Vocational education can serve to promote social stability and sustainable economic and social development. The European Union (EU) strategically employs a range of vocational educational schemes to attain these overriding goals. Topical points of focus are selected in line with requirements in the individual partner countries or regions. However,…

Participatory decision making seems to be the new development paradigm in international cooperation. It is still a long way, however, to achieve the objectives that are formulated by the international development actors. Non-state actors are only limitedly involved in the policy decision-making. In this paper, we argue that when these actors take…

Universities throughout Europe are engaged in a process of harmonization through the Bologna process, which aimed to create a European area of higher education by 2010, making its higher education more compatible and comparable, competitive, and attractive for students and scholars within Europe and from other parts of the world. Given the…

This paper analyzes the historical European influences on Latin American higher education. It describes three important types of influences: (1) academic exchanges; (2) university government; and (3) the organization of professorships. According to some experts, this century has been one of the most significant epochs of change in Latin American…

The Bologna process is a fundamental restructuring of higher education in Europe, of which the introduction of three cycles: bachelor's, master's and doctorate, in lieu of the traditional long program is the single most important feature. Its objectives are to increase the employability of European citizens and the competitiveness and…

The article analyzes the construction of national reactions to a transnational higher education policy from the point of view of the representation of social actors in policy documents. The data are provided by the so-called Bologna Process, particularly the development of comparable quality assurance systems, and Finnish responses to those…

The authors discuss the need to balance the unique history of Russian higher education, preserving and developing those areas in which the country has traditionally excelled and competed successfully at the international level, with the country's signatory acceptance of the Bologna Agreement for European educational integration. While apprehensive…

Accomplishing the tasks spelled out in the 1999 Bologna Declaration requires reforming the structures of higher education in the countries of Europe to bring them into closer harmony, while preserving fundamental values and traditions in education that have been formed in each country. The author discusses fundamental differences between the…

Reviews chapters of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption which establish requirements for intercountry adoption, provide for a system of adoption authorities in contracting states, establish procedures to be adopted by the authorities, and provide for recognition of adoptions made under the convention. Notes that the convention guarantees…

Online facilitation in a cross-cultural collaborative context is increasingly prevalent, but limited research has been conducted on the related issues, two of which are examined in this paper with reference to the empirical data of an exploratory user trial involving multinational facilitators, students and researchers. Results of our meticulous…

It is essential to implement a development strategy of "looking abroad" for Chinese-foreign cooperation in higher education and for us to realize a scientific concept for development, deepen and diversify market access, and improve the quality and benefits of higher education in China. We can learn from developed nations' experience in…

This paper introduces the "IJCML" Special Issue dedicated to digital technologies and mathematics education and, in particular, to the work performed by the European Research Team TELMA (Technology Enhanced Learning in Mathematics). TELMA was one of the initiatives of the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence established by the European…

This paper reports the outcome of the Galway Consensus Conference, an effort undertaken as a first step toward international collaboration on credentialing in health promotion and health education. Twenty-nine leading authorities in health promotion, health education, and public health convened a 2-day meeting in Galway, Ireland, during which the…

The intent of capacity building in international development cooperation is to enable people to control their own development. Important premises are ownership, choice and self-esteem. The authors analyse the dynamics of the enabling process in practice, based on their own experiences working for several years in universities in developing…

Among 41 participating countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003, the gender difference in favour of females was greatest in Iceland in the three subjects tested: mathematics, science and reading. The aims of this article are to put these findings in national and international context, and report on a number of…