Showing papers in "Higher Education in 1996"
TL;DR: Constructive alignment as discussed by the authors is a marriage of the two thrusts, constructivism being used as a framework to guide decision-making at all stages in instructional design: in deriving curriculum objectives in terms of performances that represent a suitably high cognitive level, in deciding teaching/learning activities judged to elicit those performances, and to assess and summatively report student performance.
Abstract: Two lines of thinking are becoming increasingly important in higher educational practice. The first derives from constructivist learning theory, and the second from the instructional design literature. Constructivism comprises a family of theories but all have in common the centrality of the learner's activities in creating meaning. These and related ideas have important implications for teaching and assessment. Instructional designers for their part have emphasised alignment between the objectives of a course or unit and the targets for assessing student performance. “Constructive alignment” represents a marriage of the two thrusts, constructivism being used as a framework to guide decision-making at all stages in instructional design: in deriving curriculum objectives in terms of performances that represent a suitably high cognitive level, in deciding teaching/learning activities judged to elicit those performances, and to assess and summatively report student performance. The “performances of understanding” nominated in the objectives are thus used to systematically align the teaching methods and the assessment. The process is illustrated with reference to a professional development unit in educational psychology for teachers, but the model may be generalized to most units or programs in higher education.
2,786 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of peer tutoring in colleges and universities is presented, focusing on the effectiveness of different types and formats of PAs in terms of quality, outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
Abstract: Quality, outcomes and cost-effectiveness of methods of teaching and learning in colleges and universities are being scrutinised more closely. The increasing use of peer tutoring in this context necessitates a clear definition and typology, which are outlined. The theoretical advantages of peer tutoring are discussed and the research on peer tutoring in schools briefly considered. The substantial existing research on the effectiveness of the many different types and formats of peer tutoring within colleges and universities is then reviewed. Much is already known about the effectiveness of some types of peer tutoring and this merits wider dissemination to practitioners. Directions for future research are indicated.
1,073 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how students perform metacognitive, cognitive and affective learning functions; how the execution of learning functions is regulated by internal and external sources; and what learning styles can be discerned from the viewpoint of learning function and regulation.
Abstract: This paper addresses the following questions: how do students perform metacognitive, cognitive and affective learning functions; how is the execution of learning functions regulated by internal and external sources; what learning styles can be discerned from the viewpoint of learning functions and regulation? Subjects were students from an open distance university and a regular university. They were interviewed extensively about their learning strategies, mental models of learning, learning orientations and interpretations and appraisals of instructional measures. The interviews were analyzed in a phenomenographic way. The results indicate that there are large differences among students in the manner in which they carry out learning functions, that these differences are associated with internal and external sources, and that four qualitatively different learning styles can be discerned: an undirected, a reproduction directed, a meaning directed and an application directed learning style. Mental models of learning and learning orientations turn out to be related to the way in which students interpret, appraise and use instructional measures to regulate their learning activities. It is concluded that in many instances instructional measures do not have the intended effects. Suggestions are given regarding the implications of these results for the improvement of teaching practices in higher education.
694 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the Approaches to Studying Inventory (AUI) is used to identify students with weak study skills and strategies and provide advice to students that is to some extent targeted to their individual needs.
Abstract: As the proportion of students entering higher education rises, difficulties caused by inadequate preparation also increase. An ongoing study is developing a computer-based system to identify students whose study skills and strategies appear to be ineffective, which will also provide advice to students that is to some extent targeted to their individual needs. This paper concentrates on the first stages of this project which have involved developing an appropriate questionnaire and inventory, and ensuring that the inventory is technically sound. This instrument is a revised version of the Approaches to Studying Inventory, designed to identify students with weak study strategies. The main part of the project has involved developing a computer-based package to support both staff and students in improving study skills. It allows students to complete the inventory interactively on computer, and staff to collect data from a whole class and so identify students who seem to need help with their study skills or strategies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the rationale underlying the form in which advice is being provided to students, and a brief description of the ways in which that advice is being structured and presented to students within a HyperCard system.
