Showing papers in "Higher Education in 1988"

The laboratory in higher science education: Problems, premises and objectives

Abstract: A university study in the natural sciences, devoid of a practical component such as labora- tory work is virtually unthinkable. One could even go so far as saying that it is extremely rare for anyone to question the necessity of laboratory work in either high school or university science curric- ula. Laboratory work is simply part of the science game. This article discusses the problems concern- ing the use of the laboratory as didactic tool in the educational process, the premises underlying its use in science education and different approaches to its implementation as described in recent literature. This article is primarily directed at a clarification and explicitation of objectives and of their implementation in laboratory work at the Dutch Open University. The effective and efficient use of time spent in the laboratory is a necessity for all educational institutions, but especially for an institution for distance education.

Analysis and development of students' skill in selfregulated learning*

Abstract: The research reported here deals with students' skill in selfregulated learning. After analyzing the essential components of selfregulated learning, theoretical notions are presented on how skill in selfregulated learning could be developed in students. Next, two empirical studies are reported. In the first study, relationships between the components of selfregulated learning are investigated, as well as relationships between those components and variables such as educational experience, study results and age of students. The second study represents an attempt to help students to develop their skill in selfregulated learning. A Study Advisory Packet was developed intended to broaden their conceptions of learning, education and cooperation and to enlarge their metacognitive knowledge of studying. By means of an evaluative study the usefulness of this packet in the reality of studying at the Open university was researched. The results of the two studies indicate that (1) students' learning conceptions and orientations are closely linked to the study activities they employ, (2) students' learning styles are related to their educational experience and to their study results, but only in a small degree to their age, and (3) the Study Advisory Packet raised students' awareness of different ways of studying and contained practically useful suggestions for studying.

Professional identity in institutions of higher learning in Israel

Abstract: Members of the faculties of Engineering and Sciences were surveyed at the Israel Institute of Technology (N = 247) and Tel Aviv University (N = 112) as to identification with, criticism of, and feelings about their respective institutions, as well as recommendations for possible improvement. Findings showed that a strong professional identity coexists with a pronounced critical stance. Findings are consistent with Herzberg's two-factor theory of work motivation that views higherorder “motivators”, such as the professional identity here assessed, as relatively independent of lower-order “hygiene” needs, mainly working conditions. The strong professional identity of engineering and science faculties would seem to minimize the likelihood of a massive exodus to industry.

Research and teaching in the universities of Denmark: Does such an interplay really exist?

Abstract: The “unity of research and teaching” is an ingrained principle in university policy in Denmark, but this principle has also been subjected to increasing criticism. This article presents an investigation, consisting of about 50 interviews with teachers from higher educational institutions in Denmark, aiming at the illumination of this issue. According to the conclusions of this investigation it is the basic experience of the teachers that an important interplay exists between research and teaching of the individual teacher, and that almost none would prefer to work in a pure research institution. At the same time the teachers have some crucial reservations. Firstly it can be difficult to administer this twofold task. Secondly the interrelationships are dependent on several factors, the most important of which is the level of teaching and the disciplinary context. This latter factor is explained by differences pertaining to the very nature of varying disciplines - demonstrated and analyzed with reference to Thomas Kuhn and Basil Bernstein. Finally, the importance of the interrelationships between research and teaching for higher educational and research policies in broader perspective is discussed.

Public and private sectors in higher education: A comparison of international patterns

Abstract: This paper seeks to extend understanding of the varying nature and varying forms of private higher education. Three basic structural divisions between private and public sectors of higher education are compared: mass private and restricted public sectors; parallel public and private sectors; and, comprehensive public and peripheral private sectors. The private sectors are then contrasted in terms of such functional characteristics as state authority, financial constraints and dominant orientation toward either academic goals, the student marketplace or external patrons. The highly diverse American private sector is viewed in this context. A consideration of mass private sectors then suggests that parameters of public policy are set by structurally derived characteristics of higher education systems.

