June 29, 2009

Mi-am dat seama…

In timp ce vorbeam zilele trecute cu Andi, ii spuneam unele chestii, pe care nu le-am mai zis niciodata pana acum. Ma tot miram, si asa m-am hotarat sa le strang pe toate aici:
Asadar mi-am dat seama…

… ca frate-meu s-a mutat din apartamentul in care am stat impreuna cand eram eu studenta la Cluj si unde nu voi mai putea merge niciodata de acum incolo. … si s-a dus si ultima urma de studentie…

… ca ma indrept cu pasi mici spre scrierea lucrarii de master. Pana de curand nu m-am mai exprimat astfel… ma bucur ca am trecut la formularea asta; ma motiveaza!

… ca de fiecare cand ma simt demotivata sau imi pierd elanul, citesc blogurile lui Andi si ale lui Traian, mai trec pe la Twitter si Ted si viata merge inainte. Bine ca nu-mi trebuie terapie in fiecare zi, ca nu se prea inghesuie baietii la scris :)

… ca atunci cand povestesc, planuiesc, proiectez sau organizez ceva, ce-mi face foarte multa placere, se face dimineata si ma simt ca in studentie la Cluj;

… ca tot ceea ce unii numesc organizare nemteasca am invatat si am dezvoltat in ASPR si ANOSR;

… ca totul in ce am crezut inainte sa vin aici, inca ocupa primul loc in lista prioritatilor: Schimbam educatia in Romania!

… de fiecare data cand mi-e dor de casa, ma uit in jur si imi dau seama ca acum aici e casa mea.


… ca imi place atat de mult activitatea mea de tutore pentru studentii din anul 1, ca as face asta toata viata!


June 26, 2009

Sharing Experience

I met yesterday a Bologna Expert from Turkey (this is how he calls himself even if he is questioning the term). During his visit in our Centre this week, he gave a presentation on the current developments in the implementation of the Bologna Process in Turkey.
It was quite interesting to observ the commonalities between the importance of the Bologna Reform for Turkey and for Romania: European integration, globalization of higher education and a framework for the reform of the national higher education system.

I found it amusing when he stated about the change to the new cycle structure: "Well, we have cycles since 1981, so it was not a real challange to design the new structure to 4(BA)+2(MA)+4(PhD)". Probably, Turkey belongs also to those countries who just moved forward or backward the time of graduation from the first cycle. Recently, Prof. Teichler commented, in a TV show, the problem of the new Bachelor-Master structure in Germany. The phenomenon, which in my eyes seems to happen in the majority of the European higher education systems, is that all systems want to keep their previous levels of qualification (e.g. 'Diplom' or Master), sqeeze somehow the former courses into the new Bachelor programmes and make hereby a "Bonsai-Bachelor" (Teichler, 2009).
The story of ECTS is also funny. In Turkey an own credit system is used, based on contact hours. ECTS is mainly an instrument for recognition of mobility periods. Therefore, the calculation of ECTS points for a course in Turkey is very simple: 30 credits a semester for 6 mandatory courses... that means 5 credits per course.
At least, in Germany, they tried to take over some principles of ECTS, but they tend to fall to the other extreme and increased in this way the student workload very much (which is never evaluated!!): papers, presentations, reviews for each session/course and the obligatory TEST at the end of the semester for each discipline.
German students and pupils started a national education strike last week, against the new system, against tuition fees, against grades for behavior, against the 12th grade high school degree, for more authonomy, more student participation and student voice: Education for all and for free!
We discussed this issue with our guest as well and I was surprised to find out about the the different levels of internalisation of students rights among the student community in Turkey: the social dimension is confused with social activities and the opportinity for a student representative to talk to his/her students in an university event, should be given by the professors. I find this quite sad and it will take some time to change the mentality of students and other stakeholders of the universities in favour of collaboration and partnership. Nevertheless developments in this direction start to appear, because our colleague in Turkey was also student representative before he started his PhD and got a job at the university. And he is very much involved in student information and awareness campaigns, as well as in fostering change in the university through several projects: new teaching techniques trainings for young lecturers, trainings for the students' unions, building a student centre where social and learning activities will be combined, etc.

One student... reminds me on my first contacts with this issue, on Traian and then Vlady and then the community of Bologna Instigators...

We change education! ;)

Reference:
Teichler, U. (Author) (June 16. 2009). Prüfungen im Bachelorstudium [Television broadcast]. 3Sat. Retrieved June 26. 2009 from URL: http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/mediathek.php?obj=13231&mode=play.

June 19, 2009

Am avut o bicicleta albastra ....

A venit primavara si pe la noi
De cateva zile mi-am scos bicicleta de la 'hibernare' si imediat am prins din nou gustul plimbatului cu bicicleta. Am fost la Buga duminica, marti am fost in Vellmar, joi dimineata m-am plimbat pe malul raului Fulda... si uite asa incepusem sa am un program destul de fainutz ...
... pana azi ...
... azi aveam o zi destul de plina: trebuia sa ajung la dentistul care mi-a pus luni doua plombe si care m-a socat ieri cu o nota de plata de 120€ pentru ca nu stia cum e treaba cu (ma scuzati) cardul
european de asigurat ; pe urma trebuia sa-i cumpar Oanei 15 prosoape din-alea, de care gasesti numai la Xenos si sa i le trimit maine la TG. Mures si mai trebuia musai sa ajung la lucru, ca nu am mai fost de marti.
Ma gandeam eu asa azi dimineata, dupa ce m-am trezit cu 3 ore mai tarziu decat trebuia, ca as rezolva totul foarte repede daca as merge cu bicicleta. Zis si facut! Ma imbrac sportiv, imi fac o strategie si ies in curtea interioara a caminului.

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Bicileta mea nu mai avea o roata!!!





Stau cateva secunde socata si nici nu stiu daca sa rad sau sa plang. In fine, dupa acele cateva secunde ma intorc putin si ce vad pe pertele opus: roata!!










 

Ma uit din nou la bicicleta, la roata, din nou la bicicleta si ma duc la tramvai. Ce sa si fac? Gata, nu mai am bicicleta ... incepusem deja sa-mi plang de mila.
Ajunsa la dentist si afland ca totul a fost doar o neintelegere si ca ei nu aveau toate actele necesare pentru a intra in contact cu cei de la CNAS si ca acum, dupa ce i-am lamurit, e totul bine si frumos, imi trece si supararea ca nu mai am bicicleta.
Urcata iarasi in tramvai spre Xenos (bine ca circulam gratuit), ma gandesc ca poate era si timpul sa-mi iau o alta bicicleta, ca oricum nu mai era ea sigura. Poate asta e un semn, si asa ma hotarasc sa merg chiar maine dimineata la Flohmarkt.
Dupa ce m-am mai plans la o groaza de oameni, despre ce mi s-a intamplat, m-am decis ca totusi luni sa merg cu ea la service, ca tot avem unul tare de tot in campus, unde niste studenti de treaba repara biciclete asa ca hobby.
Daca va intrebati acum, de ce nu ma apuc eu sa pun roata la loc, vreau sa o citez pe o colega de servici: "Noi suntem 'higher education researchers' si daca am face noi asta, altii inta in somaj!"
Dar totusi mai am o speranta, ca la noapte persoana respectiva se va intoarce si va pune roata la loc...

Totusi, lumea e buna!