Genuine Religious Tolerance: Is It a Thing of the Past in Public Schools?

The so-called Culture Wars have made the issue of religious tolerance in schools more confusing than ever. Where once free speech trumped nearly every concern in these wars in the public schools, there is now great concern about whether messages put out are politically correct. The preoccupation teachers now have with avoiding speech or themes likely to get them into trouble has led to a new form of censorship. The authors explain that free speech in the educational forum requires respect for every earnest attempt to get at a legitimate truth claim. In matters religious, this epistemic openness is no longer respected. The argument below does not encourage teachers to engage in debate among students in matters religious, or even to encourage it. Nor are the arguments below aimed at introducing religious discourse as a means of developing skills of critical thinking as the feminist, moral philosopher Nel Noddings has previously recommended. The argument simply concludes with the modest recommendation that teachers be more conscientious about indirectly censoring or trivializing student religious speculations.     

The regulation of public research universities: changes in academic competition and implications for university autonomy and accountability

The changing context of higher education is altering the traditional means by which governments regulate their “research” universities. In a number of countries universities, which are increasigly subject to a global market, have discovered that they require greater management flexibility in order to compete effectively and are therefore seeking relief from traditional government regulations affecting both substantive and procedural matters. At the same time governments wish to assure that the actions of publicly funded universities are consistent with the social values of efficiency, equity, and academic quality. Designing public policies that effectively balance the competitive needs of the university sector with the public interest is a complex issue. The paper presents a general framework for analyzing these regulatory policy issues and illustrates the framework with policies from Europe and the US.     

“施潘事件”与德国的学术自由

"施潘事件"是20世纪初德国高等教育界的重大事件。由于年轻的天主教徒施潘被以一种违反德国大学传统的方式任命为斯特拉斯堡大学教授,德国学界、政界、宗教界之间展开了激烈的争论,最终演变为一场"学术界的文化斗争"。这场争论的直接焦点是:为了国家的利益,政府是否应当干预大学的内部事务,从而阻碍学术自由?更深层次的冲突在于,学术自由究竟是大学维护私利的工具,还是整体社会价值的重要组成部分?"施潘事件"的深刻意义在于深刻地预示了现代社会中大学与国家关系的发展方向以及在这个过程中不可避免地出现的政府与大学之间、政治与学术之间的价值、利益和文化的多重冲突。     

International dimensions: A challenge for European engineering education

Internationalization of higher education is a concept that often is transformed into a set of activities that has a certain international dimension. This can be done more or less consciously. Issues such as development of skills and knowledge, creation of an international culture on campus and the involvement of an international dimension in all activities concern university management. These are issues university managers have to deal with. But it also opens up new opportunities. The broader issues of internationalization require a strong involvement of the academic leaders and of senior officers. This contribution describes how changes around us force universities to take action and introduce clear policies for internationalization of higher education, based on the needs institutions for higher engineering education should respond to. Special attention is given to a recent Swedish evaluation on the effects of student exchange. This study is compared with experience at Chalmers.     

A Revolution in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Challenges and Implications for the Relatively Traditional University

The issue of the revolution in teaching and learning paradigms from the perspective of the relatively traditional university with its well-known characteristics is addressed. The article assesses how the traditional university may respond to the challenges of "borderless education" and of the many competitors for new student markets, by a consideration of the critical factors in the development of university strategy--areas of potential strength and vulnerability and the style of developing a strategic analysis, organizational issues, human resource issues, issues of infrastructure, and matters related to quality assurance. The predominant themes are the necessity of distinctive and differentiated institutional responses and the means for ensuring the sustainability of effort.     

教育信息技术在大学物理教学中的应用研究

随着现代教育技术的快速发展．教育信息技术在在高校教育、教学领域中的应用越来越被大家广泛关注和接受,本文从教育信息技术在大学物理教学中具有的优势、局限性、应用前景等问题,对教育信息技术在大学物理教学中的应用进行探讨和研究。     

A PLACE FROM WHERE TO SPEAK: THE UNIVERSITY AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM

ABSTRACT:  the university is promoted as 'a place from where to speak'. Academic freedom is examined as a crucial value in an increasingly uncertain age which resonates with Barnett's concern to encourage students to overcome their 'fear of freedom'. My concern is that the putative university space of freedom and autonomy may well become constricted by those who would limit not just our freedom to speak but also our freedoms to be and to do. Without academic freedom students and teachers, who might be able to fly, will not be permitted to fly. I review issues of academic freedom and free speech raised especially by Berlin, Voltaire, von Humboldt, Mill, Milton and Rorty. I discuss problems raised when free speech is heard by others as harmful and offensive to their beliefs and values. I offer a set of suggestions to ensure that the university may envision itself as a space of freedom, pluralism and tolerance. Finally, I reflect that the university, of all democratic institutions, should be the one which best serves its society as 'a place from where to speak' .     

