Directorate-General for Education and Culture
Education
Higher education: Socrates - Erasmus
Jean Monnet Project
Brussels, 19 January 2003
A2/PVDH
TUNING THEMATIC NETWORKS
Work programme 2003-2004
1. Introduction
The Tuning project is in part the result of the work and reflection carried out by Socrates-Erasmus Thematic Networks over the years and a series of Thematic Networks are directly involved in the Tuning project. The Tuning project is now entering into its second phase (2003-2004) and one of the tasks of phase II is to transfer the Tuning methodology to existing and new Thematic Networks.
Implementing the Tuning methodology has been identified as a basic task of the Thematic Networks in a recent policy paper discussed and endorsed by the Socrates Sub-Committee for Higher Education. This note sets out how the transfer of the Tuning methodology could be organised.
2. Tuning Counsellors
A pool of 10 Tuning Counsellors will be identified among the 100 professors active in the Tuning project. They will be available to existing and new Thematic Networks in order to provide advice on how to implement the Tuning methodology. They would address the annual meeting of the Thematic Networks, run a Tuning Workshop on those occasions and guide Tuning Working Groups, to be created within each Thematic Network.
3. Thematic Network Annual Meetings 2003-2004
Thematic Networks would invite a Tuning Counsellor to address their annual meeting and run a Tuning Workshop on that occasion, in both 2003 and 2004.
4. TN-Tuning Working Groups
A TN-Tuning Working Group would be created within each Thematic Network, with a good European spread among the network members. The working group would set out a plan for the implementation of the four Tuning lines of approach, with an emphasis on line 2: definition of subject-specific competences for first and second cycle graduates. Tuning Counsellors would guide the TN-Tuning Working Groups.
5. Costs
As Tuning is a basic task of Thematic Networks, the costs of carrying out Tuning activities would have to be covered from within network budgets. Tuning activities would be an eligible (and possibly earmarked) expense within the network budget 2003-2004. Thematic Networks would also have to cover the travel and subsistence costs for ‘their’ Tuning Counsellor: attendance of two annual meetings and two TN-Tuning Working Group sessions over a period of two years, plus a symbolic fee of 1000 euro in total (for a minimum of 20 days of work over a period of two years).
6. Monitoring
On its part, the Tuning Phase II project would invest staff time in monitoring the efforts of the Thematic Networks and providing overall guidance and coordination. Tuning Phase II would make an analysis of the progress achieved by the Thematic Networks and present recommendations to the Networks and the Commission.
7. Immediate action
· Note the dates of the annual meetings of Thematic networks in 2003 (and possibly 2004) during the Coordinators meeting on 20/21 January 2003.
· Draw up a list of Tuning Counsellors during the Tuning Management meeting on 9 February 2003
· Provide the Thematic Network Coordinators with the final report of Tuning phase I.
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