Why Do Colleges Become Universities? Mission Drift and the Enrollment Economy

This paper analyzes mission drift in baccalaureate colleges. “Becoming a university,” defined as a change in organizational name (e.g., Aurora College becomes Aurora University), symbolizes the transition from a liberal arts mission to a comprehensive university mission. Mission drift is conceptualized as a form of “divergent change,” which can be studied using institutional theory. This paper develops testable hypotheses about becoming a university by integrating institutional theory literatures on market factors, institutional factors, and network factors. Hypotheses are tested by applying panel methods to a 1972–2010 panel dataset of all private organizations defined as “liberal arts colleges” by the 1973 Carnegie Classification. Results show that colleges became universities in response to declining freshmen enrollments, prior adoption of curricula associated with the comprehensive university model, and when network contacts previously became universities. Organizational age and strong market position lowered the probability of becoming a university. The findings contribute to literatures on organizational change and mission drift. Given that most postsecondary institutions—both public and private—are increasingly tuition reliant, future research should analyze the adoption and the effects of behavioral changes designed to increase enrollment-related revenue.     

Exploring Problems in Students＇ Evaluation of Teaching in Colleges and Universities and its Countermeasures ——A Case Analysis of A University

本文对A大学的学生评教工作进行了个案分析,指出了其在制度建设、量表设计、反馈改进以及评价结果运用4个方面存在的突出问题,之后提出了针对性的改进对策。本文的个案具有一定的代表性,研究结论对其他高校有一定的借鉴意义。     

On English Student Teachers＇ Microteaching in Normal Colleges and Universities

微格教学前应复习语言教学理论与实践知识,确定微格教学实施方案,撰写教案并开展课前研讨;微格教学中应注意教师教态与角色转变、课堂用语与指令的准确性以及教学决策的合理性;微格教学后应开展评价与反思。微格教学存在的诸如管理不够完善、指导教师认识模糊、评价标准缺乏系统性等问题应引起注意。     

Women Students’ Interactions with Faculty and Exposure to Good Teaching at Colleges and Universities with Varying Histories of Admitting Women

This study considers how institutional histories of admitting women are associated with present college experiences, and uses data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education to compare the experiences of women at women’s colleges or former women’s colleges to those of women at former men’s colleges and colleges that have always been coeducational. Results indicate that women attending former men’s colleges and colleges that have always been coeducational seem to experience similar or greater frequency and quality of student–faculty interaction and exposure to good teaching practices, compared to women attending women’s or former women’s colleges. Results also suggest that considering the gender enrollment histories of colleges and universities may provide valuable context for evaluating the experiences of women at women’s colleges and coeducational institutions.     

Are Women Underrepresented as Authors and Editors of Educational Psychology Journals?

To determine the progress women have made in the last 20 years in terms of contributions to the knowledge base (i.e., authorship) and reputations as leading contributors (i.e., appointments as editors and editorial board members) in educational psychology, we analyzed data from six journals: theAmerican Educational Research Journal, Contemporary Educational Psychology,theEducational Psychologist, Educational Psychology Review,theJournal of Experimental Education,and theJournal of Educational Psychology.Results indicated that (a) women's progress in terms of authorships could be predicted by their increasing representation as educational psychologists, (b) opportunities for females to become editorial board members seem to be getting better, and (c) opportunities for females to become editors seem to be getting worse.     

Summary of Bilingual Teaching Research in Chinese Universities and Colleges during Ten Years

Based on the research papers dated from 1999 to 2008,on bilingual teaching in universities and colleges collected in the CNKI database,this paper presents the situation of bilingual teaching research during ten years,points out some shortcomings in the above papers,and then proposes some suggestions for the further research in bilingual teaching.     

On Library＇s Function in the Quality Education of Universities and Colleges

素质教育是社会进步的要求。文章在分析素质教育重要性的基础上,分析图书馆作为高校教学科研的重要组成部分在素质教育中所具有的优势,探讨了高校图书馆开展学生素质教育的主要途径。     

Why are we using action learning and in what contexts?

The purpose of this study was to examine the contexts in which action learning has been used and provide implications for the design of action learning programmes. We performed a content analysis of 127 articles (case studies and case reports included) published in Action Learning: Research and Practice between 2004 and 2012. In this study, we address the following research questions: (a) In what contexts has action learning been used? (b) What are the distinctive features of cases identified? (c) What are the implications for the design of action learning programmes? The results showed that the UK and European countries have most frequently used action learning, and the most dominant purposes for action learning were leadership development, organization development, and professional development. We also elaborated on design considerations and implications for action learning research and practice.     

