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In this article, we study the enrollment decision of candidates to Portuguese public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). We classify candidates according to their revealed preference for...

Public institutions in Portugal have not invested in strategies to attract international students until recently, when the adoption of new legislation and a national strategy for internationalization created more appealing conditions for it. This article aims to study the strategies institutions employ to recruit international students in a country less attractive than the major receiving countries and the main challenges they encounter. The study draws on interviews with top and middle managers in two public universities. The findings identify three types of strategies: institutional branding, revision of admission procedures, and curricular adjustments. The main challenges are the creation of institutional structures with an exclusive remit for international students and the choice of teaching language, despite a prevailing opinion that the Portuguese language should be maintained as a competitive advantage.

In many countries, quality assurance systems rely on study programme accreditation. As with all quality assurance mechanisms, accreditation should also be continuously improved in order to maintain its relevance as a promoter of study programme quality. A way to move accreditation forward is by taking into account academics’ views, interests and needs about the process, since their support for it is paramount for its success and effectiveness. This paper analyses Portuguese academics’ knowledge and views on accreditation with the aim of understanding if the process is being supported and is on the right route for being effective. It is based on the analysis of 1484 academics’ answers to a questionnaire distributed in 16 higher education institutions. This analysis reveals a moderately positive attitude of academics towards accreditation, reflected in an only moderate knowledge of the process as well as in a mild agreement with its characteristics and implementation features. This suggests that there is room for improvement to bring this quality assurance mechanism closer to academics’ expectations and needs and therefore to improve accreditation’s effectiveness.

Purpose Industrial doctorates have arisen in recent decades as a new form of doctoral education which has the potential to innovate the curriculum, among other things. Such programmes run in a number of countries including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia or Italy. In Portugal, industrial doctorates are very recent. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether Portuguese industrial doctorates distinguish themselves through collaboration with industry, specifically in curriculum development and delivery, or if they replicate the traditional doctorates under a new name. Design/methodology/approach Data from self-assessment reports of existing programmes submitted to the Portuguese accreditation agency and interviews with programme leaders were analysed. Findings The findings suggest that despite the fact that there is space for improvement in the collaboration in curriculum development and delivery, this is nonetheless a dimension which differentiates industrial doctorates. Industrial doctorates can, therefore, be “judged by their cover” because they are indeed a new category of doctoral degrees. Originality/value Although circumscribed to the Portuguese context and focussed on a particular aspect of university–industry collaboration, the paper contributes to further knowledge on industrial doctorates, a topic on which research is still scarce.

The European Union’s (EU) decision to become ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world’ by 2000 included key policies such as the creation of a European Research Area (ERA) and a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) capable of attracting academics from other countries. Recruiting the best academics, and especially the best researchers, has become an issue of increasing importance in European higher education policy, with numerous studies reflecting the way these policies are translated at the national level. However, little is known about institutional policies to attract international academics. This is particularly challenging in countries that have faced severe economic crisis in the past years, as is the case of Portugal. This chapter introduces an overview of the situation of international academics in Portugal and analyses, based on a case study of two universities, the institutional policies that have been defined to recruit these academics. The analysis of qualitative data deriving from semi-structured interviews with key institutional decision-makers reveals that institutions experience difficulties in defining clear policies in this matter, although differences can be found between institutions.

The chapter aims to launch a discussion about quality assurance (QA) in doctoral education in general and its external component in particular. Based on the analysis of the European context, it starts with an overview of the dynamics inherent to QA in doctoral education at the supranational, national and institutional levels. Then, and focusing specifically on the national level, an account is given on the external QA arrangements addressing doctoral education in thirteen European countries. It is found that these arrangements translate different degrees of governmental regulation as well as institutional autonomy, indicating QA approaches closer either to accountability or to quality enhancement. Finally, and without arguing for a best way of conducting external QA of doctoral education, the chapter brings forward some proposals for future developments at this level.