Brazil: Opportunity and crisis in higher education*

Abstract: The current situation in Brazilian higher education is discussed in the context of (i) its historical background; (ii) the 1968 reform and its unintended consequences; (iii) the recommendations of the 1985 Presidential Commission on higher education. The implications of these recommendations in terms of the introduction of inter-institution differentiation and greater autonomy are explored with particular reference to the part played in the eventual shelving of the proposals by pressure groups in the Brazilian system. Though pressure groups may block radical changes, continuing debate on the issues raised can form the background to piecemeal and incremental changes in the desirable direction.

Student assessment of teaching in higher education

Abstract: Plans to introduce campus-wide assessments of college or university teaching which are largely dependent on student ratings are seen as a threat to academic freedom in those institutions with little or no experience of this form of evaluation. While regular student evaluations of teaching are very common in North America, their introduction is only now being considered in colleges and universities in a number of other countries. Research on the reliability and validity of student ratings indicate that they are capable of providing valuable information about the quality of teaching. Depending on the survey used, this type of evaluation may be used to provide evidence of teaching ability to staffing committees or to suggest ways of improving teaching. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for higher education institutions which are considering the regular assessment of all teachers by their students.

Higher Education Co-operation and Western Dominance of Knowledge Creation and Flows in Third World Countries.

Abstract: This paper outlines the Western models of university development with its accompanying Eurocentric knowledge systems adopted by Third World countries. It discusses the various productive and counterproductive effects of these alien features to Third World universities, their research institutions and the knowledge output of their academic communities. It goes on to discuss the possible contributions that can be made within the ambit of South-South educational interchange for the development of a self-reliant higher education system among Third World nation states accompanied by an interdependent and more equitable world knowledge order. The final part of the paper examines the prospect of a self-reliant higher education and knowledge-generation system, developing in Third World countries, in the light of rapidly growing information technology which is dividing the world into “information-rich” and “information-poor” countries.

Accountability in higher education: The danger of unintended consequences *

Abstract: Higher education in Britain, which until recently had been allowed to conduct its affairs with minimal governmental direction, is now being subjected to increasing pressures resulting from governmental policy decisions, especially regarding public accountability. Such decisions have the effect of substantially changing social systems and frequently lead to unintended consequences, and a number of examples from higher education are given which illustrate this statement. These are analysed by means of a simple model of change. This model is then used to suggest a form of accountability based on a sharing of both power and responsibility between government and universities, which may be expected to reduce the probability of unintended consequences.

