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2. Neo-Nationalism and Universities in Europe. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.7.2020
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University of California, Berkeley. Center for Studies in Higher Education and van der Wende, Marijk
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The European Union is likely the most far-developed cross-border public space for higher education. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA) both span an even larger number of countries including associate and partner countries of the EU. Based on shared European values, such as academic freedom, cross-border cooperation, and mobility, these policy frameworks have been developed in Europe over the last decades and with much success. HE systems in this area are thus well-positioned to benefit from cross-border mobility and collaboration but may at the same time face a certain loss of control over HE, for instance with respect to access due to the cross-border flows of students. This seems to make them vulnerable to populist tendencies and neo-nationalist politics seeking to inhibit the free movement of students, scholars, and data. Such tendencies have never been completely absent on the "old continent" but resurged over the uneven outcomes of globalization, the effects of the global financial and consequent Euro crisis, and the refugee crisis. Meanwhile, the impact of the coronavirus crisis is still by and large unknown. Populist tendencies seem now to be turning against the EU, with its freedom of movement for persons (i.e. open borders) as one of its cornerstones and are therefore of concern for the HE sector. Countries such as the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Netherlands have a different position in the European landscape but are all struggling with the complexity of combining the virtues of an open system with constrained national sovereignty. Sovereignty is required in terms of steering capacity in order to balance access, cost, and quality, i.e. the well-known "higher education trilemma." In open systems this is challenged by the "globalization trilemma", which states that countries cannot have national sovereignty, (hyper)globalization and democracy at the same time. How are the EU, its Member States, and the HE sector responding? Will the Union stay united (i.e. Brexit)? Are the legal competencies of the EU in HE strong enough? What about the many European university associations, leagues, and networks? And what do the millions of (former) Erasmus students have to say?
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- 2020
3. Higher Education: What Role Can the Commonwealth Play? Background Paper for Discussion at the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers
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Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) (United Kingdom) and Kirkland, John
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Higher education is increasingly recognised as being critical to social and economic prosperity. It is also a policy area where the Commonwealth could significantly increase its impact. This could be achieved without major cost, by working through activities already in place, and persuading member governments to make stronger use of these brands and mechanisms. This paper focuses on four key areas selected by the the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) Steering Committee: (1) Costs and access; (2) Links with employment; (3) Securing the next generation of academics; and (4) Student and staff mobility. These were chosen because of their importance, relevance to conference themes, and synergy with existing Commonwealth-related initiatives. In each case, the brief summary of issues is intended to stimulate debate on whether, and how, the Commonwealth could play a greater role. [This paper was prepared for the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM) (19th, Bahamas, Jun 22-26, 2015).]
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- 2015
4. Towards a Novel Technology Transfer Office Typology and Recommendations for Developing Countries
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Fai, Felicia M., de Beer, Christle, and Schutte, Corne S. L.
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Potentially, technology transfer offices (TTOs) can play a significant role in facilitating the successful transfer of technologies and knowledge between universities and industry. Many developing countries are currently developing technology transfer practices within their universities. However, many developing country TTOs operate inefficiently or are ineffective. The sharing of experiences can lead to improvements in this endeavour. Advanced nations can serve as a frame of reference and a basis of policy recommendations for developing countries due to the longevity of their technology transfer activities. The authors issued 234 questionnaires to European university TTOs, of which 54 usable questionnaires were returned. They combine the data from these questionnaires with 19 interviews conducted with university TTO staff from 9 countries in an attempt to create a typology of practices that developing nations could emulate to improve technology transfer in their own contexts. While ultimately a clear typology was not forthcoming, the authors found some relationship between the dominant focus in the mission statement of developed country TTOs, the activities they undertake, their position in the university governance structure and their level of maturity which may usefully inform the development of TTO practices in developing countries.
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- 2018
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5. A Collaboratively-Derived Research Agenda for E-Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics
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George Kinnear, Ian Jones, Chris Sangwin, Maryam Alarfaj, Ben Davies, Sam Fearn, Colin Foster, André Heck, Karen Henderson, Tim Hunt, Paola Iannone, Igor' Kontorovich, Niclas Larson, Tim Lowe, John Christopher Meyer, Ann O'Shea, Peter Rowlett, Indunil Sikurajapathi, and Thomas Wong
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This paper describes the collaborative development of an agenda for research on e-assessment in undergraduate mathematics. We built on an established approach to develop the agenda from the contributions of 22 mathematics education researchers, university teachers and learning technologists interested in this topic. The resulting set of 55 research questions are grouped into 5 broad themes: errors and feedback, student interactions with e-assessment, design and implementation choices, affordances offered by e-assessment tools, and mathematical skills. This agenda gives a framework for a programme of research aligned with practical concerns that will contribute to both theoretical and practical development.
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- 2024
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6. Well-Rounded Graduates -- What Languages Can Do
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Pulker, Hélène, Stickler, Ursula, and Vialleton, Elodie
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The School of Languages and Applied Linguistics at the Open University (OU) radically re-designed its modern languages curriculum in 2014, launching its first suite of new modules in 2017. The institution as a whole has since also developed a new employability framework. Our paper describes the principles underpinning the design of the new curriculum, demonstrates how it is being implemented, and focuses on an initiative that involved our Associate Lecturers (ALs) in defining a 'well-rounded graduate' and reflecting on plurilingualism and their roles as language teachers in a distance-teaching institution. Presenting our Teaching Excellence project, its processes, and findings in this paper will allow colleagues who teach modern languages to replicate or adapt parts of our approach in their own settings, exemplifying to the wider world how language skills can become an inherent element of the well-rounded graduate in the 21st century. [For the complete volume, "Languages at Work, Competent Multilinguals and the Pedagogical Challenges of COVID-19," see ED612070.]