This paper analyses academics’ perceptions about their current working and employment conditions, academic profession’s social prestige and their willingness to change profession. The aim is to discuss the extent to which academics are being affected by changes in higher education institutions and the academic profession as framed by managerialism, New Public Management and neoliberalism. Collected through a survey to all Portuguese academics, perceptions suggest a contradiction: while evidencing the deterioration of working conditions, academics maintain a positive view regarding the academic profession, evidenced by a predisposition to consider it as socially valued and worth to recommend. So, despite all changes, it seems that to Portuguese academics, working in academia is still worth, at least to some extent. The question is to know for how long.

This article aims to analyse academics' perceptions on changes in the governance and management of higher education institutions (HEIs) under a generational perspective. It is empirically based on the analysis of national data resulting from the ‘Changing Academic Profession’ international survey. Findings reveal a general tendency for the three different generations of academics to have similar perceptions on HEIs’ governance and management. The three groups tend to consider that faculty boards and academics hold the control of decisions in areas related to the regulation of academic work and career. However, this is especially evident among the younger generation. Furthermore, the three generational groups acknowledge having low influence in the definition of institutional policies at the top levels. Again this is more evident for the younger generation. Finally, all three generations identify the same features as characterising their institutions’ management model.

Cross-border higher education (CBHE) has been changing the organizational boundaries of higher education institutions (HEIs). This study aims to analyze the shifting boundaries of Portuguese HEIs through the lens of the identity concept in organization theories, considering three contexts with different levels of regulation: African Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil, and Europe. These different regulation contexts allow to analyze how the level of national regulation influences CBHE, how this relates to the shifting boundaries of HEIs, and how the public or private character of the institutions plays a role in influencing boundary shifts. This research indicates that shifting boundaries through CBHE are influenced by institutional identities shaped by different rationales and conditioned by local policy contexts. Public universities have refrained from creating campuses abroad or from franchising activities, and their international activities seem driven by academic and cultural rationales. Public polytechnics, more recent than universities, seem more open to embarking on CBHE, suggesting the existence of a malleable identity. Contrary to the public sector, private institutions have created campuses abroad, mainly in African Portuguese-speaking countries, apparently following an economic rationale to guide their CBHE activities.

The chapter addresses the challenges faced by European quality assurance (QA), under the framework of a series of initiatives designed to establish a European Higher Education Area and market. A set of documents translating the positions of European and international agents are discussed. First, the initiatives taken at European level to build a higher education (HE) market are put forward. Emphasis is then given to the contributions of different European agents aiming to promote and assure HE quality under this context. Trust and cooperation are discussed as ‘prerequisites’ for the establishment of QA as an effective tool towards HE European integration. Finally, the challenges currently faced by European QA are systematised, while avenues for future debate are proposed.

In recent years, initiatives for the improvement of teaching quality have been pursued both at European and national levels. Such is the case of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and of legislation passed by several European countries, including Portugal, in response to European policy developments driven by the Lisbon Strategy and the Bologna Process. This paper is concerned with the institutional level implementation of European and national policies which target the quality of teaching staff. It reports on the findings of a study conducted in order to analyse if Portuguese higher education institutions are taking measures to improve and assure the quality of teaching staff in compliance particularly with the ESG. Findings suggest that this compliance is only partial. Although mechanisms exist for the selection, recruitment and appraisal of academics, other instruments and measures meant to continuously improve teaching staff quality, such as institutional support for skills development, pedagogic training, material infrastructure and motivation strategies, such as awards and recognition, are still incipient.

When evaluating the EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP), Nilsson et al. emphasised the interest in creating a data bank on good practices derived from its reports that would contribute to disseminating examples of effective quality management practices and to supporting mutual learning among universities. In IEP, evaluated institutions present a SWOT analysis that is examined by the external reviewers. This article identifies and systematises the strengths identified by external evaluators, related to good management practices, which may contribute to the data bank. The paper also suggests that the IEP reports present a set of strengths that define a certain type of university, namely a centralised institution, with strong leadership, well-defined strategic management practices, capacity to change and an institutional identity and culture promoting its worldwide competitiveness. Along with other prioritised characteristics the IEP process potentially contributes to convergence towards a more unif...

