2 Number of international academic staff
Student Contingent Number of students
Number of international students
Sub-category 3 Number of undergraduate program graduates
Financial indicators Number of Masterʼs program graduates
Bibliometric data The number of defended PhD degrees or their
equivalent (including Masterʼs thesis and doctoral thesis)
Reputational data The number of admitted PhD programs or their
equivalent
Total university budget
University research budget
Number of publications
Number of international co-authored papers
Number of citations
Normalized citations
World teaching reputation
World research reputation
World teaching reputation outside region
World research reputation outside region
budget in the general budget of the univer- 1) Missed data. Not all universities pro-
sity shows the degree of university orien- vide the data in the amount required for cal-
tation for carrying out advanced research. culating the ranking. Therefore, there are
That, in turn, also affects the level of teach- gaps appearing in the initial data.
ing at the university. The higher the share 2) Abnormal values. The institution can
of investment in research is, the higher the provide abnormally high or low values by
level of the educational process is expected mistake. For example, financial indicators
at the university due to getting students can be introduced instead of the number of
and the academic community involved in students.
research. Thus, with help of this metric, the The main problems of the ranking
level of both teaching in the university and
research are assessed. initial data are missed data, abnormal
Calculation stages values, and the specificity of national
educational systems.
The seemingly clear and simple values of
the ranking—points and ranks of universi-
ties—are based on a long and elaborated 3) The specificity of national educational
multi-stage data processing. All the stages systems can lead to unintentional distor-
of data processing in the RUR ranking are tion of information. For example, there are
listed down below. the so-called undivided degrees in a number
Step 1. Processing the initial ranking of countries, i.e. the educational programs
data. The initial data array is not yet the basis lasting 5-6 years awarded with a Specialistʼs
for calculating scores of indicators, i.e. pri- degree equivalent to Masterʼs degrees.
mary information, which, in turn, is used to Therefore, universities with dominating edu-
calculate scores of various types of rankings cational programs at the Specialistʼs level
existing within the system of RUR rankings. can indicate a small number of the Bachelorʼs
The main problems of the ranking initial degrees awarded, which leads to abnormally
data are missed data, abnormal values, and high values in the ranking indicator using the
the specificity of national educational systems. number of the Bachelorʼs degrees awarded.
15 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
Step 2. Raw data processing. The rules actual value of the institution according to
below are relevant for the subject rankings the initial parameter of “Bachelorʼs degrees
of RUR 2016, the general ranking of RUR awarded” changes by 50% of the national
2017, and all subsequent rankings. These average. This is done so that universities
rules are not applied to the subject rankings with undivided degrees did not receive a
of 2014-2015 and general rankings of 2010- significant advantage in calculating the
2015 (except for the first one). scores of those ranking indicators that use
1) Testing for abnormal values. Each data the number of Bachelorʼs degrees awarded.
array is tested for abnormal values. For this, 5) The exclusion of universities from the
each array of initial parameters is evaluated ranking provided that there are no input data
in the manual mode. If a higher education (this rule is relevant for ranking versions).
institution has abnormally high or low values, In the 2010-2016 rankings the university
such values are checked again by sending was excluded from consideration, if the data
inquiries to those universities as well as by missed on more than: (i) five initial param-
gaining data from the third parties. eters in the 2010-2015 rankings; (ii) seven
2) Clipping indicators. The threshold initial parameters in the rankings of 2016,
values are introduced in order to minimize subject rankings of 2017 and subsequent years.
the effect of the anomalous values that In RUR World University Ranking 2017 this
occur at the stage of calculating the relative rule does not apply. In other words, all uni-
data from the initial data. If actual values versities participate in the general ranking
for a number of indicators are less than the from 2017 on regardless of how much data is
threshold values listed below, then for all missing in the university initial source.
relative indicators of the ranking, in which Step 3. Relative values calculation.
these absolute values are used, the institu- After preparing the initial data set, rela-
tion is assigned 25% of the universities aver- tive data are calculated from absolute ones
age in the country where the institution is (i.e. the number of academic staff, students,
located. If the only institution represents a publications, citations, etc.). Relative values
country in the ranking, then this institution are a product of two values. For example, if
is assigned 25% of the world average by the we need to get the value for the academic
corresponding indicator. staff per students indicator, the number of
The thresholds by indicators are as fol- academic staff is divided by the number of
lows: students. But not the other way around.
• academic staff—50; Of the 20 indicators, RUR-relative values
• students—200; are used in 15 cases out of 20. In the remain-
• bachelorʼs degrees awarded—50; ing five cases, the absolute values are trans-
• degrees awarded—20; ferred unchanged to the relative category.
• publications—50. These are the following values:
For example, if University X has 170 stu- • world teaching reputation;
dents, then according to the academic staff • normalized citation impact
per students indicator this university is • world research reputation;
assigned 25% of the average number of stu- • world reputation outside region;
dents in the country where it is located. • international level.
3) Data omissions. If a university does not Step 4. Scores calculation. After the
have any initial value, then it is assigned preparation of an array of relative data, the
25% of the average value of the country. If calculation of scores on 20 ranking indica-
there is only one university in the country, tors begins. To do this, the relative data
then this institution is assigned 25% of the array is ranked from the largest to the small-
world average. est. After that each university has a percen-
4) Bachelorʼs degrees awarded. If the tile assigned on 20 arrays of relative values,
share of Bachelorʼs degrees awarded is less i.e. a value on a 100-point scale based on the
than 5% of the total number of students, the rank (number) of the university and the size
RUR Ranking Agency is a Russian ranking agency existing since 2013.
The agency publishes the University Ranking system. The data provider
for the RUR system is an international company of Clarivate Analytics
(formerly Thomson Reuters IP & Science Solutions).
16 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
of the sample. For example, if there are 1,000 is the only indicator whose score is calcu-
universities in the sample, then the higher lated not from relative values, but from
education institution with the highest score the average score. In this case, the average
gets 100 points, the second university does of the four indicators of the International
99.9 points, etc. Thus, the percentileʼs “step” Diversity group is calculated.
is obtained, which depends on the size of Step 5. RUR World University Rankings
the data sample. scores and positions calculation. The
There are two additional rules applied at scores assigned at the fourth stage are con-
this step. verted to the university final score, which
1) Repeating Relative Values. If a number is used to rank universities and finalize the
of relative values is repeated, then all HEIs universities ranking.
with the same values are assigned average Scores of ranking indicators are multiplied
percentiles. For example, the last 50 univer- by weights. In RUR this is either 8% or 2%.
sities in a 1,000-institution sample have the The results are summarized. Universities
same values. These universities are assigned are ranked on the basis of the sum of uni-
from zero to five points. The average value versities score products and weights. At this
is 2.5. Thus, each of the 50 universities is stage, the ranking is ready. University scores
assigned 2.5 points. As a rule, reputation are listed on a 100-point scale. For this pur-
indicators contain a lot of identical values. pose, the highest absolute score is assigned
2) Calculation of international level indi- to be equal to 100 points. The other institu-
cator. This rule is relevant only for the rank- tions scores are considered in proportion to
ings from 2016 on. The international level 100 points. The ranking is ready.
LEAGUES
Diamond League (1-100)
The Diamond League shows professionalism and the highest quality of both research and education.
Universities presented in the Diamond League demonstrated themselves as world’s centers of excel-
lence and competence. In this league one can find both centuries-old universities whose history counts
more than 500 years and young participants who barely reached the 50-year mark. To get into the
Diamond League universities should obtain equally excellent education and research scores, have a
high level of internationalization and demonstrate strong financial sustainability.
Golden League (101-200)
The noble metal is for the RUR members that got the second place in the league distribution.
Universities included in the Golden League are equally strong both in education and teaching fields,
with a focus on one of them, and are equally high-internationalized and financially sound.
Silver League (201-300)
The third step in the RUR system is the Silver League. Universities included in this league tend to have
a pronounced component: either research or teaching.
Bronze League (301-400)
The Bronze League unites the universities of the fourth hundred. To be counted as a part of the league
the university should get into the third quartile on main RUR indicators and get into the second quartile
in the International Diversity and Financial Sustainability groups.
Copper League (401-500)
The fifth league is Copper. It completes the series of the so-called colored or metal leagues. Higher
education institutions included in the Copper League close the prestigious Top-500 in RUR Rankings.
Universities from this league can be considered as elite, because they are in the top 2-2.5% of world
universities.
World League (501+)
The World League unites universities from all countries that pursue excellence. The goal of World
League universities is to get into Top-500 by strengthening their positions. The World League may be
called a reserve bench pressing forward on to Top-500 leaders.
17 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
Step 6. Calculation of scores and posi- have introduced a system of the so-called
tions by measured groups. Rankings Leagues. Each of the approximately 20,000
by measured groups (Teaching, Research, universities of the world is unique: one is
International Diversity, Financial Sustain a global research hub that brings together
ability) are calculated as follows. Each rank- leading scientists in one place, another
ing by measured groups has five indicators focuses on training staff for a necessity of a
from the indicator group with the same name. particular region within the country, while
When calculating the absolute score of the the third aims for teaching middle managers
university, the common weight of 20% is of global companies, to whom the university
used for all rankings in the measured groups. is an additional boost for career development.
