18 novembre 2012

By Alison Moodie. International students continue to flock to American colleges and universities, two new reports have revealed. The number of overseas students at US tertiary institutions jumped by 6%, to an all-time high of nearly 765,000 in 2011, according to a just-published study from the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Meanwhile, the number of international graduate students enrolling for the first time at American institutions increased too, reported a survey from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), which measured an 8% increase in first-time enrolment of international students.
The annual Open Doors study from the IIE found that, as in previous years, the majority of international students came from China, with their number rising by 23% overall to 194,029 students.
Students from Saudi Arabia, funded by sizeable grants from the Saudi government, represented the greatest growth, with a 50% increase from 2010, from 22,704 to 34,139. More...

The IAU library and information centre has joined the French higher education bibliographic agency, ABES, interlibrary loans network.
IAU resources can now be borrowed by ABES member libraries via the collective electronic catalogue of France’s higher education libraries, SUDOC. Specialising in journals and periodicals, SUDOC holds over 10 million bibliographic records, and plays a leading role in the French higher education and research information systems.
ABES was created in 1994 to implement Sudoc (Système Universitaire de Documentation or University Documentation System), the union catalogue of France’s higher education libraries. Sudoc opened in 2001 and has proved a resounding success. It covers the collections of 1 419 “deployed” or memberlibraries along with the 1,793 public or private libraries from the Sudoc-PS network which specialises in referencing serial publications. With over 10 million bibliographic records, 32 million localised documents and 24 million public queries in 2010, it plays a leading role in the French higher education and research information system.

Le séminaire sur la Gestion Prévisionnelle de l'Emploi et des Compétences Territoriale en Poitou-Charentes: « Les territoires se mobilisent pour l'emploi et la compétitivité », a réuni près de 200 personnes, le 5 octobre dernier, à La Rochelle. Ont été abordés le bilan et les perspectives de la démarche de GPECT au niveau national ainsi que les dynamiques en Poitou-Charentes au travers de présentation d’actions territoriales et de filières (Charente et mécatronique, La Rochelle/Rochefort et l’aéronautique, Thouars et la filière bois, etc.).
Retrouvez le programme, les photos du séminaire, les documents présentés ainsi que la synthèse en ligne sur le site internet du Séminaire GPEC Territoriale en Poitou-Charentes.

En France, plus de la moitié des sociétés de 50 salariés ou plus déclarent s'impliquer dans la responsabilité sociétale des entreprises (RSE), contribution des entreprises aux enjeux du développement durable.
Cet engagement est d'autant plus fréquent que la taille des sociétés est importante. Par ailleurs, le commerce et l'industrie manufacturière hors agroalimentaire sont les secteurs les moins impliqués en matière de RSE: la notion même y est souvent inconnue et très peu de sociétés engagent des actions. À l'opposé, l'implication est forte dans les secteurs de l'énergie et de l'environnement et dans l'industrie agroalimentaire, domaines où les questions de développement durable en général et d'environnement en particulier sont logiquement très présentes.
Les sociétés impliquées dans la RSE ont des pratiques différenciées. En particulier, elles sont plus attentives aux enjeux de développement durable dans leur politique d'achats ou au respect de la biodiversité.
D'autres actions sont plus largement mises en œuvre, y compris au sein des sociétés qui ne connaissent pas la notion de RSE. Elles relèvent davantage du volet social (la lutte contre la discrimination par exemple), même si une des actions les plus courantes est la prévention ou le recyclage des déchets.
La responsabilité sociétale des entreprises: une démarche déjà répandue, Insee Première, novembre 2012, 4 p.

Euroguidance : 20 ans ! Nouveaux outils, nouveaux usages
Le CARIF OREF Auvergne, membre du réseau européen Euroguidance, organise une rencontre qui rassemblera un public de professionnels impliqué dans les questions d'orientation tout au long de la vie et de mobilité en Europe. Mercredi 12 décembre 2012 de 09h30 à 16h30 au Lycée Louis le Grand à Paris.
Au cours de cette journée seront présentés les outils développés par le réseau ELGPN (European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network), par les collègues Belges et Suédois et par la France. Aura lieu également une table ronde sur le thème: "Les nouvelles technologies au service de la professionnalisation des acteurs de l'orientation et de la mobilité".
Consulter le programme. Les pré-inscriptions se font directement en ligne sur le site de l'Agence Europe Education Formation France.

