Potential economies of scale at the university of Bradford

Conclusions It seems that considerable potential economies of scale exist if the University of Bradford is representative. If enrolment is doubled with present accommodation surpluses and course structures, then average costs per student may fall by between 11 and 38 percent, depending upon the course involved and the assumptions made. Further substantial cost reductions would arise with a course structure which handled two intakes a year.However, we became increasingly aware during our research of the absence of any built-in incentive to use resources efficiently. This was most obvious in the case of buildings which were designed in a manner which fits academic requirements more like a sack than a glove, and which, once constructed, were regarded as free goods. It was also the case in respect of current items of expenditure, for under the present system of British university financing and planning, universities know in advance, subject to certain specific exceptions, their income for a five-year period and the approximate number and type of students they will enrol. Thus cost per student over the quinquennium has been determined before the students enter. Once the quinquennium has begun there are few real ways to effect economies since revenue and therefore expenditure have already been determined, nor is there any incentive for universities to cut costs per graduate. The critical time to achieve economies is therefore before quinquennial recurrent grants are fixed, and the power to do this lies with the University Grants Committee and the Department of Education and Science, not with the individual universities. Thereafter universities would need to react to such economies by implementing them as painlessly as possible.This paper demonstrates that substantial economies may be expected in per-student costs at the University of Bradford as the number of undergraduates increases. Further details may be obtained from the authors.     

Student Plagiarism in Universities: What are we Doing About it?

Student plagiarism subverts the system of course evaluation, debases qualifications and offends against academic integrity. Research findings from the U.S.A. and the U.K. indicate the widespread nature of student plagiarism in universities. Opportunities for plagiarism among university students appear to be on the increase but there is evidence to suggest that official policies, procedures and responses on the part of some universities and academic staff may be inconsistent and inequitable. Universities need to be more proactive in: developing strategies to raise student awareness of the unacceptability of student plagiarism; developing and enforcing policies aimed at controlling student plagiarism; and setting up programmes to promote academic integrity. A continuum consisting of seven plagiarism behaviours linked to a suggested set of procedures and penalties can be used by academic staff to classify instances of plagiarism and deal with individual cases in a fairer, more consistent manner.     

Is job sharing worthwhile? A cost-benefit analysis in UK universities

Around 60 per cent of UK universities practice job sharing. This article is based on a survey of Personnel Directors in UK universities concerning their perceptions of job sharing. These responses were then used to carry out a cost benefit evaluation of job sharing from the universities' perspective. If productivity of workers in the shared job rose by as little as 0.35 per cent – one third of one per cent – the estimated increase in Personnel Section costs would be covered. If there was a 5 per cent increase in productivity, the ratio of benefits to costs would be 14.3 to 1. Universities also save as a result of greater retention of staff, and there are also important benefits to society, particularly less overall stress and reduced unemployment levels.     

Alternative Model of Funding for Academic Research in Nigerian Universities

Funding of academic research in Nigerian universities by Government (5 per cent recurrent grants) is a policy dictated by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the central body for allocating research funds. This research fund, little as it is, is irregular and inadequate and to make it worse is difficult to access. These aforementioned factors have contributed to the decline in research activity as a means of attaining sustainable development in Nigeria. Thus, this article proposes a dual support system of funding academic research as follows: a devolution of the power of the NUC as the central body for administering research funds and the encouragement of another separate body such as the Education Tax Fund (ETF) to promote a healthy competitive research process and collaborative research among university research groups and individuals. These separate bodies (NUC and ETF) should be similar to the dual support system of operation, policies and procedures in the UK, where there is the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Research Councils. These bodies collaborate to build and maintain a sustainable research base in the UK. The dual support system as it is operated in the UK is very efficient in backing research in universities, because the research is supported at a marginal cost and provides a research council component of provision irrespective of geographical location.     

