Posted on by a.ilazarova · 2 Comments

W7- Quality Assurance / Private Funding

OECD reports regarding changing reforms as well as the current state of higher education shows yet another informative view of the higher education sphere and how current policies, as well as changes that are needed to be able to have the higher education move forward and comply with the changing world.

The report starts off by mentioning that to have effective policies there must be a correct implementation that drives it. Furthermore, it shows that once policies are actually implemented there is no follow up to see if those policies are indeed working or need any changes to help them work better . Then the report goes on to discuss what policies are currently on the top of the list that higher education system is in need of. With the change of the student landscape, it has become a very important time to implement significant changes. State of higher education report states that higher education has become more flexible in order to meet new demands of emerging student populations. Even international students can study from the safety of their own home.

With the change in students higher education has also been raising tuition and with paying the higher amount the students demand and expect better experiences. Hence, the need for quality assessment is needed. Higher education systems are experiencing great weight on becoming more effective and efficient. However, for things to actually be implemented and sought through funds have become a scarce resource. As mentioned in previous blogs the influence of the government funding  is low and rapidly declining. While the government is engaged in helping implement performance-based programs this may be very difficult data to collect which does not coincide with quaintly only account for the quantity. Hence, the need for private funds has become a pivotal role for institutions. The US has received a 5% raise in philanthropic giving for higher education to raise a good portion of its money to support many institutions. Yet not all countries have substantial knowledge of raising money. According to the OECD report, Europe has had problems raising enough funds since it was not necessary in their country while starting colleges. In this scenario the US does have an advantage due to its long history of receiving private funds. However funds are only half of the problem allocation of them as well as policy making is yet another issue that needs to be set in place to have a more constant higher education growth.

Posted on by Natallia Kolbun · 1 Comment

W7 OECD Reports

OECD Reports on Making Reforms Happen 2015 and The State of Higher Education 2014 were very informative and quite interesting readings. The State of Higher Education 2014 report focused on how the changes in the Higher Education over the last several decades forcing the Higher Education Institutions adjust, learn, and evolve offering some ideas for different models to address the cost, value, assessment, funding, and research in the Higher Ed Institutions. One of the major examples provided is the success of research and funding through Research Excellence Initiatives (REIs). Although I do agree that this seems to be a prosperous way for many institutions, other smaller colleges and universities might not have same access to this funding, research opportunities, and recognition. As a result, there is a need more ideas/approaches to address all other aspects of higher education that were not given a consideration by REIs.

OECD report on Making Reforms Happen 2015 focused on policy reforms and how they are being implemented around the world. What struck me the most in the report are the statistics of how much of the education money is being allocated toward which purpose. Only 9% goes toward governance, 11% toward funding, and 12% toward evaluation and assessment, which means there is very little attention being paid to what the education system is in need of, who will fund it, and once the policies are implemented, does it really work, or we just continue to fund what is really not working. In addition, the report states, “The analysis shows that once new policies are adopted, there is little follow-up. Only 10% of the policies considered in this dataset have been evaluated for their impact” (P.2). I find it very disturbing that so little attention is being paid to performance and the value on new policies being implemented, it seems as a recipe for disaster and waste of valuable funding that is being thrown out on reforms that simply don’t work, but no one cares to notice to re-allocate the funds to other policies that do perform and make a difference.

In order for the education systems around the world to be successful and efficient, it is important to have accountability on different levels (from individual to national). Accountability seems to be always circling back when it comes to creating these policies and reforms, working on implementation, as well as when measuring quality and evaluation. In her report on Standards, Assessments and Education Policy, Linda Darling-Hammond references accountability as follow, “True accountability occurs only when policymakers and educators can act on the information provided by an accountability system in ways that create better opportunities and outcomes for both individual students and groups of students” (Page 7). This shows that having a strong accountability system in place on any level (either it is individual, school, regional, or national) is extremely important to measure short and long term results of any policy and/or reform.

