HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE WORLD OF WORK: AN OVERVIEW

This article presents an overview of the state of the art in studies of higher education and the world of work, based on papers, some of which are published in this issue, presented at the 1992 annual meeting of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers. It considers the contributions made to the study of the subject by different disciplines and sketches the range of relationships between higher education and work. It discusses the contribution of higher education to the labour market, its diversity and dynamics, and the employment experiences of graduates. It analyses the different value systems of the two sides, their expressions of needs, and reciprocal impacts. It asks what role government and institutions play in effecting the relationship. It analyses the knowledge and skills content of higher education. And, finally, it offers a research agenda. The emphasis of the paper is on the substantive issues against their institutional and structural aspects.     

SHORT OVERVIEW OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN LITHUANIA IN THE DOMAIN OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND RECOGNITION OF HIGHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

This article describes current developments in regard to quality assurance and the recognition of higher education qualifications in Lithuania. With the aim of internationalizing its higher education system, Lithuania acceded to the UNESCO European Diploma Convention in 1994 and to the Council of Europe Convention on the Equivalence of Diplomas Leading to Admission to Universities in 1996. The Ministry of Education created the Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education in January 1995. It has been very active in a number of directions since then. In addition, Lithuania has subjected its science to international evaluation, is a partner in the Baltic Higher Education Coordination Committee, and is participating in two PHARE projects for the development of co‐operation in higher education. The main obstacle to greater co‐operation in regard both to the recognition of academic qualifications and to quality assurance is lack of financial resources.     

OVERVIEW OF THE AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

This article gives an overview of the Australian education system. It outlines key recent policy developments affecting higher education and the vocational education and training (VET) sector, and it describes the pathways for the recognition of overseas qualifications in Australia.     

不确定性视野下的教育与教育研究

世界的发展和关于世界的知识充满了不确定性。在不确定性视野下,需要对长期追求的普遍性知识和客观规律重新认识,对科学理论的解释和预测功能持审慎态度。对知识的生产和传播方式从方法论上进行反思。无论是宏观层次还是微观层次的教育,都有自身的确定性和不确定性。不确定性视野下的教育研究,坚持主体建构式认识论,关注探索教育实践中具体的因果联系。     

大学通识教育与文化素质教育

本文叙述通识教育在中国实施的过程,指出它是中国高等教育为摆脱计划经济时代过分专业化教育的束缚、面向社会、适应经济体制转轨而推行的一种改革。1995年起在全国开展的文化素质教育推动了这一改革进程,而国外的博雅教育和港台地区的通识教育促进了通识教育在大陆的实施。作者认为大学通识教育的基本功能在于帮助学生树立做人和做事的正确态度与能力,实施通识教育的主渠道是开设通识课程。作者阐述了开设通识课程的原则、要求、做法以及教师的条件,叙述了通识教育与文化素质教育的关系。     

EDUCATION AND EXAMINATIONS IN THE USSR

This paper critically examines the English National Curriculum (NC) for History and its Schemes of Work’s development of temporal cognition within the primary school. In addition, it outlines the findings of a longitudinal research study into Year 4 pupils’ assimilation of historical time. The paper contends that the development of historical time concepts within the NC and the Schemes of Work is confused and would seem to be based upon little, if any, empirical findings. It is concluded, based upon the findings from this research study, that the NC and its Schemes of Work do not offer an effective approach to the development of temporal cognition.     

VOICES IN EDUCATION: ACCOUNTABILITY IN TEACHER EDUCATION AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY

Abstract

This article explains several reasons why multicultural preservice teacher education is important and suggests some ways it can be better accomplished. The authors make a strong case for teacher education programs to be more deliberate about preparing European Americans to teach ethnically diverse students of color. They argue that this explicit professional preparation is needed because of the increasing racial, cultural, and linguistic divide between teachers (predominately European American) and K–12 students (increasingly from ethnic groups of color). Two other factors underscore the need for more multicultural teacher education: the fear of diversity and the resistance to dealing with race and racism frequently expressed by students enrolled in teacher education programs. To overcome these problems and better prepare preservice teachers to work effectively with ethnically diverse students the authors suggest a two‐part program of professional development.     

