Is your institution interested in hosting the 2014 EQAF event?

Posted on 19th May 2013 by marielk in Opportunities in Higher Education

EQAFEQAF (European Quality Assurance Forum) was established in 2006, as a joint initiative by EUA, ENQA, EURASHE and ESU. Since that time it has become the premier event for quality assurance (QA) in Europe with some 400 participants from across Europe and beyond, attracting both higher education and quality assurance communities Europe wide.

The ninth European Quality Assurance Forum will take place in November 2014, and there is an opportunity for your institution to host the event. The deadline for expressions of interest to host the event is 28th of May 2013.

It is especially universities from regions that have not hosted the event previously that are encouraged to apply.

Please note that all costs related to the organisation are fully covered by the revenue it raises, and there is an expectation that the hosting institution is a member of EUA.

To receive information on the conditions in terms of hosting EQAF 2014 and the process for submitting an expression of interest, please consult the attached Call for host (pdf) or contact Ivana Juraga at ivana.juraga@eua.be

Tags: , ,

Call for contributions: upcoming book on student governance

Posted on 16th May 2013 by marielk in New Publications and Reviews |Opportunities in Higher Education

studentsAre you working with issues on student governance? A call has been announced for contributions to a book on themes concerning student engagement in contemporary Europe. The broad key themes include:

  • Students’ role in the society: democracy and social justice
  • Student influence on higher education (institutional, national and European level)
  • Student governance on institutional, national and European level

The editors welcome contributions (3000-5000 words) in the following categories:

  • Analytic research articles describe an existing situation (e.g., a policy, organization, or concept), and use that description for some analytic purpose: respond to it, evaluate it according to some specific criteria, examine it for cause-and-effect linkages, contrast it to what happened elsewhere, to what might have been, or to what we have today.
  • Best practices articles focus on offering straightforward, actionable advice on various topics pertaining student unions or student movements.
  • Policy Briefs feature synopses of key policy analysis intended to frame issues, inform decisions and guide policy action in the intersection between research and policy. The article should start with an overview of recommendations, methodology, and a roadmap, not with background material. Article structure should be designed considering findings and recommendations, not according to the steps in your research journey.

For more detailed information about sub-themes and the book outline, see the extended call for proposals (pdf).

Please send your proposal on the attached form (see the extended call for proposals file) containing an outline of the intended article (max 400 words) and your CV or biography by 1 June 2013 to manja.klemencic@gmail.com or rok@esu-online.org and mention in message subject: “CoE book submission”. Authors will be notified by 15 July 2013. Final articles are due 15 December 2013.

Tags: , , , ,

New QS rankings by subject published last week

Posted on 14th May 2013 by marielk in Higher Education News

QSrankings2013Last week, the third edition of QS rankings by subject were launched. Alltogether, 2,858 universities were evaluated to create top 200 lists in 30 subject areas and include indicators both related to the academic community, employer feedback as well as citations as a means to represent research intensity and quality, and different subject areas have different weighing in terms of the indicators due to the varied internal structure of the disciplines.

The rankings include 30 subject areas in five groups:

  • Humanities: Philosophy, Modern Languages, Geography, History, Linguistics, and English Language & Literature
  • Life Sciences & Medicine: Medicine, Biological Sciences, Psychology, Pharmacy & Pharmacology, and Agriculture & Forestry
  • Social Sciences: Statistics & Operational Research, Sociology, Politics & International Studies, Law, Economics & Econometrics, Accounting & Finance, Communication & Media Studies, Education
  • Engineering & Technology: Computer Science & Information Systems, Chemical Engineering, CiviI & Structural Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Natural Sciences: Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics, Environmental Sciences, Earth & Marine Sciences, Chemistry, Materials Sciences

