Norwegian Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Conceptualisations of multilingualism in early childhood teacher education: Ideological and implementational spaces in policy texts

This paper explores how multilingualism is conceptualised in teacher education policy texts and discuss the ideological and implementational spaces for multilingual pedagogy in teacher education. The main focus is Norwegian early childhood teacher education curricula, and the qualitative oriented content analysis of teacher education curricula documents follows three steps. The first step provides an overview of how the content in Norwegian early childhood teacher education is regulated compared to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The second step takes a historical perspective, examining how the conceptualisations of multilingualism in Norwegian ECTE have changed from 1971–2018. The third step involves a close reading of local course plans from 12 different Norwegian higher education institutions. Findings show how curriculum content in Norwegian early childhood teacher education related to multilingualism is far more regulated than in the other Nordic countries. The historical analysis reveals how the ideological and implementational spaces have changed over the years by defining multilingualism differently, and how the current national guidelines open the ideological and implementation spaces for multilingualism. Furthermore, the analysis of the 12 local teacher education programs illustrates how these open spaces are implemented in different ways, either in narrowing further the spaces or broadening the spaces. The discussion revolves around how these spaces require different kinds of competencies for both practitioners and teacher educators.

Agreements between the state and higher education institutions – how do they matter for institutional autonomy?

ABSTRACT Agreements between national public authorities and higher education institutions serve as a governance instrument in many European countries. In Norway, these agreements are currently undergoing change, as the state now invites the institutions to propose their own goals and parameters in the agreements. This study seeks to understand the negotiation process for new agreements and assess how higher education institutions expect the new agreements may affect their institutional autonomy in practice. The methodology includes analysing negotiation documents and interviews with key institutional officials to understand their expectations of the new agreements. The findings indicate that Norwegian higher education institutions have enjoyed both substantive and procedural autonomy during the negotiation process. However, it is anticipated that the new agreements will have a limited impact on institutional autonomy in practice, except for their role in legitimising internal strategic priorities. As a result, this study raises concerns and contributes to a deeper understanding of how agreements between public authorities and higher education institutions serve as instruments for governing higher education.

An interpretation of study programme leaders’ mandates in higher education

ABSTRACT This article addresses study programme leadership, a still-emerging phenomenon in European higher education (HE). Given its novelty, descriptions and insights into study programme leadership remain sparse. Therefore, this study aims to describe and critically explore health profession study programme leaders’ work tasks and responsibilities as they appear in institutional mandates. A qualitative hermeneutical interpretative text analysis is conducted using data derived from 14 Norwegian HE institutions. This research focuses on expectations of study programme leadership actions as expressed through the verbs used in the sentences of the mandates. Accordingly, we reveal that the verbs reflect diverse directions: controlling, facilitating, coordinating, and advising. To obtain our findings, we draw on a reflexive leadership approach. We demonstrate that diverse study programme leadership actions require different modes of organising. Thus, this study reveals the tensions among the various leadership actions constructed in HE mandates.

A transition to online teaching and learning of mathematics in Norwegian higher education institutions: the perspectives of lecturers and students

Abstract This paper reports a study of university lecturers’ and students’ experiences of teaching and learning mathematics following the abrupt requirement to switch to online teaching in 2020. A goal of the study is to share experiences that could be useful to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in online settings. The qualitative research described is a phenomenological study and draws on interviews with ten mathematics lecturers and six undergraduate students who were enrolled in at least one university mathematical course during the lockdown in 2020. The interview data were analysed using a thematic approach. This paper reports findings regarding perceptions of lecturers and students about the challenges and benefits of online teaching and learning of mathematics, how the transition to online education has influenced assessment and sharing useful approaches for teaching and learning mathematics in online settings.

