International dimension in engineering education

Engineers of the 21st century will spend appreciable portions of their careers in environments rich with global connections. Therefore, engineering colleges and universities must develop strategies that provide the global perspectives and international experiences that will help their graduates excel in this new world order. The current paper presents some European and American approaches to creating multi-organizational, international partnerships of academic and industrial organizations that emphasize collaborative educational programmes and research efforts that meet the globalization needs of faculty members, students, and industry.     

EUROPE OF THE UNIVERSITIES

Universities came into existence in Europe in the Middle Ages in response to the need, variously felt by the rapidly evolving societies of the era, for institutions which could organize advanced training in certain key areas of knowledge. When nniversities have vigorously promoted, responded to, and influenced the development of culture, they have occupied major positions in the intellectual lives of societies. When they have locked themselves into prevailing orthodoxies, they have stagnated, and their privileged positions have been challenged by parallel institutions of humanism and of science. Because universities are so much a part of the unifying elements of European culture as well as being principal initiators of them, they are called upon to contribute to what has been, in recent years, a notable rebirth of interest among Europeans in a reaffirmation of the cultural unity of their continent. Universities are therefore invited to participate in a number of projects sponsored by Unesco, by official and international organizations of the European countries, and by nongovernmental organizations, aimed at furthering European cultural development and unity within diversity by direct and by indirect means.     

THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW EUROPEAN HOME

This article focusses on the types of assistance which the universities in the western European countries could render to their peers in Eastern Europe. It explores the ways in which this aid would contribute to the elaboration of the transnational culture of the New European Home. Stress is laid on the need to integrate the educational and research activities of European universities for the training of new intellectual élites. A considerable expansion of student exchanges is suggested, particularly the training of foreign language teachers in foreign universities. The universities should rediscover and lay stress on humanism and end their participation in military research. They should prepare bachelor's and master's degree holders capable of working as teachers in other types of higher education institutions and as researchers and theorists in various types of cultural establishments. The article concludes with an examination of the scope and the operation of the International Environmental and Cultural Centre of Norway which is operated by the Byelorussian State University and the Folk High School of Agder, Norway. This centre is cited as an example of the type of inter‐university centre which should be established all over Europe so as to further the integration of European universities.     

欧洲大学科研经费管理变革及发展趋势探析

欧洲大学的科学研究对欧洲创新体系的持续发展具有重要意义。随着欧洲各国公共管理体制的改革．加上国家公共资金的有限性,欧洲各大学在科研经费上也必须面对日益激烈的竞争。近几年欧洲大学加强了科研经费管理的变革,许多大学积极寻找其他的研究经费来源,通过与企业合作补充科研经费、积极承担国际研究项目等方式,使得欧洲大学研究经费的来源日益多样化。而在经费上向基础研究倾斜、鼓励跨学科和跨机构研究,重视科研经费管理专业化等措施,则大大提高了欧洲大学科研经费管理的有效性和透明度。     

特许状：大学学术自由的张力和社会控制的平衡

接受法律的规制是大学组织获得合法性的必要条件．而如何保证大学学术自由的张力和社会控制之间的平衡,则是管理的关键。特许状是欧洲大学最古老的合法性文件,今天仍然是西方一些大学获得合法性的法律文件。欧洲大学特许状是大学与当局长期博弈的结果,体现出契约、理性和宪政的管理理念。特许状的出现使西方社会对大学的管理方式走向了法制化的轨道,并为大学的学术自由和组织自治提供了法律保障,为西方大学的良性发展奠定了法治基础。特许状所体现出的西方社会对大学的管理理念对我们建设现代大学制度具有一定的借鉴意义。     

国际组织终身学习理念阐释与政策发展

终身学习理念在国际组织中具有独特的地位,联合国教科文组织、世界经合组织、世界银行和欧盟都不同程度地成为终身学习理念发展的推动力量。随着20世纪70年代终身学习理念出现开始,国际组织对终身学习理念的理解也在不断加深和提升,终身学习的观念在国际组织中不断发生变化。由于国际组织对成员国具有一定的政策影响力,国际组织通过相关政策制定和推行等方式来实现终身学习理念以及政策目标。     

International Demand For Spanish University Education: an analysis in the context of the European Higher Education Area

In the current context of globalisation it seems inevitable that the international openness of universities would also lead to efforts to attract foreign students. In the case of Spain, this is more necessary, insofar as the drop in population, the existence of other quality educational offerings, and the greater number of public and private universities have made students a target to compete for. Cutbacks in public funds have accentuated this trend. This article analyses the international demand at Spanish universities in order to determine whether there are significant differences because of the level of local competition faced by universities and public or private ownership. The Herfindhal index and analysis of variance are used to this end. Using data from the Statistics on University Students for the 2005‐2006 and 2011‐2012 academic years, we found that the creation of the European Higher Education Area partially affected international demand at Spanish universities. The overall international attractiveness of the Spanish university system improved considerably and universities have assumed an international view, regardless of the competition in their respective areas. Therefore, local competition is no longer a decisive factor to explain the international demand. In contrast, although public or private ownership does not determine the international attractiveness of universities, it does serve to explain their type of international demand.     

