大学生学习质量保障体系构建路径——基于学生参与的视角

大学生学习质量的高低是考评高校办学质量的核心要素,而学生参与能够反映学生在学业相关活动中投入的时间和努力的程度,是评价学习质量的重要依据。影响学生学习投入的两个主要变量包括学生自身以及外在的教育支持。关注学生参与,可以清晰地展示学生发展的维度、程度和质量,也将形成一个方向标,指明高校内部教学质量管理上应提高的方面。通过从制度上、意识上、渠道上和资源上构建学习质量保证体系,可以形成整合力促进学生参与,激励学生主动参与教学活动,提高学习质量。     

Assessing Multicultural Initiatives in Higher Education Institutions

As educational institutions engage in promoting multiculturalism on campuses, it becomes essential to assess the quality and success of those initiatives. In this paper, the plan being implemented at Northern Illinois University to assess multicultural initiatives is described. The plan is to ensure that faculty, staff, and students participate and benefit from multicultural curricular and related program, courses and curricula continue to be multiculturally transformed, multicultural curricular transformation and support program needs are being met, students obtain and demonstrate the necessary multicultural competencies, and the campus is supportive of multicultural initiatives at all levels of the university. The paper describes the range of multicultural initiatives pursued in higher education institutions and the considerations necessary in assessing such initiatives. The plan described in this paper makes use of existing assessment mechanisms and as well as a few new ones designed and implemented in several phases. The results and findings from the assessment along with recommendations for improving the initiatives are discussed in this paper. The paper concludes with a discussion on the real challenges of the plan and issues to consider when assessing multicultural initiatives in a higher education institution.     

The Methodological Challenges of Measuring Student Learning,Degree Attainment,and Early Labor Market Outcomes in Higher Education

The main objective of this study is to empirically test a number of theory-based models (i.e., fixed effects [FE], random effects [RE], and aggregated residuals [AR]) to measure the generic knowledge as well as the degree attainment rates and early labor outcomes gained by students in different programs and institutions in higher education. Our results show the importance of addressing the issue of student selection into programs and institutions in order to reduce selection bias, and they provide suggestive evidence in favor of using FE models. Our findings also confirm our hypotheses that rankings of specific college-program combinations change depending on the different educational and labor outcome measures considered. This finding emphasizes the need to use complementary indicators related to the mission of the specific postsecondary institutions that are being ranked. Given the sensitivity of the models to different model specifications, it is not clear whether they should be used to make any high-stakes decisions in higher education. They could, however, serve as part of a broader set of indicators to support programs and colleges as part of a formative evaluation.     

Factors favouring or impeding building a stronger higher education system in the United Arab Emirates

The paper examines the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the higher education system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using a literature review, three elements were examined: its development and structure, quality, and research capacity. The findings reveal that the UAE’s higher education sector has witnessed remarkable growth since 1997, guided by the state’s policy commitment, and few restrictions on foreign universities opening branches in the UAE. This situation has led to substantial growth in the supply of higher education opportunities for the Emirati and expatriate population. Despite the UAE having achieved a high ranking for ‘quality indicators’ on the global level in the World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Reports, the quality of graduates, education, and research engagement is still debatable. Significant efforts are needed to ensure that these critical issues, as well as the understudied expansion of higher education institutions, are being addressed to erase the misalignment with the UAE’s strategic goals.     

The new higher education reality: what is an appropriate model to address the widening participation agenda?

Along with the massification of higher education comes a need for new models to support the success of greater numbers of diverse students. A greater proportion of these students are ‘non-traditional’ in terms of preparedness, socioeconomic status and geography. This paper introduces an Associate Degree model designed to support this new higher education reality of broader student cohorts, thin regional markets and cross-sectoral collaboration. Background literature on challenges facing the higher education sector and its prospective students is presented, with a particular focus on regionality. An argument is made for the role of curriculum and pedagogy as enablers of non-traditional student success. This is supported by the results of a mixed-methods exploratory study. This Associate Degree model was attractive to students and institutes. Students experienced similar levels of challenge, workload and progress to their traditional peers. While technology was essential for the success of the model, it played a supporting role to the relationships and multiple modes of learning it facilitated. This article provides insights for institutions seeking to address the broadening participation agenda.     

