Journal Editor Perceptions of Universities: Some empirical evidence

Out of considerations as to the importance of university relationships with their various stakeholders, the primary objective of this research project was to identify the perceptions of academic journal editors regarding universities. Editors were asked to provide their perceptions on: (a) the relevance of universities to academic publications; (b) the mutual influence between universities and academic journals; and (c) the participation of editors in universities. Following initial exploratory research, we applied an online questionnaire and received a total of 276 responses from editors of indexed publications, enabling analysis of their perceptions. Despite editors recognizing the influence of universities on academic and scientific communities, our findings point to universities having failed in proactively reaching out to editors, especially surprising given the vast experience held by such figures. A better relationship might serve to enhance the university image and generate new opportunities for attracting resources.

     

谈高校学报编辑的学术权利与学术权力

高校学报是反映学校教学科研水平和成果的窗口。因此有其特定的功能,这就是编辑要正确使用学术权力和捍卫自身及作者的学术权利。     

Educational disenchantment and the university student

In contrast to much of the research on contemporary university students of the post-activist generation, the study reported here rests on a model of the student as a quasi-citizen within the university political system. As a major political socialization environment for students, the university engenders feelings of academic disaffection among students. This study, based on a survey of 2,122 students enrolled at three mid-western universities in 1974, attempts to investigate the antecedents and consequences of felt academic disaffection for students. Five major findings emerge from this research. First, feelings of academic disaffection are relatively high among the students interviewed. Second, when the dimensionality of academic disaffection is investigated, these students typically express disaffection concerning the university and university administrators, with the latter group fostering most of the disaffection. Third, the students at the three universities surveyed generally differ regarding their evaluations of university functioning, their feelings of academic disaffection, and their desires for university reform, in each case with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU-C) students being significantly distinct from students at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and University of Kentucky (UK). Fourth, students' perceptions of authoritarian governance and an unsatisfactory academic environment at their universities tend to generate both university and administrative disaffection. Last, university and administrative disaffection result in a predilection among students for reform in the university, preferably devoid of administrative intervention.     

大学教师学术发表的历史演变与动力机制

自17世纪学术出版制度建立开始,西方大学教师学术发表动力不断增强。现代学术研究逐成建制,为大学教师作为研究者的发表活动注入原初动力。研究型大学的出现将学术研究与发表变成了教师基本的职责行为,进而成为教师聘任中的重要评价标准。大学对学术声誉的目标追求与大学绩效主义的治理手段相结合,推动教师不断提升学术产出。学术发表对于大学教师作为谋生工具的意义进一步凸显,乃至形成“不发表,就出局”的学术文化。     

Blurring Boundaries and Changing University Staff: The Case of the University of Hong Kong

In the changing higher education environment, universities increasingly engage in areas outside the traditional teaching and research missions. The new missions extend over wide yet specialized areas, such as technological advancement, internationalization, entrepreneurship, and enhancement of teaching and learning. To effectively handle these areas, universities require specific talents that may not be found in conventional academic and administrative cadres. The transformation highlights blurred boundaries between academic and non-academic spheres of the university. Situated in the University of Hong Kong (HKU), this paper explores how the university utilizes new professionals and administrative staff in new missions. Qualitative interviews with university staff reveal their profiles and perceptions in evolving organizational structures. By examining understudied subjects in Hong Kong, it discusses implications of changing university staff and how universities may optimize their new talent.     

Cross-cultural implications of graduate study abroad: The case of Korean academics

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Korean faculty regarding the cross-cultural implications of their graduate education abroad for their careers in the academy. Personal interviews were conducted with twenty-seven Western-trained faculty members at three private research universities in the Republic of Korea. Individuals were purposively selected to provide representation across disciplinary fields, academic rank and gender. The study focuses on faculty members' 1) experiences as foreign graduate students and their socialization to the professoriate, and 2) perceptions of the impact of their cross-cultural graduate preparation on their academic careers. Analyses of the data with respect to the research questions revealed two themes: 1) the westernized expectations they developed regarding teaching and research, and 2) the emphasis they place on service to their university and nation. The implications of these findings are discussed not only for faculty careers but also for Western graduate education and training.     

高校学报编辑在维护学术规范中的责任

高校学报编辑作为出版的把关人、学术规范的执行者,必须时刻牢记自己的责任。维护学术规范、建设良好学风、繁荣学术研究、抵制学术腐败,已成为编辑出版者关注、参与和互动的义不容辞的职责,编辑在维护学术规范中的重要作用愈来愈受到社会的承认,所以说,在学术成果从研究到问世,都包含着编辑的辛勤劳动。在抵制学术成果和出版中的不端行为、营造和谐的学术生态中,编辑应发挥积极推动和模范作用。同时,编辑还应加强自身的规范建设,努力促进学术规范建设落到实处。     

Learning environments at higher education institutions: Relationships with academic aspirations and satisfaction

