Institutional researchers as knowledge managers in universities: Envisioning new roles for the IR profession

Abstract

Using concepts from Davenport and Prusak's “Working Knowledge” and other recent research on knowledge management, this article discusses the processes through which institutional knowledge is created, managed and transferred throughout the university and ways in which institutional researchers can improve these processes. A special emphasis is placed on the need to strengthen the “knowledge brokerage” function ‐ an essential role that institutional researchers are expected to play in large universities. Important principles of knowledge management are illustrated with examples from the author's university.     

New Challenges and Opportunities for Institutional Researchers in Assessment and Accreditation

Increased focus on assessment of student learning in the accreditation of higher education institutions offers new, challenging opportunities for institutional researchers. This article explores how institutional researchers can maximize these opportunities by offering methodological guidance in the assessment process and by designing new studies to produce assessment results. The article discusses the importance of methodological expertise, highlights the relevance of lessons learned from assessment literature, and provides a model for designing studies relevant for assessment.

     

New Challenges and Opportunities for Institutional Researchers in Assessment and Accreditation

Increased focus on assessment of student learning in the accreditation of higher education institutions offers new, challenging opportunities for institutional researchers. This article explores how institutional researchers can maximize these opportunities by offering methodological guidance in the assessment process and by designing new studies to produce assessment results. The article discusses the importance of methodological expertise, highlights the relevance of lessons learned from assessment literature, and provides a model for designing studies relevant for assessment.     

沟通管理：高校科研管理的有效途径

科研管理中的沟通管理就是为了确保科研信息及时、准确、合理地收集、提取、传播、反馈以及最终处理,以保证科研工作顺利进行所实施的一系列过程。它是对科学研究活动全过程中各种不同方式和不同内容沟通活动的全面管理。章通过对高校科研工作特点的研究,阐述高校科研工作与沟通的关系及沟通管理对高校科研管理的重要性,论述基于科研项目的高校科研沟通管理的流程。     

The Role of Institutional Research in Higher Education: Enabling Researchers to Meet New Challenges

Based on a survey of 243 New England colleges and universities, this article is designed to contribute to an understanding of the current and projected roles of institutional research and to discuss the implications of these roles for the education and training of future institutional researchers. Results from this study reveal the strongest relationships between the institution's size and the scope of the institutional research function, the reporting relationship, and the size and the qualifications of the institutional research staff. Multivariate analysis identifies the size of the institutional staff and the qualifications of the institutional director as significant predictors of involvement in planning and policy studies. These data indicate the need to enhance the presence, qualifications, and level of activity of institutional researchers in order to enhance the contribution to institutional decision making particularly among small institutions. Recommendations are offered to achieve these goals and prepare the institutional research profession for the challenges confronting higher education now and in the 21st century.     

知识经济时代高校女性管理者的现状分析及对策

知识经济改变了传统的生产方式和产业结构,为高校女性管理者在职场中展现性别优势提供了可能。但由于面临来自传统观念和制度上的束缚,目前高校女性管理者的状况可概括为:比例少、职位低、职权小。通过从家庭、个人和制度三个方面提出对策和建议,以提高女性管理者在高校中的影响力,促进高校积极健康的发展。     

Utilization of New Knowledge and Application of New Ideas in Education: A Discussion of the Vitalization of Education as a Profession and Discipline

This article is based on the Fourth Ruth Wong Memorial Lecture delivered at the National University of Singapore, 28 February, 1986.     

Research Managers Uncovered: Changing Roles and 'Shifting Arenas' in the Academy

This paper draws on findings from a study that explored the changing roles and career experience of research managers and research administrators in English universities. It explores how research support has evolved during a period when the higher education sector was responding to changing science and higher education policy. These changes have impacted on research managers and research administrators roles, altered the occupational group and moved field boundaries. The paper draws on Bourdieu's theory of social practice to understand these changes and identifies a shared space of tension, the 'shifting arena,' where the research manager field crosses into the academic field. It is suggested that an increased understanding of this space will enhance the collaborative working of all those involved in research and help maximise research activity.     

教育研究伦理的审查政策——以美国哥伦比亚大学IRB为例

教育研究中的伦理道德保护已经受到学界关注,但多停留在伦理标准和规范的辨识上,对大学是如何保护研究伦理知之甚少.以美国哥伦比亚大学教师学院制度评审委员会为例,分析其在评审程序和内容等方面的规定,可为我国建立研究伦理评审机构和政策提供借鉴.     

Swedish Universities towards Self-Regulation: A New Look at Institutional Autonomy

Swedish universities are required to change towards more effective self-regulation as the government has recently reduced state steering and devolved further responsibilities to them. In this paper, self-regulation is related to the concept of autonomy, a concept which is analysed on the two dimensions of purpose and authority, resulting in four models of state governance and consequently in a different space of action for the institutions. However, in order to develop self-regulation, the space granted must also be used effectively to realise autonomy. Six Swedish higher education institutions are analysed concerning how they have used their new space of action and what restrictions they have met in their efforts for self-regulation.     