优化学生学习经验 提高高校教学质量──基于学生视角的高校教学质量改进途径与方法探讨

提高高等学校教学质量,需要高校内外结合;在高校内部,需要教与学结合。但长期以来人们忽视对作为教育主体的大学生学习的研究,忽视从教学的本源上去解决质量问题。本文提出了建立基于学生视角的高校教学质量保障体系的建议,并从转变大学生的学习方式,转变大学生感知的学习环境、改善大学生的课程学习经验两个方面探讨了提高大学学习质量的途径与方法。     

Challenges to quality of English medium instruction degree programs in Taiwanese universities and the role of local accreditors: a perspective of non-English-speaking Asian country

As the numbers of international students have grown, higher education institutions in Asia have offered a growing range of English medium instruction (EMI) degree programs. But Asian governments and higher education institutions have not thought deeply about how to ensure quality of English medium instruction degree programs. At the same time, their accreditors have not been fully aware of how to establish an external quality assurance mechanism to measure the quality of these programs. This study’s main purpose is to put the quality of the EMI degree programs of Taiwan higher education institutions into the perspective of the Taiwan’s institutions and one local Taiwan accreditor. With both qualitative and quantitative approaches, a survey targeting Taiwan’s colleges and universities and interviews of Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan international reviewers and Asian higher education experts are used to examine the challenges of EMI implementation in Taiwan universities and the role of local accreditors playing in reviewing the English medium instruction degree programs.     

HEISQUAL: A modern approach to measure service quality in higher education institutions

Considering students as the key stakeholders in higher education institutions (HEIs), the present study identifies service quality (SQ) indicators from their perspectives and proposes a more comprehensive instrument for measuring SQ exclusively in HEIs. HEISQUAL covers the operational as well as technical aspects of SQ by following a holistic approach, which has largely been ignored in previous studies. The proposed instrument was subjected to different scale development tests where outcomes fully complied with the benchmark values and proposed seven SQ themes, namely teachers’ profile, curriculum, infrastructure and facilities, management and support staff, employment quality, safety and security, and students’ skills development.     

A conceptual framework for analysing the impact of influences on student engagement and learning

The notion that ‘customer satisfaction’ should be the ultimate measure of quality provision of any service organization is often accepted in the higher education context. However, measuring the quality of an educational institution based on students’ satisfaction is insufficient as it diverts the focus from student development, advancement and growth to an affective evaluation of the service. More appropriate measures of quality of higher education institutions are student engagement and learning. This study describes the likely impact of perceived overall quality of higher education institutions on student engagement. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, it draws attention to the importance of higher education institution quality as the main institutional-level determinant of student engagement and, second, it suggests a comprehensive multilevel conceptual framework for its empirical testing.     

Educational Support for Saudi Students with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education

Disability laws in Saudi Arabia mandate that higher education institutions provide support for special needs learners in order to ensure educational opportunities equivalent to opportunities for their nondisabled peers. These institutions experience challenges, however, in providing the necessary support to undergraduate and postgraduate students with learning disabilities (LDs). We conducted an exploratory study to assess educational support requirements and affordances for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending institutions of higher education in Saudi Arabia. We completed semistructured interviews with 22 special needs learners diagnosed with a LD (16 undergraduate and six postgraduate). The findings suggest that additional support services are needed for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending Saudi institutions of higher education.     

