13 octobre 2015
UK study: Short international mobility just as beneficial
A recently published report on mobility impacts on UK undergraduate students suggests, somewhat surprisingly, that the length of time spent abroad as part of degree studies does not have a significant influence on the perceived benefits of the experience. The study, commissioned by the UK Higher Education International Unit and the British Council, examined what internationally mobile students who have pursued either study abroad, volunteering or traineeship placements have gained from international mobility. The results are based on an online survey of 2 842 first-degree students in 37 institutions and on focus groups in eight of these institutions. The findings reveal that students participating in very short mobility programmes of a few weeks in duration perceive similar benefits associated with time spent abroad as students completing a semester or a full academic year abroad. Specifically, both groups credit their mobility experience for developing independence, intercultural awareness and a greater probability of long-term employment abroad. Moreover, the study indicates that almost all students who have spent time abroad are keen on repeating the experience. More...
EU and China team up on research and innovation funding
Earlier this month at the Joint Conference in Promoting Excellence through Enhanced EU-China Researcher's Mobility and Cooperation in Beijing, Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, and Wan Gang, Chinese Minister for Science and Technology, introduced a new co-financing mechanism for EU-China joint research and innovation activities. The establishment of the co-funding mechanism follows the agreement reached at the 17th EU-China Summit, held on 29 June 2015 in Brussels.
Press releaseHorizon 2020 guide for China. More...
CIMO: New developments in HE cooperation with Russia
The number of Russian degree students in Finnish higher education institutions has grown rapidly over the last years. Whereas in 2010 the number of Russian students pursuing a degree in Finland was 1 776, the latest statistics on student mobility in Finland show that Russia is clearly the number one sending country with 3 044 degree students in 2014. The total number of international degree students in Finnish higher education institutions in 2014 was 20 255, with China (1 963 students) and Vietnam (1 619 students) completing the top three sending countries. Student exchange with Russia has remained stable over the last years with 333 students from Finland studying in Russia and 483 students from Russia studying in Finland in 2014, with study periods lasting from 3 to 12 months.
More information about the FIRST programme can be found here. More...
Swedish analysis of Erasmus Charter applications
The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) has analysed all 42 applications for the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) submitted by Swedish institutions in 2013 to determine how the institutions organise their work with respect to internationalisation in general and mobility in particular.
Results of the analysis show that Swedish institutions have over 11 000 agreements with foreign institutions in total, and more than 8 000 of these are within Erasmus. The activity is generally higher within the agreements that institutions have with partners in non-Erasmus countries. Most Swedish universities show an imbalance between the number of incoming and outgoing students, with a significantly higher number of incoming students. Although institutions claim that they aim for a greater balance, they have more measures in place to support incoming than outgoing students.
On the basis of the analysis, the Swedish Council for Higher Education recommends that the questions in future ECHE applications are simplified and clarified in order to obtain comparable answers to the questions. Many of the questions are vague and cover multiple aspects at the same time, while the space for answers is limited. Moreover, there is a lack of definitions and explanations for some of the terms used. This limits the possibilities for comparison and makes it difficult to assess the quality of the applications. With the above reservations on the design of the questions, the ECHE applications should constitute a good basis for self-evaluation as well as monitoring of the internationalisation work in the institutions.
The report (in Swedish, with a summary in English) can be downloaded here. More...
IIENetworker Magazine Fall Edition: The Impact of International Education
The fall 2015 IIENetworker magazine, titled The Impact of International Education' is now available as a free interactive flipbook.
There is a growing awareness within the field of international education about the importance of assessing and documenting the profound influence of international educational exchange on individuals and societies. This edition is therefore devoted to a discussion on the impact and relevance of international education. Each article in this issue analyses distinct aims of international education and discusses ways to improve how we measure its success.
Read the full current edition (free interactive flipbook): Institute of International EducationSELECTED ARTICLES:The Economic Impact of International Mobility By Christine Farrugia International Education in the Wake of Identity-Based Conflict By Aryn Baxter International Scholarships: Program Impact and Comparative Analysis By Matt Mawer and Rachel Day Building Trust to Advance International Education Through Appreciative Inquiry By Chris R. Glass and Cheryl Matherly. More...
