The “Conférence des Grandes Ecoles” in France

In France, there are more than 150 engineering schools, training 11,000 engineers per year. If we add to these the schools of management of a comparable standard, we get the figure of 16,000 highly trained personnel per year.     

THE PRESENT CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN ACADEMIC EXCHANGE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO EUROPEAN CO‐OPERATION IN THE DOMAIN OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

This article outlines the activities of the Council of Europe in favour of inter‐university co‐operation and exchange. First, the role and tasks of the CC‐PU and then the work programme of the Council of Europe on higher education and research are examined. With regard to academic mobility and European inter‐university co‐operation, the Transfrontier Regional University Co‐operation Programme, the European Postgraduate Training Programme, and the Inter‐university Co‐operation Programme between Europe and Latin America are described. Finally, both the European Networks for Scientific and Technical Co‐operation and the Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters and their constituent activities are evoked.     

Co-production of Knowledge in Multi-stakeholder Processes: Analyzing Joint Experimentation as Social Learning

Purpose: Changing research design and methodologies regarding how researchers articulate with end-users of technology is an important consideration in developing sustainable agricultural practices. This paper analyzes a joint experiment as a multi-stakeholder process and contributes to understand how the way of organizing social learning affects stakeholders’ ownership of process outcomes. Design/Methodology/Approach:A learning group composed of the different stakeholders of the oil palm seed system in Benin was set around a joint experiment. We use a detailed account of the group dynamics to understand the social process. Findings: The way the process is designed and conducted has a great effect on the ownership by the participants. Methodological steps taken in this research process showed its efficacy to produce quick and positive feedback mechanisms. Stakeholders’ perspectives on what constitutes a quality oil palm seedling varied widely. Participants, mainly nursery holders, learned new production practices. Representatives of the research center learned a mismatch of recommendations with users’ contexts. Field observations further to the process indicate changes in practices among stakeholders that would be sustainable. Practical Implications: Beyond focusing on outcomes, initiatives in multi-stakeholder processes should also document and analyze social processes in order to better understand the mechanisms by which such processes foster socio-technical change, as well as identify potential institutional barriers to such processes. Originality/Value: Through a detailed analysis of group dynamics, this paper addresses an important knowledge gap in participatory agricultural development.     

Boundary crossing between higher education and the world of work: a case study in post-1994 Rwanda

Workplaces abound with knowledge that is different from the knowledge students gain at universities. Crossing the boundary from a university to a workplace can, therefore, be difficult for students. To compensate for the dearth of knowledge on how these issues play out in an African context, this study investigates how knowledge and experiences gained during academic studies were useful in the workplace by interviewing employers from sectors commonly open to university graduates and student representatives from all faculties at a Rwandan University. Open questionnaires were used to ascertain what kinds of changes might lead to more successful boundary crossing. The findings suggest that while domain-specific knowledge is an essential part of a university qualification, a stronger focus on generic skills is needed in order to help students cross the boundary and succeed in the workplace.