Showing papers on "Higher education published in 2003"

E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice

Abstract: From the Publisher: There is a technological revolution taking place in higher education The growth of 'e-learning' is being described as explosive, unprecedented and disruptive E-Learning in the 21st Century provides a framework for understanding the application and characteristics of e-learning in higher education The authors discuss their extensive research from technological, pedagogical and organizational perspectives in order to create practical models and release the full potential of e-learning This in-depth understanding will give direction and guidance to educators who wish to facilitate critical discourse and higher-order learning through the use of electronic technologies in a networked learning context

Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education

Abstract: Is everything in a university for sale if the price is right? In this book, one of America's leading educators cautions that the answer is all too often "yes." Taking the first comprehensive look at the growing commercialization of our academic institutions, Derek Bok probes the efforts on campus to profit financially not only from athletics but increasingly, from education and research as well. He shows how such ventures are undermining core academic values and what universities can do to limit the damage. Commercialization has many causes, but it could never have grown to its present state had it not been for the recent, rapid growth of money-making opportunities in a more technologically complex, knowledge-based economy. A brave new world has now emerged in which university presidents, enterprising professors, and even administrative staff can all find seductive opportunities to turn specialized knowledge into profit. Bok argues that universities, faced with these temptations, are jeopardizing their fundamental mission in their eagerness to make money by agreeing to more and more compromises with basic academic values. He discusses the dangers posed by increased secrecy in corporate-funded research, for-profit Internet companies funded by venture capitalists, industry-subsidized educational programs for physicians, conflicts of interest in research on human subjects, and other questionable activities. While entrepreneurial universities may occasionally succeed in the short term, reasons Bok, only those institutions that vigorously uphold academic values, even at the cost of a few lucrative ventures, will win public trust and retain the respect of faculty and students. Candid, evenhanded, and eminently readable, Universities in the Marketplace will be widely debated by all those concerned with the future of higher education in America and beyond.

Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice

Abstract: The importance of formative assessment in student learning is generally acknowl- edged, but it is not well understood across higher education. The identification of some key features of formative assessment opens the way for a discussion of theory. It is argued that there is a need for further theoretical development in respect of formative assessment, which needs to take account of disciplinary epistemology, theories of intellectual and moral develop- ment, students' stages of intellectual development, and the psychology of giving and receiving feedback. A sketch is offered of the direction that this development might take. It is noted that formative assessment may be either constructive or inhibitory towards learning. Suggestions are made regarding research into formative assessment, and how research might contribute to the development of pedagogic practice. Knowledge of results Learning depends on knowledge of results, at a time when, and at a place where, the knowledge can be used for correction. (Bruner 1970, p. 120) Bruner's dictum contains an important truth, but it is not the whole story. 'Correction' implies the existence of a right answer, and suggests a homeo- static or single loop (Argyris and Schon 1974) view of education that contrasts with the title of a collection of his writings: Beyond the informa- tion given (Bruner 1974). The quotation is from a chapter whose emphasis is on school education (although there are allusions to a broader range of educational contexts), in which considerable weight is placed on getting things right. Whilst 'getting things right' is of obvious importance in higher education as well (examples from medicine, science and engineering come quickly to mind where 'not getting it right' had direct and seriously damaging consequences), there is a significant dimension to higher education that can, following Barnett (1997), be labelled as 'emancipatory' and which implies

The critical role of higher education in creating a sustainable future

Abstract: Anthony D. Cortese is a sustainability consultant and president and cofounder of Second Nature, a national nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts, that works to make sustainability a foundation of all learning and practice in higher education. He was formerly the dean of environmental programs at Tufts University and the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Need for a New Human Perspective

Why the apple doesn't fall far: understanding intergenerational transmission of human capital

Abstract: Parents with higher education levels have children with higher education levels. Is this because parental education actually changes the outcomes of children, suggesting an important spillover of education policies, or is it merely that more able individuals who have higher education also have more able children? This Paper proposes to answer this question by using a unique dataset from Norway. Using the reform of the education system that was implemented in different municipalities at different times in the 1960s as an instrument for parental education, we find little evidence of a causal relationship between parents’ education and children’s education, despite significant OLS relationships. We find 2SLS estimates that are consistently lower than the OLS estimates with the only statistically significant effect being a positive relationship between mother's education and son's education. These findings suggest that the high correlations between parent’s and children’s education are due primarily to family characteristics and inherited ability and not education spillovers.