Step 7. Calculation of subject rankings. Despite of the variety, the universities are
RUR Subject rankings are calculated similar united by their commitment to excellence.
to the basic, general rankings. In order to emphasize this commitment we
The only difference is the first indicator of have introduced a system of the Leagues,
the Research group. The post-Bachelor stu- resembling the Olympic medals system.
dents per the total number of students indi- Each league embraces a hundred of univer-
cator is used instead of the doctoral degrees sities (the first, second hundred and so on):
awarded per admitted PhD indicator. • Diamond League (Rank 1-100)
In other respects, the stages and algo- • Golden League (Rank 101-200)
rithms for calculating the subject rankings • Silver League (Rank 201-300)
are identical to the algorithms for calculat- • Bronze League (Rank 301-400)
ing the overall rankings. • Copper League (Rank 401-500)
RUR Classification • World League (501+)
We note that our task is to show the diver-
Within the RUR Rankings System all sity of higher education institutions on the
higher education institutions are classified basis of a simple statistical method of distrib-
by leagues, dimensions, and subjects. uting objects to clusters. The Leagues rep-
Leagues. The world of higher education is resent the universitiesʼ desire for progress
diverse and, to emphasize this diversity, we and perfection.
DIMENSION AREAS
Overall
Rankings of leading world universities are conducted on the basis of four areas of activity—Teaching,
Research, International Diversity, and Financial Sustainability.
Teaching
Education is commonly underestimated in global university rankings. There is a natural explanation
for this—it is very difficult to quantitatively measure the quality of teaching. Anyone who measures the
quality of education must operate with quantitative ratios. Teaching is the cornerstone of higher educa-
tion and, more broadly, education in general.
Research
Research is also an important component of a university, it is a key feature of a university as well as
Teaching. This area is related to research productivity, measured on the basis of scientometrics data.
International Diversity
In a global world, the ability to attract students and teachers from other countries means more than
ever. A high level of internationalization shows how attractive a university is and consequently how
competitive it is in the global arena. However, internationalization largely depends on the overall cir-
cumstances in a given country and universities are unable to change these conditions. In short, interna-
tionalization is more dependent on a country's culture and politics rather than on the university.
Financial Sustainability
This group shows the financial position of a university and determines the degree of involvement of
the university in the real economy, its ability to attract investment from industry. Financial stability in
a global economy is important for universities since they are a part of global economy.
18 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
World education rankings
Dimension areas. Several groups of
measurement and individual rankings exist
within the RUR ranking. In addition to the
Overall Ranking, higher education institu-
tions are evaluated by four areas: Teaching,
Research, International Diversity, Financial
Sustainability.
In contrast to the Overall Ranking,
the single-area rankings allow to reveal
universityʼs strengths and weaknesses in
certain fields, not just in general.
Subject areas. University rankings serve
a variety of functions, one of the most com-
mon is being a source of information. The
Overall Rankings give us a picture that can
be used for comparing whole universities. Sciences, Engineering & Technology,
Subject rankings allow for comparing uni- Medical Sciences, Social Sciences, and
versity activity in a specific or few specific Natural Sciences.
areas. If one is interested in analyzing a uni- The complex and multi-variable nature
versity by specific subject areas throughout of worldwide university rankings demands
the world, the Subject Rankings are an ideal a multidimensional view. Rankings pro-
way to do so. Using our system of indicators, vide tools for analyzing universities to
users will be able to compare programs in get a clearer picture of university activ-
details. These comparisons will allow users ity throughout the world. RUR Rankings
to obtain subject-specific information. Agency believes that its objective system
RUR provides the rankings in six broad has made that picture a bit clearer for both
subject areas: Arts & Humanities, Life academic community and students.
SUBJECT AREAS
Arts & Humanities
This subject area includes such disciplines as history, philosophy, philology, etc. Humanitarian sci-
ences are traditionally underestimated in university rankings. On the contrary, the ranking which is
solely focused on humanities can illuminate this subject area better than general rankings.
Life Sciences
The subject ranking provides insights into the highest rated universities for life sciences. The subject
area includes biology, biomedicine, bioinformatics, etc.
Engineering & Technology
This subject ranking marks out top universities in the area of Engineering & Technology. Apart from
engineering disciplines, this subject area includes all kinds of IT disciplines, robotics, telecommunica-
tions, etc.
Medical Sciences
The current subject ranking provides a list of the best universities for Medical Sciences throughout
the world. All medical related disciplines are included in this area: oncology, dermatology, nursing, etc.
Social Sciences
This subject ranking provides information on the best universities’ offerings in Social Sciences pro-
grams. This subject area unites subject categories devoted to the humanities and social studies: law,
social work, linguistics, international relations, etc.
Natural Sciences
This ranking presents the top universities for the Natural Sciences subject area. Natural Sciences
unify such disciplines as physics, mathematics, chemistry, geography, etc.
19 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
The Croatian
Qualifications Framework:
a Reform Instrument for the
Educational System
The Croatian Qualifications Framework (CROQF) is a reform
instrument for regulating the system of qualifications at all
levels in the Republic of Croatia through the qualifications
standards based on learning outcomes and needs of the labor market,
individuals, and society.
The Croatian Qualifications Framework (CROQF) is a framework
which sets every qualification acquired in Croatia at its place. The
central elements of CROQF are learning outcomes or, in other terms,
competences acquired by an individual through the learning pro-
cess, which is not crucial as itself, while the learning outcome being
assessed. The implementation of a competence approach and the
focus on learning outcomes make up the new approach that changes
the current planning and programming of the education process and
presents the basis for the introduction of every qualification. The
approach based on the learning outcomes implies that individuals can
prove that they possess certain competences (knowledge, skills, etc.)
20 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
The placement of qualifications tions standards. While the same
acquired in Croatia at the qualification can be acquired at
respective levels determines different educational institutions
their relation to the levels of and through different educational
the European Qualifications programs, there are certain stan-
Framework (EQF) and the levels dards in terms of defined learn-
of the Qualifications Framework ing outcomes that a qualification
of the European Higher Education should include. Educational pro-
Area (QF-EHEA). It makes the grams need to be in line with the
correspondence between the qualification standards which
Jasmina HAVRANEK, Croatian qualifications levels would mean that they lead to
Professor, PhD, Director of the
Agency for Science and Higher and the EQF and QF-EHEA the acquirement of learning out-
Education (ASHE)
levels obvious, thus ensuring comes that are specified by a
For most of her professional
life, Prof. Havranek has been the visibility of qualifications respective qualification standard.
promoting importance of quality
standards and culture and raising acquired in Croatia in the Croatian Apart from the qualification
awareness about the importance
and improvement of public policies and European labor markets. standards, CROQF introduces
in science and higher education.
Since the central elements occupational standards that
In the period of 2003-2005, she
was President of the National of CROQF are the learning out- clearly define the competences
Council for Higher Education of
the Republic of Croatia, and in comes, and not the way in which required for a certain occupation.
2007 was appointed Head of the
Croatian Agency for Science and they were acquired, CROQF sets The Republic of Croatia is in the
Higher Education. Prof. Havranek
participated in numerous national a basis for the development of process of developing the occupa-
and international conferences that
covered topics of higher educa- recognition of prior learning tional standards (in cooperation
tion and science, and also was an
invited lecturer. (RPL) or, in other words, enables with the labor market representa-
us to develop a system of recogni- tives and competent bodies) and
tion and validation of non-formal the related qualification stan-
and informal learning along with dards. Standards are produced
the compulsory introduction of through a clearly prescribed
a quality assurance system and methodology and collected data
clear quality assessment proce- by which the competences for
dures. a certain occupation have been
CROQF introduces qualifica- defined and analysed.
21 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
The placement of qualifications Evaluation of study programs national trends and examples of
acquired in Croatia at respective good practice and also creates
levels determines their relation in light of the Croatian a system of the evaluation of
but it also enables the linking of Qualifications Framework study programs for entry into the
the Croatian qualifications levels
to the levels of the European Over the past ten years a signif- CROQF Register.
Qualifications Framework
(EQF) and the levels of the icant step forward has been made The previous model of the ini-
Qualifications Framework of the
European Higher Education Area in the development of the sys- tial accreditation and reaccredi-
(QF-EHEA) thus enabling the
visibility of qualifications acquired tem of external quality assurance tation, which was coordinated
in Croatia in the Croatian and
European labor market. for higher education in Croatia. by ASHE, was largely based on
Silvija VRGOČ, Public Formal alignment of study pro- the entry parameters and pro-
Relations Specialist
grams with the Bologna principles cesses, however in the forthcom-
Silvija Vrgoč is a member of
the ASHE public relations team. was carried out, the first cycle of ing period a greater emphasis
The focus of her work is develop-
ment of communication strate- reaccreditation was conducted will be made on the planned and
gies, updating the web, editing
newsletters and publications for for all higher education institu- established learning outcomes.
the Agency and organizing events.
tions in Croatia, and the foun- This is a common sequence in the
dations for the implementation development of an external qual-
of the Croatian Qualifications ity assurance system that many
Framework were established. other countries have also passed
In the further development through.
of that system, the Agency for External evaluation for the
Science and Higher Education entry of study programs into the
(ASHE), an independent agency CROQF Register relies entirely
responsible for conducting exter- on learning outcomes as they are
nal quality assurance procedures also the starting point for reform-
for higher education and sci- ing, particularly, improving the
ence in the Republic of Croatia, study programs as well as for
improves the model of initial refining the model of the external
accreditation and reaccredita- evaluation of study programs. In
tion of higher education institu- order for learning outcomes to
tions. The Agency particularly truly be the starting point for the
focuses on external evaluation mentioned improvements, it is
of study programs on the basis necessary that their elaboration
of the experience from the first is approached in a complete and
cycle of reaccreditation, inter- comprehensive way consisting
22 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
In the last ten years a of more than their well-devel- based solely on the peer review
significant step forward was oped and clear formulation. It is assessment without a strong
made in development of the important to take into account orientation on the planned, par-
system of external quality the standpoints and expertise ticularly established learning
assurance for higher education of all stakeholders, and also to outcomes. The concept of learn-
in Croatia. Formal alignment of ensure a good dialogue within ing outcomes, once it is devel-
study programs was carried out the higher education institutions oped, should be used not only for
with the Bologna principles, the themselves. This also implies the evaluation of study programs
first cycle of reaccreditation was considering learning outcomes for the entry into the CROQF
conducted, which included all not only as an instrument but Register and for obtaining the
higher education institutions as a concept that will allow for a label of quality from CROQF, but
in Croatia, and the foundations clearer understanding of what the also as an indispensable element
for the implementation of student needs to know and what in accreditation. Some of the
the Croatian Qualifications can be achieved after successful foreign agencies that have made
Framework were established. completion of the study program. progress towards the evaluation
External evaluation for the entry
of study programmes into the All the past evaluations, of learning outcomes use exactly
CROQF Register relies entirely including the Bologna reform such national standards in the
on learning outcomes as they of study programs and the first qualifications framework in their
are also the starting point for cycle of reaccreditation of higher evaluations, according to CHE
reforming, particularly improving education institutions, have been Consult (2014).
the study programs as well as
for improving the model of the
external evaluation of study
programs.
