1 juin 2013

To MOOCers and shakers in the world of higher education, the question about MOOCs now is not merely “to MOOC or not to MOOC”, but “how to MOOC strategically” when more and more universities are jumping onto the bandwagon of MOOCs. This month, the two major MOOC providers Coursera and edX both announced that they have successfully attracted many more institutions to partner with them. Coursera, in addition, has partnered with several major publishers, such as Macmillan Higher Education, SAGE and Oxford University Press, to provide teaching and learning materials to the students at no cost.
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. The massive coverage of discussions about MOOCs in the media, both pros and cons (see ACA Newsletter - Education Europe, February 2013), have convinced both enthusiasts and sceptics in the world of higher education that MOOCs, like global university rankings, are “here to stay”. More and more universities, including Yale University, which have been hesitant to join the MOOC race, are compelled to MOOC along with their peers. Believe it or not, MOOCs are all over the place, in the newspapers, in conferences, and even in university board meetings. According to a Gallup survey and some follow-up enquiries conducted by Inside Higher Ed, US university presidents are under increasing pressure to look into the impact of MOOCs on their “business model”. However, most of the presidents are sceptical about the potential of MOOCs in improving the learning of all students or solving colleges’ financial challenges, as opposed to the trustees from the business world who are keen to rush into the MOOC race.
On the other hand, some MOOC optimists continue to test the water. Georgia Institute of Technology, partnering with AT&T and Udacity Inc. (a private MOOC provider), has just announced a plan to offer a fee-paying MOOC master’s degree programme. Students formally “admitted” to the programme will pay a fraction (approx. USD 7 000 / EUR 5 500) of the tuition fee of the same on-campus offer to complete the programme online in roughly three years. The business model is built on a multi-track system, allowing all the learners to take the courses for free, while charging some others based on the credentials they desire to obtain. In other words, the students pay for the degree or credits rather than the content that they obtain online.
In the current MOOC race, the spotlight has been following the speed rather than the best. Being the first is all that matters to make a splash in the media. The rules of the game may soon change, however, with more MOOC players, including platforms and content-providers from all around the world, going into the field. By that time, perhaps it would not be a big surprise to see university rankers stepping into the scene to bring some order to the chaos. After all, global university rankings and MOOCs (in their current state) have involved more or less the same group of flagship universities, whereas MOOCs seem to provide exactly the missing indicators of “teaching quality” and “community engagement” that rankers have been searching for years. The future is difficult to predict. What is sure to happen on 10 October 2013 is ACA’s next policy seminar on MOOCs. Save the date and come MOOC with us.
EdX, Coursera, Georgia Institute of Technology, Inside Higher Ed.

For the second time, the international network of 24 research universities called Universitas 21 has published an overview of national higher education systems across the world. Rather than assessing individual universities, the U21 ranking brings in indicators that are seldom used in other rankings in an attempt to highlight the importance of a strong higher education environment. It is thus fighting the main criticism against global rankings, i.e. that the research output of elite universities cannot reflect the contribution of education to a country’s social and economic development.
Similar to the European Commission’s U-Multirank, the U21 ranking uses a large variety of criteria, divided into four broad measures: Resources, Environment, Connectivity and Output. In an holistic approach, it provides data on tertiary enrolment rates, the proportion of international students, international research collaboration, public and private funding, investment in research and development, output of research journal articles (per country and per head of population), ratio of researchers in the economy, etc. However, these criteria cannot be combined or singled out. In the 2013 U21 ranking, some 48 countries’ higher education systems were ranked according to those criteria. The top 1 country is the United States, followed by Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. These results are very similar to the 2012 U21 ranking (with the exception of Singapore replacing Norway, which now ranks 12th) and do not tell us much more than other rankings have been telling us.
One major flaw of the ranking, which Universitas 21 willingly admits, is the lack of a variable on the quality of teaching measures, due to the difficulty to collect data allowing a comparison across countries. Last year’s ranking also showed they had some problems measuring connectivity (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, May 2012). One could also deplore the small amount of countries analysed (50 out of a database of approximately 200), as developing countries in Africa or Latin America could benefit from the information withheld in such a ranking. Universitas 21.

Science in the focus of the German Year in Brazil
On 15 May 2013, DAAD President Prof. Margret Wintermantel together with the Federal President Joachim Gauk inaugurated the scientific programme of the German Year in Brazil. With a seminar for alumni on the occasion of the 40 years anniversary of the DAAD office in Rio de Janeiro, the career fair “Trained in Germany” as well as various other contributions, the DAAD is organising the scientific programme of the German Year under the slogan “Germany+Brazil 2013-2014: Where ideas connect”. Link (in German)
New DAAD information center in Jordan
This month the DAAD has opened an information center in Jordan. Through its presence in the capital Amman it will inform and consult on study opportunities in Germany. The new information center will support DAAD programmes in Jordan and will deepen the cooperation with the German Jordanian University (GJU). Link (in German). Read more...

The EAR, which stands for the European Area of Recognition, is a project co-funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission and different national recognition information centres (ENIC NARICs). One of the main outcomes of the project is the EAR manual for higher education institutions (EAR HEI), a practical guide with standards and guidelines in the field of the recognition of foreign qualifications. A survey carried out in 2012 (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, May 2012) had already shown that especially admission officers were in need for a practical manual with recommendations for good practice. In 2013, the testing phase for the EAR recognition manual was successfully completed. Close to 450 institutions from over 30 countries responded to the survey conducted in March and April 2013. EAR project. NUFFIC. Read more...

The Finnish Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) is about to launch a new survey to measure the attitudes of tertiary education students during a study abroad period, and the way these attitudes change. In short: how students think about ‘difference‘ and how they engage with it. The survey has been developed together with Professor Vanessa Andreotti de Oliveira from the University of Oulu and her research team. The aim of the survey is to gain more profound knowledge on the effects of an international experience at individual level and will provide us with information on the impacts of international education. The Global Mindedness (GM) instrument is based on a distinction between three different ways in which individuals can think about and engage with ‘difference’. These are referred to as ‘dispositions’, in particular dispositions of Tourism, Empathy and Visiting. CIMO. Read more...

In 2011, the European Commission came up with a Communication entitled Modernising Europe’s higher education systems. This document unfolded the Commission’s policy objectives mainly for intra-European cooperation in the tertiary sector. A similar document, relating to the Commission’s intentions in a global context, is expected to follow, most probably in June. The ACA Newsletter - Education Europe has been able to gain insight into some of the key issues of this document, which is likely to be named European higher education in the world.
One of the principle notions behind the document is that of comprehensive internationalisation strategies, which universities and member states are expected to develop and pursue. Such strategies would entail at least three elements: the mobility of students and staff (plus related issues such as recognition, visas, etc.); the internationalisation of curricula (known as ‘internationalisation at home’) and digitally-based learning; as well as strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building. At the level of detail, one can spot many of the pet subjects of recent years, but also new phenomena. One of those is the MOOCs, which the document will apparently highlight as a major development in higher education, even though it is not entirely clear which conclusions to draw from this assessment.
Concerning its own EU-level contribution, the Commission is likely to point to the increased opportunities for third-country cooperation under the new Erasmus for All Programme (which may carry another name in the final version) and the Marie Curie scheme, as well as to U-Multirank and its various other ‘transparency tools’. From all we know, the Communication will at long last pick up a long-time ACA proposal for complementing national information and marketing efforts by a European promotion dimension. It also appears that there are plans to widen the ‘evidence base’ supporting policies on global higher education, by commissioning studies, statistical analysis and expert consultation.

In 2011, the European Commission came up with a Communication entitled Modernising Europe’s higher education systems. This document unfolded the Commission’s policy objectives mainly for intra-European cooperation in the tertiary sector. A similar document, relating to the Commission’s intentions in a global context, is expected to follow, most probably in June. The ACA Newsletter - Education Europe has been able to gain insight into some of the key issues of this document, which is likely to be named European higher education in the world.
One of the principle notions behind the document is that of comprehensive internationalisation strategies, which universities and member states are expected to develop and pursue. Such strategies would entail at least three elements: the mobility of students and staff (plus related issues such as recognition, visas, etc.); the internationalisation of curricula (known as ‘internationalisation at home’) and digitally-based learning; as well as strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building. At the level of detail, one can spot many of the pet subjects of recent years, but also new phenomena. One of those is the MOOCs, which the document will apparently highlight as a major development in higher education, even though it is not entirely clear which conclusions to draw from this assessment.
Concerning its own EU-level contribution, the Commission is likely to point to the increased opportunities for third-country cooperation under the new Erasmus for All Programme (which may carry another name in the final version) and the Marie Curie scheme, as well as to U-Multirank and its various other ‘transparency tools’. From all we know, the Communication will at long last pick up a long-time ACA proposal for complementing national information and marketing efforts by a European promotion dimension. It also appears that there are plans to widen the ‘evidence base’ supporting policies on global higher education, by commissioning studies, statistical analysis and expert consultation.

