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Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Quality and Access in Higher Education.| Life long Learning |

 QUESTION:

Write a comprehensive note on the following

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER

a) Quality and Access in higher education.

Assessment is a systemic process in higher education that uses empirical data on student learning to refine programs and improve student learning.[1] As a continuous process, assessment establishes measurable and clear student learning outcomes for learning, provisioning a sufficient amount of learning opportunities to achieve these outcomes, implementing a systematic way of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well student learning matches expectations, and using the collected information to inform improvement in student learning.

Quality in education

Access to education is important, but just as important is actually learning basic knowledge and skills in the classroom. Many children across the world cannot read, despite having attended school for several years. High-quality education is a prerequisite for learning and human development.

Quality is affected by factors both inside and outside the classroom – everything from the availability of a teacher and teaching aids to the child’s starting point when it comes to mother tongue language or general health, for example. Overall, securing high-quality education is a considerable challenge, particularly for countries with limited resources, where educational systems are prevented from functioning normally.

Assessment in higher education can focus on the individual learner, a course, an academic program, or the institution.
1. Course-level Assessment
2. Program-level Assessment

Course-level Assessment

Assessment embedded at the course level (sometimes referred to as embedded assessment or authentic assessment) typically involves the use of assignments.[3] Students receive feedback on their performance on assignments and faculty gain knowledge of student learning to use for grading.[4] The work assessed within courses best relates to specific program-level student learning outcomes. Angelo and Cross[5] believe assessment in the classroom is an important part of the faculty feedback loop which can provide meaningful information about their effectiveness as teachers while also giving students a measure of their progress as learners.

Student Perception of Feedback[ Studies show feedback is valued by students.[6] Feedback that is timely, specific, and delivered individually helps to reinforce this perception.[7] This type of feedback, usually referred to as Just In Time, helps to create a feedback loop between student and teacher. Students generally find more utility in formative feedback when they are also presented with strategies on how to use the feedback.[8] These strategies help with perception because they tackle a lack of understanding of academic discourse which hinders students' ability to use the feedback effectively.[6]

Quality of Feedback on Assessment

Timing is crucial in the delivery of feedback to students.[9] Kift and Moody claim that the complexity of the assignment should dictate how soon feedback should provided. For simpler tasks, feedback should be provided within 24 hours. However, if the task is more complicated, giving students time for reflection before providing feedback is more beneficial. "Effective feedback should be task-related and focus on student performance rather than personal attributes of the student." [10] Studies have shown that the way feedback is delivered can have either positive or negative effects on the student.[11] Corrective feedback helps to move student learning forward and improves future assessments.


b). Life long Learning

Lifelong learning is the broad term for education that is conducted beyond school. Therefore it’s voluntary, rather than compulsory, and is completely self-motivated – with the main goal being to improve personal or professional development. here are many different ways to carry on your education – whether it’s by taking a course, or continuing your personal development in a less formal setting. And it doesn’t necessarily have to come at a cost.

To help you see which options are open to you, here’s everything you need to know about lifelong learning:
some examples of lifelong learning?
Because it’s such a broad term, there are many different ways you could continue adding to your knowledge.

Some examples of lifelong learning include:
· Internships and apprenticeships
· Vocational courses
· Teaching yourself a new language
· Studying a new subject
· Learning to use new pieces of technology
· Playing a new game or sport
· Adding to your skillset during employment
· Gaining knowledge and learned behaviors from your environment

However, this is by no means an extensive list – and any attempts to actively build your skills will generally fall under the category of lifelong learning.
What are the benefits of lifelong learning?

There are several advantages to this form of studying. Including:
· To gain a new qualification
· To add to your transferable skills
· To increase your employability and promotion prospects
· To earn more money
· To fill a skills gap
· To broaden your knowledge
· To better contribute to the community
· Mental stimulation
· Personal and professional satisfaction
· sing that formal qualifications aren’t the only way to identify desirable staff.
· The knowledge gained through previous experience, as well as any skills that have been self-taught or learned along the way, could greatly benefit the business.

Lifelong learning also ensures their employees continue to develop and show their desire to grow on a professional level. If you’re considering continuing your education but you’re not sure where to start, here are some of our top tips:

Utilise technology – Whatever subject you’re interested in, there is a wealth of online resources out there to help you learn. Listen to podcasts, download eBooks, take a distance learning course, or join forums to continue your development.