This article aims at analysing and discussing student participation in Portuguese higher education institutions and, specifically, in university governance. In a first moment, it describes this participation under both the previous (1988–2007) and the new legal frameworks (since 2007). A discussion of the changes introduced by this last framework and the extent to which it has contributed to the erosion of student participation in governance is undertaken. Next, the article deals with the ways students are involved in quality assessment at both its systemic and institutional levels. The case of a specific Portuguese university is used as an example of how this involvement takes place. The article concludes with a discussion on the main features of Portuguese student participation in governance, focusing on its effectiveness and suggesting measures for improvement.

Quality assurance is currently an established activity in Europe, driven either by national quality assurance agencies or by institutions themselves. However, whether quality assurance is perceived as actually being capable of promoting quality is still a question open to discussion. Based on three different views on quality derived from the literature – quality as culture, as compliance and as consistency – the current article sheds light on this issue by identifying the main obstacles to quality as perceived by Portuguese academics. The analysis reveals that academics tend to see those obstacles as essentially related to the view of quality as culture and especially with its structural component, including the design and functioning of institutional governance and management. Although this may indeed correspond to the Portuguese higher education institutions’ reality, one must not forget that academics tend to have a poor knowledge about the structural frames that are embedded in governance and manageme...

peer-reviewed This chapter is concerned with describing and critically evaluating the literature on the existence of and explanations for gender imbalances in higher education (HE) focusing particularly on girls’ increasing access to HE and women’s limited access to senior positions there. These topics reflect a fundamental paradox in HE across Western society, namely that that is despite increases in women’s participation at undergraduate and post-graduate levels (UNESCO, 2012) their access to senior positions remains limited (EU, 2013). It cannot simply be assumed that the latter will automatically increase, since the growth of girls’ access to HE is not a recent phenomenon. Women, especially in Western Europe and North America, started to catch up with men in terms of enrolments in the 1970s and had surpassed them by the early 1980s, with the rate of women’s enrolments growing almost twice as fast as men’s rate (UNESCO, 2012). This raises fundamental problems for Western societies since educational achievements have been seen as a meritocratic basis for accessing senior positions in HE. ACCEPTED

This authoritative, state-of-the-art reference collection addresses the major themes, theories and key concepts related to higher education policy and governance on an international scale in one accessible volume. Mapping the field and showcasing current research and theorizations from diverse perspectives and authoritative scholars, this essential guide will assist readers in navigating the myriad concepts and themes involved in higher education policy and governance research and practice. Split into two sections, the first explores a range of policy concepts, theories and methods including governance models, policy instruments, institutionalism and organizational change, new public management and multi-level governance. The second section addresses salient themes such as institutional governance, funding, quality, employability, accountability, university rankings, widening participation, gender, inequalities, technology, student involvement and the role of higher education in society. Global in its perspective and definitive in content, this one-stop volume will be an indispensable reference resource for a wide range of academics, students and researchers in the fields of education, education policy, sociology, social and public policy, political science and leadership.

Over the last decades, we have been assisting to the emergence of a new global regulatory governance model in higher education (HE), more informed by soft law and modelling than by law-based command and control from the State. According to King (2009), soft law mechanisms consist of recommendations, codes of good practice, guidelines and similar models, carried out by international organizations (namely, inter-governmental and supranational bodies), from which universities can learn from others and yet be free to dissent (but this is not that easy, since they are ‘forced’ to provide good reasons for not following the norm) (King, 2009). Although different in nature, EUA may be seen as one of such organizations, as the results of its Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP), even lacking legal force or status, seem to be increasingly influencing universities’ governance and management.