Review of LA/LAS model of education in EHEA: best practices and developing trends

Liberal Arts and Sciences in Europe: Models, Experience, Opportunities for Ukraine

Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) is a modern interdisciplinary approach to higher education that shapes not only specialists, but also thinking, flexible, and socially active individuals. This model is widespread in the US and is being increasingly implemented in Europe.

Its main principles are:

Freedom of choice and a flexible curriculum
Interdisciplinarity: a combination of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences
Critical thinking and ethics
Mentoring and student support
Project-based and problem-based learning (PBL)

European LAS models

There are three main LA/LAS models in Europe:

Independent colleges (e.g., BISLA, Slovakia) - fully autonomous institutions that often operate within limited educational accreditations.
University colleges (e.g., Maastricht University (University College Maastricht)) - independent units within large universities with their own faculty, programs, and dormitories.
Hybrid models (e.g., Adam Mickiewicz University, Justus Liebig University Giessen (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)) - integration of LA elements into the structure of a traditional university without major organizational changes.

The LibArt_UA project studied the experience of five European institutions implementing this system. Five key models were analyzed:

University	Model	Features
Maastricht University UCM (Netherlands)	University college	Open curriculum, PBL, Capstone projects, mentoring
University of Warsaw (Poland)	Hybrid	High degree of freedom, interdisciplinarity, mentoring
BISLA (Slovakia)	Independent college	Small groups, peer mentoring, new assessment formats
JLU Giessen CLAS (Germany)	Hybrid	Portfolio as a form of assessment, orientation year
AMU Poznań (Poland)	Hybrid	Free choice of courses, integration into state higher education institutions

Comparative Visualization of LAS Models in Europe

Score (0 = low, 5 = high)

Why is this important for Ukraine?

The Ukrainian education system is in need of reform. The LAS approach does not necessarily require a complete overhaul of the education system, which would require significant resources, but rather an opportunity to add new quality to higher education while preserving its structure but updating its approach.

The hybrid model is best for Ukraine because it:

Does not require radical changes in the organization of the university
Allows for the introduction of interdisciplinary courses
Gives students the opportunity to shape their own educational trajectory
Develops critical thinking, ethics, and research skills
Encourages closer interaction between teachers and students

What can be implemented right now?

Courses with open choice of disciplines
Capstone projects as final assignments
Problem-based learning (PBL)
Academic mentoring and peer mentoring
Writing Center, Methods Lab
Flexible and transparent assessment (including self-assessment)

Conclusion

LAS education in Europe has proven its effectiveness in preparing flexible, critically thinking graduates who are able to adapt to a complex and dynamic world. Ukraine has a unique opportunity to adapt best practices and create modern, valuable, and competitive higher education for a new generation.