Ask your employer – If you’re already at work, ask your employer to help you with personal development planning. Chances are they already offer a lot of training internally, and may even subsidize the cost of a new certification if it helps add value to the business.

Stay motivated – Because this form of learning is completely voluntary, it will often require self-motivation and dedication to stay focused. Offer yourself incentives to keep going, or ask a friend or family member to help you stay on track.

Add some structure – Try setting aside the same amount of time for studying each night, or each week, make sure you stick to it, and try and write down a goal for each session. Take your learning seriously, and you’re far more likely to stick to it.

Take every opportunity – It isn’t just a new certification you can gain from lifelong learning. There are plenty of opportunities out there to add to your knowledge, from taking a class in the local community center to joining reading groups or even watching webinars.


Related Topics 

 Quality and Access in Higher Education and Life long Learning 

The Future of Higher Education and the Role of Technology in Distance Education

Scope and Significance of Assessment in Higher Education and Used Different Kinds of Assessment  Techniques 

Concept and Nature of Financing in Education

Comparison Between German and Pakistan Higher Education

Need and Scope of Research in Higher Education 

 National Education Policy 2009

Different Organizations in the Development of Higher Education in Pakistan

Status of Higher Education in Pakistan and Planning of Higher Education in Pakistan

Higher Education in Socio-Economic Development and Importance of Education in Economic Development 

Monday, August 29, 2022

The Future of Higher Education | Role Technology in Distance Education

QUESTION:

Highlight the future trends in higher education and the role of technology in distance mode of learning. 

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER

The Future of Higher Education:

The most important challenge involves a shift in the way students consume higher education. Instead of attending a single institution, students receive credit in multiple ways, including from early-college/dual-degree programs, community colleges, online providers, and various universities. Students are voting with their feet, embracing online courses, and undermining core curricula, which served as a cash cow, by turning to alternate providers and pursuing fewer majors that require the study of a foreign language.

As a result, colleges must become more nimble, entrepreneurial, student-focused, and accountable for what students learn. I am a historian and far better at interpreting the past than forecasting the future.” This report goes on to predict 15 innovations that will alter the face of higher education.

The future of higher education depends on innovation.

We have put together 4 articles consisting of educated predictions, research, and reports that can provide an indication of what the future holds for universities and business schools:

“The most important challenge involves a shift in the way students consume higher education. Instead of attending a single institution, students receive credit in multiple ways, including from early-college/dual-degree programs, community colleges, online providers, and numerous universities. Students are voting with their feet, embracing online courses, and undermining core curricula, which served as a cash cow, by turning to alternate providers and pursuing fewer majors that require the study of a foreign language.

As a result, colleges must become more nimble, entrepreneurial, student-focused, and accountable for what students learn. I am a historian and far better at interpreting the past than forecasting the future.” This report goes on to predict 15 innovations that will alter the face of higher education.


Full Story: The Chronicle

Everything from the emergence of MOOCs to new learning styles and mounting financial and sustainability pressures is impacting the education landscape. Higher education leaders are developing new strategies to leverage these challenges and opportunities every day.

The common denominator amidst all this change: is students. To best recruit and retain students, universities need to evaluate how they offer a student life experience that prepares students to be healthy and dynamic people in the future. That means universities need to embrace sustainability and wellness as key components of campus life. Spelman College recently differentiated itself by diverting all of its athletic funding to create a “Wellness Revolution,” focused on best promoting the health of its students. e expect that in the coming years, long-standing models of higher education that prefer tradition and stability will be supplemented, if not displaced, by new models that embrace organizational innovation, responsivity, and adaptation.


A dual transformation design strategy has proved especially effective for addressing both legacy and emerging markets. According to this approach, operations act in parallel—one
to develop strategies that optimize the core organization to become more responsive to the new profile of demands it faces, and the second to design and implement disruptive innovations that provide a basis for future growth, agility, and responsivity.1 We provide here a set of recommendations for how dual transformation can be implemented in higher education. virtual reality, robotic telepresence, and cyber defense will be driving forces in digital- learning at colleges and universities over the next 20 years.

Role Technology in Distance Education

The concept of ‘Distance Education‘ is not new and can be traced as far back as the first century. The Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christian Churches, teaching them from a distance even from his prison cell. However, organizational use of distance learning methods was first introduced in the 19th century. One of the first universities to deliver distance learning in an organized manner was Pennsylvania State University which established its first distance learning network in 1886.

