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In 2017, China released its building list of First-class Universities and First-class Subjects (Double First classes), which should get great support for development for many years into the future. This paper examines the academic performance of eight universities that are currently listed as having First-class Subjects of economics, in international papers and domestic papers, and compares their academic performance with another eight non-listed universities. The comparison shows that in general only three listed universities have obvious advantages among the 16 sample universities, while four listed universities do not show advantages, with one of them unexpectedly lagging behind. In contrast, several non-listed universities perform obviously better among the sample universities. In addition, several other aspects of this Double First-class list are also found to be less objective, scientific, or rigorous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on the Green Paper on the future of higher education in Great Britain by Sir Keith Joseph, the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in 1985. Challenge to the conservative complacency of universities; Analysis of the British government's policies on education; Implications on higher education.

Guaranteed admission programs are a type of college access program that provide students who meet certain criteria (e.g., a minimum GPA) with guaranteed admission to one or more colleges. This paper studies guaranteed admission agreements between California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and its local school districts to evaluate if smaller-scale, local guaranteed admission programs have comparable impacts on college enrollment rates to previously studied state-wide programs. Employing a regression discontinuity (RD) design around the program's GPA cutoff conditional on students satisfying other program requirements, this paper finds that the program significantly increased enrollment at CSUSM and at any California State University (CSU) and increased (not significantly) the likelihood of students enrolling at four-year institutions compared to two-year alternatives. In addition, the program disproportionally affected students from underrepresented backgrounds (e.g., first-generations, nonwhite, and low-income back-grounds), suggesting that local guaranteed admission programs also have the potential to increase representation at four-year public institutions and encourage underrepresented students to enroll at high-quality postsecondary institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widening participation in England has been framed around two primary needs; raising attainment and raising aspiration. Whilst aspiration is complex, policy definitions often frame it in narrow economic terms and see access to higher education as primarily about developing a workforce, the underlying logic being that to improve social mobility that individuals need to "aim higher". Pre-entry work with under-represented groups therefore has tended to adopt a deficit of aspiration approach. There has been extensive critique of the deficit model yet "raising aspirations" still endures in both national and institutional policy. Drawing on sixteen semi-structured interviews with widening participation practitioners in England, this paper considers the alignment between policy and practice. It explores the more complex and nuanced view of aspiration held by practitioners and how this more closely aligns with the theory of possible selves. This paper argues that there are two key issues; a disjuncture between policy and practice and a gap in understanding of the structural issues associated with aspiration. The paper argues that the solution involves a radical rethink of policy that returns to a focus on helping individuals to realise their own individual aspirations and more clearly acknowledges the structural constraints shaping the formation, vocalisation and realisation of aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on evidence from documents and semi-structured interviews with members of the Catalan system of higher education, this research explores how intermediary organizations (IOs) facilitate the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), conceived as a global policy framework, in local contexts. We observed that, despite the voluntary nature of SDGs-related policies, most Catalan public universities embraced the SDGs. Two contextual factors likely facilitated their effective engagement with this global initiative: first, the autonomy granted by regional and national governments to the higher education sector when it comes to social responsibility, and, second, the willingness and ability of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Catalonia to work with the SDGs. The key element added to these contextual factors was the collaboration stimulated by meso-level actors, namely Catalan intermediaries. The Catalan case exhibits a process whereby IOs effectively engage with HEIs, forging a platform for collaboration; in turn, this led the local government to delegate the task of promoting the SDGs to IOs. This paper contributes to the debate in global higher education policy-making as it discusses the policy implications of the involvement of intermediary actors in bringing global policy frameworks to local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The replacement of existing technology or the introduction of novel technology into the day-to-day routines of higher education institutions is not a trivial task. Currently, many higher education institutions are faced with the challenge of replacing existing procedures for administering written exams with e-exams. To guide this process, this paper proposes the novel technology-based exams acceptance model (TEAM) and empirically evaluates its model structure and usefulness from the perspective of higher education teachers. The model can be used to guide the transition from paper-based exams to e-exams and the implementation of innovative (e.g., adaptive) e-exam formats. The model includes perceived usefulness, computer self-efficacy, computer anxiety, prior experience, facilitating conditions, and subjective norm as predictors of the behavioral intention to use e-exams. To test the model empirically, the responses of 992 teachers at 63 German universities to a standardized online questionnaire were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model fit was acceptable. With 77% (conventional e-exams) and 82% (adaptive e-exams), a large proportion of the variance of the intention to use these types of exams was explained. With TEAM, a highly predictive model for explaining the behavioral intention to use e-exams is now available. It offers a theoretical basis that can be used for the successful implementation of e-exams in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Introduces articles in the September 2003 issue of 'Compare' journal. Influence of national and international policy agendas on educational institution; Response of universities in China to the phenomena of globalization and internationalization; Influence of the policies of the World Bank on technical education in Greece in the 1960s and 1970s.

