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IAU: Building a worldwide higher education community |
E-Bulletin
Sharing information on IAU activities and higher education in the world
Vol. 6, No 4, May 2009
IAU Activities
GMA III
The third edition of the IAU Global Meetings of Associations ended in Guadalajara, Mexico on April 22 on a high note, with an overwhelming consensus by participants that such Meetings were a valuable opportunity to promote greater collaboration among associations from different regions. The collaboration with ANUIES allowed for a solid introduction to the higher education system of Mexico, and as the host university, the University of Guadalajara allowed participants to enjoy the rich cultural history of the institution as well as the warmth of Mexican hospitality. The relatively small size of the Meeting was much appreciated, as interaction and conversations with colleagues was made much easier. IAU was encouraged to build on these Meetings by focusing on actions with regional groups. In the days to come, all available presentations and documents will be available online.
Annual Report
The 2007-08 Annual Report has just been sent out to all IAU Members as part of our regular update on activities. Copies of this year’s report, which spans the term of tenure of two different IAU Presidents and two Administrative Boards, will be given wide dissemination and is available online.
Internationalization of higher education
The IAU Global Survey on Internationalization is still ongoing with IAU accepting completed questionnaires from both Higher Education Institutions and National University Associations and Rectors’ Conferences. Please ensure that - or find out if - your university has completed the questionnaire. For all information, please contact: Hudson.iau@unesco.org
IAU 2009 International Conference focusing on The Role of Higher Education in Fostering Inter-Cultural Dialogue and Understanding will take place at the Notre-Dame University, Louaize, in Lebanon on November 5 and 6, 2009. Pre-registration is now open. For more information, please contact: vantland.iau@unesco.org.
LEADHER
Applications are now coming in, and with only 2 weeks left for third competition for LEADHER grants, we encourage all to submit them quickly. Only IAU Members in good standing may apply, and proposals must involve at least one partner institution in a developing country. Detailed information on the Programme and the guidelines for submitting proposals are available online. To check on your institution’s or partner’s eligibility or for further information, please contact: iau@unesco.org
Deadline: 15 May 2009.
IAU Representation
Innovact, The European
Forum for Young Innovative Enterprises, Reims, France, March 24Each year, the IAU is part of the jury selecting the best projects in the framework of a competition between students from European universities on innovative projects, which is chaired by the Secretary-General of the Eureka Programme. The prize is organized by AEF.info, an organization specialized in higher education news. This year, four projects were selected: the first one comes from Russia and the Russian State Medical University (artificial skin); the second from France and the University of Grenoble (brackish water purification); the third from Greece and the University of Patras (hypersonic water purification) and finally another entry from France and the Institut d’Optique Graduate School (Effilux).
http://innovact.com/-Innovact,65-
UNESCO
World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, Bonn,
Germany, March 31- April 2The IAU acted as Cluster Rapporteur and sat on the drafting Committee of the Bonn Declaration. The Conference convened by the German Delegation to UNESCO gathered 900 participants from 147 countries. It was felt that this Conference was held at a historic moment in time, considering the global context of economic and social crisis. A sense of urgency to act now and for the future was reflected in most plenary and workshop presentations and subsequent debates that took place. Emphasis was put on the need to provide tools for all to act locally in order to impact constructively globally, and on the recurrent need for change or at least better adaptation of the education agendas to country and region specific realities. The Declaration was drafted by a group of 30 people and was presented as an agenda for change and action. More below, under the UNESCO section.
Working
Group on “Global Dimension of Recognition”, Brussels, Belgium, April 3This meeting gathered representatives from the ENIC and NARIC Networks; UNESCO; Council of Europe; and the European Commission. The IAU had been invited as the only observer. It discussed the latest developments in the field of recognition in a global context; Erasmus Mundus recognition issues; and followed up on the works undertaken by the Group, such as the collection of statistics on numbers of requests received annually from foreign students by the ENIC/NARIC Centres; the elaboration of a list of contacts for recognition issues (for which the IAU has offered its help); and the review of existing databases (in which IAU’s World Higher Education Database was recognized as an invaluable tool).
IAU participates in Bureau meeting to
prepare UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher EducationOn April 16 and 17, the Higher Education Division of UNESCO held a day and a half long meeting to discuss the final shape of the WCHE 2009 programme. The IAU’s Secretary-General was among the Bureau members who were updated on the structure, type, budget and programme of the conference. UNESCO is committed to launching an informative website in early May, and holding a series of week long E-Forums on various conference themes, starting a few weeks before the conference.