EP-Nuffic: Free online training on recognition of foreign qualifications
Admissions officers interested in learning more about recognition of foreign qualifications can register for the online training and good practice platform STREAM, which is available from 14 September until 31 December 2015. Streamlining Institutional Recognition: a Training Platform for Admissions Officers (STREAM) is a project which aims to streamline recognition processes and enhance knowledge of good practice in recognition.
STREAM is specifically geared towards admissions officers at higher education institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and offers concise training materials, based on the recommendations of the EAR-HEI recognition manual for higher education institutions.
Participation is free of charge and you can follow the training at your own pace. It is easy to skip through the various modules and a ‘real cases forum’ enables you to share and discuss issues with your peers.
Click here to register for STREAM. More...
DAAD supports Kenya's Garissa University students
In April 2015, 142 students of Kenya's Garissa University have been killed in attacks by the terrorist group al Shabaab. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, DAAD launched a scholarship programme helping the surviving students to find their way back to normalcy. As Garissa University has been closed after the attacks, the students continue their studies at Moi University in Eldoret, located about 300 kilometres from Nairobi. Up to 300 students in need receive a monthly scholarship, covering their additional tuition fees and living costs for one year. In addition, DAAD has pledged to provide funds for medical and psychological treatment in case of need. More...
The Rise of Performance Governance in Australian Higher Education: Comparing the influences of performance measurement in HE
Monday, 19 October 2015
9am-1pm (concluding with a light lunch)
Multifunction Room, 1888 Building, University of Melbourne
This is an opportunity to discuss the outcomes of an important ARC Discovery Project called the Governing Performance Project: Performance Measurement in social and Public Policy.
Performance measurement in social and public policy is directly connected to enhancing government efficiency, quality, accountability and democracy. The use of performance data reshapes substantive policy domains, and the conduct of managers, administrators and agents of government-funded activities, which in turn impacts upon the opportunities and life-chances of citizens. Quantitative performance indicators make visible and emphasise particular practices and outcomes, while devaluing other administrative practices and social outcomes. By attaching benefits to these forms of calculation, public sector performance management actively seeks to reconfigure organizational, collective and individual practices and, in turn, the very substance being measured.
The seminar will bring together researchers and policy-shapers in higher education to discuss the impact of performance measurement and the dynamics that influence policy and outcomes in Australian Higher Education. Key findings from the ARC-DP Governing Performance project will be presented. The project examined the political and social dynamics of performance management in Australia through a comparative analysis of performance measurement across three policy domains: Schooling, Higher Education, and Primary Health Care. These domains are areas of considerable policy activity and public debate and are of course central to the lives of many people. There are important structural differences in these policy domains that enable greater insights from comparative analysis between these including interactions between State and Federal governments, organisations and professionals.
Presenters:
Associate Professor Paul Henman, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland
Professor Richard James, Melbourne Centre for the study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne
Professor Bob Lingard, School of Education, The University of Queensland
Dr Alison Gable, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland.
More information on our website or please contact Dr Sylvia Schaffarczyk at sylvias@unimelb.edu.au or +61 3 8344 8664.
The Rise of Performance Governance in Australian Higher Education: Comparing the influences of performance measurement in Higher Education, Schooling and Primary Health Care
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander motions passed at NTEU National Council 2015
By Celeste Liddle. This motion commits the NTEU to continuing activism on the issue of the forced closure of Indigenous communities. This motion additionally broadens the definition of "Indigenous communities" to incorporate everything from remote communities, to urban communities and to on-campus communities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Centres. The NTEU sees the continuing attacks on Indigenous communities to be an attack on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander autonomy and self-determination and therefore in recognition of the 2002 10 Point Plan for a post-Treaty Union, it is felt that the time has come to strengthen this stance. More...
Vocational education: how the shonks and shysters took control
By Paul Kniest. In this excellent article, Bachelard chronicles how government policies driven by an ethos of “deregulate at any cost” have resulted in students and governments being ripped off and rorted for billions of dollars by dodgy private providers with little interest in education or student welfare. More...
