Learning outcomes (LO) were first diffused through Europe by the Tuning Educational Structures in Europe project (Gonzalez & Wagenaar 2006). With the Bologna process, LO were then diffused by several European policy instruments: EQF (OJ 2008), Bologna Framework (Bergen Communiqué 2005), Diploma Supplement (Prague Communiqué 2001), ECTS (Ibid.), quality assurance (ENQA 2005). With the implementation of these policy instruments and LO, the European Commission wanted to implement its lifelong learning policy, in order to produce active citizenships where people are highly employable in a context of knowledge-based economy. From that point of view, higher education is just a learning system as another. Higher education must produce a highly qualified workforce with adapted skills for the rapidly changing of the European labour market (Author, year).

Since September 2014, all the Belgian French-speaking higher education institutions have to define LO for each curriculum. Actors like who promote the use of the learning outcomes, i.a. the academic authorities and the pedagogues in charge to implement the learning outcomes, do not share the utilitarian European vision. These actors want to enhance the coherence of the programs and the quality of learning, to clarify the didactic contract and the relationship with employment, to support the constructive alignment (Author, year).

This paper aims to analyse the discourses of the three biggest Belgian French-speaking universities (Université catholique de Louvain, Université libre de Bruxelles and Université de Liège). Indeed, the purposes of LO might be the management of the academic profession. Academics are invited to implement program-based approach, which means academics have to discuss and collaborate to build up an output profile described by generic learning outcomes. Those LO are then specified among the course and the academic year, in complementary and progressivity logics. Thus, academics are deprived of their individual pedagogical liberty.

Regardless of an analyse of the effects of a program-based approach on the quality of learning, we can observe a transformation of the academic profession, at least in discourses. The control on academic work becomes greater: do courses and methods of academics obey goal-settings?

References

Bergen Communique, 2005, The European Higher Education Area - Achieving the Goals Communiqué of the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education, Bergen, 19-20 May 2005.

ENQA, 2005, Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, Helsinki, European Network for Assurance Quality in Higher Education.

Gonzalez J., Wagenaar R., 2008, Universities’ contribution to the Bologna Process. An Introduction, Bilbao, Universidad de Deusto.

OJ (Official Journal of the European Union), 2008, Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning.

Prague Communique, 2001, Towards the European Higher Education Area. Communiqué of the meeting of European Ministers in charge of Higher Education in Prague on May 19th 2001.