The last 2 decades witnessed a surge in empirical studies on the variables associated with achievement in higher education. A number of meta-analyses synthesized these findings. In our systematic literature review, we included 38 meta-analyses investigating 105 correlates of achievement, based on 3,330 effect sizes from almost 2 million students. We provide a list of the 105 variables, ordered by the effect size, and summary statistics for central research topics. The results highlight the close relation between social interaction in courses and achievement. Achievement is also strongly associated with the stimulation of meaningful learning by presenting information in a clear way, relating it to the students, and using conceptually demanding learning tasks. Instruction and communication technology has comparably weak effect sizes, which did not increase over time. Strong moderator effects are found for almost all instructional methods, indicating that how a method is implemented in detail strongly affects achievement. Teachers with high-achieving students invest time and effort in designing the microstructure of their courses, establish clear learning goals, and employ feedback practices. This emphasizes the importance of teacher training in higher education. Students with high achievement are characterized by high self-efficacy, high prior achievement and intelligence, conscientiousness, and the goal-directed use of learning strategies. Barring the paucity of controlled experiments and the lack of meta-analyses on recent educational innovations, the variables associated with achievement in higher education are generally well investigated and well understood. By using these findings, teachers, university administrators, and policymakers can increase the effectivity of higher education. (PsycINFO Database Record

Variables associated with achievement in higher education: A systematic review of meta-analyses.

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II

Michael Barber, Professor, Chief Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education on School Standards (1997-2001), chief education advisor at Pearson, leading Pearson’s worldwide programme of research into education policy and the impact of its products and services on learner outcomes, London, UK. Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.Katelyn Donnelly, executive director at Pearson where she leads the Affordable Learning Fund, London, UK. Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.Saad Rizvi, Ph.D. in Economics and International Relations, Pearson’s executive director of efficacy, London, UK. Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.Prospects for higher education are discussed in the context of technologies and globalization sweeping over the world and affecting many of the world economy sectors. The report describes opportunities that will appear ahead of universities if they go for radical transformations in their key institutions, and analyzes the risks that may arise if such transformations lose to the challenges of the 21st century.The model of a traditional 21st century university and its functions are characterized. The authors examine the factors that can radically change the paradigm of a traditional university and points out that universities need to revise their existing business models and education patterns. Marketization of education has turned students into consumers dictating their own terms and has brought about a number of alternatives to universities for talented students. Therefore, universities need to define clearly what they can offer, differentiate themselves from competitors, and identify their target audience among potential student groups.The authors believe that universities of the future should rearrange functions performed by the existing universities. He also explains why the model of the future is more efficient than the existing one.It is supposed that the promising prospects proposed for higher education by the 21st century can only be reached if all players of the HE system, from students to the government, support the radical transformation initiative to tackle the challenges they are facing. The study defines the essential questions that all players should answer if they want a productive transformation in higher education.

https://www.britishcouncil.jp/sites/default/files/6_march_plenary_talk_1_sir_michael_barber_an_avalanche_is_coming_higher_education_and_the_revolution_ahead.pdf

An Avalanche Is Coming. Higher Education and the Revolution Ahead

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been the subject of much polarised debate around their potential to transform higher education in terms of opening access. Although MOOCs have been attracting large learner cohorts, concerns have emerged from the early evidence base centring upon issues of quality in learning and teaching provision, and there is clear evidence that impressive headline figures on MOOC enrolments often contrast with extremely low course completion rates. To address these concerns of quality, low retention and the need for engagement, this paper provides a review and case study of MOOC provision. The review considers the current position of MOOCs as a change agent for higher education provision, and the case study considers lessons learnt from an Astronomy MOOC which uses the Open2Study platform. This paper asks about new engagement strategies needed for face-to-face and online learners, and explores how course retention can be improved in online provision.

