Challenges to successful quality management implementation in higher education institutions

This article discusses the key challenges to successful quality management implementation in higher education institutions identified by 160 colleges and universities at various stages of quality management practices. Survey findings suggest that there are five key challenges that affect the successful implementation of quality management practices in colleges and universities: organizational culture, senior leadership commitment, faculty support, implementation time, and training.Julie E. Horine, Ph.D. (The Florida State University) is Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Mississippi. Her areas of professional expertise include quality management and the use of the Baldrige criteria as a diagnostic tool for organizational improvement. Julie is a two-year Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner and an evaluator of the Baldrige Education Pilot Criteria. William A. Hailey, DBA (University of Kentucky), is Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems and holder of the H.E McCarty Chair in the Else School of Management at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He is recognized as a Fellow, Certified Quality Engineer, and Certified Quality Auditor by the American Society for Quality Control. His areas of professional expertise include strategic quality planning, quality management training, and designing information systems for implementing continuous improvement principles.     

基于网络教育资源库的高校教师专业发展途径研究

在分析高校教师专业发展内涵、信息技术环境下高校教师专业发展途径的基础上,提出了基于网络教育资源库的高校教师专业发展新途径.以教育技术学专业为例,详细论述了网络教育资源库在高校教师专业发展过程中的有效作用.     

Integrated water resource management: a platform for higher education institutions to meet complex sustainability challenges

Higher education institutions in Sweden are increasingly exposed to international market conditions and rising competition from a more mobile student body. This increases the need for universities to adapt to their social and economic environment and to their clients, including the political trends and financial opportunities in Sweden and EU, if they are to successfully implement sustainability reforms. In this regard, we examine the barriers faced by a ‘post-normal’ education for sustainable development (ESD) inherent within the structures of a ‘normal’ University. We pose the question whether Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as a post-normal process can contribute to increased capacity of normal higher education institutions to address complex sustainability problems? IWRM is conceptualised as an interactionist process of social learning and adaptive management to reflect on the experiences from one particular case, namely the Master Programme in IWRM at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. We illustrate how IWRM can contribute to address conflicts of interests in education arising from competing claims of stakeholders in real life management situations, but also to reconcile the conflicts associated with institutional adaptation under conditions characterised by a new international educational regime and rapidly changing market conditions. The paper brings together the discourse on ESD with lessons from IWRM and contends that the interactionist approach might offer a useful alternative to realist conceptions of ESD in learner-centred and institutional systemic approaches. Contrary to other reports on IWRM education, this paper reflects on this role of IWRM within higher education per se.     

Affirmative action effectiveness criteria in institutions of higher education

In the last decade institutions of higher education have received increasing pressure to reduce and/or eliminate any discriminatory actions. Affirmative action programs have been used by these institutions to comply with the letter of the law. Research shows, however, that these programs have not been highly successful in eliminating discrimination. This study was designed to assess the judgment policies of personnel and affirmative action officers in institutions of higher learning regarding the criteria necessary for effective affirmative action programs. The research identified 13 separate potential criteria. The results suggest attitudes and procedures were the most important criteria for effectiveness. Institution type (public versus private) and size (number of students) have no moderating effects.     

Problematising ourselves: continuing professional development in higher education

The problem of continuing professional development (sometimes capitalised as CPD) of professionals in higher education is that it operates around a series of unresolved tensions: between higher education institutions as major providers for other professionals and as a relatively new provider in terms of its own professional development; between the prestige associated with continuing professional development in the service of research and that accorded to learning and teaching. These problems are compounded by a tendency to regard professional or staff development as comprising only those sorts of activities that are formally recognised. Rather than attempting to resolve these two tensions, the paper argues that problematising our conceptions of continuing professional development can open up space for debate. The paper re‐visits some of the recent history of CPD in order to pinpoint some of the contradictions. This allows new questions to emerge: for example about whether the multiple practices of continuing professional development constitute “domesticating” (Land, ) or more critical tendencies within the newly emerging regimes in higher education. The arguments have implications for practising educational developers in meeting the challenges of a broader mandate for CPD, and in recognising the importance of the non‐formal in development practice. The paper takes its examples mostly from an English context, but many of the contradictions highlighted are relevant to other state‐dependent higher education systems.     

Women and professional development in higher education: A search for understanding

Abstract

Participation in professional development related to teaching is higher for female academics than for male academics at the University of Canberra. There is some evidence that this trend is widespread although variable across different universities and professional development activities. Various explanations are suggested as to why this occurs, including: that more teaching in universities is done by women than men; that women are naturally more committed to teaching than men; that structural inequities cause women to be more concentrated in the lower academic ranks and, therefore, more involved in teaching‐related activities; that women more than men believe professional development is important to enhance their teaching practice; that they are less confident in their academic role than men; that they feel more alienated and isolated in their work environment; and, that they are seeking role models and mentors. The paper explores these various explanations and suggests that a combination of factors probably causes the observed differential participation by women in professional development activities. What is more important than a search for explanations is an acknowledgment of the need to value and reward such behaviour. The paper concludes with an argument for valuing women's emphasis on teaching and their continued involvement in professional development related to teaching.     

