scholarly journals Editorial: Quantifying Higher Education: Governing Universities and Academics by Numbers

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Hillebrandt ◽  
Michael Huber
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Thematic Issue ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sector Performance ◽  
The University

Over the past decades, ‘governing by numbers’ has taken a flight in the higher education sector. Performance-based budgeting and quality assurance schemes orient universities to new objectives, while rankings have globalised the metrified observation of higher education at large. Where previously no indicators existed, they are being introduced; where indicators already existed, they are being standardised for purposes of comparison. This thematic issue aims to work towards a more comprehensive understanding of the growing diversity of quantification-based instruments in higher education sectors in three European countries. The effects of quantification are noticed at all levels of the higher education system, from policy makers at the top of the regulatory pyramid down to students and academic staff. Yet even quantifiers outside of the regulatory system, such as ranking and metrics organisations, may have an important bearing on the operation of the university organisation and the sector at large. Thus, an entire governance landscape emerges in which actors at various levels turn to numbers for guidance. The articles in this thematic issue analyse the life cycle of such numbers, from their origins, through to their production and finally, their consequences. This editorial outlines the central questions and overarching issues addressed by the thematic issue and introduces its various contributions.

scholarly journals nnovative Educational Technologies: Professional Development Programs for University Staff

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 9023-9029
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Educational Technologies ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Executive Staff ◽  
The University

A key role in improving the quality of higher education belongs to the executive staff, teaching employees, and academic staff as direct performers. The purpose of the article is to analyze the possibilities of advanced training of university academic staff using innovative educational technologies based on information and communication technologies (ICT). The article notes the relevance of the search for new approaches to the organization of the professional development of the higher education system employees, as well as analyzes the experience of European countries in the professional development of university academic staff. The authors specify the requirements for the meaningful components of methodical system of training at the university, the prospects of ICT use in professional activity of academic and administrative employees of the university, training areas of university staff of different professional orientation, as well as highlight innovation areas of professional development of the academic staff in Russian universities.

Identifying dimensions of employer attractiveness in Indian universities: an approach towards scale development

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chetna Priyadarshini ◽  
Sireesha Mamidenna ◽  
O.B. Sayeed
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Scale Development ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
University Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global War ◽  
The University ◽  
Employer Attractiveness

Purpose As the global war of talent is prevalent across different industries, universities are also facing an acute shortage of faculty members because of massification of higher education system in the past two decades. The tremendous increase in the number of higher education institutions has made attracting talented professors a challenging necessity for the university management as employers. The present study, therefore, carries out a scale development exercise and explores the attractive dimensions of Indian universities as employers. Design/methodology/approach With the help of principle component analysis, exploratory factor analysis was carried out to obtain five significant constructs of employer attractiveness in Indian universities. Findings The dimensions identified in the study includes fairness and work–life balance; teaching environment and compensation and benefits; research resources and career development; organizational integrity and commitment to quality; and organizational culture consisting of respect and recognition. Practical implications The finding provides valuable insights for the university management and government bodies and posits to assist them in formulating policies with regard to attracting competent teaching staff. Originality/value Although employer attractiveness has gained scholarly attention in the past two decades, study exploring the dimensionality of employer attractiveness in the context of academic institutions and universities has not been conducted so far. The present study, therefore, is one of the pioneers in this realm.

scholarly journals Understanding Universities in Ontario, Canada: An Industry Analysis Using Porter’s Five Forces Framework

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Pringle ◽  
Jeroen Huisman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Competitive Position ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Buyer Power ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
Higher Education Industry ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

In analyses of higher education systems, many models and frameworks are based on governance, steering, or coordination models. Although much can be gained by such analyses, we argue that the language used in the present-day policy documents (knowledge economy, competitive position, etc.) calls for an analysis of higher education as an industry. In this paper, the university sector in Ontario’s higher education industry is analyzed by applying Michael Porter’s five forces framework defined by the following forces: the threat of new entrants, supplier power, buyer power, the threat of substitutes, and industry rivalry. Our assessment revealed that competition in Ontario’s higher education industry (university sector) is currently mixed. The findings suggest that policy-makers, the sector, and individual institutions will need to consider more seriously the impact of technology and globalization when seeking a competitive position for the Ontarian higher education system.  