Bologna Process Ministerial conference,
Leuven, Belgium, April 28-29 The Benelux countries hosted the Bologna Process Ministerial conference at Leuven and Louvain-la Neuve universities. A new Communiqué was adopted by the 46 Ministers which can be viewed at:
http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/conference/index.htm
The following day on April 29 and for the first time, the Ministers were joined by some 15 invited Ministers and delegates from non Bologna countries and representatives from IAU for the first Bologna Policy Forum. IAU Vice President, Abdul Razak Dzulkifli and Secretary General, Eva Egron-Polak took part in this Forum and offered to be active participants in the preparation of the next Bologna Policy Forum to be held in March 2010 in conjunction with the next Bologna Ministerial conference hosted by Austria and Hungary. All participants also received, among the background papers for this Forum, a presentation entitled The Bologna Process – reflections from an international perspective prepared by the IAU’s Secretary General.
Reminder of Important IAU Dates
- May 15, 2009: Deadline for submission of proposals to LEADHER
- June 30, 2009: Deadline for submission of articles for the IAU/Palgrave Prize
- November 5-6, 2009: IAU 2009 International Conference, Lebanon
- June 25-26, 2010: IAU 2010 International Conference on Ethics and Values in Higher Education in the Era of Globalization: What Role for the Disciplines? Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
- IAU is organizing a session on University Rankings for the 1st World Social Science Forum, organized by the International Social Science Council (ISSC). The WSSF will take place in Bergen, Norway, from 10-12 May 2009. http://www.rokkan.uib.no/wssf/
- IAU has been invited to coordinate activities on Access and Equity for the UNESCO WCHE +10 to take place in Paris, France, from 5-8 July 2009 http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=56642&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
- IAU is co-sponsoring the World Universities Congress organized by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University entitled: What Should Be the New Aims and Responsibilities of Universities within the Framework of Global Issues?, October 20-24, 2010, Çanakkale, Turkey http://www.comu.edu.tr/unicongress2010/english/index.php
- IAU is co-sponsoring the 2009 Global Forum on Cross-Border Higher Education, organized by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE) on the theme Global Connections – Local Impacts: Best Practices, Models and Policies for Cross-Border Higher Education, October 21-24, 2009, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Registration is now open. http://www.obhe.ac.uk/the_obhe_global_forum__malaysia/welcome
For detailed information on these
activities, contact us at: iau@unesco.org
News/Opportunities from around the World
UNESCO
UNESCO: World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (WCESD)The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development entitled Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade took place in Bonn, Germany, from March 31 to April 2. Among the topics discussed, two were directly linked to higher education: the role of higher education and research in ESD and the implementation of ESD in higher education.
http://www.esd-world-conference-2009.org/en/documents.html
The Bonn Declaration - adopted by all participants on April 2 - comprises the Conference Statement taking stock of the progress made towards the attainment of the objectives of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and a call for action for both States and organizations.
http://www.esd-world-conference-2009.org/fileadmin/download/ESD2009_BonnDeclaration080409.pdf
UNESCO: Invitation to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum
All interested organizations can register to the 2009 WSIS Forum which is to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 18 to 22. The event proposes high level panels addressing critical issues to the WSIS implementation and follow-up as well as opportunities to network, learn and to participate in multi-stakeholder discussions and consultations.
http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/2009/forum/docs/invitation-letter.pdf
UNESCO: Digital World Library
The Digital World Library was launched at UNESCO Headquarters on 21 April 2009. It will offer free and unlimited online access to cultural materials such as manuscripts, maps, rare books, films, sound recordings, prints and photographs provided by national libraries and cultural and educational institutions from all around the world.
http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=44958&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
UNESCO: University and Heritage
The 12th International Seminar of Forum UNESCO - University and Heritage entitled Historic Urban Landscapes. A new concept? A new category of World Heritage Sites? took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, from April 5 to 10. Topics addressed included higher education policies and research for the conservation of physical, functional and visual integrity of historic urban landscapes.
http://universityandheritage.net/SIFU/XII_Hanoi_2009/index.html
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID): Quality Innovations for Teaching and Learning
The papers of the 12th UNESCO-APEID International Conference on Quality Innovations for Teaching and Learning - held from March 24 to 26 in Bangkok, Thailand – can be downloaded. The Conference highlighted the importance of teacher education in building a sustainable future and discussed the following themes: Strengthening the Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, Reorienting Teacher Education for Sustainable Development, Harnessing the Potential of ICT in Education, Bridging the Social Divide through Inclusive Education, Nurturing the Holistic Development of Children and Youth, Bringing the Arts and Culture into Education.
http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/apeid-international-conference/apeidconf08/
UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE): Open Educational Resources (OER)
IITE and the Moscow Institute of Open Education organised an international seminar and expert meeting on Open Educational Resources and Technologies from March 16 to 17. The aim of the seminar was to disseminate information and promote the use of OER in the CIS, Baltic and Central Asian States.
