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Purpose: This paper relates the definition of data quality procedures for knowledge organizations such as Higher Education Institutions. The main purpose is to present the flexible approach developed for monitoring the data quality of the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER) database, illustrating its functioning and highlighting the main challenges that still have to be faced in this domain. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed data quality methodology is based on two kinds of checks, one to assess the consistency of cross-sectional data and the other to evaluate the stability of multiannual data. This methodology has an operational and empirical orientation. This means that the proposed checks do not assume any theoretical distribution for the determination of the threshold parameters that identify potential outliers, inconsistencies, and errors in the data. Findings: We show that the proposed cross-sectional checks and multiannual checks are helpful to identify outliers, extreme observations and to detect ontological inconsistencies not described in the available meta-data. For this reason, they may be a useful complement to integrate the processing of the available information. Research limitations: The coverage of the study is limited to European Higher Education Institutions. The cross-sectional and multiannual checks are not yet completely integrated. Practical implications: The consideration of the quality of the available data and information is important to enhance data quality-aware empirical investigations, highlighting problems, and areas where to invest for improving the coverage and interoperability of data in future data collection initiatives. Originality/value: The data-driven quality checks proposed in this paper may be useful as a reference for building and monitoring the data quality of new databases or of existing databases available for other countries or systems characterized by high heterogeneity and complexity of the units of analysis without relying on pre-specified theoretical distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mature students in postsecondary education—those over 25 years of age, also known as nontraditional students or adult learners—make up a significant minority population on Canadian postsecondary campuses. Despite academic performance that tends to be higher than that of traditional students, the retention of mature students is lower due to the stressors they face in their home and school roles. This paper examines the insights of mature students and their intimate partners on how higher education institutions can provide better supports to make postsecondary programs and campuses more accessible to adult learners and enable their success. A sample of 25 mature postsecondary students enrolled in Canadian higher education institutions and their partners participated in dyadic interviews that explored the connections between their relationship and school experiences. A data-driven, inductive thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews found three themes that focused on the institutional support needs of partnered mature students, highlighting the need to (1) increase institutional knowledge and awareness of mature students' needs, (2) offer flexible study options to complete courses and program requirements, and (3) provide relevant supports and programs. Mature students felt marginalized at their institutions related to the programs, instructors, staff, resources, and supports that are strongly focused on traditional-aged and circumstanced students. Recommendations are provided for higher education institutions to provide resources and supports that meet mature students' unique needs to both access and be successful in their pursuit of postsecondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a survey on the demand for higher education in the U.S. A survey of studies on the demand for higher education circa 1975, made at the University of South Carolina, shows that two approaches have been taken in attempts to assess its magnitudes, one sociological and the other economic. In the investigation, a synthesis of the two approaches is presented and the information from the studies is supplemented by additional evidence from cross-section and time-series data for the U.S. and for South Carolina. The survey of some 18 studies, spanning the period 1965-75, is presented in chronological order, with the main results of the various studies provided in tabular form. The survey occupies the first section of Working Paper No. 76-6 of the Center for Studies in Human Resource Economics, College of Business Administration, University of South Carolina. The working paper gives a detailed report of the investigation. The second section of the paper examines additional cross-sectional data for all South Carolina counties and for the 50 states.

