Institution

The South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria is a public higher education institution founded in 1975 and committed to both teaching and research. The study programmes it offers honour several levels of achievement. The range of degrees includes Bachelor, Master and Doctor. The university provides also various courses for post-graduated and continuing education. Currently the University consists of 7 faculties and a college encompassing social sciences, humanities, arts, natural sciences, technics and technologies. Above 12 000 undergraduates and post-graduates pursue their studies currently at the South-West University. The teaching, research and administrative staff is around 1 000. The National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency of Bulgaria (an institution of the Council of Ministers) granted institutional accreditation to the South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in March 2006 with the highest grade “Very Good”, valid for the longest period of 6 years. With this act the Agency recognizes that the activities and the quality of education and research of the University corresponds to the Higher Education Act and all the state requirements and regulations concerning higher education, which are all in line with the Bologna Process.

Involved

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Apostolov is the Scientific Secretary of the South-West University. It is a position of the top governance of the University. The Scientific Secretary is involved in strategic planning and implementation of university’s development plans, overall educational goals and scientific research priorities. The Secretary is also involved in the preparation for institutional evaluation and accreditation and is responsible for coordination and/or management of university’s national and international projects connected to the Bologna process (Quality Assurance, Credit Accumulation and Transfer, Diploma Supplement, etc.). Prof. Apostolov is also a full time teacher delivering lectures in: Management of Organizational Culture; Quality Management; Education.Science. Technologies; Ancient Philosophy.

Bologna and NQF

The European Qualification Framework is a rather new and almost unfamiliar issue around the academic community (nationally and at the South-West University), even though elements of it exist in the Qualification Profile that is an indispensable part of the set of documents of any study programme (the Curriculum) offered by the University. But the competence orientation and learning outcomes approach are rarely present in the learning contents and teaching themselves. Thus there is often a discrepancy  between the declared Qualification Profile of a Study Programme and the real content of the subject matter of the disciplines (the Syllabuses) it consists of. The Qualification Framework has been on the agenda only of the University governance since the beginning of 2007.

Role and Expectations

 Participating in the HE_LeO Project the South-West University intend to:

• establish strategic partnerships in QF development
• exchange experience and good practises
• introduce the learning outcomes and competence orientation approach
• define an outcome-based descriptor system for specific study programmes
• involve the academic community into the QF process and encourage re-evaluation of study programs
• contribute to the development of the National QF for Bulgaria