384 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an empirical study of the congruence between intention and strategy of university science teachers' approaches to teaching in their first year science courses in Australia was carried out and the results confirmed the proposed relationship between intentions and strategies, and concluded that the traditional form of academic development focussing on teaching strategies is unlikely to be successful without an ongoing focus on the intentions which are associated with the strategy.
Abstract: This paper describes the results, and some implications, of an empirical study of the congruence between intention and strategy of university science teachers' approaches to teaching in their first year science courses The study drew upon the results of a previous phenomenographic study which identified qualitatively different approaches to teaching An approaches to teaching inventory was subsequently developed which included scales representing the intentions and strategies identified in the first study This inventory was distributed to a sample of university teachers of first year science courses in Australia The results confirmed the proposed relationship between intention and strategy, and showed that a Student-focused Strategy was associated with a Conceptual Change Intention, while a Teacher-focused Strategy was associated with an Information Transfer Intention It is concluded that the traditional form of academic development focussing on teaching strategies (for example, activity based strategies) is unlikely to be successful without an ongoing focus on the intentions which are associated with the strategy
382 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the scores obtained from 293 first-year students of psychology on a British version of an American time-management scale and found that women students in general reported significantly greater time management skills than did men students.
Abstract: Time-management skills are acknowledged to be important but there has been little actual research on this topic with students. In this study we examined the scores obtained from 293 first-year students of psychology on a British version of an American time-management scale. The students were divided into three age groups: traditional-entry students - aged less than 21 years (N = 172); borderline mature students - aged 21–25 years (N = 50) and older mature students - aged more than 25 years (N = 71). Our analyses indicated (i) that women students in general reported significantly greater time-management skills than did men students, and (ii) that our older mature students reported significantly better time-management skills than did the other two groups. Academic performance, however, was only modestly predicted by age and scores on one component of the time-management scale.
296 citations
TL;DR: This article found that dualists were more likely to report knowledge comprehension criteria to test their understanding than were relativists, and dualists' conceptions of learning were also more passive, while constructivist notions of learning are the most typical of psychology students.
Abstract: The subjects (N = 175), freshmen and fifth year students in psychology (n = 59) and medicine (n = 116), described their modes of studying by answering open-ended questions and Likert-type questions, presented to them within a task booklet. They were first asked to write down their own subjective definitions of learning. Scales to classify the answers were adopted from Lonka et al. (1990). Second, subjects were given a comprehension monitoring probe adopted from Ryan (1984). Responses were analysed to determine the specific comprehension criteria the student employed. Third, students rated a set of 71 statements concerning learning styles, regulation of learning, and conceptions of learning (Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983; Vermunt & van Rijswijk, 1988). Embedded in the last set of statements were seven items that were used to classify students as dualists or relativists (Perry, 1968; Ryan, 1984). It was found that constructivist conceptions of learning were the most typical of (advanced) psychology students, whereas learning was more often seen as intake of knowledge by the medical students. Highest dualism scores were obtained by the first year students, especially medical students. In general, dualists were more likely to report knowledge comprehension criteria to test their understanding than were relativists, and dualists' conceptions of learning were also more passive. Four principal components were identified that reflected qualitatively different approaches to learning and knowledge: externally regulated and reproduction-directed learning (PC1), self-regulated, meaning-directed, and goal-oriented learning (PC2), constructivist epistemology (PC3), and active professional orientation (PC4). Medical students scored higher on variables related to PC1 and PC4, whereas psychology students scored higher on scales associated with PC2 and PC3.
287 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed emerging evidence of an approach which combines memorising and understanding, and provided part of the explanation for the "paradox" of the Asian student, who is often high achievers.
Abstract: In distinguishing deep and surface approaches, an important determinant is the intentions to understand and memorise respectively. A student adopting a surface approach does not seek understanding and, therefore, relies upon memorisation. Understanding and memorising are, then, seen as almost mutually exclusive as far as intent is concerned, although those seeking understanding may make some strategic use of memorisation for particular tasks. This paper reviews emerging evidence of an approach which combines memorising and understanding. The research has been conducted in the Asian region, and so provides part of the explanation for the “paradox” of the Asian student. There has been widespread anecdotal evidence of “rote-learning” and yet Asian students are often high achievers. Several plausible explanations for the occurrence of the approach are advanced. These include limited ability in the language of study leading to a narrow systematic pattern of study, cultural traditions respecting order and diligent study, and the need for children to learn the language characters.
