By Munyaradzi Makoni. The study of how people process and document the human experience in order to understand and record the world is set for growth with a new ‘flagship’ programme in humanities at the University of the Western Cape. The ‘flagship’ is a new institutional form aimed at responding to gaps in the framework of higher education in South Africa. Read more...
By Wachira Kigotho. The African Academy of Sciences and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development have launched the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa, or AESA, with the ambition to raise the quality and quantity of the continent’s research output. Read more...
By Karen MacGregor – Africa Editor. In a Special Report ahead of next month’s conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education, we interview Professor Mandla Makhanya – vice-chancellor of the University of South Africa, which is hosting the event – about global developments in this transforming field of higher education and the challenges and prospects for African universities.
In News, Wachira Kigotho attends the launch of the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa, a major initiative that will help drive efforts to boost the quality and quantity of research on the continent.
Geoff Maslen reports in Africa Features on last week’s revelation by a global team of researchers of the discovery of ancient human relative Homo naledi, and a record number of fossilised bones, in a cave in South Africa. Munyaradzi Makoni covers a Leadership Dialogue on Global Trends in Technology and e-Learning, where vice-chancellors agreed the need for further investigation and more data to support efforts to drive effective online learning practices.
In Commentary, Lynn Davies contends that legislation against terrorism and political dissent can cause such dissent to withdraw to unsupervised spaces and could make us less safe – it is better to educate against extremism. Angel Calderon warns higher education institutions to prepare for a range of new scenarios as the next 25 years could see a shift in cross-border mobility of students, academics, skills and ideas. And Jane Knight and John McNamara report that a major survey on transnational education paints an overall positive picture of its impact in host countries, especially in providing increased access for local students. Read more...
By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Commentary, Lynn Davies contends that legislation against terrorism and political dissent can cause such dissent to withdraw to unsupervised spaces and could make us less safe – it is better to educate against extremism. Also in Commentary, Angel Calderon warns higher education institutions to prepare for a range of new scenarios as the next 25 years could see a shift in cross-border mobility of students, academics, skills and ideas. Jane Knight and John McNamara report that a major survey on transnational education paints an overall positive picture of its impact in host countries, especially in providing increased access for local students.
In our World Blog this week, Patrick Blessinger says that a policy of universal inclusion is needed to more fully democratise higher education around the world, including opening up lifelong learning opportunities to all segments of society.
In Features, Geoff Maslen reports on last week’s revelation by a global team of researchers of the discovery of ancient human relative Homo naledi, and a record number of fossilised bones, in a cave in South Africa. And Matt Blomberg writes about how Cambodia has used corruption monitors and armed patrols to clean up its national university entrance exam, long plagued with allegations of bribery, corruption and cheating.
In a Special Report ahead of next month’s conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education, we interview Professor Mandla Makhanya – vice-chancellor of the University of South Africa, which is hosting the event – about global developments in this transforming field of higher education and the challenges and prospects for African universities. Read more...
By . Imagine this scenario: after going through the frustrations of being a high school mathematics teacher, you went back to school for a PhD and landed your dream job.
Today, you are an assistant professor at one of the top education departments within a university system that is poised for amazing growth. More...
By . Despite the increasing cost of an academic degree, recent studies show substantial percentages of students, even in the most selective US colleges and universities, have failed to demonstrate significant improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills over the four years of college. More...
By Debra Beck - Evolllution. One of the three core components of the Community of Inquiry online learning framework, cognitive presence develops around two key concepts: practical inquiry and critical thinking. The steps that we take to engage learners in the latter, and to create learning environments where they develop their own questions and responses in the spirit of the former, all build cognitive presence in our online classrooms. More...
By Pam Shockley-Zalabak - Evolllution. Higher education institutions today are under immense pressure to improve access, provide high-quality educational programming and services, and to ensure that students earn a credential and succeed in their career of choice. This is a tall order and many colleges and universities are looking for new ways to serve students. More...
By Glynn Cavin - Evolllution. Vincent Tinto’s conceptual “Schema for Dropout from College” correlated academic and social engagement with student success and learning. However, several factors make social engagement more difficult for non-traditional, online students. More...
By Sally Johnstone - Evolllution. Competency-based education, once a peripheral and little-known pathway to a postsecondary credential, burst onto the higher education scene a few years ago and has not disappeared. Leaving claims of “flash-in-the-pan” in the dirt, colleges and universities across the United States have been aggressively launching competency-based programs of their own. More...
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