A general framework for cultivating innovations in higher education curriculum

ABSTRACT

Systematic changes to higher education curriculum typically occur within the extended timeframes of formal curriculum review processes. Programmes need to be reviewed periodically for internal and external accountability or to determine whether the curriculum has lost its coherence due to the accumulative effect of continual small-scale changes. These programme reviews often lend themselves to the introduction of innovations in teaching and learning however experiences suggest that these innovations are often short-lived. Even with well-thought-through project plans, adequate funding and staffing, and robust project evaluations, a curriculum innovation may fail to take hold and continue beyond the short-term. In this article we work towards developing a general framework that identifies the various factors and drivers that are essential to sustain important curriculum innovation beyond the short-term. The framework is developed from an analysis of several curriculum innovations related to the embedding of graduate attributes to highlight the important factors necessary to ensure longevity in important developments in teaching and learning.     

Preparing the way for mergers in South African higher and further education institutions: An investigation into staff perceptions

Many higher and furthereducation institutions in South Africa arestruggling to survive in a context of financialstringency, declining student enrolments andincreasing competition. For some of theseinstitutions merging or amalgamation with otherinstitutions in the near future is becoming astrong likelihood. The perceptions of staff whowill be directly affected by these processesseem to be very important, as knowledge andunderstanding of those perceptions will empowerdecision-makers and ensure that effectivemanagement of the merging process can beaccomplished. This investigation focused onstaff perceptions of possible merging of threeinstitutions in the Free State Province, whichhad been identified for possible merging withother institutions. The results indicate thatstaff is not opposed to the idea ofinstitutional combinations or merging, but thatcareful consideration needs to be given toparticularly personal factors and that stafffears will have to be addressed in the processto ensure effective merging.     

Implementing constructive alignment in higher education – cross-institutional perspectives from Australia

ABSTRACT

Constructive alignment (CA) has become internationally established as an educational approach linking strategic planning and corporate policy to discipline and course teaching and learning practice. The literature to date has focused predominantly on either single institutional or specific discipline settings and curriculum level initiatives. This research study seeks to broaden the conceptual and methodological perspective on constructive alignment with a cross-institutional study from two Australian universities. The case study learnings from a top-down institutional implementation of CA at one university and the bottom-up teaching and learning approach within the other have been jointly investigated. By mapping the implementation process of constructive alignment, the key strengths and constraints for both approaches have been identified. These findings offer new insights for institutional managers as well as academics and teaching and learning professionals. In addition, a potential ‘gap in the middle’ at faculty level is highlighted. It is within this nexus that the transitions from institutional policy and targets to successful discipline-specific teaching and learning practices and outcomes are shaped. This research seeks to raise the awareness that CA design, planning and implementation should be conceptualised from the outset as a dynamic, multi-directional and iterative process, irrespective of whether a predominantly top-down or bottom-up approach for implementation is chosen.     

让院校研究走进院校管理

管理落后是制约我国高等学校当前改革与发展的一个重要因素,而造成我国高等学校管理水平落后的一个重要原因是管理中的院校研究缺失。因此,让院校研究走进院校管理是提高我国高等学校管理水平的理性选择。这需要管理者进一步提高对院校研究重要性的认识,加强高校管理队伍的专业化建设,继续深化高等教育管理体制改革,进一步扩大高等学校的办学自主权。     

Contextualizing distributed leadership in higher education

This case study of development in a technical university situates distributed leadership in higher education in an organizational perspective. Analysis of documentation from development programs and interviews with 10 faculty members showed that leadership practices were related to different institutional logics prominent in four key activities in this specific university: education, research, formal organization and boundary-spanning cross-scientific environments. A shared understanding of these logics was accompanied with a reported increase in organizational understanding and leadership awareness that helped establish collaboration and sensemaking. Furthermore, we show that the theory of logic multiplicity provides a way to analyze previously neglected aspects of power, tensions, context and the practical relevance of the concept of distributed leadership.     

教育体制改革中的中国高等学校法律地位变迁

During the past twenty years, higher education institutions in China have gained enormous rights due to both the streamlining of administration and the decentralization of the government. Their legal status has hence changed dramatically. However, the expansion of their rights has also brought about the possibility of higher education institutions profiting by pursuing development. The influence of the market has begun to permeate higher education institutions, and this change has shown some characteristics of induced institutional changes. Accordingly, higher education institutions should be regulated from the perspective of public law, so as to ensure their public nature. __________ Translated by LI Yancheng from Beijing Shifan Daxue Xuebao (Shehui Kexue Ban) 北京师范大学学报 (社会科学版) (Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences)), 2007, (2): 5–16     

关于高校校本课程开发的几点思考

高校校本课程开发是一种与国家课程开发相对应的课程开发策略。高校校本课程开发的主要特征表现为课程开发是民主开放的过程，能尊重学校师生的独特性和差异性，是教育制度内权利与资源的重新分配，也是课程理论与课程实践不断丰富和完善以及国家课程开发的重要补充。高校校本课程开发面临着国家政治、经济、文化改革和高校自身改革的良好机遇，同时也遇到高校内部管理体制、教育观念、师资队伍和课程开发能力等现状的严峻挑战。高校校本课程开发的基本条件为明确教育哲学、办学宗旨、改善学校组织、强化教师培训、调动学生积极性、增加投入以及加强课程开发的评价等。     

Quality issues in the internationalisation of higher education

Although the quality issue has become a central preoccupation inother domains of higher education, current internationalisation policiesand practices in higher education have developed without much concernfor quality assurance. The central thesis of this paper is that we havecome to a point in the development of higher education whereinternationalisation policies and practices face the limits of theirdevelopment unless the quality challenge is addressed in all itsconsequences. The paper first provides an overview of contemporary formsof and recent developments in internationalisation in higher education.From more or less `traditional' forms such as student and teaching staffmobility, internationalisation policies and practices nowadays move intoactivities such as exporting higher education via branch campuses andinstitutional co-operation, developing transnational university networksand virtual delivery of higher education, and the harmonisation ofhigher education systems. In these recent developments several issuesand challenges arise, which in one kind or another have direct links tothe quality challenge. The quality of internationalisation policies andpractices itself is an important problem, but of more importance are theissues of the recognition of foreign diplomas and degrees and therecognition of credits and credit-transfer. This paper takes a criticalstance towards for example the ECTS, which tries to solve these issueswithout much concern for quality. The way out lies in an integration ofinternationalisation policies and general quality assurance practices atinstitutional and policy levels.     

The significance of theory in the implementation of curriculum change in religious education

A new study in Melbourne, Australia, has investigated curriculum change in religious education against the background of literature on curriculum change in education in general. Amongst its several findings, it was ascertained that clear information and theoretical understanding about a curriculum change in religious education is just as important as it is in any other field of study. In the absence of such information and understanding the leaders who were responsible for implementing the curriculum change in religious education made certain curriculum accommodations, and emphasised particular professional development activities for teachers that were not in keeping with the theoretical underpinning of the change. The implications for ‘top down’ curriculum change, such as those mandated by Church authorities or state authorities, are significant.     

地方高校发展与高等教育政策调整

近年来,我国地方高校在规模迅猛扩张的同时,普遍陷入了多重发展困境之中。从制度变迁的类型和路径依赖两个角度来看,这种困境产生的制度根源有两个:一是以中央政府为主体的激进式强制性制度变迁的局限性,二是对传统高等教育管理模式的路径依赖。今后高等教育政策调整必须遵循两个基本的指导思想:一是弥补激进式强制性制度变迁的局限,二是摆脱对传统高等教育管理方式的路径依赖。     

Mentoring circles in higher education

Traditionally, mentoring in higher education institutions has either occurred informally or as a planned program where junior staff members are matched with experienced staff members in a formal one‐to‐one program. While such programs have reported benefits to participants, many miss out on the opportunity. Further, mentoring dyads do little to enhance a more collaborative atmosphere in higher education settings. Alternative mentoring methods do exist and can provide advantages to the traditional approach. Mentoring circles are an innovative example of these alternative methods. The mentoring activity and subsequent evaluation described in this paper sought to explore the perceived benefits of a group mentoring model for academic staff.     

International academic staff in UK higher education: campus internationalisation and innovation in academic practice

Abstract

Amidst opportunities for universities to consider international academic staff in supporting internationalisation and innovation in academic practice, there is very little research to provide insights into their attitudes towards institutional approaches and frameworks in place to enable this. This article focuses on this research gap, suggesting that this academic community might enhance the development of internationally-informed and innovative pedagogic practice. The research reported within the article constitutes a preliminary study, set within a UK higher education case study setting. Methods included focus groups and themed in-depth interviews with a sample of 34 international academic staff from over 15 countries. The findings and discussion provide insights into the perspectives and experiences of international academic staff in relation to the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning and other institutional practice. Innovative pedagogic practice as enabled by international academic staff is discussed, as are approaches to the internationalisation of the curricula. The findings are relevant to the UK higher education context but also to the global context: academic institutions need to consider whether curriculum and processes are limited and limiting in favour of a narrow cultural lens.     

The development and validation of a framework for teaching competencies in higher education

In higher education, approaches to teaching are becoming more student-centred, which demands different teaching competencies. Therefore, it is necessary to have an adequate framework of teaching competencies that can be used for evaluation purposes. The weaknesses of the existing frameworks are that they do not pay attention to the person as teacher, they are too narrowly defined, they are not validated and they are not adjusted to modern approaches to teaching. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a framework of teaching competencies in higher education. A framework for teaching competencies was therefore constructed containing the following domains: The Person as Teacher, Expert on Content Knowledge, Facilitator of Learning Processes, Organiser and Scholar/Lifelong Learner. The framework was validated using a Delphi method. Educational experts (N = 63) were asked: ``How important are the following teaching competencies in each domain for an experienced teacher in higher education?'' A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the adequacy of the domains. After two rounds, the shift in ratings was minimal, so the results were considered stable. The response rate was 82%. From the original list with 134 items, 30 items were omitted because many experts failed to respond to them. The experts reached consensus on 61 out of the resulting 104 items (59%). A confirmatory factor analysis on the three best scoring items in each domain confirmed the model. A framework of teaching competencies was developed and validated that can be used as a starting point for teacher evaluation in higher education.     

