Formation Continue du Supérieur

26 mai 2013

Good things come to those who wait

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By Sue Norton. There is a famous scene in the 1950s American television show “I Love Lucy”. Lucy and her friend Ethel go to work for a chocolate factory. They must wrap Bon Bons that are moving along a conveyor belt. At first the belt moves at a reasonable speed, with Lucy and Ethel managing to wrap each sweet. But as the belt moves faster and faster, high comedy ensues. Bon Bon madness erupts as Lucy and Ethel stuff chocolates into their hats, their mouths, their bras. They manage to deceive their supervisor, a hard-nosed task master who, believing all is well, yells out, “Speeeeed it up!” to the conveyor belt operator behind a screen. Lucy and Ethel reel backwards, aghast. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

European universities with a global perspective

By Elizabeth Colucci. Global collaboration and partnership are on the agenda of university leaders and associations all over the world. An issue of strategic importance that cross-cuts the university mission, they require concerted anticipation, investment and cooperation. The European University Association, or EUA, which represents more than 850 universities and national rectors’ conferences in 47 European countries, has woven this issue across its various higher education and research priorities and has reaffirmed its commitment to global dialogue and internationalisation. The upcoming Arab-Euro Conference on Higher Education – to be held from 30-31 May in Barcelona and jointly organised by EUA, the Association of Arab Universities and the University of Barcelona – is next in a growing chain of initiatives aimed at cultivating EUA’s global mission, and supporting European universities to internationalise. The event will welcome over 100 university leaders from 50 European and Arab countries, targeting themes such as internationalisation, employability of young graduates, research collaboration and the role of associations. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

MOOCs undermine the public higher education sector

By Irene Ogrizek. “Nothing about our current Industrial Age education system, with its silo'd knowledge and emphasis on professionalism, is designed for adaptation to rapid change, interactive thinking, iterative process, or collaborative methodologies, all informed by deeply humanistic and social attention to such major issues as intellectual property, security, privacy, freedom, and even the definition of the ‘self’. Everyday life and everyday work brings most of us into constant contact with these issues. And education? Hardly at all.”
This is our current and sorry state of education according to Cathy N Davidson, professor of English and interdisciplinary studies at Duke University. She makes these assertions in an article intended to calm the storm swirling around MOOCs – massive open online courses – and the threat they pose to universities. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Degree mobility + loans doesn’t work Karina Ufert

By Rebecca Warden. Just a few weeks ago, the highest decision-making body of the European Students’ Union (ESU) – the board, composed of 47 national student unions from 39 countries – adopted a resolution calling for the scrapping of the idea of introducing a European Masters Degree Loan Guarantee Scheme. Earlier, the ESU had voiced serious concerns about this new instrument, included in the new Erasmus for All proposal as part of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) from 2014-20. ESU’s detailed position on the scheme can be found here. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Transforming the basis of knowledge

By Budd Hall. Confidence that a 'one size fits all' global economy and that the 'Western canon' of knowledge are sufficient to see humanity through the next phase of its transformations and adjustments has diminished dramatically over the past years. We have an economic system that is certainly not a tide that floats all boats. We have challenges to the dominance of traditional knowledge claims as well. What does this mean for higher education, for social responsibility and for the way forward? Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Should universities be more engaging?

By Rebecca Warden. Has community engagement become a mainstream part of what universities do? If not, how can it get there? These were some of the questions on the agenda at the 6th International Conference on Higher Education organised by the Global University Network for Innovation in Barcelona, Spain, from 13-15 May.
“How do we accelerate the process of transforming universities, which so often seem to be organisations brilliantly designed to resist change?” asked Robert Hollister, dean of the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University in the United States, opening day two of the conference. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Science shops tackle community concerns at a low cost

By Rebecca Warden. In 2006, local people approached the University of Groningen in The Netherlands to see if they could help with the issue of noise pollution from wind turbines. The Dutch government is intending to double its production of wind energy by 2020, and this will mean building 400 large wind turbines on land and a further 2,000 at sea. One of Groningen’s five science shops took on the problem and researched local residents’ perceptions of noise annoyance from wind turbines during 2007 and 2008. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Rise of scientific powerhouses not stemming PhD outflow

By Reinhilde Veugelers. The rise of new scientific powerhouses in Asia provokes the question of what the impact will be on science. In particular, does a shift of scientific power to Asia mean the flow of scientific talent from East to West will dry up? And are Asian scientific centres new cooperation partners in science for the West? United States universities import much of their scientific talent from abroad, especially from Asia, and are worried about continuing to fill their research centres with imported brains. This concern, however, is not justified by the data: overall, the evidence shows that the international mobility of Asian scientific talent continues to increase. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

‘Thousand Talents’ academic return scheme under review

By Yojana Sharma. China’s high profile ‘Thousand Talents’ scheme to lure back academic high-fliers may look on paper like a major success. But there is concern that it is not bringing researchers back to stay full-time, commit to the long-term development of China’s science and technology sector and nurture future local PhD talent. Returnees prefer part-time or visiting research posts in China rather than full-time positions, according to experts. And they are often unwilling to leave tenured positions at major universities in the West. Read more...

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26 mai 2013

Foreign PhDs urged to stay during strong expansion

By Jan Petter Myklebust and Eric Beerkens. The number of doctoral candidates in the 13 Dutch universities jumped by almost 60% in the decade to 2010 and is now close to 4,000 students each year. An OECD country report on tertiary education in The Netherlands in 2008 said the proportion of foreign students at doctorate level was then 20%, with some 640 PhDs conferred. Through the ongoing internationalisation of graduate education in The Netherlands, a broad variety of different PhD trajectories have emerged. The PhD candidate as an employee of the university is the traditional model and is still widespread, especially in the hard sciences and life sciences. Increasingly, however, foreign PhD candidates come to The Netherlands to pursue the degree while being funded by their own governments. Chinese government-sponsored students and DIKTI students – lecturers funded by the Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education – are important examples.
The PhD premium
The output-based financing in the Dutch system – through a so-called ‘PhD premium’ where universities receive around €90,000 (US$116,000) for each graduate – is an important factor contributing to the growth. Read more...

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