This study investigated university students?? perceptions of their institutions?? learning environments, and related those perceptions to students?? academic aspirations and satisfaction with their universities. A sample of 12,423 juniors at 42 universities in Taiwan was used to confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument: CUEI-S. The study revealed diversity of students?? perceptions among specific aspects of the learning environment. Students responded more positively for student cohesion, library resources and administrative support, but less positively for student-faculty relations, student services, enhancement of their language abilities and emotional development. The majority of students had low academic aspirations but felt satisfied with their universities. The learning environment on campus was shown to play an important role both in students?? academic aspirations and in their general satisfaction, whether the individual student or the university was used as the unit of analysis. The relationship between faculty and students is the aspect that was most strongly associated with students?? academic aspirations. On the other hand, both adequate library resources and university support for student services were the key correlates of students?? general satisfaction at the individual student level. By identifying important relationships among variables, this study suggests initiatives for improving the learning environment at higher education institutions.     

学报在高校学科建设中的作用——以《集美大学学报（教育科学版）》为例

高校学报是高校科研成果的重要文献载体,在高校的学科建设中有着不可替代的作用。由于文献的数字化和网络化,学报传播学术信息的功能加大,对学科建设的影响也加大。学报是学术人才的孵化器,学科建设的推动器,学位点建设的加速器。学报可通过引导学术争鸣,促进学科发展;设立学术栏目主持人,促进学科带头人的成长;编辑专业素质提高了,达到学有专攻,就可以更好地服务学科建设。     

The Development of a Benchmarking Methodology to Assist in Managing the Enhancement of University Research Quality

The paper proposes a metric, the research quality index (RQI), for assessing and tracking university research quality. The RQI is a composite index that encompasses the three main areas of research activity: publications, research grants and higher degree by research activity. The public availability of such an index will also facilitate benchmarking (internally, competitively and generically) by academic units in universities. This has become an important activity in Australia with the proposed introduction of the Research Quality Framework (RQF) as the future research funding mechanism for Australian universities. The RQF is a quality-based system that will replace the existing funding system that is focused on the volume of research output, not quality. Benchmarking, using the RQI, will allow academic units to track their progress towards their quality targets and facilitates internal and competitive benchmarking, allowing academic units to assess the efficacy of their research quality enhancement strategies and policies on an annual basis. The paper illustrates the compilation and operation of the RQI. The RQI is a short-term tracking methodology for use in between the cyclical major research quality assessments. With modifications, it is applicable in a wide range of countries.     

Academic staff participation in university governance: Internal responses to external quality demands

Abstract

Higher education in Croatia is confronted with new trends and quality demands mostly connected with Bologna processes. It is assumed that Croatian universities with their existing governance structures, characterised by strong state regulation and weak institutional administration, cannot respond effectively to new demands. Findings of the survey on conceptions of governance at the Croatian universities are presented in the paper, with its main aim to explore academic staff's perception of university governance. The idea of the university as a “learning organisation” with strong leadership and engaged academic staff is taken as the desired model. Mapping the opinions of academic staff on the present governance structures, their role in governance issues, and making an inventory of their perceptions of strengths and weaknesses of governance processes, forms important background for reflections on adequate modifications in academic governance.     

Accommodating project-based professionals in higher education institutions in Japan

In the shifting environment of higher education, characterised by financial constraints, institutional competition and governmental steering, universities adopt a new stream of missions. In Japan, internationalisation and the acquisition of a global outlook have become a key strategy. The trend is endorsed through competitive public funding schemes, based on the belief that competition fosters so-called world-class universities. These schemes necessitate not only internationalisation of curriculum and research but also a wide range of projects and programs, which require talents that may not be readily found in the existing cadres of university workers. This empirical research assesses experiences and perceptions of project-based professionals in Japanese universities. It found unique ways in which ‘Specially appointed academic staff’ are given project and administrative responsibilities but with limited access to environment and/or support system for research. Discussions focus on impacts of such appointment on their academic career and explore how these institutional projects may be handled in regards to university organisation.     

To assess or not to assess holistic competencies – Student perspectives in Hong Kong

Despite the importance of holistic competencies, universities have not yet been able to successfully embrace holistic competencies (HC) as part of students’ assessment in their curricula. HC are often part of a hidden curriculum – they tend to be assessed together with academic knowledge, and not assessed explicitly. Based in Hong Kong, this research developed a questionnaire to study university students' perceptions of the formal assessment of HC and how students’ perceptions could be bound to the sociocultural context. Through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), two dimensions of perceptions were derived from the responses of 300 respondents: (a) students’ acceptance of formal HC assessment, and (b) their preference for quantitative scoring in the formal assessment of holistic competencies. Findings reveal that students’ perceptions of formal HC assessment were generally considered positive. However, the majority of students appeared to favour pass/fail grading compared to quantitative assessment. As assessment drives learning, this study reinforces the need for universities to incorporate students’ perspectives in policies regarding HC assessment and highlights the role of culture in influencing student perceptions.     

