Bologna reflections

In June the Higher Education (HE) chemistry community took time to discuss the Bologna Process in light of the work recently done by the Mastering Bologna group, chaired by Professor Tom Welton, head of chemistry at Imperial College London. This project forms part of the Royal Society of Chemistry-led (RSC) initiative, Chemistry for our future, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).  

Speaking at a meeting, Bologna - the way forward, in London, in June, organised by the RSC, Welton, said, 'Two years ago we started out to look at how UK HE chemistry would or would not align with the Bologna Process, but as time passed our understanding of this process and the Government's has changed, so that we are now addressing the readiness of UK chemistry to succeed in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). What has become clear is that the concept of compliance doesn't exist in the Bologna Process. There are no "police" to say one course complies with Bologna and another does not - it's up to the individual institutions how they go forward'.