高等教育中国家与市场的关系

欧洲大学现在失去了昔日的光彩,公共和私人教育支出水平较低是造成其衰败的部分原因;而高度集中的国家管理体制抑制了大学之间的有效竞争,从而使得大学在教育和研究两方面都缺乏进步的动力。对这一体制加以改革都会面临三个问题:政府对大学的掌控程度、政府对大学的资助程度和大学之间的竞争程度。这三个问题既是相互关联的,在一定程度上又是彼此独立的;既可能存在有公共资助但没有公共产权的情况,也可能存在有公共资助和公共产权同时还保持了高度竞争的情况。高等教育不同于其他产品和服务,具有“连带性”特征,这使得大学竞争与效率和公平问题之间存在着紧密而复杂的关系。     

EDUCATION AND THE AGED: SOCIAL AND CONCEPTUAL CHANGES IN JAPAN

Japan is moving into an aging society at a greater speed than any other country in the world has ever experienced. As this speed is very rapid, the concept of life in the aged life‐cycle stage which has emerged has not been fully established yet; here the cultural lag phenomenon is acutely observed. Among many possible activities, however, learning activities will be expected to have increasing popularity among aged persons as a source of happiness and inspiration for the fulfillment of their lives. Since not only young persons, but also aged persons, are involved in learning activities, the concept expressed by the term education is changing into a broader one to include the transmitting of values, knowledge, and skills through secondary communication.     

WOMEN AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE NETHERLANDS

This is a summary, written for CEPES, of the background paper prepared for the study conference “Women and Higher Education” organized by the Study Centre OTO, October 29‐30 1980 in Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands.

The article summarizes the principal currents of discussion in the Netherlands pertaining to the question of women in higher education, and draws an analytical picture of major obstacles encountered by women in Dutch higher education.     

THE RELIGIOUS ZIONIST: TOWARD THE NEW ERA

This essay presents the problems inherent in religious Zionist education on the eve of a new era, and proposes avenues toward solutions. That the Torah is permanent and the world is relative and changing leads to many incongruities within and among components of religious Zionist identity. The cyber‐era will expose the religious Zionist to a great deal of information, some of which maybe harmful and confusing—especially to adolescents—because of the weakness of present religious Zionist educational doctrines. Therefore, religious Zionist identity is in danger of “overload,” due to incongruities among and within systems. This overload may cause some people to abandon religion and others to turn to ultraorthodoxy, impoverishing the religious Zionist community in two ways, and reducing its ability to serve as a bridge between national factions.     

THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE PRESENT SITUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN GREEK HIGHER EDUCATION

This article gives a bird's eye view of tertiary level environmental education programmes in Greece. As the author points out, environmental education in this country got off to a late start because of a late perception of the need for them. By the end of the 1980's, environmental components had been introduced into teacher training programmes, into the universities both as full course programmes in certain universities and as enrichment courses in most of them, and into the offerings of adult and vocational education. What has evolved is a satisfactory and pragmatic range of offerings to which more must be added to meet increased demand.     

HIGHER EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN LIGHT OF THE RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TBILISI CONFERENCE

Promotion of environmental education in higher education and Unesco activities in this context, especially in light of the work and recommendations of the Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, are presented in the following article.

It was written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Victor Kolybine from the Environmental Education Section of Unesco.     

OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL HIGH‐LEVEL CONSULTATION ON POLICY ISSUES OF QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

This consultation, which lasted three days (5‐7 May 1993), featured discussions among high‐ranking eastern and central European officials responsible for higher education, UNESCO staff members, and invited experts. The discussions were organized under the following rubrics: Quality Assessment in Higher Education: Issues and Concerns; Institutional Self‐Evaluation and External Quality Assessment; Policy Implications of Quality Management in Higher Education; National Evaluation Bodies; the Role and Functions of an International Body, sponsored by CEPES‐UNESCO, currently being formed: the European Group on Academic Assessment; and Quality Assessment and Institutional Accreditation.