274 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze the ability of university cultures to adapt to these changes and describe management approaches that mirror the specific culture of a university, and present a typology for interpreting university culture.
Abstract: Universities are complex social organizations with distinctive cultures. On the one hand, academic freedom and autonomy are inviolable values and, on the other hand, changing environmental conditions exert strong influence on the primary functions of universities. This paper analyzes the ability of university cultures to adapt to these changes and describes management approaches that mirror the specific culture of a university. Various methods for assessing culture are described, a typology for interpreting university culture is introduced, and management approaches are analyzed. For administrators as well as researchers this work helps to explain the implications of university culture for management processes. This integration steers university leadership in a new direction combining strategic and symbolic management actions.
231 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an overview of different ways in which the practicum has been conceptualised, implemented and evaluated in higher education is provided. But, the lack of good quality research into the practcicum makes it difficult to draw unequivocal conclusions.
Abstract: The practicum constitutes an integral part of many professional courses in higher education; and is manifest in several different forms depending on the discipline: field experience, cooperative education, sandwich programs, internships, clerkships, clinical practicum, and the like. This paper provides an overview of different ways in which the practicum has been conceptualised, implemented and evaluated in higher education. It focuses attention on the purpose and value of the practicum; the relationship between the practicum and the learning outcomes of a course as a whole; and the structure and placement of the practicum within a course. Findings indicate that whilst the practicum is widely accepted as a valuable and successful component of professional education, it has a number of shortcomings; and the lack of good quality research into the practicum makes it difficult to draw unequivocal conclusions. A number of questions are posed to guide further research into the role of supervision during practicum placements; the kinds of learning goals and outcomes that are best achieved through the practicum; and the impact on student learning of the length and structure of the practicum.
207 citations
TL;DR: Research on higher education is an object-focussed area based on a broad range of disciplines as discussed by the authors, and the institutional base is often shaky and diverse, contributing to considerable tensions.
Abstract: Research on higher education is an object-focussed area based on a broad range of disciplines. The institutional base is often shaky and diverse. Various characteristics, notably the blurred distinction between the scholar and the reflective practitioner, contribute to considerable tensions, though research on higher education enjoys substantial public attention.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey which includes responses from academic researchers of all the scientific disciplines and assess the impact of these collaborative activities on the academic productivity of the university researchers.
Abstract: Previous studies on collaborative research emphasize industry-university collaboration conducted in a subset of academic disciplines associated with applied engineering. These studies focus on motivations, mechanisms, financial costs and financial benefits of collaborative research while paying little attention to the impact of collaborative research on academic productivity. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to compensate for some of these shortcomings. First, we present a survey which includes responses from academic researchers of all the scientific disciplines. Second, we take into account and compare the collaborative relationships between university researchers, between university researchers and industry, and between university researchers and other institutions, especially government agencies, local governments and organized interest groups. And third, we assess the impact of these collaborative activities on the academic productivity of the university researchers. The results of this paper show that collaboration, whether it be undertaken with universities, industries or institutions, may indeed increase researchers' productivity. We find this to be true whether or not such relationships begin early in a researcher's career. We also find this to be true whether or not the collaborators have an intellectual symmetry. The effect of collaboration on productivity varies according to both the scientists' geographical closeness to their partners and on their field of research. It was found that collaboration between researchers and industry had significantly more impact on productivity than collaborations between researchers and their peers or researchers and other institutions. Scientists in humanities were found to produce less materials in collaboration than scientists in other fields. And, scientists involved in collaboration aimed mostly at producing patented and unpatented products, scientific instruments, software and artistic production were also found to produce less. In sum, given that collaboration contributes to the increase of scientific productivity, government decision makers and university administrators ought to encourage researchers to forge collaborative relationships.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the transition from elite to mass higher education, the changing relationship between governments and universities, and the differentiation of the institutional fabric of national systems lead to an unbalanced research agenda if other basic features are not pursued.