ASSISTING QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF SLOVENIA

There are two universities in Slovenia which undertake research and teaching and offer professional services. The quality of the research performed by faculty members is assured by strict quantitative bibliographical criteria employed in the faculty rank award procedure. The criteria for teaching quality are less well defined. The new Higher Education Act of 1993, organized university staff development, the appearance of an integrated information system, and student evaluation of faculty teaching performance with the aid of student questionnaires can all be regarded as extrinsic assistance to intrinsic efforts on the part of faculty, students, and their organizations. Slovenia will endeavour to broaden and deepen its co‐operation with international organizations and foundations in the field of quality assessment and improvement of higher education institutions, particularly the quality of the teaching they offer.     

汲取中外校友工作经验 分步开展中国政府奖学金校友工作

中国政府奖学金国际校友是母校培养与管理工作的反馈者、招生工作天然的推广员、就业工作的人脉资源与中外人文交流的坚实推动力量,高校应把握好这一宝贵资源,做好奖学金校友工作。考虑到目前国内的国际校友工作尚处于基础阶段,高校有必要从欧美大学较为丰富的校友工作经验、国内高校的中国校友工作经验及在其在国际校友工作方面的尝试中汲取精华,重视建设校友数据库、健全组织架构、引导校友反哺母校、提高校友服务品质、塑造在校生的校友意识等工作。校友工作并非一蹴而就,高校应起于打牢基础,扎实扩充规模,着眼长远提升,逐步打造出符合自身、国家、国际校友特色与需求的中国政府奖学金校友工作体系。     

大学公共危机：发育与治理

大学公共危机是指由大学组织发起的,能够导致大学组织或社会失序的重大群体性事件。大学公共危机对社会和大学组织自身具有较大的冲击性。大学公共危机的诱因源于大学与政府之间的价值冲突,这种价值冲突在大学的组织偏好等因素作用下最终催生了大学的公共危机。由于大学与政府各自的组织性质使双方的价值冲突在所难免,所以,大学公共危机治理的最佳路径选择就是制度化治理。     

浅谈高校社团组织发展近况

学生组织建设是高校建设的重点项目,如今高校建设逐渐与国际高校建设接轨.本文讲述了高校学生组织的工作特色,简要阐明了我国学生社团组织建设发展中遇到的问题,对如何加强高校对学生组织的建设提出了相应的建议.     

FIRST MEETING OF THE STANDING CONFERENCE ON UNIVERSITY PROBLEMS

There are a number of international organizations or bodies, which create a framework for international co‐operation in higher education in the European region. (In some cases such co‐operation may involve only some of these countries, while in other instances it may cut across the outer boundaries of the European region).

In 1978 a new organization was created by the Council of Europe's Standing Conference on University Problems (CC‐PU) whose terms of reference are: “as a committee of experts under the authority of the new Council for Cultural Co‐operation (CDCC):

• to organize or encourage cooperation among European nations in the field of higher education and research;

• to propose activities to the CDCC for inclusion in the annual programme of activities;

• to promote relations among European universities and institutions

  of higher education and research”.

The first meeting of CC‐PU was held from 20 to 21 December 1978 in Strasbourg. Professor Dominique Rivier, Rector of the University of Lausanne was elected as its Chairman and as its Vice‐chairman, Professor Paul Sabourin from the Cabinet du Ministre aux Universites (France).

The following information concerns issues discussed during the first meeting of the Conference; these were the Council's Cultural Co‐operation (CDCC) activities in promoting student mobility in the countries of the European Community3 and interrelations between employment and training.     

The Shift from Teaching to Learning: How Well Designed for the Shift are University‐level History Teacher Training Programmes?

The author, the President of EUROCLIO, a major association of European history teachers, considers the present state of history teacher preparation in the universities of Europe. Her primary complaint is that university programmes that are intended primarily for the training and preparation of future historians may neglect the needs of students planning to teach history in middle or in secondary schools. Typical university undergraduate history programmes tend to be overly academic, failing to provide enough in the way of pedagogical training. Thus the author recommends a strong dose of pedagogical methods courses as well as practical training for future history teachers. Other European organizations, particularly the Council of Europe and the European Union, are taking an interest in the ways in which history is being taught in the schools of their member states. The article ends with a survey of some recent conferences sponsored by these two organizations as well as by EUROCLIO on pedagogical and topical aspects of history teaching.     