Remediation reform is an influential policy movement in U.S. higher education that aims to increase college completion rates. College first-year reading and writing course requirements have been a major focus of this movement, particularly prerequisite "developmental" course sequences for entering students who are deemed underprepared for college. However, the policy implications of this movement remain unclear for the growing number of multilingual students entering U.S. colleges and universities, and particularly for multilingual learners (MLLs) who are still in the process of developing college-level English proficiency. Accordingly, this paper examined the policy discourse on websites of three prominent remediation reform movement (RRM) organizations to identify explicit and implicit ideologies about language, multilingualism, and literacy that underlie reform policies. Using a Critical Discourse Studies approach to language education policy analysis (Barakos, 2016) and focusing specifically on lexical choice, we find that RRM organizational websites discursively maintain and promote English monolingualism as the normative medium and goal of college literacy instruction. Using a California-based RRM organization as an example, we also suggest that the prevailing English monolingual ideology of the RRM may be moderated by context. Based on these findings we suggest further research and consider implications for RRM college language and literacy education policies for MLL and other multilingual students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education is given increasing recognition by national governments and international agencies throughout the world to become a crucial incentive for sustainable development goals. In the national development of intellectual force at present, the Vietnam policy of education and training, which is of great importance, is the decisive factor for the economic growth and social development as set out by the government. Therefore, the educational development is the responsibility of both the government and the society. It is now clear that the academic staff in higher education institutions is the core force, playing a decisive role in ensuring the quality of higher education as in the case of the International University – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. The paper investigated the research studies by the university academic staff through their annual publications and the number of lecturers with Doctoral degrees and professorship. The results showed their research studies contributed to the development of the institution in particular, and at the same time predicted how much the stakeholders benefited from this in general. This study may contribute to developing the quality of higher education institutions regarding the promotion of international publications by the higher education faculties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an organizing framework of Entrepreneurship Education (EE) evolving strategies to fulfill third mission in an Entrepreneurial University. Actually, universities are struggling to face the challenges in achieving third mission objectives enhancing entrepreneurial culture to prosper in an entrepreneurial society. In this context, there is currently no clear categorization in the literature of the different EE academic strategies able to contribute differently to third mission goals and impact. Gathering from the literature on EE, the paper typifies academic EE strategies and their evolution toward an ecosystemic approach that is here seen as an ideal scenario to align EE within the mission and values expected to achieve third mission outcomes and impact. The contribution is a starting point for future research in the field, paving the way for empirical validations able to highlight the link between University EE strategy and University ability to implement its third mission. It can also serve as a guide for entrepreneurship educators, university executives and policy makers to develop extensive and effective strategies in the EE field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities from varying institutional and geographical contexts have increasingly invested in offshore subsidiaries in the Malaysian private higher education sector. Literature on transnational education policy and management as well as economic‐geographic accounts of firms' transnationalisation or public service provision have not investigated foreign providers' direct investment and market access strategies in the higher education sector. This paper addresses these gaps, showing how and why foreign actors' investment and market involvement in Malaysia have changed. Empirical data is drawn from qualitative interviews and policy documents. The research reveals that foreign universities have strategically modified their business partnerships and bi‐national accreditation to bypass and bend state regulation of market access as well as to restructure internal organisation and geographical configuration. The paper proposes conceptualising foreign higher education providers as transnationalising, reflexive networks within networks that respond to dynamic market access regulation by adopting firm‐like investment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries play a crucial and multi-faceted role in the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 in higher education in India. They function as hubs of knowledge and