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This paper reflects a fairly pessimistic view of Hungarian higher education (HE). The reason for this is not the quality of Hungarian HE or the prevailing processes in it, but the contrast between the present situation, achievements and trends, and the unique opportunities for development and the introduction of new paradigms offered by the restructuring of society, the prominent role of HE in the preparation of the integration processes as well as by outside assistance and international cooperation. Comparing the position of HE with other sectors of society or of the academic sphere (e.g. the research institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) HE can be seen to have a considerable comparative advantage: due to the relatively favourable government policy of the past years which has protected the sphere from devastating budget cuts, the universities and colleges are more or less intact and can operate without greater restrictions. Furthermore substantial developments have been carried out mainly on the basis of outside assistance and cooperation. The main problem lies in the fact that, unfortunately, these developments have not considerably altered the structure, the 'philosophy' of the system, the main frameworks, the activities at grassroots level and the way staff and students think. Comparing the main characteristics of Hungarian HE with those of Western European HE systems, a set of consistent differences can be listed. Consequently the restructuring of Hungarian HE would require a change of paradigms, i.e. introduction of a set of consistent and coherent measures, the transition from the present system of operation to another harmonising with the HE systems of Western European democracies. There seems to be no other possibility: experience of implementing excellent ideas has shown that changing only some parts of a consistent system is unsuccessful. This paper was prepared before the favourable changes at the Ministry of Education and Culture in the... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 30 years, major changes have taken place in the public sector worldwide under the rubric of New Public Management [NPM]. The education sector is perhaps one of the key areas drawing an intense interest and discussion in the wake of NPM. The Russian State seems to be no longer an exception to this global trend. In line with this, the Russian education sector was declared as a large-scale top priority national project in the late summer of 2005, which was aimed to help raise the living standards of each Russian citizen. This empirical paper seeks to reveal the major institutional and legal changes taking place in Russian higher education over time. This insight is vital as it points to the contexts in which Russian public universities operate. To make the acquaintance of a system of Russian higher education, this research sketches its evolution. It commences from the Soviet era to the present time, highlighting the most significant government initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the process of enhancing quality, quality culture has become a taken-for-granted concept intended to support development and improvement processes in higher education. By taking a theoretical approach to examining quality culture, starting with a scholarly examination of the concept of culture, and exploring how it is related to quality, quality improvement and quality assurance, the aim of this paper is to create a better understanding of how one can make sense of quality culture, its boundaries but also its links to the fundamental processes of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no doubt that what is generally referred to as ‘Ph.D education’ has undergone dramatic changes in Europe in recent years. Whereas the Bologna Process, launched in 1999, originally had in mind to make it easier for undergraduate students to gain international experience and enhance their employability by facilitating mobility and transparency of higher education in Europe, the idea of a ‘third cycle’ of doctoral studies came relatively late in the discussion (2003). For some academic cultures, the idea of educating doctoral students was and still is perceived as a threat against academic freedom, originality and credibility. Other academic cultures have already long adopted Ph.D training schemes as an integrated part of training future scientists and knowledge workers. This article presents the result of a recent survey on Ph.D training in the Nordic-Baltic Area (Andreas Önnerfors: ‘Ph.D-training/PGT in the Nordic-Baltic Area’, Exploring the North: papers in Scandinavian Culture and Society 2006:1, Lund 2006) initiated by the Nordic research organisation NordForsk, which discusses new concepts of doctoral education and training in the five Nordic and the three Baltic countries as well as in Russia, Poland and three northern states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Whereas there is great correspondence in the performance of doctoral training and education in the Nordic countries and changes have been introduced permanently for about 30 years, Poland, Germany and Russia are battling with their academic traditions and the challenge of adapting their academic cultures to joint European standards. This concerns especially the phenomenon of two postgraduate degrees (the Ph.D and a further degree) and the view upon training elements in doctoral studies. After their independence, the three Baltic countries rapidly adapted their systems of higher education to the Nordic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation, together with readier access to capability-enhancing technologies and to technological insights once restricted to a few leading economies, are resulting in greater competition within Europe, and more widely within the developed world, for influence of all kinds (not just influence over the choices that foreign students make about the Higher Education courses on offer to them from Europe, but also influence of a more overtly imperialist kind, extending to the policies, incomes and futures of others). This article looks at trends in one important market for European Higher Education, the Middle East (particularly the GCC countries), which has many providers from North America and Australia. As observed by the late Edward Said, the USA is particularly forceful in the Middle East. Its technological superiority is accompanied by fervour to introduce American methods and curricula, and strong belief in their merit, reminiscent of the belief of the old French empire that ‘France had a “mission civilisatrice”, to civilize the natives”. The danger, highlighted in a recent UNESCO report ‘New Ignorances, New Literacies’, is that the natives will not be listened to. Is Europe listening more or less than the USA, and is it being listened to? Despite attention-gaining initiatives such as the proposed European Institute of Technology, EIT, and the commitment of EU governments to the Lisbon goals on competitiveness, there are indications of a drop in the influence of European Higher Education institutions in the Middle East. This paper explores the kinds of issues that may be at work, and the implications for European Higher Education policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Features a study which analyzed the changes in Norwegian policies concerning lifelong learning and higher education from the 1970s up to the year 2000. Background of employee education from the 1980s to the 1990s; Principles on the funding of lifelong learning and continuing education; Conclusion.

