Productivity In Higher Education Research Articles

Marketing framework in higher education

PurposeIn recent years, the higher education (HE) sector has been influenced by a marketised approach. Such an approach has enabled higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their international presence and also to enhance their student profile. Nevertheless, marketing theories applied to commercial sector may not be relevant to the HE sector. The purpose of this paper is to examine how marketing framework has influenced various aspects of HE management and its implication to dealing with student issues.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a conceptual discussion of the issues.FindingsThe paper takes a critical view of customer metaphor for students and argues that such attempts restrict the rights and privileges that students and the HE sector traditionally enjoyed. Differences between commercial organisations and HE sector in terms of products developed and the underlying process of development are explored. How the uniqueness of the HE sector relies more on a sector‐wide agreement than on legal framework is analysed. The role of marketing units in developing a mature market which is strong enough to demand quality HE products is emphasised. Several aspects that need to be coordinated among quality assurance departments, academic staff, and the marketing departments are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsIndiscriminate use of marketing metaphors in the HE sector has introduced new dimensions to the relationship that exists between the HEIs and students.Practical implicationsMarketing in the HE sector is not similar to what exists in the commercial sector as “higher education products” are different from “commercial products” and students are different from “customers” who buy commercial products. Moreover, the roles of marketing departments in the HE sector are different from those in a commercial organisation.Originality/valueMarketing frameworks cannot be transplanted into a HE environment. The sector is unique and is characterised more by the principles of self‐governance and academic freedom. Application of marketing techniques will restrict students' rights and destroy the relationship that exists between the HEI and the students. Marketing departments should focus on creating mature markets.

Producing quality enabling knowledge: A priori for higher education

Malcolm Gillis, President of Rice University, in Higher education in developing countries: lIgPerill/Ig and lIgpromisel/Ig (2000, 15) had this to say about higher education's priority to create knowledge, `Today, more than ever before in human history, the wealth - or poverty - of nations depends on the quality of higher education'. Not only does the wealth or poverty of nations depends on the quality of education, but it also rest upon the capability of the knowledge produced to enable nations to forge ahead in their advancement programmes. This priority for higher education echoed by various scholars and researchers worldwide is the focus of this article. Using the capability approach as an enabling framework within which knowledge can be produced with a deliberate, purposive vision to empower participants, I critically explore the process of knowledge production. Noting the fact that the capability approach is deliberately incomplete, pluralistic in utility, encouraging freedom in achieving valuable functionings (Alkire 2002), I use this as strength for unlocking enabling processes of knowledge production in higher education for human advancement.

A new paradigm of knowledge production in higher education

PurposeThis article seeks to introduce how the convergence of globalization, emergence of the knowledge society and accelerating change contribute to what might be best termed a new paradigm of knowledge production in higher education.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature was conducted regarding the three driving trends of the new paradigm. Following a discussion on these trends, the new paradigm is discussed in relation to old and emergent paradigms of the twenty‐first and twenty‐second centuries.FindingsThe article concludes that the new paradigm requires a systems approach to thinking and leading in higher education.Practical implicationsThis article provides a macro‐level perspective of the three phenomena as they impact higher education. Such perspectives provide insight to higher education leaders throughout the world on how tertiary institutions relate to the new paradigm of knowledge production. By putting the pieces of the new paradigm together, improved leadership directions for higher education and relevant policy actions may be identified to secure success through the twenty‐first century and beyond.Originality/valueWhile the three component trends in the new paradigm are not unknown to the academic community, discussion of the trends as elements of a larger system is absent from most literature. Together, these new patterns of thought and belief are forming to harness and manage the chaos, indeterminacy, and complex relationships of the postmodern.

Bourdieu Epistêmico-Prático: O Espaço de Produção Acadêmica em Educação Superior no Brasil

O artigo apresenta a estrutura do espaço de produção acadêmica em educação superior no Brasil no período 1975-2000. Tal espaço foi construído por intermédio da análise fatorial de correspondências, a qual demonstrou uma primeira polarização entre as trajetórias acadêmicas dos pesquisadores no exterior e no Brasil.

Educational productivity in higher education: An examination of part of the Walberg educational productivity model

Several factors in the H. J. Walberg Educational Productivity Model, which assumes that 9 factors affect academic achievement, were examined with a limited sample of 1st-year students in the University of Groningen. Information concerning 8 of these factors—grades, motivation, age, prior achievement, home environment, support from peers, classroom environment, quality of instruction, and quantity of instruction—was collected through the departmental administration, self-report questionnaires, rating questionnaires, and through paper sources. A multilevel analysis showed that the model with 8 productivity factors explained 23% of the variance found in achievement, as well as the variables prior achievement and expectancy, the classroom environment, the quality of assessment, and the quantity of instruction affected achievement.