In Pursuit of a New 'Enterprise' and 'Entrepreneurship' Paradigm for Learning: Creative Destruction, New Values, New Ways of Doing Things and New Combinations of Knowledge

Abstract: The paper argues for a new approach to the study of entrepreneurship and a new paradigm as a basis for entrepreneurship education. It also argues that such an approach is unlikely to come from university business schools. It needs an organisational revolution which, however, can be managed within a university as a whole. The paper is divided into two parts. The first explores the political imperative in Europe for development of the 'enterprise culture' and attributes this mainly to pressures for greater international competitiveness. The educational response is then examined and, with the help of a number of recent surveys, some of the key issues pertaining to the development of entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions in the UK and Europe are reviewed. The second part attempts to address the imperative at a more conceptual level. The pursuit of entrepreneurial behaviour is seen as a function of the degree of uncertainty and complexity in the task and broader environment and/or the desire of an individual, in pursuit of an opportunity or problem solution, to create it. It is argued that the key trigger for the growing interest in entrepreneurship is globalization. The way in which this has impacted on the role of the state, the organization of business activity and public services and on individuals to create greater uncertainty and complexity in the environment is explored. This leads to a conclusion that a wide range of stakeholders are being confronted with the need for entrepreneurial behaviour, for example, priests, doctors, teachers, policemen, pensioners and community workers and, indeed, potentially everyone in the community. Entrepreneurship is therefore not solely the prerogative of business. It follows that the traditional focus of entrepreneurship education on business, and new venture management in particular, provides an inadequate basis for response to societal needs. Moreover, the pervasive ideology of the 'heroic' entrepreneur can be seen as a dysfunctional when viewed against the needs of a wider community. The wider notion of 'enterprise' is therefore introduced as a means of moving away from the hitherto narrow paradigm. How this relates to the development of the individual and the design of enterprising organizations is explored. The paper explores the challenge of this broader context by reference to a number of issues central to the globalization debate including: culture, market liberalization, forms of governance and democracy. It then links these with the ontological and epistemological challenge to education. It concludes with discussion as to how this relates to the traditional concept of a university and argues that universities as a whole are in a much better position to respond to the challenge than are business schools.

In search of higher persistence rates in distance education online programs

Abstract: Tinto's [Rev. Educ. Res. 45 (1975) 89; Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press; Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press] student integration model and Bean and Metzner's [Rev. Educ. Res. 55 (1985) 485] student attrition model have been influential in explaining persistence and attrition in higher education programs. However, these models were developed with on-campus programs in mind and, although they are broadly relevant to distance education programs, their ability to explain the persistence of online students is limited. Distance education students have characteristics and needs that differ from traditional learners and the virtual learning environment differs in important ways from an on-campus environment. This article draws chiefly from Tinto's and Bean and Metzner's models and the results of research into the needs of online distance education students in order to synthesize a composite model to better explain persistence and attrition among the largely nontraditional students that enroll in online courses.

Why the apple doesn’t fall far : understanding intergenerational transmission of human capital

Abstract: Parents with higher education levels have children with higher education levels. However, is this because parental education actually changes the outcomes of children, suggesting an important spillover of education policies, or is it merely that more able individuals who have higher education also have more able children? This paper proposes to answer this question with a unique dataset from Norway. Using the reform of the education system that was implemented in different municipalities at different times in the 1960s as an instrument for parental education, we find little evidence of a causal relationship between parents' education and children's education, despite significant OLS relationships. We find 2SLS estimates that are consistently lower than the OLS estimates, with the only statistically significant effect being a positive relationship between mother's education and son's education. These findings suggest that the high correlations between parents' and children's education are due primarily to family characteristics and inherited ability and not education spillovers.

Higher Education Students' Attitudes to Student-centred Learning: Beyond 'educational bulimia'?

Abstract: If education is to be truly student-centred, students should be consulted about the process of learning and teaching. Moreover, within the current higher education climate, it is imperative that institutions move from an 'inside out' approach, where those on the inside 'know' what is best, to an 'outside in' approach where customers' expectations are researched and serviced. The research reported here investigated higher education students' perceptions of and attitudes to student-centred learning. Two studies were conducted, employing the complementary methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The first study involved focus groups while the second involved an Internet questionnaire. Results showed that students generally held very positive views of student-centred learning. However, they were unsure as to whether current resources were adequate to support the effective implementation and maintenance of such an approach. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect ...