师德回归:构建高校和谐师生关系的内力

师德是教师在教书育人过程中必须遵守的道德规范和行为准则。在当今社会大环境下,由于社会上各种不良思潮和市场经济的负面影响,少数高校教师放松了自身的思想道德修养,出现种种师德失范的现象,引发了一系列新矛盾和新问题。这对高校师生关系造成了不良影响,使和谐的师生关系受到严峻挑战。在分析师德失范对高校师生关系造成不良影响的基础上,提出通过加强高校师德建设,使高尚的师德成为构建和谐师生关系的内力。     

“5+2”:培养本科学历小学教师的有效模式

培养高学历小学教师是社会经济和教育发展的必然要求。选择招收初中毕业生的"5+2"培养模式与高中起点四年制培养模式相比具有明显的优势,可以把中师丰富的小学教师培养经验和高师具有师资、设备优势及高校的学术气氛有机结合起来。实施"5+2"培养本科学历小学教师模式,必须切实加强课程教材建设、学科专业建设、职业能力建设和师资队伍建设。     

Do expenditures other than instructional expenditures affect graduation and persistence rates in American higher education?

During the last two decades, median instructional spending per full-time equivalent (FTE) student at American 4-year colleges and universities has grown at a slower rate than median spending per FTE student in a number of other expenditure categories, including academic support, student services and research. Our paper uses institutional level panel data and a variety of econometric approaches, including unconditional quantile regression methods, to analyze whether these non-instructional expenditure categories influence graduation and first-year persistence rates of undergraduate students.     

Opportunity costs associated with the provision of student services: a case study of web-based lecture technology

Universities aim to provide services that are not only beneficial to students but also efficient relative to possible alternative services. Using opportunity cost, this study considers staff and student perceptions of the usefulness and valuation of web-based lecture technology (WBLT). It reveals that a quarter of students did not use WBLT while many staff members thought WBLT had a negative impact on their face-to-face teaching. Further, over a third of students sampled said they would not be affected if WBLT were not made available and many staff members felt constrained by WBLT technology. Some staff members spent a lot of time preparing WBLT while others eschewed the technology altogether. Nevertheless, a relatively small number of students place enormous value on WBLT, as do some staff, even if only simple audio of lectures are provided. The academic policy implications of this study suggest that university provision of WBLT could take into account the opportunity cost of WBLT use as a valuation-basis, possibly recovering costs through extra fees. This would allow for improved decision-making by university administrators and facilitate a move towards a useful measurement basis of WBLT. A wider academic policy implication is to consider whether all universities should produce and deliver WBLT at all and to what extent it should encourage staff to develop enhanced WBLT. Provision of sophisticated WBLT or any other service for students bears an opportunity cost in terms of less preparation by staff for face-to-face lessons or other effective teaching or research.     

A model for estimating student unit cost and staffing requirements for university academic programmes with reference to Kenyan public universities

A model for the estimation of student unit costs and the staffing requirements for university academic programmes is presented. The development of the model starts off with the specification of a staff distribution matrix, which sets out the proportions of the various staff levels in a given staff category that are needed to service at a particular degree level. The categories of staff considered are teaching (academic), senior administrative, technical, clerical, and semi-skilled. Within a given category of staff are considered various staff levels, e.g. Professor, Senior Lecturer and Lecturer in the case of the teaching staff category. The academic programmes are considered to be taken at the Bachelor's, Master's and the Doctorate degree levels. Ratios between numbers of staff in a given level within a category, as well as ratios of staff within the category needed to service at the various degree levels are specified a priori. Academic (teaching) student-staff ratios for the various programmes are also set out a priori. Student-staff ratios for the other categories of staff are then computationally derived from the academic student-staff ratios. For each staff category a staff distribution matrix is then worked out. With the staff distribution matrix thus specified, the student unit cost and staffing requirement for a given academic programme are computed through various manipulations on the matrix. As a test example, the model is used to estimate student unit cost and staffing requirements for the six public universities in Kenya.     

Matching between students and universities: What are the sources of inequalities of access to higher education?

It is assumed that a perfect balance between student academic achievement and the quality of the university they attend is beneficial both for students and higher education institutions (HEIs). Matching theory predicts the existence of perfect match between the two groups in the absence of transaction costs associated with university enrolment. However, in this study we show cases of mismatch situations in Russia under the Unified State Exam—the standardised student admission mechanism. The reasons for minimal transaction costs and the emergence of unequal access to HEIs were studied. Based on data on Moscow high school graduates who entered university, the determinants of the mismatch between the quality of universities and applicant abilities were assessed. Whilst overall favourable matching results are established, we show that individual student achievement results are subject to the influence of school and family characteristics. Thus, inequality of access can be formed at stages preceding higher education enrolment.     