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- 2021
7. Strategic European Partnerships for UK Universities Post-Brexit: Navigating a Globally Contested Field of World-Class Universities
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Ludovic Highman, Simon Marginson, and Vassiliki Papatsiba
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This paper assesses how UK universities seek to maintain their global dominant position post-Brexit through comprehensive strategic partnerships with key European institutions as part of their internationalisation strategies. Drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews conducted from November 2017 to July 2018 in 12 UK universities vertically differentiated and spread along the highly hierarchised spectrum of British universities in all four nations, we aim to examine which types of universities are most inclined to form international comprehensive university-wide strategic partnerships, and how they identify their partners. The analysis is framed within Bourdieu's theory of "economy of practices" which considers all university practices as economic practices that are ultimately tailored towards maximising either material or symbolic profit. Unlike in business and industry, where organisations traditionally compete to maximise profit, universities must both compete and collaborate with one another in order to improve (or maintain) their position in the field. UK universities will need to navigate the post-Brexit space they find themselves thrown into, and in the process will need to review international institutional links with both European Union (EU) based and non-EU universities. This paper will assess how UK universities seek to maintain their dominant position in the field through comprehensive strategic partnerships with key foreign institutions.
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- 2023
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8. Relations and Locations: New Topological Spatio-Temporalities in Education
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Lingard, Bob
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This paper provides an account of the topological and its description of contemporary culture and use as a research methodology, a topological lens, generally, and in education research specifically. Some commentary is proffered on the relationships between the topological and the topographical, between relations and locations. A critical account is then provided on each of the papers in the special issue on the topological in education research and the specific contributions of each. The editors of the special issue make the important point that the topological is a spatio-temporal phenomenon, not just a spatial one. The topological does not exist in time and space, but rather constructs both and they change in a conjoint manner. As such, a topological lens rejects a construction of space as static and of time (and the temporal) as simply linear and chronological. The topological has been facilitated and articulated by and through practices of commensuration, datafication and digitalisation, flows and scapes, global connectivities and new relations, mobilities of various kinds and multiple networks. The paper argues that much greater emphasis has been given to the spatial in topological research; that is, there has been some neglect of the temporal in the spatio-temporal character of topologies.
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- 2022
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9. Mastering Humanitarianism? A Survey of Postgraduate Humanitarian Courses
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Stibral, Adriana A., Zadeh-Cummings, Nazanin, and Clarke, Matthew
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Humanitarian events are increasing globally, both in number and intensity. In response, the international community spends approximately US $30 billion annually to alleviate both the immediate consequences of these climatic, geographic, and human-induced events but also to support mitigation and recovery. Over the past two decades, the humanitarian sector has increasingly professionalised. One under-studied aspect of this professionalisation is an increase in postgraduate studies in humanitarian action over the last 20 years. Despite this increase, there is no agreement on core curriculum or pedagogy across humanitarian studies courses. How do current Masters of Humanitarian Assistance (MHA) offerings converge and differ, and how can such courses further their contribution to the humanitarian endeavour? This paper surveys 26 anglophone courses offered in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Nigeria, exploring key characteristics of course entry requirements, flexibility, research, practical components, and academic foci. It does not recommend what a core curriculum for humanitarian courses should be, but does argue that core curriculum for humanitarian courses should be identified by relevant and diverse stakeholders such as affected communities, humanitarian agencies, disaster management bodies, and governments, to ensure that courses in this field provide appropriate learning outcomes. The paper suggests how such a 'charter' may be developed.
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- 2022
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10. Analytical Overview of the European and Russian Qualifications Frameworks with a Focus on Doctoral Degree Level
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Chigisheva, Oksana, Bondarenko, Anna, and Soltovets, Elena
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The paper provides analytical insights into highly acute issues concerning preparation and adoption of Qualifications Frameworks being an adequate response to the growing interactions at the global labor market and flourishing of knowledge economy. Special attention is paid to the analyses of transnational Meta Qualifications Frameworks (A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and Towards a European Framework for Research Careers) and the UK National Qualifications Framework, separately for each of its constituent parts, as well as Russia. Doctoral Degree level is chosen as a core for the analytical overview as the authors believe that this qualification level deserves much attention and continuous improvement to provide highly qualified personnel for the sphere of science and education in the nearest future. Critical remarks on the real impacts of such Qualifications Frameworks policy from the international perspective are represented. [For the complete Volume 15 proceedings, see ED574185.]