Today, distance education calls upon an impressive, range of technologies to enable teachers and students who are separated by distance, to communicate with each other either in real-time (synchronous) or delayed time (asynchronous). Due to modern communication and technologies, today's educational transactions through distance mode are being utilized by students and teachers engaged in both formal and open systems of education. Rai (2000) has defined three types of distance education systems, viz., Institute-centered, Person-centered, and Society-based.

(i). Institute–Centered Distance Education System:

In this system, there is a predominance of systematic models of education. The institutional mission focuses on the cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the system. Academics become consultants to the institution for material design and development. All other functionaries in the institution are assigned essential functions with accountability and individual responsibility.

(ii). Person – PersonCentered distance Education system:

Under this system of distance education, the programmers are more individualized and negotiable as the aim is to serve the individual learner. Individualized learning is personally negotiated and is followed up by tutors/counselors. 

(iii). Society-Based Distance Education System:

In the society-based distance education system learning, materials are developed by the needs of the community. These are used in community situations where the teacher strives to involve the entire community In the study of the learning materials. The teacher functions as a facilitator to identify learning goals, evaluate learning materials, etc.

Before discussing the various media and technologies of distance education, appropriate to deliberate upon its objectives in brief the distance education attempts:

§ to provide an opportunity for education to those who had discontinued their formal education due to one reason or another at any age and class. Working persons, economically and otherwise disabled persons, or persons residing in remote areas may improve and advance their academic careers through distance education;

§ To provide quality education and training to a large number of students at lower costs than the conventional education system;

§ To make access to higher education;

§ to promote education as a lifelong activity by providing necessary access to the masses, particularly to the disadvantageous groups like those living in rural areas, the employed, women, weaker sections of society, and many others wishing to acquire and upgrade knowledge and skills, at their doorsteps;

§ to provide a flexible and diversified innovative education system that is open in the methods of learning, pace, place, and eligibility criterion as well as in every operation of the program;

§ to promote courses leading to gainful employment, tailored to specific vocational/professional needs, as also being relevant to local needs;

Media in distance education is a kind of delivery system, which includes all kinds of mechanical devices directed to educational use. These devices are used to communicate knowledge or ideas to a large number of people who are located in far-off rural and remote areas. The distance education program can be enriched and made more attractive, effective, and satisfying for learning by using a variety of media content. The facilities that can be provided for these programs should attempt to exploit the potential of the variety of powerful media rendered by modem technology.



Related Topics 

 Quality and Access in Higher Education and Life long Learning 

The Future of Higher Education and the Role of Technology in Distance Education

Scope and Significance of Assessment in Higher Education and Used Different Kinds of Assessment  Techniques 

Concept and Nature of Financing in Education

Comparison Between German and Pakistan Higher Education

Need and Scope of Research in Higher Education 

 National Education Policy 2009

Different Organizations in the Development of Higher Education in Pakistan

Status of Higher Education in Pakistan and Planning of Higher Education in Pakistan

Higher Education in Socio-Economic Development and Importance of Education in Economic Development 

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Scope and Significance of Assessment in Higher Education | Used Different Kinds of Assessment Techniques

 QUESTION

Discuss the scope and significance of assessment in higher education. Identify different kinds of assessment techniques used by the university teacher.

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER

Scope and significance of assessment in higher education.

I'm sure you know the feeling of anticipation when you are about to take a quiz or test. Did you take detailed class notes and study enough? And you surely have been assigned various essays. Did you give yourself enough time to research, write, and revise your essay to meet the requirements? Exams and essays along with speeches and projects are forms of assessment. Assessment is a critical step in the learning process. It determines whether or not the course's learning
objectives have been met. A learning objective is what students should know or be able to do by the time a lesson is completed. Assessment affects many facets of education, including student grades, placement, and advancement as well as curriculum, instructional needs, and school funding.


The Effects of Assessment

Let's look at a couple of the main effects of assessment:

Student Learning:

Assessment is a key component of learning because it helps students learn. When students can see how they are doing in a class, they can determine whether or not they understand the course material. Assessment can also help motivate students. If students know they are doing poorly, they may begin to work harder.

Imagine this situation:

Johnny is a chemistry student. He just took his first exam in his class. He earned 56%; he needs 79% to pass the class. The low exam score lets Johnny know that he missed something important he should have learned. Perhaps, he did not understand the material, or maybe he did not study long enough. Whatever the case, the assessment results let Johnny know that he did not successfully learn the material and that he must try something new to earn a better score.