Accountability,evaluation of teaching and expertise in higher education

Increasingly universities are being asked to demonstrate accountability through implementation of quality improvement procedures that include student evaluation questionnaires and peer observation. However, a review of research suggests that these procedures, in themselves, do not necessarily lead to improvement. Excellence in modern universities may be more effectively promoted by focusing on facilitating academics' growth in teaching expertise, perhaps first by encouraging staff to demonstrate accountability as part of a systematic programme of teacher education. Academic or staff developers can play an important role in implementing a teacher education programme, and encouraging and supporting a culture of academic leadership.     

The growth of private higher education in Brazil: implications for equity and quality

There has been a dramatic growth in private higher education in Brazil in recent years. The World Bank has promoted this expansion on the basis of the private providers’ ability to ensure a rapid increase in enrolment, to improve quality through competition between institutions and to bring benefits for society at little public cost. However, the charging of fees means that the majority of Brazilians do not have access, and that inequalities are reproduced due to the relation between course costs and the value of the final diploma. Equitable access is, therefore, far from being achieved and is unlikely even with an increase in student loans and government subsidies. The contribution of private universities to the long‐term development of society is seen to be limited, due to lack of investment in research and academic staff.     

试论教师教育改革发展三维度

我国教师教育改革可以从三个方面发展：一是以综合大学成立教师教育学院办“师范”和师范大学进行综合化改造办“专业”为基本途径,推进师范教育体制的开放度;二是从学术性与师范性整合的角度出发,优化教师教育课程的实施,提升教师教育水准;三是对教师的终身教育做全盘的统筹安排,积极探索职前培养和职后培训一体化的有效措施,着力完善打造中国人才资源航母的“工作母机”——教师教育体系,保障其高水准且可持续发展。     

民族院校本科教学质量实证研究——基于N校教师工作满意度的调查简

教师工作满意度是反映高校本科教育教学质量的重要标志。2012年12月,笔者选取N校为调查对象,系统调查了民族院校教师对本科教学的工作满意程度。通过问卷调查和教师座谈,经过数据分析,我们发现,民族院校教师对本科教学质量总体满意度较高,但是在教师激励机制、学风教风建设、实验（实践）教学、人才培养方案、师资队伍建设等具体指标上满意度偏低。不同专业教师在专业规划和课程建设等方面的满意度差异显著,民族院校教育教学存在师资薄弱、理工科专业特色不足、平均主义等问题。民族院校需要进一步加大实践教学投入,凝练理工科专业培养特色,试行教师分类管理机制和教育职员制改革,不断提升服务水平。     

博洛尼亚进程中德国分阶经济教师教育——汉堡案例

博洛尼亚进程提出的本科、硕士分阶对德国一体化的整合教师教育模式构成了重大挑战。德国学术界基于这一挑战,就教师教育标准暨能力、课程设置进行了广泛讨论,各大学也依据自身资源从课程实施层面进行了诸多尝试和调整。从汉堡经济教师教育的具体实施中,我们可以了解当前德国关于教师标准的讨论和实践。其特点可概括为:本科阶段努力为多元教育目标提供可能,保证最低限度的专业和教学论的融合,分层逐步揭示、反思师范生的观念和实践;在硕士阶段,加强大学和教师见习学院的合作和沟通。     

Engaging in the ‘course efficiency’ discussion: national drivers and local responses

Abstract

This article presents a method to evaluate undergraduate and postgraduate course teaching efficiency systematically, alongside measuring effectiveness of curriculum content and delivery. We argue that efficiency is aligned to cost and revenue while effectiveness is a quality-related construct. These potentially antagonistic elements – cost, revenue and quality – must be kept in balance if courses are to be attractive to students (high quality) and financially viable. Curriculum data collection and analysis spanned micro (unit), meso (course) and macro (faculty) level. Revenue data consisted of annual teaching student enrolment numbers by unit of study, aggregated to course level. Cost data included academic and administrative staff costs, and student professional experience placement expenditure. A teaching revenue to cost of delivery ratio metric and course quality score metric were developed to enable comparisons of units and course performance. Over time, these metrics, when utilised together, could be used to determine the impact of quality improvement interventions on teaching cost and revenue and vice versa. We argue that this approach supports strategic planning and actions to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of units and courses, without negatively affecting quality.     