Study of Students＂ Night Sports Activities in Guilin＇s Universities and Colleges

对桂林市六所高等院校在校学生采取抽样调查,其目的是充分地释放高校夜间体育锻炼的潜力,从而满足广大学生群体夜间锻炼的需求,增加夜间体育的附加值,拓宽夜间体育锻炼在桂林地区高校的辐射面,树立＂健康第一＂的理念和终身体育的目标。     

Strings attached? Linking Historically Black Colleges and Universities public revenue sources with efficiency

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a set of US higher education institutions historically tasked with educating African–American students, receive both state and federal funding. However, state governments often assert operational control through the political process, potentially influencing how key resources are used. Do these different sources of publicness have competing effects on efficiency? Using a 5-year panel of financial and organisational data of HBCUs, this study explores the relative effect of each of these revenue sources on efficiency. The study finds that the efficiency of HBCUs is negatively impacted by higher proportions of state revenue, and that higher proportions of federal revenue have a positive effect on efficiency. This suggests that state governments should consider their political roles in assessing the performance of HBCUs, and that HBCUs might look to lessons from other organisations for methods to reduce the impact of state external control.     

Why are hyperactivity and academic achievement related?

Although a negative association between hyperactivity and academic achievement is well documented, little is known about the genetic and/or environmental mechanisms responsible for the association. The present study explored links between parent and teacher ratings of hyperactive behavior problems and teacher-assessed achievement in a sample of 1,876 twin pairs (mean age 7.04 years). The results did not differ across rater, nor were there significant differences between males or females or for twins in the same or different classrooms. Hyperactivity was significantly correlated with achievement. Multivariate model-fitting analyses revealed significant genetic and nonshared environmental covariance between the two phenotypes. In addition, bivariate heritabilities were substantial, indicating that the phenotypic correlations between hyperactivity and achievement were largely mediated by genetic influences.     

Teachers＇ Teaching Development： Cultural Construction the Core and Requirement of Teaching in Universities and Colleges

教学是高校的首要任务,大学文化建设的核心是教学文化建设,教学文化建设的核心是促进教师教学发展,而教师教学发展的核心是体系化建设。转变教学评价、建设教学团队、增强服务、引领专业发展是教学文化建设的几个主要方面。     

A Study on Teachers’ Occupational Belief in Local Universities and Colleges: Based on the Survey of a College in Xiamen

Abstract:

In higher education institutions (HEI), teachers’ occupational belief is an important factor to promote teachers’ development and maintain their occupational stability, so the research of teachers’ occupational belief has become more and more significant. This study took the teachers in a local college as samples. The following four aspects were analyzed: living conditions, occupational reputation, role expectation, and development expectation. According to the results of the survey, there are some new findings. For living conditions, the salary satisfaction of teacher is low and many of them show the tendency to resign. For occupational reputation, the overall evaluation of their reputation is at a general level. For role expectation, these teachers face different difficulties and also suffer the pressure in various aspects, especially in school requirements and their own demands. For development expectation, their satisfaction with promotion opportunities and working environment conditions is also low. Male and female teachers show noticeable discrepancy on public evaluation of teachers’ occupational reputation. Teachers with different discipline background and teaching ages have obviously different attitudes on public evaluation and individual evaluation of teachers’ occupational reputation. Teachers with different education background vary with each other on the issue of working pressure.     

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.     

Why are there so few world-class universities in the Middle East and North Africa?

This article explains why there are so few world-class universities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region today. It first summarises the systemic exogenous economic, political and social problems facing all countries in the region, and the impact of these on the development of their higher education sectors in recent times. Then, with reference to the Times Higher Education and Webometrics rankings of the world’s leading universities, the article describes several endogenous explanations for the absence of world-class universities in the 19 countries of the MENA region. These include the lack of strategic investment in research and teaching in local universities; the absence of intellectual freedom and the constraints imposed on the free expression of ideas in all MENA universities; the failure of universities in the region to encourage, monitor and reward high-quality and high-impact research (and teaching) in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the liberal arts; and the anti-scientific mind-sets of local ruling political elites, many Islamic theologians, and those who are responsible for the oversight and administration of universities in the region. The limitations of this exploratory study and suggestions for future research are then described. The article concludes by explaining why it is highly unlikely that the political and educational leadership of countries in the MENA region will initiate the institutional higher education reforms that would be required to build world-class research-teaching universities in the foreseeable future.