Conflicting logics of online higher education

Abstract

The advent of massive open online courses and online degrees offered via digital platforms has occurred in a climate of austerity. Public universities worldwide face challenges to expand their educational reach, while competing in international rankings, raising fees and generating third-stream income. Online forms of unbundled provision offering smaller flexible low-cost curricular units have promised to disrupt this system. Yet do these forms challenge existing hierarchies in higher education and the market logic that puts pressure on universities and public institutions at large in the neoliberal era? Based on fieldwork in South Africa, this article explores the perceptions of senior managers of public universities and of online programme management companies. Analysing their considerations around unbundled provision, we discuss two conflicting logics of higher education that actors in structurally different positions and in historically divergent institutions use to justify their involvement in public–private partnerships: the logic of capital and the logic of social relevance.     

Dyslexia in Greek higher education: a study of incidence, policy and provision

Dyslexia is defined as a disability that primarily affects reading and writing. Internationally, the number of dyslexic students entering higher education is on the rise. It is estimated that students with dyslexia represent a small but significant minority. Many English-speaking countries have developed support services and teaching practices to accommodate dyslexic students' educational needs. In Greece, research on dyslexia is very limited. The purpose of this study is to define the incidence of dyslexia among the Greek student population and to examine dyslexic students' age, gender and major field of study. Data were collected from a total of 406 departments at all Greek public institutions of higher education (n = 32). The existing practices for identifying and provisions for supporting dyslexic students were also examined. The incidence of dyslexia in Greek higher education was estimated to be 0.16%, which is far below the estimated incidence in the general population. Interesting results were yielded regarding the variability of higher education institutions' responses to dyslexia. In almost all Greek institutions, provision takes place in the form of oral examinations and generic counseling. technological education institutions (TEIs) seem to be more aware of the educational needs of dyslexic students, possibly because they have three times more dyslexic students than higher education institutions (HEIs). All Greek universities deal with the needs of dyslexic students on an individual basis, making provision reactive rather than proactive. The results of the present study are discussed in the light of inclusive education and equality of opportunity for students who learn in a different way but do not differ from their counterparts in terms of intelligence or general abilities.     

Neoliberalism and curriculum in higher education: a post-colonial analyses

In an era of internationalisation and globalisation, neoliberal agendas have now become important aspects of many institutional and national governments’ higher education policy. A major aspect of these neoliberal agendas is their impact on the curriculum. This paper critically examines the impact of neoliberal agendas on curriculum through a postcolonial and decolonising lens, drawing on research conducted in the African context to illuminate the theoretical analysis presented. Drawing on 48 semi-structured interviews and documentary analyses across three public universities in Ghana, we examine the relationship between neoliberal agendas, neo-colonialism and curriculum imperatives in African higher education. The analysis illuminates the ways that hegemonic discourses connected to neoliberal agendas re-privilege Western-oriented values and perspectives and impact the curriculum changes in African higher education institutions.     

Logos,ethos, pathos and the marketing of higher education

ABSTRACT

This article utilises rhetorical analysis as a method to investigate course level marketing communications for undergraduate fashion marketing degrees in England. The purpose of this method is to explore the persuasive appeals of Aristotle’s triad of logos, ethos and pathos, how they are used and how these appeals could differ by university type. Sixteen course pages were analysed, with the analysis of course web pages shows a clear distinction between ‘types’ of university, with Post 92 institutions relying heavily on appeals to emotion (pathos) and giving more focus to ‘value for money’ that would be a concern to their students. Russell Group and Specialist universities rely more on appeals to ethos (credibility) and logos (fact/data) to market their courses. This research finds evidence of market segmentation, demonstrated through the different use of persuasive appeals to express the course focus, and giving insight to their target audience.     

中国高等教育财政政策的公平取向

促进教育公平是中国制定教育政策的基本价值导向。中国高等教育财政政策的基点是增加教育投入,保证机会公平,并已经关注资源利用情况及对过程公平的促进,今后的方向是如何提高产出效率,促进结果公平。对高等教育财政政策的公平取向进行分析,提出构建以公平为取向的高等教育财政政策体系,通过财政政策促进高等教育公平,具有现实性意义。     

Nullifying quality: the marketisation of higher education

The increasing dominance of educational markets means that quality of higher education has the character of open signifiers of periodic occurrence, embedded institutionally as ways of consensual communication on how to go on as smoothly as possible. This promotes the growth of context dependent and local interpretations of how to meet in agreement regarding quality in everyday practices. All interpretations are contextualised and as a result are nullified outside the context in which they occur. Discourses on quality promote flexibility and create periodic legitimacy through discursive nullification processes. On the other hand, institutions have to adopt standards in education as a measure of outcome indicators for benchmarking. When quality is replaced by standards and if standards are equivalent to labour market relevance this might signal the beginning of overall external control over higher education. In the long run it will hardly benefit educational programmes if institutions of higher educations fail to ‘stand for’ quality that, in the very least, can supplement the fulfilment of politically determined targets and standards. In this way the market will have not only graduates who are going into employment but also engaged citizens who can transform and challenge the market.     