Metamorphosis in distance learning: Setting new trends in special needs education by addressing existing curriculum challenges

Abstract

This paper describes the participatory development of a new curriculum for an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) (Inclusive and Special Needs Education) programme in the Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria. Several challenges in the existing programme necessitated curriculum re-design and development. These challenges included responding to policies regarding inclusive and special needs education; responding to revised higher education frameworks; revisiting the structure and content of modules in order to improve articulation; addressing an anticipated increase in student enrolment and a changing student profile; and incorporating current trends in distance education service delivery. Partners in this collaborative curriculum initiative included the Unit for Distance Education, the Department of Educational Psychology, the Department for Education Innovation and the South African Institute of Distance Education (SAIDE). Insights derived from this paper could possibly inform similar curriculum development initiatives, as well as extend knowledge on open and distance learning service delivery, in particular for in-service teacher training.     

Teacher education,the global financial crisis,frogs and bicycles

Background:?The extent to which the global financial crisis (GFC) has impacted upon teacher education in universities in Australia is potentially, like most other aspects of teacher education, a contested area.

Purpose, aims/questions:?The aim of this article is to examine the impact the GFC along with other funding constraints, has had on teacher education in Australia.

Sources of evidence:?On the surface we could cite some aspects of teacher education which may point to a significant impact of the GFC such as funding from the government not keeping pace with other OECD countries' spending on higher education in general and teacher education in particular, increased pressure to find appropriate practicum placements for students, increased staff/student ratios, reduction of hours for teaching in university courses, obsession with profit margins and cost-driver budget models. However, all of these issues were evident or at least immanent before we started hearing about the GFC. Alistair Mant in his book Intelligent Leadership (Crow's Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin; 1997) employs the metaphor of frogs and bicycles to describe organisations and systems. Universities and most organisations are in fact more naturally like frogs than bicycles. They are organic in that all parts interact to create the whole and they are complex systems, which are not susceptible to technical, machine-like approaches. A bicycle is a machine and a frog is a living thing.

Main argument:?Governments view universities as bicycles or machines, and this thinking is further reinforced through the introduction of a market forces model. Teacher education when treated as a bicycle when it is really more of a frog, shows signs of adaptation for as long as it can cope with various bits being cut off, but then will become unsustainable. While the impact of the GFC in Australia generally was much less severe than in many other countries, the continued starving of teacher education of adequate funding over a long period has taken its toll as reflected in unduly high staff student ratios, an over-reliance on casual staffing, insufficient funds to support the requirements of practicum placements, unrealistic staff workloads, lack of succession planning and inability to innovate.

Conclusion:?The issues discussed in this article are likely to be attributable to a highly successful and prolonged period of economic rationalism and policies, which emanate from New Right ideologies. The influence of neo-conservative and neo-liberal policies is well in evidence in universities generally and in Australia, successive governments have underfunded higher education.     

Current Practice in the Allocation of Academic Workloads

Significant factors within UK higher education include explicit competition, regulatory demands and pressures to maintain student numbers despite tuition fee increases. Universities have responded by more actively managing finances and quality but seemingly not staff time. This paper sets out findings on the processes and practices surrounding academic workload allocation (WLA) in universities, based on 59 detailed interviews from a cross section of staff. The main findings from this research are that there are a huge variety of different practices surrounding WLA and much potential for improvement. The approaches observed can be seen to work in a continuum from informal to partial, to the more comprehensive. Although many felt the disciplinary context to be very important to the process chosen, the findings of the research reveal that this is not the case.     

The Nigerian university system: meeting the challenges of growth in a depressed economy

A phenomenal expansion of the Nigerian university system began with the oil boom of the 1970s. Following a downturn in the nation's economy and the introduction of structural adjustment programmes, government subventions to Nigerian universities have dropped appreciably, and in real terms the universities have suffered considerable decline in purchasing power. Institutional structures for monitoring efficiency have played an important role in efforts to maintain academic standards; but in the face of continued uncontrolled expansion and in the absence of basic facilities for teaching and research, the university system cannot sustain a healthy growth. Greater attention is being given to improved fiscal management, income generation by the universities and rationalisation of academic programmes. As scholarships and bursary awards for able but indigent students are resuscitated, cost recovery measures in the universities need to be intensified. Proposals for the establishment of private universities operating within guidelines prescribed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) should be re-examined.