International migration of researchers and gender imbalance in academia—the case of Norway

Female representation among students and graduates in higher education is growing internationally. This is a promising trend for achieving gender balance in top positions in academia. But there is still a long way to go, as women accounted for 26 per cent in top positions at European higher education institutions in 2018. In this article, we examine the influence of international recruitment of researchers on the gender balance—or the lack of gender balance—in Norwegian academia. We draw on data from the Norwegian Register of Research personnel, linked with population statistics from Statistics Norway. These data show that 38 per cent of the researchers at Norwegian higher education institutions in 2018 were born abroad. The share of foreign full professors has increased from 16 per cent in 2001 to 27 per cent in 2018, while for postdocs there has been an increase from 31 to 69 per cent. In terms of overall gender composition, a higher percentage of the foreign-born researchers are male compared with the native Norwegians. The incidence of international recruitment differs significantly across academic fields and is particularly prevalent in engineering. This is also the field where the gender balance is most skewed generally. Taking these variables into account, we conclude that international migration is not among the factors contributing to the gender imbalance in Norwegian academia. In fact, international recruitment has contributed positively to the gender balance in Norway in the majority of the fields analysed.

Online mathematics teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspective of lecturers and students

The global spread of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, reached Norway at the end of February 2020. MatRIC, Centre for Research, Innovation and Coordination of Mathematics Teaching conducted a national survey in Norwegian higher education institutions (HEIs) during June-July 2020 to explore lecturers’ and students’ experiences of online mathematics teaching and learning and to enable sharing of solutions to the challenges encountered. One hundred and twenty-seven students and eighteen lecturers participated in this survey. In this presentation, we will share some of the findings of the survey in relation to the following two themes: challenges of learning and teaching mathematics online, and the psychological impact of lockdown on student learning and lecturer teaching. The study findings show that many students missed the social contact, being physically present at the university, and face to face interaction with their lecturers. Additionally, several students experienced a degree of anxiety through the lockdown period to the extent that they perceived their learning was negatively affected. Lecturers took a number of steps to ensure lines of communication remained open. Our findings show that simple actions by the lecturer to open channels of communication can be very effective.

What Brings International Students to Norway?

What Brings International Students to Norway?

Digital assessment – how does it challenge local practices and national law? A Norwegian case study

ABSTRACTThe traditional exam has a strong holding within Norwegian higher education and is very often the preferred way of assessing students. Digital technology opens up for alternatives to the traditional exam, but so far focus has predominantly been on exchanging pen and paper with personal computers within the traditional framework. Digital alternatives may come in conflict with existing law governing teaching and assessment at university, as the law was written at a time when digital technology did not exist. We present data from a workshop in which 48 individuals from 11 institutions, academics as well as administration, were asked to identify and discuss challenges related to the introduction of digital alternatives. A case study strategy was considered appropriate as this gave us the opportunity to collect information from representatives from many universities and university colleges across Norway. Lack of knowledge about alternatives to the traditional exam, and lack of knowledge as to how digital technology may be used in assessing students were the kind of challenges most often mentioned. Assessment practices may be rooted in an assessment policy, but data from a survey (29% response rate) indicate that there is little awareness concerning this issue within Norwegian higher education institutions.

The Knowledge Triangle in the Healthcare Sector — The Case of Three Medical Faculties in Norway

The paper investigates the social role of education and the relevance of university programs to the real needs of society, which has gained especial political importance in recent years. Attention to this topic, in turn, has fueled interest in the concept of the «knowledge triangle», which implies a synergistic effect from the interplay of education, research, and innovation. Existing studies on the interaction of higher education institutions (HEIs) with society and policy in this field are primarily focused on the links between science and innovation and on the contributions of HEIs to economic development and growth. Many researchers focus on the interaction between universities and the industrial sector but ignore HEIs’ involvement in creating innovations in the public services sector. This is rather peculiar, considering that innovation in the public sector has received increased policy attention over the recent period, and is seen as essential for improving the efficiency and quality of public services and for addressing some of the major societal challenges, linked, for example, to an ageing population and maintaining the welfare state.This paper looks at the healthcare sector, where HEIs interact with private industry as well as public healthcare services. It builds upon a study from Norway carried out in 2015 in the framework of an OECD project, which mapped and analyzed knowledge triangle policies and practices at the national and institutional level. This study showed that interplay between education, research, and innovation is a key concern in the national policy for the development of the health sector, and that knowledge triangle interactions with both the private and public sector is a central aspect of the current practices at the medical departments at Norwegian HEIs. The linkages between the medical faculties and public healthcare services are especially interesting, as they provide patterns of interaction beyond those identified in the existing literature and because education plays a central role.