23 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
SCHEME OF HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM
IN CROATIA
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
CROQF Level 8.2 CROQF Level 7
Postgraduate university study (PhD) Specialist professional
dr.sc. / dr. art graduate study
minimum 3 years Specialist
ECTS regulated by university
with reference to a specialisation
CROQF Level 7 (spec.)
Postgraduate specialist university study OR
Specialist graduate in the fields of
with reference to a specialisation (univ. spec.) Medicine / Dental medicine /
OR Veterenary medicine
Master of (dipl.)
Medicine / Veterenary medicine / Dental medicine
in a specific field (univ.mag.) 1‑2 years
1‑2 years 60‑120 ECTS
60‑120 ECTS
CROQF Level 6
CROQF Level 7 Professional undergraduate study
Graduate university study
Bachelor
Master with reference to a specialisation
with reference to a specialisation (mag.)
(bacc.)
OR 3‑4 years
Doctor 180‑240 ECTS
in Medicine / Dental medicine /
Veterenary medicine (dr.)
1‑2 years
60‑120 ECTS
CROQF Level 6 5‑6 years CROQF Level 5
Undergraduate university study (integrated Short cycle professional
undergraduate
Bachelor undergraduate study
with reference to a specialisation and Expert accessory
graduate study)
(univ.bacc.) 300‑360 ECTS with reference to a specialisation
(pristup.)
3‑4 years
180‑240 ECTS 2‑2.5 years
120‑150 ECTS
24 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Academic Mobility
As a Key Component
of Internationalization in Brazil
Over the past 25 years, Brazil has made a tre- research projects with different countries. In the
mendous progress in development even though 1970ʼs and 1980ʼs a significant number of Brazilian
there was an economic recession in 2015-2016. PhD candidates and researchers received their edu-
Economic and social advancement has triggered cation abroad and then made an invaluable con-
an improvement of Brazilian HEIsʼ performance tribution to the development of the science and
quality. Nowadays, the Brazilian higher educa- graduate education in their home country [1].
tion system complies with the world standards, Over the last decade, some initiatives aimed at
which is reflected in international rankings. increasing international student and staff mobility
In December 2017, internationalization as a have been introduced. Since 2011, state research
quality assurance criterion was included into foundations such as the São Paulo Research
the university evaluation list. In the modern Foundation have offered a Grant for Research
era of internationalization of education, sci- Studies Abroad to students enrolled in undergradu-
ence and research utmost importance should ate, Masterʼs and PhD programs for spending up to
be attached to international academic mobility one year in a foreign research laboratory or insti-
tution doing work related to their projects in Brazil.
and exchange.
International student mobility is also actively pro-
International mobility: moted by the private sector. Students can apply for
the Santander Bankʼs mobility program and the
inbound and outbound flows Fundação Estudarʼs studying-abroad program.
In July 2011, the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program
International academic mobility in Brazil has (Science Without Borders) was created for the pur-
a long history dating back to the early 1950ʼs pose of granting an opportunity for over 101,000
when two government bodies were estab- fully funded Brazilian students to study abroad at
lished: the Coordination for the Improvement the best world universities and colleges in the sci-
of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the ence, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
National Council for Scientific and Technological fields by 2015. After two semesters and an intern-
Development (CNPq). These organizations were ship, the students are supposed to return to Brazil
responsible for funding bilateral education and to obtain their degrees.
25 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Academic preferences of inbound and outbound students
(according to the latest survey of the IIE Center for Academic Mobility Research and Impact) [2]
Fields of study Inbound students Outbound students
18% 29%
Engineering
Social sciences and law 39% 26%
Life sciences, earth, space, chemistry, physics and mathematics 4% 10%
Health sciences 19% 10%
Humanities 8% 8%
Biological sciences 2% 7%
Agriculture 6% 4%
Linguistics, literature, and arts 2% 3%
Multidisciplinary 1% 3%
For many years Brazilian students had chosen governmentʼs investments in science and inno-
Portugal as one of the most popular study destina- vation had been very solid. Nevertheless, Brazilʼs
tions, but the last three years have shown a change government and HEIs remain committed to inter-
in studentsʼ preferences, with Canada, the USA, the nationalization of education and science despite
UK, Australia and Ireland in Top-5 of countries financial constraints. Fortunately, the turmoil had
accepting students from Brazil [3]. little effect on outbound mobility among Brazilian
The so-called internationalization at home is one degree-seeking students, which remained relatively
of the most important steps of the internationaliza- stable between 2011 and 2016, and the number of
tion process. To attract more foreigners to Brazil, the Brazilians studying abroad even increased by 14%
following programs for incoming research students between 2015 and 2016 [4]. In 2017, there was a 23%
have been developed within the BSMP: Inbound increase, with a record number 302,000. Overall
Fellowships aiming to bring early-career research- outbound mobility has grown by nearly 40% over
ers and senior scholars to Brazilian universities and the last three years, showing a drastic improvement
research centers; the Young Talent awards fully since 2015 [3].
funding one- to three-year research stays in Brazil; One of specific challenges in the development
the Special Visiting Researchers fellowship offering of bilateral academic mobility is language. There
a two- to three-year grant to senior researchers. is a language barrier for both outgoing students
According to the latest research, 64% of the total who would prefer to study in the USA or Europe
population of over 20,500 international students but have not met English language requirements
enrolled in degree and non-degree programs chose and incoming students as very few Brazilian HEIs
to study in the Southeastern region known as the offer undergraduate programs or courses in English.
Brazilʼs economic and industrial hub. The most Nevertheless, a number of successful double
highly ranked and prestigious HEIs in the Southeast degree programs in engineering have been estab-
attracting many international students include the lished between Brazilian research universities and
University of São Paulo, the State University of European or American HEIs. In most cases, students
Campinas, the Federal University of São Paulo, and can take courses in Portuguese as a second language.
the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. There is also a concern that the use of English as a
Challenges and obstacles medium of academic and scientific communication
on the way to internationalization could discriminate Portuguese which is the official
language in Brazil and a key uniting factor for this
In efforts to develop internationalization of higher culturally diverse country. To advance in the world
education, Brazilian universities should take into university rankings, universities from developing
account numerous economic, political, social and countries should do their research and publish in
cultural factors. The recent political and economic English as these rankings do not place much empha-
turmoil in Brazil has led to slashing the science bud- sis on what is done in other languages. More English
get by more than 40%, while until 2014 the Brazilian articles should be published about Brazil to increase
academic awareness of the country and an interest
FACT in research carried out in Portuguese for prospec-
tive incoming students and researchers [5].
Brazilian government and HEIs remain committed
to internationalization of education and science Participants of exchange academic programs also
despite financial constraints. have to face cultural and emotional challenges that
can impact their academic performance and over-
26 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
FACT
77% of outbound and 83% of inbound students
are pursuing an undergraduate education.
seas experience. Therefore, intercultural competen-
cies and behavioral, emotional and communication
skills should be developed to make a stay in a for-
eign country successful.
Another risk associated with outbound academic Lioudmila BATOURINA, PhD,
mobility is a possible brain drain in innovative and International Partnership Consultant, ABMES
profitable fields as thousands of primarily STEM stu- Brazilian Association of Private Universities
dents go abroad to pursue their studies every year. According to the first Brazilian Survey on
This problem can be resolved by signing short-term Internationalization among private HEIs, 50% of
post-scholarship repatriation contracts to have the them already have an international program in
students reside in Brazil for one or two years after place and 50% are working on it. The first half of
their year abroad. Moreover, to achieve true success HEIs that have been already involved in the interna‑
in internationalization, a balance between inbound tionalization process offer short-term mobility for
and outbound mobility should be maintained. The students (62%), short-term mobility for staff (30%),
internationalization process should be mutually and joined or double degrees (23%). Participants of
beneficial to ensure “brain circulation” or “brain the survey consider that universities should do the
exchange” instead of brain drain [5]. following to make internationalization a reality:
It should also be borne in mind that there are • reinforce a foreign language as part of the for‑
some difficulties with foreign diploma recogni- mal curriculum—89%
tion in Brazil. When choosing an undergraduate or
postgraduate course abroad, the student must take • develop their ability to integrate international
into account the equivalence in Brazil and which courses—62%
Brazilian university could do the revalidation of the
diploma. Foreign undergraduate diplomas are reval- • provide student scholarships for outgoing
mobility opportunities—58%
idated by public universities only, while postgradu-
ate degrees can be recognized by public and some between Brazil and the USA that have involved a wide
variety of students, faculty, administrators, and com-
private universities.
As Lioudmila Batourina, International Partnership munities in both countries. This collaboration was
Consultant at ABMES, mentioned in her presenta- catalyzed by the Science Without Borders program
tion at the II Online Edu-Fair held as part of the which also stimulated the creation of new infrastruc-
Higher Education Discovery project [6], there are tures and processes on campus. Another initiative,
no extreme political, economic, geographic or intel- the multi-year International Academic Partnership
lectual limits against internationalization despite Program (IAPP), provided a framework for US and
some specific obstacles and challenges that are to Brazilian institutions to deepen their academic and
be overcome. scientific relations. The current best practices in sus-
FAUBAI 2018: country case studies taining partnerships and opportunities for expanding
them to include research and faculty exchange oppor-
On April 14-18, 2018, the Brazilian city of Fortaleza tunities were discussed at the conference [7].
hosted the 30th Annual Conference FAUBAI 2018— The cross-cultural issues related to international
Brazilian Association for International Education, academic mobility were also covered. To success-
with a general theme “Internationalization and fully implement mobility programs and bring posi-
Research: Challenges and Strategies.” It brought tive results to both the student and the institution,
together over 770 participants from 29 countries international experience must be thought out,
representing all the continents. Discussions were planned and monitored beyond the academic per-
held on issues related to comprehensive inter- spective taking into account the intercultural bias
nationalization policies and the attractiveness of and a necessity to develop the participantʼs inter-
Brazilian research and Brazil as a destination for cultural awareness and competence [8]. At the con-
international students and researchers. ference strategies and activities were introduced
According to C. De Blasio and M. Björklund- in order to strengthen both inbound and outbound
Sänkiaho, academic mobility is a necessary starting processes, focusing on studentʼs intercultural
point for internationalization of research. It is exem- education and skills. It included best practices for
plified by fruitful long-term academic partnerships selection methods, preparation, a re-entry process,
27 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
the sharing of student experiences, all aimed at the scheme within participating Canadian universities
successful academic, professional and intercultural to acknowledge the experience in Brazil within
experience of mobility. the studentsʼ graduation qualifications; and (v)
Much emphasis was placed on linguistic chal- support and/or enhancement of existing Canada-
lenges that could hinder the process of interna- Brazil mobility schemes [10]. Universidade Estadual
tionalization in Brazil, in particular, the constant do Norte do Paraná (Brazil) and Trent University
changes in the law on additional languages at (Canada), that signed a cooperation agreement in
schools and a controversy between the necessity 2017, presented their collaborative project for inter-
of learning English and some protests against the nationalization using a blended language learning
hegemony of the English language in the educa- model and curriculum partnerships. These two HEIs
tional system [9]. make a mutual contribution to curricula and syllabi
As part of discussions of language education as and exchange their methodologies. They have cre-
an essential and integral component of internation- ated a true global classroom where students of both
alization, the Canada-Brazil model of institutional universities can share assignments and do joint
partnership and student mobility was presented by projects [11].
the partners, Languages Canada and Idiomas sem The recent advancements in the development of
Fronteiras. It integrates the following components: internationalization and increased academic mobil-
(i) development of a certificate which will qualify ity rates show that Brazil is on the right track but
Canadian students to serve as a Foreign Language internationalization still has a limited experience
Teachersʼ Assistant in a Brazilian language educa- and most universities and students do not have
tion classroom; (ii) access for Canadian students sufficient information about this phenomenon.
to learn Portuguese through IsFʼs Portuguese for Therefore, the international interaction between
Foreigners stream; (iii) comprehensive mobil- Brazil and other countries still needs to be signifi-
ity support for students, including travel, insur- cantly improved by strengthening HEIsʼ relation-
ance and housing; (iv) creation of a recognition ships with foreign universities.
REFERENCES Available URL: http://www.faubai.org.br/conf/2018/pro-
gram/ [Accessed May 24, 2018]
1. Vergani, C.E. International mobility of students 8. Tomaszewski Homen de Góes, K. The intercul-
in Brazil. [Online] Available URL: https://unchronicle. tural dimension to mobility in the internationaliza-
un.org/article/international-mobility-students-brazil tion of higher education. [Online] Available URL:
http://www.faubai.org.br/conf/2018/submissions/mod-
[Accessed May 24, 2018]
2. Robles, C. and Bhandari, R. Higher Education and ules/request.php?module=oc_program&action=view.
Student Mobility. A Capacity Building Pilot Study in php&id=44&file=1/44.pdf [Accessed May 24, 2018]
Brazil. [Online] Available URL: https://www.capes.gov. 9. Sarmento, S. and Knijnik Baumvol, L. Languages
br/images/stories/download/diversos/23112017-High- and Internationalization of Higher Education: An anal-
Education-and-Student-Mobility-Brazil-Pilot-2.pdf ysis of FAUBAI Conferences. [Online] Available URL:
http://www.faubai.org.br/conf/2018/program/ [Accessed
[Accessed May 24, 2018]
3. Brazil marks a second year of strong growth [Online] May 24, 2018]
Available URL: http://monitor.icef.com/2018/04/brazil- 10. Lindsay, R., Peralta, G. and Abreu e Lima, D.
second-year-strong-growth/ [Accessed May 24, 2018] Language education as a foundation and catalyst for
4. Going North: The Student Mobility Outlook from internationalization partnerships and student mobil-
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. [Online] ity: a Canada-Brazil model. [Online] Available URL:
Available URL: https://wenr.wes.org/2017/09/going- http://www.faubai.org.br/conf/2018/program/ [Accessed
north-the-student-mobility-outlook-from-latin-america May 24, 2018]
[Accessed May 24, 2018] 11. Segati Rios Registro, E., Fish, G. and D'Amico,
5. Campbell, Kathleen. Bilateral student mobil- C. Collaborations for Internationalization: Blended
ity in Brazil: language as a double-edged sword in Language Learning and Curriculum Partnerships,
internationalization. [Online] Available URL: https:// Brazil and Canada. [Online] Available URL: http://
www.cairn.info/revue-journal-of-international-mobility- www.faubai.org.br/conf/2018/program/ [Accessed May
2015-1-page-129.htm [Accessed May 24, 2018]
24, 2018]
6. HEDClub international education advertising 12. Niskier, C. and Batourina, L. ABMES
website [Online] Available URL: https://hedclub.com/ INTERNATIONAL Survey on Internationalization.
7. De Blasio, C. and Björklund-Sänkiaho, M. Mobility Key findings. [Online] Available URL: http://
as a necessary starting point for internationaliza- www.faubai.org.br/conf/2017/submissions/mod-
tion of research. An overview with experiences from ules/request.php?module=oc_program&action=view.
the FinCEAL and Erasmus Plus programs. [Online] php&id=21&file=1/21.pdf [Accessed May 24, 2018]
28 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Finnish Higher Education Policy:
Quality, Efficiency, Equity
and Internationalization
Finland is a Nordic welfare state that has suc- Culture; Health Care and Social Services; Natural
cessfully advanced into a world-class knowledge Resources; Seafaring; Sports; Technology; Tourism
society which is proved by different interna- and Catering), while universities cover all aca-
tional rankings. The main pillars of the Finnish demic disciplines. Finnish HEIs offer more than 400
education policy are quality, efficiency, equity English-taught academic programs ranging from
and internationalization. It is based on the short courses to full degrees.
principles of lifelong learning and free educa- Universities of Finland are independent corpo-
tion. Education is seen as a key to competitive- rations under public law or foundations under pri-
ness and wellbeing of the egalitarian society. vate law. They are responsible for the evaluation of
The higher education policy is planned and their own operations and outcomes, with the assis-
implemented by the Ministry of Education and tance of FINEEC (the Finnish Education Evaluation
Center). Universities are funded by the Government
Culture.
but they are also expected to raise external fund-
Finnish universities: two sectors, different
ing. The state resources for UAS are allocated in the
approaches form of core funding based on unit costs per student,
project funding and performance-based funding [1].
The higher education system of Finland has a Finnish higher education institutions attach the
dual structure. It is divided into two complemen- utmost importance to quality research and innova-
tary sectors having their own profiles. There are tion. A higher education degree is considered a nec-
14 universities that conduct fundamental research essary step for establishing a solid foundation for a
and offer undergraduate and postgraduate educa- future career. Thanks to their basic education and
tion (only universities can confer doctoral degrees) broad selection criteria including national entrance
and 23 universities of applied sciences (UAS) that exams and international test scores, Finnish stu-
focus on professional higher education and are dents are highly motivated to study. Unlike in most
involved in research and development activities countries, they also have a real influence on the
adopting a more practical approach. UAS have only quality of education, which is permitted by Finnish
eight fields of study (Business and Administration; legislation [2].
29 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
10 best universities of Finland in international rankings 2018 (according to StudyPortals)
Institution Times Higher Education QS Ranking Best Global
University of Helsinki Ranking 102 Universities Rankings
90
81
Aalto University 190 137 255
University of Turku 351 276 296
University of Jyväskylä 401 357 457
Tampere University of Technology 501 380 638
University of Oulu 251 411-420 395
University of Eastern Finland 301 451-460 357
Lappeenranta University of Technology 501 501-550 570
Åbo Akademi University - 551-600 840
University of Tampere 201 551-600 471
Equality as a key principle for International Mobility and Cooperation (CIMO)
One of the basic principles of Finnish education is established in 1991.
an equal access to high-quality education and train- In 2009 a significant university reform process
ing at all levels. The country places a strong empha-
sis on providing equal educational opportunities for started in Finland. It involved setting the national
all citizens developing the wide institutional net- strategy for the internationalization of higher edu-
work and providing free education, student finan- cation institutions for 2009-2015. Five primary
cial aid and flexible pathways to higher education. aims for internationalization were as follows: (i) a
In Finland there is a well-developed system of study genuinely international higher education commu-
grants and loans. Financial aid can be awarded for nity; (ii) increasing the quality and attractiveness
full-time study at Finnish HEIs. Universities do their of higher education institutions; (iii) promoting the
best to maximize each studentʼs potential though export of expertise; (iv) supporting a multicultural
society; (v) promoting global responsibility [4].
The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland
educational guidance and counseling. Great efforts established a goal to increase the number of inter-
are made to support students with special needs, national students to 20,000 by the year of 2015.
language minorities, and migrants.
It did not take long for the strategy to start bearing
To make higher education more accessible by fruit as by 2012 the number of foreign degree stu-
lowering the application threshold, the Finnish dents in Finnish universities had more than doubled
universities offer an online joint application sys- since 2003 (from about 8,000 to over 19,000).
tem. Prospective students can apply simultaneously In 2017 a steering group at the Ministry of
for four different Bachelorʼs degree programs at Education and Culture developed a new interna-
Finnish UAS using the same joint application form tional higher education and research policy for
with a strict order of preference of the study options. 2017-2025 [5]. The long-term goal of this strategy is
If they are not admitted to the option of their first to make Finland more open and international, rich
preference, their points will be checked to see, if in languages and cultures by 2025. The main objec-
they can be admitted to the option of their second, tives of this new strategy are:
third or fourth preference.
• to familiarize all students getting a higher edu-
The equal opportunity principle is also followed cation degree with international, multicultural
regarding international students who have obtained operating environments and to help them under-
their degrees at Finnish universities. It is reflected stand diversity, global challenges and principles of
in postgraduation equality in the job market. a sustainable society;
Universities can do a lot to avoid discrimination in • to promote a smoother integration of foreign stu-
recruitment, offering foreign students better oppor- dents, researchers and other staff into a truly inter-
tunities to study Finnish and teaching them special- national education and research Finnish community;
ization-related technical terminology [3]. • to remove any obstacles to education exports
Internationalization: aims and tools taking into account the challenges related to versa-
tility of foreign languages and cultures and impact
Internationalization has long been a major focus of the introduction of tuition fees;
of the Finnish science and higher education policy. • to have Finnish HEIs set clear goals for their
International collaboration and mobility in the international activities and select actions to achieve
Finnish society has been promoted by the Center these goals;
30 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Policies to promote internationalization in
Finnish higher education and research 2017-2025
1 2
Greater international
attraction through focusing
on the latest science and
leading edge research
Finland is the home
of high-quality education
3
Momentum for the export of
Finnish competence
4
5 A warm welcome to Finland
The Finnish message is heard 6
internationally
Bridgeheads in the world
7
Greater involvement of Finnish
experts living abroad and
alumni educated in Finland
31 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
FACTS AND FIGURES
Finnish higher education in 2017
(according to Statistics Finland and the Finnish National Agency of Education)
Universities Universities of applied sciences
The total number of students
About 153,300 About 141,000
The total number of degrees completed
31,000 26,300
HEIs with the highest number of students
University of Helsinki (31,300) Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (16,400)
Aalto University (17,300) Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (10,400)
University of Turku (about 16,200).
The number of international applications
Asia: 34% Asia: 35%
Europe: 29% Europe: 28%
Africa: 24% Africa: 20%
• to develop HEIsʼ joint measures in international cational innovation, the Ministry of Education and
cooperation. Culture is establishing a Team Finland Knowledge
Nowadays, five Finnish universities are aim- network that will start its work in autumn 2018 [6].
ing to recruit extra 150,000 international students It will operate in China, Singapore, North America,
by 2020. For example, Lappeenranta University of Spanish-speaking South America, Sub-Saharan
Technology hopes to double the number of foreign Africa, India, Russia, and later on, in the Persian
students from outside Europe, with a particular Gulf region. Seven experts in science and education
focus on China and India. They use an advanced are supposed to be hired for different regions. In
platform developed by Edunation, an innovative the first stage, experts will be placed in the Finnish
start-up engaged in education export, which makes embassies in Beijing, Singapore, Washington, and
high-quality Finnish higher education much more Buenos Aires. In autumn 2019, the network will be
easily available to the world. It aims to help interna- extended to Pretoria, New Delhi, Moscow, and the
tional students with their application process and Persian Gulf region.
answer all questions they might have about living Thus, Finland strives to effectively implement its
and studying in Finland. Through the Edunation ambitious plans to be an active participant in the
platform they can enroll in full degree programs, global community and to build the worldʼs best edu-
participate in summer schools and exchange pro- cation and research environments by deepening its
grams provided by Finnish HEIs. international connections. That is why Finnish HEIs
To enhance international cooperation in the field fully adhere to the main principles of their higher
of higher education and research and to promote education policy such as quality, efficiency, equity
the export of Finnish knowledge, expertise and edu- and internationalization.
REFERENCES Available URL: http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/
planipolis/files/ressources/finland_higher_education_
1. Finnish education in a nutshell. [Online] Available strategy.pdf [Accessed May 21, 2018]
http://www.oph.fi/download/146428_Finnish_ 5. Better together for a better world [Online] Available
URL:
Education_in_a_Nutshell.pdf [Accessed May 21, 2018] URL: http://minedu.fi/documents/1410845/4154572/
2. StudyPortals. Bachelors. Study in Finland. [Online] Y M P - e n - n e t . p d f / a b 7 4 d 6 b 2 - a 4 8 f - 4 9 e e - 9 5 6 3 -
Available URL: https://www.bachelorsportal.com/coun- 6313f87198ae/YMP-en-net.pdf.pdf [Accessed May 21,
tries/9/finland.html [Accessed May 22, 2018]
2018]
3. Equal opportunities at university are reflected 6. Team Finland Knowledge network to enhance
in equality in the job market. [Online] Available URL: the visibility of Finnish knowledge and expertise and
https://syl.fi/en/blogi/equal-opportunities-at-university- to boost exports [Online] Available URL: http://val-
are-reflected-in-equality-in-the-job-market/ [Accessed tioneuvosto.fi/en/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/1410845/
team-finland-knowledge-verkosto-lisaamaan-suomal-
May 22, 2018]
4. Strategy for the Internationalization of Higher aisen-osaamisen-nakyvyytta-ja-vauhdittamaan-vientia
Education Institutions in Finland 2009–2015 [Online] [Accessed May 22, 2018]
32 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Higher Education and Research
in France:
the Winds of Change
France has always been known for its highest French university system underwent total restruc-
cultural and educational standards. Throughout turing: universities, elite engineering schools (so-
its history, the French higher education system called grandes écoles) and research centers were
has undergone multiple changes. Nowadays, joined into 25 higher education and research clus-
when internationalization has become one of ters. The purpose was to harmonize higher educa-
key aspects of higher education quality improve- tion and research within a region, with each of the
ment, most reforms are aimed at enhancing 13 regions of metropolitan France having at least
the reputation of the university education and one such cluster within its borders. A national
increasing the competitiveness of French HEIs research strategy was also established, in harmony
on the global stage. This agenda is enthusias- with the European agenda Horizon 2020 connecting
tically pursued by the new French government science to society and opening up further research
under the leadership of President Emmanuel and innovation activities.
Macron. As part of restructuring, new visa regulations
Previous major reforms and administrative requirements for international
students were introduced, and the number of
Over the decade preceding Emmanuel Macronʼs English-taught courses and French lessons for non-
election, the French higher education system had Francophone foreign students were increased [1].
been drastically overhauled twice. In 2007 it was According to this law, French students gained the
totally revamped by the law known as Liberties and right to access more selective university programs if
Responsibilities of Universities. This law gave univer- they had sufficiently high grades on their baccalau-
sities entire financial and administrative autonomy, réat (high school graduation exam). Collegiality and
i.e. control over their budget, recruitment and democracy within HEIs was reinforced by creating
estate management. In 2013, with the adoption an academic council and giving it a role in decision
of the Law on Higher Education and Research, the making [2].
33 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
New government, new trends will have more freedom in choosing their program
At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland held offering and recruiting their staff according to inter-
in January 2018 Mr. Macron expressed his regret national standards of quality and independence.
that French universities had been dropping down New educational reforms will also include allocat-
in the international rankings in the last few years ing extra budget to HEIs on a contract basis, encour-
and asserted that France had started to profoundly aging them to raise new funds and increasing their
reform its educational system and invest heavily borrowing capacity. This will allow HEIs to invest
in its development [3]. Indeed, over the past year, more in promoting their programs and strengthen
numerous ambitious and radical reforms in higher their positions in the international higher educa-
education have been proposed, some of them being tion market. A lot of improvements in studentsʼ life,
rather controversial and evoking strong resentment e.g. in housing and financial support, as well as an
and protests from officials and students. One of the increase in the number of international mobility
most disputable reforms is that of the traditional bac- scholarships are also suggested.
Mr. Macron is determined to make France “the
calauréat system that was found too complex as it was world leader in environmental research” by creat-
focused on a single series of exams in the final school
ing poles of excellence.
year, covering too many
subjects and not allowing France welcomes more Over 40% of PhD students
for enough specialization international students than any at French research uni-
[4]. All students in France versities are foreign-born,
country except the US, the UK and doctoral institu-
passing their baccalauréat and Australia.
tions would gladly accept
were guaranteed a public
even greater numbers of
university place regardless
international students to
of their grades, which has led to the excessive num- become more popular and more competitive in the
ber of applications for such popular subjects as law global market. That is why more foreign specialists
and psychology and the introduction of the lottery will be enticed to come to France by facilitating visa
system of student selection, and, as a consequence, and residency permit procedures [5].
to a considerable decline in studentsʼ knowledge To encourage more international students to
quality. The new government has decided to get rid study in France, Mr. Macron has announced a
of this unpopular and unjust system and tighten the unique government-funded program to promote
admission requirements by establishing new crite- French speaking across the world boosting “learn-
ria for applicants, for example, “capacity for logical ing, communication and creation” in French. Better
thought” for future lawyers, “scientific competen- language programs for refugees and those who are
cies” for physicists, “essay writing skills” for philolo- “less well integrated” in France will be also offered
gists. Universities are also supposed to select students [6]. At the same time, the French government aims
based on their motivation and teachersʼ opinions. to develop English language learning among stu-
Those who do not meet the criteria can be offered dents to enable them to “act and move in globaliza-
supplementary courses. The authors of this reform tion,” according to French Prime Minister Edouard
state that it will cope with first-year studentsʼ lagging Philippe. He said that “to master English is to better
behind which has already amounted to 60%, while its control oneʼs future,” and that the students should
critics fear that it will defy the principle of a universal be provided with help to pass internationally recog-
and equal access to higher education. nized English language tests [7]. Such language pol-
The new government would like to make French icy is surely supposed to be a step towards a more
HEIs fully autonomous and more flexible so that multilingual learning atmosphere where different
they can completely unleash their potential. They languages can successfully co-exist.
34 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
Emmanuel Macron is committed to
strengthening European identity
and developing student mobility:
one of his objectives is to get
220,000 French students involved
in the Erasmus program by the end
of his mandate in 2022.
institutions, individual researchers or projects, staff
and student mobility, make universities more com-
petitive internationally, connect European regions,
and promote innovation [8].
Strengthening international educational ties In January 2018 the French Minister for Higher
Education, Research and Innovation, Dr. Frédérique
With the intention of reinforcing the countryʼs Vidal, and the Minister for Trade and Industry of
positions in the world arena and attracting more Singapore, Mr. S. Iswaran, met to reaffirm the exist-
foreign students and researchers, the new French ing bilateral relations between France and Singapore
government has put forward some initiatives and in education, science and research and to discuss
has signed a number of international cooperation the conditions for further advancement of their
agreements with a special focus on the develop- cooperation on innovation. They are committed
ment of research collaboration and academic mobil- to developing further interactions between the two
ity, some of which are presented below. innovation ecosystems as a result of the Year of
Innovation.
In 2017 the Élysée Palace suggested creation of
around 20 “European universities” by 2024 using the In March 2018 Mr. Macron paid the first state
EU research and education funding (at least €100 mil- visit to India. He participated in the Knowledge
lion in total). They will be based on networks of four Summit held by the French Institute in India along
to six institutions, in at least three member states, with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research &
with a pilot project to be launched in September 2018. Innovation of France and the co-Ministry of Human
According to Macronʼs plan, these small clusters of Resource Development. At the summit a MoU for
like-minded universities will develop joint programs mutual recognition of academic qualifications was
for Masterʼs and doctoral degrees, lifelong learning signed between the two countries to strengthen
courses, and research and innovation projects, share their collaboration through academic exchange.
infrastructure and some support functions such as The President also declared that he would like to
grant management and student enrollment, pro- double the number of Indian students coming to
vide an integrated curriculum in several countries France. Fifteen other MoUs between various insti-
and languages, with more students moving around
among the universities rather than staying at home.
The Presidentʼs goal is to support development of the
The networks including 20
“European universities” proposed
by Macron will consolidate the
triangle of innovation, research
and education in Europe and
encourage more European
integration in higher education.
35 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Country experience
On May 24, 2018 Russian President
Vladimir Putin and French
President Emmanuel Macron
held a joint conference at the 22nd
St. Petersburg International
Economic Forum where they
discussed the French-Russian
bilateral relations in different
areas. According to the results of
negotiations, Saint Petersburg State
University and Paris-Sorbonne
University–Paris IV signed a
cooperation agreement for the
development and implementation of
double degree programs in History,
Literature and Philosophy.
tutions of India and France in the areas of higher expenses-paid boot-camp for community college
education, research, innovation, faculty exchange, students to visit France. The bilateral goals in stu-
scientific cooperation were also signed. dent mobility can be achieved through partnerships
In May 2018 the Third Bilateral Seminar on the that foster mutual recognition of degrees, offering
Transatlantic Friendship and Mobility Initiative dual degrees, and incentives such as paid intern-
took place. The French and US representatives dis- ships for exchange students and experienced-based
cussed the prospects for international cooperation learning objectives.
between the two countries in the field of higher All in all, despite some complexities, the new
education. France intends to double the number of French governmentʼs reforms and international
incoming US students as well as French students activities in higher education and research sectors
attending US HEIs. For this purpose, it has allocated are expected to have a positive impact on interna-
funds to support international student and scholar tionalization of higher education and science in
exchange through its “Make Our Planet Great Again” France and maintain the countryʼs status as one
initiative, partnerships with US community colleges of the most popular destination for students and
and innovative programs such as the two-week all researchers from all over the world.
REFERENCES 5. Why Emmanuel Macron’s Victory May Change
the Face of International Higher Education. [Online]
1. Internationalization is a global trend of higher edu- Available URL: https://www.educations.com/higher-
cation. By QS Asia News Network [Online] Available URL: education-news/emmanuel-macron-higher-educa-
http://qswownews.com/internationalisation-is-a-global- tion-12412 [Accessed May 28, 2018]
trend-of-higher-education/ [Accessed May 28, 2018]
6. Emmanuel Macron launches global campaign
2. Aux, Jean-Pierre. Is the new French research and to promote French speaking. [Online] Available URL:
education reform going far enough? [Online] Available https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/20/
URL: https://www.euroscientist.com/is-the-new-french- emmanuel-macron-campaign-french-speaking [Accessed
research-and-education-reform-going-far-enough/ May 29, 2018]
[Accessed May 28, 2018] 7. India & France sign MoU to boost stu-
3. President Emmanuel Macron sets out response to dent mobility. [Online] Available URL: https://
acei-global.blog/2018/05/17/the-transatlantic-
globalization in Davos [Online] Available URL: https:// friendship-and-mobility-initiative-bilateral-seminar-
franceintheus.org/spip.php?article8475 [Accessed May may-14-15-2018embassy-of-france-washington-d-c/
28, 2018]
4. Emmanuel Macron wants to change the beloved [Accessed May 29, 2018]
baccalauréat. [Online] Available URL: https://www. 8. Hudson, Richard L. Macron to EU: Faster action
economist.com/europe/2018/02/08/emmanuel-macron- needed to build university networks in Europe.
wants-to-change-the-beloved-baccalaureat [Accessed [Online] Available URL: https://sciencebusiness.net/
news/macron-eu-faster-action-needed-build-university-
May 29, 2018] networks-europe [Accessed May 29, 2018]
36 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Mainstream
EVALUATION
INCREASE
DEVELOPMENT
UNIVERSITIES
PRIORITY
SYSTEM EDUCATION EXPORT
EXPANSION
INTERNAL INTERNATIONALIZATION
EDUCATION
POTENTIAL
TJAORGIENTTAUPDIERNOCEGRAMS
INFORMATION
PROMOTION
INPLEMENTATION
AFFILIATES ABROAD
ON-LINE LEARNING
GROWTH
PREPARATION
NETWORK UNIVERSITIES
QUALITY
The target model of Russian education export implies the selection of
methods for delivery of educational services, which could provide attain-
ing the target indications of the national priority project on the development
of the export potential of the Russian educational system. Such indications
include a number of international full-time students in Russian educational
institutions, an amount of non-budgetary funding, etc. The development
and implementation of the model will be provided by the center of excel-
lence for international offices of Russian educational institutions (RANEPA).
Taking into account four possible modes of service delivery listed by the
World Trade Organization five key models of education export have been
developed, namely: internal internationalization; joint educational pro-
grams; representative offices of Russian educational institutions abroad;
online education; and network universities.
For its readers, the HED has prepared a series of articles on each model.
37 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Mainstream
Russian Education Export:
Internal Internationalization
Description and objectives
Internal internationalization implies recruiting international stu-
dents for obtaining higher education at all the levels (pre-university
training, Bachelorʼs, Masterʼs, post-graduate programs, advance
training courses) in the full-time, part-time and mixed forms entirely
in the territory of the Russian Federation, according to the WTOʼs
consumption abroad mode of service export.
The economic effect of this model (export earnings) is constituted
of funds raised from students as tuition fees as well as of funds left in
the Russian economy during the period of their training (expenses on
accommodation, meals, transport, mobile services, etc.).
The implementation of this model will facilitate the attainment of
the key indications of the national priority project on the develop-
ment of the export potential of the Russian educational system such
as a number of international full-time students in the Russian higher
education institutions and amounts of non-budgetary funds raised
from Russian education export.
