Transfer Student Graduation Efficiency and University Administrators: New Bedfellows

Accountability is an important focus for nearly all-public higher education institutions. In 1997 the Washington State Legislature mandated an accountability measure designed to encourage public universities to increase student efficiency toward graduation. This accountability measure is assessed by a formula called the Graduation Efficiency Index. This qualitative study details the Graduation Efficiency Index's conception and ramifications for public higher education institutions. It further examines university administrators' perceptions of the Graduation Efficiency Index and transfer students' impact on the ability of three public institutions to meet mandated accountability goals. We include implications for practice. Susan Poch is the Director of the Student Advising and Learning Center at Washington State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Leadership, Higher Education from Washington StateUniversity. Her research focuses on the policy and practice of student transition. Mimi Wolverton is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her areas of research include leadership, organizational change and organizational effectiveness. She holds an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Education Leadership from Arizona State University.     

The organizational identity of Ukrainian universities as claimed through their mission statements

After the Revolution of Dignity (2014), Ukraine signed an Association Agreement with the European Union. In the context of European integration, new legislation on higher education has been adopted. Changes in the institutional environment expect responses from higher education institutions, in particular changes in the organizational identities of Ukrainian universities that are claimed through the mission statements. As Ukrainian universities are in the stage of transition from the Soviet past to the European future, it is of primary importance how they interpret and respond to the changes in the institutional environment, claiming their organizational identity through mission statements. To answer this question, sociological institutionalism is applied as a theoretical framework for the exploration of how institutions shape the organizational identities of universities. A content analysis of the mission statements of 46 Ukrainian universities was conducted: 26 defined before the adoption of the new legislation on higher education in 2014 and 20 formulated after this date.     

Retaining Staff Employees: The Relationship Between Human Resources Management Strategies and Organizational Commitment

Organizational behavior studies suggest that employee retention is dependent upon levels of organizational commitment. This study focused on the potential influence that human resources management (HRM) strategies have on organizational commitment levels among staff employees. The study collected data on human resources practices at thirty-four public institutions of higher education. In addition, staff employees from six of these institutions completed a survey measuring affective, continuance, and normative organizational commitment levels. Statistical analysis procedures found significant relationships between the HRM strategies and two of the commitment constructs, indicating that certain HRM strategies can affect organizational commitment and potentially influence turnover.     

Positing Organizational Effectiveness as a Second-Order Construct in Hong Kong Higher Education Institutions

The study examines the relative importance of the various organizational effectiveness dimensions in higher education institutions by positing organizational effectiveness as a second-order construct. Based on the findings of a survey administered to university academics in Hong Kong universities, the second-order structure of organizational effectiveness was supported. The findings reflected that the student-related dimensions were not considered as important as the dimensions related to faculty employment and satisfaction and suggested the disproportionate influence of the governing body on universities in Hong Kong.     

特殊教育教师职业认同对职业幸福感的影响:一个有调节的中介作用机制

为探讨特殊教育教师职业认同、组织支持感、学校类型与职业幸福感的关系,对460名特殊教育教师进行问卷调查,结果发现:特殊教育教师的组织支持感在职业认同和职业幸福感之间具有中介作用;学校类型在该中介模型的后半段具有调节作用。建议基于这个有调节的中介模型,从职前到职后阶段致力于增强特殊教育教师的职业认同,并分别根据培智学校和聋校文化特点提升其组织支持感,重视各因素的共同作用机制,提升他们的职业幸福感。     

The accountability era in US teacher education: looking back,looking forward

Abstract

In keeping with the theme of the 40th anniversary issue of EJTE, this article looks back and forward at US teacher education accountability. It argues that “holding teacher education accountable” has been the major approach to reforming teacher education in the US for the last two decades, assuming that enhanced teacher education quality depends on vigilant public evaluation and monitoring of outcomes related to teacher education institutions, programs, and teacher candidates. This article looks back at the “era of accountability” by examining five policy, political, and professional developments that contributed to its emergence and strong hold on US teacher education. Looking forward to the future of teacher education accountability in the US, the article argues that we need a new approach – democratic accountability in teacher education – which is based on intelligent professional responsibility for students’ learning including democratic knowledge and skills, strong equity, and genuine collaboration with multiple stakeholders.     