Identifying, Characterising and Assessing New Practices in Doctoral Education

AbstractTraditionally, European doctoral education has principally taken place within the binary relationship of professors and their doctoral students according to the apprenticeship model. However, in the last one to two decades, this model has been questioned. Governments and higher education institutions (HEIs) reform doctoral education by establishing and running structured doctoral programmes or Doctoral Schools. Inspired by American Graduate Schools, various forms of Doctoral Schools have been increasingly emerging in many European HEIs. This article identifies, characterises and critically assesses the principal changes in doctoral education practices introduced through Doctoral Schools on the basis of eight case studies carried out in Swiss and Norwegian HEIs. The empirical analysis results in the identification of six types of changes which concern doctoral students’ recruitment, curricular component, supervision, scientific exchange, tracking and their career. These changes lead to four kind of trends – which vary according to the case study – consisting of a structuring, standardisation and opening of doctoral education, whereas its academic character is maintained. If greater competitiveness, better scientific quality and higher graduating rates may be achieved, problems in terms of ‘brain drain’, workload, supervision, innovation and careers may even be reinforced or at least not completely solved.

Transforming the “Third Mission” in Norwegian Higher Education Institutions: A Boundary Object Theory Approach

ABSTRACTHigher education institutions (HEIs) in Norway have been subjected to several reforms in recent decades. There are transformed relationships between institutions and their environment, and higher educations’ third mission is emphasized. To improve our understanding of HEIs’ third mission, this paper employs boundary object theory, enabling us to see how shifting projects are shaped and negotiated within these institutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of five main projects that are evident in third-mission presentations: the entrepreneurial project, the local and regional involvement project, the mode 2 project, the popular-science project, and the reputation project.

Managing mergers – governancing institutional integration

Despite striking similarities, the adoption and implementation of policy shifts regarding higher education governance vary considerably across the globe, suggesting a mixed picture of diversification and isomorphism both within and across national higher education systems. By unpacking one particular structural reform process, this paper focuses on mergers as both a governance tool and a governance result in higher education. The paper analyzes the strategic decisions taken by Norwegian higher education institutions during 2014 in the light of a proposed national reform to merge institutions in order to enhance quality in higher education. The empirical basis of the paper consists of analyses of the commissioned self-evaluations of the higher education institutions, and the strategic choices and dilemmas they expressed. The process can be seen as organizational engineering in the sense that it emerges from the self-evaluation process, but is also subject to governancing on the part of the ministry.

Perceived anabolic–androgenic steroid use is associated with perceived neuroticism

Ratings of the perceived personality (Five-Factor Model) of an anabolic–androgenic steroid(s) (AAS) user, an erythropoietin (EPO) user, a protein powder user and a nonuser of these ergogenic aids were investigated. The sample of 328 (236 females) non-substance use participants providing the ratings was students aged 18–52 years. They were drawn from three Norwegian higher education institutions and were randomized to four independent experimental conditions, each comprising a specific scenario/description [food (n = 82), protein powder (n = 83), EPO (n = 83), and AAS (n = 80)] similar in number, age and gender distribution. Participants in all conditions rated their protagonist on the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated, consistent with our prediction, that the protagonist who consumed food was perceived as least neurotic whereas the AAS and EPO protagonists were rated similarly on neuroticism. The food and protein powder protagonists were rated similarly on openness albeit higher than the EPO protagonist. The food protagonist was regarded as more agreeable than protagonists of the ergogenic aids. Our findings indicate that perceived AAS use negatively impacts the construal of the perceived user’s personality or social image. Implications of findings are discussed.