A general theory of learning and teaching and a related comprehensive set of performance indicators for higher education institutions

In contemporary knowledge societies, performance indicators are an indispensable element of sustainable quality management and enhancement through monitoring and evaluating quality performance of higher education institutions. It is argued that learning and teaching quality in higher education should be approached in a holistic way, namely across the four subdomains of learning and teaching environment, teaching processes, learning processes and learning outcomes and their assessment. performance indicators related to these areas must align with a synoptic understanding of learning and teaching comprising behavioural, information processing, cognitive, social (constructivism) and humanistic theories of learning. Selected issues from a comprehensive set of about 280 performance indicators for learning and teaching are presented and contextualised. The indicators set resulted and emerged from critical reflection of research literature and explorative surveys of various informed and engaged stakeholders, from 14 public European universities, and a general theory of learning and teaching.     

Learning and Teaching With Loss: Meeting the Needs of Refugee Children Through Narrative Inquiry

Providing refugee students with a safe and welcoming classroom environment is critical for school success but largely dependent on teachers’ knowledge, values, practices, and attitudes. This qualitative study juxtaposes the experience of one refugee students’ experience in the school system and one beginning teachers’ experience in working with and meeting the psychosocial and educational needs of refugee students in the classroom. Using narrative inquiry, from the perspective of a refugee student and a beginning teacher, this study identifies themes and key issues related to teaching refugee students. These experiences are compared to the current literature on refugee education to highlight the beliefs and values that teachers bring to their practice. Findings reveal that there are gaps in beginning teachers’ knowledge about who refugees are, their experiences, and how best to support them in the classroom. Some teachers also held negative attitudes and perspective of refugee students and failed to develop a nuanced perspective of diversity and multiculturalism. This study also shows how narrative inquiry, in the formal of a personal history account, can be used as tool to surface, challenge, and overcome negative stereotypes, biases, and assertions that prevent teachers from effectively supporting their students.     

Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the Internet and online courses: the case of an American Pacific Island University

Offerings of online courses continue to increase in higher education settings, as institutions attempt to meet students’ (and faculty members’) increasing demands for online access. How do pre-service teachers perceive online education? This paper reports the results of a questionnaire-based survey addressing this issue. The questionnaire focused on the degree to which teacher candidates consider the Internet useful for coursework, and their level of preparedness for taking online courses. The participants were pre-service teachers (N = 237) enrolled in education foundation courses at the University of Guam. This paper discusses educational implications of the results, and makes recommendations for future research. The results from this study may guide teacher education and its efforts to optimise online courses and, at the same time, support the University’s commitment to ensure that teacher education prepares its pre-service teachers to apply and integrate technology in their own future teaching.     

Enhancing the work placement experience of international students: towards a support framework

This article reports the findings from an institutional case study into the work placement experience of undergraduate international students studying at a UK-based university. Given the centrality and importance of the employability and internationalisation agendas in higher education, little published literature considers both and how they impact upon the work placement experience of international students. With past increases in international student recruitment numbers and the drive for students, regardless of their nationality, to gain work experience, there is a need for institutions to better understand work placement from the international students’ perspective. Findings revealed that challenges exist in finding and securing work placement, with critical themes emerging to include placement information, visa rules, culture differences, prior work experience, academic preparation for placement and academic writing ability. A support framework is proposed to assist institutions to consider how they could align their practices to meet international students’ work placement and employability needs.     

Quality Indicators of Online Programs

The continued growth of online programs in higher education has resulted in concerns about how institutions monitor the quality of their online programs. These concerns indicate a need for a process by which online programs may be evaluated and compared. They provided the impetus for this study, the goals of which were to identify quality indicators specific to community college online programs and to determine stakeholders' perceived importance of those indicators.

Categories of indicators were identified through a literature review, and these items were used to guide the development of a Delphi study to identify potential indicators. The results of the Delphi study were then used to create a three-part Stakeholder Survey designed to collect input on perceived levels of importance for each potential indicator using the magnitude estimation technique. The Stakeholder Survey was also used to validate the results of the Delphi. To refine the results of the Delphi study and Stakeholder Survey, a final survey was distributed to a group of distance learning experts, identified through their scholarly research and professional activity. The participants were asked to review the earlier results and classify each item as a factor, indicator, or other according to definitions provided.