Stakeholder relationships in higher education

The purpose of this study is to develop a stakeholder map to describe the most important stakeholders and the process of stakeholder relationships in higher education. According to the perspective of the balanced scorecard, the classification of stakeholders integrates stakeholders into strategic management. Stakeholder maps are essential in quality assurance, because higher education institutions must identify the most important stakeholders to collect feedback from the stakeholder relationships and improve their processes. This study describes stakeholder collaboration using the process flow of stakeholder relationships. The results of the study can be used in quality audits to describe how stakeholders are involved in a meaningful manner in the development of activities.     

The idea of quality in higher education: a conceptual approach

The paper suggests that the idea of quality in higher education is ideologically constructed and conducted. In a spiral of mutual reinforcements, quality regimes naturalise experience, while the theories of that practice legitimise the naturalness of ‘quality’. I shall suggest that quality regimes provide too narrow readings of higher education. The central concepts, which I propose to use – discourse and power – emphasise the connectedness of ideology and quality in higher education. In particular, I suggest that the ideological character of the idea of quality in higher education is evident in discourses – which themselves are interlinked in networks. These discourses and networks are backed up by power and this helps to sustain their ideological character. Thus, this paper attempts two things: to outline a conceptual framework concerning the ideological character of the idea of quality in higher education and to draw attention to the organisation of that ideological formation.     

试论高校体育课程和运动的价值取向

我国高校体育课程设置长期以来逆人本价值取向的弊端,主要原因在于传统知识观和课程观的影响,以及中国传统文化中现代体育精神的缺失。教育必须以人为本,高校体育课程和运动应体现“以人为本”的教育理念,并积极开发相应的体育课程和运动资源。     

Disparate faculty perspectives on system changes in higher education

Higher education (HE) systems around the world have experienced profound structural changes, particularly since the late 1960s to early 1970s, essentially driven by the need to expand access to tertiary education. This has resulted in a diversity of HE institutions (HEI) with different roles, missions and statuses, as well as academic staff with diverse perspectives and motivations. The present study is based on a survey undertaken in Portugal by a trade union, which aimed to collect faculty perspectives on a proposed HE reform sent out for public discussion by the government. Questions addressed the reorganization of the HEI network, the internal restructuring of HEI, the funding system and the binary divide of HEI (universities and polytechnics). The survey results showed a disparity of faculty perspectives about the proposed reform, closely related to the diversity of HEI. Respondents from lower academic categories and from smaller HEI were more opposed to reorganizing the HEI network. This reorganization was more widely accepted by university staff, who were also more in favour of a binary system than were polytechnic respondents. Although there was general agreement about the need to change the funding system, polytechnic respondents were strongly against a funding differentiation between universities and polytechnics. Despite an overall reformist trend, the enthusiasm for reforms declined substantially when the questions had a direct reference to the respondent’s region or institution. It is argued that HE expansion has driven the diversification of HEI, leading to a range of perspectives about the HE system and the way it should be changed. These conclusions may contribute to insights into other HE systems around the world where institutional diversification has been sought by public policies.     

Constituting collective consciousness: Information literacy in university curricula

Information literacy, encompassing the ability to access, evaluate and use information in contemporary ICT environments, today has a place on the graduate profiles of many Australian universities. Growing recognition of the importance of information literacy at national and institutional levels, raises the fundamental question of how to raise the awareness of a university community about this significant issue in order to make it a focal point in learning design and support. In 1999 the Australian Catholic University (ACU) tackled this question and responded by conceiving a university-wide teaching and learning enhancement project that targeted staff at all levels of the university, across all campuses and all disciplines. In reporting this project, Bowden and Marton's (1998) framework of depicting learning as changing awareness at the individual and collective level is adopted. Key features of the project are discussed, including our developing interest in influencing the ACU collective consciousness, key strategies for bringing information literacy into focus, the learning that occurred at a collective level, and ways of continuing to thematize information literacy. We conclude with some reflections on the collective consciousness framework in relation to the academic development context.     

判断评价与课程标准一致性的若干问题

Webb一致性程序是判断评价与课程标准一致性的重工具,它有4个标准:类别一致性、知识深度一致性、知识范围一致性和知识分布平衡性,分别对应着多级可接受水平。一致性研究的挑战在于判断"什么样的一致性才是最好的",这一判断过程虽然可以基于众多实证研究,但也包含某种程度的主观性。