http://www.iite.ru/iite/events/events?id=127
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States in Beirut: HE Regional Conference
The UNESCO Beirut Office has announced that the Arab Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARCHE + 10) will take place in Cairo, from May 5 to 7. The aim of the meeting is to define the challenges and set a new agenda for higher education in the Arab States that will be submitted at the World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE + 10) in July 2009.
http://www.unesco.org/beirut/index.php?id=singlenews&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1191&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1024&cHash=c127959081
UNESCO/European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU): Quality Assurance in OER
UNESCO and EADTU organized a joint seminar on Quality Assurance in e-learning and Open Educational Resources in Paris in March to analyse the needs of different target groups in different regions for high-quality educational content. The seminar brought together models and instruments on QA in distance education from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America.
http://www.eadtu.nl/files/Newsletter%202009/report_quality_assurance.mht
http://www.eadtu.nl/files/Newsletter%202009/report_open_educational_resources.mht
Other international initiatives
Commonwealth of Learning (COL): CopyrightCOL has commissioned a book on copyright protection on all supports including digital rights and open licences management worldwide.
http://www.col.org/resources/publications/monographs/Pages/Copyright.aspx
International Foundation for Science (IFS): Science in Vietnam
The MESIA Impact Study N. 9 of the IFS, an international NGO located in Sweden, tackles Science in Vietnam: An assessment of IFS grants, young scientists, and the research environment. It provides an overview of Vietnamese science and higher education and analyses the impact of IFS support in Vietnam.
http://www.ifs.se/Publications/Mesia/MESIA_9_Vietnam.pdf
International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE): New Approaches to Quality Assurance
INQAAHE held its 2009 Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 30 to April 2 on New Approaches to Quality Assurance in the Changing World of Higher Education. All keynote speakers’ presentations are available online.
http://www.inqaahe.org/main/conferences-and-fora/inqaahe-2009-conference
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Education Today
Education Today: The OECD Perspective proposes OECD key findings, conclusions and orientations in the field of education from preschool to higher education as well as other important aspects of the education policy in the OECD countries.
http://browse.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9609021E.PDF
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE): Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO)
The summary of the discussions of the AHELO Stakeholders’ Consultative Group meeting, which took place in Paris, France, on February 4 focuses on the relevance; governance; structure and scope; and the use of the AHELO feasibility study.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/37/61/42494934.pdf
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE): Higher Education in Cities and Regions
The webpage of the Higher education in regional and city development programme has been reorganized to offer a clearer representation of the programme. A brochure entitled Higher Education in Cities and Regions is also available.
http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3343,en_2649_35961291_34406608_1_1_1_1,00.html
World Bank: World-Class Universities
The report entitled The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities starts by proposing a definition of a ‘World-Class University’. This section is followed by an analysis of possible strategies for establishing such universities – including the main problems inherent to such strategies. The report concludes by proposing that national systems of tertiary education develop alternatives to World-Class Universities to meet their national specific needs.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-
1099079877269/547664-1099079956815/547670-1237305262556/WCU.pdf
World Bank: ICT and Education in the Caribbean
The Survey of ICT and Education in the Caribbean, Volume 1: Regional Trends and Analysis and Volume 2: Country Reports released by the Information for Development Program (InfoDev) is based on 16 country surveys carried out in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It provides an overview of practices and issues related to ICT including regional and global trends, selected regional initiatives, regional and national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and individual country reports.
Vol. 1: http://infodev.org/en/Publication.441.html
Vol. 2: http://infodev.org/en/Publication.585.html
World Bank: Bangladesh: Higher Education Project - Bangladesh
The Bangladesh: Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project has been recently approved. It has four major goals: promoting academic innovation; building institutional capacity; raising the connectivity capacity of the higher education sector; and supporting the management of the project.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,content
MDK:22131775~menuPK:282391~pagePK:64020865~piPK:149114~theSitePK:282386,00.html
Regional initiatives
AfricaAfrican Development Bank (AfDB)/Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): Network of African Institutions of Science and Technology
AfDB has accepted to finance the creation of the Network of African Institutions of Science and Technology in the ECOWAS. The aims of the project are to increase quality training; facilitate synergies and student, faculty and professional mobility among the S&T institutions of the region.
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-events/article/ecowas-afdb-group-supports-
science-and-technology-education-project-4422/
Association of African Universities (AAU): Institutional Repositories
The first Advocacy Seminar on Institutional Repositories organized by AAU in collaboration with the Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) and the Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands in Accra, Ghana, from March 16 to 18, brought together representatives from African and European university libraries to discuss the establishment of institutional repositories.
http://irs.aau.org/
Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) et al.: World Conference on Higher Education – Round-Table on Africa
At the World Conference on Higher Education which is to take place in Paris, France in July 2009, a round-table on higher education in Africa is featured. The Task Force in charge of organizing it met in Tunis, Tunisia from March 9 to 10. The Task Force discussed commissioned studies; personalities, institutions and associations to be invited to speak and practical modalities.