The rational approach to budget cuts: One university's experience

Abstract: What can we conclude from the experiences of UM in managing cutbacks? UM's approach to cutbacks met most of the criteria associated with rational decision making There was a limit, however, to how useful this approach could be - in 1984/5 UM returned to across-the-board cuts, because of the constraints faced by the university We could not analyze and reanalyze the situation We felt we couldn't go through the whole process again but we still had to cut (administrator) The constraints faced by most universities reduce the degree of strategic choice and limit the value of rational analysis The only way to save significant sums of money, since usually at least 80 percent of the budget is tied up in payroll, is to reduce posts Tenure protects the majority of professorial staff and Quebec legislation effectively guarantees job security for the nonacademics, so attrition has to be the main mechanism UM has not expressed any intention of breaking tenure and, in Canada, only the University of British Columbia has challenged it in a handful of cases Increasing revenues is difficult - additional research income only adds to overhead costs as many Canadian research councils do not pay them A lack of a tradition of giving to universities makes fund raising hard in Canada, particularly in the francophone culture Tuition fees, the lowest in Canada, are fixed by the government and have not increased for many years Student numbers were increased in an attempt to raise the government's operating grant but UM has been unable to profit from extra funding for management and engineering students because ??? and EP have separate budgets The business approach may improve cost efficiency but it will not, of itself, guarantee excellence and may in fact work against it Excellence in universities is the product of excellence in people It requires innovative and often risky recruitment decisions, and the provision of enough flexibility to allow individuals to be creative and innovative (Pearson, 1986) Increasing controls, quantifying output, pursuing predominantly economic goals may remove that flexibility and make attracting, keeping and motivating excellent people more difficult Successful university management involves developing an organizational saga (Clark, 1972) - a collective understanding of the institution's achievements which provides purpose and motivation, and finding the right approach for the particular institutional culture (Hardy, 1987) It requires leadership, communication, and political skills and not just economic analysis and strategy (Chaffee, 1984) We wish to argue that analysis figures prominently in both collegial and political processes, as well as garbage can ones, stimulated by the existence of ambiguous goals and multiple actors analysis serves more as a means of exerting influence in interactions rather than of resolving issues on its own It may be used to aid personal understanding for individuals or groups, but it also serves as a means of communication and attention focussing, as a means of legitimizing decisions, as a means of consensus-building, and perhaps most importantly as a means of persuasion In this way, analysis helps to ensure that what does get decided in fact has some justification in principle (Hardy et al, 1983; 421–423) Administrators at UM failed to create consensus because of inadequate political skills; ironically it was because they failed to do so that their actions were labelled as political The term “political” has negative connotations but it is important to realize that the same behaviour can be used for both the common good and self interest - political skills can be used to build consensus and enhance collegiality (Hardy et al, 1983) I think the imagery of politics is very helpful in understanding the operation of this place Of course this doesn't necessarily imply “dirty” politics I simply mean that you've got to understand the political forces - both inside and outside - that are trying to control this place There are pressures impinging on the officials of the university from all directions, and in a real sense the management of this university is a balancing process It's a task of balancing the demands of various groups against each other and against the university's resources the men in critical positions are not bureaucrats, they are politicians struggling to make dreams come true and fighting to balance interests off against each other (dean, quoted in Baldridge, 1971: 20–21) Defining and funding priorities and identifying and phasing out weak areas, without alienating the professoriate and endangering morale, relies on more than just rational analysis, it requires leadership, intuition and political will The problem with the current emphasis on the rational approach is that it ignores political reality and devalues political skills The analytic skills, concepts and frames of reference associated with the business perspective are of little use for managing the social and political processes occurring within the system (Lyles & Lenz, 1982) Universities may benefit from thinking more carefully about their environment, developing ideas as to their future direction, and acquiring more information about their activities but all the planning and analysis in the world will not necessarily make anything happen Universities are complex organizations in which the top-down approach associated with business is often untenable Decisions cannot be imposed, they have to be nurtured from the bottom-up (Mintzberg & Jorgenson, 1986), which involves not just machiavellian machinations but the ability to communicate, motivate, build consensus, and create loyalty and commitment The issues raised by the experiences of UM should be considered suggestive - a single case study obviously has its limitations It does, however, signal a need for further empirical study of the supposed benefits of the business model for universities There has sometimes been a willingness to both impose and accept the industrial rationale in the university community which is not necessarily justified Research is needed to answer the questions raised in this paper How feasible is the rational approach in universities in the light of the constraints they face? Why do universities use this approach - to be more businesslike, or for political reasons? What are the results of this approach and are they beneficial? How important are factors such as leadership, intuition, judgement, and political will, and are they being neglected as a result of business models? Is “good management” in a university the same as in business? Until we can answer these questions more authoritatively, our trust in business solutions may be misplaced

Students' evaluation and instructors' self-evaluation of university instruction

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between students' evaluations of university instruction and self-ratings of instructors. The sample consisted of 52 instructors, from the School of Education at Tel-Aviv University, who taught 93 classes. The instructors, as well as their students, responded to a 20-item instructional-practices questionnaire. Instructor self-ratings had only a modest relationship with the ratings given by students (a median correlation of .28). Discrepancies between instructor ratings and ratings given by the students were further analyzed for (1) varying training in teaching - no difference was found; and (2) number of years of teaching experience - differences were noted; the self-ratings of less experienced instructors were closer to student ratings.