Teaching:

Just as assessment helps students, assessment helps teachers. Frequent assessment allows teachers to see if their teaching has been effective. The assessment also allows teachers to ensure students learn what they need to know to meet the course's learning objectives.


Imagine this situation:

Pre-assessment or diagnostic assessment

Before creating the instruction, it’s necessary to know for what kind of students you’re creating the instruction. Your goal is to get to know your student’s strengths, weaknesses, and the skills and knowledge they possess before taking the instruction. Based on the data you’ve collected, you can create your own instruction. 

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is used in the first attempt at developing instruction. The goal is to monitor student learning to provide feedback. It helps identify the first gaps in your instruction. Based on this feedback you’ll know what to focus on for further expansion of your instruction.

Summative assessment

Summative assessment is aimed at assessing the extent to which the most important outcomes at the end of the instruction have been reached. But it measures more: the effectiveness of learning, reactions to the instruction, and the benefits on a long-term basis. The long-term benefits can be determined by following students who attend your course, or test. You can see whether and how they use the learned knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Read more about formative and summative assessments.

Confirmative assessment

When your instruction has been implemented in your classroom, it’s still necessary to take the assessment. Your goal with confirmative assessments is to find out if the instruction is still a success after a year, for example, and if the way you're teaching is still on point. You could say that a confirmative assessment is an extensive form of a summative assessment.

Norm-referenced assessment

This compares a student’s performance against an average norm. This could be the average national norm for the subject of History, for example. Another example is when the teacher compares the average grade of his or her students against the average grade of the entire school.

Criterion-referenced assessment

It measures students’ performances against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards. It checks what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education. Criterion-referenced tests are used to evaluate a specific body of knowledge or skill set, it’s a test to evaluate the curriculum taught in a course.

Ipsative assessment

It measures the performance of a student against previous performances from that student. With this method, you’re trying to improve yourself by comparing previous results. You’re not comparing yourself to other students, which may be not so good for your self-confidence.


Concept and Nature of Financing in Education | How to Stage in Higher Education can be Minimized

QUESTION

Explain the concept and nature of financing in education. how to stage in higher education can be minimized.

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER

Concept and nature of financing in education:


Financial literacy is important because it equips us with the knowledge and skills we need to manage money effectively. Without it, our financial decisions and the actions we take—or
don’t take—lack an informed foundation to maximize their success. And this can have dire consequences.


· Nearly half of Americans don’t expect to have enough money to retire comfortably.
· Credit card debt has reached its highest point ever.
· Forty percent of Americans can’t afford a $400 emergency expense.


Given the above statistics, it might not be surprising that nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a basic test of financial literacy.
To explore the importance of financial literacy, we turned to personal finance experts working in colleges, high schools, and credit unions. Together, the populations they serve span a broad range of ages, incomes, and backgrounds. These educators witness first-hand the impact that financial literacy—or the lack of financial literacy—can have on a person’s life.


We posed the same question to each of them: “Why is financial literacy important?” Here’s what they had to say.
For college students, financial literacy is important because the formula for college success today only has two factors: grades and money. Professors and instructors thoroughly educate students on academic requirements and grading policies. It’s often new financial responsibilities and realities that campuses are not adequately educating or preparing students for success.


Research has even shown that students are more likely to drop out of school because of “outside pressures” than poor grades. Student success is no longer constrained to classrooms
or defined by academic performance alone. The future success of our students relies on providing opportunities for them to learn, develop, and strengthen core life skills they need today and more importantly tomorrow as successful graduates. Our team is proud to be creating a new paradigm within higher education by bringing the topic of money out of the
shadows. We have become national leaders in our field by confirming that personal financial education services are no longer an exception for today’s students—they are an expectation.”


DEVELOPMENT:

 

The following basic questions were formulated before the methodology development:
• What basic principles should be used as a basis for the methodology?
• Should the ranking be presented in the format of a traditional system of leagues or a system of comparison/correlation of the universities?
• What data should the ranking be based on?


Round University Ranking (RUR) is an international ranking of leading world universities published by the RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia). The ranking provides a comparison
of 930 leading universities from 80 countries around the world for 8 years (2010-2017) according to 20 indicators distributed into 4 areas: teaching, research, international diversity, and financial sustainability. Such a wide coverage, both geographically and temporally, makes RUR ranking a unique tool for choosing universities for study and work, as well as comparing higher education institutions on a global scale. Round University Ranking (RUR) is based on the data provided by Clarivate Analytics (formerly the IP&Science business of Thomson Reuters).

