Satisfaction with Business Education: A Comparison of Business Students and Their Parents

ABSTRACT

The study examined relationships between ratings of college services and program quality among 57 pairs of parents and students. The study revealed that the relationships between parent and student ratings of the institution were relatively small. However, parents who believed that they had greater influence over student choice of institution were more satisfied with the institution. Satisfaction also was associated with amount of parental contribution to payment of tuition and fees. Marketing implications for universities are indicated.     

Conceptualising global competence: situating cosmopolitan student identities within internationalising South Korean Universities

ABSTRACT

Universities have increasingly pursued ‘world-class status’ and have prioritized internationalisation efforts. South Korean universities have accordingly invested billions of dollars in attracting foreign students and faculty, increasing English-medium instruction courses, and teaching curriculum related to global competence. This article applies a theory of cosmopolitanism to understand the relationship between global competence and student identity within internationalising South Korean universities. I argue that cosmopolitanism manifests in student identities at such universities in articulations that are contested and variegated. My findings suggest that cosmopolitanism demonstrates theoretical potential to conceptualise global competence in ways that overcome its critiques as Western-centric and elitist.     

Class acts? Working class student officers in students’ unions

Abstract

This article explores the recent emergence of ‘working-class student officer’ roles in students’ unions associated with elite UK universities. These student representative roles are designed to represent the interests of working-class students within their universities and sit alongside student representatives for liberation groups and/or student communities. Based on interviews with postholders and using Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field and Reay’s applications of a ‘reflexive habitus’, I explore how these students have come to assert a public and political ‘working-class student’ identity within their universities. Their commentaries reveal the ‘makings of class’ in a context where students are very aware of claims for recognition and the ‘hidden injuries of class’ and offer an insight into how working-class students are finding new ways to navigate their classed identities in HE.     

Strategy Development for Incumbent Urban Universities: Moving Forward in an Increasingly Competitive Environment

ABSTRACT

Recently, many urban public universities have seen a drastic increase in competition. This project integrates Schumpeter's economic theories from 70 years ago with current strategic management theory in order to provide a framework for strategic response to that competition. This article explores all possible combinations of the high-low quality and high-low price dichotomy under the model that the urban college student behaves more like a business than like a consumer.     

Marketing of Further and Higher Education: an equal opportunities perspective

abstract

College and universities are wanting to recruit more students from a wider base giving them access to further and higher education. This requires institutions to market their courses effectively to prospective consumers. In educational terms the consumer is the student. This article explores the links between marketing models and the ways that colleges and universities have addressed the issue of equality of opportunity and wider access.     

Why change? A practitioner's perspective on why and how universities tackle organisational change (or don't)

ABSTRACT

Over a number of years, universities have needed to become more adept at managing change as internal and external factors affect their longer term financial sustainability. That sustainability is, for many institutions, closely linked to how straightforward (or otherwise) it is to recruit student numbers of the right quality from often diverse markets. However, the scale of a university's financial challenge isn't always enough on its own to dictate how bravely an institution drives its change agenda, nor the nature and pace of change.     

Does evaluation of teaching lead to improvement of teaching?

Abstract

Given the widespread use of student evaluation of teaching in North American colleges and universities, it is reasonable to ask whether student evaluation has accomplished one of its major intended outcomes, namely improvement of instructional quality. A review of research evidence from three independent sources (faculty surveys, field experiments and longitudinal comparisons) suggests that student evaluation does in fact contribute significantly to improvement of certain aspects of university teaching, particularly if evaluation is supplemented by expert consultation. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that student evaluation has led to undesirable instructional side‐effects, such as grade inflation and entrenchment of traditional teaching methods.     

Teacher education budget cuts in Romania and the US: points of contrast and comparison

Background

Budgets for teacher education programmes have been substantially reduced as a result of the global economic crisis.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare the teacher education budget cutting processes and procedures for universities in Romania versus one university in the United States.

Sample

The data were collected from six Romanian universities that all have teacher education programmes. These universities represent the range of higher education quality in the country as indicated by their publication rates. Data from these universities were compared with those from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). UNR is the flagship university in the Nevada System of Higher Education, and Nevada has been harder hit by the recent global economic crisis than any other state in the United States and cuts to teacher education there have been substantial.

Design and methods

Data about the budget cutting processes and decisions in the teacher education programmes of six Romanian universities were collected through an electronic survey. These data were compared with the processes and decisions made at the UNR.

Results

The budget cutting processes in Romania were less transparent, and involved less input from stakeholders such as faculty and staff. Most decisions were made at a higher level of authority in Romania, and cuts in Romania were more likely to be across the board rather than more strategically targeted as they were in Nevada.

Conclusions

These differences are discussed in terms of the historical legacy of structures and policies in Romania, and the resistance to reform inherent in those structures and policies.     

