Higher education curricula are regularly transformed to stay abreast of the diverse societal, technological, and domain-specific developments. To aid students’ learning, teachers use a wide range... Show moreHigher education curricula are regularly transformed to stay abreast of the diverse societal, technological, and domain-specific developments. To aid students’ learning, teachers use a wide range of resources to prepare students for this changing world. Nowadays, many educational resources are available online with open licenses, better known as open educational resources (OER). Yet, despite the opportunities OER can have to contribute to high quality and accessible education, reuse appears to remain low in higher education. Numerous OER initiatives have been initiated across the globe, but many tamp out after the project funding ends. Sustainable practices with OER are still constrained and limited empirical research has been undertaken to investigate how structural adoption of OER in higher education can be enhanced. This dissertation aimed to examine the challenges of OER adoption in higher education to contribute to insights into sustainability issues many OER initiatives encounter. Four studies were designed: (1) teachers’ current practices with OER and their need for support to foster OER adoption, (2) teachers’ assessments of OERs on quality, (3) the role of brokers in cultivating an inter-institutional community on OER, and (4) teachers’ perceived value of an inter-institutional community. Recommendations for future research and OER practices are presented. Show less
In 1980, during the military government (1973-1990), a profound transformation of the higher education (HE) system began. This change involved establishing a market to stimulate competition between... Show moreIn 1980, during the military government (1973-1990), a profound transformation of the higher education (HE) system began. This change involved establishing a market to stimulate competition between different institutions and encourage private entities to provide higher education. This reform took shape through new legislation that established the freedom to create and maintain higher education institutions (HEIs), with only a few prerequisites to be fulfilled to enter the market - filing an act of constitution, offering at least one degree course and being granted political permission from the Ministry of Interior. In addition, it created a new financing scheme for HEIs, which established that private institutions created from 1980 onwards could not receive direct fiscal support from the state and had to finance their activities by charging tuition fees. Likewise, state universities - and private ones created prior to 1980 - that until then had received direct support from the state had to start charging tuition fees from then on, forcing their students to ask for loans from the state itself.By the end of the 1980s, 22 new independent private universities (IPUs) had been created. These came to form part of the national HE system, together with state universities and private ones that had existed prior to 1980. There are currently 29 IPUs, which account for more than 50 percent of Chilean university enrolment. If enrolment in private universities that existed before 1980 and in non-university HE institutions is added to this, Chile today has an 84 percent rate of enrolment in private institutions, one of the highest in the world. Therefore, Chile after 1980 has become an early case study for the private transformation of HE, driven by the military dictatorship and the result of the neoliberal policies enforced by the Pinochet government.Talking about new universities might seem like a contradiction. In fact, such is the importance of tradition and centuries-long history at universities that no HE entrepreneur can escape this reality. Given that they cannot ignore this institutional ideal or standard, new Chilean universities founded after 1980 have ended up imitating the traditional university model. A deep current of mimetic isomorphism runs through the history of universities, something that is clearly seen in Chile.It is therefore relevant to question the decisions that the IPUs that have become high- functioning institutions in Chile have taken in what has been a complex environment. For example, they have set up efficient governing bodies to achieve their individual aims and have organised themselves efficiently to fulfil both their academic and their sustainable307business models. As a result, this has led to new universities obtaining recognition (accreditation) from the public body that regulates them, as well as prestige or a good reputation (seen though high positions in Chilean or international rankings).To answer this question, this study analyses the trajectory of a number of successful Chilean IPUs. It uses the theory of the life cycle of organisations in a model that has three stages: (a) creation and formation, (b) formalisation and coordination and (c) consolidation and organisational effectiveness. The general aim of this study is to analyse the decisions taken and practices implemented by these IPUs, which have turned them into high-performing institutions. Show less
Why has Africa not been doing so well and what is the way forward? This book starts with the analysis of Vansina and Prah: the old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed in colonial... Show moreWhy has Africa not been doing so well and what is the way forward? This book starts with the analysis of Vansina and Prah: the old cultural traditions in Africa have been destroyed in colonial times; new ones are currently taking shape, based in part in African languages. The book uses cross-cultural psychology to show that such new cultural traditions are indeed forming in Africa. However, almost all African countries currently use a former colonial language in secondary and higher education. The book demonstrates that if more and more people get educated, this system will no longer scale. Over the next decade, more and more African countries will have to make a transition towards increased use of African languages. The book proposes a distinction between discerned and designed languages. All over the world, designed languages are made to serve speakers of several discerned languages. This could and should happen in Africa as well. The book contains a number of brief case studies, showing how in fact such a transition is practically possible. In future, African countries will be able to achieve success in their educational systems by using a small number of languages as medium of instruction. Such a transition will also help to form the new cultural traditions that are already taking shape on the continent. Show less