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- 2017
11. A Conceptual-Empirical Typology of Social Science Research Methods Pedagogy
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Nind, Melanie and Lewthwaite, Sarah
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The challenge of research methods teaching is gaining attention among policy-makers keen to build social science research capacity and, critically, among educationalists keen to enhance the pedagogy. This paper addresses pedagogy, presenting a new conceptual-empirical typology of pedagogy for social science research methods teaching. Taking a sociocultural perspective, pedagogy is seen as encompassing both actions and underlying values. A mix of qualitative methods was used to engage more than 100 methods teachers (plus students) from diverse UK and international contexts. An expert panel method and focus groups helped elucidate pedagogical knowledge. Video-stimulated reflective dialogue added detail to that knowledge. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of teaching practice with individuals and across the dataset. A typology of research methods teaching developed iteratively across this process, proposing the core categories of "approach," "strategy," "tactics" and "tasks." In-depth case studies helped to gain nuance and test the emergent typology "in situ." The paper argues that the typology contributes a dynamic tool for developing practice. It transforms the way we think about teaching and can be applied in any social science research method teaching context, benefitting the pedagogic community by enabling greater focus in planning and reflection.
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- 2020
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12. University as a Cathedral: Lifelong Learning and the Role of the University in the European Context
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Boyadjieva, Pepka and Orr, Kevin
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The paper discusses the main issues which emerge for the university as an institution in the European context from the development of the lifelong learning paradigm. It focuses on both the opportunity-creating and tension-provoking presence of the lifelong learning concept in the university's institutional environment. The analysis is based on a thematic review of articles published in the "International Journal of Lifelong Education (IJLE)" during the four decades of its existence. The paper argues that: (1) the implementation of lifelong learning requires a profound change in the systemic characteristics of the university institution and cannot be limited to the establishment of departments of adult and continuing education; (2) without being uncritically perceived, lifelong learning is a strategy that can help universities successfully address some of their main problems and continue to develop as a key institution of societies in the 21st century and (3) in the European context, the institutional model that can embody the paradigm for lifelong learning and at the same time contains the possibility of preserving the specificity of university as an institution, is best symbolised by a cathedral.
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- 2022
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13. Annunciation and Denunciation in Paulo Freire's Dialogical Popular Education
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West, Linden
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I consider in this paper the question of balance in popular education between what we can call annunciation and denunciation, inspired by the work of Paulo Freire. By annunciation, I mean the role of love, affirmation, encouragement and profound encounters with otherness; by denunciation, I have in mind the spirit of critique and challenge to the established order of things. In the process, I question the marginalisation of liberation theology in Paulo Freire's work among some radical educators. There has, I suggest, been a sundering of spirituality, and especially religious insight, from rational enquiry in the academic mainstream, which has influenced readings of Freire. Modernity has privileged intellectualism and critical rationality as the only valid way of knowing; matters of faith and varieties of religious experience have correspondingly been privatised.
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- 2021
14. The SHEILA Framework: Informing Institutional Strategies and Policy Processes of Learning Analytics
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Tsai, Yi-Shan, Moreno-Marcos, Pedro Manuel, Jivet, Ioana, Scheffel, Maren, Tammets, Kairit, Kollom, Kaire, and Gaševic, Dragan
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This paper introduces a learning analytics policy and strategy framework developed by a cross-European research project team -- SHEILA (Supporting Higher Education to Integrate Learning Analytics), based on interviews with 78 senior managers from 51 European higher education institutions across 16 countries. The framework was developed adapting the RAPID Outcome Mapping Approach (ROMA), which is designed to develop effective strategies and evidence-based policy in complex environments. This paper presents four case studies to illustrate the development process of the SHEILA framework and how it can be used iteratively to inform strategic planning and policy processes in real world environments, particularly for large-scale implementation in higher education contexts. To this end, the selected cases were analyzed at two stages, each a year apart, to investigate the progression of adoption approaches that were followed to solve existing challenges, and identify new challenges that could be addressed by following the SHEILA framework.
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- 2018
15. The Futures of Cooperation in European Governance: Brexit and the European Knowledge Policies
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Veiga, Amélia
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This paper analyses the purposes of cooperation as they challenge the European governance of higher education. Using Brexit to analyse meanings of "cooperation" and conveying secondary data analysis of ten case studies undertaken in the framework of the exploratory research project titled "Brexit and higher education in the UK and Europe: Towards a cross-country investigation," this study identifies a plurality of meanings of cooperation. These meanings resonate within the scenarios of Europe 2025 traced by the European Commission. In the scenarios (1) "nothing but the single market," (2) "doing less more efficiently," (3) "those who want more do more," the different meanings of cooperation put at risk the future of cooperation driven by academic values and beliefs at the core of the Europeanisation of knowledge policies. Ultimately, the paper underlines that cooperation as a driver of the internationalisation of higher education questions the role of national openness and/or closure in framing shared European interests and the value of international cooperation.
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- 2021
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16. International Student Mobility: Onset for a Future Career or an Experiential Opportunity?
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Civera, Alice, Meoli, Michele, and Paleari, Stefano
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International student mobility (ISM) has emerged as an important field of study that various nations and organizations have been attaching great importance to. This paper studies the drivers of international student mobility, using a competing destinations model for the international student flows among 35 OECD countries in the period 2004-2018, by integrating the motivations for ISM. We find that OECD students are motivated by both career orientation and personal and cultural experience when decide to move abroad for study. Nonetheless, remarkable differences emerge when considering country subgroups (origin countries, wealthier, English-speaking top destination (namely US, the UK, Canada, and Australia), and European countries, students search for personal and cultural experience, valuing the lifestyle of the destination country. Students seeking for education quality are instead polarised in the rest of the OECD countries.
