SEEU is a leader in the implementation of innovative practices and systems in higher education in Macedonia. Since its founding and development, SEEU has been intimately connected with the Bologna Process, and this section offers a description of some of the important aspects of the Bologna process as they have been applied at SEEU.

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is the Bologna Process’s means of creating conditions for mobility, a key part of the creation of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area). Mobility for both students and staff is intended to increase understanding between diverse regions as well as to help promote the ability to cope with the effects of globalisation. Though Macedonian citizens are currently restricted in their travel to European destinations, another goal of the ECTS is more significant. ECTS allows SEEU to assess the students’ academic performance and assess its own resource issues in terms of teaching loads for professors and study loads for students.

Since its establishment in 2001, SEEU has made ECTS an integral part of programme administration in all faculties as well as in the Registrar’s Office. With the commencement of Second Cycle programs in 2005, SEEU adopted a system of three main cycles and introduced the Diploma Supplement (DS) to assist European and other international universities in understanding and comparing the role, scope, and function of the SEEU curricula and their learning outcomes.

The adoption of ECTS has prompted SEEU to embrace other innovative methods, mostly connected with teaching and learning. SEEU academic staff have been changing the way they instruct, assess, and interact with their students, making SEEU a “student-centred” institution. However, the most significant change has been in the design of curricula where learning outcomes take precedent over contact time.

In the University Policy on student grading (article 4.1), one credit refers to 30 hours of work during the semester, including lectures and other forms of instruction as well as independent work at home and/or in the library or Computer Centre. Individual course credits are determined according to the number of practical and/or theoretical hours required for in-class activity plus private study. Thus, one theoretical hour entails at least 3 hours of independent study and evaluation, consequently a course of 30 theoretical hours plus 90(30x3) hours of private study and evaluation results in a study load of 120 hours. The following table shows an example of part of an official curriculum.

Courses	W/S	Credits	Theoretical Hrs.	Practical/ tutorial Hrs.	Study-load Hrs.	Class Size
Intermediate spoken and Written English	S	4	0	30	120	20-30
European Studies II	S	4	30	0	120	200
Computer App in Communication I	S	6	30	15	180	20-30

 

It is critical to understand that the implementation of ECTS and the Diploma Supplement (DS) and the development of second-cycle programmes at SEEU are closely connected with faculty and professional development and research. It is one thing to design a curriculum, revise syllabi, etc., but another to deliver quality instruction at the Masters level.

Likewise, it is a simple manner to translate credit hours to ECTS, but with no reference to learning outcomes, modern assessment means, and pedagogical practice, such reforms will be hollow. For this reason, SEEU has a leading programme of professional development and in-service training, unsurpassed at any national or regional university. The breadth of these programmes and importance of them to the future development of all programmes at SEEU is a direct reflection of the University’s commitment both to the Bologna process and to quality instruction.

SEEU’s second-cycle programmes are generally divided into two categories: academic and vocational, where the former addresses discipline-specific theoretical issues in the service of preparing students for further formal education or academic/research careers and the latter is of a more practical orientation and prepares students for immediate employment. In this regard, SEEU has striven not to fall into the trap of advocating more education in the absence of real employment opportunities.

SEEU developed three general models for the creation of second-cycle programme:

• Joint Masters Programme
• SEEU National Masters
• SEEU International Masters 

For each model and programme proposals developed by the SEEU staff, seven issues were discussed in detail, including

1. Timetable for programme implementations
2. Professional development needs
3. Employability of graduates
4. Language issues
5. Effect on first-cycle programmes
6. Developmental costs
7. Recognition of degrees and accreditation of programmes

A guiding principle in the design of graduate programmes was the employability of students graduating from these programmes. For this reason, great attention has been paid to the local and regional job markets. Employability and quality of the programme itself are closely connected, so that the popularity of the programmes increases along with the success of its graduates in finding employment. Related to employability is the analysis of markets which could be exploited by SEEU programmes. In other words, in what areas does SEEU have an institutional advantage both in terms of location and faculty strengths? Examples range from SEEU’s Balkan location as being attractive to European partners in specialized fields or issues particular to Macedonia’s development, such as EU accession and the reform of public administration.

SEEU, along with other signatories to the Bologna Declaration, is committed to reforming higher education in Europe. One important area of reform is occurring at the undergraduate or first-cycle degree level, where the period of study for this first degree is reduced with corresponding reform of the curriculum.

SEEU has adopted the popular 3+2 model, where the first cycle normally takes three years (180 ECTS credits) and the second cycle two years (120 ECTS credits). Over the next three years, however, another option will be used to accommodate those students who have finished four years at SEEU under the previous 4+1 model, where the first cycle lasts four years (240 ECS credits) and the second cycle one year (60 ECTS credits).

SEEU favours an alternative model for second-cycle programmes - SEEU stand-alone Masters Programmes - where SEEU develops its own graduate programmes with some assistance or partnership with institutions in Macedonia and the immediate region. In developing such programmes, particular attention is paid to the area of professional development, giving experienced workers opportunities to upgrade and modernise their skills. This model allows SEEU to draw upon the wealth of local talent with proven excellence.

SEEU has fully embraced the use of the Diploma Supplement (DS) as a way of making its students more mobile and also of creating a transparent and easily understood record of the student’s academic career. All SEEU students are able to request and receive a DS in English free of charge.