Peer Review in Public Administration: The Case of the Swedish Higher Education Authority

The aim of this chapter is to explore the method of peer review as it has been practised within the framework of the Swedish national system for quality assurance of higher education. By highlighting and comparing examples from two reviews, 1997–1998 and 2016–2017, we want to show how the method of peer review has evolved over time and in what way has it been affected by changes made in the system. The study shows that the national system for quality assurance of higher education with peer review as a central method has changed surprisingly little in Sweden during the period studied (1995–2017). Over time, the demands for transparency, predictability and equivalence have increased, which has to some extent undermined the authority of the assessors. At the same time, it is a development which is a logical consequence of—not a break with—the coherent national system for quality assurance of higher education that was put into effect as early as the mid-1990s.

Taoist Culture Design: The Development of the Design Ideas

The cultural development of “Tao” and “Qi” has lasted for thousands of years. The theory of “Tao” began with Laozi and Zhuangzi. Through “The Book of Changes · Xici,” it is developed as “the metaphysical is the Tao, and the figurative is the Qi [1]”. “Tao” and “Qi” are interdependent as philosophical concepts. It first guided the philosophy of Taoism, Confucianism and other scholars in the pre-Qin period, and then promoted the development of national system in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasty, which gave birth to the aesthetic system of the ancient imperial court. With the development of modern design ideas, the design ideas of “Tao” and “Qi” are integrated. After thousands of years of civilization development and technological changes, today’s ideas of “Tao” and “Qi” are booming, and have in-depth exchanges and integration with foreign cultures.

The education ministries of the Hon. Josiah Alfred Hanan, 1912 and 1915-1919

The trend of educational progress in New Zealand has been modified by the historical, political and economic conditions existing from time to time. The development of the national system of education since its inception in the 1877 Act has proceeded at a varying pace owing to the variety of motives of those controlling education and the obstacles which they had to face. Except for a few phases in the history of this development, the moves were not well thought out or planned. Education progressed by an assortment of policies good and bad, by natural growth and by legislative accidents. Although this study of education is concerned with the administration of a single Minister during the years 1912 and 1915 to 1919 it will be necessary briefly to consider the educational background during the years 1877 to 1898.

The education ministries of the Hon. Josiah Alfred Hanan, 1912 and 1915-1919

The trend of educational progress in New Zealand has been modified by the historical, political and economic conditions existing from time to time. The development of the national system of education since its inception in the 1877 Act has proceeded at a varying pace owing to the variety of motives of those controlling education and the obstacles which they had to face. Except for a few phases in the history of this development, the moves were not well thought out or planned. Education progressed by an assortment of policies good and bad, by natural growth and by legislative accidents. Although this study of education is concerned with the administration of a single Minister during the years 1912 and 1915 to 1919 it will be necessary briefly to consider the educational background during the years 1877 to 1898.

Problems and Solutions in Testing Future Teachers' Knowledge in the National System of Foreign Language Proficiency

This article is devoted to the analysis of the test National System of Assessment of Foreign Language Proficiency, taking into consideration its importance on future foreign language teachers. It also concentrates on the requirements for foreign language teachers in Uzbekistan and the exercises which are essential for the professional development of prospective teachers. Apart from that, it shows the module "Types and criteria for assessing language skills". Last, it covers suggestions on how to improve the students’ knowledge and skills.

The national system of financial monitoring training: Areas for development

Subject. This article deals with the issues of improving the professional competence and skills of financial monitoring specialists within the framework of enhancing the activities of the national anti-money laundering system (AML/CFT). Objectives. The article aims to identify the main areas of development of the national system of financial monitoring personnel training and the creation of an educational framework in this field. Methods. For the study, we used the systems approach, methods of comparative analysis, and the historical and logical unity principle. Results. The article offers recommendations to create an integrated educational space of the EAEU in the field of AML/CFT and the main directions of development and improvement of the Russian system of training and retraining of personnel in this area. Conclusions. In the context of the digitalization of the economy and the rapid development of financial technologies, it is necessary to constantly update the methods and tools for training personnel for the national financial monitoring system, including the expansion of cooperation between Russian universities and organizations that train and retrain AML/CFT specialists, as well as strengthening the positions of the International Training and Methodology Center for Financial Monitoring (ITMCFM) and the International Network Institute.

Brazil’s National System for the Evaluation of Higher Education: Context, Challenges and Perspectives

This article discusses the implementation of the National System for the Evaluation of Higher Education (SINAES) from its inception in 2004 to present times, giving special attention to advances achieved and to the challenges that must be met in the near future. After a discussion of higher education quality assurance from an international perspective, the text examines adjustments that have been made to operationalize the implementation of the SINAES model and then emphasizes the importance of improving the self-evaluation component of the System. The article concludes by addressing the challenges that must still be met, such as the inclusion within SINAES of state higher education systems, the improvement of indicators and external evaluators, the effective utilization evaluation results, the need to distinguish evaluation processes from regulation policies, and the possibility of transforming the existing framework into a multidimensional evaluation model.

Educational Independence

Two underresearched aspects of French provincial education concern the centralist (but “alternative”) ambitions of the Paris Schola Cantorum across France and the distinctive character of conservatoires which either freed themselves from the national system or refused to join it. Discussion centers on Montpellier (the Schola set up by Charles Bordes in 1905), Strasbourg (a proudly municipal conservatoire which retained many Germanic elements after its return to France in 1919), and Bordeaux (the Société de Sainte-Cécile, also independent, and which, unusually, included a plainchant class alongside its secular provision). Composition emerges as the elusive yet defining feature of the finest and most ambitious of the provincial conservatoires, whether national or not, while the pedagogical commitment of the “scholistes” to regionalist composition (ostensibly one of their calling cards) is revealed as both belated and fragile.

The National Conservatoire System

Discussion of the educational situation in Paris prepares the main arguments of chapters 1 and 2 in relation to nationalized and independent conservatoires in the provinces. Here, the soft power of the state-financed Paris Conservatoire (founded 1795) is contrasted with the more haphazard attempts of the privately funded Schola Cantorum (founded 1896) to act as a centralizing force. After the Revolution the cathedral choir school (maîtrise) system was initially replaced by the Paris Conservatoire alone, but the need for a deconcentrated national system of succursales was keenly felt. However, the Paris Conservatoire’s pedagogical approach could not immediately be imposed on provincial institutions, and some municipalities guarded their independence. A mixed economy of resistance and compliance resulted in a general trend towards homogenization (unity in uniformity) but more decentralist variety and ambition than the government ministry overseeing them found ideal. The Schola Cantorum showed similar centralizing tendencies but could not achieve significant institutional traction.