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- 2023
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17. Designing and Implementing Virtual Exchange -- A Collection of Case Studies
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Research-publishing.net (France), Helm, Francesca, Beaven, Ana, Helm, Francesca, Beaven, Ana, and Research-publishing.net (France)
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Virtual exchange is gaining popularity in formal and non-formal education, partly as a means to internationalise the curriculum, and also to offer more sustainable and inclusive international and intercultural experiences to young people around the world. This volume brings together 19 case studies (17 in higher education and two in youth work) of virtual exchange projects in Europe and the South Mediterranean region. They span across a range of disciplines, from STEM to business, tourism, and languages, and are presented as real-life pedagogical practices that can be of interest to educators looking for ideas and inspiration. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book. Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]
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- 2020
18. Comparison of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Practices Used Globally
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Carter, Shani D.
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Student learning outcomes assessment examines whether programs cover the material stated in their learning goals, whether students are learning the material, and the impact on student retention, graduation, post-graduation outcomes, and institutional accreditation, with the aim of providing faculty with data that can be used to help programs evolve or improve. While there is a plethora of research regarding effective methods of assessment used in the United States, little has been written regarding cross-national comparisons of assessment methodologies. This paper examines the current state of assessment in several nations and regions, and draws parallels in practices across countries. A literature search using the term "outcomes assessment" yielded 228 articles, of which, only 35 described practices outside the United States. Generally, searches on the terms "outcomes assessment" and "global" tend to return studies of outcomes assessment of teaching about global issues as it is practiced in the United States, rather than results about outcomes assessment practices used in other countries.
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- 2019
19. Students at the Margins and the Institutions That Serve Them: A Global Perspective. Salzburg Global Seminar Session 537 (Salzburg, Austria, October 11-16, 2014). A Special Policy Notes, Spring 2015
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Educational Testing Service and Bloe, Diasmer
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In partnership with Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, Salzburg Global Seminar hosted an international strategic dialogue of 60 thought leaders, researchers, and practitioners from institutions serving marginalized populations to develop a platform for on-going dialogue, problem solving and solutions to common challenges. The program--"Students at the Margins and the Institutions that Serve Them: A Global Perspective"--was held October 11 to 16, 2014 at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria and builds on Salzburg Global's track record of programs delivering on educational equity, quality and innovation. Program participants represented 19 countries and all regions of the world and engaged in five interactive days of issue framing, dialogue and strategic synthesis of global research, policy and expertise, and together assembled various frameworks for action. Issues debated include: national contexts and taxonomies of practitioners, intersections of identities and their effect of access, displaced students, legal frameworks for broadening access, and funding frameworks for institutions serving students at the margins. Participants also heard student voices; both at undergraduate and graduate levels. This report describes the program session discussions and outcomes. Appended are: (1) Session Participant and Staff List; (2) Session Agenda; and (3) Interviews and Op-eds. [Additional support for this work was provided by Capital Group Companies, the Mexican Business Council, and The Nippon Foundation.]
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- 2015
20. Knowing, Being, Relating and Expressing through Third Space Global South-North COIL: Digital Inclusion and Equity in International Higher Education
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Wimpenny, Katherine, Finardi, Kyria R., Orsini-Jones, Marina, and Jacobs, Lynette
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This paper examines digital inclusion and equity in international higher education with particular focus on Global South-North Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Practice examples, bringing together students and academics in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK, are used to consider how COIL is being integrated into higher education curricula to interrupt western hegemony and open up spaces in which "otherwise" ways of knowing, being, relating and expressing can thrive. We consider COIL as a Third Space within which academics can help facilitate the different intellectual, emotional, and socio-cultural positionings of Global South-North students and reflect on how meaning-making and engagement can be transformed as a result of this dialogue. We also recognize how the digital environment as a Third Space can be experienced as inaccessible and troublesome and make suggestions on how South-North digitalization practices can be designed to address access and inclusion needs of students and academics.
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- 2022
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21. Becoming a More Active and Creative Language Learner with Digital Tools
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Kurose, Mikiko
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Interacting with peers can be difficult for some students, due to their personality as well as to their learning styles. This paper shows how the Task-Based Approach (TBA) can be implemented and how digital resources can be used in language teaching and learning to enhance the students' experience and foster autonomy. To do so, I describe tasks I implemented for university students at A2/B1 level Japanese -- Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) -- delivered to a group of mainly Chinese students. Chinese students seem to be reluctant to speak up and share their opinions in class (Wu, 2015), which needed to be addressed in language classes. In order to encourage them to be more active and creative, TBA was deployed to help students perform tasks while using authentic materials, including online materials as well as digital tools to give more exposure to natural language. By adopting this method, language learning can be more heuristic for learners to achieve their learning goals, and students can be more engaged and motivated in tasks. At the same time, it was observed that students became more proactive to use prelearned language in more contextualised situations and showed more originality as a result. [For the complete volume, "Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: A Look at New Trends," see ED594807.]
- Published
- 2019
22. The Models of Higher Education in Russia and European Countries at the Beginning of the XXIst Century: The Main Directions of Development
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Dudin, Mikhail N., Bezbakh, Vitaliy V., Frolova, Evgenia E., and Galkina, Marina V.