are instrumental in supporting the educational goals outlined in the NEP. This article examines the intricate and significant part that libraries play in the effective execution of the NEP, specifically within the context of NEP 2020. It discusses how libraries can promote access to diverse knowledge resources, encourage research, and foster critical thinking skills among students. By utilizing the potential of libraries as centers of learning, higher education institutions can establish a more inclusive and just learning environment according to the NEP's vision. The primary focus of this study is to comprehensively elaborate on the multi-faceted involvement of libraries, including the active promotion of digital literacy, cultivation of research efforts and innovative initiatives, and facilitation of an all-encompassing and impartial approach to acquiring information for all segments of society. The article notes that libraries can contribute to the promotion of digital literacy, which is a critical aspect of the NEP. As the use of digital technologies in education increases, libraries play a vital role in providing access to a wide range of digital resources, such as ebooks, online databases, and various digital learning materials. They can provide instructional guidance and assistance to both students and faculty members on the effective use of digital tools and platforms, leading to a significant improvement in their digital literacy skills. Libraries also offer access to a vast array of scholarly resources, including academic journals, research papers, and books. This accessibility empowers students and faculty members to engage in significant research endeavors. They also provide guidance and direction for conducting literature reviews, accessing relevant research databases, and keeping up with the latest developments in various disciplines. Therefore, libraries serve as collaborative spaces for interdisciplinary research and innovation, facilitating knowledge sharing and networking among students and faculty members, which is essential for NEP 2020. This research emphasizes the expected academic roles of libraries in enhancing all educational programs and proposes specific strategies to improve their functions. Previous literature is combined with qualitative research data from semi-structured interviews with 125 faculties, including Professors, Associate Professors, and working librarians from four universities associated with higher education institutions. Questionnaires and interview tools were used to explore the relevant data collection instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection of data on values through instruments such as the World Values Survey has focused attention on two opposing but inter-related trends, namely the combination of substantial cultural change in many countries and the persistence of distinctive traditional values. This reflects the interplay between social changes associated with modernisation and globalisation—including increased global trade and the rise of global popular culture—with traditional values country-specific systems. In this paper, we introduce a focus on another potentially important source of change, that of widening higher education participation and attainment, and the extent to which self-reported values differ between university graduates and non-graduates. We investigated this question using data from the most recent collection of the World Values Survey (2017–2020) for six core values—family, friends, leisure, work, politics, and religion—and tested for the influence of higher education attainment on the perceived "importance" of each value and the extent to which this influence differs across values and in gender, generation and country grouping sub-samples. We find evidence for consistent effects in most contexts, with no statistical differences between graduates on non-graduates in relation to the propensity to view family and work as important, statistically significant positive effects on the propensity of graduates to view friends, leisure, and politics as important, and a significant negative effect in relation to religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an undergraduate teacher education course is used to explore whether and how academic reading seminars reflect the theoretical notion of academic literacies and provide a learning environment for developing academic and professional learning and engagement. The data analyzed in this article are transcribed recordings of small group activities where students discuss scientific articles based on a template. First, our empirical analysis shows that the use of the template facilitated dialogical discussions and the development of a cognitive skillset and disciplinary categories when used in a social setting. Second, we found that the most challenging part of designing a reading practice related to the academic literacies tradition was fostering a dialogical environment for discussing the validity of findings across different contexts and provide for discussions encompassing complexity, nuances, and meaning making. We found traces of such discussions in all the transcripts; however, many examples were in a premature stage. The paper concludes with a discussion on, and some suggestions for, further development of the template used in the reading seminars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. 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.)