Abstract: The existing international literature on higher education centers on the transition from elite to mass higher education, the changing relationship between governments and universities, and the differentiation of the institutional fabric of national systems. These important institutionalized concerns lead to an unbalanced research agenda if other basic features are not pursued. Two additional fundamental features need expanded attention: substantive academic growth, with its roots in the research imperative and the dynamics of disciplines; and innovative university organization, a sharply growing concern among practitioners as universities seek greater capacity to change. Proliferating at a rapid rate, modern academic knowledge changes fields of study from within, alters universities from the bottom-up, and increases the benefits and costs of decisions on the inclusion and exclusion of various specialties. The long-term trend from simple to complex knowledge, arguably more important than the trend from elite to mass higher education, forces universities to position themselves between knowledge expansion and student expansion, with emphasis increasingly placed on the knowledge dimension. Innovative universities explore new ways of organizing knowledge and of more effectively exploiting the fields in which they are already engaged. Greater awareness of new means of knowledge organization will help universities make wiser choices in the twenty-first century.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated reasons for leaving study amongst a sample of 118 mature age female students with children who had been enrolled at one of three eastern Australian universities and found that women whose own and/or whose husbands' social class indicators were low tended to leave study because of a combination of lack of support from family for the mother's study.
Abstract: The research investigated reasons for leaving study amongst a sample of 118 mature age female students with children who had been enrolled at one of three eastern Australian universities. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed three major types of motive for attrition. Firstly, a strong socio-economic class influence was found. Women whose own and/or whose husbands' social class indicators were low tended to leave study because of a combination of lack of support from family for the mother's study, lack of money, weight of domestic responsibility and lack of knowledge or skills expected at university. Secondly, women who had been enrolled in non-traditional subjects (economics/business/law) were relatively over-represented amongst the discontinuing students and were particularly likely to cite lack of academic support or staff hostility as a reason for leaving. Thirdly, reasons for leaving study were found to be connected to student's age, suggesting a life style interpretation. Younger women with younger children were likely to leave because of family, financial or child care related reasons. Older women were more likely to leave because of practical difficulties or course dissatisfaction.
TL;DR: In this paper, a group of post-graduate students who had participated in a study skills and cultural orientation course at a British university were compared with a group who had not. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the group that took part in the orientation course were significantly more homesick and reported more psychological difficulties.
Abstract: ‘Culture shock’ has been identified as a psychological reaction to a change in cultural environment. The main symptoms of culture shock are reported to be psychological disturbance, a negative reaction to the new surroundings and a longing for a more familiar environment. Research has identified culture shock as a component in the difficulties that international students face when studying in another country. One way that institutions of higher education have responded to these difficulties is to provide initial cultural orientation. In the study reported here, a group of post-graduate students who had participated in a study skills and cultural orientation course at a British university were compared with a group who had not. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the group that took part in the orientation course were significantly more homesick and reported more psychological difficulties. The overall findings cast doubt on the received view of culture shock as it affects international students. They suggest that culture shock is exacerbated by personal and social factors and this has implications for the way that international students may be helped through the experience.
TL;DR: The authors found that teaching was the least stressful of the work functions and research the most, particularly among professors in the humanities, while rank rather than tenure status appeared to be more significantly related to perceived stress.
Abstract: Traditionally, the professoriate has not been viewed as a stressful occupation. Academic freedom and tenure seemed to provide work conditions which were free of common stress producing pressures. Situations recognized as stressful in other occupations have now become common in academe. The study sought, inter alia, to identify the nature and extent of occupational stress in the professoriate. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire mailed to faculty in four Ontario universities. The respondents were from the professorial ranks in four areas of study. The research questions and hypotheses sought to test relationships between personal and occupational variables and perceived stress. It was found that quantity rather than the nature of the academic work was stressful. Teaching was the least stressful of the work functions and research the most, particularly among professors in the humanities. The hours spent on the job and tasks which had a time constraint were significant sources of stress for this sample. Rank rather than tenure status appeared to be more significantly related to perceived stress.
