ACADEMIC SUCCESS AS REFLECTED IN AUSTRIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

As a result of the growth in student population, special attention is being given to the effectiveness of teaching at institutions of higher education.

The following article, written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Dr. Sigurd Höllinger from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, and Research, analyses the above problem in the context of the results of the. Seminar “Studienerfolg als Informations ‐ und Orientierungsproblem ‐ Konsequenzeh der OECD‐Landerpriifung” (Academic Success as Determined by Information and Orientation ‐Results of the OECD's Country Survey) held from 25 to 26 April 1977 in Vienna.     

TECHNICAL COMPATIBILITY OF VIDEO RECORDERS IN AUSTRIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

The author describes the swift growth in the number of VTRs installed in Austrian universities and colleges. The range of equipment available is discussed and a possible resolution of the problems of videotape exchange in institutions of higher education is suggested.     

OECD S EXAMINATION OF AUSTRIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

For the third time, Austria has been the subject of an OECD survey covering education and science. After the general analysis of the education system in 1966 and the study on research policy in 1970 OECD's experts have turned to the question of evolution in Austrian secondary schools.

We give below a report prepared by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research on OECD ‘s examination of national educational policies concerning Austrian higher education.     

STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

Using a national sample of over 277,850 collegefreshmen, this study examines attitudes towardaffirmative action in college admissions separately forfour racial/ethnic groups: whites/Caucasians,African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Mexican-Americans. Foreach group, analyses address the extent to whichopposition to affirmative action is driven by factorssuch as self-interest, political ideology, and attitudes about race/ethnicity. Findings suggest somedifferences in how these factors operate acrossdifferent racial/ethnic groups.     

HIGHER EDUCATION IN ISRAEL

We give below an article written for the Bulletin dealing with the present situation and development of higher education in Israel. The author of the article, Mr. Shmuel Bendor from the Planning and Grants Committee of the Israeli Council for Higher Education, is also the CEPES liaison officer for Israel.     

HIGHER EDUCATION IN LATVIA

This report considers ways in which the Republic of Latvia and other developing countries can evaluate the situations in which they find themselves and then act to obtain the greatest benefit from the development of higher education, science, and research. For fifty years higher education, science, and research in Latvia were separated from their equivalents in western countries. In addition in Latvia higher education was isolated from industry as well as from science and research. Now the reform of higher education, science, and research must be given a legislative basis. As Latvia would like to join the European Union, it should base its regulations concerning higher education, science, and research on those of the European Union. The necessary legislation must provide possibilities and mechanisms for the co‐ordination of the interests of the whole society and the interests of the academic community     

HIGHER EDUCATION IN ICELAND

We give below a short summary of the latest developments in higher education in Iceland.     

ERASMUS: THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S HIGHER EDUCATION ACTION PROGRAMME IN ITS FIRST YEAR

On 14 May 1987, the Education Ministers of the Twelve reached agreement on the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS). With a total of 85 million ECU** ** One ECU is worth approximately $ 0.8131 United States dollars. View all notes earmarked for its initial phase (1 July 1987 to 30 June 1990), the programme will aim at encouraging increased student and staff mobility throughout the European Community by means of the creation of a European University Network, the award of grants to individual students, arrangements for the mutual recognition of qualifications and courses or parts of courses, and a range of additional supporting measures. In the following article, the authors will examine, in some detail, the Actions provided for in the Programme, which was formally adopted by the Council on 15 June 1987.

     

HIGHER EDUCATION IN DENMARK

Similar to the enrolment trends which could be observed in higher education in most of the other European countries in the 1960s, the number of students in Denmark also increased rapidly in that period. To accommodate this increase, the capacity of the higher education system was expanded and a number of organizations, admissions and study reforms were introduced.

The following is a report on the situation of higher education in Denmark.     

HIGHER EDUCATION IN ISRAEL

As I look back on my experiences in Jewish education in the United States I am struck by the extent in which we, as leaders and researchers, misread sociological factors which affect the development of the Jewish community and their consequential effects upon Jewish education. The unpredictable element, even under the most scientifically researched procedures, are characteristic of our modern Jewish history.     

HIGHER EDUCATION STRUCTURES IN ROMANIA

The higher education system of Romania has been one of the sectors of Romanian society most determined to undertake drastic reform and restructuring. The reform process, which got underway during the first months of 1990, is complex, particularly the efforts in favour of restructuring and diversification aimed at adapting Romanian higher education, both in terms of national and of curricular structures, to the realities of a market economy and liberal democratic principles. An appropriate legal framework is to be provided by two new laws, the Law on Education and the Law on Quality Assessment and Accreditation.     

LEGAL LITERACY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The departure point of this article is the assumption that the United Nations, in particular the Commission on the Status of Women (set up in 1946) and the specialized agencies of the organization, have provided decisive influence in establishing throughout the world the individual rights of women: The impact of the international community in promoting the advancement of the status of women has moved them in the course of this century into the mainstream of social change. Apparently, a new educational philosophy, related to the personal rights of women and men, will have to be formulated for the twenty‐first century. Since inter‐university co‐operation related to international teaching and research is being strengthened, why not benefit from the multilateral achievements mentioned cursorily in this article, which would allow the more efficient use of scarce resources? It therefore seems perfectly obvious that the objectives of the International Literacy Year 1990 and its follow‐up plan of action should be used to invite higher education to make efforts to promote “legal literacy” up to and beyond the year 2000.     

MATURE STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The performance in the two major courses of the Dip H.E. at Doncaster Metropolitan Institute is compared between matriculated and non‐matriculated students, and between those with and without recent previous study experience. While in the first year of the course a difference is found between the performance of matriculated and non‐matriculated students, this disappears when tuition in examination techniques is provided. Pre‐entry study is not found to affect performance.     

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The following article, written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Dr. Ivan Sipos, of the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, does not give a complete answer to the above question. However it does present, in synthetic form, the opportunities for higher education especialy with regard to university teaching and learning, which are results of the application of educational technology.