Beerkens' Blog

Bookmarks for November 9th

Eric — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:50 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

The Insecurity of Higher Ed Research – When it comes to a field with an inferiority complex, few have it over scholars who study higher education. They, like many of their colleagues in the social sciences, yearn for more attention from and influence with policy makers, as was the subject of numerous discussions at last week's meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education here.
Are Too Many Students Going to College? – Which students are most likely to succeed in college? What kind of college they should attend? Does the individual or society benefit more from postsecondary education; Is college worth the high cost and likely long-term debt? The Chronicle Review asked higher-education experts to weigh in.
McKinsey: What Matters – In less than 20 years, the Internet has transformed the way we shop, socialize, and communicate. What’s next?

Bookmarks for November 8th

Eric — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:00:11 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Challenges and threats to top institutions – Most institutions at the top of the rankings clearly value a truly international student community, bringing together people with a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures to create a rich learning environment.
Socrates in the Boardroom: Why Research Universities Should Be Led by Top Scholars. – Socrates in the Boardroom argues that world-class scholars, not administrators, make the best leaders of research universities. Amanda Goodall cuts through the rhetoric and misinformation swirling around this contentious issue–such as the assertion that academics simply don't have the managerial expertise needed to head the world's leading schools–using hard evidence and careful, dispassionate analysis. She shows precisely why experts need leaders who are experts like themselves.
The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight – The research report, The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight, reveals that U.S. graduation rates remain comparable to those of other developed countries despite news stories about our nation losing its global competitiveness because of slipping college graduation rates.

Bookmarks for November 5th

Eric — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:06 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Increase in foreign applications puts pressure on university numbers – The number of foreign students applying to start university in Britain next year has increased by 17 per cent. Ucas, the admissions service, warned that an overall rise of 11.6 per cent in early applications means prospective students will face “strong competition” for places.
Higher education contributes £33 billion to economy – The higher education sector contributed more than 33 billion pounds to the British economy it was revealed on Wednesday just hours after Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said it needed to do more to contribute to growth in the future.
Graduate unemployment increases 44% in one year – Graduate unemployment has increased by 44% in 12 months and is now at its highest for 12 years, according to research released today. Some 7.9% of students who left university in 2008 were out of work in January, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) found, up from 5.5% the previous year. HECSU warned the picture could be even worse for those graduating this year. The last time levels of joblessness were so high was in 1995-96.
More than you think, less than we need – Contrary to what many observers think, findings from a national study released today show that gathering information about what undergraduates learn during their studies is commonplace in most US colleges and universities. However, the results are not always used and reported in ways that could improve student accomplishment and inform the public about institutional performance.

Bookmarks for October 31st

Eric — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:00:45 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

George Soros on the Institute of New Economic Thinking – The ideologists of free markets are still in command and I think that they’ll be very difficult to remove because they have tenure. However, I think students are going to be avoiding studying the wrong kind of economics, so the demand will shift so that the form in the universities will be the last one to come and it will be driven by demand from students. And I think there is a real need to change the curriculum and that’s why I’m actually sponsoring an Institute for New Economic Thinking.
Thomson Reuters Chosen To Support World University Rankings – Thomson Reuters, the authority on research citation data for more than half a century, announced today that it will be the sole provider of data used to calculate the annual World University Rankings produced by the Times Higher Education.
Link between patent law and tech transfer ‘not proven’ – Preliminary results presented in New Delhi last week (21 October) show that developed countries' argument that strong patent laws in developing countries ease technology transfer "does not hold water", said Amir Hisham Hashim, of the department of electrical power at Tenaga National University in Malaysia, a partner in the study.
The Netflix of Academic Journals Opens Shop – By opening the largest online rental service for scientific, technical, and research journals, the company Deep Dyve is hoping to do for academic publications what Netflix has done for movies: make them easily accessible and inexpensive for everyone.

