The equal right to inequality: equality and utility in on‐ and off‐campus subject delivery

The principle of equality states that it is bad for some people to be worse off than others. In the context of distance education, this principle is violated on those occasions where on‐campus students have access, not only to all the resources available to distance education students, but also to face‐to‐face tutorials. This is because the distance education students are worse off in terms of the availability of resources. In this article I will determine whether distance students should, in this respect, be worse off than on‐campus students. In particular I will focus on whether or not, in certain circumstances, the principle of utility, which states that it is better for people to be better off, takes precedence over the principle of equality.     

高等教育收费与教育公平

随着高等教育学费在居民的支出中所占的比重越来越大,加上贫困生问题,收费问题已经成为社会热点,被认为损害了教育的公平性原则。国家经济投入能力有限,高等教育在当前仍属于紧缺资源,高等教育要达到社会效益的最大化,实现提升全民族素质、提高国家竞争力,必须解决高等教育的收费中的认识问题,通过适当的制度设计来保证高等教育的公平性和高等教育的健康发展。     

George W. Bush and the war on women. Turning back the clock on progress

The debate about access to higher education in Ireland has been linked to the debate about educational equality and socio-economic disadvantage. Most of the discussion so far has centred on mechanisms for gaining entry to higher education institutions - establishing access and foundation courses, increasing numbers of non-traditional entrants and generating modular and credit-based programs. The findings from research undertaken at both the National University of Ireland at Maynooth and Dublin, explored the experience of mature students returning to university. The findings indicate that questions of equality and disadvantage in the university are not only concerned with access, but also with accessibility - what happens to mature students when they arrive in college. This paper goes on to reconstruct the conflict between the common-sense knowledge of the returning student and the college knowledge of the academy in a way that identifies a collaborative and democratic discourse as providing a way of transcending the false dichotomies of common versus college knowledge. Habermas' ideal speech situation and theory of communicative action are identified as providing a framework for this task. In relying on this set of ideas the case is made for linking higher education and adult education with the quest for democracy and a more just and caring world.     

Marketing of Further and Higher Education: an equal opportunities perspective

abstract

College and universities are wanting to recruit more students from a wider base giving them access to further and higher education. This requires institutions to market their courses effectively to prospective consumers. In educational terms the consumer is the student. This article explores the links between marketing models and the ways that colleges and universities have addressed the issue of equality of opportunity and wider access.     

Teachers in Private (minban) Institutions of Higher Education in Hubei: The Current Situation and What Is Being Done

Quality is the lifeblood of private institutions of higher education; building a teacher base is the guarantee of teaching quality in those institutions. Although there are still some problems, teachers in private institutions of higher education in Hubei will mature and develop if they are given serious attention. A concerted effort needs to be made to develop a rational structure and ensure teacher quality, while management should be strengthened and further education for teachers should be put in place. A good external environment for teachers also needs to be created.     

美国联邦大学生资助政策的转变及其影响

美国联邦大学生资助政策是联邦高等教育政策的重要组成部分,学生资助政策扩大了高等教育入学机会,促进了高等教育的发展,提高了美国的国民素质和生产力。联邦学生资助政策在实践中不断进行适时地调整和变革,随着财政资助项目的变化,少数民族学生丧失了大学的信心吗？由于债务因素,改变了学生的学术计划吗？这些变化对本科教育质量意味着什么？本文试图探究美国联邦学生资助政策的转变对大学生入学和学习,以及教育质量的影响。     

论学生资助对高等教育入学机会的影响

本文论述了学生资助对当前我国高等教育入学机会的影响 ,并分析了国家助学贷款对贫困生入学机会的公平作用及其可持续发展需要的条件。研究认为 ,要使学生资助更有效地改善低收入家庭学生的入学机会 ,还应加大资助力度 ,丰富资助的种类。针对国家助学贷款而言 ,应使贷款和还款的机制和计划更加优化 ,以更有效地改善低收入家庭学生的入学机会、提高还款效率和促进其可持续的发展。     

The Location of Higher Education

Location is an important dimension of higher education, even in a small country like England. While part-time courses clearly need to be accessible to their potential students if they are to serve a useful purpose, this is also true, though to a lesser extent, of full-time provision (and many institutions offer both). Widely varying locational strategies have been adopted by institutions of higher education in the past, and the distribution of higher education opportunities remains highly skewed, with university and public sector provision concentrated in particular areas of the country. Greater attention needs to be given to locational considerations in the future planning of higher education if reasonably equal access is to be ensured. Five policy implications of such a strategy are identified - provision should be increased in areas currently under-provided for; institutions should adjust their provision so as to serve a greater regional and local role; part-time provision, particularly at first degree level, should be expanded; mixed forms of distance and face-to-face higher education should be developed; less emphasis should be placed on the residential element in higher education .     