Gulnara A. KRASNOVA, Andrei A. BAIKOV, Ekaterina Ia. ARAPOVA,
Chief Researcher, Professor of Vice-Rector for Master's and Head of the Department for
the Russian Presidential Academy International Programs of the Expertise of Masterʼs Degree
of National Economy and Public MGIMO University, Associate Programs of the MGIMO University,
Administration (RANEPA), Doctor Professor, Candidate of Political Candidate of Economic Sciences
of Philosophical Sciences Sciences
hedclub.com
38 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018
Mainstream
Internationalization in Russia
About 30% of In Russia the greater part of commercial educational services to for-
international students eign citizens is provided by higher education institutions (HEIs). The
getting education full-time training brings the greatest incomes.
abroad come from The main importers of the Russian educational services as of the
four countries: China, 2015-2016 academic year were the CIS (63%) and Asian (28%) countries.
the Republic of Korea,
The number of international students of the Russian educational
institutions is steadily increasing. The increase in 2015-2016 was 14%
India, and Germany. in relation to the total number of graduate and pre-university stu-
The growth rates of dents and 12% in relation to the number of students in 2014-2015.
education import are During the latest two years the numbers were increasing only due to
rather high in Vietnam, students from the CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine). The
largest body of international full-time students in the 2015-2016 aca-
Iran, Malaysia, and demic year consisted of Kazakhstan citizens (31.5 thousand people) as
Saudi Arabia. in the previous year, China took the second place with 22.3 thousand,
and Turkmenistan was on the third place with 14.0 thousand.
The proportion of foreign students whose study was funded by the
Russian budget increased from 38.5% in 2014-2015 to 40% in 2015-
2016. The increase in the number of international full-time students
was observed mainly in the educational institutions belonged to the
Ministry of Education and Science (by 12.8 thousand) and the Ministry
of Healthcare of the Russian Federation.
The increase in the number of international graduate students,
interns, post-graduate students, pre-university students and students
of other categories was achieved mainly due to educational institu-
tions located in the regional centers of the RF (totally by 12.2 thou-
sand) as well as universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg (by 3.3
thousand).
The number of Russian universities having international full-time
students decreased in the 2015-2016 academic year in comparison
with the previous year totally by 8.1% (64 HEIs), including non-state
higher education institutions—by 17.3% (47 HEIs) and HEIs of the
Ministry of Education and Science of the RF—by 5.7% (15 HEIs). It
is related to the processes of merging universities and establishing
larger educational institutions, closing diploma mills, terminating
licenses for educational services, revoking state accreditation, prohib-
iting enrollment of new students.
Key importers of Russian educational services*
63% 28%
CIS countries Asian countries
39 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 9%
other
* As of the 2015-2016 academic year
hedclub.com
Mainstream
In comparison with
the previous year
the most significant
increase was in the
number of students
majoring in medicine
(by 5.8 thousand) and
engineering (totally
by 5.2 thousand)
especially in metallurgy,
machine-building and
material science—by
Foreign citizens coming into Russia to get education prefer state 1.8 thousand as well as
higher education institutions. In 2015-2016 state universities had in geology, exploration
96.6% of the total number of international students in the country,
while non-state universities had 3.4% of them (4.5% in 2014-2015). and development of
In the 2015-2016 academic year international students primarily natural resources—by
chose engineering majors—45 thousand people or 22.4%, 37.3 thou- 1.1 thousand, in natural
sand people (18.6%) chose medicine, and 28.2 thousand (14.1%)—eco- and exact sciences—by
nomics. 2.3 thousand. At the
In comparison with the previous year the most significant increase
was in the number of students majoring in medicine (by 5.8 thousand) same time the number
and engineering (totally by 5.2 thousand) especially in metallurgy, of international
machine-building and material science—by 1.8 thousand as well as students majoring in
in geology, exploration and development of natural resources—by economics and social
1.1 thousand, in natural and exact sciences—by 2.3 thousand. At the
same time the number of international students majoring in econom- sciences decreased, by
ics and social sciences decreased, by 0.8 thousand and 0.5 thousand 0.8 thousand and 0.5
respectively. thousand respectively.
Russian universities aiming to recruit prospective international
students for study in the territory of the RF use different methods of
attraction, both traditional and new:
• arrangement of and participation in olympiads, contests, career-
guidance events (live and remote) hosted by the RF or foreign coun-
tries, partner institutions and universities for the attraction of gifted
and motivated international students;
• participation in educational exhibitions and fairs;
• arrangement of recruiting events including summer innovative
camps for schoolchildren, summer and winter schools, etc.;
• on-line recruiting;
• opportunities for employment of international students;
• posting information on educational programs on the university
websites and the national portal “Education in Russia” (ru.education.
mon.gov.ru), commercial educational portals, and cooperation with
international recruiting agencies;
• dissemination of information on educational programs deliv-
ered by Russian universities through Russian embassies and rep-
resentative offices of Russian governmental institutions abroad
such as Russian schools, culture centers, the Federal Agency for CIS
Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian
Cooperation, etc.;
• development of awareness about educational programs delivered
by Russian universities through cooperation at the level of Ministries
of Education and Science, adding of Russian universities in the lists of
40 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Mainstream
universities approved by the Ministries of Education of different coun-
The size of the tries of the world, in the lists of educational institutions included in
international market of the national scholarship programs;
educational services is • dissemination of information on educational programs delivered
about US$200 billion.
by Russian universities through the associations of international
graduates from the Russian (Soviet) higher education institutions;
• promotion through search systems, social media and free educa-
tional portals (Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Youtube in the Russian and
foreign languages), websites of partner-universities, portals of inter-
national educational consortiums and professional associations;
• active marketing of educational programs in the mass media and
on the key relevant informational platforms as well as development of
awareness about educational programs in the mass media and social
networking websites.
41 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 Internationalization in the world
The size of the international market of educational services is about
US$200 billion. In the coming 2017-2020 years annual growth rates of
the educational services market are expected to be 17%, as a result by
2020 this market can increase to US$252 billion.1
Over 50% of the total number of foreign citizens studying abroad are
the students of the USA, UK, Australian, Canadian, French, German,
Japanese universities. Nevertheless, in the recent years the propor-
tion of these countries in the world education export tends to decrease,
while the proportion of China, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and
Singapore is growing.
About 30% of international students getting education abroad come
from four countries: China, the Republic of Korea, India, and Germany.
The growth rates of education import are rather high in Vietnam, Iran,
Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. The most popular majors here are busi-
ness and management, engineering, the humanities and art, social
sciences and law.
1 EdTechXEurope Report 2016.
hedclub.com
Mainstream
The model algorithm
1. The approach to the internal internationalization model: recruiting China, India, the
international students to the educational programs delivered by Russian Republic of Korea,
universities in the Russian language. Malaysia, Indonesia,
The target audience of this model is Russian-speaking interna- Vietnam, Mongolia,
tional students first of all from the CIS countries, which constitute Brazil, Angola, and
the Russian-speaking world and traditionally have a positive attitude France are the Top 10
to Russian education and brand awareness of Russian universities, as desirable countries
well as from the third world countries.
2. The approach to the internal internationalization model: recruiting
international students to the educational programs delivered by Russian supplying international
universities in foreign languages. students to Russia.
The target audience of this model is predominantly foreign students
who do not speak Russian. The application of this model sets some
requirements like a high level of teachersʼ language skills and a higher
qualification level of administrative staff (language skills, qualifica-
tion in migration law, etc.).
The desirable target audience
When choosing the most desirable target audience that is a country
of origin of international students attracted to Russia, it is necessary
to take into account the following factors:
1. A traditional, historically developed interest in Russian education:
it appears as a relatively high proportion of international students from
this country of origin and comparatively high rates of the annual growth.
2. An increased demand for educational services in those majors
where Russia enjoys higher competitiveness and internationalization.
Globally, the countries of the Asian region take the first place as
in the 2015-2016 academic year they had 28% of the total number of
international students in the world. Namely, China had 13%, India—
4.5% (though the proportion was rather small, the increase rates of
international students from India turned out the fastest—28% in
relation to the level of 2014-2015), Vietnam had 3%, however with
its proportion decreasing, this country was followed by Malaysia and
Mongolia also with declining numbers.
Among the West European countries the leaders are Italia, France,
and Germany, though over the recent years the first two countries
have had descending trends.
As for Africa (except the northern part of the continent), Nigeria and
Angola have the largest numbers of students pursuing education at
Russian universities. In Latin America the first place belongs to Brazil
with a growth rate of 13% which is outpacing the average rate of 10%.
With this in mind we can state that the ten most desirable coun-
tries supplying international students to Russia are China, India, the
Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Brazil,
Angola, and France.
Risks and opportunities
The potential risks include:
• intensification of competitive activities by the worldʼs major econ-
omies competing for educational services markets;
• political, military and economic disruptions in the countries being
primary receivers of Russian educational services, depreciation of the
national currencies in the CIS, Asian, and African countries;
• tightening of Russiaʼs migration policy in relation to international
students in the context of terrorist threats;
42 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
43 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 Mainstream
• extension and escalation of sanctions against Russia that can
affect its image abroad and its attractiveness as a provider of educa-
tional services;
• a decrease in the number of people speaking Russian and in the
number of educational institutions teaching Russian in the foreign
countries;
• a decrease in the number of school-leavers in some CIS countries
and in most European countries due to demographic reasons;
• an increase of living expenses in Russia that reduces its economic
attractiveness as a country of study;
• insufficient language skills of teachers and administrative staff at
Russian universities;
• the insufficient infrastructure of Russian universities, its inad-
equate level for attraction of international students;
• low tolerance of the Russian population toward international stu-
dents from certain countries;
• the increasing number of international students might result in
formation of expat communities, growing distrust by the native peo-
ple, and social disruption.
