scholarly journals Aligning the times: Exploring the convergence of researchers, policy makers and research evidence in higher education policy making

2020 ◽  
pp. 003452372092067
Author(s):  
Karen Smith ◽  
Scott Fernie ◽  
Nick Pilcher
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Policy Networks ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Times ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Research And Policy

The complexity of contemporary higher education policy making and the multitude of evidences and actors in policy networks mean that relationships between higher education researchers, policy makers and research evidence are not straightforward. In this article, we use a theoretical lens of time, Adams’ Timescapes, to explore this relationship and better understand why the research and policy worlds are frequently described as divided. Drawing on in-depth interviews with higher education researchers, policy makers and research funders, we show how research and policy have different interpretations of time. We discuss the Timeframes, or lengths, of work and career, the Temporality, or complexity, of ‘evidence’, of networks and relationships, and the importance of elements such as Timing, or synchronisation, and Tempo, or pace. We conclude that policy makers and higher education researchers may be better able to make sense of the problematic nature of aligning their concerns, interests and actions through understanding different Timescapes.

scholarly journals What about Provincial Institutions in Higher Education Policy in India?

2018 ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Anamika Srivastava ◽  
Nandita Koshal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Policy Makers

In this article, we take stock of provincial higher education institutions in India, which—advertently or not—have not yet caught the attention of policy makers. However, these institutions employ the majority of the teachers and cater to the needs of the majority of students in the country.

College Completion, the Texas Way: An Examination of the Development of College Completion Policy in a Distinctive Political Culture

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Denisa Gándara ◽  
James C. Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
The State ◽  
College Completion ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
State Higher Education

Background College-completion policies dominate state higher education policy agendas. Yet we know little about how policy actors make decisions—and what sources of evidence they use—within this policy domain. Focus of Study This study explores the use of evidence in college-completion policymaking in depth, focusing on Texas. In addition to exploring policymakers’ use of different types of information, this study examines the role played by intermediaries. Research Design We employed a qualitative case study design drawing on interviews with 32 policy actors engaged in college-completion policy in Texas. Our analysis consisted of both deductive coding (based on our a priori coding scheme) and inductive coding (based on emerging themes) to arrive at our four major findings. Findings/Results The analysis revealed four primary findings. The first theme suggests an insular culture of college-completion policymaking: Policymakers at various levels preferred Texas-based data and rejected the notion that external groups contributed to setting the college completion agenda in Texas. Second, business groups and a business ethos permeated college-completion policymaking in Texas. Third, research evidence was seldom employed in this policy process, partly because policymakers prefer concise and timely information. Finally, the study uncovered a new tactic for supplying research employed by certain intermediaries: punchy messaging, which was effective at garnering attention but also yielded unintended consequences. Conclusions/Recommendations Overwhelmingly, higher education policy actors tended to prefer Texas-based data. Respondents cited three major reasons for this preference: the high quality of the state higher education coordinating board's data, Texas's unique demographics, and the accessibility of statewide data. These findings reflect the mediating role that is played not only by state structural characteristics, but also by culture. Perceptions of Texas's distinctive inward-looking nature permeated our interviews and set the stage for the role that intermediaries played in the state and the preferences for information. Intermediaries wishing to inform college-completion policy activity at the state level should consider the uniqueness of the state context in supplying information. For states that are more insular, like Texas, working through internal (in-state) intermediaries may be an effective strategy. In light of our findings of preferred types of information, those intending to influence policymaking should consider making information—especially research evidence—concise and easily accessible and establish relationships with policymakers and their staff members.

Cloud Computing in Higher Education

2012 ◽  
pp. 1672-1685
Author(s):  
P. Sasikala
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Rural Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Computer Users ◽  
Classroom Experiences ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Status

Cloud Computing promises novel and valuable capabilities for computer users and is explored in all possible areas of information technology dependant fields. However, the literature suffers from hype and divergent definitions and viewpoints. Cloud powered higher education can gain significant flexibility and agility. Higher education policy makers must assume activist roles in the shift towards cloud computing. Classroom experiences show it is a better tool for teaching and collaboration. As it is an emerging service technology, there is a need for standardization of services and customized implementation. Its evolution can change the facets of rural education. It is important as a possible means of driving down the capital and total costs of IT. This paper examines and discusses the concept of Cloud Computing from the perspectives of diverse technologists, cloud standards, services available today, the status of cloud particularly in higher education, and future implications.

Scholarship and Supercomplexity

2020 ◽  
pp. 263-282
Author(s):  
Kerri-Lee Krause
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Academic Work ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Education Environment

In this chapter, links between the constructs of scholarship and supercomplexity in higher education are examined, along with policy implications. Boyer's holistic, joined-up conceptualization of scholarship is recognised as seminal, yet in many cases, application of his work has led to fragmentation of academic work in an already-fractured, supercomplex higher education environment. The scene is set by considering a range of dimensions of the scholarship construct within higher education. Particular emphasis is placed on scholarship as it relates to academic roles and identities. In this section, account is also taken of the challenges encountered by faculty, managers, and policy-makers alike in drawing connections and distinctions between scholarship and research in academic work. Consideration then shifts to implications for higher education policy and policy-makers at the macro – national and international, meso-institutional, and micro-departmental and individual levels.

scholarly journals “The Bologna Process” A European Response to Global Competition in Higher Education

1969 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Hans Pechar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
The Other ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
European Level ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
The Bologna Process

The Bologna Process is the most important recent development in higher education policy at the European level. Initially North America observed this reorganisation of Europe’s higher education architecture with some scepticism and even mild irony – if not outright ignoring it. More recently, however, the obvious success of attempts to create a “European Higher Education Area” has increased the interest on the other side of the Atlantic. This paper provides a short overview of the initial goals of the Bologna Process, the present state of implementation, and of the diffi culties this process faces. I begin by asking to what extent a European level of higher education policy making exists at all and what is its signifi cance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document