Discusses some issues and implications of the postgraduate education and training policies in the United Kingdom. Information on the Technology Foresight Initiative; Harris report on postgraduate education; Purpose of postgraduate education.

Examines whether the Dutch government approach to a fundamental change in the relationship between the national government and the higher education has been fully implemented with regard to curriculum design and curriculum change. Regulation of curriculum development; Government regulations; Structure of the Dutch university system; Autonomy and quality of higher education.

It is four years since communism collapsed in Poland. How much have we accomplished since then? Does the experience of those years provide a basis for an optimistic or pessimistic view of development of research and higher education (HE) in Poland in the future? In this paper I will present some data that may justify both views. I will also mention some of my personal opinions, my hopes and fears. This article is composed of two parts: (1) The Ups, and (2) The Downs. In these two sections I will attempt to list and characterise briefly those successes and failures which appear to me the major ones in the transformation period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for more effective co-operation between higher education and industry was recognised by most West European governments during the 1980s. This article provides an overview of the measures initiated to strengthen the relationship. The aim has not been to discuss such measures in depth, but to outline the main themes to emerge and, where appropriate, draw attention to questions which remain unanswered. The paper draws heavily for its factual information on reports prepared by national experts as part of the EC Community programme in Education and Training for Technology (COMETT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the creation of unified system of higher education in Great Britain. Measure of academic convergence with an increased emphasis on vocationalization and professionalization of both parts of the higher education system; Problems of expansion of higher education and its relation to the needs of the economy; Government's intention to pursue a binary policy in higher education.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Harald Schomburg on the professional success of European and Japanese graduates and another by Ulrich Teichler on relationships between higher education and work.

The article examines the extent to which the notion of a publicly-funded university as an institution engaging in both teaching and research is likely to be sustained in the European higher education space of the future, given the variety of pressures (including funding and mass higher education) on such a conception of a university and changes in how national governments regard the purposes of higher education. Relevant literature on the changing purposes of universities is reviewed. For illustrative purposes, the article uses an example of recent legislation, the 2004 Higher Education Act, in England, whereby research degree awarding powers are no longer a pre-requisite for the conferral of university status. The position in England’s higher education system with regard to research and teaching is contrasted with that of a second UK country, Scotland, which has contrasting policies on teaching and research in universities. The article examines the research-teaching debate from the perspective of individual academics, universities and policy-makers, using recent empirical data where available. It is suggested that whilst academics and their institutions (for different reasons) may be in favour of retaining a link between teaching and research and may resist changes to this, policy-makers faced with rising demands on the public purse may see such links as suited only to an academic elite. Such pressures apply equally to other member countries of the European Higher Education space, so the outcomes of this policy debate about the centrality of research and teaching to universities have many implications for the future shape of European higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes standards, criteria and indicators used in program evaluation and accreditation in higher education in Western Europe as of September 1, 2003. Definitions of standards and criteria for evaluating the quality of education; Kinds of standards, criteria and indicators for program evaluation and accreditation; Evaluation of teaching and learning methods.

