By Sean Coughlan. Universities in Myanmar have been given e-libraries with hundreds of thousands of digital books and academic journals to help them catch up after decades of isolation under military rule. The University of Yangon and University of Mandalay have switched on these instant library collections, which represent another sign of how the country - also known as Burma - is opening up to outside influences. More...
By Ranjit Goswami. Developing nations, especially India, increasingly face a challenge in prioritising their goals. One that has become increasingly relevant in this context, in the age of open knowledge, is the relevance of subscription journals in the dissemination of knowledge in a developing society. The young programmer and activist Aaron Swartz from Harvard made efforts to make knowledge more accessible and committed suicide after years of fighting federal charges. Read more...
Having universities accept graduates from both vocational and regular high schools, which will be achieved by an upcoming reform, will bring positive changes to the country's talent pool, Chinese education expert says.
Lu Xin, vice-minister of education, said China will combine the current vocational training system with academic higher education and establish different models for each in the National College Entrance Examination, or gaokao.
Lu made her remarks at the 2014 China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday. More...
By Yojana Sharma. China's Ministry of Education has released a new plan to boost the role of universities in advising government, including setting up special university-based centres and think-tanks to carry out research for ministries and contribute to policy-making. It will mean that university research departments, particularly in the social sciences, will not only carry out theoretical research but will also look at research application and gear some research more closely to government decision-making processes. Read more...
By Australian Associated Press. Government budget cuts to universities blamed for Australia dropping from third to equal fourth place on the prestige index.
Australian universities have taken a hit in the latest survey of global brand awareness, possibly due to last year’s federal budget cuts. As a country, Australia has slipped from third to equal fourth on the prestige index. It has five institutions in the 2014 Times Higher Education reputation rankings released on Thursday, down from six in 2013, with Monash University slipping out of the top 100. More...
By Jeannie Rea. “University planning is far too important to be left solely to market forces” NTEU in Times HES on the impact of deregulating university places 
In recent years, there has been a boom in private higher education in Malaysia with many students coming from overseas.In 2011, the Malaysian government introduced the Malaysian Quality Evaluation System (My Quest) ratings to evaluate private institutions. This rating is based on the voluntary submission of data and about a quarter of Malaysian colleges did not participate. Colleges were given ratings from one star to six stars in three categories: College Based, Cluster Based and International Student Readiness. Altogether 211 colleges were included. More...
THE initiatives towards transforming Malaysia into an education hub are showing good signs.
Malaysia is now ranked 11th in the World Education Service Report in relation to preferred destinations for higher education.
In 2010, more than 86,000 international students from Asia and the Middle East chose Malaysia as their higher education destination. It provides a place of study for students from some 100 nations.
Today the enrolment has reached 93,000. It is hoped that the higher education sector will contribute between RM34 billion and RM61 billion to the gross national income by 2020. Read more...
Expressions of interest are now being accepted for the Centre for the Study of Higher Education's, Graduate Certificate in University Teaching.
Overview
The Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (GCUT) is designed for university staff seeking to develop their expertise, scholarship, and leadership skills in university teaching. The course combines research-based, theoretical seminars guided by experienced higher education researchers, with practical exercises involving peer review of teaching and negotiated projects.
The course is offered part time and is designed to complement participants' university teaching practice.
A feature of the program is the diversity of the group. Participants represent a wide range of disciplines and are in a variety of teaching roles. They therefore contribute various perspectives and experiences to the group. The curriculum is designed to capitalise on this diversity through discussion and collaboration. Assessment tasks are designed to be useful to individuals and relevant to their particular teaching environments.
Past graduates from the GCUT have reported many positive career outcomes, including enhanced knowledge of effective teaching and learning, improved student evaluation scores, increased promotion opportunities, publication in academic journals, and success in winning teaching awards and grants for educational research and development.
The GCUT is a program for staff teaching in an Australian higher education institution. Places are limited and applicants require the support of their Head of Department/School and Dean of Faculty. Course fees for University of Melbourne staff are covered by the University. Staff from other Australian institutions should contact the course coordinator for information about course fees. All University staff meeting the following criteria are eligible to apply:
Course structure
The GCUT is offered part-time, consists of four subjects each worth 12.5 credit points, and may be taken over one or two years.
Teaching is primarily on-campus, and most subjects include an introductory, intensive session held in the non-teaching period. The two year option is appropriate for staff on full time appointments. Online learning is core to some subjects, and is used to support participation across the course as a whole. Assessment tasks are designed to be useful to individuals, and relevant to their particular teaching environments.
Classes are held at the University of Melbourne on the Parkville campus (typically in the Barbara Falk Room, 715 Swanston St). All subjects are also supported through subject websites on the University's Learning Management System (LMS).
Refer to the CSHE website for the Key Dates for 2014.
The CSHE also offers seminars and events related to higher education policy, research, teaching and innovation. Details about these seminars will be available from the CSHE's website early in the new year.
From 6 to 8 November, 2013, in partnership with the Malaysian Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), the IAU held a capacity building workshop on internationalization designed for Malaysian senior representatives of higher education institutions. Approximately 40 higher education leaders from public and private institutions throughout the country took part in the Workshop held at AKEPT, in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The IAU called on international and Malaysian experts in the field of internationalization of higher education to help design and deliver the training program. These included, Dr. Madeleine Green, IAU Senior Fellow, Hans de Wit, Director, Centre for Higher Education Internationalization, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore, Italy, Pro. Betty Leask, La Trobe University, Australia, Dr. Norpisah Mat Isah, Albukhary International University, Malaysia, among others.
The Workshop sessions covered a range of topics relevant to those responsible for the development and implementation of internationalization strategies and programs, including policy development, internationalization of the curriculum, internationalization of research and managing of student and staff mobility. Presentations also included an update on the goals set by Malaysian policy makers for future internationalization. The IAU will work with AKEPT and other international bodies to develop similar workshops in the future. For more information contact: r.hudson@iau-aiu.net
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