http://www.adeanet.org/adeaPortal/accueil/welcome.jsp
OER Africa: Blog on OER and African Higher Education
OER Africa has created a Blog entitled A New Future for African Higher Education giving voice to Neil Butcher and his experiences in working with the higher education sector in Africa.
http://www.oerafrica.org/Blogs/tabid/55/BlogID/9/Default.aspx
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD): African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Initiative (ASTII)
ASTII Workshop on Towards an African Innovation Outlook held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from March 9 to 13 aimed at harmonizing the survey instruments to collect data on R&D and innovation in Africa.
http://www.nepadst.org/doclibrary/pdfs/nepadws_mar2009.pdf
University of Ouagadougou/Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)/World Bank: Short-Term Professional Tertiary Education in Africa
A workshop on Short-Term Professional Tertiary Education in Africa took place at the University of Ouagadougou from April 6 to 7. It brought together representatives from Ministries; the industry and academics from 10 Francophone and Anglophone African countries to share expertise on the matter.
http://www.auf.org/communication-information/actualites/atelier-espc-afrique-2009.html (in French)
Americas
SEESCyT/Union of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (UDUAL)/Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) et al.: Santo Domingo Declaration
The higher education organizations which met in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from March 9 to 10 approved the Santo Domingo Declaration which ratifies the CRES Declaration and emphasizes the need to strengthen and support higher education in Latin America by the creation of the Espacio de Encuentro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Educación Superior - ENLACES (the Latin American and Caribbean higher education cooperation area).
http://www.udual.org/Anuncios/09/Enlaces/DeclaraStoDomingo.pdf (in Spanish)
Asia
Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Quality Assurance Network (AQAN): Quality Assurance
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) reports on issues tackled (lack of assessors, assessment reliability) and decisions taken (workshops for senior regional assessors and roundtables for young officers) at the 2009 ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) Roundtable held in Bangkok, Thailand from March 20-22, 2009.
http://www.lan.gov.my/eng/berita6eng.cfm
Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) University Network (AUN): Regional Cooperation
Policy issues and mobility were among the topics addressed at the ASEAN+3 (ASEAN countries plus China, Japan and Korea) Forum on the Intellectual Contribution to Enhancing the Future Higher Education in East Asian Community that took place in Phuket, Thailand, from March 21 to 22, with the aim of fostering and improving higher education cooperation and integration in the region.
http://www.aun-sec.org/ASEAN+3.html
China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE): Regional Cooperation
Heads and higher education specialists from Chinese, Mongolian and Japanese universities gathered to discuss The Curriculum Development and Quality Improvement of Higher Professional Degree Education at the 6th Sino-Japan Higher Education Exchange Seminar which took place in Beijing, China on March 3.
http://www.ceaie.edu.cn/english/news_detail.asp?ID=319&C=news
Europe
Coimbra Group Universities: Higher Education after Bologna 2010
The Coimbra Group Universities has published a position paper on The Coimbra Group and European Higher Education after Bologna 2010. In this paper, they identified a number of critical issues that need follow-up in the years to come: a shift in attention from structures to contents; more transparency in institutional diversity; genuine support to mobility; and permanent attention to the societal role of universities.
http://www.coimbra-group.eu/DOCUMENTS/CG%20Position%20Paper-Final-2March09.pdf
European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (EURODOC): Training and Research Conditions of Doctoral Researchers
EURODOC is conducting a survey on approximately 100,000 doctoral researchers. The aim of the survey is to help EURODOC improve the training and research conditions of doctoral researchers.
http://hrz-vm146.hrz.uni-kassel.de/qtafi/projects/eurodoc_survey/
European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (EURODOC): Annual Conference
The 2009 Annual Conference of EURODOC took place in March in Slovakia. The theme was Innovations in Europe: from Academia to Practice and Back. It analysed such topics as Academia in the Era of Knowledge-Based Economy; Doctoral Programmes in Europe – Their Role in a Knowledge-Based Economy; Fostering Cooperation between University and Industry; and Success Stories of Intersectorial Mobility – Doctoral Candidates’ Views.
http://www.eurodoc.net/2009/
European Commission: University-Business Dialogue
The European Commission proposes to establish the EU Forum for University-Business Dialogue. It will involve higher education institutions, companies, business associations, intermediaries and public authorities and will organise plenary meetings and thematic seminars. It will be complemented by a website to encourage the sharing of good practice.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/529&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr
http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/business/com158_en.pdf
European Commission: European Research Area
The European Commission has published The European Research Area Partnerships 2008 Initiatives. It is a compilation of official documents relating to the European Research Area, adopted by the Council or the Commission in the course of 2008.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/pdf/era-partnership-2008-initiatives_en.pdf
European Commission: Building Creative and Innovation Capacities
The second Brussels debate was organised in March in the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. Entitled: Beyond chalk and talk: creativity in the classroom, it examined how schools and universities could encourage the creative and innovative capacity of students to use this in the future labour market.
