A critical moment for universities to take a lead
Birmingham opens door to Chinese students with gaokao
Medicine academies demand post-Brexit research deal
Transformative leaders are crucial to the future development of universities
In Commentary, Philip G Altbach and Nanette A Svenson recommend that Panama use its geographic advantage as a crucial regional and global crossroads to propel its lagging higher education and research base to ensure its continued economic success. And Rami M Ayoubi and Engin Akcay say science diplomacy needs to be reformed to play a greater role in African higher education as it has potential to promote development and foster a culture of peaceful co-existence.
In our World Blog, Nita Temmerman praises the agility of smaller higher education institutions, which are often more nimble and responsive to new ideas or changes in industry and technology than many traditional universities that have become too big and bureaucratic.
In Features, Rebecca Warden reports from a European University Association funding forum held last week that funding for Europe’s universities is rising but this is not happening fast enough. And Mimi Leung reports that Hong Kong will top up its research endowment fund by US$2.6 billion as it steps up research collaborations with the Chinese mainland.
In a continuation of our report on the publishing crisis, Ryan Allen looks at the recent proliferation of predatory academic journals and its root cause, which can be attributed to the rise of university rankings and other performance indicator-driven issues.
In our Student View this week, Mark Pace of the National Union of Students in Australia identifies with the ‘thousands upon thousands’ of Australian students who experience financial hardship, as detailed in a survey by Universities Australia.
Profiling our new UWN University Partner, Brenda Dionisi explains how Italy’s International Telematic University Uninettuno has carved a place for itself in the international distance learning space for its research into and novel use of emerging technologies. More...
Education Taps CSC for Database Job
Education Taps CSC for Database Job
This is interesting. "Under a five-year, $34.6 million contract with the Education Department, Computer Sciences Corp. will develop and operate an Internet-based database management system for the Education Resources Information Center, or ERIC." The short article also notes that "The current database will be online during build-out of the new ERIC database, which will become operational later this year." It appears - if this item is accurate - that ERIC has therefore been saved. More...
Education Needs to Adapt to a Changing World
Education Needs to Adapt to a Changing World
Coverage of the OECD meetings on education being held in Dublin this week. The gist of the article is, as the headline suggests, that education needs to adapt. More...
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards - Day 2
International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards - Day 2
Summary of the second day if the International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards, consisting of round-table discussions. Some great content here. In the first part of the summary there is an emphasis on getting return for public money spent on e-learning, and in particular "something that is durable and re-usable through time as part of our educational heritage." Discussion of the WSIS Declaration of Principles led to discussion of "converting existing learning objects and learning resources into 'learning assets' as part of a common heritage and collective asset from a global perspective." There is a need for better discussions, though not necessarily another organization. More...
Learning Technology Workshop CEN/ISSS WSLT
Learning Technology Workshop CEN/ISSS WSLT
Overview of activities by Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN), presented at the International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards which, among other things, endorses the WSIS goal of "a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge." Three cheers. More...
Standards in E-Learning
Standards in E-Learning
Presentation on behalf of Dublic Core to the International Open Forum on E-Learning and Standards. The usual Dublin Core, with its underlying theme: "Simplicity wins the day." See slide 7 for a non-SVG version of James M Turner and Véronique Moal's Standards Meta-Map, a great overview of the standards realm. More...