International university projects

An outline is given of four separate proposals for the creation of international institutions in higher education: the European University Institute (EEC); the European Institute for the Promotion of Multi-media Distant Study Systems in Higher Education (Council of Europe); the European Centre for Higher Education (UNES-CO); and the United Nations International University.     

EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE ISSUES OF TRADITION,TRANSFER‐CREDIT,AND CREDIBILITY

This article discusses the possibilities and pitfalls of international credit transfer among higher education institutions. Credit transfer is skewed by varying definitions of what education actually is and even more so by the overwhelming power of one of the Anglo‐Saxon players, the United States of America, the cultural and educational traditions of which are so difficult to resist as to be a form of cultural imperialism. Thus, the overwhelming use of English as the principal international language of education presents a threat to the educational diversity of Europe as does the adoption of such measures of credit transfer as the European Community Course Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS), a surface Americanization that fails to appreciate the realities of European, specifically Austrian, course programmes. The author would prefer a qualification recognition system based on a refinement of the concepts underlying the so‐called diploma supplement that would give essential information about what the given credential means and what was required to earn it.     

欧洲学分转换系统与俄罗斯高校的学分制改革

为应对全球化和市场经济的挑战,俄罗斯高等教育系统积极学习、借鉴欧洲高等教育发展的经验.实行欧洲学分转换系统是欧洲高等教育空间一体化建设的重要举措.本文在介绍欧洲学分转换系统基本特征的基础上,对俄罗斯利用欧洲学分转换系统改革高校教学过程组织模式的原因及措施进行了阐述.     

Asian Perspectives on European Higher Education

Asia and Europe have long influenced each other by means of international trade, technology transfer, and foreign policy. Today, Asian countries are searching for more competitive answers in an increasingly competitive world. Educational mobility among countries, especially between Asia and Europe, is the key to unlocking the answer. To achieve the desired educational mobility requires bilingualism (English as the common medium for learning and instruction) and quality education with internationally recognized diplomas and degrees in higher education. A future Asian/European Credit Transfer System is imminent and possible with the implementation of ERASMUS ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) and UCTS (UMAP Credit Transfer System) frameworks. The path to success hinges on the application of knowledge management and risk management to this international challenge for improved educational management. By this means, the prospects for greater understanding and greater economic potential and prosperity can be achieved for both Asian and European nations.     

英国ECUK的工程专业鉴定

英国工程委员会负责对英国的工程界进行管理。它的重要任务之一是工程师和其他工程技术人员的注册,重要任务之二是工程专业的专业鉴定。而它对工程界的管理是通过几十个工程学会来实现的。     

欧洲学分体系中ECTS和ECVET的分析与启示

欧洲学分体系是世界范围内发展最早、试验较为成功的学分互认体系,对其进行深入分析与总结,可为我国远程教育领域学分互认体系建设的研究与实践提供有益参考。欧洲学分体系根据其应用范围,分为ECTS和ECVET两个系统。对两个系统深入分析和对比发现,两者虽然在定位、内容等方面存在差异,但其共同点在于都是欧洲学分体系的核心经验与成果,主要体现在:以学习者为中心,重视学习结果;围绕学习者终身学习需要,建立终身学习资格框架;重视质量保证,致力于提高机构之间质量的透明度和认可度。欧洲学分体系的经验成果对于我国学分互认体系建设的目的与内容、核心与难点、实施要点与保障措施等方面都有重要启示。     

No one can see me cry: understanding mental health issues for Black and minority ethnic staff in higher education

Higher Education - Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities continue to experience differential outcomes within the United Kingdom (UK) mental health system, despite increased attention on the...     