/pdf/will-moocs-transform-learning-and-teaching-in-higher-3i6qlojg5l.pdf

Will MOOCs transform learning and teaching in higher education? Engagement and course retention in online learning provision

MOOCs: Expectations and Reality

Michael Barber, Professor, chief education advisor at Pearson, London, UK. Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.Katelyn Donnelly, executive director in the administration of the chief education advisor at Pearson, London, UK. Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.Saad Rizvi, executive director in the administration of the chief education advisor at Pearson, London, UK.Email: krdonnelly@pearson.com Address: Institute for Public Policy Research, 4th Floor, 14 Buckingham Street, London WC2N 6DF, UK.This essay assumes the near certainty that the Pacific region will take primary leadership of the global economy in the near future and explores the implications for their education systems. It explores the historic insights that can be taken from the Atlantic’s rise to global leadership and outlines the economic transformation over the last 50 years that has shifted leadership from the Atlantic to Pacific Asia.On this foundation, the authors lay out a new model for fostering innovation among individuals, teams, organizations and society as a whole. Lessons about creativity and innovation have major implications for public policy. Education-deeper, broader and more universal-has a significant part to play in enabling humanity to succeed in the next half century.The authors outline the key characteristics of Pacific Asian systems which contribute to performance of their educational systems.Despite the rooted nature of educational progress in the region, the leaders should not leave the educational systems well alone. The paper sketches out what features the education systems require to enable successful global leadership and innovation in the decades ahead. The authors recommend a combination of best practices in coherent reform of education systems together with the latest thinking on unlocking systemic innovation to produce the ‘whole-system revolution’ that will be required to inspire a generation and produce global leaders who are able to rise to the challenges of the 21st century.

Oceans of Innovation. The Atlantic, the Pacific, Global Leadership and the Future of Education

/pdf/nakanune-skhoda-laviny-vysshee-obrazovanie-i-griadushchaia-1zkvbayfiu.pdf

Накануне схода лавины. Высшее образование и грядущая революция

<h3>Background:</h3> The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo piloted an Asylum Medicine elective to improve medical students’ knowledge, skill, and comfort serving refugee and asylum seeking patient populations. To augment traditional classroom learning, students also participated in community dinners at a local refugee shelter. <h3>Methods:</h3> Prior to and following community dinners, students completed a survey evaluating four primary endpoints: comfort speaking with an individual who self-identifies as a refugee or asylum seeker, comfort speaking to an individual with a language barrier, understanding of refugee and asylum seekers’ pre-arrival experiences, comfort engaging in social conversation with individuals who have different lived experiences. Students rated their responses on a five-point scale where 1 was defined as ‘Not Very Comfortable’ and 5 was defined as ‘Very Comfortable.’ <h3>Results:</h3> Respondents’ (n=20) mean self-reported scores prior to and following the community dinner for each endpoint are as follows: comfort speaking with refugees and asylum seekers (pre: 3.55, post: 4.15), comfort speaking to individuals9 with a language barrier (pre: 3.3, post: 3.75), understanding of migrants9 pre-arrival experiences (pre: 2.95, post: 3.70), and comfort speaking about social topics with refugees or asylum seekers (pre: 3.95, post: 4.35). <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Experiential learning experiences are a valuable tool for medical educators to increase medical trainees’ comfort while working with individuals from refugee and asylum-seeking populations.This model may be adopted to increase healthcare trainees9 comfort serving individuals from a diversity of backgrounds and ultimately reduce identity-based healthcare disparities, improve quality of care for traditionally marginalized patients, and promote cultural competence in the clinical setting. 

/pdf/a-qualitative-analysis-of-medical-student-experiences-19v4g8ur.pdf

Katelyn Donnelly

Papers

An Avalanche Is Coming. Higher Education and the Revolution Ahead

Oceans of Innovation. The Atlantic, the Pacific, Global Leadership and the Future of Education

Накануне схода лавины. Высшее образование и грядущая революция

A Qualitative Analysis of Medical Student Experiences Following Community Dinners with Asylum Seekers