HIGHER EDUCATION : STUDY SINGS PRAISES OF ERASMUS PROGRAMME.

• Position: Brief article

The current system of higher education would have been very different had there not been the Erasmus programme, which was established in 1987, concludes a recent study by the European Commission. It says that the Erasmus programme for mobility and cooperation in higher education has been a "strong driving force in shaping the landscape of higher education in Europe".

The programme is mostly known by its student mobility aspect: thousands of students benefit from Erasmus funding each year to pursue studies in another country for some months. However, the programme has also contributed to "improving, opening up and modernising" higher education institutions and education policies. Erasmus has led to "innovation" in teaching and learning methods and to "better recognition of study periods, support services for students, research activities, business cooperation and institutional management".

The study, based on a survey of some 750 institutions and...