This research focuses on the relationship between higher education and the world of work to situate and examine dynamics of change and organizational adaptation of Chilean universities through the... Show moreThis research focuses on the relationship between higher education and the world of work to situate and examine dynamics of change and organizational adaptation of Chilean universities through the development of new management capacities associated with a global employability agenda.To this end, the emergence and spread of employability as a concept, practice and political instrument in higher education worldwide was analysed. The Chilean case was looked into as an iconic example of the economic transformations that the global university sector is currently experimenting. A detailed empiric examination of the main aspects of the discourses on employability in Chile was carried out. The national scenario was described in terms of the insertion and functioning of new management capacities to boost employability at universities. Finally, the origin, development and status of these organisational capacities in relation to the evolution of the formal structure of said organisations was studied in depth.The results allow for the visualisation of significant effects of pressures that comes from universities’ institutional environments. At the same time, it reveals ways in which market disputes become opaque and are ideologically neutralised under the blanket of supposedly shared global aspirations, such as what occurs with the employability agenda. Show less
The current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the... Show moreThe current debate on public education policy in Chile is focused on the idea of education as a social right. This has increasingly led to the rejection of the market model, imposed during the military dictatorship (1973-1990). The programme of President Michelle Bachelet’s government (2014-2018) put the aims of free and inclusive education, the end of profiting from educational establishments and the strengthening of state education at the centre of its agenda. For many –politicians, academics and students– the idea was to bring back the ‘Teaching State’ that inspired the Republic’s educational policies up to the military coup. Much has been written in the last few years about the problems of Chilean higher education from a market point of view; the influence of neoliberal ideology on educational segregation and even the interference of economic interests and aiming to profit from the governance and management of higher education institutions. However, a history of Chilean higher education from an institutional point of view –showing the breakdown and continuity of the system’s regulations and state policy and including the public and private sector, through different constitutional cycles up to the present day– has not been written. This thesis aims to fill that gap. Show less
Higher education in Chile is currently characterised by widespread growth and a heterogeneous student body, as well as a prevalance of quality assurance mechanisms. In this context, university... Show moreHigher education in Chile is currently characterised by widespread growth and a heterogeneous student body, as well as a prevalance of quality assurance mechanisms. In this context, university teaching has become a strategic priority in the achieving of these aims. For this reason, different institutions have implemented teacher training programmes for their staff, with the aim of improving educational practices. However, there is little evidence about the impact of this training on educational improvements and even less about it on student learning. Show less
In higher education, group learning activities (GLAs) are frequently implemented in online, blended or face-to-face educational contexts. A major problem for the design and implementation... Show more In higher education, group learning activities (GLAs) are frequently implemented in online, blended or face-to-face educational contexts. A major problem for the design and implementation of good quality GLAs that lead to the desired learning outcomes is that many approaches to GLAs have been studied, but with different terminology and with various components of the design of GLAs. The central aim of this thesis was to provide insight into how teachers in higher education can be supported in the design, implementation, and evaluation of GLAs by developing a theoretically and empirically underpinned framework for the design of GLAs. In the first study, the beliefs and practices of teachers in higher education regarding collaborative learning were explored to establish whether there is a need for support in the design and implementation. In the other three studies, a framework was developed for the design, implementation and evaluation of GLAs, its empirical validity was examined and its usefulness for understanding the relation between GLA design and perceived learning outcomes was explored. Show less
This is the story of four centuries during which Leiden University shared the fate of the Netherlands, and became representative of the most important advances in academic research. At the same... Show moreThis is the story of four centuries during which Leiden University shared the fate of the Netherlands, and became representative of the most important advances in academic research. At the same time it is a declaration of adoration to one of Europe’s most leading international universities. On 28 December 1574, William of Orange wrote a letter to the States General of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland from the town of Middelburg. He came to the representatives with a proposal, a dream actually, with the plan for founding ‘a good, gratifying and renowned school or university’. This letter would become the first document in the archives of Leiden University, offering an apt title for this concise history. Show less
This book is entitled ‘The Dutch Law on Higher Education’. It concerns the law relating to higher education, which includes both academic education and higher professional education. It also... Show moreThis book is entitled ‘The Dutch Law on Higher Education’. It concerns the law relating to higher education, which includes both academic education and higher professional education. It also relates to the institutions that are responsible for providing education: the universities, the universities of professional education, the Open University and other higher education institutions, as well as those organisations that are closely connected to them. These comprise the teaching hospitals, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the National Library of the Netherlands (KB).The law on higher education is largely set out in legislation, both government legislation and regulations established by the institutions. The jurisprudence of the different courts is also important. This dissertation does not address the internal regulations of the institutions ad these differ from institution to institution and therefore have a limited local significance. The most relevant form of legislation for this dissertation is the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW), which regulates not only the relations between the institutions and the government, but also those of the institutions and their staff and students. This Act stipulates prescriptions – at times very detailed – on the internal business of these institutions, such as how their management boards are structured and the arrangements for co-participation by staff and students. The WHW to a large extent determines the relationship between government and the institutions. The assumptions about the question of what form this relationship should take and what the responsibilities of government and the institutions should be in the area of higher education have undergone considerable