Bologna process in fashion design education: An evaluation of applications used in Turkey

Abstract

Higher education has been affected by a number of changes in the past decade, including higher rates of participation, internationalisation, the growing importance of knowledge-led economies and increased global competition. These changes have resulted in to two main European policies: the Bologna Process and the Lisbon Strategy, including the Modernisation Agenda for Universities. Both these broader international developments and the two specific European policy processes have been translated into policy change at national level affecting principally external quality assurance, autonomy, funding and research but also the shape and size of many higher education systems. These fundamental changes, along with the implementation of the core Bologna reforms, have altered deeply all activities of HEIs.

As the borders between European nations become less apparent, as monetary systems become uniform, as commerce and industry increasingly become multi-national, and as Europe is regarded as a single entity on the international stage it makes sense to develop a uniform educational system.

When Bologna Process is evaluated in terms of education in fashion design, it can be summarized as follows:

For students; it enables students to spend less time in educational institutions, have fewer courses compared to earlier practices, a more transparent process and a voice in education process. For academicians; it enables an increasing workload, caused by planning and evaluations although number of courses is reduced and a more transparent process. For curriculum; it offers fewer numbers of courses, a credit system that takes all learning cycle into consideration, a flexibility created with more optional courses, but a measurable standard method that is not flexible.

Keywords: Bologna process, fashion design, fashion design education