European Higher Education incorporation policy context: A case study

Data used in this paper proceeds from one piece of research carried out in ten degrees of a single university; six of them are integrated into an experimental plan to incorporate the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). In this article we focus on how the degrees combine external reform policies with their own tradition and perception of inner problems. That is to say, we study the context process of a public policy. Firstly, we analyze different factors triggering the decision to enter the experimental plan. Secondly, we consider two main aspects of the reform -professionalisation of the curricula and teaching/learning practices centered in students-, we describe the context of reforming degrees in reference to these aspects and we examine de specific project of change designed by different degrees. Finally, we take into account the attitude shown by the academic staff in relation to the new teaching methodologies and the reform management. The analysis lets us discern the importance of the context process in order to explain the approval of the reform by the academic staff.