Sustainable procurement work has never been more exciting. New data, science and processes are coming together with years of on-the-ground experience to create a new paradigm. A higher education pilot project is laying the groundwork for a sustainable procurement leadership recognition program, modeled on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. If that program comes to fruition, it could radically accelerate the adoption and effectiveness of sustainable procurement in sectors far beyond higher education.
This article originally appeared in the September Issue of College Planning & Management magazine. AASHE is currently soliciting institutions interesting in participating in the pilot project described in this article. Please contact purchasing@aashe.org for further details.
In the early days of the “green” purchasing movement, institutional procurement professionals only had to focus on a few product attributes, such as recycled content, or on a few eco-labels, such as FSC certified wood. In fact, of the more than 400 eco-labels tracked by Ecolabel Index today, only 25 pre-date 1996. Those simple days are long gone. In addition to navigating the explosion in eco-labels, buyers are now expected to take into account the impact of products throughout their whole life cycle. What are the waste, water and air pollution impacts during manufacture? What about during their use? And what happens at the end of their useful life? Taking all these impacts into account requires matching them up with credible eco-labels or standards that certify those impacts have been mitigated to a specified degree. It also requires having a plan for the reuse, recycling or safe disposal of the product at the time of purchase. View more...

Conference call now open: What contribution can higher education make to social mobility in the UK from 2012-13 onwards? 26-27 March 2013, Manchester

• Students and academic staff (particularly those crossing national borders within the UK) are encouraged to apply for a HEA travel grant.
• If you are a student AND your proposal to conference is accepted but you are not awarded a travel grant, you will be automatically considered for one of our limited full-conference reduced rate places. (50% reduction).
• Non-affiliated applicants (i.e not affiliated to a University or a company employee/director) who have a proposal accepted will also be considered for a reduced rate place.

Higher education and social mobility
The Higher Education Academy is pleased to announce a two-day residential conference on 26 and 27 March 2013 at the Macdonald Manchester Hotel, Manchester City Centre to examine the contribution of higher education to improving social mobility. Higher education has undergone change in all four UK nations as the economy has declined and public sector spending has been reduced. Issues of social mobility, access, retention, attainment and progression however continue to be important across the UK, within higher education institutions, and for students, their families and society as whole.
2012-13 marked the beginning of significant changes to the higher education landscape, raising concerns about the future of access and equality within the HE sector and heightening existing fears about stagnating social mobility. The conference will include key note speakers, panel discussions, workshops, papers and posters designed to inform scholarly debate and provide practical ways forward. The conference is open to academics, HEI managers, educational practitioners and policy makers. We welcome a broad range of perspectives and methodologies to critically look at the question of what contribution can higher education make to social mobility in the UK from 2012-13 onwards. While topics not listed below are very welcome, possible themes include:

• How widening-access partnerships and collaboration can be adapted to a more competitive environment and whether new approaches and delivery models are required across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland;
• The contribution of higher-education providers to improving the retention, attainment and progression of students especially those from lower socio-economic groups, disabled or black and minority ethnic backgrounds in all discipline areas;
• How more equitable access to employment, graduate careers and the professions can be achieved through higher-education pathways, including apprenticeships, study abroad and postgraduate study;
• The role of students in enhancing the quality and outcomes of the higher education experience for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups;
• The actual and projected impacts of changes to the funding of higher education on access, retention, attainment and progression for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups.
• The needs of part-time students in the current context, including support systems and pedagogy for flexible learning.