Diversity in Australian higher education?

This study explores systematic relationships between management attitudes about recent transitions in the funding and structure of higher education in Australia (Meek and Goedegebuure, 1989) and the domains of the taxonomy emerging from ongoing organisational effectiveness research based on these institutions (Lysons, 1990b). The results reinforce the integrity of the previously established 4 group framework and flesh-out more fine-grained issues which may militate against the smooth transition of amalgamated institutions to university status, on the one hand, and the enhancement of diversity on the other.     

Diversity and intergroup contact in higher education: exploring possibilities for democratization through social justice education

This study contributes to research linking diversity and higher education teaching to democratic learning outcomes. It explores processes and outcomes associated with the intergroup contact of Black and White students enrolled in two sections of a diversity education course at a public university in the southeastern United States. The goals of this study were: (1) to explore the intergroup dynamics that emerged when students interacted in both sections of the course; and (2) to identify student support for intergroup cooperation as a result of their experiences in the course. While one section of the course experienced a high degree of intergroup conflict, students in both sections reported support for intergroup cooperation at the end of the course.     

Rating and rewarding higher education for sustainable development research within the marketised higher education context: experiences from English universities

This paper explores one key aspect of marketisation in English universities, the quality-related research funding (QR) system, which central government in the United Kingdom uses to allocate funds to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), based on a system of reviewing and rating the ‘quality’ of research at different HEIs. Specifically, it focuses on the experiences of 30 members of academic staff from eight universities across England who were engaged in research and/or scholarly activity in the broad field of Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD), during the time leading up to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission period. Interviewees were asked to talk about their experiences of being a HESD researcher/scholar within the context of the QR system and their perceptions of the relationship between the QR system and interdisciplinary, sustainability, pedagogic and HESD research. Findings from the semi-structured interviews and resulting qualitative analysis, reveal a number of obstacles facing HESD researchers which are outlined and explored in the paper. Strategies and rationale for improving the quality, reputation and ultimately, the ‘REF-ability’ of HESD research are discussed, and highlight the complex interface between marketisation and sustainability in higher education.     

浅析高等教育管理的自主性原则

本文从历史经验、管理学发展、高校师生心理特点、高等教育管理的特点等方面出发分析了高等教育管理实行自主性原则的必要性,论述了该原则对管理工作的要求,并针对实际情况中的不足提出了几点建议.     

Equity,markets and the politics of aspiration in Australian higher education

This paper provides a critical discussion of contemporary policy agendas to raise aspirations for university study among students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. It traces the politics of aspiration from the working class ‘poverty of desire’ thesis propounded by British socialists at the turn of the twentieth century to recent concerns about the educational aspirations of low SES groups. These concerns are manifest in the current aspiration-raising agenda in Australian higher education, which aims to realise equity objectives by cultivating market-rational behaviour and dispositions to maximise self-investment in human capital. However, changes in contemporary global education and labour markets present significant obstacles to the ‘good life’ promises made by advocates of human capital theory, and even when these promises are realised, deficit constructions of aspirations persist. The paper identifies a tension in aspiration-raising logics between (1) human capital promises of economic rewards for enterprising behaviour and (2) the policing of aspirations and associated behaviours according to dominant social values.     

Transfer students in institutions of higher education

The primary purpose of this study is to describe the extent of college transfers over two years since initial matriculation and to examine differences in background characteristics between transfers and nontransfers (i.e., persisters, withdrawals, and graduates). Data involved a national probability sample of the 1972 entering class. Major findings include the following: 25% of the 2-year college students transferred to a 4-year institution, and 16% of 4-year college students moved to another 4-year institution. This later group of students tended to hold higher socioeconomic status and college grades but lower ability test scores than persisters. Implications of the findings are also discussed.     

