Transformations in higher education as Llithuania integrates into the European higher education area

Abstract

To form the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Bologna, signed the Bologna Declaration "European Higher Education Area" in 1999. Lithuania is also a signatory to this declaration, committing itself to implement the activities set out in the process: the creation of a clear and comparable system of degrees, a two-cycle system of studies, a system of study credits, cooperation in quality assurance, support for mobility and better social conditions. At the same time, Lithuania is undergoing a reform of higher education, from a dual system of higher education to a binary system, with the emergence of two types of higher education institutions, the traditional universities, and the newly established colleges. New challenges must be overcome to integrate the closed national system into the emerging pan- EHEA system. This presentation will present the transformation of the higher education system and the establishment of colleges, look at EU legislation and national documents governing EHEA, analyse practical experiences that can be drawn upon by other countries seeking to cooperate with EHEA, and explore the dynamic processes of this system;