Knowledge production as a function of the individual institution's idea of a university

This article looks at knowledge production in higher education (HE) from the point of view of how a given HE institution defines itself within the broader context of 'the idea of a university'. In this regard, the article makes a critical analysis and interpretation of the literature on the central question of 'the idea of a university', and the bearing of this on knowledge production. An overview of the history of universities is given, followed by a reflection on the literature pertaining to the notion of 'the idea of a university'. This is done so as to contextualise what presently obtains with regard to conceptual types of universities around the world vis-à-vis the attendant knowledge to be pursued in the institution. In this regard, the article posits that the primary purpose/focus of knowledge and knowledge production will be a function of the given university's idea of itself. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 20 (2) 2006: 245-260

Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect

This article is concerned with the complex role played by student assessment in the formation of the human subjects that are the product of higher education. Using a framework informed by the work of Foucault, it explores the productive effects of assessment regimes. Drawing on narrative data collected during in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with students, it contrasts assessment regimes in two degree programmes to consider the way in which assessment may draw students into varied power relations. It is argued that in playing out these relations assessment incites students (to varying extents) to develop, consider and disclose to the lecturer links between their intellect and character. In doing so, students expose their developing character to the interpretation and guidance of the lecturer, providing the potential for the lecturer to lead students to construct and conduct themselves in a manner appropriate for a complex contemporary state. Additionally, and significantly, such approaches may have the potential to overcome the normative effects inherent in all assessment. The extent to which assessment might assist students to develop the transformed nature that is required to purposefully and deliberately undermine the rules of the discipline is discussed.

The Importance of International Benchmarking for U.S. Educational Leaders

INTERNATIONAL comparisons of education policy and practice were, until recently, the domain of just a small group of researchers. But with the rapid changes being brought about by globalization, they are fast becoming a significant new tool in the development of educational leaders. Clearly, one of the most pressing challenges facing the U.S. education system today is to maintain the American ideal of local control while producing a national work force that is prepared for global competition. This challenge is a source of ongoing conflict and mixed messages and is likely to be increasingly important in the future. A second major challenge is how to turn around low-performing schools and those with large achievement gaps between subgroups of students. Short-term improvement is often the result of individual leadership and other local variables, but the challenge is to change the system to sustain long-term improvement on a broad scale. While all nations view education as an investment in the future, most nations other than the U.S. treat the challenges of academic performance and of globalization as national priorities. Government officials, educators, and business leaders work closely together to create a coherent national improvement strategy. For example, the minister of education in Singapore, a nation already at the top of international measures of student performance, is advocating reform of that nation's education system to meet the demands of globalization. Singapore's system improvements emphasize the need to develop students' problem-solving skills earlier in their schooling in order to create a more broad-based academic experience and better prepare young people for life beyond school. The United States can learn a lot from the way other nations respond to new challenges. Too often America falls back on the political blame game, caring more about pointing fingers than identifying serious strategies for improving the education system. We don't work as a team--all too often it is government, both state and federal, versus local educators. We need to realize before it is too late that such an approach is a prescription for long-term national disaster. Being exposed to more cohesive systems of education is just one of many ways that educators in the United States can benefit from contact with their peers around the world. Another benefit is that of knowing how we as a nation are performing in our delivery of education to children relative to the performance of other countries. Tools such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) remind us that we still have significant progress to make when it comes to educating our secondary students. As a recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress highlights, TIMSS and PISA also give us an opportunity to compare countries' relative performance over time. (1) This study provides some insight as to not only which countries outperform the U.S. but also which ones are making significant gains. In addition, TIMSS and PISA contribute to a common language of education indicators and larger conversations about what elements of an education contribute to long-term success and productivity in higher education and the work force. Finally, competition can be a powerful motivator, and results such as these can be great professional development tools as well. A third benefit of international comparisons is that they offer a fresh perspective. While the circumstances and geography are different, most of the issues educators face are common--poverty, language and cultural differences within a school, level of government control--and looking at how other countries deal with these same issues allows for creative approaches to problem solving. …

Reappraising learning programmes and knowledge production in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa

Benchmarking curricula, learning programmes and research designs in our globalising, knowledge-intensive and technology-driven society remains a major challenge for higher learning institutions (HLIs). The prevailing trend is to benchmark curricula, learning programmes and research in higher education (HE) in terms of single disciplines, subjects and courses. This has led to the division of academia into separate faculties, departments and units. This article contests the conventional view of planning curricula, learning programmes and research in terms of single disciplines and argues for designs underpinned by interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary planning. It argues that, although single-disciplinary designs have undoubtedly contributed to the creation of knowledge, this practice has theoretical and practical limitations, particularly in the globalising, knowledge-intensive and technology-driven society. It further argues that the proposed interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary designs are useful tools for transforming qualification-based curriculum planning in HE in South Africa. It also argues that although programme-based planning was proposed four years ago as part of transforming the HE sector, the implications of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary planning and how it may improve practice remain unexplored. Furthermore, there is growing recognition in HE in general and in South Africa in particular that HLIs are no longer exclusive producers of knowledge in the current learning society. The implication of this recognition is that application-driven and participatory research should take preference to propositional and homogeneous knowledge in research agendas. (South African Journal of Higher Education: 2003 17 (1): 61-66)