Quality Assessment of College Admissions Processes

ABSTRACT

In today's competitive environment colleges and universities must correct any practice or process which could prompt a desirable prospective student to select an alternative institution. Through quality improvement techniques, including customer surveys, benchmarking and gap analysis, this study revealed that student dissatisfaction with the admissions process may be a factor influencing declining enrollment, even in a highly regarded academic program. Students who experience a long waiting period and/or minimal contact during that waiting time may be prompted to seek or accept alternative college options. Cycle time and number of student contacts were identified as critical success factors (CSF) in the continuous improvement of college admissions procedures.     

Voices in Education: Politics and Teacher Education

Abstract

This research examined the legal climate regarding admissions and retention in teacher preparation programs as well as the current practices of selected programs. The study utilized legal/archival research and an on‐line survey of 27 universities. Findings indicated that the legal parameters regarding admission and retention fall under the expectations established for other types of professional training. University officials have great latitude to make professional judgments. The survey found that most institutions have formal admission and retention policies, though the admission policies are more fully developed. Many universities reported having formal policies to consider student dispositions for teaching, though no single policy is used by more than one third of the universities surveyed (most employ informal means). Conclusions include that teacher preparation programs have more legal latitude than is being employed for admission and retention decisions, and it is recommended that the field establish professional norms for retention policies and assessing student dispositions for teaching.     

Portrayal of Older Students by Colleges and Universities

ABSTRACT

This inquiry used content analysis of student brochures to ascertain if a sample of colleges and universities portrayed older persons less frequently and less positively than they did younger individuals. The study generated evidence to indicate that colleges and universities tend to depict older persons infrequently and negatively.     

The Universities and initial teacher education; challenging the discourse of derision. The case of Wales

ABSTRACT

For nearly 40 years the quality and value of the contribution of universities to initial teacher education has been brought into question. This is particularly so in England where the ongoing ‘discourse of derision’ has resulted in universities no longer being seen as necessary partners in the process. More recently, similar challenges have taken place in other countries such as USA and Australia. However in 2013, when the Welsh Government turned its attention to the apparent low quality of its current provision, rather than challenging the role of universities, it chose to strengthen their contribution. There were however to be important changes that insisted that universities put the student teacher learning at the heart of course planning, that universities clarify their own distinctive contribution and that they work in close collaboration with schools. While this approach to initial teacher education is not new, this is the first time that such a model has been implemented on a national scale. This paper outlines the nature, rationale and underlying research for the reforms in Wales. It concludes by speculating on their likely impact in raising the quality of provision and securing the future contribution of universities to teachers’ learning.     

Inquiry-Based Learning and the Flipped Classroom Model

Abstract

The flipped classroom model of teaching can be an ideal venue for turning a traditional classroom into an engaging, inquiry-based learning (IBL) environment. In this paper, we discuss how two instructors at different universities made their classrooms come to life by moving the acquisition of basic course concepts outside the classroom and using class time for active problem-based learning. Results from student surveys are presented to relate student perceptions of the flipped/IBL classroom model.     

Determinants of university students’ attendance

ABSTRACT

Background: Attendance of university students at their timetabled teaching sessions is usually associated with higher levels of educational attainment. Attendance is usually considered to reflect students’ level of engagement with their course and to be critical to student success; despite the potential for technological alternatives, lectures and other face-to-face sessions still tend to be the primary method of teaching at university.

Purpose: Here we review studies which have investigated these determinants of attendance in order to gain a better understanding of whether – and how – Higher Education Institutions are able to improve attendance rates.

Sources of evidence: Electronic databases (e.g. ERIC, Web of Science) were used to identify articles exploring attendance in Higher Education settings.

Main argument: Some of the most debated determinants of attendance are reviewed: teaching issues (e.g. quality, style and format); effects of university expectations and policy (e.g. mandating attendance, awarding grades for attendance); scheduling issues; provision of materials online; and the effects of individual factors arguably outside of the Higher Education Institution’s control (e.g. finance, student employment, student demographics and psychological factors).

Conclusions: It is suggested that, although some individual factors influence student attendance and are arguably out of the control of HEIs, it is possible for them to facilitate attendance through adjustments to aspects of degree delivery such as attendance policies and monitoring, timetabling and style of teaching. Implications for policies on the recording of lectures, curriculum design and student term-time working are also discussed. Future research on student attendance should include longer and larger studies which simultaneously consider a range of influences; examining both inter- and intra-individual variability and different types of teaching sessions.     

From Design and Implementation to Impact of Quality Assurance: An Overview of Some Studies into what Impacts Improvement

Abstract

Access to university has improved following the massification of the Australian higher education sector which started in 1989, with the expansion being funded by a widening of the funding base. In the ten years from 1989, Australian universities enrolled an additional 231,000 students, including an extra 189,000 in undergraduate bachelor degrees. Specific equity policies have further attempted to increase opportunities for students previously excluded from higher education. This paper looks at changes in the composition of the student body, and in the patterns of university funding. Using aggregated national student data sets, some of the changes which have arisen from massification are identified, with particular consideration of designated equity groups.     