Mind the Gap: Are students prepared for higher education?

Abstract: A pilot survey of science students conducted by Cook & Leckey confirmed that student study habits formed in secondary school persist to the end of the first semester of university life. Such a conclusion indicates that students are not bridging the gap between school and university quickly and effectively. The study reported here is based on surveys of first year students across the University of Ulster and compares their prior perceptions with their experiences after one term. We consider the literature relating to preparedness and student retention and present the results of these surveys in this broad context. Most students appear to have managed the transition into university life success fully since they do not experience the academic, personal and practical difficulties they expected. There is, however, a considerable minority (20-30%) who consistently experience academic and personal problems and for whom coming to university has been a negative experience. These students are at risk, if not from d...

Internationalization of Higher Education: Towards a Conceptual Framework

Abstract: Higher education has now become a real part of the globalization process: the cross-border matching of supply and demand. Consequently, higher education can no longer be viewed in a strictly national context. This calls for a broader definition of internationalization, which embraces the entire functioning of higher education and not merely a dimension or aspect of it, or the actions of some individuals who are part of it. This article provides a conceptual and organizational framework of internationalization of higher education, which includes a discussion on the meaning and definition of the term, a description of the various rationales for and approaches to internationalization, and an analysis of strategies of integrating international dimensions in a higher education institution.

The (Racially Neutral) Politics of Education: A Critical Race Theory Perspective

Abstract: Although Critical Race Theory (CRT) originated in the legal arena, its influence has proliferated throughout the social sciences literature. Yet CRT has not spread significantly into the field of educational leadership, where the discourse on diversity has failed to penetrate the salience of racism in schooling. The purpose of this article is to confront the silence on race in schools and to summon scholars in the politics of education to critical analysis of race as an issue in public schools.

The Returns to Education: Macroeconomics

Abstract: We offer an extensive summary and a critical discussion of the empirical literature on the impact of human capital on macro-economic performance, with a particular focus on UK policy. We also highlight methodological issues and make recommendations for future research priorities. Taking the studies as a whole, the evidence that human capital increases productivity is compelling, though still largely divided on whether the stock of education affects the long-run level or growth rate of GDP. A one-year increase in average education is found to raise the level of output per capita by between three and six percent according to augmented neo-classical specifications, while leading to an over one percentage point faster growth according to estimates from the new-growth theories. Still, over the short-run planning horizon (four years) the empirical estimates of the change in GDP are of similar orders of magnitude in the two approaches. The impact of increases at different levels of education appear to depend on the level of a country's development, with tertiary education being the most important for growth in OECD countries. Education is found to yield additional indirect benefits to growth. More preliminary evidence seems to indicate that type, quality and efficiency of education matter for growth too.

Retaining minority students in higher education : a framework for success

Abstract: Foreword.Acknowledgments.Postsecondary Opportunity.The Growing Importance of a College Degree.Moving from Access to Success.Diagnosis by the Numbers: The Education Pipeline for Racial and Ethnic Minorities.Diversity 101: Affirmative Action in America.Why Students Leave College.Models of Student Progression.Factors Related to Retention.A Framework for Retention.A New Perspective on Student Integration.Three Forces Affecting Student Persistence and Achievement.The Model in Practice.Practical Implications of the Geometric Model.A Framework for Student Retention.Monitoring Students' Progress.Implementation and Leadership.Important Organizational Considerations in Developing an.Institution-Wide Retention Program Implementing Campus-Wide Programs.The Importance of Leadership on Student Retention.Final Thoughts.Appendix A: Promising College Student Retention Programs.Appendix B: Annotated Bibliography.References.Name Index.Subject Index.

Teaching and research: new relationships and their implications for inquiry-based teaching and learning in higher education

Abstract: In order to bring teaching and research together, a fuller understanding of how academics conceptualise research and scholarship is needed. The paper discusses different ways in which research and scholarship are conceptualised and then provides two alternative models of the relationship between teaching and research based on different conceptions of teaching and different ideas about the nature of knowledge. The paper suggests that if the relationship between teaching and research is to be enhanced it is necessary to move towards a model based on the notion of academic communities of practice. The implications for higher education of doing this are then examined. It is argued that there is a need to reconceptualise the role of higher education and to renegotiate relationships between teachers and students.