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The article examines current trends in the development of the national models of higher education in Russia and European countries. The paper reveals the key problems of their functioning in the context of the processes of globalization, standardization, and integration into the pan-European and global educational space. These processes are described through the prism of the national interests of the states. Emerging from the comparative description, content presentation and qualitative analysis, the article assesses the level of development of the national models of higher education, i.e., Russian, European and American. This allowed identifying key similarities, as well as the most important differences, which mainly stem from the difference in the state regulation of national educational systems. It is the role of the state that is leading in the formation of national educational systems and the creation of high-quality models of higher education. The state is also responsible for the transformation and adaptation of these models. The models target providing the national and world labor market with highly professional human resources. Based on the comparative aspects outlined in the article, as well as on the qualitative analysis data, the authors have come to the following main conclusions regarding the trends and prospects for the development of the Russian higher education sector: a) Firstly, the Russian model of higher education was built during an accelerated transition from a one-level to a multilevel education. The result of this shift is the labor market disbalance, which nowadays does not allow the formation of the adequate perception of specialists holding a "bachelor's degree" which is unfamiliar and obscure to many employers; b) Secondly, the Russian educational system, and the higher education model, replicate the Western European and American approaches without considering the realities of the national educational market and the labor market. Therefore, the high proportion of the population with higher education cannot provide the necessary socio-economic development potential of the country; c) Thirdly, the reform of the Russian model of higher education should continue but not in terms of accelerating the processes of its integration into the world educational system. There is much evidence that the correct direction lies within the domain of creating incentives and conditions that will ensure the training of highly skilled professionals correlating with the market demand.
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- 2018
23. The Impact of World Ranking Systems on Graduate Schools of Business: Promoting the Manipulation of Image over the Management of Substance
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Rondeau, Kent V.
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This essay explores and examines how rankings and league tables have played (and continue to play) a major and consequential role in how contemporary business schools manage their affairs. It introduces and advances the proposition that rankings promote the short-term manipulation of public reputation (image) projected by business schools at the expense of the long-term investments in quality improvement. When schools shift scarce resources to actions aimed at enhancing their public image in the short-term, the consequences for the quality of the professional education is significantly compromised in the long-term to the detriment of the constituencies that they serve. While this paper focuses mainly on business schools in the United States and Canada, where this author has experienced these consequences first-hand, the effects are similar if perhaps less dramatic, for those professional business programs located in higher education institutions operating in the United Kingdom and Europe. While ranking systems are not going away anytime soon, some potential ways are identified for business schools to escape the deleterious and perverse effects of being captive players in the deadly rankings game.
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- 2017
24. Reclaiming Constructive Alignment
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Loughlin, Colin, Lygo-Baker, Simon, and Lindberg-Sand, Åsa
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Constructive Alignment (CA) is neither the panacea, nor the unalloyed evil depicted in the majority of higher education discourses. But rather, the theory is a heuristic and accessible representation of commonly agreed upon aspects of modern curriculum and educational theory, designed explicitly to support learning and teaching. However, when imposed top-down for accountability purposes, or used as a quality assurance tool, the seemingly step-by-step simplicity that gives it an administrative potential can also diminish or even destroy its relevance as an educational tool. For these reasons CA and particularly learning outcomes are often vilified amongst academic staff as a pernicious influence on learning and teaching. It has been argued that the mechanistic use of alignment and learning outcomes for validation and audit purposes can create an illusion of quality control which bears little relation to the reality of teaching practice and student learning. This paper explores the tensions that have been created as constructive alignment has journeyed and expanded from an educational theory into Higher Education teaching policy and practice. The purpose is to reclaim its original perspective as a tool for professional academic teaching.
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- 2021
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25. A Comparative Synthesis of UK Mathematics Education Research: What Are We Talking about and Do We Align with International Discourse?
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Marks, Rachel, Foster, Colin, Barclay, Nancy, Barnes, Alison, and Treacy, Páraic
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This paper makes an important and original contribution to the updating of methodological approaches to research syntheses. We analysed all 813 Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics from 2003 to 2018, first using a quantitative corpus-survey and qualitative thematic coding and, again, independently, using topic modelling. We found strong convergence between findings from the different methods. We compare our findings to those from an earlier Proceedings review (1995-2002) and to a recent review of the corpus of publications in the "Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and Educational Studies in Mathematics," as well as to a review by the European Society for Research into Learning Mathematics and several other reviews. We found considerable similarity between the issues discussed, and similar trends over time. We conclude that the efficiency of topic modelling makes it a powerful option to include among a range of methodological approaches to research review.
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- 2021
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26. A Review of the Contemporary International Literature on Student Retention in Higher Education
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Aljohani, Othman
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One of the major issues that concerns tertiary institutions around the world is the student retention rate. In general, higher rates of completion give more positive image about the academic, administrative and financial statues of these institutions. However, improving the student completion and retention rates can be a challenging task. One way toward this goal is utilising strategies and techniques that are informed by the findings of theoretical models and empirical studies. Therefore, this paper reviews some of the contemporary studies in the student retention literature from different higher educational contexts around the world followed by a list of the variables that are commonly linked to the student retention phenomenon in higher education and a discussion of the factors that are most frequently associated with student attrition as reported by these studies. A summary of the factors associated with the student attrition phenomenon suggested that, the central factors were the quality of students' institutional experiences and their level of integration into the academic and social systems of their academic institutions. These factors relate to students' experiences with the administrative system of their academic institution, including the admission, registration and disciplinary rules and policies and the availability and quality of student services and facilities.