Bookmarks for October 29th

Eric — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:02:09 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Who’s afraid of foreign universities? – Within the country there has been a debate for sometime on allowing foreign universities to operate in India. The main argument against allowing foreign universities is that they may come here for making money by exploiting the huge demand for higher education.
Mobility slows but EU wants many more to join Erasmus – It involves more than 4,000 higher education institutions in 31 countries, has been running for 22 years and has just celebrated the participation of its 2 millionth student. But Erasmus, the European Commission's flagship overseas-study programme, could be in danger of missing its targets despite student mobility now being at the heart of Europe's education agenda.
What is academic freedom for? – Academic freedom is often taken as an unexamined given on university campuses and is often viewed from outside the academy with some bafflement. Both of these situations should be a cause of concern. Properly understood, academic freedom is of enormous importance to our society and to the well-being of our academic institutions, and is central to the contributions universities can make. The threats to academic freedom come from both outside and within the academy.

Bookmarks for October 27th

Eric — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:02:27 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

What role for government in innovation? – As the EU ponders an Innovation Act, the UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson gave budding entrepreneurs his view of what government can bring to innovation. The following is an edited version of a speech made at the Saïd Business School, Oxford.
James C. Garland: Saving Alma Mater – America’s public universities educate 80% of our nation’s college students. But in the wake of rising demands on state treasuries, changing demographics, growing income inequality, and legislative indifference, many of these institutions have fallen into decline. Tuition costs have skyrocketed, class sizes have gone up, the number of courses offered has gone down, and the overall quality of education has decreased significantly.
The world is at the top of the agenda across the UK – Like a number of UK institutions, Coventry has declared its intention to become a "global" university and wants internationalisation to "pervade everything we do". The university is putting its money where its mouth is, leading a trend for creating senior-management positions to ensure that internationalisation is a core part of its strategy.
Foreigners recruited to take top university jobs – To nurture world-class leaders in education and technology research programs in ferrous studies, Pohang University of Science and Technology, one of Korea’s renowned schools, established the Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology in 2005.

Bookmarks for October 17th

Eric — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:01:27 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

.FP6 did little for the ERA – The European Court of Auditors says that ‘Networks of Excellence’ and ‘Integrated Projects’, two FP6 instruments designed to foster integration and coordination in Europe’s fragmented research sector and reach clearly-defined scientific and technological objectives, had only limited success. The Court makes a series of recommendations to the European Commission, many of which are relevant to the current Framework Programme 7.
Across the Borders: Internationalisation of Finnish Education – The Centre for International Mobility has published "Across the Borders: Internationalisation of Finnish Education." The report follows the drafting of a new Finnish strategy for international higher education, and deals with Finnish national policy, the question of language, internationalization strategy, students' views, and the future of international higher education in the country.
Improbable research: the hundred trillion dollar book – Gideon Gono, author of the new book Zimbabwe's Casino Economy – Extraordinary Measures for Extraordinary Challenges, displays a rare, perhaps unique, kind of scholarly reserve. He is a scholar with a PhD from Atlantic International University. The US-based institution, which has mostly distance-learning courses, proclaims on its website: "Atlantic international university is not accredited by an accrediting agency recognised by the United States secretary of education." Since December 2003, Gono has been the governor of Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank.

Bookmarks for October 14th

Eric — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:23 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Student growth not sustainable – Australia cannot continue to recruit Chinese and Indian students at such unsustainable levels in the medium term without compromising education standards, the country’s largest recruiter of overseas students has warned.
Discriminatory Student Grants Land Netherlands in European Court of Justice – The European Commission is taking the Netherlands to the European Court of Justice over a student grant scheme which discriminates against workers from other EU countries and their families. Dutch legislation imposes a residence requirement for grants to study abroad which puts migrant and frontier workers – including those residing in neighbouring Belgium – at a disadvantage compared to nationals.
Oliver Williamson, the nobel prize and organization theory – So, beyond the seminal contributions of his work, here’s why Oliver Williamson’s Nobel prize in economics is also a huge win for the fields of organization theory, strategic management and organizational sociology…

