Higher education at the crossroads: Response to an Australian ministerial discussion paper

The Commonwealth Governmentshould move to the funding of undergraduate coursesfor Australian students through the studentsrather than by way of direct grants toinstitutions. An independent coordinating bodyshould be re-established to report on thehigher education sector, advise theCommonwealth and administer Commonwealth highereducation programs. Public funding ofundergraduate education and research trainingshould be decentralised through a system ofscholarships. Undergraduate scholarship holdersshould pay charges determined by universitiesunder HECS (Higher Education ContributionScheme) arrangements. HECS arrangements alsoshould apply to full fee paying undergraduatesand PELS (Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme)arrangements to full fee paying researchstudents. Institutional research fundingshould be on a disciplinary basis, takingaccount of the volume and quality ofoutputs.     

Agricultural education at the crossroads: Present dilemmas and possible options for the future in sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural Education and Training (AET) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) needs to respond to the many changes in the socio-economic and political environments within which it exists. In addition to these, there are marked changes in the concept of ‘agriculture’ itself, which is increasingly seen in terms of broader notions of renewable natural resource management, with increasing emphasis on integrated systems and sustainable production.Traditional forms of AET are also challenged by new ideas about the process of teaching and learning, including soft-systems thinking, participatory rural appraisal and farmer-to-farmer extension; as well as the emergence of new modes of learning (including distance learning). Current moves towards privatisation also mean that there is increasing prominence given to new and more flexible providers such as NGOs, parastatal bodies and agribusinesses. All these factors are leading to calls for adaptation, innovation and diversification in systems which have been marked by their lack of responsiveness in the past.Dilemmas which now face the AET sector include changing patterns of donor support, the emergence of new training needs and new types of audiences. The paper examines a range of issues, including the lack of labour market and training needs identification studies, the need for more relevant and responsive curricula, the key role of staff development in creating ‘learning organisations’, the need for a strategy of developing linkages and learning webs or networks and for far more sustainable donor interventions. Finally there is a lack of a coherent policy framework for AET in most countries in the region.A number of options are discussed, such as rationalisation, including achieving a better balance between public and private sector provision, the adoption of new aims and learning styles at all levels, catering for the needs of new target audiences and enhancing innovation and relevance in curriculum.Some important prerequisites for such changes are highlighted and include political will and commitment, consensus and popular support, entrepreneurial leadership, a balance between responsiveness and stability and the targeting of financial and other forms of support to enable sustainable models of innovation to emerge.     

十字路口上的现代教育—教育产业的过程、现在和将来

纵观人类教育史，教育在社会经济过程中大约经历了四个阶段，其第四阶段即是自20世纪末叶随着知识经济而初见端倪的。从此，教育在其赖以存在的社会经济结构中开始越来越显现出显著的生产性。教育实际上已经既是事业，又是产业；既是文化，又是经济；既依然具有上层建筑属性，又越来越成为经济基础一部分。200多年前由德国开创的现代教育制度正在走到一个新的十字路口。传统教育经济学仅仅停留在“外部论”的水平上，因为在其教科书中基本上只把教育当作一个其中没有“经济结构的几何点”。世界各国教育市场化改革的真正问题，并不在于公私之辨，而是垄断还是竞争之争，且还是和国家相应的社会、经济和政治基础的重建联系在一起的。     

Educational equity: A democratic principle at a crossroads

This is an examination of the criteria for determining if equitable education occurs through desegregation and the effects of other educational programs on these criteria—access, participation, and outcomes. Equity in access may not provide equity in either participation or outcome. Other federal educational policies may interfere with the achievement of equitable education by all three criteria.     

Educational technology at the crossroads: New mindsets and new directions

Educational technology seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. Many exciting things are happening in the field, but increasingly we educational technologists find ourselves on the sidelines in our own ballgame. People from other disciplines are taking an interest in educational technology, but they show little interest in our knowledge base (often even little awareness that it exists!) and little interest in our professional organizations and publications. Why is this happening? What can we do about it? To what extent might our mindset be the problem? What new directions do we need to pursue to improve the health and value of our field? These are the central issues which this article discusses.     

Japanese flagship universities at a crossroads

The increasing pace and scope of global structural change has left Japanese flagship universities at a crossroads. Reflecting upon historical trends, current policy changes and respective institutional strategies for global marketing among Japanese top research universities, the author discusses possible future directions for these institutions and how key decisions may be influenced by selected national policies. By taking a more active role in building flagship universities and making use of higher education for social and economic development, the Japanese government has already taken concrete measures to keep apace with higher education policies of neighboring Asian countries. However, in the author’s view, whether or not Japan can truly develop and maintain world-class universities ultimately depends on an overall improvement in the status of East Asian higher education.     

Formative assessment at the crossroads: conformative,deformative and transformative assessment

The theory and practice of formative assessment seems to be at a crossroads, even an impasse. Different theoretical justifications for the development of formative assessment, and different empirical exemplifications, have been apparent for many years. Yet practice, while quite widespread, is often limited in terms of its scope and its utilisation of the full range of possible approaches associated with formative assessment. The paper reviews these issues and explores them in relation to the development of formative assessment in higher education. HE is taken as ‘test case’ of the paradoxical implementation of formative assessment, whereby the aim is, ostensibly, to develop independent and critical learners, while in practice highly conformative assessment procedures are being designed and developed. The paper argues that developers also need to attend to the divergent possibilities inherent in formative assessment, if their aspirations for a more transformative practice are to be realised.     

The Distance Education journal at 40: crossroads and horizons

ABSTRACT

The development of distance education (DE) over the last 40 years is compared with the evolving content of the Distance Education journal during the same period. DE in general has been described as encountering a series of crossroad decision points, and as identifying numerous optimistic horizons beyond them. The decisions made and horizons sought have not always been prudent, however, and the journal’s critical approach and logical sequence of priorities have encouraged DE to avoid ill-considered options. Currently, the journal is challenged with helping the field to overcome mainstream educators’ lack of awareness of the traditional DE literature, media, and methods, and negative reactions to the effects of the massive open online course (MOOC). The approach taken by the journal during its first 40 years will help to overcome such problems and to keep the field on track.     

Educational research at the crossroads? An exercise in self-criticism

President of the International Academy of Education. Former Director of the Institute of Educational Research (1971–82), Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Institute for Educational Planning (1970–80) and Chairman of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (1962–78). He is the author of some fifty books and hundreds of articles.     

Turning right at the crossroads: The Nelson Report's proposals to transform Australia's universities

During 2002, the Australian Education Ministerconducted a year-long review of tertiaryeducation under the title Higher Educationat the Crossroads. The policy statementarising from that review was released on 13 May2003. It incorporates a combination of newfinancial incentives on students anduniversities, potential expansion of full-feeplaces, and increased intrusion into universitypriority setting.The policy statement promised a $A1.5bexpansion in funding over four years, with morefully-funded university places, and an emphasison improving the quality of teaching andlearning.The strategy is market-driven and could createa `fee-culture' in Australian universities. Implementation of the new policy is not assuredas it has to pass a hostile Senate. Theimplementation process also carries risks forgovernment and universities. This paperdescribes the government's proposals andanalyses their premises and effects.