The new millennium education priorities have led the policy makers to modify the higher education curriculum in accordance with the international standards. Thus, the curriculum standards across the country were forced to be uniform since the inception Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan. The universities under HEC are not allowed to modify or localize the curricula according to local needs, requirements and capacities. This paper in a phenomenological way evaluates the effect of reforms related to uniform curriculum standards on students, teachers and universities of backward areas in the country. The study highlights problems related to HEC curriculum; taken 'economics' discipline as a case study. The study calls for the revisit of other curriculums already in place and re-assess in lieu of local needs, requirements and capacities in the context of uniformity and localization. The paper provides a road map from localization of curriculum to uniform curriculum standards based on combined framework of bottom-up and top-down approach. The former approach involves all stakeholders at different tiers for the curriculum development, while the latter one deals with trainings and providing forum / platform for the coordination between the faculty members and curriculum developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, students from the Southern world tend to cross their national borders to study abroad. However, in recent times, we have observed a trend in which more and more students, both full-time and short-term, select Southern countries as destinations for overseas education. This paper contributes to the sparse literature on the above phenomenon, examining the case of Vietnam. We surveyed 50 universities and colleges about their international student profiles (including statistics and nationalities) and their strategies for attracting international students. The findings of this study provide implications for Vietnam's policymakers and university/college leaders and other Southern countries when implementing the internationalization of tertiary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essays are a traditional component of the course requirements in many post-secondary courses. However, the practical and pedagogical disadvantages of essays are significant. These include the increasing ease with which essays can be plagiarized, the lack of peer involvement in the traditional essay submission and feedback process, the usual lack of meaningful instructor-student intellectual discourse in the essay development and feedback process, and the inability to include hyperlinks and non-text media in essays submitted on paper. It is suggested that as instructors make the transition from traditional to blended/online instruction, they consider jettisoning the traditional essay requirement and replace it with some form of "assignment essay/peer review" system such as the one described. Contemporary Learning Management Systems facilitate peer review and peer assessment approaches in ways that were not available in traditional offline education. This paper describes and discusses an online assignment system utilizing peer commentaries that addresses many of the shortcomings of these traditional essay requirement. The system is modeled after peer commentary academic journals such as Behavioral and Brain Sciences and Current Anthropology. This system has successfully been used as a substitute for the traditional essay requirement in a number of third year psychology course sections platformed on both Moodle and Blackboard. The advantages, challenges and practicalities of instituting, managing and grading such peer-reviewed assignments are outlined, and the benefits of the system in terms of student engagement, intellectual modeling, and learning community enhancement are discussed. The peer reviewed assignment system is discussed in the context of recent research indicating some advantages of blended learning approaches compared to traditional approaches. Criticisms of peer feedback approaches are examined, and instructors are encouraged to provide students with detailed instructions and criteria regarding the peer review process. It is hoped that the discussion will be particularly useful to instructors who are in the process of moving from traditional face-to-face course context to the blended/online education environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doctoral students are highly important in university—firm relationships, since they are significant producers of knowledge in collaborative research projects, they are an important channel for knowledge transfer between universities and firms, and are vital in network configurations between firms and universities. An increasing number of doctoral students interact with firms, but we know relatively little about the experiences of these students or how collaboration influences their training, research and subsequent careers. With this in mind, this paper presents a literature review of (1) theoretical assumptions concerning the roles doctoral students are expected to fulfill in university–industry relationships, and (2) empirical research of doctoral students’ interaction experience and outcomes of doctoral student-industry interaction. The aim of the paper is to develop hypotheses for further research on doctoral student—industry interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization and the revolution in technological communications are major forces of change in higher education. This environment, when coupled with the needs of adult learners and the rising costs of tuition at traditional colleges and universities, has stimulated the emergence of for-profit, degree-granting higher education in the United States. This paper examines the growth of for-profit higher education, provides a cost/profit analysis, and gives examples of for-profit universities that are increasing international in scope. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these developments for traditional colleges and universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comparative & International Education is the property of Canadian & International Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Post-secondary education requires a complex organisational structure of higher education institutions, staff and infrastructure. The construction of a comprehensive quality index is necessary to assess the quality of higher education and to improve the higher education system in a country. It is imperative that administrators remain informed about the current state of the system through regular and realistic assessments. Therefore, this study has constructed a composite index to assess the quality of higher education. The quality of higher education in Central and Eastern Europe is analysed using 13 indicators from 11 countries with higher education institutions. Extraction of factor coefficient score matrices was performed by downgrading these indicators using principal component analysis (PCA). Using PCA, two principal components were extracted for analysis and the PCA weighting method was used to determine the importance of each indicator by dual-indicator. Each institution's research activity and the internationalization of higher education were included in this method to determine the efforts made by these institutions. Through the study we observed the differences between the eleven countries in terms of higher education and the importance of each measurement dimension used. These findings can be used to compare the current situation in each country and to find directions for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to predict spatial elements based on twodimensional figures, evaluate engineering elements, identify expected deformations, and predict possible failure mechanisms are critical for engineers. However, in applied mechanics courses, many undergraduate engineering students struggle with applying these skills to engineering problems. Previous studies have shown that three-dimensional (3D) visualization can help students to improve spatial understanding, learn material more permanently, and improve their creativity. Building on this phenomenon, interactive 3D models using Augmented Reality (AR) were incorporated in a Mechanics of Materials course. This course is an entry-level course and major requirement for different engineering disciplines including Civil, Mechanical, Biomedical, Materials Science, and Manufacturing Engineering. To evaluate the effectiveness of 3D models in students' performance, a study was conducted with students in the course. In the study, one group only had access to a traditional, two-dimensional (2D) schematic, while the other group had access to a 3D model. The experimental and control groups were then swapped for the second problem. The results of this study revealed that 3D models improve student performance. This paper reviews the design and results from the study, with the expectation that showing the impact on students' performance will help institutions add similar activities to their engineering courses to improve students learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper posits a classification of tertiary education institutions into four tiers: world research universities, selecting universities, recruiting universities, and vocational institutes. The distinguishing characteristic of world research universities is their research strength, the distinguishing characteristic of selecting universities is their strong student demand, the distinguishing characteristic of recruiting universities is their lower student demand, and the distinguishing characteristic of vocational institutes is their predominance of vocational programs. Yet there is one general characteristic that underlies the whole classification: positional value. The classification is put within a theoretical framework which generates tests of the classification proposed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an update to the 1996 ranking of the U.S. universities with respect to their contributions to the INFORMS practice literature first published by the journal "Interfaces." Method used for compiling the rankings; List of number of universities and colleges; Criterion for selecting the universities; Impact of the decline in nonacademic authorship on education.