 

RUR ranking is:
a navigator in the world of higher education enabling applicants and their parents to choose the appropriate higher institution and the way of training;
a tool for students to choose a higher education institution for their short-term programs or change their main place of study;
a tool for teachers and professors enabling them to find suitable vacancies and make decisions about cooperation with their colleagues in other universities;
• an assessment tool for the management of universities evaluating the competitiveness of a university on the national and global scale and making the appropriate management decisions aimed at comprehensive improvement of the university’s international competitiveness;
one of the assessment tools for business evaluating the university and making decisions about cooperation with a particular higher education institution;
• a tool for the state to comprehensively assess the country's higher education system as well as a way of maintaining national prestige.


Publication bias


Publication bias is an issue that can lead to biased results in a meta-analysis. Publication bias occurs when not all research has been published or reported. Studies may not be reported or
published because of non-significant results, or because the results are not valued properly by journal editors or by other researchers. When these studies report different results from those in the analysis, bias arises.


The majority of the studies used in this review are journal articles (46.15%). Roughly half of the studies are located outside journals, and the possibility exists that we do not have to cope
with publication bias. However, we also want to draw attention to two caveats. First of all, most articles in this review sample are in the field of education economics. A tradition in this field is that unpublished articles are often made available online because of the long time that elapses before publication. As a result, some of our “unpublished” papers may be published in the future. Secondly, it is not really clear what unpublished means in the digital area.


Indeed, most documents can be easily obtained via internet searches independently of being controlled by commercial publishers.


Related Topics 

 Quality and Access in Higher Education and Life long Learning 

The Future of Higher Education and the Role of Technology in Distance Education

Scope and Significance of Assessment in Higher Education and Used Different Kinds of Assessment  Techniques 

Concept and Nature of Financing in Education

Comparison Between German and Pakistan Higher Education

Need and Scope of Research in Higher Education 

 National Education Policy 2009

Different Organizations in the Development of Higher Education in Pakistan

Status of Higher Education in Pakistan and Planning of Higher Education in Pakistan

Higher Education in Socio-Economic Development and Importance of Education in Economic Development 

Friday, August 26, 2022

Comparison Between Germany and Pakistan Higher Education | Types of programs

QUESTION

Describe the system of higher education in Germany, and compare this system with the higher education system of Pakistan.

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

 ANSWER

In Germany, higher education is offered at three types of Higher Education Institutions.

o Universities(Universitäten)


These institutions offer a whole range of academic disciplines. In the German tradition, universities focus in particular on basic research so that advanced stages of study have mainly theoretical orientation and research-oriented components.


o Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen)


These institutions concentrate their study programs in engineering and other technical disciplines, business-related studies, social work, and design areas. The common mission of applied research and development implies a distinct application-oriented focus and professional character of studies, which include integrated and supervised work assignments in industry, enterprises, or other relevant institutions. 


o Universities of Art/Music (Kunst- und Musikhochschulen)


These institutions offer studies for artistic careers in fine arts, performing arts, and music; in such fields as directing, production, and writing in theatre, film, and other media; and in a variety of design areas, architecture, media, and communication. Besides these three main types, which may be either state institutions or private institutions recognized by the state, some special categories exist, like church-maintained colleges, universities of cooperative education (Berufsakademien), colleges of education, or colleges of public administration. In their operations, including the organization of studies and the designation and award of degrees, all types are subject to higher education legislation.


Types of programs


German higher education used to be offered in integrated "long" (one-tier) programs leading to Diplom- or Magister Artium degrees or completed by a Staatsprüfung (State Examination).


German higher education is currently adapting to the three-cycle degree system of the European Higher Education Area. Therefore, the old one-tier programs are successively being replaced by a new system. Bachelor's and Master's programs are now offered at most institutions instead of the integrated "long" programs, except for most study programs in law and medicine.

 

 The Bachelor's and Master's programs are designed to provide an enlarged variety and flexibility to students in planning and pursuing educational objectives and they also intend to enhance international compatibility of studies and thus international mobility. Increasingly, higher education institutions offer study programs taught in English to attract a larger number of incoming students. Doctorate or Ph.D. programs are for the most part not yet subject to state regulations, but there exists a clear trend toward more integrated programs.



