Monthly Archive for August, 2010

Scholars Test Web Alternative to Peer Review

Published on August 27, 2010 in News. 0 Comments

peer1-articlelargeBy Patricia Cohen, in The New York Times

For professors, publishing in elite journals is an unavoidable part of university life. The grueling process of subjecting work to the up-or-down judgment of credentialed scholarly peers has been a cornerstone of academic culture since at least the mid-20th century.

Now some humanities scholars have begun to challenge the monopoly that peer review has on admission to career-making journals and, as a consequence, to the charmed circle of tenured academe. They argue that in an era of digital media there is a better way to assess the quality of work.

To read more…

Credit Where It’s Overdue

Published on August 25, 2010 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

dr-david-mackintosh-m2By Rebecca Attwood, in Times Higher Education

It is a familiar lament: teaching excellence is doomed never to be rewarded as handsomely as research success – if at all. But some institutions are determined to tackle the pedagogical deficit. Rebecca Attwood reports.

We are proud of our reputation for teaching quality,” says David Mackintosh, deputy vice-chancellor of Kingston University.

“This is our primary focus as an education institution, so we are committed to recognising and rewarding excellent teaching, as well as research.”

But in doing so, he believes the university faces a challenge: finding fair and equitable criteria with which to assess top-quality teaching.

To read more…

Global: US Lead Slips in World’s Top 100 Universities

Published on August 23, 2010 in News. 0 Comments

By David Jobbins and Karen MacGregor, in University World News

American universities continued to lead the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities, but US dominance of the global top 100 list compiled by China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University slipped this year, to 54 institutions against 67 in 2009. Harvard clinched the top slot, as it has since the ranking was first published in 2003.

The University of California, Berkeley, leapfrogged Stanford into second place, while MIT pipped Cambridge into fourth place, leaving the UK university – one of only two non-US universities in the top 10 – in fifth place. Next came California Institute of Technology and Princeton, Columbia and Chicago. Oxford retained its 10th place for the fifth year in a row.

To read more…

Announcing the winner of the International Award for Excellence

Published on August 11, 2010 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

photo_patriciaCongratulations to Patrícia Albergaria Almeida the winner of the International Award for Excellence in the world universities field with her paper Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: An Overview.

Abstract: The quality of teaching and learning in universities has received much attention over the past two decades and there has been much discussion about what kind of teaching stimulates effective learning. Lately, however, the focus has moved from just teaching to teaching as scholarship. The scholarship of teaching and learning emerged as a fundamental concept to the development of good teaching practices in Higher Education and, consequently, to the enhancement of the quality of student learning. The concept of scholarship of teaching and learning is relatively new and still in its early stages of development. Consequently, there is an enormous variation in the ways scholarship of teaching and learning is understood and represented. The goal of this essay is to present an overview of the scholarship of teaching and learning in Higher Education, as well as to outline a number of suggestions through which the scholarship of teaching and learning may be improved.



Tigers Burning Bright

Published on August 8, 2010 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments
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philipaltbach

From Simon Marginson and Philip Altbach, in Times Higher Education

Asian higher education is on the rise in a success story that is shaking up the global order. Simon Marginson explains the importance of the Confucian model to the region’s progress, while Philip Altbach discusses the systemic problems that could limit its advances

Confucian higher education is a new kind of system; an alternative global template. In some respects, the drivers of the Confucian model differ from higher education in mainland Western Europe, the UK and the US, where the modern university was incubated.

Statements about “the rise of Asia” are misleading. Asia is larger and more heterogeneous than Europe. In some nations, higher education is stagnant. In others, it is gaining ground. And the 40 per cent of Asia situated in the “Confucian zone” is moving into the stratosphere.

To read more…

Brussels Cash Comes at Terrible Price

Published on August 5, 2010 in News. 0 Comments

From Yorick Wilks, in Times Higher Education

As cash-strapped UK science increasingly looks to Europe for funding, Yorick Wilks warns of a rotten framework of red tape, intellectual corruption and cronyism driven by bureaucrats in pursuit of personal agendas

A squeeze on UK research council funds is likely, which is something that is certain to make European Commission funds look more attractive to British academics. The time was, say some Russell Group academics, that they never bothered to apply for Commission grants, pointing to their markedly lower prestige in research assessment exercise ratings and the onerous paperwork involved. But you hear less of that talk these days, especially as the Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) funds are vast and show no signs of being cut during the ongoing financial crisis.

To read more…

Center on Edcation and the Workforce – Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018

Published on August 4, 2010 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

occsgraph_1From Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, Jeff Strohl, Center on Education and the Workforce

“America is slowly coming out of the Recession of 2007 – only to find itself on a collision course with the future: not enough Americans are completing college… By 2018, we will need 22 million new workers with college degrees – but will fall short of that number by at least 3 million postsecondary degrees… At a times when every job is precious, this shortfall will mean lost economic opportunity for millions of American workers.” – Help Wanted, Executive Summary

The report presents a new approach that answers some critical questions about the emerging economy, including:

  • When will the jobs come back?
  • Where will the jobs be? Which states? Which industries? Which occupations?
  • What postsecondary certificates and degrees will be required?
  • Will the education system be able to keep up?
  • How much will it cost to fund the postsecondary education America needs?

For more…

World Universities Journal – Become an Associate Editor

Published on August 4, 2010 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments Tags: .

As part of the process of publishing the Journal of the World Universities Forum all submissions are sent for peer refereeing, prior to publication. Assessment, comments and guidance by the referees are an essential part of the publication process and invaluable to the authors of the submitted papers.

In recognition of the important role of referees, the international advisory board acknowledges all referees who have refereed papers as an ‘Associate Editor’ in the volume of the journal they have contributed to.

If you would like to referee papers submitted to the Journal of the World Universities Forum, please email journals@ontheuniversity.com, with your professional details, areas of expertise and contact details. If we feel you are qualified and we require refereeing for papers within your expertise, we will contact you.

Series: On the University

Published on August 4, 2010 in Book and Newsletter. 0 Comments Tags: .

We are accepting book proposals for the imprint On the University.

Common Ground is setting new standards of rigorous academic knowledge creation and scholarly publication.

Unlike other publishers, we’re not interested in the size of potential markets or competition from other books. We’re only interested in the intellectual quality of the work.

If your book is a brilliant contribution to a specialist area of knowledge that only serves a small intellectual community, we still want to publish it. If it is expansive and has a broad appeal, we want to publish it too, but only if it is of the highest intellectual quality.

World Universities Journal Submissions Open

Published on August 4, 2010 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments Tags: .

universities_front

We are accepting submissions for The Journal of the World Universities Forum.

The Journal of the World Universities Forum seek to explore the meaning and purpose of the academy in times of striking social transformation. The Journal brings together university administrators, teachers and researchers to discuss the prospects of the academy and to exemplify or imagine ways in which the university can take a leading and constructive role in the transformations of our times.

Today, universities face significant challenges to their traditional position in society—contemporary knowledge systems are becoming more distributed and learning ubiquitous. Where does this leave the university – as an historically specialised and privileged place for certain kinds of knowledge and learning, as an institutionally bounded space? What do these changes mean for the mission and structures of the renewed university? What are emerging as principal areas of the academic interest?

Refereeing of submitted papers will commence shortly so start the submission process early by submitting your proposal.

Paper submission guidelines and timelines are available online.