A number of different models have been developed to integrate both Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university study with a view to producing work-ready graduates. This paper describes one joint initiative which allows students to integrate their theoretical study and WIL experience by supporting a sequential, embedded accomplishment of qualifications across both VET and university with a single higher education enrolment. Students in the dual-sector degrees have welcomed the skill-based practical work involved with VET education while learning the theoretical concepts of their university education. The need for a more seamless engagement with VET and university study is becoming more urgent and there are a large number of possibilities to explore, particularly relating to the differences in processes and philosophies between the VET and university sectors. This paper identifies some of the key issues and proposes some solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to lift the veil and expose the endless cycle of political attempts to affect social change through manipulation of tertiary education. Design/ methodology/ approach: This paper consists of commentary or discourse regarding tertiary education from a myriad of perspectives indicative of historical, biographical, rhetorical, mythical, structural, allegorical, Foucauldian, and Habermasian philosophical approaches. Results / findings: There are no empirical results merely the observations and reflections of the significance of events and the part they played in the social experiment that have come to shape and define the Australian Tertiary education sector. Originality: This is a reflection on the historical progress of a social experiment initiated by Australian Labor governments and the ideological alternative views of the Australian Tertiary education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the required leadership's competencies of effective department heads at Indonesian universities that have gained quality recognition. Behavior Event Interview and a Questionnaire were used as the methodology for this purpose. These were administered on Heads of Study Programs and/or Heads of Department at some Indonesian universities listed in the QS and Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education rankings. Fifteen competencies were identified from the results of the Behavior Event Interviews while the Questionnaire responses were examined using Cluster Analysis and Whitney-Mann U Test. The results show statistically significant differences between Heads of Departments who meet the competencies requirements and those who do not. This finding allows the determination of Core Competencies required of an effective Heads of Departments and therefore could assist in developing their selection criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses changes in overeducation incidence in Poland in 2006-2014. It finds that a rise in number of tertiary educated workers outpaced an increase in number of jobs requiring tertiary education, which resulted in a substantial growth of overeducation incidence. The overeducation increase was driven mainly by mild overeducation rather than severe overeducation. Overeducated workers are usually young with little job experience. Women are found at lower risk of severe overeducation compared to men, but relatively more at risk of mild overeducation. A low risk of overeducation is associated with having studied technical and health programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper looks at experimental alternative education systems to explore different approaches to pedagogical theories of post-secondary education. The paper focuses on the story of Rochdale College, an experimental free-form college and communal housing project associated with the University of Toronto between 1968 and 1975. The aims, theories and methods of Rochdale College are contextualized by an examination of two theorists on alternative education: John Dewey and Paul Goodman. The theories of Dewey and Goodman are explored through a brief examination of two experimental colleges that preceded Rochdale: The Experimental College (at Tufts University from 1927-32) and Black Mountain College in North Carolina (active from 1933-57). Ideas regarding alternative forms of education were integrated into socio-political ideas from the 1960s counterculture movement in America and Canada, and a major test site for a form of counterculture education was the controversial experiment called Rochdale College. The paper explores ideas of what an alternative post-secondary education system has looked like in the past, in order to pose questions about the ways it could take shape in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of tertiary education has significantly changed in recent years with increasing pressure on universities to "globalize" and expand their reach internationally. In this context, there are a range of pedagogical and cultural issues to consider when designing curriculum to address the needs of students taking courses in different geographical locations. In addition to ensuring equivalence and quality, developing context-specific learning resources is a critical part of international delivery. Providing flexibility and autonomy to meet specific geocultural teaching and learning needs is vital. Programs and courses benefit from collaboration and connectivity between students and staff in all locations to ensure meaningful global learning environments. This paper focuses on a case study from an Australian University and examines how curriculum and delivery modes can be adapted to address the changing needs of transnational education a global context. The case study involves the renewal of a core undergraduate art history and theory subject that is offered in art and design programs across three different locations (Melbourne, Hong Kong and Vietnam). A series of learning materials and assessment tasks were designed to maximize a blended learning environment comprising face-to-face workshops, lectures, and online components. The result is a technology-enabled, common curriculum framework designed to allow for content to be adapted for local delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how