Government spending on higher education is a perennial research theme, but empirical evidence from China is relatively rare. Based on panel data of local higher education institutions in 31 Chinese provinces from 2003 to 2016, this paper investigates the determinants of general appropriations and quantifies their relative contributions in consideration of socioeconomic, political, and higher education variables. The results of two-way fixed effect modelling reveal that province GDP per capita, government size, percent of education spending, total enrolment, and tuition fees are five major determinants. Further, the results of Shapley decomposition show that these five determinants jointly contribute to 56.793% of total R2. Drawing on Chinese practices of higher education expansion in the last two decades, this paper concludes with policy implications for sustaining higher education funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the epistemic politics at work in radically contrasting academic representations of African university futures. Euro-American policy entrepreneurs and research funders call for major investments in Africa's scientific research training capacity to strengthen the continent's integration into a global knowledge system. Meanwhile, African social scientists and humanities scholars critique the epistemological hegemony of 'Western' models of the academy, and call for the decolonisation of African universities. This paper sets out a three-step approach to dealing with the politicisation of 'academography' (Thorkelson 2016) in this decolonial moment. The first step is to acknowledge how epistemic power relations shape all analytical moves. The second is to recognise that 'generative antagonisms' (Burawoy 2004) are inherent to disciplinary knowledge production. The third is to develop an ethnographic sensitivity to everyday academic practice within these institutional worlds and epistemic cultures. Together these moves offer space for dialogue between different visions of African higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) dates back to the 1970s and is inspired by the 1970s' collectivistic and practice-oriented learning ideals, emphasising dynamic learning processes without clear-cut or simple beginnings and ends. Today, PBL is often performed and framed by other discourses, strategies, rules, regulations and politics than those governing universities in the 1970s. The purpose of this paper is not to account for changes in university policies and framings or explore the hinterlands of PBL, but to give voice to today's students and explore their enactments of contemporary PBL. The study is based on qualitative data obtained from 62 students that emphasise smaller adjustments, improvements and minor revisions of their work-in-progress far more than radical (re)explorations and redirection of their work. Such incrementalism implies other rationales than the fundamental ideas behind PBL, and the paper therefore discusses the dilemmas that students experience when doing PBL within the contemporary, 'disciplined' university setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Institutions of higher education face challenges of fiscal responsibility and their value proposition for students and other stakeholders they serve. Strategies used in business sectors, such as merger and acquisition, are being increasingly adopted by higher education governing boards, especially for public institutions and systems. The purpose of this paper is to guide policy decisions related to university mergers. Design/methodology/approach: This paper focuses on the interplay between the pre-merger status of the institution, the individual faculty member's sense of belonging, and their commitment to the organization on levels of job-related stress, which has well-established negative impacts on individual and organizational performance. Using survey data collected at the same time post-merger from two different universities within the same state system, we explore regression models to identify similarities and differences between the faculty responses in terms of the impact of the merger on faculty stress. Findings: Differences are found between the two universities in terms of faculty stress with faculty of one low status institution pre-merger having significantly higher stress post-merger. A case is presented for differences in stress based on a part on differences in how the mergers were managed at the system and university levels. Practical implications: This research is instructive for higher education policy makers and university administrators as the institution of higher education continues this type of transformation. Originality/value: This paper examines the impact of mergers on a university's single-most important asset, faculty. Comparative and timely faculty survey results from two related universities early post-merger provide valuable insights for leaders in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the strategic management of Vietnamese higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The paper examined the external environment of the country's education system based on the five forces framework by Michael Porter and inspected the strategies of universities and colleges. Findings: It was concluded that lack of environmental analysis from both the government and higher education institutions themselves diminishes the intended effectiveness of the reforms; problems of skill shortage in the labor market, staff insufficiency and poor quality are prevalent; and that strategies developed by the institutions are purely responsive to the State's direction without considering sustainability. Research limitations/implications: Lack of literature on Vietnamese higher education limits timely analysis. Practical implications: Strategic planning based on a thorough investigation of the environment is imperative to enhance the performance of the education system generally as well as of academic institutions individually. The government plays a key role in developing initiatives to enhance staff capabilities and improve quality of educational outputs. Originality/value: There has not been any paper that approached Vietnam's higher education management under such an analytical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on the consequences of academic inbreeding shows ambiguous results: some papers show that inbreeding positively influences research productivity measured by the quantity and quality of publications, while others demonstrate the opposite effect. There are contradictory results both in the