Whose curriculum is it anyway? Stakeholder salience in the context of Degree Apprenticeships

A Degree Apprenticeship model has recently been introduced into the United Kingdom (UK) Higher Education system as part of wider changes to vocational training. The system has experienced numerous rapid changes in regulation and funding, and it is now little understood by many stakeholders. Distinguishing different phases in UK Higher Education, and using a salience model as a lens for analysis, this article identifies and examines stakeholders with regards to their influence on the Higher Education curriculum. The new Degree Apprenticeship model is funded by an employer payroll levy and it requires Higher Education institutions to deliver training to specific standards. This research explores the implications of the model for the Higher Education curriculum, concluding that the direct involvement of employers in the design and delivery of vocational Higher Education introduces untried elements into UK Higher Education on the assumption that the funding requirement will lead to a change in employer behaviour. This, coupled with the opening of Higher Education provision to private providers, transfers power over the curriculum to those with potentially no commitment to wider public values, and may offer a threat to the international standing of UK Higher Education. This article contributes to research in understanding how Higher Education systems respond to, and actors cope with, imposed change.     

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY COURSE CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM∗

ECTS, the European Community Course Credit Transfer System established under the ERASMUS Programme, is currently being tested in a pilot scheme involving 145 higher education institutions in all the European Union member states and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. It is operating in five subject areas: Business Administration, Chemistry, History, Mechanical Engineering, and Medicine. The pilot project will run through 1994/1995.

     

ERASMUS: THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S HIGHER EDUCATION ACTION PROGRAMME IN ITS FIRST YEAR

On 14 May 1987, the Education Ministers of the Twelve reached agreement on the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS). With a total of 85 million ECU** ** One ECU is worth approximately $ 0.8131 United States dollars. View all notes earmarked for its initial phase (1 July 1987 to 30 June 1990), the programme will aim at encouraging increased student and staff mobility throughout the European Community by means of the creation of a European University Network, the award of grants to individual students, arrangements for the mutual recognition of qualifications and courses or parts of courses, and a range of additional supporting measures. In the following article, the authors will examine, in some detail, the Actions provided for in the Programme, which was formally adopted by the Council on 15 June 1987.

     

解读欧洲职业教育与培训学分转换系统

欧洲职业教育与培训学分转换系统（ECVET）是建立在欧洲学分转换系统（ECTS）基础之上的,它部分沿袭了后者的特征与结构。但职业教育自身的特殊性又使得ECVET在某种程度上发生＂变异＂。解读ECVET的内涵与本质、结构与功能及其在欧洲各国的实践情况,有助于为完善我国职业教育学分体系提供有益的参考。     

Embracing distance education in a blended learning model: challenges and prospects

Abstract

Distance education reaches out to non-traditional students in geographically dispersed locations, who are unable to attend face-to-face classes. Contact institutions have been quick to realise the many advantages of distance (online) learning, such as easy access to learning materials, interactive activities, assessment and communication tools. However, the path to anything approaching dual-mode provision has not been without obstacles. In South Africa in the early 2000s, the Council on Higher Education reinforced the mandate of distance education universities and decreed that contact institutions should not encroach on this territory. Subsequently, various frameworks and guidelines emerged which can inform current consideration of dual-mode provision. This practitioner report presents two case studies (University of Pretoria, South Africa; and University of Oxford, United Kingdom) which explore the implications for contact institutions in expanding their provision to include distance education.     

Using Electronic Mail in Initial Teacher Education to Develop European Awareness

ABSTRACT

The development of European awareness in teacher training is a particularly difficult task in one year Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses in the United Kingdom because of the short length of the course and the need to ensure that students are well prepared for handling the national curriculum. This paper describes how students on such a course at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland were able to experience a European dimension through an electronic mail link with high school pupils in Norway. The scheme, which was offered on a pilot basis to students taking history as a major or a minor option, also.gave the group a focus for work on two of the cross‐curricular themes in the Northern Ireland common curriculum, namely Information Technology and Education for Mutual Understanding. The pilot suggests that the scheme has provided a valuable experience of real contact with Europe in a way that is cost effective and manageable within the time constraints imposed by an intensive one year teacher training programme.     