Negotiating a ‘Radically Ambiguous World’: Planning for the Future of Research at the Art and Design University

Theoretically and methodologically, understanding the role of research within art and design practices is a recurring theme within contemporary dialogue and debate. In the published literature, there are many questions around how categories and definitions of artistic research are employed within the increasingly under‐resourced realm of higher education. This article contributes to this larger discussion by building up our knowledge of a particular feature of this landscape: how research policy and planning documents at art and design universities represent and define artistic research. While examining research at the level of practice remains important, we must also understand the symbolic and practical weight that institutional directives carry. In light of recent literature on artistic research and the debates concerning its evaluation and institutionalisation, this article develops our contemporary understanding of the role of the art and design university as an important mediator of conflicting perspectives on the ‘value’ of art and design research. Based on a discourse analysis of research planning documents from Canada's three independent public art and design universities, this article will argue that it is not the definition of artistic research itself that is the most contentious feature of university research planning – it is defining the value of this research that invites conflict and concern.     

Whose Standards? Using the Standards Fund for children with Speech and Language Needs — a Survey of Allocation of Resources in England

The provision of speech and language therapy services is a topic of continuing concern and debate for policy makers and practitioners alike. In this article, James Law, of the Department of Language and Communication Science at City University, London; Maria Luscombe, of the Speech and Language Therapy Department at Northwick Park Hospital, London; and Judy Roux, of the Speech and Language Therapy Service in the London Borough of Newham, report the results of their research into the use of Standards Fund money in relation to children with speech and language needs. This report takes forward and updates many of the issues raised in Law, Lindsay, Peacey, Gascoigne, Soloff, Radford, Band and Fitzgerald's article in BJSE in September 2001 but also opens up new areas for discussion. These matters will be central to the task of promoting collaboration between the various agencies charged with responsibility for supporting children with speech and language needs.     

高校管理中事关组织发展的几个问题分析

如何防止组织的衰败是高校管理工作需要认真研究的问题。对关注学校未来、扬弃既定程序、超脱管理困境、驾驭科层危机、更新管理理念和变革组织文化等问题进行分析,有利于高校在新情境中进一步发展。     

Change the Laissez-Faire Attitude in the Ideological Education of Graduate Students

While covering news in institutions of higher learning, I learned of some thought-provoking occurrences concerning certain top graduate students. One day, a noted specialist of a national key university looked for his graduate students and found one missing. This student had left for a two-week stay in his home town on personal matters. In another key university, two graduate students regarded by a municipal-level academic organization and foreign experts as the pick of doctoral students, could not resist temptations of the outside world and made mistakes. Another graduate student who came in first in a university competition in his discipline was expelled for a serious violation of college discipline.     

An institutional approach to English language proficiency

As the university student body becomes ever more diverse, the place and nature of English language provision is coming under unprecedented scrutiny and is the object of greater regulation. Today, more than ever before, institutions of higher education are being called to account for the way in which they support this diverse population in respect of their English language provision. Increasingly, auditing bodies are expecting universities to demonstrate a commitment to supporting students adequately in this area and to be able to articulate a systematic process for doing so, along with a sound rationale and conceptual framework. This has put pressure on English-medium universities everywhere to review their English language provision and to develop creative and theoretically-informed solutions to what is perceived by many in the sector as a complex and very pressing issue, particularly given its financial ramifications and its importance in terms of the student experience. This article describes one such initiative at the University of South Australia, outlining both its conceptualisation and issues around its implementation.     

Addressing Health Disparities in the Undergraduate Curriculum: An Approach to Develop a Knowledgeable Biomedical Workforce

Disparities in health and healthcare are a major concern in the United States and worldwide. Approaches to alleviate these disparities must be multifaceted and should include initiatives that touch upon the diverse areas that influence the healthcare system. Developing a strong biomedical workforce with an awareness of the issues concerning health disparities is crucial for addressing this issue. Establishing undergraduate health disparities courses that are accessible to undergraduate students in the life sciences is necessary to increase students’ understanding and awareness of these issues and motivate them to address these disparities during their careers. The majority of universities do not include courses related to health disparities in their curricula, and only a few universities manage them from their life sciences departments. The figures are especially low for minority-serving institutions, which serve students from communities disproportionally affected by health disparities. Universities should consider several possible approaches to infuse their undergraduate curricula with health disparities courses or activities. Eliminating health disparities will require efforts from diverse stakeholders. Undergraduate institutions can play an important role in developing an aware biomedical workforce and helping to close the gap in health outcomes.     