Strategic Innovation in HE: The Roles of Academic Middle Managers

This article explains the development of, and presents a theoretical framework for, harnessing the roles of the academic middle manager in strategic innovation in Dutch higher education, thereby increasing higher education’s ability to learn, innovate and develop a competitive advantage. The framework is developed from theoretical models of role interactions in an educational context and in business organizations. It is also based on an empirical pilot study of the role of the academic middle manager and reviews of other relevant literature. The aim of this article will be to explore and discuss ways of analyzing the way in which academic middle managers influence strategic innovations in universities.     

Strategic Innovation in HE: The Roles of Academic Middle Managers

Tertiary Education and Management - This article explains the development of, and presents a theoretical framework for, harnessing the roles of the academic middle manager in strategic innovation...     

Preparing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants for Their Roles as Instructors: An Assessment of Institutional Approaches

The inconsistency of professional development (PD) in teaching for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is a widespread problem in higher education. Although GTAs serve an important role in retention of undergraduate science majors and in promotion of scientific literacy in nonmajors, they often lack preparation and ongoing support for teaching. Given the recent national focus on instructional quality in introductory courses, our goal was to use an online survey to identify current practices of teaching PD for biology GTAs and compare these results with the last national survey on this topic. In responses from 71 participant institutions, 96% reported some mandatory teaching preparation for biology GTAs; however, 52% of these programs required 10 or fewer hours per year. Respondents wanted to change their programs to include more pedagogical information and teaching observations with feedback to their GTAs. Programmatic self-ratings of satisfaction with GTA PD were positively correlated with the number of topics discussed during PD. Although more schools are requiring GTA PD for teaching compared with the last national survey, the lack of program breadth at many schools warrants a national conversation with regard to recent calls for improving undergraduate instruction.     

高校科研团队中博士后群体心理冲突与协调

博士后群体是科研人才的重要组成部分,在心理上存在着特定的内聚力。在心理特征上,既有思维的敏锐与偏执,又有社会的责任感与功利性;既有研发的主体与被动,又有团队的合作与独立;既有人际交往的层次与封闭,又有生活方式的前卫与依赖。对此应从人生导向、激励机制、实践平台和人际沟通方面加强协调。     

中越高校英语教师成为“研究者”之比较研究

语言教学研究对外语教师尤为重要,被视为外语教师专业发展的重要途径。英语在中国和越南都属于外语,两国高校英语教师成为"研究者"面临着很多共同的困境,如研究观念的转变问题、研究时间的保障问题、评价机制问题、研究方法问题以及研究传播问题等。     

学术性与单位性:公立大学的组织困境与变革

我国公立大学不仅是学术组织,还是单位组织。作为"单位组织",科层结构是其技术特性、政党系统是其政治特性、伦理结构是其文化特性。作为"学术组织",学科结构是其技术特征、松散耦合结构是其运行特征、契约结构是其文化特性。公立大学"单位组织"与"学术组织"的差异导致组织内部政治论与认识论的对立、行政权力与学术权力的冲突和伦理文化与规范文化之间的矛盾。只有加快事业单位改革、确立公立大学独立法人地位,理顺权力关系,重塑大学精神,才能够实现两种组织的协调。     

Academia as a Profession and the Hierarchy of the Sexes: Paths out of Research in German Universities

The careers of women in German higher education are really careers which lead out of academe: women disappear on the route to the top. In order to track processes and structures which lead to this 'academic mortality of females', this article views higher education as a social field with its own dynamic of development, differentiated according to subject cultures. At the centre of the exploration lie organisational structures, hierarchies, time allocation, customs, traditions, everyday practices and interaction in the scientific community. In order to gain insight into these, detailed interviews were carried out with aspiring academics, institute directors and professors, both at universities and at research institutes outside the orbit of universities; the use of time was studied, and ethnographic material was assembled, together with statistical data. This contribution focuses on the structural conditions of the academic career, on symbolic violence in direct interaction, on patterns of competitive behaviour in the scientific community and on the role of mentors.     

转型中的中国学术职业:制度分析视角

选择中国学术职业作为研究对象,从制度理论的视角出发,采取历史分析方法,探讨中国社会制度下学术职业的特征,以及改革开放以来学术职业的变化.通过分析发现:(1)公立高校和民办高校分别具有事业单位和"民办非企业"的法人属性.随之,公立高校教师和民办高校教师分别享受事业单位成员和"民办非企业"单位成员的福利待遇,前者明显地高于后者,阻碍了人员在两种不同组织之间的流动;(2)改革开放三十年,高校人事制度发生了显著变化.在人员聘用方面,逐渐从过去的"身份管理"向"岗位管理"转变.在工资分配制度方面,将工资收入与工作绩效挂钩,扩大绩效工资在收入中所占的比例;(3)高校组织形态由过去受政府控制较多的"单位"逐渐向具有办学自主权的"组织"转变,学术职业也从"单位人"转向"社会人".     

大学知识管理策略思考

在论述大学知识管理概念和特征的基础上,提出大学知识管理的策略选择应从人、事物、环境三个层面的交互作用着手,结合各大学管理的实际,有条件、分步骤地推进。树立知识管理的人本观,构筑知识管理信息平台,设计超常规组织结构,创新知识管理机制,建立健全知识管理制度,营造组织学习的文化氛围。