The event, co-organized by Nuffic, will soon take place in The Hague from 9 to 11 June 2013. Practical information for the participants and last-minute registrations are now available online on ACA's website. Check it out and come celebrate with us in The Hague! Brochure. ACA 20th Anniversary Conference.
Co-organised by Nuffic
ACA’s Annual Conferences have become a synonym for high-quality information, analysis and discussion on current policy and practice-related issues in the area of European and international higher education. They bring together central actors and decision-makers in higher education, such as rectors, vice-rectors, faculty and international relations staff, as well as policy-makers and practitioners from government departments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and think tanks. And they offer opportunities for learning, exchange and networking at a high level. Read more...

Internationalisation in a Changing World: Higher Education’s Response
Higher Education shares global expectations and challenges. Notable expectations are the contribution higher education (in particular research) can make towards the knowledge economy (especially after the global financial crisis), sustainable development (contributions to the green economy and environment), values and norms (a global ethic), democracy (combating human rights violations), the relevance of the curriculum (higher education is a social good), partnership development and service (the contribution universities, business/industry and government can make towards the promotion of social communities).
Higher education is also sharing common challenges. There is a general concern about the increase of public expenditure and the rapid growth of the student body in recent decades. This resulted in global discussions on what public universities are doing and how well they are doing it. Developments such as academic mobility lead to a growing need to understand the equivalence of qualifications, standards and credits. Hence more attention is being paid to quality assurance systems, funding and finance to steer the higher education system to meet the agenda of the developmental state and the rapid growth of technology.
The emerging question is whether higher education is responding effectively to internationalisation challenges and developments. The importance of this question is challenged by universities’ core mission statements (teaching/learning, research and engagement) and if these statements can keep pace with the on-going challenges of a changing world.
See also on the blog Promoting Higher Education Internationalisation through International Research Collaborations, Partnerships and Innovative Teaching.

ICHE 2013: International Conference on Higher Education, Paris, France June 27-28, 2013.
The XXXIV. International Conference on Higher Education aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Higher Education, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted.
The XXXIV. International Conference on Higher Education is the premier forum for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of Higher Education. The conference will bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars in the domain of interest from around the world. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:
Acculturation: what preliminary intercultural need to be trained before been sent to a study abroad?
Approaches to Professional Development and Standards for Disability Service Providers
Assessment Methodologies and Rubrics in Higher Education
Coping with incompatibility in semester-, trimester and quarter year course periods
Does studying abroad imply “living together with local students”, or prefer “international student houses”?
Double- versus joint degrees
Enhancing Learning Experiences in Higher Education
Formal and pragmatic obstacles and opportunities in student exchange programs
Funding resources for staff and student exchange
Graduates Job Readiness
Higher Education and International student exchange
Higher Education at a Time of Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities
Higher Education Relationships with Orders, Syndicates, and Unions (e.g. Order of Engineers, Syndicate of Pharmacists, Students’ Unions…)
How to defend the yielded higher criterion to the access of regional- and local students?
How to establish campuses as multicultural communities
How to evaluate students’ readiness for studying abroad?
How to recruit highly talented students abroad?
ICT and E-Learning in Higher Education
Innovations in Higher Education: Programs, Services, Technology, and Funding
International Educational Exchange Programs
International Ranking Schemes of Universities
Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education
Learning far away from home and close to your future colleagues
Learning in multicultural contexts
Lifelong Learning, Industry Partnerships, and Service to Society
Promoting Effective Institutional Governance in Higher Education
Quality Assurance & Accreditation in Higher Education
Research, Development and Innovation in Higher Education
Role of Global Universities in Regional Development
Strategic Planning in Higher Education
Student Access to Higher Education
Technologies for spreading learning around the world
The Internationalization of Higher Education
Trade-offs between student exchange in the bachelor- versus the master stage?
UN partnership with higher education institutions- UNAI
Virtual presence as option for extending the students’ learning space
Will English be the default language for master courses around the globe?
Women in Higher Education.