Does the implementation of the Bologna process in higher technical education require a new approach to motivate the actors involved in the educational process?

The authors aim to analyze different types of motivation and the methods of maintaining motivation throughout the learning process for both students and professors, in terms of the characteristics of the Bologna process, whose central concept is "the student - a partner in the educational process". The paper is based on a significant amount of literature which analyzed motivation theories both from a managerial perspective (a normative approach) and a sociological one. The paper analyzes and identifies matches and gaps among the demands and rigors of higher technical education, the requirements of the Bologna process and the current social norms. These gaps may result in the weakening and ultimately the loss of motivation of the involved actors - the student and the professor. The results affect the quality and eventually the sustainable development of higher technical education.