Improving quality and equity in schools in socially disadvantaged areas

Background: Recent effectiveness studies have investigated the relationship between two dimensions of effectiveness – namely, quality and equity. Specifically, the question of whether effective schools can also reduce the initial differences in student outcomes attributed to student background factors has been examined. In this context, the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) makes use of theory and the research findings of effectiveness studies to try to improve school effectiveness in terms of quality and equity.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether the implementation of DASI in primary schools in socially disadvantaged areas in four European countries (Cyprus, England, Greece and Ireland) was able to promote student learning outcomes in mathematics and to reduce the impact of student background factors on student achievement in mathematics.

Design and methods: A sample of 72 primary schools across the four countries was randomly split into experimental and control groups. At the beginning and at the end of the school year, mathematics tests were administered to all students of Grades 4–6 (n = 5560; student ages 9–12 years). The experimental group made use of DASI. Within-country multilevel regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention and search for interaction effects between the use of DASI and student background factors on final achievement.

Results: In each country, the experimental group achieved better results in mathematics than the control group. At the beginning of the intervention, the achievement gap based on socio-economic status (SES) was equally large in the experimental and the control groups. Only in the experimental group did the achievement gap based on SES become smaller. However, DASI was not found to have an effect on equity when the equity dimension was examined by focusing on the achievement gap based on either gender or ethnicity.

Conclusions: Implications of findings are drawn and the importance of measuring equity in terms of student achievement gaps based on different background factors, rather than only on SES, is emphasised. We propose the evaluation of the impact of interventions on promoting equity by the use of various criteria.     

Book review

An equitable and democratised higher education system should, in principle, be permeable to the flow of populations with different social and/or cultural backgrounds, allowing access to any parts of the system. However, despite the democratisation efforts that took place in Portugal after the 1974 revolution, and although the student population is now much more diversified and heterogeneous than ever before, the particular routes to higher education still hinder the free access of students to some areas of the system.

Purpose

In this study, those different routes to higher education and the way they might influence students’ choices are analysed. Of particular interest was whether students tended to make choices based on feasibility rather than personal preference.

Sample

Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 60 first year students (32 female and 28 male), from universities and polytechnics, both public and private, and from three first cycle study programmes (Arts, Pharmacy and Computer Engineering) in the urban area of the city of Porto.

Design and Methods

The analysis was a small scale qualitative investigation of Portuguese students’ perceptions underlying their choices in higher education. The sample selection took into account the diversity of the student population and sought to include different student profiles to gather contrasting cases and potentially contrasting views. Data gathered through interviews (conducted in 2009/2010) were systematised by means of a content analysis technique and submitted to a codification process according to a grid of categories that emerged from the analysis of data.

Results

Findings from this small scale exploration suggest that the majority of the students interviewed chose a study programme based on preference but based their choice of institution on feasibility.

Conclusions

The study provides insights into factors that limit student access to all parts of the higher education system, namely to some selective and more prestigious institutions.     

The assessment of preservice teachers' dispositions

Abstract

Teacher dispositions are a central force in shaping the environment in which schooling takes place. State and national accrediting bodies have underscored this importance by including preservice teacher dispositions as an important component within the standards. Consequently, teacher certification programs must attend to this dimension; however, dispositions are neither easily identified nor easily assessed.

This study field tested an instrument used to identify and evaluate preservice teachers' dispositions. The implementation of the instrument was grounded in a commitment to have students reflect first on their own behavior, with faculty oversight in reviewing this self‐assessment. The instrument was evaluated in terms of its reliability using Cronbach's alpha. The process of using the instrument was analyzed through student and faculty feedback. The revised instrument is provided for use by other universities.     

Opportunities and challenges for campus-based universities in Africa to translate into dual-mode delivery

Abstract

With the growing demand for tertiary education, especially in Africa, the transformation of contact universities to dual-mode institutions is critical. However, conventional universities have had limited success establishing the dual-mode delivery stream. This paper assesses barriers to adoption and implementation of open and distance learning (ODL) in conventional higher education institutions in Cameroon, Kenya and Rwanda by applying a framework on innovation adoption to case studies of ODL in higher education in these countries. This qualitative meta-study shows that the transition to dual-mode is not systematic and that there are various barriers, ranging from national policy and funding; infrastructure, organisational structure and capacity; complexity and cost of ODL; as well as student and staff skills and perceptions, which have impeded adoption. Based on the findings, this paper makes recommendations for implementing ODL in existing conventional universities. Cases of successful transition to dual-mode are provided.