Explores the emerging policies and actions for evidence of support for widening participation to higher education in European Union (EU) policy and programs. Overview of the Maastricht treaty of 1992; Significance of Maastricht Treaty for the emergence of education in the EU policy discourse.

Presents information on a study which described transnational and national initiatives designed to equalize access to the information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education. Potential of ICT to reduce cost; Principal rationales for introducing technology in education; Implementation of ICT in Portugal.

Focuses on higher education in the Republic of Ireland. Growth and diversification; Admission rates; Second-level influences; Policy issues relating to access.

Discusses issues associated with a trend in British government policy of encouraging the integration of curricular and learning experiences associated with higher education with the practices associated in the workplace. Contexts of work-based learning and its support; Idea of integration in the context of government interest; Qualification profile of the working population.

How does Latin America fit into this picture? It is obvious that it lags behind in many fields of knowledge that are crucial for international competition. For it to take an active part and with some measure of autonomy in the new world economic setup, it ought to be more adequately equipped in terms of science, technology and commerce. Co-operation is needed more than ever before. This article touches on some of the needs and opportunities for co-operation in higher education between Europe and Latin America, with emphasis on the bigger Latin American countries for two reasons: first, because supply and demand for technological skills in those countries are greater and, second, for the pragmatic reason that we have more data about them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for a redefinition of first year experience in higher education is advocated with the aid of two models, which, although focused on a sample of Australian pre-service teaching students, is proposed as generalisable across the first year. Introduction to the mores of higher education is generally supported by teaching institutions during Orientation days and into the first few weeks of study on the assumption that students are then prepared for academic study. Institutions have invested significantly in providing a range of resources and services to support this process but their effectiveness relies on their timely and appropriate use by students. It is proposed that first year students' transition be identified as the FYST, a unique and important experience and the first of a series of transitions that occur throughout tertiary study. It is also argued that student engagement should be explicitly linked to critical points in the academic programme. Student teacher focus group feedback suggests that Timely, Individualised, and Prioritised Survival [TIPS] support may be key to aiding students' transition to higher education and valuable to student retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contextualises the use of accreditation for prior experiential learning (APEL) in European higher education by analysing the notions of desert and merit. We propose that the credentialising of certain types of knowledge can lead to a narrow definition of education which merely endeavours to serve consumer imperatives so as to market the individual in the work place rather than develop the essence of their being. The article advocates judgement not rules, codes or descriptors in making assessments of the worth of the personal and professional knowledge , experience and practices of claimants. We then argue that without such mechanistic criteria desert rather than merit should hold sway in the making of assessments. Moreover, we propose that desert more fairly represents an individual's achievements for the purposes of the owner of the achievement and for those would wish to make decsions based upon them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past 20 years, researchers worldwide have shared a consensus that tracking leads to failure in school. But educational systems continue to use this practice for many reasons. One argument used to support the practice is that students who enter the vocational track early in their careers tend to enter the labour market more quickly. Data show, however, that when these people are in their 40s, they become the most vulnerable to poverty, especially during periods of economic recession. In addition to moving towards more comprehensive educational systems as the best long-term way to improve the chances of all future adults, our research demonstrates that schools can play a key role in preventing and reversing the risk of unemployment and poverty of low educated youth. The INCLUD-ED project has analysed effective actions in eight European countries (Slovenia, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Romania, Belgium, Finland, and Spain) that respond to the educational needs of those who have experienced tracking. These effective alternatives are vocational programmes that include an academic-type of curriculum and allow students to move to higher education, as well as adult education programmes in schools which meet families' training needs, improving their opportunities in the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a horizontal perspective on the dynamics of governance sites currently active for the European of Knowledge and places the Bologna process in this wider European level context. It introduces two dynamics of change in political organisation: a) institutional differentiation and specialisation and b) the interaction between institutional spheres and sectors. Signs of sectoral differentiation are identified in the history of European integration that is relevant to the Europe of Knowledge. The argument is that the nature and sequence of the differentiation process are key to understand current governance processes. It is illustrated by showing how a horizontal dynamics has been played out in the case of the EU's Lisbon strategy and in particular the cooperation taking place in the framework of the EU's 'Education and Training 2010' work