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- 2016
27. Applying Social Media Research Methods in Geography Teaching: Benefits and Emerging Challenges?
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Halliwell, Jamie
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Students embody themselves within social media platforms and (re)craft their identities within social media platforms. These interfaces enable students to think critically regarding human geographic issues online and raise awareness of their positionalities in using ever-changing technology. This paper analyses how social media research can be developed into pedagogy, in relation to research that uses WhatsApp and Twitter as research methods to explore issues around identity within Eurovision Song Contest fandom. It argues that higher education institutions need to be continuously aware of the increasing need for digital integration into undergraduate geography teaching, fieldwork and pedagogy.
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- 2020
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28. Supply-Side Antecedents of Dropout Rates in MBA Programs
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Iglesias, Víctor, Entrialgo, Montserrat, and Müller, Frank
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The purpose of this paper is to carry out an empirical examination of the supply-side factors influencing dropout rates in MBA programs. We analyze the extent to which the resources and characteristics of the program (content, teaching methodology, course load, class size, partnerships, reputation) influence these rates. A GLM analysis was conducted on data obtained from a final sample of 94 executive MBA programs in Western Europe. The results indicate that several supply side factors significantly affect dropout: intensity of case study learning, number of credits per month, class size, and proportion of lessons given at partner institutions. Several implications for the design and management of higher education programs have been drawn from this research.
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- 2020
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29. A Languages Crisis? HEPI Report 123
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Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) (United Kingdom) and Bowler, Megan
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This paper takes stock of the state of language learning in the UK, as the country teeters on the edge of Brexit and becomes used to being led by the first Prime Minister in over 50 years to have studied Languages at university. The author, Megan Bowler, a Classics student at the University of Oxford, looks at the broad benefits to individuals, society and the economy of learning languages. She also shows the UK has sunk far below other European countries in the proportion of young people who are familiar with another language, and she explains how this is now hitting university Languages Departments. Packed with case studies and based on a wide range of source materials, the report ends with a list of recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions throughout the UK, including: making Language courses more interesting to study; reintroducing compulsory Languages at GCSE (where this does not already exist); and ensuring migration rules encourage the supply of those who can teach Languages.
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- 2020
30. Using the Council of Europe's Autobiographies to Develop Quality Education in the Foreign Language Classroom in Higher Education
- Author
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Porto, Melina
- Abstract
This article shows the potential of the Council of Europe's Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters and Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters through Visual Media to develop quality education in the (foreign) language classroom in Higher Education. Whereas the literature focuses on their contributions to fostering intercultural awareness and reflection as one step to develop intercultural communicative competence in language education, the purpose of this paper is to show that they have a broader significance in terms of the development of three capacities leading to quality education according to Nussbaum, namely critical thinking, imaginative understanding and world citizenship.pro
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. The Impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: By Which Yardstick Do We Measure Dreams?
- Author
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Pilcher, Nick, Fernie, Scott, and Smith, Karen
- Abstract
National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) are a global phenomenon. This is evidenced by their scale, coverage and intrinsic link with education policy across Europe and beyond. Research into their impact has encompassed a number of perspectives; theoretical, practical and evaluative. Yet, despite the existence of critical literature related to the development, design and impact of NQFs, little research has questioned the actual feasibility of researching the "impact" of NQFs per se. The arguments in this paper position such research as both unfeasible and futile: a dream for which it is impossible to identify a suitable yardstick to measure. We base our argument around three broad themes: linguistics and semantics; homogeneity; and methodological complexity. Around these themes, we aim to show why such research has proved problematic and, in doing so, contribute to the field as it explores the impact of NQFs in the future.
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- 2017
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32. Higher Education Policy Change in Europe: Academic Research Funding and the Impact Agenda
- Author
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Gunn, Andrew and Mintrom, Michael
- Abstract
In the policy period following the Lisbon Strategy of 2000, European governments increasingly regard universities, and the research they produce, as key to enhancing economic performance. With this heightened respect for the value of university-based research, comes an impatience to see returns on the public investments made. We analyze how policy is being used to influence the academic research process through the evaluations and funding allocation that accompany public funding. This paper features examples from the European Union and recent policy developments in two nation states to investigate how policy seeks to enhance the non-academic impacts of academic research.
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- 2016
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33. Datafication of epistemic equality: advancing understandings of teaching excellence beyond benchmarked performativity.
- Author
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Hayes, Aneta and Cheng, Jie
- Subjects
FOREIGN students ,CRITICAL pedagogy ,EFFECTIVE teaching ,CLASSROOM environment ,COLLEGIATE Learning Assessment ,UNIVERSITIES & colleges ,HIGHER education - Abstract
The paper critiques key international teaching excellence and higher education outcomes frameworks for their lack of attention to epistemic equality. It subsequently argues that adequate 'datafication' of these frameworks, to demonstrate the extent to which universities offer teaching experiences which promote intellectual equivalence of all 'knowers' could advance present understandings of teaching excellence beyond benchmarked performativity. The paper theorises the philosophical basis of a changed 'datafication' process under selected national and supra-national frameworks for measuring teaching excellence at universities and shows, by statistically modelling selected national data, how a 'metric' evaluating universities on epistemic equality could work in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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34. The policy object: a different perspective on policy enactment in higher education.