Aspects of promotion procedures in Australian Universities

Abstract: This paper describes formal procedures for the promotion of academics in Australian universities within the general context of economic constraints and increasing pressures on promotion to higher categories. Government statistics show that, over the last decade, tertiary education in Australia has become more expensive to maintain. In the universities the major reason for this has been the rising cost of the academic staff establishment, a trend which has come under increasing public scrutiny. Financial restrictions have resulted in a lack of recruitment and a consequent lack of staff mobility. With annual progression within the staff categories, there is now a concentration of academics at the top of the respective salary scales and the problem is compounded by a naturally rising age factor. Promotion opportunities and a system of tenure have led to a situation in which more than half of academic staff are in the senior categories. Recent studies show that academics themselves are becoming more concerned about promotion issues. A comparison is made of formal promotion procedures before the passing of recent federal legislation on equal opportunity in employment. Although there are differences in detail, procedures for promotion to senior lecturer and reader/associate professor reveal a very high level of consensus on what constitutes rewardable academic performance. Nevertheless, promotion opportunities for academic staff are of necessity becoming more restricted, a trend which has far-reaching implications for the Australian university system.

Women at the top: Female full professors in higher education in Israel

Abstract: The perceptions and attitudes of women who have reached the top of the academic hierarchy (female full professors) are examined in reference to the effects of gender on their scientific work and career. The analyses refer to a number of issues such as encapsulation and isolation, opportunities and achievement. In general, female full professors do not feel that they have been discriminated against in the course of their careers. They are nevertheless aware of the different career patterns of the sexes in academia, with women having to work harder and longer than men to establish their suitability and competence as academic scientists. They do not however attribute these differences to sex-based stereotypes and discrimination, but rather to objective conditions and women's own decisions.

Educational reforms — Women’s life patterns: A Swedish case study

Abstract: This article focuses on reforms in Swedish higher education since the 1970s. It asks whether and, if so, how, these reforms affected women. Though the reform movement succeeded in bringing more of them into the university, women are still segregated into predominantly female fields. This segregation in higher education translates into occupational segregation in the workforce. The second half of the study asks why the reforms have failed to equalize men’s and women’s education and life-chances. Through the life history approach, the author finds that Swedish reforms proceeded on the basis of “rational efficiency” models which have little to do with how women make educational and work decisions. The author argues that in order for equalization to occur, the task will be to reform higher education in a way that matches rational efficiency with human sensibility.

An empirical test of Cameron's dimensions of effectiveness: Implications for Australian tertiary institutions

Abstract: Cameron's (1978, 1986) nine postulated dimensions of effectiveness in U.S. tertiary institutions were tested in an Australian sample. The findings suggested that higher education administrators should exercise caution when extrapolating from Cameron's results at least in the Australian context. Areas for future research are also suggested by cross-cultural comparisons.

Women in the academic profession: Evolution or stagnation?

Abstract: This article focuses on women in the academic profession and reports a study of the social origins of Greek university staff and their career pattern. Data show that women have made few gains as university professors over the past twenty years. The gains recorded in Greece are the result of democratization of the university. As women enter the academy, particularly on teaching staffs, they tend to be older and from more middle-class professional backgrounds than are their male peers. The author notes that the entry of women as academics occurs at a time when universities are experiencing a decline in real and symbolic power.

Influences on women's entry into male-dominated occupations

Abstract: This article focuses on women’s entry into male-dominated occupations in the United States. It looks at the impact of Title IX and related legislation which opened access to colleges and universities to women and examines the effects of initial or pre-enrollment student characteristics, organizational attributes of the college of university, student performance and experiences in higher education and the attributes of employing organizations on women’s entry into male-dominated occupations. The article concludes with a model for measuring the relative influence of each.

China's intellectuals in the world community

Abstract: The increasing flow of Chinese graduate students to the West for advanced study is examined in the context of earlier attempts to modernize China by introducing ideas and technologies from abroad. The author suggests that the theory of communicative action associated with Habermas may provide a framework for examining the quality and nature of the intellectual interaction now taking place between Chinese scholars and their counterparts in the universities of the capitalist world. This discussion uses three episodes as points of focus; firstly the discussion over intellectual freedom on the 30th anniversary of the “Hundred Flowers” movement, secondly the debate over political structure reform and finally the student movement of December 1986. The author argues that these occurrences are linked to a fundamental change in the knowledge orientation of Chinese universities.