英国高等教育外部质量保障组织体系及启示

英国高等教育质量保障由高等教育质量保障署、高等教育基金委员会以及众多专业团体和社会组织共同承担,它们各司其职,密切配合。我国高等教育外部质量保障组织体系建设应着力提高组织体系的独立性和自主性,加强体系内不同组织之间的联系,广泛吸纳政府官员、高校校长、工商界人士等高等教育不同利益相关者的代表。     

Higher Education Governance as a Key Policy Issue in the 21st Century

Governance is currently a key issue not only for higher education institutions but for society as a whole. The way organizations are managed, the directions they take and the values they hold send clear signals about their role and functions in society. For this reason, the governance structures of universities were unquestioned for most of the twentieth century. Yet in the final decades of that century significant changes were starting to be felt. The most important of these changes related to the way universities were viewed by governments. In particular, the role of universities in contributing to national economies was being recognized. Greater accountability and more intense scrutiny from the outside meant that the traditional values of universities were being challenged. The task of universities, and for society as a whole, is to develop strategies that will retain the best of what universities have traditionally stood for while responding positively to new pressures and priorities. This paper advances the concept of `deliberative partnerships' as one way to reconstruct university governance in a positive way for the future. Key Words: accountability, education policy, higher education, management, organizational efficiency, public sector, university governance     

White Paper: A Multidimensional Understanding of Effective University and College Counseling Center Organizational Structures

Established in 1950, the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) is an international organization comprising universities and colleges (https://www.aucccd.org). AUCCCD members are the higher education leaders for student mental health. Our members represent a wide range of professional disciplines, public and private institutions, and a range of institutional student enrollment sizes. This white paper: (a) provides a historical background on counseling and mental health services on college campuses; (b) argues that, based on current research, there is no single organizational structure that is optimal; (c) makes recommendations about factors to consider when making decisions about the counseling center that are based on specific campus needs and resources rather than a preferred organizational structure; and (d) advocates for a collaborative care model regardless of organizational structure.     

对架构我国高校筹资组织机制的探讨

资金问题是影响高等教育事业发展的关键因素。章力图通过研究，梳理国内外高校筹资理论的演变轨迹，分析我国高校的筹资现状，在借鉴国外成功经验和结合我国国情的基础上，确立类企业经营行为理念，从决策权力的分配、对个人奖励的方法和个人以及业务单位的业绩评估系统角度，架构和完善我国高校筹资组织机制，以期推动我国高校筹资工作的发展。     

高校办学自主权变迁的实证再研究(二)--高校内部学术决策权运行现状

在我国政府持续下放办学自主权的同时,高校内部也急需调整组织结构,提升高校学术自主能力。为此,高校一方面设立各种专业学术治理机构,为校级学术权力的行使提供基本的组织载体;另一方面普遍进行校院两级管理体制改革。实证研究表明,在高校内部学术治理机构建设方面,各种专门化的学术治理机构普及程度非常高,且大多数改革是自发进行的,决策内容涵盖与学术事务相关的所有综合决策、人力资源专项决策和学术事务专项决策,机构职能定位以咨询议事为主,机构人员仍然以高层行政管理角色为主,通过参与以及专业权威影响行使权力;在纵向分权方面,无论是否实行校院两级管理,高校一旦获得更多的办学自主权,在"如何提供"生产决策方面,都基本下放到了院系层面,使其在学术治理方面获得更多的影响力和自主性,而校院两级管理改革更加提升了二级学院整体的决策权力水平,资源配置方面尤为显著。     

教师专业知识及其发展:图式观与组织文化条件

对教师专业知识及其性质和特点的认识是决定教师专业发展途径的前提与基础。教师专业知识是依据特定的学生状况和教育情境,由教育教学观、学科教学知识、课堂管理知识等整合而成的一系列实践性知识,并以图式结构表征。其发展途径主要是基于问题的学习,并需要合作的组织文化条件的支持。     

对高等教育学“危机”及发展的思考

高等教育学学科面临“危机”成为近些年热议的学术话题。然而,从建制和理智层面来分析,高等教育学建制“危机”其实并不存在。个别高校对学位点和研究机构的调整是一种正常的改革行为,并未有充分证据说明在全国范围内该学科的建制出现全局性崩溃;理智“危机”也并不存在,持“危机说”者实则是对高等教育学抱有非合理的“自然科学化”固念。从经济学、社会学、管理学等学科的经验来看,自然科学化并非解决人文社会学科所谓理智“危机”的“灵丹妙药”,人文社会学科与自然科学有所区别的知识结构和发展特点是其正常属性而非理智“危机”。故而,与其说高等教育学学科面临“危机”是一种事实判断,毋宁说是一种警示象征和推动学科再发展的话语策略。面向未来发展,高等教育学应着力于回归知识本义、聚焦中微观研究、推进技术学建设、发展特殊性理论以及构建完整学科力量,谋求新的突破。     

Organizational Learning Is Essential to Achieving and Sustaining Change in Higher Education

Organizational change is often temporary or unsuccessful. This literature review of organizational change in higher education explores research in higher education, sociology, and organizational studies focusing on the problem of sustaining successful change. Indicators of successful change are distilled from the recent research. Establishing conditions for continued organizational learning in a college or university is identified as an essential aspect of sustaining successful organizational change.     