differences in resource endowments of universities shape variation in their response to regulatory pressures. Earlier research on higher education institutions tends to conceive regulatory rules as the primary basis of action and does not attend to differences in the salient characteristics of universities. This paper is based on the premise that satisfying regulatory demands requires resources that are compatible with these demands, making resource endowments of universities a potentially significant source of variation in their responses to regulatory pressures. We empirically investigate the relationship between human resource characteristics of economics, management, and political science departments of Turkish universities and how these departments responded to the intensifying regulatory pressure to publish more in indexed journals. Findings reveal that departments which predominantly employ researchers trained in North American universities published significantly more in indexed journals between 2000 and 2008. These departments are better endowed with respect to resources that are necessary for publishing in indexed journals, most importantly knowledge of theory, methodology, and style sought by indexed journals. The paper shows that attending to differences in resource endowments of universities as well as regulatory goals and tools facilitates understanding of how regulation-driven processes unfold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses the relationships among life goals, job prospects and fields of study for a sample of young European higher education graduates. The results show that there is a characteristic pattern for each field of study with regard to the variables used. Graduates in a given field have similar life goals and job prospects, as well as a similar educational and social background, irrespective of cultural and labour market differences associated with their country of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper takes the external quality assurance of English universities and colleges as an example of regulation in higher education as undertaken by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Regulatory scholarship generally has been largely disinterested in higher education and the paper applies a 'regulatory lens' to higher education quality assurance. It reports the findings of a research project on the role identities and perceptions of the auditors recruited by the QAA from the academic community for undertaking institutional audits. It suggests that such a group may be regarded as 'regulatory intermediaries', facing both 'upwards' to the regulator, and 'down' to those being regulated. As such, they have an important function in the delivery of external quality assurance regulation and the paper reports on how they mediate and understand a range of frequently conflicting pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the dynamics of competition in higher education. National competition and global competition are distinct, but feed into each other. Higher education produces ‘positional goods’ (Hirsch 1976) that provide access to social prestige and income-earning. Research universities aim to maximise their status as producers of positional goods. This status is a function of student selectivity plus research performance. At system-level competition bifurcates between exclusivist elite institutions that produce highly value positional goods, where demand always exceeds supply and expansion is constrained to maximise status; and mass institutions (profit and non-profit) characterised by place-filling and expansion. Intermediate universities are differentiated between these poles. In global competition, the networked open information environment has facilitated (1) the emergence of a world-wide positional market of elite US/UK universities; and (2) the rapid development of a commercial mass market led by UK and Australian universities. Global competition is vectored by research capacity. This is dominated by English language, especially US universities, contributing to the pattern of asymmetrical resources and one-way global flows. The paper uses Australia as its example of system segmentation and global/national interface. It closes by reflecting on a more balanced global distribution of capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores international comparisons of the extent of commonality or diversity in the main national external quality assurance frameworks for higher education. It has been suggested, from an European survey, that there are common features in national quality assurance frameworks (van Vught and Westerheijden (Quality Management and Quality Assurance in European Higher Education: Methods and Mechanisms) 1993; Luxembourg, Commission of the European Communities, Education Training Youth). The paper extends the survey, tapping other comparative reports. These comparisons show that a `general model' of external quality assurance does not universally apply, but that most elements of it do apply in most countries. We conclude that the `general model' provides a starting point from which to map deviations. In each country, there may be specific additions of elements or omissions from the model, but more usually there are modifications or extensions of elements. These variations are determined by practicalities, the size of the higher education sector, the rigidity/flexibility of the legal expression of quality assurance (or the absence of enshrinement in law), and the stage of development from state control of the sector. Some additions to the `general model' are suggested. The paper also considers efforts to produce an international scheme for external quality assurance of higher education, and the applicability of the `general model' to the transfer of quality assurance frameworks from country to country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Facultad de Ciencias Humanas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Indigenous TTatorial Assistance Scheme-Tertiary Thition (ITAS-TT) has provided Australian government funding for one-to-one and group tutorial study support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students attending Australian