An interesting bit of statistics is provided by QS site, where they have also published on which subject areas are most viewed on their site, as such perhaps creating a speculative account on, if not the importance of, then at least the focus on rankings in different subject areas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is an overweight of the so-called hard sciences, whether pure or applied. However, also fields from social science – such as Law, Econometrics and Psychology, feature in the top 10. Hwoever, all of the fields in the top 10 are fields that are known to be highly competitive and perhaps also areas where one can find more common standards of quality that is more easily quantifiable. Perhaps more surprisingly, the list ends with Geography that has been grouped under Humanities. (more…)

Tags: , , ,

Hedda podcast: The future of South African youth with Prof. Teboho Moja

Posted on 13th May 2013 by marielk in International Higher Education Podcast

Episode 40 of our podcast series features Professor Teboho Moja (New York University). She shares her experiences with a recent CHET project on South African youth that identified that as much as one third of South African youth in the age of 15-24 was outside the labour market as well as educational opportunities – as such being a “social time bomb“. In the interview she reflects on some of the findings of the project and gives some suggestions on the possible ways forward.

You can also listen to the podcast in audio version:

Listen without the Flashplayer

Teboho Moja has held key positions at several South African universities as well as being appointed the chair of the board of the University of South Africa and she is a member of the board for several international organisations (UNESCO IIEP and World Education Market). She has worked as a policy analyst and was appointed as the Executive Director and Commissioner to the National Commission on Higher Education by President Mandela. Professor Moja has also been a visiting professor in Oslo as well as Tampere for the Hedda Master programme in higher education. Currently, she is a Clinical Professor at New York University.

Her research interests are focused on higher education reform issues in governance and policy, as well as the impact of globalization on higher education and she has authored a number of publications related to these issues as well as topics related to South African educational system and changes since 1994.

See also an earlier Hedda podcast with Professor Teboho Moja on issues related to reform of higher education and changes in South African educational system.

Tags: , , , , , ,

HEIK seminar: University of California – Challenges to mass education in the US

Posted on 10th May 2013 by marielk in Resources and Info

We are pleased to share yet another session from the HEIK academic seminar series in the field of higher education, with both invited international speakers and members of the research group HEIK (Higher Education: Institutional dynamics and Knowledge cultures) here at the University of Oslo.

This lecture was recorded in March 2013 and features Prof. Steven Brint (University of California Riverside) who examines the challenges of mass education in the US.

Professor Steven Brint (UC Riverside)

Professor S. Brint

Abstract for the session: Mass access combined with declining requirements and student utilitarianism has led to increases in the size of academically disengaged undergraduate student populations in the United States. This paper presents a method for conceptualizing and measuring these populations. It measures the size and characteristics of academically disengaged populations in a major public research university system, the University of California, and it discusses approaches that can be useful as means to re-engage these students in academic life. The paper briefly discusses the likely implications of mass online higher education within the current context of undergraduate student life.


Listen without the Flashplayer

Read more about Prof. Steven Brint here.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Call for applicants: MEEUC scholarships in European studies

Posted on 9th May 2013 by marielk in Opportunities in Higher Education

meeucMEEUC Visiting Research Fellowships 2013-2014 programme supports visiting fellows at the Monash European and EU Centre (MEEUC) at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. This initiative enables noted international scholars, Australian and international postgraduate students to undertake research on EU themes at the MEEUC and to participate in its research, teaching and outreach activities.

For international research fellows, grants of up to A$6000 are available to assist with travel and accommodation, for periods of one month or more. For domestic (Australian) research fellows, grants of up to A$2000 are available, for periods of up to one month. Themes to be addressed include:

  • EU external relations;
  • The EU, developing countries and emerging powers;
  • Comparative regionalism;
  • Regional organizations and global governance;
  • The EU and global challenges.

Applications closest to these research themes will be privileged above others. Visiting Fellows take part in the activities of the Centre, including seminars, conferences and outreach initiatives. For application forms and further information, download more information here.

Applications deadline 31 May 2013

Tags: , , , , , ,

« Older Entries