Women in Higher Education: Effects of Crises and Change.

Abstract: This article focuses on the effect of economic crisis on women in higher education in Europe, Australia, the United States and Japan. It looks at women’s access to higher education as students, women’s choice of subjects, the employment prospects of women who have earned university degrees, and women as teachers in higher education. The data suggest that as societies face fiscal crisis, greater emphasis has been placed on articulation between universities and the job market, there has been a tendency to increase fees and decrease student loan possibilities, and universities have curtailed hiring. This has meant that the trends toward equalization which characterized the past two decades are in some jeopardy.

Educational choice and achievement: The case of secondary schools in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Abstract: Before 1952 university education in Egypt was generally for the wealthier classes because the universities charged fees and only the richer families could pay those fees. For less wealthy families payment was more difficult, not only because of the direct cost of higher education, but also because of the high opportunity cost of sending children to study. After the 1952 revolution the Egyptian government introduced free education at all levels and encouraged those who wanted to further their education to enter universities. Thus elitism was eradicated from Egyptian higher education. This paper uses data from a sample of Egyptian university students and analyses the determinants of secondary school choice and the factors likely to affect secondary school certificate marks. In particular we are interested in the effect of family background, represented here by father's occupation. The results suggest that individuals with fathers in higher occupational categories tend to go to private schools rather than public schools. They also tend to choose general schools rather than technical or Koranic schools. In turn, high social background as well as attendance at a private school, have a positive and significant effect on examination marks. These findings are alarming because Egypt has a rate of increase in population of over 2% and the supply of university places will therefore have to be rationed. The most likely screening factor would be examination results and as a consequence Egyptian universities may in the future become elitist once more.

Research policy and the changing nature of Australia's universities

Abstract: Two central features of Australian universities are a strong research base and a structural organisation which reflects a close relationship between teaching and research. Current policy deliberations have produced recommendations in the “national interest” for the future development of Australian university research which are incompatible with these two central features. The recommendations consolidate the recent trend towards greater centralisation, co-ordination, selectivity and concentration of university research and its funding. Although certain sectors of Australian university research will benefit from the changes, the recommendations reflect neither a longer term view of the total higher education system, nor a sufficient concern with preserving the excellent and productive qualities of the current system. Their implementation will mean the adoption of research goals inimical to the fundamental purposes of universities; a less flexible and more conservative research system; a re-orientation of the research role of universities so that it is less harmonious with their teaching role; and a potentially harmful differentiation of academic staff, subject areas and institutions. In responding to the new demands of government, universities face a challenge in preserving their current strengths and core functions.

Merit pay in United States postsecondary institutions

Abstract: Merit pay continues to be a sensitive and fairly common practice in the United States, although the prevalence of the practice has been closely linked to the state of the economy. Merit can be defined as fiscal rewards that are determined yearly on criteria that are designed for that purpose.

Public and higher education policies influencing African-American women

Abstract: This article examines critically the position of African-American women in relation to public and higher education policies. Post-baccalaureate students (graduate and professional), faculty, and administrators are the foci. The article examines the following: (1) legislative, judicial, and executive decisions influencing African-American women; (2) the development and implementation of public and higher education policies with special focus on the State of Georgia; (3) a descriptive statistical analysis of where African-American women are situated in higher education; (4) the establishment of programs to enhance African-American representation in higher education; and (5) future policy research issues including those which analyze interactive nexuses among federal and individual state and higher education policies.

A tenuous relationship: The African university and development policymaking in the 1980s

Abstract: This paper examines some reasons why research findings generated by African university-based researchers seldom are taken into serious consideration by development policymakers in anglophone Africa. It begins with a brief review of the introduction of British models of higher education and scientific research into Africa, using Nigeria as an illustrative case. It then considers the current research environment of the African university and the changing role of the university in the late 1980s. The paper posits a number of reasons why research carried out at African universities rarely is used as input by policymakers in their development planning processes: (1) there is a clear dichotomy between the university and government, with relations that can best be described as mutually suspicious; (2) there is a dichotomy between university-based researchers working on national development problems and the rural populations who usually are intended as the recipients or beneficiaries of the research findings; and (3) research is seriously underfunded in virtually all African universities, with the result that researchers seldom have sufficient means to carry out effective dissemination of their research findings. The paper ends with some suggestions as to how the impact of these problems might be minimized.