Learning, Curriculum and Employability in Higher Education

Abstract: This book draws on a set of over 200 in-depth interviews with graduates in employment, and includes a unique account of the meanings of employability in the workplace. Anyone with responsibility for curriculum development or policy making within higher education, who wants to advance learning and promote student employability, will find this book essential reading.

Alumni Perceptions Used to Assess Undergraduate Research Experience

Abstract: (2003). Alumni Perceptions Used to Assess Undergraduate Research Experience. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 74, No. 2, pp. 210-230.

Learning and teaching in the clinical environment

Abstract: Clinical teaching—that is, teaching and learning focused on, and usually directly involving, patients and their problems—lies at the heart of medical education. At undergraduate level, medical schools strive to give students as much clinical exposure as possible; they are also increasingly giving students contact with patients earlier in the course. For postgraduates, “on the job” clinical teaching is the core of their professional development. How can a clinical teacher optimise the teaching and learning opportunities that arise in daily practice? ![][1] Clinical teaching in general practice Learning in the clinical environment has many strengths. It is focused on real problems in the context of professional practice. Learners are motivated by its relevance and through active participation. Professional thinking, behaviour, and attitudes are “modelled” by teachers. It is the only setting in which the skills of history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, decision making, empathy, and professionalism can be taught and learnt as an integrated whole. Despite these potential strengths, clinical teaching has been much criticised for its variability, lack of intellectual challenge, and haphazard nature. In other words, clinical teaching is an educationally sound approach, all too frequently undermined by problems of implementation. #### Common problems with clinical teaching #### Challenges of clinical teaching [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif

Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line: The Marketing of Higher Education

Abstract: * Introduction: The New U * Part I: The Higher Education Bazaar *1. This Little Student Went to Market *2. Nietzsche's Niche: The University of Chicago *3. Benjamin Rush's "Brat": Dickinson College *4. Star Wars: New York University * Part II: Management 101 *5. The Dead Hand of Precedent: New York Law School *6. Kafka Was an Optimist: The University of Southern California and the University of Michigan *7. Mr. Jefferson's "Private" College: Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia * Part III: Virtual Worlds *8. Rebel Alliance: The Classics Departments of Sixteen Southern Liberal Arts Colleges *9. The Market in Ideas: Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology *10. The British Are Coming--and Going: Open University * Part IV: The Smart Money *11. A Good Deal of Collaboration: The University of California, Berkeley *12. The Information Technology Gold Rush: IT Certification Courses in Silicon Valley *13. They're All Business: DeVry University * Conclusion: The Corporation of Learning * Notes * Acknowledgments * Index

Cross-cultural medical education: conceptual approaches and frameworks for evaluation

Abstract: Given that understanding the sociocultural dimensions underlying a patient's health values, beliefs, and behaviors is critical to a successful clinical encounter, cross-cultural curricula have been incorporated into undergraduate medical education. The goal of these curricula is to prepare students to care for patients from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, and to recognize and appropriately address racial, cultural, and gender biases in health care delivery. Despite progress in the field of cross-cultural medical education, several challenges exist. Foremost among these is the need to develop strategies to evaluate the impact of these curricular interventions. This article provides conceptual approaches for cross-cultural medical education, and describes a framework for student evaluation that focuses on strategies to assess attitudes, knowledge, and skills, and the impact of curricular interventions on health outcomes.

‘It's a struggle’: the construction of the ‘new student’ in higher education

Abstract: This paper explores constructions of the ‘new’ university student in the context of UK government policy to widen participation in higher education. New Labour discourse stresses the benefits of widening participation for both individuals and society, although increasing the levels of participation of students from groups who have not traditionally entered university has been accompanied by a discourse of ‘dumbing down’ and lowering standards. The paper draws on an ongoing longitudinal study of undergraduate students in a post–1992 inner‐city university in the UK to examine students' constructions of their experiences and identities in the context of public discourses of the ‘new’ higher education student. Many of the participants in this study would be regarded as ‘non‐traditional’ students, i.e. those students who are the focus of widening participation policy initiatives. As Reay et al. (2002) discovered, for many ‘non‐traditional’ students studying in higher education is characterized by ‘struggle’, s...

Students’ perceptions of quality in higher education

Abstract: This study aims to ascertain student perceptions of a quality experience in higher education. The empirical research made use of focus groups involving a range of higher education students. The main findings are that the quality of the lecturer and the student support systems are the most influential factors in the provision of quality education.

Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success

Abstract: List of Tables, Figures, and Exhibits.Preface.Part I: Fundamentals of Educational Technology.1. The Challenge of Technology.2. Introductory Remarks on Knowledge, Learning, and Teaching.3. The Role of Media and Technology in Education.4. A Framework for Selecting and Using Technology.Part II: Course Design, Development, and Delivery.5. The Organization of Teaching with Technology.6. Planning for Teaching with Technology.7. Approaches to the Design of Technology-Based Learning.8. Course Development and Maintenance.9. Supporting Technology-Based Learning.Part III: Change and Stability in Teaching with Technology.10. Change and Stability in Teaching with Technology.References.Index.

Understandings of the nature of science and decision making on science and technology based issues

Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to explicate the role of the nature of science in decision making on science and technology based issues and to delineate factors and reasoning associated with these types of decisions. Twenty-one volunteer participants purposively selected from the faculty of geographically diverse universities completed an open-ended questionnaire and follow-up interview designed to assess their decision making on science and technology based issues. Participants were subsequently placed in one of two groups based upon their divergent views of the nature of science as assessed by a second open-ended questionnaire and follow-up interview. Profiles of each group's decision making were then constructed, based on participants' previous responses to the decision making questionnaire and follow-up interviews. Finally, the two groups' decisions, decision influencing factors, and decision making strategies were compared. No differences were found between the decisions of the two groups, despite their disparate views of the nature of science. Participants in both groups based their decisions primarily on personal values, morals/ethics, and social concerns. While all participants considered scientific evidence in their decision making, most did not require absolute “proof,” even though many participants held absolute conceptions of the nature of science. Overall, the nature of science did not figure prominently in either group's decisions. These findings contrast with basic assumptions of current science education reform efforts and call for a re-examination of the goals of nature of science instruction. Developing better decision making skills—even on science and technology based issues—may involve other factors, including more value-based instruction and attention to intellectual/moral development. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed87:352–377, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10063

International marketing of British education: research on the students’ perception and the UK market penetration

Abstract: The study functions as marketing intelligence inputs for the UK Government, the British Council as well as academic marketing planners for constructing their marketing opportunities‐threats audits, it investigates international students’ perception about the UK education and it researches UK performance in the world markets for international education. UK education has been known to be the best in the world. For many years, the UK universities have enjoyed a high reputation and have benefited in accelerating its market penetration worldwide. Unfortunately, this superiority has begun to decline. Other countries are strongly emerging with their quality education. The study shows that UK competitors achieved a remarkable growth of their international students’ enrolment while the UK achieves only a marginal growth with declining market penetration abroad. The findings confirmed the central importance of pricing, product and promotional variables in designing and marketing UK education abroad.

The Returns to Education: Macroeconomics

Abstract: We offer an extensive summary and a critical discussion of the empirical literature on the impact of human capital on macro-economic performance, with a particular focus on UK policy. We also highlight methodological issues and make recommendations for future research priorities. Taking the studies as a whole, the evidence that human capital increases productivity is compelling, though still largely divided on whether the stock of education affects the long-run level or growth rate of GDP. A one-year increase in average education is found to raise the level of output per capita by between three and six percent according to augmented neo-classical specifications, while leading to an over one percentage point faster growth according to estimates from the new-growth theories. Still, over the short-run planning horizon (four years) the empirical estimates of the change in GDP are of similar orders of magnitude in the two approaches. The impact of increases at different levels of education appear to depend on the level of a country's development, with tertiary education being the most important for growth in OECD countries. Education is found to yield additional indirect benefits to growth. More preliminary evidence seems to indicate that type, quality and efficiency of education matter for growth too.

The impact of facilities on student choice of university

Abstract: Despite rhetoric of added value, facilities management suffers a dearth of objectively researched, publicly available information concerning the impact of facilities on businesses at the level of market sectors or individual organisations. This paper aims to correct that situation for UK higher education institutions. A survey of undergraduates starting university in 2001 has confirmed, to high levels of significance, earlier research with the 2000 intake. For many institutions, facilities factors, where provided to a high standard, are perceived as having an important influence on students’ choice of institution. Year‐on‐year comparisons show strong agreement at the global level and, where data could be gathered, at the institutional level. Individual institutions show marked differences, significant at levels of confidence of over 95 per cent. A comparison of “reputational pull” and “facilities pull” is suggested as a means of differentiating the “brand” of different institutions.