Posted on by j.kalaidis · 2 Comments

W7: Baruch College is uniquely positioned to be a leader in U.S. higher education internationalization

While I’m only in my second semester at Baruch, I have very much settled into the rhythm of campus. Perhaps this familiarity is why reading Baruch’s strategic plan regarding internationalization was so interesting. I am aware of Baruch’s unique characteristics compared to other universities, but reading the strategic plan made me have an even deeper appreciation for Baruch — both personally and in a more general way about how it benefits society.

Baruch’s unique characteristics — diversity, location, and affordability — make it uniquely positioned to be a leader in higher education internationalization. As the 10th most diverse campus in the U.S., where “students hail from over 160 countries and speak over 130 languages”(Baruch College Global Strategic Plan, 2014-2019. pp. 1), and located in one of the world’s most diverse global cities, in many ways Baruch has had internationalization come to it, rather than needed to explicitly seek it out, like most other institutions.

This is true for both international students and the diverse groups of immigrant populations living in New York City. In order to achieve internationalization goals, I imagine that most institutions focus almost exclusively on recruiting international students. While Baruch also focuses on this, it also dedicates time and resources to recruiting international students who are already living in NYC “through existing cultural community centers and organizations” (Baruch College Global Strategic Plan, 2014-2019. pp. 4). Because Baruch College is relatively affordable compared to many other private higher education institutions in NYC, it has an incredible advantage when recruiting international student populations.

So while Baruch College has many things working in its favor to achieve its internationalization goals, it also has significant challenges. Regarding incoming international students or faculty, the lack of a traditional campus likely makes things much more difficult. For one, there is the logistical question as to where these incoming students will live. Because of the limited available space in NYC (and also, I imagine, the high cost of living), Baruch College has limited student dorms, which might put off potential international students. On a related note, this lack of a more traditional physical campus could be perceived as alienating to international students who already face additional challenges integrating into campus life. The strategic plan was very upfront about that challenge, and it proposed an increased attention towards building campus life through student organizations. While this is an important initiative, it will not change the fact that Baruch is largely a commuter campus that will make integrating international students all the more challenging.

However, the biggest challenge facing Baruch College’s internationalization efforts is funding (or a lack thereof). While funding constraints impact virtually all higher education institutions, they are especially challenging in Baruch and other CUNY schools, since 46 percent of Baruch College students are Pell grant recipients. Fortunately, the strategic plan calls for an increase in fundraising initiatives to raise grants to help students with the costs of study abroad programs. While there is likely always going to be more work to be done in terms of controlling costs, it seems like Baruch’s efforts have yielded results, considering the number of students who study abroad has increased over 500% in the last five years.

Thus, despite significant logistical and financial challenges, Baruch College has many factors working in its favor regarding internationalization, including the global environment of NYC, the diversity of the student body, and the relative affordability of education, especially compared to private universities in NYC. The strategic plan addressed many of these assets and also challenges, and provided concrete steps and goals in order to increase internationalization, but it also left enough room for flexibility and adaptation, which I really appreciated. “Since any strategic plan, especially one addressing the global, will constantly need to respond to change, we are aware that we must also be prepared to revisit or reshape one or the other priorities as needed” (Baruch College Global Strategic Plan, 2014-2019, pp. 11). Between the strategic plan itself, as well as the College’s willingness to continue to be flexible with new trends in higher education, I imagine that Baruch College will likely continue to thrive in its internationalization efforts and can serve as a model U.S. institution in this area.

Posted on by Kristen.VanVleck · 2 Comments

W7 – International Cooperation for National Policy Reform

The OECD Education Policy Outlook 2015 talked about national educational policies and reforms across a number of different countries.  K-12 education was the main focus, while vocational education and training, tertiary education, and transitioning students to the workforce were also touched upon.  This article looked at different policies across OECD countries and identified common themes.  What I mostly took away from this reading is the importance of cooperation, not only for international exchange and partnerships, but also to help support each other as countries try to overcome similar challenges.  This can be done by looking at different policies and reforms that were successfully implemented and applying those solutions in a way that is relevant to your country’s situation.  Some of these challenges include improving equity and access by supporting disadvantaged schools and populations, ensuring high quality education through the educational environment and well-trained, effective teachers, and following up with evaluation an assessment.