Patterns of core and generic skill provision in higher education

The study reported here is seeking to gain enhanced understandings of the acquisition and development of core and generic skills in higher education and employment against a backcloth of continued pressure for their effective delivery from employers, government departments, and those responsible for the management and funding of higher education. This pressure appears to have had little impact so far, in part because of tutors' scepticism of the message, the messenger and its vocabulary, and in part because the skills demanded lack clarity, consistency and a recognisable theoretical base. Any empirical attempt to acquire enhanced understandings of practice thus requires the conceptualisation and development of models of generic skills and of course provision. These models are presented together with evidence of their validity, including exemplars of the patterns of course provision identified.     

Learning orientations: Diversity in higher education

As teachers struggle to meet the needs of a highly diverse student body, technology holds out the promise of a solution. However, first the nature and scope of differences between students has to be identified. This study (n = 1811) takes a comprehensive approach, selecting differences from each stage in the learning process. These were termed learning orientations. Factor analysis (FA) produced ten learning orientations, which were then subjected to a second order FA. Three learning pathways emerged; cognitive voyaging, industrious pragmatism and multimedia collaboration. About 65% of students are high on industrious pragmatism, 15% high on cognitive voyaging and 9.2% multimedia collaboration. Both learning orientations and learning pathways were used in ANOVAS and t-tests to explore differences in age, gender and ethnicity. Students who were younger and/or of Asian or Polynesian ethnicity were more likely to follow a multimedia collaboration pathway. Older students are more likely to go the cognitive voyaging or industrious pragmatism way.     

高等教育大众化进程中的公平问题

高等教育资源短缺、供给不足是长期以来制约我国高等教育公平的主要瓶颈,推进高等教育大众化是增进高等教育公平的必然选择;与此同时,在大众化进程中要落实科学发展观,把增进高等教育公平作为基本价值取向之一,解决好大众化进程中的快慢节奏问题、区域平衡问题和多元办学问题。     

论胡适与高等教育

胡适以在美国留学期间的高等教育经历与归国后的高等教育实践活动为基础,逐步形成了具有鲜明特色的以学术独立为核心的高等教育思想。他提倡学术独立的根本目的是要加强中国人在思想、学术、文化、教育方面的独立自主。为实现学术独立,发展高等教育,胡适提出了转变大学观念、制定高等教育发展规划、发挥政府的作用等项建议。胡适争取学术独立的高等教育思想,为我国构建自主创新型高等教育体系提供了重要的启示。     

British higher education and its older clients

The older clients of the British highereducation system are both extremely numerousand extremely diverse. In this paper we drawupon the results of a national survey ofgraduates to show how this diversity in termsof age and mode of study, and by implication interms of motivation, gender and subject ofstudy, directly impacts upon the types ofoutcome measurements that are appropriate andupon the levels of outcome that are achieved.     

The impact of programme accreditation on Portuguese higher education provision

The paper analyses the impact of programme accreditation in Portugal further to the operations of the Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, which were initiated in 2009. Tracking the evolution of study programmes, the paper found that, out of the initial 5262 programmes on offer in 2009/2010, 40% have been either discontinued or not accredited as of July 2015. The analysis revealed differences between the private and the public sectors, with higher proportions of discontinuations and closures in the former. For the discipline with the highest percentage of non-accredited programmes (Law), the main reasons for denied accreditation were analysed. The identified reasons were related to a lack of academic quality, for example, the programmes’ lack of compliance with legal requirements regarding teaching staff qualifications and full-time employment, the blurred identity of programmes, undifferentiated between university and polytechnic sectors, or curricular inconsistencies. The paper suggests that the identified reasons are likely to be symptomatic of the quality shortcomings in the provision of higher education programmes in Portugal. The data provide evidence that programme accreditation has had a powerful impact, reducing the number of programmes, increasing the number of PhD holders among teaching staff and raising institutional awareness of quality.     

Special needs students in higher education

The topic in this paper is how former special needs students with academic competence from upper secondary school succeed in education on a higher level. The study concentrates on students who at their start in upper secondary education were registered with problems of concentration, difficulties in reading, writing or mathematics. The main part of this paper will base on qualitative interviews with nine former special needs students. Seven out of the nine informants were registered with reading and writing difficulties. However, it is also possible to compare these informants with longitudinal data from a larger group of students who have been followed prospectively since spring 1996. Theoretically the study is based on life course research with special emphasis on social transitions. In transitional processes between different educational arenas gatekeepers＇often play important roles. This study will examine how such gatekeepers, e.g. teachers, may facilitate or obstruct these transitions for a vulnerable group like former special needs students.