Submitting a proposal
The conference is inviting proposals for one or more of the following types of sessions: paper, panel, workshop or poster. Parallel sessions of papers, workshops and panels will run for one hour morning and afternoon on both days of the conference.  Posters will be displayed on both days, with time set aside for interaction and discussion between poster presenters and delegates.
PAPERS should report research findings, or discuss evidence-based practice, or critically assess policy or practice in relation to higher education and social mobility. Papers will be clustered and presented in shared sessions. (20 minutes including discussion per paper). Paper proposals should provide a description of the research and argument and indicate what literature or evidence they will be drawing on. Papers can have multiple authors but a chief author must be stated on the proposal form. Download the paper-proposal form. (145KB)
WORKSHOPS: We welcome proposals for workshop convenors. Proposals should provide a rationale and description of the workshop. Proposals should state how they will ensure workshops are interactive and involve participants. Workshops should be of interest and relevance to a broad audience and be able to cater to a maximum of 28 participants or fewer. Download the workshop-proposal form. (145KB)
PANELS: The conference will host a very limited number of panels. We welcome proposals for panel discussions focusing on a particular theme, problem or special interest relating to higher education and social mobility. Panel proposals must include a brief description and rationale for the panel, and a lead presenter or convenor who will facilitate statements or position papers from up to 3 panel members and a 15 minute panel discussion at the end of the session.  Proposals for panels must include the name of the panel convenor, and at least two panel members but need not, at this stage, include the abstract from panel members. Download the panel-proposal form (146KB)
POSTERS: should be A0 in size (portrait layout) and present summary information about your work in a visual or text format in a way that is of interest to the conference participants. Posters will be displayed throughout the conference, but you will be asked to talk about your poster during a networking session. Download the poster-proposal form. (145KB)
Please note that applications to contribute to the conference will only be considered if they have completed the relevant proposal form. To submit a proposal, download the relevant form above. Email your completed form to retentionandsuccess@heacademy.ac.uk by 12 noon,  Friday  30 November 2012.
If you are applying to be considered for more than one session (paper, panel, workshop, poster), you MUST complete an abstract form for each type of session you apply for.
What happens next?
We will acknowledge receipt of your submitted form. All proposals will be reviewed by two peer reviewers and the final selection of the successful contributions will be made by the conference organising committee. Abstracts will be judged on clarity, rigour, relevance and overall fit with the aims of the conference. The key contact or proposed convenor will be informed of the outcome by 12 December 2012. Please note: we cannot guarantee which day your session will be allocated to if accepted. The conference webpage will be updated on a regular basis http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/retention/Social_mobility. All enquiries to: retentionandsuccess@heacademy.ac.uk.

ENIC-NARICs agree to deal with joint degrees with the greatest flexibility possible. They call upon higher education institutions to follow their guidelines for good practice when awarding joint degrees and upon quality assurance and accreditation agencies to strengthen their cooperation, also nationally.
Within the framework of the JOQAR-project, the European Consortium for Accreditation and ENIC-NARICs have cooperated to develop guidelines for good practice for institutions and programmes which award joint degrees and/or joint diploma supplements. In addition, the JOQAR project wants to contribute to the fair and flexible recognition of joint degrees.
In this context, ENIC-NARICs from 30 countries gathered in Barcelona on 9 November 2012 to discuss the current state of practice when dealing with joint degrees (and degrees awarded by joint programmes). The workshop offered ENIC-NARICs an opportunity to further exchange experiences and to discuss a draft Framework for Fair Recognition of Joint Degrees.
From the perspective of ENIC-NARICs, two projects have created new circumstances for the recognition of joint degrees. The European Area of Recognition (EAR) Manual on the one hand codified good practice based on the Lisbon Recognition Convention while ECA's Joint Programmes Quality Assurance and Recognition (JOQAR) Project is streamlining joint programme’s external quality assurance, accreditation and joint degree awarding.
In the workshops, ENIC-NARICs disected the distinctive elements that can play a role when dealing with joint degrees. The workshop dealt with the following elements: the joint programme consortium, the awarding institutions, the joint programme and the joint degree itself. Each issue was analysed through examples and good practices were formulated. The result of these and coming discussions will be published as the Framework for Fair Recognition of Joint Degrees in the beginning of 2013.
"The best way to deal with joint degrees is (a) to accept you don’t need to know everything, and (b) to know when the information and/or evidence gathered is sufficient to recognise or recommend recognition."
The presentation and participants list is available on the event website.

By Marielk. The EU has a new resource page that features updated data (latest update in Nov 2012) on research activities in EU countries, sorted by country. The map includes a list of projects in the countries that have received EU funding or have partners in that particular country. In addition, the individual country profiles have updated information about research and innovation in these countries. While not comprehensive, they provide a quick glance to the RDI landscape in Europe.
Some interesting bits of information can be extracted from the data available. For instance, did you know that:

• Sweden invests 3.4 % of GDP in R&D,and is thus amongst the world leaders in terms of R&D intensity and as the leader of EUs Innovation scoreboard
• Researchers from Germany most commonly work together with researchers from UK in European projects, and Germany receives the largest share of EU research budget
• Denmark is  rapidly catching up in the innovation indicators and reached the 3% of GDP to research already in 2009
• In the Netherlands, the level of private investment to R&D is well below EU average, composing of 0.88% of the GDP. However, the Netherlands has a high success rate in EU applications (over 25%)
• While Italy receives fourth largest share of EU research funding, the investment to R&D in Italy is relatively modest, around 1.26% in 2010
• While Finland currently does well in the innovation rankings, there are great concerns about finding new research intensive industries
• Estonia increased funding to R&D with an average of 10% each year between 2000 and 2010, from 0.60% to 1.62% in 2010

All of the country profiles and information can be found here.