University finances in India * A review of problems and prospects

Abstract: There are about 130 universities and 5 thousand colleges in India. About 1/5 of the plan expenditure and 1/3 of total government recurring expenditure on education goes to this sector. While this is not adequate to provide meaningful higher education to the 3.5 million students enrolled, this is also not trivial. The resources that are being poured into the university system have been increasing at a fast rate, faster than the general economic indicators, but the requirements of the universities have been increasing at a much faster rate, widening the gap between the two continuously. This situation of ‘increased cost and diminished income’, leading to a crisis or a near-crisis has been a basic characteristic of the Indian universities. The present paper presents a critical review some of the crucial aspects of university finances in India, including the pattern of flow of resources into the university system and the pattern of allocation of resources by the university between its different functions and faculties. In sum, the paper, based on a quick review of the macro scene of the university system in India as a whole, and a critical survey of the few case studies that were conducted earlier on individual universities, presents an analysis of growth of university finances in India during the post-independence period, an overall short appraisal of the case studies, and analyses of income and expenditure patterns of the universities and the problems involved therein, including managerial aspects of finances.

Innovation in a professional organization

Abstract: The innovation of academic programs has been an issue of considerable interest in higher education policy in the Netherlands during the past five years Both university administration authorities and the minister of education have tried to stimulate the innovation of academic programs by creating incentives This article evaluates two innovative projects at the University of Utrecht, and the role of incentives in these particular cases The results of this evaluation are then reconsidered from a theoretical point of view Conclusions are formulated with respect to the extent to which innovation can be stimulated, and the kind of incentives suitable for this purpose

An evaluation of traditional admission standards in predicting Kuwait University students' academic performance

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the traditional admission standards utilized by Kuwait University in predicting students' academic performance. It was found that the established practice of using students' score in standardized secondary school examinations and branch of study (i.e. sciences or arts emphasis) to be highly predictive of their college cumulative grade point average. Moreover, it was established that students' secondary school scores reflect intellective as well as the non-intellective factors pertaining to students' background.

Note on the expansion of higher education in Bahrain

Abstract: This article deals with the development of higher education in Bahrain. The study includes the philosophy of the educational system which co-relates religious morals and cultural traditions with modern economics, technological and scientific developments. Empirical statistics show the growth of higher education in Bahrain since the late sixties. In 1968, the strength of staff and students was 3 and 18 respectively. This has grown to 469 staff members and 5633 students by 1987.

Women's Participation in Higher Education in Poland 1970-1984.

Abstract: Recent changes in women's education in Poland are described in the context of Polish higher education. The proportion of female students rose from 42.3% in 1970 to 50.8% in 1984 but the increase is concentrated in departments such as humanities, mathematics and natural sciences where women were already well-represented. In the period under review there was a decline in interest in technical studies but this affected men as well as women and is to be explained by reference to the labour market which is currently over-supplied with technical school graduates. Women seem to prefer more general courses especially those offering social and occupational mobility. The period 1977/78 to 1984/85 saw a significant decrease in students especially in technical schools, law and administration, mathematics and the natural sciences. The preferred fields in recent years from the point of view of the needs of the economy have been medicine and teacher training. The decline is due to demographic factors and the situation in the labour market. These changes are discussed in relation to mode of attendance (full-time, evening, extramural).

Tertiary education and public policy: Australia's response to a changing environment

Abstract: This paper discusses how tertiary education policy is handled at the national level in Australia, and how effective this approach is today in terms of the considerable future problems to be faced. An assessment is made of both policy successes and policy failures over the last two decades, and brief comments are offered about future prospects.