Three dimensions of equity of access to higher education

Concerns over equity of access to higher education are widespread, but there is significant disagreement over what should constitute a fair system. This article assesses diverse conceptualisations of equity and explores the ways in which they embody themselves in the policies of three systems, those of England, Brazil and Kenya. While showing significant disparities of income level and enrolment ratio, all three have made concerted efforts to expand higher education access, accompanied by increasing stratification in terms of the quality and prestige of institutions. Analysis of policy options and outcomes leads to a proposal of three principles for understanding equity of access: availability, accessibility and horizontality. The third of these principles addresses the little-acknowledged safeguard that disadvantaged students should not be confined to lower-quality institutions, while at the same time allowing for diversity of ethos and disciplinary focus.     

The CRASP Research Institute: A Response to the Need for Informed Policy in Higher Education and Research

The Polish higher education system has undergone profound changes since 1989. In particular, state institutions have gained a great deal of autonomy, and private institutions have been organized. Student enrollments have skyrocketed, but funding per student has decreased, along with faculty salaries. The system of higher education as it stands today requires deft strategic management based on competent analyses and accurate information. Thus, in order to better address matters of policy, governance, and management collectively, the Polish doctoral degree granting institutions have formed the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP) that in turn has decided to support the creation of an independent research institute. The work of this Institute will cover almost all aspects of higher education and science. It will function foremost according to a networking principle. The results of its research projects will be made available, not only to CRASP itself, but also to other interested parties.     

UK initiatives to promote inclusion in higher education for students with disabilities

ABSTRACT

The inclusion in higher education of students with disabilities and learning difficulties has become a matter of concern within the past eight years. Recent Higher Education Funding Council initiatives to promote greater inclusion have had some success in improving access to higher education (HE) and raising awareness across the sector of the need to ensure full participation by students with disabilities in the learning environment once they enter the university. Hopes that the new UK disability rights legislation would help promote equality of access to HE were disappointed when it became apparent that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 excluded education from its main provisions. The only requirement affecting post‐compulsory education is that institutions publish a statement on their provision for students with disabilities and learning difficulties. These disability statements confer no legal rights and it appeared that they would have little impact on access to HE for disabled people. This paper reports the findings of a survey of the anticipated effects upon the higher education sector in England of the requirement to produce disability statements. There may be some positive effects not only upon the nature and form of information available, but also on the provision offered in the sector.     

浅析全面收费下研究生教育公平的实现

研究生教育全面收费有其积极意义,但不能忽视的是,推行后如何保证教育公平的实现。针对研究生教育全面收费后可能引起的教育失衡问题,自主权日益增加的高校应创新机制,更加周密地处理各项相关工作,以尽量减少研究生实行收费制可能造成的负面影响。     

Has massification of higher education led to more equity? Clues to a reflection on Portuguese education arena

Massification is an undeniable phenomenon in the higher education arena. However, there have been questions raised regarding the extent to which a mass system really corresponds to an effective democratisation not only of access, but also of success. With regards to access, this article intends, through a brief analysis of the expansion of higher education in Portugal (contextualised in the European context), to focus on how the political system and higher education institutions (HEIs) have answered the social need for a highly skilled workforce and an increased demand for tertiary education. If access democratisation can be questioned, then it stands to reason that more doubts may arise regarding the democratisation of academic outcomes.

The methodology underlying this study involved the collection and analysis of relevant data from official international and national sources. This allowed for a comparison of the diverse realities and building the national panorama in terms of democratisation not only of access, but also of success. The comparison of these different quantitative inputs shows that applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds are proportionally fewer in number, and tend to enrol in less socially prestigious institutions and study programmes. Students' financial support and social support systems are analysed so as to gauge the state of Portuguese higher education.

Despite the advances made in Portugal on the system's expansion and on access to higher education, equity of access and outcomes in higher education have not yet been achieved, thus meaning that the democratisation process has not been fully accomplished.     