scholarly journals NEWER TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT OF DISTANCE AND E-LEARNING

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Idris Bello ◽  
Abdulraheem Zakari
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
University Of Kansas ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The Past ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The University

Distance learning through e-learning courses has become the most important and commonly requested mode of learning in the higher education system over the past decade. Many aspects of our lives have been upended by COVID-19 including education. Distance education became a requirement at lightning speed, due to the pandemic and worldwide shutdown. According to the University of Kansas, at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in early April, more than 1.5 billion students, or 91.3 percent of global enrolment, were directly affected by school closures. The question of whether or not to migrate from physical classroom is no more the priority but how quick and efficiently we can adopt distance learning. This paper evaluates the incorporation of the emerging technologies into the concepts of distance learning in terms of efficiency in the teaching and learning environment at universities, polytechnics and colleges.

scholarly journals Strengthening institutions of higher education through disruptive leadership

2021 ◽  
pp. 181-191
Author(s):  
Promise Zvavahera
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Face ◽  
The University

The intensifying COVID-19 calamity has caused massive pressure on institutions of higher learning across the globe. Most institutions of higher education closed down in order to protect students and staff from the deadly pandemic. However, it is important to understand that combined efforts by key stakeholders could inform future perspectives on higher education cognisant of the new normal. In view of these developments, this study sought to evaluate how positive disruptive leadership can have an important role in strengthening the higher education system in the face of COVID-19. The study used a case study approach applying a qualitative research design. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents from a private university operating in Zimbabwe. Virtual interviews were used to gather data from the University Board, University Executive, teaching staff and students, referred to as key stakeholders in this study. To overcome the challenges related to the unintended shift from face-to-face to online learning, disruptive approach to issues by these stakeholders has created a resilient institution that can survive during times of uncertainty where drastic changes are necessary as a result of external forces. The study noted that the key stakeholders exhibited positive disruptive leadership roles in their unique ways. The key challenges cited include limited accessibility to internet and lack of affordability in terms of data bundles and other ICT affordances to allow effective learning to take place. The study adds to knowledge different leadership roles played by the University Board, University Executive, academic staff and students to build a resilient and innovative institution in the face of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Effects of Socio-Academic Intervention on Student Performance in Vulnerable Groups

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7673
Author(s):  
Tarquino Sánchez-Almeida ◽  
David Naranjo ◽  
Raquel Gilar-Corbi ◽  
Jessica Reina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Academic Intervention ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
University System ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
The University

In Ecuador, affirmative action policies enable students from vulnerable groups to preferentially enter universities. However, these policies are limited to admission and do not include academic or socio-economic support mechanisms that, according to the literature, promote student insertion in the higher education system. In this study, the effects of socio-academic intervention on the academic performance of vulnerable students are presented. For this, 41 students were selected among 164 vulnerable students entering the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in the second term of 2019. The 41 students attended a socio-academic intervention course for one term, while the remaining 123 attended the Escuela Politécnica Nacional levelling course directly. Once both groups of students finished the levelling course, their performance in each of the course subjects was compared. The results showed that the academic performance of the students in the intervention was significantly higher in mathematics and geometry compared to the students who had no intervention. These results show that the socio-academic intervention promotes the real insertion of vulnerable students in the university system.

scholarly journals Transforming finnish higher education: institutional mergers and conflicting academic identities

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jani Ursin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Academic Identities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Institutional Mergers ◽  
Finnish Higher Education

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> </p><p class="RESUMENCURSIVA">As in many other European countries also Finnish higher education system has witnessed several reforms over the past decade many of which originate in efforts to make more competitive and affordable higher education system. The aim of this paper is to describe the changes and institutional mergers in particular that have taken place in Finnish higher education and explore what kind of academic identities are constructed amid changes in Finnish higher education. The paper shows that the mergers followed the objectives set by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for the structural development of the higher education system and that the creation of a joint culture for merged institutions was important yet challenging. The paper also argues that due to these external changes in Finnish higher education there is a tendency to move from a traditional notion of an academic toward more hybrid and dynamic understanding of what it is being an academic in the 21st century.</p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p>

scholarly journals Threats and vulnerabilities of the academic profession vs university personnel potential development

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 440-450
Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Lobova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Profession ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
University Personnel ◽  
Scientific Periodical ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
The University

The formation and development of the university's personnel potential is one of the conditions for joining the project to support higher education organizations announced by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in June 2020. The project is called the Strategic Academic Leadership Program. The fulfillment of this condition cannot be carried out without overcoming the limitations and effective responses to the challenges that are associated with the academic profession. The article is a review. Its purpose is to study threats and barriers to the development of the university’s personnel potential. It is shown that as internal threats one should consider the high stressfulness of faculty activities, violation of their personal safety and low loyalty; the barrier is the vulnerability of the academic profession. The research focuses on the current staff of Russian universities. The main research methods are analysis and synthesis of relevant scientific periodical literature. The main result of the study is the position that the presence of threats and vulnerabilities in the academic profession entails consequences that have a devastating effect not only on the personality of the teacher, the university, the academic community, but also on the higher education system as a whole, catalyze the departure of teachers from the academic profession, and prevent the preservation of and the development of the university personnel potential, ensuring the competitiveness and attractiveness of the university.

scholarly journals Unwaged Posts in UK Universities: Controversies and Campaigns

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Forkert ◽  
Ana Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This article examines unwaged posts at UK universities, using recent examples of advertised job posts. While unpaid work is common in the UK higher education system, unwaged posts are not. The posts under scrutiny in this article differ from traditional honorary titles as they target early career academics, who are unlikely to have a paid position elsewhere, rather than established scholars. The article contextualizes the appearance of these posts in a climate of increasing marketization of higher education, entrenching managerialism in higher education institutions, and the casualization of academic work. We also discuss resistance to the posts, arguing that the controversy surrounding unpaid internships in the creative industries created a receptive environment for resisting unwaged posts in academia. We analyze the campaigns that were fought against the advertisement of the posts, mostly through social media and the University and College Union. We explore the tactics used and discuss the advantages and limitations of the use of social media, as well as the role of trade unions in the campaigns against these posts, and we reflect on what future campaigns can learn from these experiences.

scholarly journals Thoughts on the higher education system in Poland. Changes – issues – evaluation. Part 1

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-137
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Grzywacz ◽  
Grażyna Miłkowska ◽  
Magdalena Piorunek ◽  
Lech Sałaciński
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Higher Education Systems ◽  
University Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Education Science

This report is a part of the results of the international project entitled “Studium in Osteuropa: Ausgewählte Aspekte (Analysen, Befunde)” conducted in the years 2013-2015 under supervision of Prof. Wilfried Schubarth and Dr Andreas Seidl from the Potsdam University, Department of Education Science, and Prof. Karsten Speck from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. The project was conducted jointly by representatives of academic centres from Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia. Its general aim was a comparative analysis of the effects of implementation of Bologna Process directives into the higher education systems of the individual countries. The changes introduced into the higher education systems in the countries involved in the project were described and evaluated, discussed was in particular the problems of education of teachers at the university level. The following text is the result of the contribution of the Polish group participating in the project. The report will be presented in two parts. The first part is focused on the macro-societal context of transformations in the higher education system in Poland. The implementation of selected aspects of Bologna Process directives is described and supplemented by empirical comments. The second part deals with selected aspects of university level education of teachers, followed by a polemic against the assumptions and execution of the target transformations of higher education system.

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