TL;DR: In this article, the role of the supervisor in assisting students to become independent practitioners and the complementary professional role of student participation in the academic community are discussed. But, the authors do not address the individualistic nature of research and supervision which is both a barrier to and part of the argument against efforts to examine and discuss in general the processes of research training and supervisory interactions across disciplinary and departmental boundaries.
Abstract: Ph.D. student numbers have been increasing in Australia as has government interest in the economic and social outcomes of graduate education (Moses 1994, Cullen et al. 1994). Yet the position of Ph.D. students can still be seen as marginal within universities and the institutional organisation of Ph.D. education as problematic. This situation can be related to the highly individualistic nature of research and supervision which is both a barrier to and part of the argument against efforts to examine and discuss in general the processes of research training and supervisory interactions across disciplinary and departmental boundaries. This article positions all Ph.D. students, in all fields of study, as learners in a form of professional education -a perspective which offers a way out of this apparent dilemma. Drawing on data from a study reported in Cullen et al. (1994) the following topics are explored: Ph.D. students as learners of the knowledge and skill of the professional practice of research and scholarship; the role of the supervisor in assisting students to become independent practitioners; and the complementary professional role of student participation in the academic community. Implications for policy and practice to professionalise Ph.D. education and enhance the quality of the student experience are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationships among various aspects of learning styles/strategies and personality dimensions to arrive at a "thicker" description of individual differences in functioning in general and in the school context in particular.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among various aspects of learning styles/strategies and personality dimensions to arrive at a “thicker” description of individual differences in functioning in general and in the school context in particular. An exploratory factor analysis of the subscales of the Inventory of Learning Processes-Revised and the NEO-Personality Inventory provided evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of six higher-order common factors. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to differentially predict ILP-R subscales from NEO-PI subscales. The analyses were conducted separately for students identified as having high versus low academic self-esteem. The results support previous findings that self-concept variables strongly moderate relationships among personality and learning style dimensions. We discuss how the cross-fertilization between personality and learning theory and research enables us to better define what individual differences in learning consist of, how they originate, how they are manifested, what furthers or hinders their expression, and finally, to what extent they are amenable to change (maturation, development, training). Implications for school achievement, cognitive development and the productive use of individual differences in educational practice are discussed with regard to different types of learners.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated associations between studying in a foreign language and students' academic achievement and study behaviour and found that the success rate of foreign students was about the same as that of the Dutch students, but that foreign students needed more time to pass the examination.
Abstract: In this study we investigated associations between studying in a foreign language and students' academic achievement and study behaviour. Data were gathered in the Netherlands, at the Delft University of Technology (DUT). The results show that the success rate of foreign students was about the same as that of the Dutch students, but that foreign students needed more time to pass the examination. Language proficiency played a major part in explaining differences in study achievement as did the presence or absence of a selection procedure in the student's country of origin. Furthermore, the results show that the study behaviour of foreign students was significantly different from the Dutch students: their average grades on examinations were lower, they made more attempts before passing an examination, they were more likely to postpone examinations and to follow a different order from the recommended one. Suggested measures to improve foreign students' study success include requiring higher levels of language proficiency and stricter selection of foreign students in the country of origin. It is suggested that a system of mentors which provides for intensive coaching of foreign students in their first year may prevent a slow start.
TL;DR: The structural organization, conceptions and knowledge of their own learning possessed by 40 teachers ranging in age from 23 to 53 years, studying as adult learners in an inservice course concerned with adult learning was described in this article.