programme. The analysis shows how the Bologna process, although perpetuated as a sector internal governance site, has co-evolved and interacted with this strategy, partly as an object of emulation and source of support and partly as a competing governance site. A horizontal dynamics of change is also evident in the larger Lisbon strategy as it lifted research and higher education policy to the centre of the European integration project. It resulted in the development of several governance sites with different foci targeting European higher education. A more prominent place on the political agenda came together with demands that research and education should be integrated with the overall political and economic objectives of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the 20th century, integration with the Western world has been a determining driver of higher education policies, as well as many other policy areas in Turkey. Becoming a signatory country of the Bologna Process in 2001 brought a new impulse to the higher education policies in this direction. The Bologna Process reforms introduced necessary changes and set new challenges. This article discusses the main implementation activities in the context of the Bologna Process in Turkey and the governance of the reform at the national level with a focus on the roles of the key national bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roads of incoming information to the US higher education system about the Bologna Process are varied and numerous. They include not only the on-line and traditional trade press, but also conferences of national organisations. Whether anyone remembers much of that information, on the other hand, is an open question, as a limited survey undertaken by the author reveals. The mainstream media are not interested in Bologna, governance authorities are exclusively focused on internal issues, and the US research literature on Bologna, while growing, is still minimal. However, some of the research was picked up by the Lumina Foundation for Education, which sponsored the first US experiment with Bologna-related reforms through a Tuning project involving three state systems and six disciplines; and a second round of this venture should begin soon. Out of this effort came Lumina's sponsorship of the first rounds of discussions concerning the potential for a national degree qualifications framework. This evolution indicates another mode of communication in the US system: a combination of personal relations and private foundations with a bold enough agenda to elevate and move both Bologna knowledge and practice to the centre of US consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses one of the most important aspects of the journey towards the vision of a European Higher Education Area, namely the development of a 'new architecture' in which compatible qualifications frameworks are one of the main building blocks. The overall question addressed concerns how and whether signatory countries of the Bologna process, although committed to this 'new architecture', share the same understanding of the intentions of the qualifications frameworks. The article shows that, while the main policy documents of the Bologna process cling to the saga of successfulness with regard to the implementation of compatible qualifications frameworks at national levels, our analysis demonstrates major shortcomings which cannot be explained within a rational approach. Rather, our study indicates that the shortcomings are better understood as the lack of a shared epistemic as well as cultural understanding of the aim of a qualifications framework. By employing a theoretical lens based upon different perspectives on institutionalism and governmentality, we argue that qualifications frameworks can be understood as part of a rapidly-expanding myth of rationality which offers global scripts to follow. On the other hand, the translation process of the qualifications frameworks shows that there are different 'windows of opportunities' which offer the different countries a space to manifest national mindsets and institutional practices. This becomes evident when looking into the self-certifications reports on national qualifications framework of three countries. Finally, to understand what is at stake, the issue of power needs to be taken into account. As we suggest, it comes as no surprise that the countries in the 'leading group' of introducing national qualifications frameworks are all 'well-established' members of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) for Quality Assurance has been seen as an important step towards realising the European Higher Education Area by creating more transparency and accountability in the area of quality assurance. The ESG also include standards as to how quality assurance agencies should be reviewed. In a meta-analysis of the reviews undertaken of quality assurance agencies, this article explores to what extent the ESG is having an impact on the reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the work of the Bologna Follow Up Group as the main institution of the Bologna Process and the perceptions of the policy actors involved concerning the character of the process in terms of its functioning in contrast to similar multi-level multi-actor European processes, its modes of communication and consensus seeking, as well as its effectiveness in terms of policy formation and implementation. It argues that the Bologna Process is a unique multi-level multi-actor process shaped by its informality, the actors' political commitment and the participation of stakeholders. Its format seems to be more effective and suitable for purposes of policy formation than for those of policy monitoring or coordination of implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the network development and promotion of the learning region model in HEIs in the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), focusing on quality, partnership and social equality in the Hungarian context. It argues that the learning city-region model can be used and put into practice in many different ways for a new learning climate to occur, as in the case of the Pécs Learning City-Region Forum. However, there are parallel ways to implement the model for HEIs. The first