At the same time there are important opportunities:
• Russiaʼs activities aimed at integration with foreign coun-
tries in the different regions of the world, it includes the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, and
the BRICS countries;
• Russiaʼs participation in the Bologna process which promotes the
dialogue with the EU member states and the East European countries
covering the issues of harmonization and partnership in education as
well as Russiaʼs participation in UNESCO, ATEM, ASEAN, ASEM and
other organizations;
• a gradual decrease of the resource-based component of Russiaʼs
economy and a growth of the knowledge-based economy in the coun-
try, that can be of special interest for foreign investors and prospective
students;
• an essential interest of foreign countries to academic mobility pro-
grams for their citizens (for example, Denmark, Japan) aiming at gain-
ing international experience;
• an increase in the number of school-leavers in some CIS countries;
• de-escalation of tensions in Russiaʼs relationships with foreign
countries, development of privileged partnerships and friendly rela-
tionships with them, which can ease visa and migration regulations;
• instabilities of the world economy and other critical conditions, as
a rule, cause outflows of young hopefuls from the country, including
those having a sufficient consumer potential from the target audience;
• spread of influence of international graduates from the Russian
educational system on the promotion of its positive image abroad and
recruiting prospective students for studying in the Russian educa-
tional programs;
• improvement of the living standards and educational infrastruc-
ture at the Russian university centers that can attract more interna-
tional students;
• improvement of education quality as a result of universitiesʼ com-
petitive practices aimed at recruiting international students, intro-
duction of educational programs and modules in foreign languages
into the educational process, arrangement of on-the-job and project-
oriented training for international students, interns, and post-gradu-
ate students.
hedclub.com
Partner search
In 2013 BAYHOST decided to put a greater focus on enhancing cooperation
with Russia. The decision was based on the wish of many Bavarian institutes of
higher education to intensify and enlarge their contacts with Russian partners.
On the one hand, academic cooperation between Bavaria and Russia has always
been prevalent in natural sciences. On the other hand, academics in humanities
and social sciences are interested in cooperation with Russia as well. Academic
exchange with Russia in economic sciences is important with regard to over a
thousand Bavarian companies doing business in Russia. Therefore, universities on
both sides are to train skilled employees for the economic exchange as well as
to support it with relevant academic research. As far as students are concerned,
among the 20 countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe BAYHOST is
responsible for, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Poland are most popular.
Russian-Bavarian Cooperation in
Higher Education and Science
Experience of the Bavarian Academic Center for
Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (BAYHOST)
Partnership
Nikolas DJUKIĆ, BAYHOST At present, Bavarian and Russian institutes
of higher education maintain 138 partnerships.
Though the majority is located in Moscow and
St. Petersburg, there are Russian universities coop-
erating with Bavaria throughout the whole country,
from Kaliningrad to the Far Eastern Khabarovsk.
While some Bavarian universities have been coop-
erating with Russian partners successfully for many
years, others are just establishing first academic
contacts to Russia.
The partnership agreements offer most of all the
possibility of exchanging students. Furthermore,
there are six double degree programs of Russian
and Bavarian institutes of higher education in dif-
ferent subjects ranging from linguistics and law to
computer science. Some more double degrees are
planned, but up to now only few students use this
opportunity. The Russian side is very interested in
establishing more international double degrees. A
lot of coordinative work has to be done by the part-
ner institutions until a double degree is ready to
start. Difficulties are sometimes hidden in adminis-
trative and legal details.
44 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Partner search
Research cooperation Joint events
Of course, there is also various research coopera- This became obvious at the Bavarian-Russian
tion between Russia and Bavaria that has not been conference on economics and business adminis-
completely documented. It is present in all academic tration in November 2017 at Friedrich-Alexander-
directions like Russian philology, law, economic sci- Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) that attracted
ences, physics, computer science, and mechanical about 180 participants from Bavaria and Russia.
engineering. Cooperation is dedicated both to basic Many new contacts were established. The pro-
research and to applied issues. There is a big vari- gram showed a broad range of topics in economics
ety in the forms of cooperation: for example, trips and business administration that are investigated
of individual researchers in both directions, short- in Russia and Bavaria. Not all of the Russian par-
term projects involving a group of researchers and ticipants found the corresponding counterpart in
students; projects lasting several years that are Bavaria. For example, in Russia international coop-
financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) eration in higher education and science is subject to
and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research research itself, hardly in Bavaria.
(RFBR), and even the establishment of a laboratory An enhanced exchange of young academics in
in Russia financed by a Russian mega-grant. order to train them in working methods, manage-
In spite of the big variety of topics and forms of ment of research projects and applying for funds can
cooperation, the full potential for joint research has contribute to overcoming existing barriers. Through
not been used by far. The existing cooperation is based its annual scholarship program, BAYHOST supports
on projects of individual researchers on both sides with PhD studies and long-term research sojourns of
complementary expertise who make efforts and suc- Russian graduates in Bavaria giving them the pos-
ceed in attracting funds. However, in many fields the sibility to become familiar with the German science
research landscape is so different that successful joint system. The Mobility Grants funding program facili-
research is not possible without further preparation. tates short-term research sojourns.
Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Godehard Ruppert (Spokesman of the BAYHOST board of directors), Prof. Dr. Sergey Y. Mikadze (Vice-Rector
of Saint Petersburg State University of Economics UNECON), Prof. Dr. Dirk Holtbrügge (Chair of International Management,
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg FAU), Prof. Dr. Günter Leugering (Vice-President for International Affairs
at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg FAU), Andrey Matvienko (Deputy Consul General of the Russian
Federation in Munich)
Photo: Giulia Iannicelli
45 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Partner search
In the years of 2016 and 2017 BAYHOST partici- there are further important centers of higher educa-
pated in delegation visits of the Bavarian Prime tion and science in Russia. Among the partners are
Minister and the Bavarian State Minister for universities in Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk,
Education, Science and the Arts to Russia in order and Tomsk.
to create favorable conditions for a more intensive Presently, many Russian universities are very
academic cooperation. In March 2016 the Bavarian open to international cooperation. BAYHOST
State Minister for Education, Science and the regularly receives proposals for cooperation.
Arts chaired a round table on Sometimes, the information
Bavarian-Russian cooperation Academic cooperation be- included in these proposals is
in higher education and sci- tween Bavaria and Russia rather general, while Bavarian
ence in Moscow, where leading has always been prevalent universities prefer suggestions
representatives of Russian and in natural sciences. At the to be as concrete as possible in
German institutes of higher order to make a decision. In
education and research, univer- same time, academic ex- this case, a better coordina-
sity associations and founda- change in economic sci- tion between the members of
tions took part. Thanks to these ences is also important with the university leadership and
delegation visits, BAYHOST regard to over a thousand the international office and
was introduced to Russian aca- Bavarian companies doing the teachers and researchers
demic organizations and many business in Russia. would be desirable in order
universities. Despite contacts to identify common fields of
to academic organizations interest and to fill new part-
and university associations, direct communication nerships with life. Otherwise, they might just exist
with universities and even researchers still remains on the paper.
highly important for initiating academic coopera- Based on the priorities of Bavarian and Russian
tion and leads to concrete results more effectively. universities, BAYHOST will keep working on inten-
Prospects sifying academic relations. Establishing contacts
with a large number of universities was the first
When we have a look at the partnerships of step, while for the future BAYHOST plans smaller
Bavarian universities with Russian ones, we clearly and more specific conferences and workshops that
see that apart from Moscow and Saint Petersburg should lead to joint projects and grant applications.
Opening of the Round Table on Bavarian-Russian cooperation in higher education and sciences by Bavarian State Minister
Dr. Ludwig Spaenle in March 2016
Photo: DWIH
46 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Anouncement
Joint Bavarian-Russian
Conference on
Interdisciplinary
Humanities and Social
Sciences
On 7-8 June 2018 a Joint Bavarian-
Russian Conference on Interdisciplinary
Humanities and Social Sciences will
take place in the northern Bavarian
town of Bayreuth. The conference is
organized by the University of Bayreuth
and the Bavarian Academic Center
for Central, Eastern and Southeastern
Europe (BAYHOST). It is one of the fol-
low-up-events of the Bavarian-Russian
conference on Economics and Business
Administration held in November 2017.
47 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
Anouncement
Bavarian-Russian Conference on Economics and Business Among other current approaches to integrating
Administration humanities and social sciences, the intersec-
Photo: Giulia Iannicelli tion of the disciplines—philosophy, economics, and
political science—forms an area of steadily growing
Prof. Dr. Rudolf SCHÜSSLER, academic interest. It has become apparent that eco-
University of Bayreuth nomic and political issues in international relations
Nikolas DJUKIĆ, BAYHOST can hardly be separated in practice. The impor-
tance of discourses of justice for the both fields
also brings philosophy into play. At the educational
level, the seminal nexus of these three disciplines
is documented by many Philosophy, Politics, and
Economics (PPE) courses of study which have arisen
in the Anglo-American world.
The Philosophy and Economics course at the
University of Bayreuth is one of the frontrunners
of this development in German academia (politics
being informally, if not formally, present in its cur-
riculum and research). The course was the first of
its kind at a German university and is now proud to
be offered by one of the largest philosophy depart-
ments in Bavaria. Its specialty is the close coop-
eration between the departments of philosophy
and economics, with some courses each semester
being jointly taught by philosophers and econo-
mists. Many of the students go on to study at pres-
tigious international universities or enter a career
in business or government. On the Russian side,
the National Research University Higher School
of Economics (HSE) is one of its foremost Russian
practitioners of the PPE approach. Moreover, fur-
ther universities from Germany and Russia develop
or have developed a similar interest in the intersec-
tion between humanities and social sciences and
will participate in the conference.
48 • HED No.3 (03) • 2018 hedclub.com
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