change in the course of time. This can be seen in the regular amendments to the legislation on higher education that have been introduced over the years. The question is whether the division of responsibilities of government and higher education institutions as set out at a particular point in time are still adequate and whether it is possible to increase the independence of the institutions in relation to that of the government, naturally without prejudicing the responsibility of the government. The primary aim of this work is to provide an answer to this key question. To facilitate this aim, this dissertation will describe and analyse thematically current higher education law based on the WHW. The subjects that will be addressed include: institutions, the open education system and regulation, quality assurance and accreditation, funding, teaching, examinations and the awarding of diplomas, staff, students, the management structure of the institutions, co-participation, legal protection for staff and students and the relationship between the universities and the teaching hospitals. Show less
In this research project characteristics of effective instructional development were identified that are appealing to medical teachers and relevant for medical education. Furthermore, we wanted to... Show moreIn this research project characteristics of effective instructional development were identified that are appealing to medical teachers and relevant for medical education. Furthermore, we wanted to know if medical teachers__ learning improved if an instructional development program was adapted in such a way that it included more of these characteristics. In this project we conducted two studies. In the first study, described in Chapters 2 and 3, we focused on selecting characteristics of effective instructional development programs for the medical context. In this study teachers and teacher educators were asked to indicate which of 35 characteristics that had been derived from the literature on effective instructional development (Guskey, 2003; Steinert et al., 2006) were important to them. In the second study, on which we report in Chapters 4 and 5, we used the characteristics collected in the first study as a framework to analyze a successful instructional course called Train the Trainers. This provided insight into its effectiveness and impact. We constructed a new instructional development course, using the information from the framework, and studied the learning processes of the medical teachers who participated in this Plus Course Show less
Central in this thesis are the various forms the research-teaching nexus can take in the university, especially in the Faculty of Humanities. The importance of a strong relation between research... Show moreCentral in this thesis are the various forms the research-teaching nexus can take in the university, especially in the Faculty of Humanities. The importance of a strong relation between research and teaching is advocated by many academics, but debate is going on about the forms this strenghtened relation can take. In this research project various categorisations are developed to describe the various forms of the research-teaching nexus. A categorisation based on ideal images distinghuishes the following five profiles: teach research results, make research known, show what it means to be a researcher, help to conduct research, and provide research experience. In the debate on the nexus we need, among others, to clarify what kind of research we are talking about, what roles we expect the students to have, and what purpose the nexus has. Furthermore, the research project showed that academics__ conceptions of teaching are related to their views on the research-teaching nexus. The disciplinary background, and conceptions of research and knowledge are less important. Regarding the students__ learning experiences in a research-intensive environment, the students primarily reported an acquisition of an academic disposition and an understanding of what research entails. Show less
This dissertation describes several studies concerning the research-teaching nexus in the sciences. General, it is recognized that a strong nexus exist between research and teaching at university... Show moreThis dissertation describes several studies concerning the research-teaching nexus in the sciences. General, it is recognized that a strong nexus exist between research and teaching at university education, but it was not always clear in which ways this relation could be implemented to positively influence student learning. Connections between teachers__ intentions, teaching practice, and scientific research dispositions were studied in this dissertation. Associations between these factors and suggestions for teaching practice in higher education were described in the context of the nexus of research and teaching in bachelor science courses. The findings show that scientific research dispositions of academics can be characterized by six qualitatively different aspects, namely the inclination to understand, to achieve, to share, to be critical, to be innovative, and to know. Furthermore, it became clear that teachers__ intentions not always correspond to students__ perceptions of research activities during the courses. Teachers__ intentions on tangible elements of the nexus were relatively more congruent with the students__ perceptions, than teachers__ intentions about intangible elements. The results suggest at that intangible elements of the research-teaching nexus, such as the stimulation of a critical disposition or the creation of an innovative atmosphere, need to be emphasized, if we want that students develop realistic conceptions about the nature of scientific research. Show less
This dissertation provides a detailed analysis of the Chilean higher education system and policies over the period 1967-2007. It focuses on the creation, development and working of higher education... Show moreThis dissertation provides a detailed analysis of the Chilean higher education system and policies over the period 1967-2007. It focuses on the creation, development and working of higher education markets and policies. The approach employed is shared with other recent specialized market studies of terciary education, a field which has been formed academically during the last twenty years, based on the contributions of the organizational sociology of universities and the analysis of the political economy of markets. During this period, Chilean higher education unfolded in a changing political environment which is represented in this study by four episodes: first, the 1967 university reform, unleashed by the system__s own institutions, principally students; second, the intervention of universities in 1973 by the military government; third, the installation, by the same government, of a market policy for terciary education beginning in 1981; and last, the changes that have occurred since the recuperation of democracy in 1990. Each of these episodes illustrates a particular and specific form of organizing relations between the state and the higher education system; these are analyzed from the point of view of how the system__s coordination was structured with the shifting participation of government policies, institutional interests and market forces. Show less