universities since 1989. It has been a central plank supporting Indigenous university students in their studies. However, evaluation of the scheme has identified quality limitations, under-utilisation, administrative burdens, and eligibility issues, and criticised the deficit or low academic expectations assumptions inherent in the scheme. In the 2016-2017 Budget the Australian government modified ITAS into an Indigenous Student Success Program. Reporting on research undertaken at a time of impending changes to funding arrangements and the continuation of ITAS, this paper builds on recent research into the transition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into higher education. The paper investigates the scheme through the perspectives of ITAS tutors and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students receiving ITAS tutoring in two regional universities in New South Wales. Qualitative research found that ITAS tutoring has enabled many students to manage their transition through university and complete their studies. Students and tutors identified limitations in the scheme in terms of guidelines, institutional expectations, access to learning management systems, and the timing of support. The study outcomes suggest that ITAS provides valuable support but has become static, and is not keeping up with developments in online learning and administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a nationally representative sample from the 2004–09 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) survey to examine the effect of education tax benefits on college completion. The paper employs a propensity score matching approach to correct for differences between eligible and ineligible students. Results suggest that tax benefits increase the likelihood of completing a college degree by 8 percentage points. The effect of tax benefits is largest for students who attended private and four-year institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The students' outcome in terms of quality of graduates as regard teaching and learning determines whether the existing methods should be reviewed or not. In the recent world ranking of Universities, only University of Ibadan came among the first hundred despite the number of Universities in Nigeria. This calls for general repositioning of the education sector in Nigeria. This paper examines the teaching and learning of engineering in Nigerian Universities and suggests ways of improving engineering education in Nigerian Universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offering blended courses has increasingly become common at tertiary education though it is relatively new in the field of language teaching. his paper describes the design of a blended language course through Moodle in an EFL context with an emphasis on students' perceptions. In a survey based approach, a total of 68 university students' experiences with blended language learning for two consecutive terms were examined. he questionnaire items focused on the effect of blended design on students' engagement, learning and overall course satisfaction. Student responses revealed that technology-assisted language instruction provided in parallel with face to face teaching could create efficient learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Chao’s (2016) Self-Determination Scale for College Students, the study examined the views of college students with autism on their level of self-determination skills. The data from 56 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, z-scores, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Findings showed that, on average, respondents reported mid-level self-determination, with the majority stating average levels and one-fifth stating below-to-significantly below-average skills. Based on sex/gender, race/ ethnicity, college level, disclosure status, and disability, results showed varying levels within individual subscales of self-determination skills. Hispanics/ Latinos had the lowest levels of self-determination skills than all other ethnic/ racial groups, with below-average levels of Self-Realization, Self-Regulation, and Psychological Empowerment. First-and second-year (sophomores) students reported higher levels of self-determination skills than those in more advanced stages of their college life. Participants who self-disclosed their disability reported significantly higher levels of Self-Realization skills than those who had not. Recommendations and implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'first-year' student experience is a critical transition period for new students. Navigating it successfully can help students in their first-year at university settle into their studies and provide a foundation for retention and success. It has traditionally focused on students entering year one of an undergraduate degree. However, due to the increased diversity in the student body and various entry routes into different levels of university study, what constitutes the first-year student experience and the support students' receive needs to be re-framed. This paper highlights the changes that have occurred in higher education, and puts forward a new student lifecycle to assist institutions effectively support new undergraduate students in their first-year of study and beyond across academic and non-academic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many international students are currently pursuing their post-secondary studies in Malaysia. At the beginning of each study programme in Malaysian universities, international students typically attend EAP courses for a better performance on campus. However, it is believed that these courses do not satisfactorily meet the EFL international students' needs, and this is probably because such courses do not take into consideration a comprehensive need analysis. This survey is one of the forerunning efforts to find out what tasks of English writing and speaking skills are actually needed by EFL international students in order to improve their ability of English as these two skills have been reported to be the most essential ones in academic settings. To this end, a Need Analysis questionnaire was employed to examine EFL international students' needs