is a purely economically centred one for those HEIs that reflect a reformed social identity to serve mainly employability, economic productivity and innovation through education and research in post socialist countries. The second is more holistic, reflecting not only education and research, but also making use of innovation based on economic and social partnership and networking in local, regional, national and international contexts. The article elaborates on the opportunities for this model as one into which Hungarian HEIs may develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the current reform of European doctoral education. It is argued that the concrete results of the reform can be better understood by analysing changes in the management of doctoral programmes. This rests on the case study of a Norwegian PhD programme in finance and is based on an analytical framework composed of three public management narratives: New Public Management (NPM), Network Governance (NG) and Neo-Weberian-State (NWS). The latter allows for a particular focus on the instruments, actors and objectives of governance. The article concludes that the examined doctoral programme's management story can be divided into two episodes. The first — the ‘internationalisation’ episode — is shaped by the academic profession in finance which uses a wide range of constraining NPM instruments and applies them in a comprehensive manner to doctoral education in order to achieve its overall objective, namely to implement an internationally competitive PhD programme. The second — the ‘integration’ episode — is about a recently developed policy instrument with relatively non-constraining NWS elements, used by the State to establish National Research Schools. The latter are principally aimed at the better development and coordination of doctoral training between small and large higher education institutions. Due to those differences between the two episodes in terms of constraining character and scope, the reform of the examined doctoral programme is strongly shaped by the first episode. Hence, the reform essentially consists in a doctoral programme with an international and academic character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global market for higher education has expanded rapidly, while internationalisation strategies have been developed at university, national and European levels to increase the competitiveness of higher education institutions. This article asks how institutional settings prevailing in national models of capitalism motivate distinct national approaches with regard to the internationalisation, globalisation, and Europeanisation of higher education systems. While the university is defined as an organisational actor embedded in the higher education system, the higher education system itself represents an institutional subsystem within the national model of capitalism. An analytical framework is then developed on the basis of the Varieties of Capitalism approach to compare the internationalisation of German and British universities. Findings indicate that the relations between the various actors involved in the internationalisation of universities are based largely on market coordination in the British case. In contrast, this process in Germany relies more on strategic interactions between the various organisational actors in higher education. The development paths in the internationalisation of universities are found to be influenced by and reflect the specific mode of coordination in the respective higher education system and the national model of capitalism more generally. This comparative case study shows that recent conceptions of path dependence as well as conceptual tools developed in the Varieties of Capitalism literature, such as institutional complementarity and comparative institutional advantage, may be fruitfully applied to research on institutional change in higher education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of learning networks based on asynchronous written communication — Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) — makes it crucial to assess the possibilities offered by these new environments to facilitate and promote learning processes and learning outcomes. Our interest in this area is specifically directed towards the study of distributed teaching presence understood as the exercise of educational influence, i.e. as the help provided to each other participant in an ALN to promote individual and collective learning. We adopt a multi-method approach that integrates the structural analysis of presence (access and participation) and connectivity (reciprocity and responsiveness) with the content analysis of the participants’ contributions. This article focuses on structural analysis as a relevant and powerful tool for the study of collaborative learning in networking and asynchronous contexts. Its main objective is to show how a relevant and useful system of indicators and profiles, which identify and examine the distribution of educational influence in ALNs, can be constructed. We present the theoretical assumptions surrounding the concept of distributed teaching presence and illustrate the analysis with data from two didactic sequences in higher education. The results show that the structural analysis, when theoretically grounded and oriented, is a powerful tool for identifying different activity profiles related to different levels and modalities of the exercise of educational influence and for assessing the distributed teaching presence in learning networks. Finally, we discuss the benefits and constraints of this kind of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the permeability between vocational and academic education in the education system of Germany. It discusses work-based learning (WBL) and work-based studying (WBS) are conducted in vocational education, training, and higher education (HE) with the help of two case studies. The first study relates to vocational education and training (VET) and information technology (IT), while the other relates to business administration at the HE level. The article further points out that the advantages of permeability is both, for clients as well as education providers. The challenges faced by the permeability are also discussed.