- Author
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Sin, Cristina
- Subjects
HIGHER education & state ,EDUCATION policy ,EDUCATION ,EDUCATIONAL law & legislation ,ONTOLOGY ,BOLOGNA process (European higher education) ,HIGHER education - Abstract
This paper proposes a new perspective for higher education policy research. It introduces the concept of policy object to designate the discrete preoccupation(s) of a policy text (e.g. a new governance regime, a quality system, or new degrees) and suggests that actor conceptualisations of the policy object intersect with other elements in the policy process to shape enactment and outcomes. First, the policy object concept is described. It is argued that the policy object does not have an objective existence and two concepts are proposed to explain it: ontology and enacted ontology. The former refers to what actors believe the policy object is, a socially-construed context-determined conceptualisation, whereas enacted ontology refers to what the policy object becomes further to enactment under the influence of ontology. Second, the paper presents the findings of a comparative study of master degrees further to the Bologna process in different national and institutional settings to illustrate the policy object approach. This research puts forward arguments to suggest that the policy object could be an important variable to consider in policy research. This somewhat different lens, inviting fine-grained attention to a specific policy object (its ontologies and enacted ontologies), could bring additional insight into policy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
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35. European Mobility of United Kingdom Educated Graduates. Who Stays, Who Goes?
- Author
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Behle, Heike
- Subjects
EMPLOYMENT of college graduates ,LABOR mobility ,EMPLOYMENT ,COLLEGE graduates ,UNIVERSITIES & colleges ,HIGHER education ,SOCIAL history - Abstract
Official figures from the Home Office show an increase in mobility of the highly-skilled from the United Kingdom ( UK) to other European countries. This paper analyses the social composition of intra- European mobile graduates from the UK in the context of recent political developments ( Bologna- Process, European Higher Education Area). Using quantitative and qualitative data from a longitudinal study of students and its follow-up study, the paper compares the social composition and current activity of intra- European mobile graduates with those remaining in the UK. Personal and higher education-related variables together with the current type of employment were significant for the distinction between intra- European mobile graduates and ' UK stayers'. UK-educated mobile graduates were identified as ' Eurostars', who come from high social classes or studied at high tariff higher education institutions. Mobility was identified as one way for UK-educated graduates to avoid employment in non-graduate jobs and add further value to their undergraduate degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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36. Medical professionalism across cultures: A challenge for medicine and medical education.
- Author
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Jha, Vikram, Mclean, Michelle, Gibbs, Trevor J., and Sandars, John
- Subjects
ADULTS ,PROFESSIONAL education ,HIGHER education ,STUDENT cheating ,CULTURE ,INFORMED consent (Medical law) ,INTERPROFESSIONAL relations ,MEDICAL ethics ,MEDICAL personnel ,MEDICAL practice ,STUDY & teaching of medicine ,PHYSICIANS ,FOREIGN physicians ,PRIVACY ,PATIENTS' rights ,GIFT giving ,PROFESSIONALISM - Abstract
Background: The recognition of medical professionalism as a complex social construct makes context, geographical location and culture important considerations in any discussion of professional behaviour. Medical students, medical educators and practitioners are now much more on the move globally, exposing them to cultural and social attitudes, values and beliefs that may differ from their own traditional perceptions of professionalism. Aims and Methods: This paper uses the model of the intercultural development continuum and the concept of 'cultural fit' to discuss what might transpire when a student, teacher or doctor is faced with a new cultural environment. Using our own experiences as medical educators working abroad and supported by evidence in the literature, we have developed four anecdotal scenarios to highlight some of the challenges that different cultural contexts bring to our current (Western) understanding of professionalism. Results and Conclusions: The scenarios highlight some of the potentially different regional and/or cultural perspectives and nuances of professional behaviours, attitudes or values that many of us either take for granted or find difficult, depending on our training and socio-cultural upbringing. With this paper, we hope to start a long overdue conversation about global professionalism amongst medical educators, identify potential areas for research and highlight a need for medical schools to embrace a 'global' approach to how professionalism is embedded in their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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37. Editorial - Writing Together: Practitioners, Academics and Policy Makers.
- Author
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McKendry, Stephanie, Marr, Liz, and Butcher, John
- Subjects
INNOVATIONS in higher education ,HIGHER education & state ,HIGHER education ,ADULT education ,HIGHER education evaluation ,HIGHER education research ,HIGHER education administration - Abstract
An editorial is presented on the innovation in the field of widening participation (WP) in higher education. It expresses the view on evaluation of effectiveness of policy changes in widening participation. An overview of the efforts of WP practitioners, and experienced researchers, to explore institutional developments for the success of WP.
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- 2018
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38. DEVELOPING THE EDUCATED CITIZEN: CHANGING FRAMEWORKS FOR THE ROLES OF UNIVERSITIES IN EUROPE AND ENGLAND.