studies of different countries and within countries. This variety of results makes it impossible to transfer the findings from one academic system to another, and in Russia this problem has been under-explored. This paper focuses on the relationship between inbreeding and publication activity among Russian faculty. The research was conducted using data from the ‘Monitoring of Educational Markets and Organizations’ survey. The results show that there is no significant effect of academic inbreeding on publication productivity: no substantial and robust differences in publication activity between inbreds and non-inbreds have been found. The paper finishes with a discussion of possible explanations inherent in the Russian academic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers questions of ‘employability’, a notion foregrounded in the Green and White Papers on the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). The paper first questions government imperatives concerning employability and suggests a series of mismatches that are evident in the rhetorics in this area. This summary opens up elements of what I am calling the first ‘folly’ in the field. The second section of the paper considers recent research with individual academics engaged in employability activity. This research suggests another series of mismatches in the aims and outcomes of ‘employability initiatives’ and opens up a further series of ‘follies’ in the day-to-day practices of academics and students’ responses to them. The third section of the paper turns to academics’ reports of student behaviour in relation to the outcomes of their degree. This section develops an argument that relates to the final ‘folly’ associated with the current focus on employability. I argue that students’ focus on outcomes (which at face value suggests they have internalized the importance of employment) is contributing to the production of graduates who do not have the dispositions that employers – when interviewed – say that they want. The highly performative culture of higher education, encouraged by the same metrics that will be extended through the TEF, is implicated then innotpreparing students for the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Campus crisis management remains an understudied topic in the context of COVID‐affected higher education. In this paper, we contrasted the ability to tame the wicked problems brought by the pandemic of COVID‐19 in private and public universities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Kazakhstan, Uganda, and Ukraine. The cross‐country analysis and diversity of institutional types allowed us to consider a wide range of challenges faced by academic leaders and their institutions during the global pandemic. By drawing on institutional policy reviews and interviews with university administrators, we have examined tensions between the human and institutional agencies on these crisis‐stricken campuses given differing institutional coupling, sizes, resources, and missions. The focus on agential co‐dependencies and institutional coupling lays the ground for conceptualizing campus crisis management as a culturally specific construct in the context of higher education affected by the global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on 'academic capitalism' and the 'entrepreneurial university' has paid little attention to the role and function of bureaucracy or has considered it something different from the New Public Management (NPM) that has accompanied neoliberal reforms in higher education over the last decades. Following a brief account of the theory and history of bureaucracy, the article examines the institutional, intellectual, pedagogic, and psychic repercussions of the NPM that was introduced in Danish universities in 2003, and turned them into what has been often called 'knowledge companies' (vidensvirksomheder). As a result of these reforms, the paper shows, academicians have been transformed into competitive entrepreneurial clerks, striving for assignments and resources, bound by contracts, thoroughly surveilled for their productivity and performance through special software, and entangled in a web of bureaucratic relations which has removed all spaces of logos that distinguish a university, according to its European tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the past, present, and future directions of tourism education in Canada, from its origins in the late 1960s until today. The study reviews the development of tourism education over four decades, with a particular focus on developments in Ontario. The influence of tourism organizations, and the impact of legislation on tourism and hospitality education in developing future industry leaders capable of sustaining and growing Canada's tourism industry are discussed. The paper also reflects on the current status of tourism education in Canada, the lack of government support for tourism research initiatives, and the loss of research talent to overseas universities. The research discovered a paucity of past historical documentation of tourism education in Canada and this paper is perhaps the first concerted effort to chronicle the 40-year cumulative history of formal tourism education in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the potential for the EU to act as a leading actor in internationalization of higher education area based on the case of India – one of the largest higher education national systems, which has been in a process of massification and transformation. Based on the general framework of strategic cooperation between the EU and India, the paper looks at the EU’s strategies and instruments for cooperation in the area of higher education, considers the current picture and identifies enabling factors for intensification of this cooperation. It raises the question of whether the EU can go beyond bilateral relations between higher education institutions and become a collective driver of higher education cooperation between India and the European Higher Education Area, and what the barriers and challenges in developing the external dimension of the EU’s higher education policy are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of an affective assemblage approach in the study and practice of decolonizing "the University" in Europe. In particular, the analysis aims to better account for the affective dimensions of decolonizing "the University" in Europe, taking into consideration that neither "the University" in Europe assumes a monolithic institution nor "decolonization" constitutes a monolithic project. Although the paper