高等职业教育院校中的成人教育发展探讨

高等职业教育院校中的成人教育具有服务范围广泛、办学形式多元、教学内容务实等特点,决定了高等职业成人教育必须不断创新创优,继续提升办学实力,加强校政、校企、校校合作与交流,为社会培养更多具有创新能力的技能型人才,服务经济社会发展。     

基于教师专业发展的高师教育类课程设置研究

高等师范院校教育类课程存在着课程设置结构不合理、内容不完善、教育实习效果不佳等问题。主要原因是课程设置倾向于"学术性"以及受科学主义与工具理性的深层次影响。高师院校设置教育类课程应当充分考虑基础教育与师范教育改革的实际需要,应有利于职前教师培养与在职教师培训的一体化进程。通过设置条件性课程,提高师范生的基础教育理论素养,增强教育研究意识;通过设置实践性课程,开展教育教学实践活动,培养师范生的教师职业认同感和专业技能,从而提升其专业发展水平。     

Portfolios for learning,assessment and professional development in higher education

This article focuses on the use of portfolios for learning and professional development in Higher Education (HE). Recent research findings related to learning and assessment help to contextualize the study. The use of portfolios for summative assessment and development of teaching and reflective practice dominates the literature. What is lacking is research that provides insights into how a portfolio for learning can be used in HE to develop understanding into one’s own learning, assessment and professional practices. The action research findings related to portfolio use for learning purposes identified in the three case studies include: the importance of establishing the purpose of the portfolio; the impact of portfolio use on the approach to learning, to teaching and to professional development; the changes to professional practice brought about as a result of the learning; and the need to consider issues related to ethics and confidentiality.     

合并高校做好档案管理工作若干思考

分析了合并期间高校档案管理工作存在的问题，提出了做好档案管理工作的一些建议，认为：要做好合并高校档案管理工作，首先要领导重视，明确体制，统一集中管理；要加强宣传力度，增强档案意识；要建立健全管理制度；其次，要加大投入力度，改善档案管理工作条件，加快档案电子信息化建设；再次，要明确管理目标，加强管理人员业务水平，提高管理水平。     

The role of higher education institutions in national development

Abstract from the report of the International Conference on Education (33rd Session) of the International Bureau of Education. It deals with (i) the role of higher education institutions in national development, (ii) improving and sustaining the competence of educators and (iii) managing the system of education.     

论地方高校的特色化发展

本文从分析地方高校发展中存在的问题和所面临的压力入手,探究地方高校特色化发展之路。提出了“地方高校要想走出困境,寻求大的发展,必须准确定位,办出特色,以贡献求支持,以特色求发展”以及“地方高校在走特色化发展之路的过程中,要确立服务面向地方化、学科专业特色化、科技产业先导化、培养人才适用化”的思想。     

Practice stories in natural resource management continuing professional education: springboards for learning

The use of stories from professional experience in continuing professional education has been on the rise in many fields, often aimed at bolstering capacity through sharing professional knowledge and/or supporting reflective practice. Practice stories are also suggested to be beneficial in supporting professional learning of new concepts. These uses of practice stories are not evident in public natural resource management (NRM) continuing professional education. In light of greater public involvement in NRM practice over the last 20 years, however, the use of practice stories could now be particularly beneficial to NRM professionals. This study examines the use of practice stories in workshops aimed at deepening public NRM professionals' understanding of social science concepts suggested to be valuable in making sense of the social and political complexity intertwined in public involvement practice. Feedback from workshop participants suggests that practice stories may be able to support NRM professionals in reflecting on previous experiences, learning from colleague's practice experiences and serving as a springboard for learning by fostering linkages between social science knowledge and practice. The study also finds that the perceived benefits of sharing practice stories were comparatively less for some more experienced participants.     

印度高校内部人力资源配置和管理

本文主要探讨了印度高校的教师聘任和晋升制度、教师职称结构、教师工作量标准和教师考评制度。同时分析了印度高校的生师比、非教学人员和学生比、教职工与学生比及教学人员与非教学人员之间的比例。印度高校所实行的附属制和走读制，是导致生师比较高和办学成本较低的一个重要原因。     

高校网络英语教育考核研究

本文基于一项针对八所开设英语学历教育的中国高校网络教育学院在考核模式方面的调研,在进一步分析数据的基础上揭示出目前存在的四对矛盾:即学生缺乏自我检测和评估与其应具备的自主学习能力之间的矛盾;学生期待教师评估其学习成果与教师评估其所有学习成果的可能性和有效性之间的矛盾;信息技术在监控学习过程中的有限使用与信息技术能够提供更多形式的检测以及学生希望信息技术更广泛使用之间的矛盾;学生有选择地完成学习任务与人们的想象即精心设计的教材一定会影响并且激励学生学习之间的矛盾。作者分析了四对矛盾的成因以及其对于中国高校英语网络教育在课程考核和评估方面的启示。     

地方高校发展与高等教育政策调整

近年来,我国地方高校在规模迅猛扩张的同时,普遍陷入了多重发展困境之中。从制度变迁的类型和路径依赖两个角度来看,这种困境产生的制度根源有两个:一是以中央政府为主体的激进式强制性制度变迁的局限性,二是对传统高等教育管理模式的路径依赖。今后高等教育政策调整必须遵循两个基本的指导思想:一是弥补激进式强制性制度变迁的局限,二是摆脱对传统高等教育管理方式的路径依赖。     

高等院校经管类人才培养问题的若干思考

我国高等学校在培养经管人才方面在取得巨大成效的同时,仍存在着诸多亟待解决的问题,本文从进一步正确认识经管类人才的基本特征和高校经管类专业的办学目标入手,较为详尽地探讨了以"宽口径、厚基础、重应用、高素质"为导向的高等学校经管类人才的培养模式。     

关于高校素质教育的思考

高校素质教育包括思想政治素质教育，专业素质教育，化素质教育和身心素质教育四个方面。总结我国高校教育发展的经验，高校素质教育取得了突出的成就，但离全面推进素质教育的目标和要求还有一定的距离，因此，提高认识，转变教育思想和观念，进一步加强思想政治教育工作，深化教育教学改革，加强人素质教育，重视大学生身心健康教育等，是高校进一步实施素质教育的重要途径和方法。