BRICS think tanks council meets to shape strategy
Shanghai Statement – ‘The Future of Higher Education’
Europe to recruit top brains from South Korea
Open Doors – Foreign students flock to America
Minister retracts budgetary change for mobile students
Exporting Education
By Anya Kamenetz. Online courses are taking off in developing countries, but there’s a major downside.
Time zones away from the quads of Cambridge, Mass., and Palo Alto, Calif., there’s a curious educational evolution happening. Though the modern massive open online course movement (MOOCs) originated in North America, two-thirds of their users live abroad—in places like Rwanda, China, and Brazil. More...
Four higher ed innovations Canada might consider
By Josh Dehaas. Canada has fallen behind or is at risk of falling behind other countries in education and training if we don’t get our act together. That was a common theme at two conferences last week in Toronto, one hosted by The Conference Board of Canada, which is developing a Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary Education, and the other by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, a provincial agency that does research and offers policy advice to government. Speakers from several countries offered innovative ideas worth considering. Here are four of the most intriguing. More...
Canadian visas send the wrong message to Mexico
By Jeffrey Simpson. Muchas gracias, Rob Ford. Toronto’s big enchilada has put Canada on the map in Mexico, where Canada usually struggles to gain attention. In Mexico, honest politicians try to stop drugs; the Toronto mayor uses them. That’s news in Mexico, as Mr. Ford’s fabrications, drug use and drinking binges have been in many countries. At least temporarily, the mayor’s behaviour replaces another “ugly Canadian” story that’s become a staple in Mexico. More...
Will these ideas reform higher education?
By James Bradshaw. Can universities and colleges adapt fast enough to meet Canada’s demands? This week, academics and policy makers gathered in Toronto for a pair of overlapping conferences, looking for answers. Schools have been under pressure from students, governments and businesses to revitalize teaching, help address Canada’s perceived skills gap and ensure graduates are ready for jobs. The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and the Conference Board of Canada led a range of discussions. These three ideas could shape higher education in the coming years. More...