综合性大学艺术专业建设问题与发展策略

综合性大学办艺术专业是近年来中国高等教育领域出现的一个新现象,也是高等教育研究中的一个热点问题。迄今为止,对于综合性大学艺术专业的发展问题,在理论上仍处于初级探讨阶段,在实践上,处于摸索之中。为此,本文从艺术专业人才培养模式入手,分析了综合性大学开办艺术专业的优势。在此基础上,探讨了综合性大学艺术学科建设亟待重视的问题及发展策略。     

大学治理内部控制架构之实务研究

两岸的大学都普遍享有相当程度的自主,然而大学自主的重要条件就是财务自主,财务自主则须以大学能否建立自我内部控制的机制为主要考虑,并在自我要求下逐步落实其财务控制与管理控制,走向一个独立的事业体经营。面临大学院校财务制度变革,又加上政府对大学预算资源补助逐年减少与大学行政法人化要求之际,大学之人事与会计势必面临更大的弹性自主,内部控制制度的建立亦是确保大学营运绩效的策略性的手段与目的。本文首先探讨国际相关内部控制制度组织,并分析其内部控制之具体目标与基本架构,进而探析大学自主运作下对内部控制应有的认识,并依据文献之分析,就大学人事与财务等两项支出为例进行其实务之分析与探究,最后以论述内部控制相关人员之责任作为结论。     

美国营利性大学之制度探析

美国营利性大学以其新型大学制度特征引起了人们的关注。美国营利性大学得以制胜的制度主要有课程制度、管理制度、产权制度、就业制度和外部支持制度等等。营利性大学制度的出现带来了大学办学思想上的革命,创新了传统大学的经营和管理方式,其具有强大生命力的原因在于降低了运营成本,并具有强大的市场适应力。美国营利性大学制度对我国民办大学制度建设颇有启示意义。     

Sampling issues in international assessments

Sampling poses interesting challenges in international comparative assessments. Past studies have been often criticised over sampling matters. Samples may not be representative, significant exclusions of low achievers are suspected, samples may not be random, low participation rates have biassed the results, and so on. Notwithstanding these attacks, one major issue in sampling remains the acceptance, application and reporting of strict criteria that would quantify the quality of the samples. Sampling also raises issues in defining target populations. Often, debate over target population definitions gets obscured by the desire to use simpler data collection procedures, potentially jeopardizing the quality of the resulting samples. Of equal concern in an international context is the need for more rigorous sampling methods and procedures.     

地方高校特色发展战略议题管理探析

地方高校发展战略已经呈现模式化特征,特色发展战略是地方高校根据其组织属性、组织使命和学校内外部环境特征采取的在资源既定的情况下提高学校的教育、科研和服务能力的战略活动。特色发展战略认为解决我国高等教育趋同问题的关键在于培育学校的办学特色,因此它以培育地方高校办学特色为议题,并在实践中形成了丰富的内涵。笔者分析特色发展战略议题内涵、议题管理活动及其存在的困境,陈述了地方高校特色发展战略议题管理的一般策略。对地方高校发展战略议题管理进行分析,不仅有助于从过去的经验中获得知识和能力,还有助于理解未来的趋势和发展。     

Responding to Academic Freedom

W. Richard Bond's “Zero Tolerance: A New Enemy of Academic Freedom?,” Michael Kubara's “Academic Freedom,” and Fred Wilson's “In Defence of Speech Codes” included in the Symposium published in Interchange, Volume 27, #2, 1996, deal with the role and importance of academic freedom in Canadian universities and the pressures both within and without the academy for its attenuation. Although the Bond paper begins with the recent controversy in Ontario universities over the attempted introduction of a policy of zero tolerance of harassment and discrimination, it quickly moves to a summary of the traditional position regarding academic freedom in which that right is balanced by a corresponding responsibility. As insistent as Bond on the importance of academic freedom, Kubara and Wilson both approach the topic in a more argumentative fashion. Kubara and Wilson differ, however, in the kinds of arguments they propound. Kubara defends the traditional liberal conception of the university and attacks what he regards as the trendy feminist attack on academic freedom. Wilson recognizes that along with the rights bestowed by the acceptance of the principle of academic freedom is an obligation to engage in rational debate. The mechanism in Wilson's view for ensuring such debate is a well-crafted speech code in which professionally unacceptable speech acts are unambiguously defined. The fundamental difference between these two positions is that, whereas Kubara advocates an academic discourse that is as unfettered as is permissible within the law, Wilson proposes stricter limitations. I will discuss the Bond, Kubara, and Wilson papers in turn, commenting briefly on their positions. I will then present my own position on academic freedom and speech codes.     

高校教师的职业压力、倦怠与离职倾向研究综述

高校教师的职业问题日益受到关注,文章综述了国外学者对高校教师职业压力、工作倦怠及离职倾向等问题的最新研究进展,提出了研究我国高校教师管理与职业发展中亟待解决的几个问题.