Bookmarks for October 11th

Eric — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:00:06 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

In pursuit of excellence – To cement Malaysia’s status as a global eduhub, plans are afoot to improve the nation’s higher education scene and the private sector is set to change in a big way.
Revolutionising higher education – Universities need to transform in various ways if they are to respond effectively to the socio-economic and technological demands of today's world, according to internationally respected scholar Manuel Castells. But despite the many challenges and opportunities facing universities, many "continue to be corporatist and bureaucratic", rigid in their functioning and primarily concerned with defending their own and professors' interests.
Leaders emphasise global connections – European university leaders fear the Bologna process is being seen as a mechanism to make Europe "too Europe-centred". At the European University Association's autumn conference in Giessen last week, the leaders were anxious that Europe be viewed by the rest of the global academic community as outward looking and ready to engage with those beyond its shores.

Bookmarks for October 10th

Eric — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:00:26 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Good, and bad, news on the ’science gap’ – Is the glass half empty or half full? Seldom could this cliché be more appropriate than when considering recent trends in scientific activity and spending across the developing world, as highlighted by figures published this week by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) in Montreal, Canada
ERAB calls for ‘new Renaissance’ – The European Research Area (ERA) is too fractured and driven too much by inward-looking national priorities, an advisory body warned in its first annual report, released today. In an urgent appeal to change this situation, the European Research Area Board (ERAB) called for a fundamental change in the way research is done, a shift of such huge proportions that the board has termed it “a new Renaissance”.
THE-QS World University Rankings 2009: Year 6 of market making – It seems as if the Times Higher has decided to allocate most of its efforts to promoting the creation and propagation of this global ranking scheme in contrast to providing detailed, analytical, and critical coverage of issues in the UK, let alone in the European Higher Education Area. Six steady years of rankings generate attention, advertising revenue, and enhance some aspects of power and perceived esteem.

Bookmarks for October 7th

Eric — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:00:23 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

Poor countries spending more on science – Spending on science in the developing world grew at three times the rate of that of richer countries between 2002 and 2007, according to figures released yesterday (6 October) by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). And the number of researchers in developing countries jumped from 1.8 million to 2.7 million over the same period.
Wannabe U: Inside the Corporate University – In most debates over its future, the university is represented—by both its critics and its champions—as a secular temple for learning, a sacred space freed from the more mundane concerns that trouble other institutions. But lately this lofty image looks increasingly tarnished, especially with regard to public research universities. There, a new class of administrative professionals has been busy working to make colleges as much like businesses as possible.
When State Universities Lose State Support – The budget of the public higher education system of California has been slashed by over 20 percent, on top of previous cuts. Faculty and student protests kicked into place the first week of classes, reflecting enormous contention over the best way to respond. What’s happening in California is both a harbinger of things to come in other states and an amplification of a national trend.

Bookmarks for October 5th

Eric — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:00:11 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

International ‘Leapfrogging’ – In 1970, 29 percent of the world's college students were enrolled in the United States, which had 6 percent of the world's population. But 2006, the United States enrolled only 12 percent of the world's students. The United States actually grew in enrollments, but other parts of the world — especially China — experienced surges far beyond the totals in the U.S.
The Global Competition for Talent: The Rapidly Changing Market for International Students and the Need for a Strategic Approach in the US – There is growing evidence that students throughout the world no longer see the US as the primary place to study; that in some form this correlates with a rise in perceived quality and prestige in the EU and elsewhere; and further, that this may mean a continued decline in the US’s market share of international students. There clearly are a complex set of variables that will influence international education and global labor markets, including the current global economic recession.
The impotence of good English: it’s a piratical issue – Bernard Lamb, emeritus reader in genetics at Imperial College London, and president of the Queen’s English Society, compared the work of 28 students – 18 Britons and ten from overseas – in the final year of his course in applied genetics. He found that the British contingent made three times as many grammatical and spelling errors.