is theoretical, it provides examples of the meaning and function of decolonizing "the University" in various settings within the European higher education context. The paper contributes to the critical problematics of ongoing efforts to decolonize universities in Europe by exploring the prospects of affective assemblages as a working concept that helps education theorists, researchers, and policymakers in European higher education come to terms with both the intellectual and affective demands of decolonization processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student voice in governance and decision-making has become ubiquitous in higher education, evolving from buzzword to orthodoxy. Student engagement measures have become instruments of quality control, with students expected to take an active role in shaping institutional policy and practice. In this paper, we argue that this ubiquity of demands for student engagement has served to hollow-out and depoliticise student voice practices – drawing upon Cooke and Kothari's seminal (2001) work in development studies we ask whether student voice has become a new tyranny of participation? In developing this argument, we identify how students are expected to be both strategic, instrumental consumers and active citizens of their university. This results in the paradox of the strategic active student-citizen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although transdisciplinarity has taken hold in many areas, it is still a concept in its early stages of development in Latin America. We see an emergent opportunity to contribute to the current discussion on transdisciplinarity and its institutionalization at universities. Our specific interest in this paper is to disentangle the conditions under which transdisciplinarity is developed in Latin American contexts and how it can be better implemented within those contexts. Our study focuses on the context of "Latin American Public Universities." We examine the following research questions: (i) How is transdisciplinarity conceptualized in university policy and what are the conditions for its institutionalization? (ii) What lessons can be drawn more broadly from the role of university policy in the process of institutionalizing transdisciplinarity? To address these questions, we take the Universidad de Chile as a case study and apply a qualitative methodology of content analysis of university policy documents in the period 2006–2021. Grounded on empirical data, we elaborate on the concept of "situated transdisciplinarity" that emerges from the interplay between practices and policy at the Universidad de Chile and serves as a tool for future institutionalizing processes. We conclude that the concept of "situated transdisciplinarity" can orient transdisciplinary research policy, by problematizing discourses and perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of methodological choice on global Higher Education Institutions' (HEI) rankings, and the effect of choices regarding League Table and Ranking Systems (LTRSs) upon decision-making and policy. LTRSs are identified as heuristics to aid decision-making about HEIs. The paper examines the methodological choices commonly made within 'rankology'. It describes the methodologies used in six popular LTRSs and the manner in which the ranking formulae were constructed. An analysis of the ranking of global HEIs by the six LTRSs for 2015 revealed that whilst there was a degree of agreement across these LTRSs regarding the ranking of two 'elite' institutions, the level of agreement across the LTRSs rapidly broke down as one progressed to consider institutions further down the ranking order. The study shows that the use of LTRSs to aid decisions is highly sensitive to one's choice of LTRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a snapshot of the higher education sector following recent policy changes that have promoted growth and expansion. The emphasis of this work is to highlight the relative enrolment changes among the different types of higher education providers in the sector during this growth period. The analyses show that most growth in the sector has been in universities - because it is universities which were the specific aim and beneficiaries of substantial change in policy and funding provision. However, the data also suggest that at the same time, other providers such as Private HEPs and TAFEs have managed to continue to find a market in domestic undergraduate enrolments and have continued to grow their small but notable share of these students in Australia. With these findings in mind, the paper contextualises the potential role that could be played by non-university higher education providers in future expansion of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the evolution of the grandes écoles/universities divide in France. It first shows that while universities have adopted professional training programs, the grandes écoles have "universitarized." Furthermore, in recent years, the policies aimed at the transformation of the French higher education landscape have led to some mergers including universities and grandes écoles. Nevertheless the divide between the two sectors remains consequent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public policies focusing on the higher education landscape often pursue a paradigm shift among universities that may ultimately lead to the transformation towards entrepreneurial universities. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a higher education policy-induced transformation significantly influenced regional high-technology entrepreneurship. We thereby focus on the German Excellence Initiative, a higher education policy intervention designed to foster and support the transformative change of German universities towards an entrepreneurial paradigm. Our results reveal that the German Excellence Initiative had a positive and significant impact on regional high-technology entrepreneurship. Our results further show that the higher the interaction with industry, the more conducive universities become for regional high-technology entrepreneurship. In addition, universities' overarching scientific focus decisively affects regional high-technology entrepreneurship. Based on our results, we conclude our paper by outlining implications for policy makers, high-technology entrepreneurs and university managers as well as present future avenues for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Moderne Staat is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH 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.)

