Transformation of Academic Work. Standardisation and Control Facing Resistance and Craftiness.

Author(s):

Sarah Croché(presenting / submitting)Jean-Émile Charlier(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

28. Sociologies of Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

28 SES 05, The Transformation of Academic Practice in Europe

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-09

11:00-12:30

Room:

106.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Terri Seddon

Contribution

This paper follow different research we developed on the piloting of the Bologna Process (Croché 2010), on the effects of the Bologna Process in other world regions (Charlier & al. 2009), on the impact of the quality assurance devices in European higher education systems (Charlier & al. 2012; Charlier & Croché 2015).

The objective is to study the transformation of the academic profession through the analysis of the effects of two instruments launched in Europe in the framework of the Bologna Process.

The first instrument is the introduction of the learning outcomes. Since 2000, with the launch of the Tuning project (2000), the adoption of the European Qualification Framework in higher education (2005) and of the European Qualification Framework for lifelong learning (2008), all the countries members of the Bologna Process are invited to translate all their universities studies programs in terms of learning outcomes (Liu & al. 2012; Sin 2014; Souto Lopez 2015).

The second instrument is the quality evaluation mechanism developed in all the countries members of the Bologna Process since 2005. With the adoption of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (2005) and of the European Quality Assurance Register (2007), all the European countries are encouraged to develop national agencies and mechanisms of quality assurance in their universities (Charlier & al. 2012; Cheng 2009; Saarinen 2005).

The theoretical framework comes from Foucault and especially its concept of apparatus and governmentality. In 2010, Croché (2010) defend the thesis that since 1998, a "European higher education apparatus" exists and produces a new kind of "conduct of the conduct". In this paper, we will test the power of this apparatus on the academics. With the use of the actor-network-theory (sociology of translation), we will see the different kind of (re)actions the academics develop, facing the quality assurance and the introduction of the learning outcomes, to reorient the apparatus in another direction.

Method

Empirically, this paper present a comparative work. The empirical material comes from the interview of academics from two countries (French-speaking Belgium and Denmark) and from the analysis of documents produced by rectors association (CREF- Council of rectors in Belgium, Danish Rector’s conference in Denmark) and academics associations present in universities in the two countries.

Expected Outcomes

In the results of this paper, firstly, we will see that, with the two instruments analysed here, in Europe (Brunetto & Wharton 2005; Mertova & Webster 2009; Nyhagen & Baschung 2013), but also in other world region (Anderson 2006), the academic work is transformed. In the countries analysed, the work (in teaching and in research) of academics is evaluated each year by new internal or external authorities which conform in particular to European criteria (Charlier & al. 2012). In the two countries, the academics are invited to translate their lesson in terms of learning outcomes and to act in concert with their colleagues to form a more coherent teaching curriculum (Nyhagen & Baschung 20133; Souto Lopez 2015). Secondly, this paper will highlight the reaction of the academics confronted with these two instruments which aims to standardise the European higher education systems and, to achieve this objective, to control the work of the academics. We will see in which direction the work of academic is affected, if their autonomy is weakened or not. The assumption which will be tested is that: "Facing the apparent acceptance of these two instruments in different European countries, craftiness and resistances appear in European universities and take various forms".

References

Anderson G. (2006) "Assuring Quality/Resisting Quality Assurance: Academics’ Responses to Some Australian Universities", Quality in Higher Education, 12(2), 161-173. Brunetto, Y. & Wharton R. 2005 "Academics Responses To The Implementation of a Quality Agenda", Quality in Higher Education, 11(2), 161-180. Charlier J-É. & Croché S. 2015 "Les résistances à la qualité", Carrefours de l’éducation, forthcoming Charlier J-É., Croché S. & Leclercq B. 2012 Contrôler la qualité dans l’enseignement supérieur. Louvain-la-Neuve : Academia Charlier J-É., Croché S. & Ndoye A.K. 2009 Les universités africaines francophones face au LMD. Louvain-la-Neuve : Academia Bruylant. Cheng M. 2009 "Academics’ Professionalism and Quality Mechanisms: Challenges and Tensions", Quality in Higher Education, 15(3), 193-205 Croché S. 2010 Le pilotage du processus de Bologne. Louvain-la-Neuve : Academia-Bruylant Liu O.L., Bridgeman B. & Adler R.M. (2012) "Measuring Learning Outcomes in Higher Education. Motivation Matters", Educational Researcher, 41(9), 352-382 Mertova P. & Webster L. 2009 "The Academic Voice in English and Czeh Higher Education Quality", Quality Assurance in Education, 17(2), 140-155 Nyhagen G.M. & Baschung L. 2013 "New organisational structures and the transformation of academic work", Higher Education, 66(4), 409-423 Saarinen T. 2005 "Quality in the Bologna Process : from ‘competitive edge’ to quality assurance techniques", European Journal of Education, 40(2), 189-204 Sin C. 2014 "Lost in translation: the meaning of learning outcomes across national and institutional policy contexts", Studies in Higher Education, 39(10), 1823-1837. Souto Lopez M. (2015) Resserrer le dispositif européen de l’enseignement supérieur par les acquis d’apprentissage. Thèse de doctorat de sciences politiques et sociales et de sociologie. UCL/ENS Lyon.

Author Information

Sarah Croché (presenting / submitting)

University Picardie Jules Verne

UFR SHS

Amiens

Jean-Émile Charlier (presenting)

Université Catholique de Louvain

Mons

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