美国高校教师评聘标准如何走向多元化 ——基于新制度主义理论的分析

借鉴新制度主义理论，本文对美国大学教师评聘的“共识性”标准及其评价实践中的标准分化现象进行解释。研究发现，专业协会通过制定和传播被学术界广泛认可的学术理念和规则，促进了机构的规范性趋同。经费紧缩、问责强化以及大学排名的兴起使得研究导向的评价标准得到广泛应用，进而引发了机构的模仿性趋同。与此同时，历史传统、办学使命和发展目标的差异使得不同类型的大学通过对评价标准进行优先排序以及对具体指标进行差异化赋权，分别形成了各具特色、重点突出的评价标准体系。趋同与分化，构成美国大学教师评聘标准的“一体两面”。借鉴美国大学的经验，我国在深化高校教师分类评价改革的进程中，应进一步扩大和落实高校人事自主权，鼓励不同类型和层次的高校结合实际校情与本校特色，制定更加多元化与精细化的教师评聘标准体系。     

Bringing universities to account? Exploring some global and local policy tensions

Increased accountability is at the centre of widespread educational reforms which feature the rhetoric of deregulation in many countries across the globe. Not only have educational systems, institutions and practitioners been required to be more accountable, but arguably the nature of accountability has also changed from professional and democratic to managerial and market forms. In particular, within the hegemonic discourses of the market ideology associated with globalization, market accountability to paying customers (both within a nation-state and internationally) has been foregrounded. However, the hegemony is not complete. Governments have often positioned themselves as ‘market managers’, creating a complex and often contradictory relationship between new forms of market and managerial accountability, layered on top of more traditional notions of professional and democratic accountability. This paper explores the changing nature of accountability in Australian and English higher education, and makes comparisons between them. As we enter the twenty-first century, central higher education authorities in both countries are conducting major reviews and revisionings of mechanisms to enhance the accountability of universities in the new global knowledge-based economy. While the analysis finds convergence of policy objectives and discourses, it also finds divergences in the particular structures and processes employed. Further, it finds a disjunction between macro-level policy intent and institutional-level reactions and practices in both countries. We argue that with globalization ‘talk’, it is important not to gloss over policy differences between individual nation-states, and to problematize potentially globalizing concepts such as accountability within policy debates at both national and global levels.     

中英远程教育机构的组织结构比较

远程教育的发展不仅给远程教育领域人力资源的开发带来了挑战,同样也给人力资源的配置和管理带来了挑战。本文通过对中英两国远程高等教育机构的组织结构进行比较研究,以期对我国远程教育的机构设置提供一些参考和借鉴。     

我国高校财务领域有效问责与办学活力问题

在世界范围内,高等教育和高等学校的问责制度逐渐成为社会契约的一个内容,我国高校财务问责也逐渐开始成为受人关注的话题.在我国,政府对高校的深度干预既是影响高校办学活力的原因,也是造成财务问责制度无法有效实施的重要原因.鉴于西方国家在同责制度上的经验和教训,我国高校财务问责制度应按照有效问责的目标进行完善,既要达到问责的目的、又要保障办学活力,还要最大限度的节约社会资源.要做到有效问责,就要准确地把握问责的目的,重新确定高校的责任边界,合理安排多种利益关系,逐步推动问责过程.     

When context meets knowledge in university professional education: organizational factors influencing coherence in teaching and social work

Higher Education - This study investigates how organizational features of university and workplace institutions shape coherence between ideas about the knowledge required for professional education...     

美国高校问责制功能辨析及启示

美国高等学校问责制是当代美国高校管理的重要形式和手段,是美国高等教育管理科学化的制度和象征。美国高等学校通过履行问责制有效回应了高等教育利益相关方对于高等学校各种责任的诉求,并满足了高校自身生存和发展的内在需要。随着我国高等教育大众化的发展,美国高校问责制将会为我国高等学校发展提供反思和借鉴。