This paper synthesizes the characteristics of university rankings that cause pressure or 'harassment' on universities and analyses possible strategies for action that can be carried out in the real context of the three main university rankings (QS, THE, ARWU), suggesting the consequences for the so-called world-class universities and others (which represent 95% of the total). Although there is controversy over the criteria of the university ranking systems, many universities are establishing strategies aimed at adapting to these criteria and indicators and improving their positions. This study concludes that international university rankings should not be a relevant source of information to consider the quality of universities because this can have a negative impact on the development of medium- and long-term policies in higher education and the universities themselves. Universities should concentrate on their mission and must provide valid and reliable information to all stakeholders about the level of achievement of their goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the quality assurance (QA) system in Taiwan that has recently undergone major reforms. In particular, this paper draws on the practice and impact of the QA system on Taiwan's higher education institutions (HEIs) related to higher education policy reforms. The Taiwanese government has distributed expenditure, and restructured higher education (HE) according to the results of the QA system conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. To explore the government's policy strategies and performance criteria related to the QA system, this paper interviews policymakers and academics from four universities used to examine the process behind the formulation of QA policies and the influences of the QA system on HEIs. This paper identifies a number of changes to the academic profession and organisations that occurred within HEIs, resulting in new forms of management in HEIs, and which can be seen as unanticipated consequences of the QA system, beyond the government's expectations. Furthermore, the changes triggered by the QA system have not only intensified competition between universities but have also influenced HE policies in turn. These perspectives offer a different way of conceptualising the QA system in Taiwan's HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian and international research documents the limited access of young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) to further and higher education. This paper examines the processes, outcomes, and key findings of the Raising Expectations project, a collaborative university and industry approach to promote higher education among care leavers at two Australian universities. That approach was informed by the co-authors' previous research, including interviews with enrolled care-leaver students. The paper highlights the relevance of that research in the design and implementation of Raising Expectations. Our findings reiterate the importance of policy and practice reforms informed by rigorous research, particularly involving the voices and agency of care leavers. We outline strategies adopted by the participating universities resulting in a fourfold increase in enrolments, growth in school outreach activities, and significantly improved retention rates. The paper also highlights barriers to higher education access and success, through care-leaver student interviews and policy analysis. These interviews revealed the need for better university outreach and information to prospective care-leaver students, improved support for enrolled care-leaver students, and better capturing of data by universities and governments. The paper also highlights policy barriers to the greater expansion of care-leavers at university, especially in the absence of extended state care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only brought about sociocultural, psychological and economic challenges, but also educational problems that have entailed radical policy changes to allow universities and colleges to fulfil their role. Before the pandemic, the majority of university courses were designed for face-to-face settings; but under the social distancing policies since Covid-19, institutions have had to react quickly, revising their teaching and assessment policies to ensure that education continues for all students and accommodate the new remote reality of education. This paper provides a review of the changes in educational assessment and grading policies of universities around the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, where five key themes were identified: covid-19 binary grading system, revised regulations governing the final degree award, relaxed academic progression policies, revised extension, deferral and exceptional circumstances policies, and mark adjustments. This review will serve as a useful summary for institutions to reflect upon and inform planning strategies for subsequent unexpected future events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]