浅谈高校学报编辑的主体属性

高等学校学报是适应高校学术事业发展的需要而诞生。学术性是高校学报的根本属性,没有任何学术研究价值的学报将会失去其存在的意义和价值。学报学术价值的高低取决于所刊文章学术价值的大小,而文章学术价值的高低则取决于学报编辑主体学术水平的高低。这就决定了从事学报的编辑必须有较高专业学术理论水平。又由于高校所设置专业的多学科性,决定了对学报编辑业务素质的要求是多方面的。编辑也只有努力钻研业务,提高自自素质,才能保证编辑在高校中的学术地位不改变。     

Faculty identity through spheres of teaching and research activity and associated genres

This study aims to understand how faculty identity development is related to a differential use of writing genres in the teaching and research spheres of activity and whether this development follows different paths, on the bases of faculty perceptions regarding what they consider their main goal at university and their preferred sphere of activity. Participants (N?=?67) answered the online survey Faculty identity and academic writing. A mixed-method design combining quantitative and qualitative data analysis was used. Results showed first that the most often used genres were written exams in the teaching sphere of activity. Second, activities related to the research sphere, such as writing-related activities and participation in events were the least reported while evaluative activities were mentioned in all spheres. Third, faculty’s perceptions regarding their main goal at university (research) were not in alignment with their preferences (teaching). Writing genres used and activities reported closely mirror preferred spheres of activity and mismatch faculty’s perceptions of their main goal at universities. In conclusion, sphere of activity preferences relate to different paths of faculty’s identity development.     

Research output among the three faculties of business, education, humanities & social sciences in six Hong Kong universities

Academics in Hong Kong universities are urged to increase their research output. This article investigates the measurement of publication outputs among the three faculties of business, education, humanities & social sciences in the six universities of Hong Kong. Data were collected from the 1990–95 annual reports of research and publication outputs of each university. In order to have a fair comparison of publication outputs of each academic, rank, faculty and university, a framework was developed from practical experience and from literature to investigate the problem. Results indicate that the publication outputs of academics in Hong Kong were about the same as other countries in many aspects. Pressing academics for more research publications may raise the figure in the start, but would not necessarily increase the output in the long run.     

世界一流大学教师工资规模、结构与科研产出关系的实证研究——基于2002-2020年间36所美国大学的数据分析

基于36所美国世界一流大学18年间的校际面板数据,研究发现科研产出数量、影响力和综合表现分数分别呈“先降后升”“先平后降”与“持续下降”趋势,校均总工资绝对规模逐年增长,占校均总支出50%左右,师均工资呈增长趋势,校均工资结构多元且稳定。工资规模、结构与科研产出关系的OLS、随机效应和固定效应模型结果表明：在工资规模上,增加大学总工资支出、提高全职教师师均工资均可显著提升大学科研产出数量、影响力和综合表现,但总工资规模对科研产出数量的正向影响更明显,而师均工资则对科研产出影响力的正向影响更突出;在工资结构上,增加工资结构中的研究工资、支持类与服务类工资规模亦可显著提升科研产出数量、影响力和综合表现,其中,研究工资对科研产出数量和综合表现的正向影响更为突出,而支持类和服务类工资对科研产出影响力的正向影响更为显著;教学工资的增加能够提升科研产出数量与影响力,但全职教师工资规模的增加却仅有助于提升科研产出数量,对科研产出影响力和综合表现有明显抑制作用。基于研究发现,我国政府和世界一流大学建设高校需要继续优化大学经费支出结构,大幅提高教师的总工资和研究工资规模;变革工资制度,提升教师工资水平等...     

高校学报编辑的责任意识

高校学报编辑作为社会主义先进文化传播的重要力量,担负着传播学术文化、繁荣学术研究、推进学术发展的历史重任。编辑首先要增强责任意识,这不仅是社会进步、文化繁荣的需要,也是学报发展和编辑自身发展的需要。编辑只有增强责任意识,在稿件的原则性和方向性、专业性和学术性、知识性和常识性、标准性和规范性等方面严格把关,才能保证学报质量,完成时代所负之重托。     

The Effectiveness of Academic Boards in University Governance

Despite considerable international literature acknowledging issues associated with the effectiveness of university academic boards (also known as academic senates or faculty senates), there is little current empirical research exploring why difficulties might exist and what (if anything) might be done about them. This article reports the findings of case study research conducted in Australian universities, which examined fulfilment of academic board terms of reference and perceived academic board strengths and weaknesses. Based on the data, the article then considers the characteristics of one particular “effective” academic board. It concludes by highlighting some potential implications of the research for those universities seeking to enhance the future role and function of their academic board, which include discussing the apparent importance of latent or tacit functions of university academic boards, versus those functions or responsibilities which are formally documented, and the building of intellectual and symbolic capital for their respective universities through a focus on the substantive quality of core academic programmes.