Comparison Between German and Pakistan Higher Education:


INDICATORS FOR THE QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN 

Higher educational policymaking is a very important aspect of the quality of Higher Education, because all the planning, implications, controls, results, etc. are included in this policy-making discussion, and indicators can be effectively used for policy decisions (Cohen, 1980). 

In Pakistan National Educational Policy in 1979 decided that the universities would be facilitated with adequate educational scientific equipment and laboratory facilities, and libraries with updated equipment. A national system for admission to a university has been developed and launched (Read Pakistan, 2015).

 

Pre- and In-service teacher training programs had been organized by the National Academy of Higher Education. And the standard amendment in the University Act has been made for the betterment of the university management. According to the factors/indicators that had been decided in the national education policy in 1979, the first university in the private sector, the Agha Khan University was established in 1983, then the Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) in 1985. This has set the trend for the establishment of other private universities in the private sector according to these standard indicators.

 

Factors like the administration management, quality of teachers, accreditation, student clubs, and 80% attendance strict call have also been included in policy in 1992. 1998-2010 policy brought additional to upgrade the quality of Higher Education by bringing teaching, learning, and research processes in line with international standards. Furthermore, the quality of students like the standard of student intake and infrastructure e.g. curricula are considered as the major quality factors of Higher Education. For all these things policy making and its implementation is a very important issue.


t can also be assumed that there are no uniform implementation criteria for HEC for universities. Although the universities are passing through a transition period e.g. due to a lack of enough financial resources, the proper yardstick of HEC to assess the quality of the universities is violated badly by the institutes. For example, private universities violate the standard criteria for the selection of the appropriate faculty members and for the admission of students.

 

Public universities have competitive faculty compared to private institutes but the infrastructure of public universities is not so standard. So both public and private universities have strengths and weaknesses. It is the responsibility of HEC to develop and maintain the standard uniform quality criteria. This is to ensure the provision of quality education at Pakistani Universities. Nevertheless, it is now quite interesting to know about the quality of the higher education system in Germany.1

 

SHORT INTRODUCTION TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN GERMANY 

There are different higher educational institutes with equivalent status in Germany, which provide different types of Higher Education. The higher educational institutes are based on universities, universities of applied sciences, and colleges of art and music. These institutes are accredited and private, state higher educational institutions financed and run by the state, recognized private institutions, and the protestant and catholic churches. Some universities are areas specific such as Medicine, Art, and Technology. Whereas the practical work contained areas of Engineering, Business, and Social Sciences have been offered by applied sciences universities which most private higher educational institutes of this country are. However, the overall educational institutes have decreased, but the Higher Educational institutes in Germany have risen to 24% from 1996/7 Bildungsbericht, 2014).

Due to the founding of in the meanwhile large number of applied universities, but with less number of students, the number of higher educational institutions becomes and more. Students are mostly registered in state universities. One reason can be the significant rising number of study courses on offer, which are approximately 9500 Bachelor's and 7000 Master's programs (Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung (2014), Bildung in Deutschland 2014). 


Related Topics 

 Quality and Access in Higher Education and Life long Learning 

The Future of Higher Education and the Role of Technology in Distance Education

Scope and Significance of Assessment in Higher Education and Used Different Kinds of Assessment  Techniques 

Concept and Nature of Financing in Education

Comparison Between German and Pakistan Higher Education

Need and Scope of Research in Higher Education 

 National Education Policy 2009

Different Organizations in the Development of Higher Education in Pakistan

Status of Higher Education in Pakistan and Planning of Higher Education in Pakistan

Higher Education in Socio-Economic Development and Importance of Education in Economic Development 

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Need and Scope of Research in Higher Education | What Steps can be Taken To Promote Research Culture in Pakistan

 QUESTION

 Elaborate on the need and scope of research in higher education and what steps can be taken to promote research culture in Pakistan

Course: Higher Education
Course code 8625
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment

ANSWER:

Scope Research in Higher Education is directed to those concerned with the functioning of post-secondary education, including two-year and four-year colleges, universities, and graduate and professional schools. It is of primary interest to institutional researchers and planners, faculty, college and university administrators, student personnel specialists, and behavioral scientists.


By concentrating so heavily on graduation rates and attainment levels, policymakers are ignoring danger signs that the amount that students learn in college may have declined over the past few decades and could well continue to do so in the years to come. The reasons for concern include:


§ College students today seem to be spending much less time on their coursework than their predecessors did 50 years ago, and evidence of their abilities suggests that they are probably learning less than students once did and quite possibly less than their counterparts in many other advanced industrial countries.