http://www.create2009.europa.eu/about_the_year/debates/2nd_brussels_debate.html
European Commission: Kyrgyzstan Higher Education Reform
The European Commission has issued €1 million for the implementation of the higher education reform in Kyrgyzstan under the Tempus programme. The programme is being carried out through annual contests among universities.
http://news-en.trend.az/print.shtml?newsid=1432118&lang=en
European University Association (EUA): Prague Declaration
EUA has published its Prague Declaration that contains targeted messages to Europe’s politicians with proposals from universities to help combat the current economic and financial crisis. Based on the outcomes of the recent EUA Prague Convention, it also sets out a long-term agenda for European universities in the next decade identifying ‘10 paths to success’.
http://www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Publications/EUA_Prague_declaration.pdf
Inter-Regional Cooperation
Chile/Germany: Doctoral Colleges
Leaders of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and of the Consejo de Rectores de las Universidades Chilenas (CRUCH) signed – on March 9, 2009 - a bilateral agreement for the creation of Chilean/German doctoral colleges.
http://www.cruch.cl/documentos/COLEGIOS_DOCTORALES_CHILENO_ALEMANES.pdf (in Spanish)
European Union/ACP Countries: Strategy Paper 2008-2013
The Intra-ACP Cooperation 10th EDF, Strategy Paper and Multiannual Indicative Programme 2008-2013 has been signed on March 13. As far as research is concerned, the programme will help implement Africa’s S&T Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and address gaps in programmes at national and sub-regional levels on governance, agricultural development, economic growth and trade, climate change and biodiversity, environmental protection, health and education.
http://europafrica.net/2009/04/01/intra-acp-cooperation-10th-edf-2008-2013-reference-to-the-joint-africa-eu-strategy/
European Union/African Union: Cooperation Forum on ICT Research
The First Euro-African Cooperation Forum of ICT Research which took place in Brussels, Belgium, from March 25 to 26, brought together European and African policy makers and ICT researchers from both the public and private sectors to discuss the ways towards an inclusive information society in Africa and partnerships.
http://euroafrica-ict.org/events/forum.php
European Union/Australia: Australia’s International Research Collaboration in Science and Technology
The Forum for European–Australian Science and Technology Cooperation (FEAST) has released a discussion paper called A Bibliometric Analysis of Australia’s International Research Collaboration in Science, Engineering and Technology: Analytical Methods and Initial Findings, which is the first of a series aimed at mapping Australia’s thematic cooperation with Europe. The document discusses the methodology used and challenges faced, and presents the first results concerning research in the field of science and technology, principally for the 2001-2005 period.
http://www.feast.org/document.php?ID=1
European Union/Latin America: University Management
The First Intercontinental Meeting on the Alfa III Project - the 3 year-long initiative that started in 2009 and whose aim is to improve the strategic management of universities and the quality of higher education through joint projects between 27 EU Member States and 18 Latin American countries - took place in Valparaíso, Chile, from March 31 to April 1.
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/latin-america/regional-cooperation/alfa/
documents/new-programme-documents/alfaiii-twopages_en.pdf (Alpha III Project)
http://www.iesalc.unesco.org.ve/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=302%3
Aproyecto-internacional-de-mejora-en-la-gestion-universitaria-fija-reunion-en-valparaiso&catid=19%3
Ainternacional&Itemid=153&lang=es (Intercontinental Meeting)
North America/Europe: Transatlantic Dialogue
The American Council on Education (ACE), with the support of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and the European University Association (EUA), has released the report of the Transatlantic Dialogue 11th meeting of US, Canadian and European higher education leaders which took place in June 2008 in Canada. The report, entitled The Power of Partnerships: A Transatlantic Dialogue, explores the field of European/North American partnerships between educational organizations, private businesses and/or state agencies, and also focuses on the competition and cooperation among higher education institutions on both sides of Atlantic.
http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/reports/2009/transatlantic_dialogue_03_12_e.pdf
Norway/Malawi: Higher Education and Development
The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) and the University of Malawi organized a Conference on Increasing the Impact of Higher Education Institutions in Development Processes to study how international development trends impact higher education institutions in the South; the impact of South-South-North institution partnerships; and future strategies for South-South-North institutional cooperation.
http://www.siu.no/en/Programme-overview/The-NUFU-programme/Seminars/NUFU-Programme-Conference-in-Malawi
National and institutional initiatives
Australia: English Skills of International StudentsThe Australian Learning and Teaching Council has released a report on English language teaching and learning practices for international students at university called Good Practice Principles for English Language Proficiency for International Students in Australian Universities, that recommends a list of ten good practice principles and features a thematic guide explaining these principles illustrating them with practical examples.