Farm-gate Intellectuals, Excellence and the University Problem in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Conventional wisdom assumes participation in higher education is a necessary corollary of excelling in international arenas. In a globalising world, nations with few universities and low higher education participation rates cannot adequately compete in the global economy. Aotearoa/New Zealand has had a greater impact on international arenas than its size and location would suggest. But those who excel are rarely products of higher education. Instead, they are farm-gate (or self-educated) intellectuals. The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion excellence requires higher education and to legitimise the anarchist-utopian tradition in adult education. These purposes are achieved by analysing the biography and approaches to learning adopted by people like Ed Hillary (development worker), Hone Tuwhare (poet), Sylvia Ashton-Warner (educator and writer), Richard Pearse (aviation pioneer), Kiri te Kanawa (singer), Arthur Lydiard (runner), Bruce Farr (yacht designer), Bill Hamilton (marine engineer) and finally, in greater detail, Tom Schnackenberg, the America's Cup genius and leader of Team New Zealand. Captains of industry, university authorities and adult educators can benefit from understanding how and why farm-gate intellectuals go about learning.

Pay and Performance in the University: An Examination of Faculty Salaries

With more attention on productivity in higher education has come a need for improved conceptualizations and policies relating to faculty salaries. Focusing on research universities, this essay examines historical patterns in salaries, recent evidence on salaries, the tenuous connections between salaries and performance, and some thoughts on the role of salaries in effective academic reward systems. The essay's goal is to help leaders craft salary policies that improve productivity in their institutions.

The challenge of ISO 9000 certification in higher education

Addresses the question of how ISO 9000, the international standard for quality management systems, may best be applied to higher education. Begins with a concise but systematic description of the requirements of ISO 9000 for industry in terms of a simplified model of a factory. Argues that the product of higher education must be the actual learning of the students and not merely the provision of learning opportunities. Hence shows how the requirements of ISO 9000 for higher education may be interpreted in terms of a simplified model of a university. Highlights the key educational management issues raised and reviews how they are currently being addressed in practice.

Input and output substitution in higher education

This study estimates a multi-input multi-output model of production in higher education based on data from academic departments from a large public university. The results show that there are economies of scale in all dimensions – undergraduate and graduate instruction, and research – of the university's output over the observed range. All three types of labor – tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty and graduate assistants – are substitutes, with the demand for the most skilled category, tenured faculty, being least elastic.

The fact book: A tool for institutional improvement

AbstractThe fact book is a tool for improving the processes and products of higher education.

Research news and Comment: Policy and Productivity in Higher Education

Research news and Comment: Policy and Productivity in Higher Education

Policy and Productivity in Higher Education

a proportion similar to Canada and the Netherlands and more than Japan, Germany, or France (Kennedy, 1993). Only Switzerland is higher. However, the United States spends only 4.1% of GNP on primary and secondary education, which is less than many industrial countries, including Switzerland (5.8%), Japan (4.8%), and Germany (4.6%). About 40% of U.S. educational spending goes to higher education, which is substantially more than in other countries.

Higher Education, the Production Function, and the Library

The redefinition of higher education's production function - its ouput, its resources and their ratio - is underway. Recognizing that the academic enterprise is seeking a new least-cost combination of resources in support of a newly ordered definition of its output allows us to sort the trends we see and the forces we feel. It allows us to understand the nature of the continuing transformation in which the library is only a component part. It permits us to parse out dilemma in a different way. It does not give us answers or tell us exactly how to respond. Unfortunately, economics conceives in generalities and we execute the details

Systems engineering and information technology: catalysts for total quality in industry and education

A broad, somewhat personal view of the role of systems engineering and systems management is provided, with major support from information technology products and services, as catalysts for needed changes now and in the 21st century. The focus is on quality improvement and productivity, especially productivity through systems engineering. US industrial productivity needs are discussed, with special reference to related issues of quality and productivity in higher education in general, and engineering education in particular. An overview of and a perspective on a large number of contemporary studies are provided. These include: productivity, total quality management, organizational cultures, professionalism, higher education, and engineering. The perspective is highly systems-engineering oriented. A number of general suggestions are made relative to implementation of needed actions and obtaining needed results. >

Raising Productivity in Higher Education

The eighties have witnessed a rising concern with costs and productivity in higher education [8, 15, 24, 30, 39]. Annual increases in tuition among the private institutions have regularly exceeded inflation as have the increases in operating costs per student of both public and private institutions. Former U.S. secretary of education, William Bennett, argued that generous federal student aid served as an inducement to raise tuition charges for institutions that are characterized by gross inefficiencies due to an administrative blob and absurdly low teaching responsibility of faculty. And many of the institutions themselves have become obsessed with a situation in which expenses have risen more rapidly than income, necessitating general budgetary retrenchment even at some of the best-endowed universities in the country [8, 24, 30, 39]. It is generally acknowledged that higher education budgets face intense pressures to grow at rates that exceed income growth [5, 13, 29]. Additional income is used to expand existing programs and to establish new ones, with a reluctance to reallocate resources by eliminating or

Raising Productivity in Higher Education

Raising Productivity in Higher Education