The article discusses the features of the common European framework for work-based learning (WBL) of the project Developing European Work Based Learning Approaches and Methods (DEWBLAM). It highlights the point that education and training have the main role in responding to the challenges faced in Europe including globalization, an ageing population and emerging new technologies. It states that the European Union initiatives have brought changes in the structure, purpose, methodology, conduct and delivery of higher education in response to globalization. WBL is stated to possibly help higher education institutions to establish sustainable partnerships with workplace organizations, create more appropriate qualifications and improve employability.

The international dimension of higher education has expanded rapidly in recent decades and private provision is becoming increasingly widespread in response to the diverse pressures of globalisation, rapid expansion in demand and increased pressures on public finances. As higher education has become marketised, opportunities for international providers have increased dramatically. Foreign providers may opt for delivery locally or remotely and via a variety of different legal and organisational arrangements. The focus of this article is on foreign provision of HE with specific reference to China and the UK. In the period post-Mao, the policy environment for higher education in China has changed dramatically, culminating in 2003 in the decision to allow foreign universities to formally establish partnerships with Chinese universities for the delivery of higher education. The development and operation of the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China, is discussed in order to provide more detailed insights into the nature and challenges of delivering foreign HE provision in a Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing global competition for students has witnessed an ever more rapid internationalisation of higher education. In the case of the UK, there has been a major influx of Chinese students to British universities since the launch of the British Government's long-term worldwide educational campaign in 1999. Drawing upon evidence from an extensive review of the literature on the internationalisation of higher education, this article will explore variations in Chinese students' intercultural adaptation to the British higher education environment. Discussion of their experiences will be based upon a synthesis of findings of three studies, led by the author, investigating the pedagogical, sociocultural and psychological challenges that they have encountered when studying in British universities. Evidence from these studies suggests that despite various challenges and struggles, most students have managed to survive the demands of the learning and the living environment and to adapt and develop. Analysis of their learning experiences suggests that this learning process spans a developmental continuum involving the students in overcoming emotional tensions arising from changes in their cognition, their sense of identity and sociocultural values. A holistic and developmental perspective is thus required to understand changes in students' perceptions and values as part of their wider adaptation to the academic conventions of their host countries. The findings will make an original contribution to understandings of the impact of the internationalisation of higher education on individuals' learning, change and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, and from a Humboltian perspective, research was conceived as an important part of the tripartite mission of universities, with teaching and services to the community being the other two. The traditional idea of universities as cultural and social institutions is increasingly being replaced by another: the entrepreneurial, capitalist or, even, industrial university. In the new university, research also changes in line with the economic instrumentality of higher education. In this article, we shall analyse if these new ideas were institutionalised in Portuguese public universities. To do this, we analyse the way in which research is signified in communication processes by analysing the content of universities' websites. In the main webpages, the dominant implicit social meaning of research seems to be a traditional one. However, a more specific analysis reveals the presence of entrepreneurial elements. In Portuguese public universities, creating and commercialising intellectual property could be an institutional objective, but it was not used in the web communication as such. One could say that, despite the New Public Management influences on universities, the idea of research as an entrepreneurial issue was not yet completely institutionalised and, consequently, communication tools such as websites showed hybrid meanings of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on recent trends in quality assurance initiatives, analyses how the European Higher Education Area promotes quality enhancement mechanisms and their implications for quality cultures in universities. It presents and discusses two approaches towards quality enhancement both at the institutional and programme level: 1. Quality Enhancement at programme level: the Tuning approach and 2. Scottish Enhancement-led Institutional Review. It also argues that current approaches towards quality culture are reorienting the focus from quality assurance towards contextual quality enhancement and that quality enhancement becomes the primary responsibility of universities and university stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in the year 2000, higher education policies all over Europe were transformed by the launching and evolution of the Bologna Process, otherwise known as the process of creating a European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Initially, this process was flexible and informal, which makes the rapidity and scope of the changes it brought about surprising: why did European governments commit themselves to achieving the Bologna Objectives, and why so quickly, when there was no legal obligation to do so? I will argue the following: to understand the development of such a sense of obligation, we must take into account the special interests at stake when Bologna objectives are implemented at a national level. We must also consider