Abstract: This paper is a description of the structural organization, conceptions and knowledge of their own learning possessed by 40 teachers ranging in age from 23 to 53 years, studying as adult learners in an inservice course concerned with adult learning. It is based on their written statements about learning at the beginning of a one semester subject. The statements were categorised by structural organization according to a modification of the SOLO Taxonomy for tertiary students' knowledge of learning and the content at each level of the Taxonomy was analysed. Eighty percent of the students gave responses at the multistructural level. The content of responses fell into four categories; beliefs about learning; factors influencing learning; learning processes; and learning outcomes. The content of responses varied between SOLO levels. Very little mention was made in any of the responses of factors considered to be typical of adult learning. The results suggest that even teachers such as these need to learn more about learning in order to become independent self-directed learners.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined higher education enrollment between 1970 and 1987 in the United Kingdom and the United States and found that the divorce rate is positively related to women's enrollment in higher education in United States.
Abstract: In Western societies the past two decades have witnessed a great increase of women's participation in higher education and a multiplication of responsibilities as a result of the expanded role of women. This article examines higher education enrollment between 1970 and 1987 in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is guided by a theoretical model contending that educational expansion occurs where people choose education as an adaptation to increased deprivation and uncertainty. By linking the expanded role of women to the expansion of women's participation in higher education, and by using the rising rate of divorce as an indicator of the increased disenfranchisement among women in patriarchal societies, this study attempts to uncover the hidden forces behind the recent expansion of women's participation in higher education. Multiple regression is used for the statistical analysis. The results show that the divorce rate is positively related to women's enrollment in higher education in the United States. The results also show divergent enrollment patterns between the two sexes regarding the effect of unemployment in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It is argued that gender role expectation is crucial to understanding the different effects of divorce and unemployment on the divergent enrollment patterns of men and women. The article also explores important differences in the areas of educational opportunities, the magnitude of the impact of divorce, government policies regarding women's welfare, and the differing role of credentials in social mobility in the two countries under study.
TL;DR: The quintessence of expertise - experiencing problem-solving behavior as intrinsically motivating, or rewarding in itself as discussed by the authors -is defined as the ability of a learner to achieve mastery within a well defined occupational or disciplinary domain.
Abstract: Students in higher education have to develop two types of expertise; the first refers to the mastery they want to acquire within a well defined occupational or disciplinary domain; the second relates to the deep level learning needed to achieve that mastery as an expert student or studax. Research has indicated that in solving a problem any expert simultaneously has to draw on four types of knowledge. Where the personal organisation of these four leads to effectiveness, this brings about the quintessence of expertise - experiencing problem solving behaviour as intrinsically motivating, or rewarding in itself. This intrinsic motivation integrates experiences of competence (through declarative knowledge), causality (through procedural knowledge), creativity (through situational knowledge) and self regulation (through strategic knowledge). The same will then necessarily hold for the student who proves, by experiencing this very same effectiveness, to be the studax or deep level learner higher education needs.
TL;DR: This paper analyzed instructor and student postings on the Electronic Forum (EF) during a one-semester undergraduate phonetics course to determine the number and type of topics discussed by both students and instructors.
Abstract: The focus of this study centers upon an analysis of instructor and student postings on the Electronic Forum (EF) during a one-semester undergraduate phonetics course. Sixty-one students were invited to participate in a class computer conferencing project to discuss questions about the course content and assignments, share ideas with others, and respond to comments made by their peers and the instructor. The content of each student's and instructor's posting was analyzed to determine the number and type of topics discussed. Students wrote about 340 topics in 143 postings; the instructor wrote 124 topics in 23 postings. These topics were placed in categories and analyzed with respect to the postings made during the first and second half semester. Four interactive communicative Category Clusters were identified. These Clusters show interaction trends between students and instructor and resulting accommodations made by both students and the instructor. The advantages of using an electronic forum to enhance student learning, to improve classroom activities, and to empower students to take more active roles in their learning, are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the historical background of comparative policy studies is explored, tracing back to comparative approaches in political science and public administration, followed by a discussion on the methodological aspects of the comparative approach, an overview and assessment of a number of recent comparative studies in higher education is presented.
Abstract: The article explores the historical background of comparative policy studies. These studies are traced back to the comparative approaches in political science and public administration. Following a discussion on the methodological aspects of the comparative approach, an overview and assessment of a number of recent comparative policy studies in higher education is presented.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the range of comparative studies which might legitimately be attempted and considers the separate issue of whether they must necessarily be directed towards the testing of pre-constructed hypotheses, and describes how the Brunel-Gothenburg-Bergen international team is attempting to compare their three national systems and academic working within them.