over productive skills. The questionnaire was sent to respondents via email and 60 post-secondary students responded and returned the questionnaire. The data analysis revealed that the majority of the participants considered speaking as the most important language skill that they needed to improve. Also, they reported that Explaining Ideas, Giving a Presentation, Giving Reasons, and Discussing in Meetings ranked on top of their speaking needs. In addition, the most needed writing tasks in EAP classes included Taking Lecture Notes and Writing Journal Papers/Articles. Moreover, gender was found to be significant in determining speaking tasks needed by EFL international students. Finally, PhD students reported to have different speaking needs compared to students studying Master and Bachelor programmes. Findings of this study are majorly congruent with other studies on international students' needs in academic settings, which can be of worth for the current EAP/ESP courses offered in Malaysia for EFL international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discussion of policies to promote quality tertiary education has been premised on the notion that teaching and research are independent activities, with teaching performance unrelated to research output. In this paper, we analyse the relationship between research quality and teaching performance. The empirical analysis is based on the recent 'Excellence in Research for Australia' 2010 ratings and the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund measures for 2007-2008 by field across Australian universities. We found that high-performing research environments do generate high-quality learning and teaching in 'economic' outcomes but not in 'perception' outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review recent increases in tuition at public institutions and estimate impacts on enrollment. We use data on all U.S. public 4-year colleges and universities from 1991 to 2006 and illustrate that tuition increased dramatically beginning in the early part of this decade. We examine impacts of such increases on total enrollment and credit hours, and estimate differences by type of institution. We estimate that the average tuition and fee elasticity of total headcount is -0.0958. At the mean, a $100 increase in tuition and fees would lead to a decline in enrollment of about 0.25 percent, with larger effects at Research I universities. We find limited evidence that especially large tuition increases elicit disproportionate enrollment responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities and university systems around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of gathering information about (and from) their graduates in order to assess and improve institutional quality, monitor employment outcomes, adapt old, and develop new, curriculum and influence institutional performance management systems. Using its expertise in higher education measurement systems together with original data collected from a panel of international experts in more than 10 countries, the Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) paper cuts across three of the conference topics (managing graduate data for quality assurance, using graduate tracking data for curriculum development and graduate voices on the transition from school to career) to examine national and regional graduate tracking systems that are being used around the world in terms of their author/s, objectives, timing after graduation and number of follow-ups,topics covered and methods used for feeding the findings back into the policy loop. With a focus on good practice, innovative practice, and cost-effective practice, the paper describes some of the most successful graduate tracking systems in different countries in terms of meeting their objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of enhancing quality in tertiary education and educators is noble. Increasingly, however, universities are resorting to stark, reductionist representations of educational quality, such as decontextualised mean figures generated by student surveys, to measure and report on this. This paper questions the validity and reliability of such mean scores. Universities are using these results for high-stakes ends, and disclose them to ever-broader audiences. This paper focuses on the broader publication of these mean scores pertaining to individual staff members. The paper investigates forces that drive such an approach and the attractions thereof, and enumerates its outcomes and effects, while investigating potential theory-method mismatches. The paper evaluates this evaluation method against four criteria: (measurement of) quality teaching; ethical practice; managerial relations; and research methodology and methods. The paper also proposes some alternative approaches to interrogate and enhance teacher quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent and past studies (King III report, 2009: 73-75; Stoney 2007; Committee of Sponsoring Organisation-COSO, 2004, Bartell, 2003; Liebenberg and Hoyt, 2003; Reason, 2000; Markowitz 1957) lament that although, the introduction of quantifying risk to enhance degree of objectivity in fi nance for instance was quite parallel to its development in the manufacturing industry, it is not the same in Higher Education Institution (HEI). In this regard, the objective of the paper was to demonstrate the methods and process of Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) through likelihood of occurrence of risk (phase I). This paper serves as fi rst of a two-phased study, which sampled hundred (100) risk analysts in a University in the greater Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The analysis of likelihood of occurrence of risk by logistic regression and percentages were conducted to investigate whether there were a signifi - cant difference or not between groups (analyst) in respect of QRA. The Hosmer and Lemeshow test was non-signifi cant with a chi-square (X2 =8.181; p = 0.300), which indicated that there was a good model fi t, since the data did not signifi cantly deviate from the model. The study concluded that to derive an overall likelihood rating that indicated the probability that a potential risk may be exercised within the construct of an associated threat environment, the following governing factors must be considered: (1) threatsource motivation and capability (2) nature of the vulnerability (3) existence and effectiveness of current controls (methods and process). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an emerging interpretive framework for understanding the active role instructional designers play in the transformation of learning systems in higher education. A 3-year study of instructional designers in Canadian universities revealed how, through reflexive critical practice, designers are active, moral, political, and influential in activating change at interpersonal, professional, institutional and societal levels. Through narrative inquiry the voices of designers reflect the scope of agency, community and relational practice in which they regularly engage with faculty in institutions of higher learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st Century is widely considered to be the epoch of science and technology. Many institutions of higher learning, including Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kenya, are developing academic programmes in Science and Technology in order to foster national development and ultimately improve the quality of life in society. For this reason, most institutions embrace a multidisciplinary approach where programmes in science, engineering, humanities and languages are integrated. The integrated approach in higher education has raised a number of pertinent questions: What is the role of higher institutions of science and technology? What is the place of language within the integrated approach? Can Kiswahili make any contribution in enhancing the potential of science and technology in development? This paper seeks to provide answers to the foregoing questions by illustrating the centrality of language as a medium of creating, transmitting and disseminating knowledge in science and technology, with specific reference to English and Kiswahili in Kenya. It is observed that the current age of science and technology is characterized by knowledge and information explosion; whoever accesses and utilizes these two commodities speedily has advantage over others. Efficiency and effectiveness of the medium that the knowledge and information are transmitted in thus becomes a key factor. Thus, the paper suggests concrete steps that can be taken by institutions of higher learning, planners, policy makers and scholars to ensure that the two languages, Kiswahili and English, facilitate the contribution of science and technology to development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various articles related to college education. It says that the paper "The Market for College Graduates and the Worldwide Boom in Higher Education for Women" in the May 2010 issue of "The American Economic Review" provided an optimal investment model on one's higher education. It tells that the study showed that more women than men go to college due to their elasticity of supply, noncognitive abilities, and less variability. It tackles the paper "The Falling Time Cost of College: Evidence from Half a Century of Time Use Data" which concluded that the studying time of college students is decreasing from 1961 to 2004. It states that the paper offered speculative explanations regarding the decline such as technologies, working while studying, and institutional standards.

Since 1989, when it became legally possible for private higher education to operate in New Zealand, the sector has grown to become a significant part of the country's higher education system. This paper explores the private penetration, traces the changes that have occurred in private higher education, and evaluate the sector's position in New Zealand today. The private sector has had to find a niche for itself in a higher education sector dominated by a mature, well developed public sector. In so doing, New Zealand's private higher education exhibits differences and similarities with private higher education sector internationally. The New Zealand case is one of private entry into a mature higher education system in an economically advanced country. Emphasis is also placed on the dissimilarities between the private sector and the more predominant public tertiary education institutions in New Zealand. It is clear from this study that the private sector has characteristics that clearly distinguish it from the public higher education sector in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades academic literacy has received considerable attention in tertiary education in several English-medium universities. English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and similar writing programs have constantly been revised in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia as a result of globalization, the increasing numbers of international students and the dominance of English as an academic language. In contrast, EAP programs in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced very little innovation and change. In this paper, I argue for a change in the curriculum of an EAP program (Communicative Skills) in an English-medium university in Ghana, advancing three key reasons. Such a curriculum, it is argued, should address issues of general and discipline-specific writing, foundation and remediation, and lastly the teaching approach. The paper then concludes with a discussion of some implications worth considering for both theoreticians and implementers of EAP in university education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methodological diversity has enriched higher education research. One area about which little is known is the dynamics of multi-investigator multi-institutional projects. This paper examines what happens inside a large-scale, team-based research project with an emphasis on decision points related to methodology and reporting results. Systematically reflecting on the tensions that emerged during one effort can give license to other investigators to openly discuss and manage more productively the decisions and struggles in their research and avoid pitfalls that could compromise the research endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]