Suchergebnisse

This volume of Theory and Method in Higher Education Researchexplores several timely topics including transnational approaches to higher education policy, universities contributions to society, data collection in higher education, virtual and blended research, and more.

As students are bearing an increasing proportion of the costs of their participation in higher education, increasing attention has been paid nationally and internationally to the issue of what higher education does for its students. What do students gain from engaging in higher education, and how might this be accurately measured? This volume explores the latest thinking, research and practice on this topic from across the globe. Acknowledging that institutions of higher education, along with national governments and international organizations, are closely concerned with the answers to these questions, the authors demonstrate how it is critically important to be able to demonstrate convincingly and transparently how students have progressed, and what measurable skills and knowledge they have acquired.

This book brings together three important HE agendas that have dominated UK and international policy over recent years: responding to greater student diversity, a concern to maximize student retention and success and the need for institutions to change to meet these challenges.

This book examines how and why autonomy matters in contemporary social science research. It considers how autonomy impacts upon the individual researcher, the cultures and values of the university, and research motivation and sponsorship. The authors provide a better understanding of the interplay between individual and institutional autonomy, the issues arising from this interplay, and the value of an independent academic sector to the external community. Successive chapters consider: the variation in social scientists understanding of academic freedom; the researchers view on academic autonomy and decision making; the influence of Hayek on thinking about freedom and markets; the idea of academic freedom in 14th century Oxford; the policy basis for academic freedom and autonomy in Australia; the extent to which autonomy can be seen in the career of one academic; the particular case of research into higher education itself; and, the impact of the research assessment exercise in the United Kingdom. The book sheds light on a critically important but under-studied issue, seeking to offer a clarification of the meaning of academic freedom and autonomy, and the roles of institutional regulatory and managerial environments in supporting them. The authors include experts from the UK and Australia; chapters go in to autonomy within specific contexts (14th century Oxford, Australia, etc.).

This book examines how and why autonomy matters in contemporary social science research. It considers how autonomy impacts upon the individual researcher, the cultures and values of the university, and research motivation and sponsorship. The authors provide a better understanding of the interplay between individual and institutional autonomy, the issues arising from this interplay, and the value of an independent academic sector to the external community. Successive chapters consider: the variation in social scientists understanding of academic freedom; the researchers view on academic autono