the legitimacy lent to the process by the Bologna ideals of a knowledge-based economy and society. These elements are present in other studies on this topic. However, and this is rarely considered, we also have to take into account the specific dynamics of the process of creating an institutional coordination and monitoring mechanism. This mechanism has a formal institutional structure and tools for evaluation and monitoring. Our analysis of the way in which it was developed and formalised enriches previous research on the topic and also sheds light on how a flexible European process of voluntary participation became a monitored system of coordinated national higher education policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allocating and managing resources have always been important cornerstones of institutional leadership. Institutional resources include financial, physical and human components. Even in the best of times, it is a challenge to do this effectively. In times of diminished and shrinking resources, distributing these precious commodities across the institutions in the most equitable and productive manner is fraught with complications. As higher education funding streams expand and present more options, they also create new challenges. Leaders today must be well-versed in the emerging realms of philanthropy and entrepreneurialism. Beyond monetary resources, leaders and senior managers must monitor and understand the external environment in order to make discerning decisions about the viability of further infrastructure investments because of changing student demographics or the complexities of personnel within the dynamic culture of social organisations. This article will stress the need for leadership and an institutional planning process as essential prerequisites to effective resource allocations. Portugal will also be discussed as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the impact of internationalisation on the strategy and language policy of the Portuguese University of Aveiro. In addition, it analyses how the Department of Languages and Cultures of the University contributes to the language policy. For the University of Aveiro, internationalisation is a priority and a distinctive feature of its profile. It is a member of many international networks and consortia in Europe and participates in a wide range of international study and research programmes. The principles of the Bologna Process have challenged UA policy makers to adopt a language policy and to give study programmes a more international profile by considering the option of English as a medium of instruction. At the same time, and paradoxically, the role of the Portuguese language will become increasingly important in the near future because many of the foreign students at Aveiro come from the former Portuguese-speaking colonies. We conclude that the question of language has led to local dilemmas, discussions and sometimes tensions about the role of the English language in processes of internationalisation and curriculum change at the University of Aveiro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the changing nature of doctoral study in higher education in the context of significant global changes in higher education. From its origins with Humboldt, the trajectory of doctoral study is traced through the traditional Ph.D, the extended 'American model', to the professional doctorate. A university case study charts how these global changes impacted on a specific UK university as it attempted to position itself in the changing market for doctoral study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between higher education and employment is commonly interpreted in terms of the extent to which the higher education sector is providing graduates with the knowledge and skills to match employment needs. It is assumed that a mismatch between working in a job and level or field of education limits the use of skills, with adverse effects on both productivity and earnings. This article examines this assumption on the basis of five countries from the European graduate survey (CHEERS data). Although the analysis shows that educational and skill mismatches are indeed related, mismatches by no means imply mismatches between available and required knowledge and skills. The results indicate that traditional approaches of mismatches have to be adapted to more flexible forms of relationships between higher education and work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We shall analyse the different characteristics of entrepreneurs, the self-employed, and employees in public, private and non-profit organisations, based on a sample of young European higher education graduates. Using graduates’ self-assessment from a survey, several sets of characteristics such as social-demographic traits, educational and occupational experiences and levels of competences are considered. A descriptive analysis shows, first, that graduates who start their own business have different profiles in relation to elements leading to their occupational decision after graduation; and, second, that labour market status achieved by entrepreneur graduates implies relatively more demanding activities, higher earnings and higher job satisfaction than non-entrepreneur graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our study, we describe a situation where students take ownership of their learning and, on their own initiative, use digital tools actively in their learning activities. In our research we were interested in students who used weblogs and in the dynamic relationship between students and the weblogs they create. In particular, we were interested in how self-regulated learning was facilitated both by the technology that enables the creation of the weblogs, and in the content, or open writings, that are posted on the weblog. The article begins with an introduction to weblogs. We then present the results of the analysis of the affordances of weblogs to facilitate self-regulated learning. We used a category system developed by experts from the universities of Aalborg, Amsterdam and Bergen to structure our study of the weblogs which we received from Bergen students. One of our most interesting findings was that students’ reflection on both their own learning and access to other’s reflections on their learning was a powerful tool to collectively develop a conceptual