Transatlantic moves to the market: the United States and the European Union

The theory of academic capitalism is used to explore US and EU marketization trajectories. Comparisons are made along the following dimensions: creation and expansion of intermediating organizations external to universities that promote closer relations between universities and markets; interstitial organizations that emerge from within universities that intersect various market oriented projects; narratives, discourses and social technologies that promote marketization and competition; expanded managerial capacity; new funding streams for research and programs close to the market; and new circuits of knowledge that move away from peer review and professional judgment as arbiters of excellence. We also consider the status of fields not closely integrated with external markets, and see fragmentation of the humanities, fine arts and (some) social sciences to be a sign of research universities marketization. We conclude that the US and EU are following very different paths to bring higher education closer to the market. The US move to the market was incremental and frequently led by a wide variety of non-governmental organizations, often with strong ties to the for-profit sector and participation by segments of universities prior to federal legislation or mandates. The European Commission is reverse engineering Anglo-American higher education models to reconstruct technologies of governance in uniquely European contexts that embed competition in nation-state initiatives. Although the discourse surrounding university marketization promises growth of high paying jobs prosperity, evidence to date suggests very uneven results for both the US and EU.     

Virtual university–a vehicle for development,cooperation and internationalisation in teaching and learning

The paper discusses the approaches of virtual university strategies and developments in Europe. The discussion is partly based on the work done in the Activity 5 in the EU Thematic Network E4 and partly to the experiences gained through the activities of EUNITE virtual university network of six European universities. Based on our experience we see, that e-learning and virtual university approach can be used for renewal of teaching and learning, both on and off campus. Just three years ago, universities seemed mainly to aim only to develop on campus teaching and learning through ICT. Lately, the use of e-learning as a tool for international cooperation and for virtual mobility (Virtual Erasmus) has started to develop through the activities of the European Union e-learning programmes and through the activities of some European university networks, like EUNITE. To promote virtual universities and e-learning, commitment and actions at all levels from EU to individual institutions are needed.     

FUNDAMENTAL DELIBERATIONS ON THE DETERMINATION OF EQUIVALENCES BASED ON THE AUSTRIAN EXPERIENCE

International university co‐operation which serves to Internationalize science and knowledge requires that students, teachers, and scientists be internationally mobile. For mobility to occur on a wide scale, it must be the object of inter‐university and international bilateral and multilateral agreements. The various sorts of agreement which have been negotiated and enacted since the 1950's have been very successful. Recognition and equivalence must be based on qualitative rather than on quantitative factors, and above all on trust Recognition procedures could be further perfected by such actions as the preparation of a set of harmonizable recommendations, on the determination of equivalences, greater co‐operation among the various European information networks on equivalence, and publication of a manual on recognized universities in Europe.     

Redefining the Region Served by a University—The Baltic Sea Region Revisited

This article outlines the co-operation links of the University of Turku in Finland. Currently it has bilateral agreements with thirty-nine overseas universities plus links with a number of nongovernmental organizations devoted to higher education. The University of Turku is reevaluating these links so as, in the future, to stress those with its immediate international (Baltic) neighbours. It is in the process of contributing to the establishment of a formal Baltic Sea Region University Network and participation in European Union-sponsored Northern Dimension-sponsored projects. The university links parallel and intersect those also established internationally by the city of Turku. International strategies have become a major part of the total activity of the University of Turku.     

INTER‐UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL CO‐OPERATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The situation with regard to the development of academic co‐operation, both at the national and at the international levels, between European and Chinese universities, is introduced. Some suggestions are made with regard to the future development of such co‐operation.     

Accreditation in Turkish universities

In Turkey, students are more and more willing to participate in the global free movement of students and of high-skilled labour after their graduation. This is why they request international accreditation from universities. Therefore, accreditation is one of the parameters that play an important role in students' university selection. On the other hand, Turkey is aiming to be a European Union member. This imposes institutional legal and civil arrangements and harmonization. Also, the general trend of globalization dictates requirements from university graduates that are answered in best business practice in which accreditation is a major component. In this paper, accreditation efforts to achieve international recognition for Turkish universities are discussed. For this purpose information on higher education is given. Attempts for accreditation on licensure through FEANI is explained. Accreditation on department programmes by ABET (USA) and by an engineering institution (UK) are discussed and their similarities are pinpointed. Also, a Turkish, British and World Bank quality assessment pilot project for education and research is discussed.     

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender in Education: The Case of Eastern and Southern Africa

In recent years, throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, there has been a proliferation of research on gender in education. It is possible to point to a wide variety of publications, courses and programmes planned and organized by universities, national governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector relating to this field. This article examines the feminist and gender theories underpinning all these endeavors. The theories are assessed for their potential capacity to assist in elucidating the complex relationship between gender and development within the region.