http://www.altc.edu.au/carrick/webdav/site/carricksite/users/siteadmin/public/
Communications_web_AUQAreport_March09.pdf
Cambodia: Ministry’s Closing Remark and Report at National Education Congress
At the closing ceremony of the National Education Congress, held from March 16 to 18, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports described the measures that will be implemented as regards to equality of access to higher education, quality and efficiency of training at higher education institutions, and highlighted the achievements of the Ministry.
http://www.moeys.gov.kh/Includes/Home/Cloosing%20speech%20HE%20Im%20Sethy.pdf
Canada: Internationalization of the Curriculum
The Association of Canadian Universities and Colleges (AUCC) has released a study on Internationalization of the Curriculum: A Practical Guide to Support Canadian Universities’ Efforts. The document presents key challenges currently existing in this field and proposes examples of good practices, case studies of innovative initiatives to support Canadian university effort to internationalize the curriculum.
http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/publications/curriculum-primer_e.pdf
Canada: Adults’ Access to Higher Education
The Semaine québécoise des adultes en formation took place from March 28 to April 3, 2009 in Quebec. On that occasion, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) has issued a press release entitled Pour une meilleure accessibilité des adultes aux études supérieures – Apprendre ça vaut le coup ! (Improving access for adults to higher education – Learning is worth it)
http://fqppu.org/assets/files/bibliotheque/prises_de_position/communiques/2009/
semaine_quebecoise_adultes_formation_2009.pdf (in French)
Canada: Education in Quebec Remote Regions
The Conseil supérieur de l'Education has released a report on L'éducation en région éloignée : une responsabilité collective (Education in remote regions : A collective responsibility). It analyses the current challenges faced by education in these regions and proposes directions to better meet the educational needs.
http://www.cse.gouv.qc.ca/fichiers/documents/publications/CEBE/50-0188.pdf (in French)
Chile: Higher Education Policy
The April 2009 third edition of the Boletín de Políticas en Educación Superior (Higher education policy bulletin), published by the Programa Anillo en Ciencias Sociales (SOC01) sobre Políticas de Educación Superior (Anillo social sciences programme on higher education policies) focuses on the Convenios de Desempeño (performance agreements) signed between the Ministry of Education of Chile and higher education institutions. These agreements are established on the basis of Planes de Mejoramiento Institucional – PMI (Institutional improvement schemes), whose results are evaluated according to performance indicators.
http://www.cpce.cl/descargas/boletin/Boletin_PPES_3.pdf (in Spanish)
Denmark: Higher Education Reform
Universities Denmark has published a document Danish Universities – a sector in change which analyses the reform of Danish higher education, its management and financing.
http://dkuni.dk/typo3conf/ext/naw_securedl/secure.php?u=0&file=fileadmin/
user_upload/downloads/publikationer/danish_universities.doc&t=1239271800&hash=1ae9ea3ea827a845d4f6630edfa22460
Finland: Universities Act
The Finnish Universities Act is being reformed. The draft law will extend the autonomy of universities by giving them an independent legal personality, either as public corporations or as foundations under private law. The universities’ management and decision-making system will also be reformed. If passed, the new law will replace the Universities Act of 1997.
http://80.248.162.139/OPM/Koulutus/koulutuspolitiikka/Hankkeet/
Yliopistolaitoksen_uudistaminen/index.html?lang=en
Finland: Employment of Graduates
The employment of recent graduates improved in 2007. Some 90% were employed at the end of 2007. Transition was smoothest for those with tertiary degrees.
http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/til/sijk/2007/sijk_2007_2009-03-25_tie_001_en.html
France: Universities as Economic Actors
The Conférence des Présidents d’Université held its annual colloquium in Brest on Universities as Economic Actors in March. The CPU suggests, inter alia, elaborating regional patterns of organization, governance and innovation prospects; optimizing the financing circuits and returns on investments that are adapted to each region; creating regional competence and job observatories.
http://www.cpu.fr/fileadmin/fichiers/actu/Synthese_colloque_brest.pdf (in French)
France: Training Process Analysis
The national Higher Education Observatories day took place in Marseille in March. Topics broached included the stakes of an accreditation of the Observatories involved in graduates’ professional integration and how to ensure that the results and recommendations made by the observatories are reappropriated by higher education institutions.
http://www.resosup.fr/Les-journees-nationales-des,215.html (in French)
Germany: Qualifications Framework
Germany has proposed a national framework for more transparency on its qualifications in Europe as the result of cooperation between federal and Länder authorities which also involved representatives from the education sector, social partners and other experts.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/news1245_en.htm
Germany: Qualifications Framework
The second phase of the Fringe Subjects project has begun. It will analyse the general environment of on 120 subjects, including the impact of the Bologna Process on them, and provide information for transregional coordination processes.