I thought Korea’s exam-free semester was a unique idea.  I looked into it and found that the main motivation for this policy was to increase creativity and self-discovery outside of the classroom.  An article from The Korea Times explained that unlike in standard semesters where students spend 33 hours per week studying academic subjects, during this test-free term, students will study for 21 hours per week and have the other 12 hours to explore other interests, as long as it is approved by the principal.  This article noted that, “Korean schools have a poor reputation when it comes to cultivating creative and self-directed individuals.”  Parents and students are satisfied with the pilot program, which is set to be fully rolled out on a national level in 2016.  Critics believe that this break from tests could negatively impact academic performance.   It is important to note that taking into account a specific county’s context and unique situation is important before implementing any new reform.  Most of the other policies listed in the student assessment chart (Table 14) include specific grades when standardized assessments will be administered.  A policy like Korea’s test-free semesters would not be necessary or effective in countries that already encourage creativity and pursuing one’s passion.

The State of Higher Education 2014, also published by OECD, similarly looks at common challenges faced across OECD countries, but this time focuses specifically on higher education.  This executive summary notes that there have been many changes in higher education in response to the recent transition to mass participation in higher education experienced by many OECD countries.  These changes include increased diversity and flexibility among higher education institutions and a need for increasing transparency and quality improvements to stay competitive.  The most interesting thing discussed in Chapter 2 for me was the idea of an institution’s value proposition.  A value proposition is like a mission statement, yet also highlights the institution’s specific strengths as a way to separate it from its competition.  This is beneficial to various stakeholders and a well-defined value proposition can help institutions identify what they are good at and build upon those strengths.  It can also help students and parents differentiate between the various types of institutions.

Posted on by A. Olly

W7: Following Finland’s Examples

This weeks reading from OECD about making education reforms happen highlighted different approaches from around the world. One country that showed up in multiple examples of policy reform is Finland. Being of Finnish decent, I have long had a personal interest in learning of the areas in which Finland excels, including art & design, environmentalism and education. I wanted to further look into some of the policies cited by OECD.

OECD provides an in depth profile of the country in their publication Education Policy Outlook: Finland. The educational system is notable for high student achievement in math and science, with minimal outcome difference based on student background. Day care and Pre-K are available to all. The teaching profession is highly respected, with higher than average salaries. Higher education is tuition free. Finnish educational initiatives highlighting by OECD include equal educational opportunities; with programs targets to boys and immigrants who tend to perform lower, development of general and vocational education programs, proficiency of school leaders and teachers, assessment, governance and autonomy, and public funding.  On a political and social level Finns believe in the value of education, which has provided the stability needed to maintain a successful government funded system.

A publication by the Finnish Ministry of Education, Strategy for the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions in Finland 2009-2015, gives five primary goals for internationalization:

‘A Genuinely International Higher Education Community’, ‘Increasing the Quality and Attractiveness of Higher Education Institutions’, ‘Promoting the Export of Expertise’, ‘Supporting a Multicultural Society’, and ‘Promoting Global Responsibility’. They seek to increase the number of international faculty, researchers and students, and offer programs taught in other languages. The internationalization of higher education is seen as a path to provide national competence in a global workplace.

What stood out to me in the publications, was that among the impressive facts and statistics was the presence of self critique about shortfalls and room for improvement. Concerns include lack of  awareness of the system outside of Finland, non-fluent Finnish speakers feeling out of place in the higher ed community, and their (comparatively low) unemployment rate.

Finland, a country with a population of only 5.4 million and a wide reaching welfare system, has an educational system that may not be realistically replicated elsewhere. However, the presence of its policies in the OECD readings on education reform show that it can be looked to as an example of what a successful system can be.

Allison Olly

References:

http://www.oecd.org/edu/EDUCATION%20POLICY%20OUTLOOK%20FINLAND_EN.pdf

http://www.minedu.fi/export/sites/default/OPM/Julkaisut/2009/liitteet/opm23.pdf?lang=en