Students’ Attitudes Toward Gene Technology: Deconstructing a Construct

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Emergent technologies are commonly characterized as involving cutting-edge developments while lacking wide-scale public implementation. Although...     

Transnational education: The importance of aligning stakeholders' motivations with the form of cross-border educational service delivery

There is currently renewed interest in transnational education (TNE) amongst UK universities as a means of taking education to the 98% of tertiary students worldwide who are geographically immobile. In this discourse, the home universities are characterised as the dominant players, seeking strategic opportunities to commercially expand into foreign markets. This paper argues that, in contrast, there are four key stakeholders in TNE—the home university, the partner organisation, the host government and students in the host country—and a TNE partnership is shaped by their relative power and motivations. The paper finds that unless the motivations of stakeholders are broadly aligned to the form of TNE partnership, it is unlikely to succeed. It highlights the fluid nature of these motivations which change over time—often slowly, but sometimes abruptly when there is a change in university strategy or policy on the part of the host government.     

Requests for proposals for library automation

Many health sciences libraries are now considering integrated automated systems for an investment of several hundred thousand dollars. The request for proposals (RFPs) is the usual method of selecting candidate vendors for close inspection of promising systems. This paper draws upon the experience of the Library of Rush University and that of twelve other health sciences libraries. The libraries were interviewed by telephone using a short questionnaire that asked them to compare the RFPs with the systems actually obtained and their experiences in implementing them. The libraries were also asked, with the benefit of hindsight, what would they have done differently. Four vendors were also interviewed by telephone, in order to get their point of view.     

The Composition of Governing Bodies of Higher Education Corporations

The Education Reform Act 1988 gave independence to polytechnics and the major colleges of higher education. From a position where they were the subject of tight and bureaucratic control by the maintaining local authorities, they have moved to one where responsibility for conducting their affairs in the hands of the small group of persons who constitute their governing bodies. This paper examines the composition of governing bodies in order to see the range of sizes adopted and how boards have been constituted within the permissible limits of the Act. It also touches upon some of the difficulties and ambiguities which have been created by the present legislation. A survey reveals that most institutions have decided to have larger boards which are not dissimilar to those which existed previously and few institutions have taken advantage of the flexibility of the Act and chosen to have small boards. It remains to be seem whether size and composition have any relevance to an institution's success or otherwise in the challenging years ahead.     

Trends and Tensions in IT Policy in Universities

This paper charts developments in information technology policy in British universities from the creation of the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils to the present day. Focusing on institutional issues, the various organizational tensions are examined in the context of quasi-collegial policy formulation and management. The impact of operational tensions, arising from a variety of external and internal influences on the implementation of policy, is similarly assessed. The paper concludes with an outline of likely future trends.