http://www.hrk.de/95_2272.php
Hungary: Higher Education Institutions
The Hungarian Rectors’ Conference has published Hungarian Higher Education 2009. It presents basic data on Hungarian higher education institutions, universities and colleges according to registration and regional coverage.
http://www.mrk.hu/eng/files/dl_kiadvany/angol_beliv.pdf
Iceland: Research, Knowledge and Innovation in an Era of Global Change
The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has published Education, Creativity and Entrepreneurship in an Era of Global Change: Programme for the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Research, Culture and Education. It includes chapters on Research and Knowledge as Driving Forces; Culture and Creativity; and Education and Competence.
http://bella.mrn.stjr.is/utgafur/formennskuaaetlun_menntamal_enska.pdf
India: Action Plan for Academic and Administrative Reforms
The University Grant Commission has released an Action Plan for Academic and Administrative Reforms based on the recommendations of the Committee on Academic and Administrative Reforms. The five areas of action are: Semester System, Choice-based Credit System, Curriculum Development, Admission Procedures and Examination Reforms
http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/cmlette2303r09.pdf
Ireland: Innovation Alliance
The Irish Universities Association has welcomed the support of the Taoiseach and Government for the initiative taken by Trinity College and University College Dublin to develop an Innovation Alliance. The Universities have recently written to the Taoiseach expressing their commitment to Government’s plans for the Smart Economy and indicating how they can help drive those plans forward.
http://www.iua.ie/media-and-events/press-releases/releases/2007/UCDTCDInnovationAllicanceMarch09.html
Malaysia: Reaching Excellence
The Higher Education Leadership Academy (Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian Tinggi - AKEPT) -created in January 2008 by the Ministry of Higher Education in order to help Malaysian higher education achieve international standards – has organized seminars on:
- The Role of Universities in developing first Class Entrepreneurs, held on March 19.
http://www.mohe.gov.my/webkpt_v2/pdf/akept/2009_03_19_-_Brochure.pdf
- Managing Faculties and Centres of Excellence: Ethics, Leadership and the University, held from March 31 to April 1.
http://www.mohe.gov.my/webkpt_v2/pdf/akept/2009_03_31_-_Brochure.pdf
- Improving Access to Higher Education, held on April 7.
http://www.mohe.gov.my/webkpt_v2/pdf/akept/2009_04_07_-_Improving_Access_Brochure.pdf
Mexico: Higher Education Support
The press release issued by the Vice-Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Public Education of Mexico, focuses on student retention in secondary education, the access to and success in higher education and the continuation of the Government’s support for public higher education institutions.
http://www.ses.sep.gob.mx/wb/ses/noticias (in Spanish)
New Zealand: Reorganisation of the Tertiary Education Commission
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has decided to review its overall organisation and activities to match the increased institutional autonomy given to higher education institutions.
http://www.tec.govt.nz/templates/NewsItem.aspx?id=5306
New Zealand: University Graduates
The New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee advocates for the alignment of the country’s higher education policy on Australia’s as far as university graduate numbers are concerned in order to maintain the country’s international competitiveness.
http://www.nzvcc.ac.nz/node/369
New Zealand: Report examines factors for Academic Promotion
Education Counts has released the report Promoting quality research that analyses how quality and the quantity of research has impacted on the promotion of academic staff to higher/senior academic ranks between 2003 and 2006.
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/tertiary_education/36789
Nicaragua: Academy of Sciences
The Academia de Ciencias de Nicaragua was officially launched on March 30, 2009. This initiative aims to promote scientific development at the national and international levels.
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/nicaragua-creates-science-academy.html (in Spanish)
Norway: Gender and Research
The conference (E)QUALITY 2009 took place on March 23 and 24 in Oslo. The main topic was the relation between gender equality and quality in research. Participants from the Nordic countries discussed the outstanding research of the future, the concept of excellence, and gender equality in Academia.
http://kilden.forskningsradet.no/c54617/artikkel/vis.html?tid=58483&strukt_tid=54617
Senegal: Workshop on Higher Education
The Académie nationale des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal held a Workshop on the higher education situation and quality requirements in Senegal in Hann on March 30.
http://www.aps.sn/aps.php?page=articles&id_article=54025 (in French)
Singapore: Regulation of Private Education
The Ministry of Education has established a Council for Private Education (CPE) with the aim of raising the quality of the private education sector to international standards. One of the various functions of the CPE will consist of supervising the introduction of a new regulatory regime including mandatory registration and a voluntary quality assurance scheme.