understanding of a topic. We could call this collective self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assumption tested here is whether the introduction of enhanced communication technologies in the form of high-speed broadband connectivity has removed or ameliorated any of the barriers to efficient and effective teaching and learning.i Evidence is presented of how enhanced communication technologies have facilitated self-regulated learning. The examples are drawn from a range of subject areas in secondary (11–18 years) and primary (5–11 years) schools in the UK. Evidence is also presented of the new challenges to self-regulated learning that are created by enhanced communication technologies, for example, non-selective searching, plagiarism and issues of filtering. Case studies were developed in 37 schools in the public sector, from rural and urban areas. Field workers conducted interviews with teachers and made classroom observations. Further interviews were also conducted with headteachers and ICT coordinators. These studies showed some outstanding examples of students taking ownership of the learning process. However, these enhanced communication technologies raised concerns for school management, for teacher workloads and for the parents. These findings are not parochial. International comparisons indicate that we are studying a trans-national phenomenon. Similarly, costs and benefits of such technologies are not sector specific; the outcomes of this research can inform debate in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a comparative study of the introduction of student portfolios in two departments of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Portfolios are designed to facilitate effective management of lifelong learning, to provide a record of achievements and to encourage self-reflection by students. The justifications for the portfolio initiative are different in the two countries. At the Vrije Universiteit, the initiative arose within the University but is being implemented by individual faculties. There is no standard model of implementation. At Nottingham Trent University, portfolios are being introduced as a response to a government directive, as part of a lifelong learning portfolio that each individual will carry forward into their working life. The University’s response to this imperative is top-down and a University-wide model is being sought. The department model is one of several models that are being evaluated for this purpose. This research project investigates whether these alternative starting points lead to differential responses from student users or not. Data are drawn from quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews with managers, consultants and teachers) sources. Similarities and differences in students’ responses to the portfolio exercise are identified and discussed in terms of factors such as the way the portfolios are introduced, the incentives offered to complete them, the role of the lecturer and peers in the monitoring of study progress, the quality of self-regulative skills, and students’ learning expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working towards e-learning success in higher education, i.e. the institution-wide acceptance and use of ICT applications for teaching and learning purposes, means choosing an approach of least resistance. Internal and external consistency or at least complementarity in policy seem crucial. This article presents the results of a desk research concerning the current European and Flemish e-learning public policy approaches with reference to higher education. By means of a document analysis the author traces policy options and strategies in order to find out if, and to what extent they are attuned. The results show that Flanders has quite successfully converted the European general education and innovation policies to its own policy level. Both are on the same wavelength with regard to political views, strategies and action points. What differs is the pretext in time: Europe advises, Flanders agrees afterwards. Nevertheless, the Flemish policy-makers need a ‘wake-up call’ in order to develop an e-learning action plan with specific measures to enhance e-learning implementation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of the European Union’s Commission in weaving together the Bologna Process and the Lisbon research strategy with its existing educational initiatives to define and disseminate an influential vision of European higher education. The article begins by outlining the Commission’s activities in relation to EU education programmes, the Lisbon research agenda and the Bologna Process. It goes on to examine, in a variety of policy texts, the discourse of European higher education that is supported by, and supporting, these large-scale policy developments. Whilst the overall coherence and cohesiveness of this emerging discourse can be queried, the article argues that the Commission is drawing effectively on both Bologna and Lisbon to firmly constitute — and reconstitute — higher education as a European policy domain. The article concludes with an analysis of how different educational stakeholders are supported and restricted by the Commission’s views of higher education, as articulated through its ‘hybrid’ Bologna/Lisbon agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public debate on higher education reform today is dominated by competing views about what higher education institutions, particularly universities, are or should become. To a surprising extent, these views are based upon highly simplified characterisations of university history. The claims in question have been repeated so often that they have become clichés. Historical research has challenged all these conventional claims. The article aims to acquaint readers with the most important of these challenging results. Central here is an analysis of The Humboldt Myth about the rise of the modern research university in Germany and its alleged export to the US, and of the reasons why that myth remains so powerful, even though it has very little relation to realities on the ground. A second goal is to try to bring out some of the implications that a revision of standard views of higher education history might have for current policy debates, focusing in particular on the Bologna process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]