EiSTA 2006

Visibility of European Higher Education Area initiatives in Spanish universities home websites

Luis M. SÁNCHEZ-RUIZ, Mónica E. EDWARDS & Enrique BALLESTER-SARRIAS

Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia (Spain)

4th EISTA '06 July 20-23, 2006 – Orlando, Florida, USA.

Why universities websites

Context

Goals

Sample and methodology

Results

Conclusions


Websites usually become the first external image of the University.

Websites may even become the only source of information for outsiders

Websites are the first shopwindow where heterogeneous people (students, teachers, researchers, administrative staff, etc.) can consult the subjects they are interested in by interacting with the institutions.


Define the image of the University in the outside.

An instrument to show the institutional culture and its own identity.

Become the only element of communication and publicity of the structure and activities showing its philosophy, organization and strategic position.

Their success depends upon its quality, distribution, and many other competitive factors including its size, language, age, visibility, popularity and its impact factor, among other aspects.


4Göteborg 7

Graz2003

5Praga2001

1París1998

6Zürich

2002

8Berlín2003

2Bolonia

19993

Salamanca

9Bergen

2005

The Bologna Declaration called for the following:

Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees

A degree structure based on two main cycles (undergraduate and graduate)

A common system of credits (the European Credit Transfer System, ECTS)

Elimination of obstacles for mobility of students and job seekers


We try to answer the following questions:

Is the information of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) actually available in all Spanish universities websites?

Are Spanish initiatives for EHEA visible in their websites?

How visible is this presence?


the European Higher Education Area related content

quality and quantity

web page characteristics and actualization

how easily this content may be reached

We analyze different features in N = 56 Spanish Universities considering


Pages and Log (pages) for introduction of EHEA expression.

Content access facility, analyzing the difficult level (easy, average and difficult to find EHEA issues within the website).

Content weight amount related to the quality and quantity of information (measure with the scale 1 to 5).

Innovation networks references at national or international level. For example, Tuning project.


Access to EHEA expression in Spanish websites

0

20

40

60

80

100

1st page 2nd page 3rd page 4th page > 4th

%


The general tittles in the introduction of EHEA

issues are usually in English, but the contents are

in Spanish or in other local community languages

(catalán, euskera, gallego, valenciano).

The majority of websites are in Spanish language

(and without English translation possibility), and

this situation is unfavourable for the information

exchange at international level.


Level of difficulty for accessing to the EHEA contents

0

20

40

60

80

100

easy average difficult

%


Percentage of websites with valuation of quality and quantity information level of EHEA contents (from 5 = high level to 0 = nothing)

0

20

40

60

80

100

5 4 3 2 1 0

%


The 62.5% of the websites is very good documented in EHEA topics, but only the 33.9% has high level of information at both national and European levels.

Only the 33% of the analyzed websites contain activities related to research networks on higher education or provide information about innovation activity with European projection.


The visibility of EHEA on websites shows indirectly the achievements of the Spanish universities and identifies remaining obstacles and weaknesses to the advances in the harmonization of the educative systems and the construction of the European Higher Education Area


It is necessary a major visibility of the interactions

and transparency of information for the different

stakeholders.

Further efficiency gains could be reaped from

networking national and regional initiatives, sharing

information and experience and learning from each

other.

The improvement of high levels of connectivity into

the universities networks may have a significant

impact to materialize the Bologna objectives.


Thanks!

http://www.eees.ua.es/

http://www.uab.es/servlet/Satellite?cid=1096479900713&pagename=UAB%2FPage%2FTemplatePlanaModel1

http://www.uniovi.es/EEES/







http://www.uniovi.es/EEES/

EiSTA 2006

Education

Transcript of EiSTA 2006