This report
was written to fulfil the requirements set out in the European Parliament and
Council decisions establishing the Community action programmes in the field
of education (Socrates 2000-2006), vocational training (Leonardo
da Vinci 2000-2006) and integration of information and communication
technologies (ICT) in education and training systems in Europe (eLearning
2004-2006).
Together,
these programmes received more than EUR 3 billion of Community funds.
For the period
2007-2013, the various initiatives under these three programmes have been
integrated under a single umbrella, the new Lifelong
Learning Programme (LLP). The decision to conduct a joint evaluation and
to present this joint report follows the same line as this integration.
The Socrates
programme, with a total budget of EUR 2.093 billion, had four specific
objectives: (i) to strengthen the European dimension in education; (ii) to promote
knowledge of EU languages; (iii) to promote cooperation and mobility in the
field of education; and (iv) to encourage innovation in education.
The programme
consisted of three main schemes - Comenius, Erasmus and Grundtvig
-, covering schools, higher education and adult learning respectively.
Results of
the evaluation: the evaluation demonstrated that
these EU programmes were relevant to the needs of the sectors concerned and
that many of the activities would not have taken place without their
financial support:
- in terms of school
education, the key schemes with an impact on schools were Comenius
and eTwinning. Partnerships supported under the Comenius and eLearning
programmes gave schools a more European dimension and outlook and
improved the school climate, in terms of cooperation between teachers
and pupils and between different subjects in the schools participating.
They helped to create a clearer sense of European identity by enabling
schools to cooperate with schools in other EU countries. School
partnerships enabled teachers to improve their teaching skills and gave pupils
and teachers alike a chance to improve their foreign language and ICT
skills, to experience European cooperation projects and to create
sustainable links with their peers in other countries. Some 85% of the
respondents who had participated in Comenius felt that their activity
would not have taken place without funding from the Commission. Enhanced
mobility within school education made the clearest impact out of the
activities in the programme;
- in terms of teaching
methods, projects, partnerships and individual mobility schemes
influenced the educational practice of those directly involved. In
particular, 64% of all beneficiaries reported increases in knowledge and
skills and half saw sharing good practice across Europe as the main
benefit;
- in terms of higher
education, the largest positive impact was by increasing the
capacity for mobility. This influenced participants’ personal and
professional development and contributed to a more open attitude and a
clearer and better informed perspective for their subsequent studies or
professional life and to improving their understanding of Europe and of “belonging to a European family”. Knowledge of EU languages has improved and
stronger contacts have been established with European colleagues.
Participants in mobility schemes became more employable thanks to their
international experience and better language skills. Erasmus has also
had a considerable effect at national and international institutional
levels. 94% of the participants in the survey agreed that Erasmus had
increased and sustained cooperation between institutions. The effect on
universities’ internationalisation strategies and development of
international support services is significant, whereas the effect on
teaching and research at departmental level seems more indirect, e.g.
via the international networks created. Erasmus has also acted as a
driver for change in national and European higher education policies as
it inspired five of the six lines of action in the Bologna Declaration;
- in terms of adult
education, the strongest kinds of impact reported on adult learning
were closer, sustained cooperation between institutions (93% of
participating organisations), greater opportunities for mobility and a
more European outlook on the part of individuals and institutions (90%).
Grundtvig has thus clearly succeeded in sowing the seeds of a European
dimension in adult education – a sector with almost no tradition of
European cooperation. The evaluation reported a significant impact in
terms of improving the quality of teaching and curricula and approaches
to learning and management (74%). Enhanced professional skills and
stronger networking between adult education staff in Europe were further
benefits, and more than half the respondents (56%) felt that their participation
in Grundtvig had made them more employable and adaptable. Lastly, Grundtvig
had a comparatively strong impact on improving educational opportunities
for disadvantaged social groups.
More
generally, the report acknowledges that the creation of a “European
education area” establishing a sustainable culture of European
cooperation is the most significant impact. In particular, Erasmus has
created infrastructure in which almost all European universities participate.