Abstract: This paper discusses the range of comparative studies which might legitimately be attempted. It considers the separate issue of whether they must necessarily be directed towards the testing of pre-constructed hypotheses. It describes how the Brunel-Gothenburg-Bergen international team is attempting to compare their three national systems and academic working within them.
TL;DR: Resource allocations in American higher education are now governed by the constraints of a structural fiscal crisis and by pressures from business and political leaders that universities help meet the challenges of a new economic order as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Resource allocations in American higher education are now governed, on the one hand, by the constraints of a structural fiscal crisis and, on the other, by pressures from business and political leaders that universities help meet the challenges of a new economic order. The result is a seemingly contradictory imperative that higher education do more with less. While achieving this objective may seem impossible for the individual institution or faculty member, the dilemma is being resolved at a systemic level through a combination of institutional responses to market forces and by strategic planning at the state, regional, and federal levels.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on differences between multiple-choice science tests and a learning-from-text (LFT) test, and how these tests predict success in basic medical studies.
Abstract: This study focuses on differences between multiple-choice science tests and a learning-from-text (LFT) test, and how these tests predict success in basic medical studies. The subjects (N = 503) were applicants to the Helsinki University Medical Faculty. All of them had to take an entrance examination in order to be considered for admission to a 6-year study programme combining medical school and graduate studies. The entrance examination consisted of three traditional multiple-choice science tests and one LFT test, the latter designed to measure deep-level processing of text. A follow-up study was conducted in order to see how the different tasks were related to the grades and pace of studying of those who were accepted onto the programme. As hypothesized, there were very high correlations among the three multiple-choice tests, but no correlations between the LFT subtasks and the multiple-choice tests. LISREL analyses showed that the LFT Synthesis Task, designed to measure the ability to pull together the essentials of a text, was the best predictor of academic progress during basic science studies.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey of part-time academics in Canada reveals significantly different profiles of two types of parttime academics: those who have full-time non-academic jobs (Classics 34.5%) and those who only have part-Time jobs (Contemporaries 65.5%).
Abstract: Our Canadian national survey 1991–92 reveals significantly different profiles of two types of part-time academics: those who have full-time non-academic jobs (Classics 34.5%) and those who only have part-time jobs (Contemporaries 65.5). The two groups have distinct reasons for teaching part-time, structure of work needs, and priorities of motivations that characterize Contemporaries as the “real” part-time faculty. They differ from Classics in their professional profile and work needs. Contemporaries have chosen the academic profession as their career. Routinization and degradation of part-timers' work, and feminization (53% are women Contemporaries) of “real” part-timers, camouflage their careerist aspirations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present case studies of workload planning of academic staff in UK university departments and links are made to a third, previously published, case, which focuses on workload planning principles in a business school of an established university.
Abstract: This paper examines workload planning of academic staff in UK university departments. Two case studies are presented and links made to a third, previously published, case. The first case is located in the department of, what was at the time, a polytechnic business school and describes a workload planning system based on teaching contact. The second, more recent, case is situated in an “old” university and features an approach to planning academic workloads in actual hours. The previously published case focuses on workload planning principles in a business school of an established university. Drawing from these cases discussions centre on a number of major areas. These include workload planning principles, computerised decision support, the institutional contexts, the political dimension of workload planning and the management of change. Some comments are made on further opportunities for research.
TL;DR: The authors argued that the increased difficulty for Chinese university students to go abroad in the late eighties was one of the major grievances of Chinese students on the eve of the 1989 Chinese Student Movement.
Abstract: Since 1978, a large number of Chinese university students have gone to Western countries, especially to North America. This paper argues that this widespread phenomenon of going abroad provided an important alternative for aggrieved university students, and that the increased difficulty for Chinese university students to go abroad in the late eighties was one of the major grievances of Chinese students on the eve of the 1989 Chinese Student Movement.