The three research stages produced a set of potential data sources that a community college may want to pursue when assessing the effectiveness of its online programs and services. Each of the potential sources of data will be reviewed with a goal towards identifying specific indicators that may be used in developing future instruments.     

High Impact of [Whiteness] on Trans* Students in Postsecondary Education

This article asserts whiteness as an ideology that reaches beyond race/racism to shape and reproduce other interlocking oppressive systems. In higher education, this notion of whiteness permeates commonly celebrated “high impact practices” (HIPs) to undermine the success of trans* students in US postsecondary education. Through an intersectional approach, we illustrate how HIPs lead to jeopardizing trans* students’ success in higher education and advance a different approach that we have coined “trickle up high impact practices” (TUHIPs). TUHIPs prioritize the needs of those students who are most vulnerable and incorporate an acknowledgement of the oppressive contexts within which students with multiple minoritized identities must navigate higher education. We discuss the implications of this approach and offer five recommendations to move higher education institutions toward policies, practices, and systems that support the college success of trans* students.     

A strategic quality assurance framework in an African higher education context

This study is based on a pragmatist analysis of selected international accounts on quality assurance in higher education. A pragmatist perspective was used to conceptualise a logical internal quality assurance model to embed and support the alignment of graduate competencies in curriculum and assessment of Ghanaian polytechnics. Through focus group and in-depth interviews, the framework was evaluated by internal stakeholders including lecturers, students and administrators of the polytechnics. It was found that from a pragmatist perspective, quality assurance concepts and practices in higher education reported in the international literature could be used to design a context-specific quality assurance framework for higher education systems in Africa but there will be challenges with implementation of such a framework. The challenges found include quality culture and financial resources. Nonetheless, it was noted that effective planning and stakeholder commitment can surmount the challenges to ensure effective implementation of the framework to enhance quality.     

开放大学的发展历程与重心位移

开放大学是在以现代信息技术为支撑,以实体综合性大学为依托,在开放的公共教育环境下以满足学习者各种类型及层次的教育需求为目标,既坚持高等教育学历提升,又积极推进非学历继续教育及公共教育服务支持的开放性高等教育机构。作为一种新型的高等教育机构,开放大学促进了世界高等教育的民主化和公平化,也将终身教育的理念推行至实处。开放大学的质量保障涉及多个因素,要在学生、教师、课程和良好的师生互动等方面进行严格把关。开放大学不仅仅应该充当一种新型的教育机构,更应该成为一种无形的教育理念贯穿于有形的教育机构中。鼓励开放大学与传统大学走向融合,这将会为高等教育全民化的到来作出更大的贡献。     

Evidenced Based Practices that Promote Transition to Postsecondary Education: Listening to a Decade of Expert Voices

As increasing numbers of students with disabilities access postsecondary education, research studies and literature reviews have investigated the needs of these students who chose to pursue postsecondary education. These articles included studies that (a) asked students with disabilities to identify needs and (b) summarized needs in literature reviews about students with disabilities in postsecondary education. This article summarizes needs and recommendations from college students with disabilities and authors who reviewed related literature from 1995–2006. The summary includes needs in five areas: self-determination, social skills, academic preparation, accommodations, and assistive technology (AT). Each of these areas of need is described and recommendations for practice are discussed. The purpose of this article is to identify a set of evidence-based transition practices that will address these needs and increase the likelihood of success for students who enroll in postsecondary education institutions.     

扩招形势下的本科人才培养模式创新

1999 年以来,我校主动适应新形势,结合实际,积极创新本科人才培养模式。在有利于体现学生德、智、体、美全面发展,有利于人文素质和科学素质提高,有利于创新精神和实践能力培养的教育思想的指导下,我校充分依托自身优势,通过多种途径融合通识教育基础上的专业教育模式和个性化人才培养模式,取得了一定的成效,从而初步探索出扩招形势下符合我校实际的有特色的本科人才培养模式。