§ Employers complain that many graduates they hire are deficient in basic skills such as writing, problem-solving, and critical thinking that college leaders and their faculties consistently rank among the most important goals of undergraduate education.


§ Most of the millions of additional students needed to increase educational attainment levels will come to campus poorly prepared for college work, creating a danger that higher graduation rates will be achievable only by lowering academic standards.


§ More than two-thirds of college instructors today are not on the tenure track but are lecturers serving on year-to-year contracts. Many of them are hired without undergoing the vetting commonly used in appointing tenure-track professors. Studies indicate that extensive use of such instructors may contribute to higher dropout rates and grade inflation.


§ States have made substantial cuts in support per student over the past 30 years for public colleges and community colleges. Research suggests that failing to increase appropriations to keep pace with enrollment growth tends to reduce learning and even lower graduation rates.


While some college leaders are making serious efforts to improve the quality of teaching, many others seem content with their existing programs. Although they recognize the existence of problems affecting higher education as a whole, such as grade inflation or a decline in the rigor of academic standards, few seem to believe that these difficulties exist on their own campus, or they tend to attribute most of the difficulty to the poor preparation of students before they enroll.


Seven things that could help you promote good research integrity, and contribute to improving research culture:


1. Small steps can make a big difference

Facilitating open discussions can help foster a more collaborative environment, by giving researchers the chance to share their experiences of not only their successes but also their “failures”. This helps to build respect and trust within the research team, by talking openly and giving support when things don’t always go right. The Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, based at the University of Bristol, has a range of different communication channels to support their work, with one focused specifically on “triumph and disaster”, which dispels the assumption that senior academics have had continuous successes to get to their esteemed positions.

2. Establishing support systems can boost morale and enhance positive research

Providing and promoting career counseling, coaching and support services available to staff may help to reduce pressures within a research environment, which is imperative to staff well-being. This can help in limiting stress and time pressures, and connect researchers to other resources available at their institution, such as forms for deadline extensions, assistance programs, career services, and mental health and well-being services. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center provides a career-counseling service solely to their scientists, providing the opportunity to discuss their career paths and the steps they need to take to progress.


3. Ensure everyone is on the same page


Research teams could openly discuss, amend, and build on existing guidelines, to develop a consensus on their collective and individual behaviors and attitudes. This could be used to
develop a group standard or pledge, ensuring all team members are aware of what is expected in the research environment. This helps to enhance a positive culture by refining standards and “norms”. The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park developed a code of good scientific practice, which sets out the expectations of individuals and the collective research team.

 

4. Research culture “cafes” are an excellent way to share best practice


Encourage researchers and support staff to find time and space to meet to share ideas and experiences. By involving other departments, institutions, and sectors, discussions can focus
on improving research integrity and culture, to share best practices on what has worked, what hasn’t, and its impact. The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park is one example of where this has been put into practice.


5. Organization, department, and team leaders leading by example in promoting an excellent research culture

Often seen as “role models” to their early-career peers, organization, department, and team leaders who are at the forefront of promoting a positive research culture – such as by taking part in training, encouraging discussions to address difficult questions openly and honestly and by having an open door policy – set a “norm” and redefine standards. Participants at the Royal Society’s research culture workshops gave examples of leaders initiating small but impactful ways to set the culture and improve morale in the workplace. An example of this is setting regular hours, to tackle the perception that only academics working extensive hours are successful.


6. Discuss training gaps for all team members


Career progression is a key factor in retention and enhances not only the quality of research for the institution but for the research community as a whole. Researchers can feel more
valued if skills needs are reviewed individually and as a group, ensuring they all possess the necessary skills for their roles, such as statistics, data handling, proposal writing, and resource management. And following on from this, identifying gaps, and offering courses for development. Software Carpentry developed such an initiative, by running training workshops at the University of Florida, to increase the data literacy of university staff.


7. Embed research culture at an institutional level


Highlight the importance of research culture and engage all staff across the organization by hosting a research culture and integrity day. Presentations, workshops, and panel discussions
could be given from across the organization. Different departments could showcase the ways they have improved research culture and integrity, as well as address areas where there is still room for improvement. The University of Nevada organized an “Ignite Integrity Week” where all staff was encouraged to participate in activities to discuss good practice.


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