- Author
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ALEXIADOU, Nafsika and FINDLOW, Sally
- Subjects
CITIZENSHIP ,HIGHER education ,LABOR market ,UNIVERSITIES & colleges - Abstract
Copyright of Annals for Istrian & Mediterranean Studies / Annales: Series Historia et Sociologia is the property of Historical Society of Southern Primorska of Koper and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2014
39. Content analysis of vacancy advertisements for employability skills : Challenges and opportunities for informing curriculum development.
- Author
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Messum, Wilkes, Peters, and Jackson
- Published
- 2016
40. "Neoliberalism, Technocracy and Higher Education" Editors' Introduction.
- Author
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Cruickshank, Justin and Abbinnett, Ross
- Subjects
HIGHER education ,TECHNOCRACY ,NEOLIBERALISM ,SOCIAL epistemology ,PUBLIC sphere ,SPHERES ,SOCIAL media in education - Abstract
This special issue of Social Epistemology has its origin in two symposia organised by the Contemporary Philosophy of Technology Research Group at the University of Birmingham (UK). These were 'The Digital University in a Neoliberal Age' in November 2017 and 'The Neoliberal Imagination' in February 2018. The articles published here explore the relationship between neoliberalism, technocracy and technology, with a special but not exclusive focus on universities, which are open to contestation concerning their role in the public sphere and the politics of knowledge production. Where universities are discussed, English higher education is focused on, because this is undergoing an intense audit-driven neoliberal re-engineering. English higher education is an outlier in Europe to the extent to which it has undergone marketisation, with top-down reforms imposed by the supposedly rolled back, less-interventionist neoliberal state (Shattock, Times Higher, 3 April 2019). Central to these are state-imposed technocratic audit regimes which are used to provide 'objective' data on 'performance', which has, always already, to be 'excellent' (see Readings' 1997 classic critique of the vacuity of the notion of 'excellence'). Before briefly introducing each article, we will situate the concerns mentioned above in the context of a social epistemological critique of knowledge production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Not just who you are, but who you were before: Social identification, identity incompatibility, and performance‐undermining learning behaviour in higher education.
- Author
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Smyth, Lillian, Mavor, Kenneth I., and Gray, Louie R.
- Subjects
ACADEMIC achievement ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,GROUP identity ,MATHEMATICAL models ,PROCRASTINATION ,PSYCHOLOGY ,SELF-perception ,SURVEYS ,MASTERS programs (Higher education) ,UNDERGRADUATES ,DEEP learning - Abstract
The current study builds on links between academic social identification and learning behaviours and extends these models by also considering the level of compatibility between the student identity and the pre‐existing self‐concept. This is a crucial extension, in the context of broadening access to higher education and fostering belonging and learning in nontraditional students. Further, where previous work focused on learning behaviours that enhance performance (often learning approaches), we also consider performance‐undermining behaviours (self‐handicapping and procrastination). These effects are explored in survey responses from an undergraduate student sample (N = 121) from UK and broader European samples. Participants were predominantly female (69%) and native English speakers (87%). Three models of the relationships between these variables were tested using Mplus. Results indicate that performance‐undermining behaviours are predicted by identity incompatibility, but not identification level; deep learning approaches are predicted by identification level, but not identity incompatibility. This provides first evidence that identity incompatibility is not just a moderator of the identification‐learning relationships but, in fact, a separate identity process for consideration. We also present initial evidence for a mediation model, where in the identity variables are related to procrastination and self‐handicapping via learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. ‘Western seminary’: On transnational Shiite higher education in Britain.
- Author
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Van Den Bos, Matthijs
- Subjects
SHIITES ,TRANSNATIONAL education ,ISLAM ,EUROPEAN citizenship ,ISLAMIC universities & colleges ,EDUCATION & religion ,UNIVERSITIES & colleges ,HIGHER education - Abstract
In this article the author delves beneath the surface of Shiite higher education in Britain to discover whether it constitutes a case for ‘European Islam’. Juxtaposing the theorisation of Islam in Europe with a commonly unrelated body of scholarship on education and citizenship, it examines a paradox of integrative blending and foreign frames. Understanding Western Shiite education requires recognition of both local identity and transnational ties, as well as the relationships between them. The author focuses on the Shiite Al-Mahdi Institute and the Islamic College in Britain, analysing on the one hand their local profiles, defined by efforts to engage with their Western environment, and on the other hand their organic foreign embedding, whether through state ties or links to educational and religious establishments. Dumont’s concept of hierarchy as ‘encompassment of the contrary’ is invoked to account for this paradoxical relationship, from which emerges a scale of differences between the two institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. The Struggle for the Soul of Social Work in England.
- Author
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Higgins, Martyn
- Subjects
SOCIAL services ,SOCIAL work education ,PARADIGMS (Social sciences) ,CRITICAL pedagogy ,HIGHER education - Abstract
There is a debate or struggle for the nature and future of social work in England. This tension is between a narrow or limited type of practice and a broader and emancipatory social work, grounded in the International Federation of Social Work and the wider conception of the profession in other European states. The limited model of social work seems to provide a dominant paradigm, which may result in the loss of a more visionary and humane social work. This is a qualitative study of an undergraduate social work programme in England. There were 48 participants, comprised of academics, students, service users and practice educators. Interviews and focus groups were used and a thematic analysis was undertaken. The key finding of this study is that the paradigm of state or statutory social work in England threatens to replace a broad conception of social work as understood in such definitions as the International Federation of Social Work and social work in other European states. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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