MULTI‐LAYERED ACCOUNTABILITY. PERFORMANCE‐BASED FUNDING OF UNIVERSITIES

In most Western countries there has been an increasing demand for new and different types of audit, evaluation and reporting systems that reveal the output of public sector organizations (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2000). Quality assessments have had a profound impact on the funding of university research, most visibly in the UK. However, the relationship between qualitative and quantitative indicators of research performance has been an ongoing source of debate (Bence and Oppenheim 2004). By exploring four different types of accountability relations, this paper investigates different stakeholders' perceptions of whether or not performance funding increases accountability and transparency, and poses the following questions: Does performance funding result in high accountability and high transparency? Does high accountability imply high transparency? Does high transparency lead to low accountability? Three main empirical sources have been utilized: a comprehensive survey of faculty at Norwegian higher education institutions, a stakeholder survey, and data from case studies of four universities.

Variations in portfolio assessment in higher education: Discussion of quality issues based on a Norwegian survey across institutions and disciplines

Abstract In this article, we present findings from a survey study of portfolio assessment practices in four Norwegian higher education institutions after a major educational reform had introduced more varied assessment forms, more compulsory writing and closer follow-up of students. The purpose behind the study was to map these newly emerging writing and assessment practices in order to find out how teachers conceptualized portfolio assessment in different types of institutions and disciplines, and what this meant for how portfolios were used and assessed. Our findings show that the portfolios were all text based, but with great variations in genres and overall structure as well as in formative and summative assessment practices. The general tendency was that ‘soft’ disciplines had more reflection based and varied portfolio models than the ‘hard’ disciplines (maths, sciences and engineering). This same tendency goes for peer response, which was less used in hard than in soft disciplines. The focus of the article is to discuss the implications of some of the major findings for the quality of assessment, particularly the disciplinary diversity issue, feedback practices and explicit criteria.

Use, updating and integration of ICT in higher education: Linking purpose, people and pedagogy

In this article the use, updating and integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for teaching and learning purposes is discussed. Based on an empirical study using interviews and document analysis of the implementation of ICT in five Norwegian universities and colleges, the article analyse a number of factors that are of importance for the implementation of ICT in higher education. The analysis discloses that Norwegian higher education institutions often have adequate economic resources and a rather well developed technical infrastructure and support structure related to the use of ICT. However, attempts to link ICT initiatives to organisational development issues and to human resource management have not been very successful. In the conclusion it is argued that pedagogical issues and organisational and human development aspects must be better linked if ICT is to play a more effective role in teaching and learning in Norwegian higher education.

Governmental policy, organisational ideals and institutional adaptation in Norwegian higher education

In recent decades higher education institutions have been encouraged but also pressured to adapt to new demands in the environment. The need for higher education to become more innovative and dynamic has not least been communicated through politics and various reform initiatives. By analysing how six Norwegian higher education institutions have adapted to political pressure to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the period between 1990 and 2000, this article studies the relationship between governmental policy, the organisational ideals that stem from the policy initiatives, and how these are manifested inside higher education institutions. The analysis shows that institutional adaptation often resulted in hybrid organisational practices and more complex organisational identities. However, some institutions managed to reinterpret and translate external organisational ideals to fit institutional characteristics and traditions, integrating new activities and existing ones.

Forecasting the Norwegian labour market for graduates holding higher degrees

This article investigates the phenomenon of long‐term unemployed graduates of Norwegian higher education institutions over the period 1973–1999. The phenomenon was unexpected. One explanation for it is that the market for graduates was and remains in disequilibrium because wages are not sufficiently flexible downward. Thus unemployment would be involuntary. The other explanation is that unemployment is voluntary because the elasticity of the graduate labour supply is pushing wages down, and graduates are not accepting employment for which wages appear to be unacceptably low. They are waiting for better opportunities to appear. The author has undertaken a simulation by which he has proved, to his satisfaction, that the first explanation is the correct one and that only a slight improvement in the employment prospects of university graduates can be expected in the near future.