Mr Reinhard H. Koslitz, Executive Director of the Didacta Association of the Education Industry, visited UIL on July 31, 2014 to explore partnership possibilities between both institutions.
During the meeting, Mr Arne Carlsen, Director of UIL, introduced the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) as one of the main projects that could offer opportunities for support from the private sector.
Mr Koslitz presented the core working areas of the association and affirmed that Didacta has a strong commitment to promote the concept of lifelong learning. He also expressed a strong interest in cooperating with UIL and in promoting the GNLC.
As a first step towards building a cooperative relationship, a symposium on the theme of lifelong learning and learning cities will be co-organized during the Didacta 2015 – The Education Trade fair 2015 in Hanover, Germany in February 2015. More...

The fourth EQAR Register Committee took office from 1 July 2014, for a term of two years. The Register Committee is an independent expert body that acts as the “gatekeeper” of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education: it decides on inclusion of quality assurance agencies on the Register, based on their substantial compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG).
More information on the Committee and how its members are nominated is available here. More...

The University of Lorraine in France is organising “Science & You”, a series of scientific and cultural events taking place from 1 to 6 June 2015.
Targeted at all stakeholders interested in science communication, “Science & You 2015” will include: the Journées Hubert Curien (JHC) international conference which looks to bring together experts in science communication; a forum open to the general public with stands and demonstrations; a training event on science communication; and a series of other events for the general public spread across the Lorraine region.
For more information on how to submit a proposal by 15 September 2014, please view the event website. More...

The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) has published a new brochure on “Committed Universities - strong in research, skills-focussed and active in society”.
The publication is part of the Nexus project and is now also available in English. To read the press release or download the report, please visit the HRK website.
A print copy can be ordered free of charge at nexus@hrk.d
More information on HRK’s Nexus project is available here (in German): www.hrk-nexus.de. More...

The steady yearly increase in the overall number of Erasmus beneficiaries continues, according to the most recent figures published by the European Commission: in 2012-13 as many as 268 143 students and 52 624 higher education staff in participating European countries received Erasmus grants to go abroad for studies, job placements, teaching or training. This is an increase of 6% in the number of Erasmus students studying or training abroad compared to the year 2011-12. Malta, Cyprus, Croatia and Turkey had the highest increase in the number of outgoing students (respectively 40%, 36%, 27% and 22%). The reverse trend compared to the previous year was seen in six countries – Lithuania, Spain, Latvia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.
So who was an Erasmus student in 2012-13? The image below shows some of the prevailing features regarding gender, the average age, duration and level of studies, as well as the average monthly allowance of around 5% of European students who chose to spend some study period in another country through Erasmus. A large majority (67%) were bachelor students, 29% were at master level, 1% were PhDs and 3% took part in short-cycle programmes. More...

While the provision of transnational education (TNE) is growing globally through outsourced programmes, partnerships and online platforms, the question as to what is happening with ‘traditional’ student mobility remains. Is it affected and how by the rise of TNE? This question is increasingly placed at the heart of research on higher education and internationalisation, and it is among the core ones in a recent study which bears the title ‘Transnational Education vs International Student Mobility: Substitutes or Distinct Markets?’, conducted by Vangelis Tsiligiris, Principal of MBS College of Crete, and published by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE).
More information about the study can be found on the OBHE website. More...

A new report published by the Institute of International Education, "Charting New Pathways to Higher Education: International Secondary Students in the United States", provides comprehensive analysis on the more than 73 000 inbound international students who come to the United States for high school and what the trends mean for higher education enrolments and recruitment. The findings on high school student mobility complement the data that IIE releases each year on international college and university students in the United States in the annual Open Doors report; both reports are produced with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More...

A new report published by the Institute of International Education, "Charting New Pathways to Higher Education: International Secondary Students in the United States", provides comprehensive analysis on the more than 73 000 inbound international students who come to the United States for high school and what the trends mean for higher education enrolments and recruitment. The findings on high school student mobility complement the data that IIE releases each year on international college and university students in the United States in the annual Open Doors report; both reports are produced with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. More...

As already announced earlier, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) is opening up its knowledge base on European higher education by offering its flagship monograph series ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education to all those with a shared interest in student mobility and the internationalisation of higher education.
Since 1999, ACA’s monograph series ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education has been providing European policymakers with valuable facts, figures and in-depth analysis of topical issues related to mobility and the internationalisation of higher education. Most of the ACA Papers are results of EU-funded projects designed to support the making of European higher education policies at European, national and institutional levels. More...

The 43rd ACA European Policy Seminar is taking place on 9 October 2014 in Brussels and it is dedicated to Liberal Arts (and Sciences) education in Europe. Liberal Arts Colleges have long been an integral and cherished component of US higher education, even though the underlying concept was originally a European one. About 10 years ago, Europe began to 're-import' liberal arts and science education.
More information. More...