Bookmarks for October 2nd

Eric — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:01:13 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

UK urged to pursue ‘diversity’ by cherrypicking US system – The UK should adopt a policy of “deliberate diversity” in higher education modelled on a mixture of the Californian system, which has three distinct tiers of institutions, and the UK’s current arrangements, the vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge has said.
Universities face academic exodus as corporate culture takes hold – Australia's academics are disillusioned by corporate management cultures at universities, threatening to drive many away from the profession and worsen a looming staff shortage as thousands of them approach retirement.
New Nobels Needed? [pdf] – The Nobel Prizes need an overhaul, according to a panel of scientists assembled by New Scientist magazine. In an open letter to the Nobel Foundation published today, the scientists say that the prizes, scheduled to be awarded next week, don’t sufficiently reflect today’s science. Too many important areas of research are left out of the categories that Alfred Nobel specified in his 1896 will, they say. They ask the foundation to establish two new prizes, one for the Global Environment and one for Public Health advances, and for both they suggest allowing organizations to be eligible, as they are for the Peace prize.

Bookmarks for September 29th

Eric — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:01:09 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

‘The Chinese Are Coming’ – A thriving industry in China provides assistance to applicants on identifying American colleges and helping them apply — but the help goes well beyond what admissions officers consider even remotely ethical. There are reports about forged transcripts and test scores. Several here said that when they e-mail applicants, the answers they get back aren't close to level of English fluency suggested by essays that have been submitted on the students' behalf.
International students: a $100 billion business? – At the national level, international students were important strategically and diplomatically – fostering global engagement and cross cultural understanding, promoting freedom and democracy and easing tensions between neighbouring countries. Institutionally, students from other cultures and economies diversified the student body and symbolised the international mission of colleges and universities. They also brought fee revenue. But for national policy-makers looking for economic growth in a knowledge economy, selling services to international students was an opportunity to diversify the industrial base of a nation.
System wide reform in the Netherlands? – Earlier this month, at the start of the Dutch academic year, the Dutch Minister for Education stated he wanted a international group of experts to study the alternatives for system wide reform in the Netherlands. The current system was bursting at the seams and did not meet the demands for the 21st century. Science Guide was the first to bring us the names of some of the commitee members. The committee will be chaired bu former Minister for Agriculture Cees Veerman. International members will be Ellen Hazelkorn (Dublin Institute of Technology and OECD/IMHE) and Bob Berdahl (UC Berkeley). The student voice will come from Koen Geven, former leader of the European Students Union. The other two (Dutch) members are still unknown.
Will new university bring freedoms? – Saudi Arabia’s first coeducational university, a graduate research institution known as the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, is a test of “whether the kingdom is prepared to expand academic freedoms and women’s rights”
EU student exchange programme outdated, says founder – The EU needs to upgrade its 22-year old student exchange programme and move towards more cutting-edge educational policies, one of its founders said. Established in the late 1980s, the Erasmus programme has seen some 2 million students spend a semester in another European country and get their studies recognised back home.

Bookmarks for September 25th

Eric — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:42 +0000

My daily selection of the most interesting news on the internets:

India, China fuel foreign student market – Students from India and China are fuelling the growth in Australia's international education sector, accounting for more than one-third of the export market. According to a snapshot from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, China and India were the two biggest source countries for students, contributing $5.1 billion to the sector in 2007-08. The international education sector overall was worth $13.7 billion in 2007-08.
Foreign students double in a decade – According to figures from Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, some 229,640 students were recruited from outside the EU in 2007, compared with just 117,290 in 1998.
Science and the Internet – The Internet gives everybody the chance to become a publisher. It is now possible for science to reach large audiences, with the potential to eliminate the role of established filters and gatekeepers, such as the traditional peer reviewed scientific journal. This also means that science can be easily reviewed, assessed, rated and commented upon by anybody, reinforcing scientific democracy. Poor research might thus be identified more quickly and debunked. The challenge is to create open access systems and ensure that old gatekeepers are not simply replaced by new ones.