埃塞俄比亚高等教育"成本分担"制研究

为适应高等教育发展需要,根据国家教育和培训政策的相关条款,在充分酝酿和准备的前提下,埃塞俄比亚政府自2003年起在公办高校开始推行"成本分担"计划.根据该项计划,学生将承担学习期间的全部食宿费用和15%的学费,在毕业一年后以"毕业税"的形式交纳.虽然计划的推行曾引起过不同的反响,实施计划的保障机制还需完善,但毕业税的顺利实施将促进教育公平、增强教育财政的后劲,使埃塞俄比亚高等教育走出发展的困境,其积极意义已逐渐被社会所认识.     

高职院校招生的创新性思考

伴随着普通高校招生录取率的大幅度提升,出现了全国性的高职院校生源不足的现象,有些高职院校甚至感受到了办学的危机,必须在原有的高招模式下,调整与改革高职院校的招生政策,逐步扩大中职学生“推荐免试”升入高职院校的机会,将“注册入学”作为中职学生对应进入高职院校继续学习的途径,建立起中职学校与高职院校有机衔接的办学机制,使高职院校获得充裕而稳定的生源。     

高等教育大众化投人不足的负面影响及其对策

随着我国高等教育规模的持续扩张,教育经费投入不足所引发的教育公平问题、教育质量问题、教育产业化问题已成为社会各界普遍关心的热点问题.如何解决教育经费投入不足产生的这些负面影响,既取决于各级政府能否真正把教育摆在优先发展的战略位置,依法投入的决心和意志,又依赖于社会和民间资本投资教育的积极性以及如何有效地加强高校资金的规范管理和监督、审计.     

双重理论视角下大学生参与学校管理的可行性分析

随着我国高等教育改革和政治民主化不断推进,大学生参与学校管理越来越受到重视。利益相关者理论和参与式管理理论分别为大学生参与学校管理提供了指向,国家相关法律法规和学校相关制度等也为其提供了法律依据,国内外大学生参与学校管理的实践也为该问题提供了较好的实例借鉴。高校和社会各界都应关注大学生参与学校管理这个问题,从而使学生参与管理得到真正有效的落实。     

THE UNEQUAL EQUALITIES OF WOMEN'S ACADEMIC CAREERS IN ALBANIA

Until the end of the Second World War, the population of Albania was more than 80 per cent illiterate; women, more than 90 per cent. Great progress was made, however, in education after 1946. During the 1950's, women gained access to higher education. Despite anti‐feminist, traditional attitudes towards women which persist in Albania, women now make up more than 50 per cent of all university students in the country, one third of the teaching staff at the University of Tirana, and one fourth of the staff in Albanian higher education and research as a whole. Nevertheless, the progress of Albanian women in academic careers is still very slow. The statistics indicate that the sexual equality achieved with regard to access to higher education turns into in‐equality further on in academic careers. Both in terms of academic qualifications and the filling of ranking positions in higher education and research institutions, women are a liny minority as compared to men.     

管理理论在高校管理中的应用

新世纪新环境下,我国的许多高等学校面临着如何提升管理水平的问题。利用管理理论研究领域的先进管理思想,将引导高校管理改革向有效的方向发展。本文分析了教育生态学、教育标杆管理、权变理论三种管理理论在高校管理中的应用,为高校管理改革提供理论的参考价值。     

Multiculturalism Incorporated: Student Perceptions

Multicultural education has transformed higher education both in terms of research and in terms of student experiences. Given the complexity of our institutions, the overall effects of these transformations are mixed. Building on the successes and strengths of multicultural education as it is currently incorporated in institutions and programs will involve better understanding how it is perceived, positively and negatively, by those who are experiencing it first hand. In this article we seek to contribute to this reflection through a discussion of a survey of students’ perceptions of multiculturalism in a large first-year program in a research university. Patrick Bruch is Associate Professor of Writing Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He received a B.A. in English from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in English from Wayne State University. His teaching and research focus on struggles for equality within and through higher education. Jeanne L. Higbee received her B.S. in Sociology from Iowa State University and earned both her M.S. in Counseling and Guidance and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently serves as Professor and Senior Advisor to the Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. Her research interests are related to student development and the access and retention of student populations that traditionally have been underserved in postsecondary educational institutions. Kwabena Siaka is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota.