Search

MOOCs, and open education in general, are providing new learning opportunities for millions of people. MOOCs and digital continuous education are a flexible and scalable solution for to the needs of the current society. Many MOOC platforms offer various short degree programmes (like nanodegrees, micromasters, etc.) and even full online programmes in response to these needs. MOOC platforms have ushered in a new era of collaboration between universities around the world and opened new directions for academia to connect with students and practitioners. Introducing in the didactic activity of several sequences of online learning (existing in courses included in MOOCs), online laboratories (MOOLs) have created a new academic "format" and brought about a radical rethink of many aspects of traditional class delivery. In our paper, we will show the challenges of implementing of these activities in educational and training institutions. These challenges lie in their management, availability, flexibility and scaling. At the same time, the paper aims to help decision makers in higher education institutions gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and trends towards greater openness in higher education and to think about the implications for their institutions. The paper is written from a Romanian higher education perspective, however, but it also took into account by the developments in MOOCs from round the world. A literature review was undertaken focussing on the extensive reporting of MOOCs through scholarly blogs, press releases as well as openly available reports and research papers. Also, interviews and group sessions were conducted to ascertain the influence of MOOCs in educational tasks, and of these professionals opinions about the role of MOOCs in their institutions. The results to suggest that participants have positive attitudes towards incorporating MOOCs at the university, although it is specified that transition is difficult, but entirely possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms across sectors have gone global, entered foreign markets, exported, and imported products & services through various international business strategies. The dynamics of the higher education sector in India have seen a rapid shift with changing regulations, a revolutionary New Education Policy (NEP), and a spurt in the quality & features of virtual education. There is a growing excitement of opening campuses and goal posts across borders, while facing an uncertain future due to the impending entry of foreign universities and institutions in the country. Extant research in higher education lacks insight into the application of concept of global strategy for competing in the larger competitive environment. This paper aims to bridge this gap by identifying the drivers for development of various innovative & flexible international business strategies that can be applied to higher education institutions (HEIs). Previous studies show that HEIs are faced with a challenge that there is no single pattern in the wide range of choices made by students based on different variables, such as motivation, culture, language, online education, economic & political situations, employability, and other aspects. Findings indicate that study abroad, semester abroad, immersion programs, credit transfer pathways & twinning arrangements through university collaborations, are few of the models for gaining international education that have encouraged students to stay home while being able to achieve the distinction & benefits of international education. The research builds a conceptual framework for the various drivers of international business strategy and proposes a model for Global Citizen Development (GCD) which is validated using Content Validity Ratio (CVR) with a case study approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the culture of experiential community based learning at Central College, a rural liberal arts college in Midwestern, USA. Pre-service teachers use experiential community based learning to reflect on their personal growth in understanding the needs of diverse learners. Reflections demonstrate how the program contributes to the development of cultural awareness. There is a culture of civic engagement as stated in the college strategic plan and community goals. The program is coordinated through the Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL) which acts as a liaison with not-for-profit organizations in Des Moines and other at risk locations in Iowa. Students are placed with not-for-profit organizations to give support to low income families, refugees, the homeless, immigrants; teaching English, or working with at risk children and young adults in alternative high schools and shelters. The paper presents research findings regarding the impact on college students of experiential learning. The pre-service teachers describe the challenges and learning outcomes from their out of class experiences. The study participants, in the human relations education course have to commit to fifteen hours of experiential community service. The program develops dispositions and skills for pre-service teachers to understand multicultural education in preparation for teaching in increasingly diverse classrooms. The paper presents data collated from the students' reflections, journals, research papers and in class discussions. The pre-service teachers describe the impact of working with multicultural groups to include: increased cultural awareness, a greater understanding of learner differences, and the development of empathy for the needs of diverse communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, colleges and universities have started to reassess their approach to families and redefine appropriate roles for parents. Still, we know very little about the role of institutional offices in bridging the gap between students, families, and the university or the ways their responses are organized by families' race, class, and gender. To obtain an institutional perspective on the ways in which college administrators and staff interact with families and shape policy to address their concerns, this paper asks: 1) How do college staff think about policies about families? 2) How do families perceive college personnel and how do college personnel perceive families, and how do these perceptions vary by race, class, and gender? 3) Does the view and practice of familial assistance vary by the characteristics of the college personnel in particular their race/ethnicity or gender? Drawing on 33-indepth interviews with a diverse sample of college personnel as well as ethnographic data collected at on-campus family-centered events, I find that: 1) the commercialization of higher education and the growing consumerist mentality of advantaged parents has led institutional offices to restructure its approach to interacting with families, often strategizing around FERPA/HIPPA constraints; 2) college personnel of color are frequently called upon by families of color to serve as liaisons on their behalf and are generally much more attuned to the variety of family dynamics of students of color than are white personnel; 3) college personnel work to assist students holistically, throughout their undergraduate career, but say that they interact with families mostly during times of crisis; 4) differences exist in the types of resources and information that families solicit from college personnel, which largely varies by race, class, gender, and immigration status; as such, college personnel grapple with ways of ensuring transparency to all families. This paper demonstrates that higher education policies and practices should not be thought of as "one-size-fits-all" and calls for higher education institutions to employ strategies and mechanisms that better support increasingly diverse families as a way to ensure inclusivity and student engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the dynamics between globalization and local culture in analysing how higher education has expanded in the Arab Gulf, namely through internationalization. In analysing patterns of higher education expansion, the paper contends that higher education expands through internationalization in part because Gulf states utilize higher education institutions to legitimate themselves and gain prominence as internationally competitive modern societies in a globalized world. At the same time, however, the Gulf states face push back from their more conservative, traditional constituents who criticize the state for liberalizing and "Westernizing" education. Hence, Gulf states simultaneously pursue what appear to be anti-liberal practices in public higher education institutions to manage state-society relations, thereby enabling them to maintain both national and global legitimacy. This effort to balance what appears to be two competing interests create a "dual higher education system" in the Arab Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been substantial changes in the Polish university level educational system in the last 25 years. These changes, along with changes in governmental policies towards higher education, form a competitive and fast hanging environment. Rankings of "quality" of schools are available. Less attention is dedicated to the examination of efficiency of universities. This paper discusses technical efficiency of public and non-public schools with the Data Envelopment Analysis technique. Despite fundamentally different context within which the two types of universities operate, there is no substantial difference in their technical efficiency, nor with respect to the components of this measure. Such a result forms the basis for suggested actions that may be undertaken in order to improve some aspects of the educational system in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a study on learning styles based on the Kolb model (1984). It was conducted on a sample of Mexican higher education students, to develop a picture of their learning styles at three different stages during their studies. The intention was to determine whether there were differences between students majoring in educational sciences and law, during the initial, intermediate and final semesters. The sample included 212 students aged 18 to 25 years from the Hidalgo State Autonomous University. All students responded to the Kolb Learning Style Inventory and a demographics questionnaire. The paper presents this research project's first results. There were differences found in learning styles across programs and semesters. Results are discussed from the Kolb approach on experiential learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between Hispanic enrollment in community colleges and their geographic location. Since the majority of Hispanics in the United States are concentrated in four states (New York, Texas, Florida and California), this study looks into Hispanic attendance at community colleges in these states. Hispanic students who do not reside in one of these four states are significantly more likely to enter the system of higher education through a community college, but not White and Black students. The study suggests the Hispanic reluctance to leave home for college as a possible explanation for their over-representation in community colleges outside these four states. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States is experiencing a decline in science-related careers. Research suggests that attrition during college and post-graduate study accounts for the loss of talented students to other fields. The present study examines the pathways of baccalaureate recipients in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields after graduation. This preliminary study is the first step of a larger research agenda to study school to work transition of a cohort of Florida four-year college graduates. This analysis allows us to better understand demographic and academic factors associated with persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers post graduation. The examination of the school to work transition into STEM careers will provide higher education institutions and educational policy makers with the insight on how to attract and maintain STEM talent within the U.S., especially for underrepresented populations, like women and minorities. This study finds that women and men earn graduate degrees at the same rate, but women earn more non-STEM degrees. Engineering majors obtain their higher degrees more efficiently than students in Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A perusal of university web-sites, brochures, and the like provides an overview of sociocultural activities at universities that are often emphasized as integral parts of the co-curriculum. Prominent examples include international cultural events for overseas demographic groups represented on American campuses and those for African, Asian, or Latin American celebrants. Striking to the astute observer is the blending of indigenous American socio-cultural values and those of other nations. While attention has been paid to general aspects of socialization within universities, there has been relatively little information about the roles that new holidays and rituals have on socialization and re-socialization within the academic community. We raise basic question including inter alia: What are the cultural meanings attached to the blending of cultures for international individuals and their American counterparts? Will these campus cultural celebrations actually be recognized as integral parts of the campus co-curriculum? Would the university cultural participants assume a different posture if they are part of a larger metropolitan milieu? To begin addressing these matters, we examined conceptual tenets of culture pertaining to holidays and rituals; engaged in participation observations of Kwanzaa and an African celebration at a large comprehensive public research university and a university-associated cultural event; and analyzed our explorations in order to explicate the nexuses between the conceptual and the observed phenomena. We conclude by positing how cultural events and changing university and government policies interact and thus affect the essence of university life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study which determines the number of single sex colleges in the United States. Mills College stands as an exception to the norm in the dramatic decline of single sex colleges in the United States. In 1970, there were two thirty women's colleges and one seventy four men's colleges that provided at least a two-year program of college-level studies. In 2000, only sixty three women's colleges remained in existence, while no equivalent figures are available for men's colleges.

Although the status-attainment model assumes that individual attributes determine educational attainment, sociologists increasingly have recognized the influence of institutional factors. Incorporating aspects of sociologists' institutional model, accountability advocates urge students to choose colleges with higher graduation rates. This study analyzes individual and institutional influences on college degree completion in a nationally representative sample to empirically examine the accountability model and how it works for different students at 2- and 4-year colleges.Contrary to the accountability model, we find that although "college graduation rate" predicts individuals' degree outcomes for the complete sample, it has no predictive value for many subgroups of students. In contrast, as the institutional model suggests, we find that other institutional factors predict individuals' degree completion, however, different institutional factors are significant for different types of students and colleges. Rather than students merely choosing colleges based on average outcomes, this sociological approach suggests that specific organizational factors impact different kinds of students. These results suggest areas for further research on the ways organizational procedures influence students and suggest cautions about overly simple models of college choice and accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last quarter century there have been numerous accounts of the privatization, marketization or commercialization of a variety of industries that were previously thought to be beyond the purview of the market. These shifts present an interesting set of challenges to these organizations including declining revenue sources, increased competition and vulnerability, and a need to develop alternative organizational strategies. This analysis evaluates how the higher education organizations adapt to these changing conditions. Specifically, what are the strategies that public colleges and universities pursue in response to these conditions, and how have these strategies changed as these environmental conditions change over time? Multilevel latent class regression models are employed to derive the funding strategy configurations for 165 public colleges and universities between 1975 and 1995. Declining government support is shown to have a significant but varying impact on the different strategies of higher education and the changing prevalence of those strategies over time. The results also indicate that the strategies of colleges and universities are shifting away from the traditional "public" model towards a hybrid model and a "private" model, both of which are more dependent on private funds and endowment spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]