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2009/03/towards-a-quality-private-educ.php
South Africa: Academic Leadership
First among Equals: Stories from higher education leaders in South Africa published by Higher Education South Africa (HESA) has sought the points of views of academic leaders on the nature of academic leadership and on the qualities that are needed to be a successful academic leader.
http://www.hesa.org.za/resources/HELM First Among Equals.pdf
Switzerland: Gender Equality and the Bologna Process
The Confédération Suisse has published a report on the effects of the Bologna process on gender equality during studies and entry into the labour market.
http://www.crus.ch/news/news/detail.html?L=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=
133&tx_ttnews[backPid]=6&cHash=0e39f98c98 (in French)
Tunisia: Quality Assurance
The Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology and the British Council have held a Workshop on quality assurance that issued recommendations to set up internationally recognized Tunisian standards in higher education.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200903250562.html
United Kingdom: Graduate Employability
Universities UK and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have published a report Future fit: preparing graduates for the world of work. It illustrates how universities and businesses can help to equip graduates for the labour market. It contains case studies of how employers and universities are working to offer students work placements during their degrees, embed employability into courses and provide on-campus opportunities to meet employers.
http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/Futurefit.aspx
United Kingdom: Immigration Measures
Universities UK has reacted to the new immigration measures which will have an impact on how foreign students apply. Visas will now be granted for the entire length of the study programme and required maintenance levels have been readjusted.
http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Newsroom/Media-Releases/Pages/immigration31March.aspx
United Kingdom: Funding of Higher Education
The Centre for Social Cohesion has published A Degree of Influence: the funding of strategically important subjects in UK universities. It studies the level of foreign funding to strategically important subjects and language studies in British higher education. It finds that most of the funds come from Arabic and Islamic sources and that universities do not have enough safeguards to prevent donations from affecting the ways they are run.
http://www.socialcohesion.co.uk/files/1238334646_2.pdf
United Kingdom: E-Learning
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology - a revised approach to its strategy for e-learning. The new approach is intended to support institutions in considering where they may wish to prioritise their technology-related investment, and to develop appropriate institutional learning and teaching strategies.
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2009/09_12/
United Kingdom: University/Business/Community
An evaluation published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) shows that the funds put into higher education institutions in England to work with businesses and the community has led to benefits that are worth many times the investment in the last seven years.
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2009/3stream.htm
United States of America: Effect of Transitions on Access to Higher Education
The Issue Brief released by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) entitled The Effect of Transitions on Access to Higher Education analyses the impact of the differences between countries’ education systems on access to higher education. It is based on a comparative study of the system in the Netherlands, South Africa, Ukraine and the US.
http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/a-f/(Issue_Brief)_
The_Effect_of_Transitions_on_Access_to_Higher_Education.pdf
United States of America: The Bologna Process for US
The Bologna Process for US Eyes: Re-learning Higher Education in the Age of Convergence is the third publication out of five in the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) series that is part of its Measuring Global Performance Initiative, launched in 2007. It proposes to the US academic audience an analysis of up to date achievements of the Bologna Process in such fields as: student learning outcomes; diploma supplements; quality assurance; and international accreditation.
http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/EYESFINAL.pdf
All publications related to this series, as well as complementary information sources on this theme are available at:
http://www.ihep.org/research/GlobalPerformance.cfm
United States of America: Post-graduation Intentions of Foreign Students
One of the findings of Losing the World’s Best and Brightest: America’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Part V - a survey conducted in October 2008 and released by the Kauffman Foundation - is the increasing number of foreign national students in the US planning to return to their native country after graduation.
http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/ResearchAndPolicy/Losing_the_World%27s_Best_and_Brightest.pdf
United States of America: International Graduate Admissions
The Research Report released in April 2009 by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and entitled Findings from the 2009 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey: Phase1: Applications provides a statistical analysis (per region/country; field of study; institution type) of the results of the survey.
http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_IntlApps09_I.pdf
United States of America: Undocumented Students
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) has released the results of a survey on American Undocumented Students in the US: Admission and Verification. This study - based on a total number of respondents from 613 institutions - provides statistical data on undocumented students.
http://www.aacrao.org/pro_development/surveys/undocumented_results.pdf
United States of America: Study Abroad
The Institute of International Education (IIE) has released two new issues in the Study Abroad White Papers series:
- Expanding US Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities analyses the results of a workshop held in Ifrane, Morocco, in March 2008, which examined the challenges concerning U.S. study abroad opportunities in the Arab World and proposed recommendations on this issue.
http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Research_and_Evaluation/
Study_Abroad_White_Papers/StudyAbroad_WhitePaper4.pdf
- Promoting Study Abroad in Science and Technology Fields examines the possible expansion of opportunities for study abroad in the underrepresented fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Research_and_Evaluation/
Study_Abroad_White_Papers/StudyAbroad_WhitePaper5.pdf
Vietnam: Fees at Private Institutions
From next academic year, all private universities and colleges will have to announce their fee structure prior to the organisation of their entrance exams.
http://vietnamnews.vnanet.vn/showarticle.php?num=01EDU230309
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