An International Orientation on Institutional Strategies and Governmental Policies for the Use of ICT in Higher Education

This article provides an international comparative overview of institutional strategies, collaboration patterns and governmental policies related to the use of ICT in higher education. It has been produced as part of an international comparative study on the use of ICT in higher education. A study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and published as: “The Use of Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education: An International Orientation on Trends and Issues”, B. Collis and M. van der Wende (Eds). University of Twente, CHEPS, 1999. It covers the following range of countries: Belgium, Finland, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America. Additionally some main initiatives at the European level have been taken into account. On the basis of this international comparison, the following main conclusions were drawn. Due in part to the fact that in many cases institutional strategies for ICT are still lacking, interesting experimentation does not generally lead to successful dissemination and adoption on a wider scale. In many cases, the push for a substantial use of ICT in distance learning programs has come from new educati onal markets, life-long learning and international education in particular. The response of higher education to these markets is leading in many countries to a convergence of distance and traditional (on-campus) education. Inter-institutional and inter-sectoral collaboration between universities and companies are characteristics of many successful ICT initiatives, although they do not generally continue into sustainable implementation in the individual institutions. Governments facilitate the use of ICT through the establishment of infrastructure, networks and inter-institutional and public–private partnerships, and try to create the right regulatory environment. Further deregulation will enable institutions to respond to new market demands and will inspire the necessary organizational change in higher education institutions.     

Change and renewal: the role of a change team in improving student support

How do open and distance learning institutions review and renew themselves to ensure their continued fitness for purpose? Here we report on the work of a change team in the UK Open University, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning created to examine, innovate and improve student support. The existence of the Centre for five years from 2005 to 2010 enabled us to facilitate an extensive programme of practical support activities and to influence long-term university policy development. We are aware that very few institutions will have the luxury of such long-term funding (and do not expect it to be available again in the United Kingdom any time soon). However, we believe that there is much in models of change that can be applied more generally to improve learner support.     

Lessons for Managers: England's Human Resource Dilemmas

Educating the current and future workforce is an extremely important issue. Historically, the UK has not been concerned with educating and training the masses. In the 1990s, talent will be short in the UK and within the European Community (EC). By 1992, the trade barriers will be lifted for the 12 member nations of the EC. Companies that are creative and open to utilizing avenues to train present and potential workers are going to be more competitive in the EC. If the UK continues to produce an unskilled work force, it will not survive the competition. Business leaders realize the need to develop a work force that is equally or better equipped than the work force that is available to their competitors. core lessons learned from the international visit include (1) HRD is not a “perk,” (2) the changing work force is real, (3) quality is the key to competitiveness, and (4) managers need to stick to the basics of human resource management.     

工程师资历框架与能力标准探索

在工程教育质量保证和工程师国际流动两个主题下,资历框架(Qualification Framework)和能力标准(Competence Standard)已经成为国际工程界和工程教育界的热门话题。本文首先介绍国际上两大质量鉴定和认证系统;并以英国为例,详述其三类工程师的专业能力标准;最后探讨两个有特色的资历框架与能力标准的建构。     

How Different Are Higher Education Institutions in the UK,US and Australia? The Significance of Government Involvement

Governments in the UK and many other countries have long sought to promote the diversity of their higher education institutions. However, diversity is hard to define, harder to measure and even more difficult to compare between countries. Most empirical analyses of the diversity of higher education systems use categorical variables, which shape the extent of diversity found. This study examines continuous variables of institutions’ enrolment size and proportions of postgraduate, fulltime and international students to find the extent of variation amongst doctoral granting and all higher education institutions in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. The study finds that there is less variety amongst all higher education institutions in the United Kingdom than in Australia, which in turn has much less variety than the United States. The paper argues that the extent of government involvement in higher education is not so important for institutional variety as the form that it takes. More tentatively, the paper suggests that the more limited the range of institutions for which government funding is available the stronger government involvement is needed to have variety among the limited range of institutions for which government financial support is available.     

Practice-based Doctorates and Questions of Academic Legitimacy

Over the last six years there has been a massive increase in the number of students studying for practice-based doctorates in Art and Design. It is now possible to do a practice-based PhD in over forty departments, although what is expected from doctoral students varies considerably across institutions. In 1997 the United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) addressed the variance between practice-based doctorates in the report Practice-Based Doctoratesin the Creative and Performing Arts and Design. This paper examines the recommendations made by the report and asks to what extent does it acknowledge art as a legitimate research practice within the university. The UKCGE report recommends that all practice-based PhDs have a substantial theoretical and