Search results for "Perspective"
showing 10 items of 1523 documents
The dimensions of social dynamics in comparative studies on higher education
2013
This article discusses social dynamics of higher education which is one of the most crucial but neglected perspectives in comparative studies of higher education. We pay attention to the importance of time, space and contexts—both geographical and socio-cultural ones—to reveal how they influence on different social dynamics in various systems of higher education. The article focuses on the national higher education system level. Theoretically we approach higher education systems from a relational perspective paying attention to dynamics created by changing relationships between different actors in cultural, geographical and historical contexts. peerReviewed
Despre fertilitatea erorilor. Imitație și inovație în învățământul superior, Robert D. Reisz, Editura Trei, București, 2018, 224 p.
2020
In his book, Robert Reisz approaches the challenging topic of the reproduction of the humboldtian and napoleonian models of higher education systems. It includes a thorough history of how these models appeared and a particularly interesting discussion about their diffusion across the world. Taking a neoinstitutional perspective, the author aims to describe the process of imitation (as a form of innovation) that is happening during the institutionalization of the models of universities in various historical, cultural and social settings. Apart from a specialists’ public – experts and academics – the book is addressing to a wide public, including any social actor involved or interested, eithe…
Sharing Perspectives in Virtual Interaction: Review of Methods of Analysis
2003
The aim of this paper is to describe the methodological solutions made in the studies that are part of the SHAPE research project. The SHAPE project investigates the quality and nature of virtual interaction in a higher education context. The study aims to find out variables that mediate the process of collaboration, particularly the emerging processes of sharing and constructing perspectives in virtual interaction. For conducting these studies we have developed various methods and models of analysis in order to gain better understanding of the process of collaboration in virtual interaction. In this paper, we will make a review of some of the SHAPE analysis methods used in the series of ou…
The Bologna Process in Finland
2007
The aim of this chapter is to analyse how the Bologna Process influences Finnish higher education by examining what changes are related to or caused by it. The study focuses first on the social field of national higher education policy-making, and second on the study of higher education institutions examined from the perspective of academic basic units. The study is based on critical analysis of national policy documents and on a qualitative case study conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla in the spring term of 2004. The qualitative case study was based on thematic focus group interviews. The themes of the interview can be found in the Appendix 1. In order to reach a more comprehensive u…
Responsible Universities in Context
2019
AbstractIn this introductory chapter, the concept of the responsible university is introduced and put into context, first concerning other organisations and society at large, secondly in a historical perspective and thirdly related to policy initiatives across the globe. We also discuss how to implement this concept within the complex organisations that universities constitute. Lastly, we present some key features of the Nordic countries and introduce the empirical chapters of the book.
Feedback on individual academic presentations: exploring Finnish university students’ experiences and preferences
2015
With an increasing emphasis on measuring the outcomes of learning in higher education, assessment is gaining an ever more prominent role in curriculum design and development as well as in instructional practices. In formative assessment, feedback is regarded as a powerful pedagogical tool driving student engagement and deep learning. The efficacy of feedback, however, depends on a multitude of factors. From a learning cultures perspective (James 2014), assessment strives for an appropriate balance between structural constraints and individual agency. To have a better grasp of how feedback functions in practice, it is useful to investigate students’ views and preferences as well as the immed…
Studying at University as Part of Student Life and Identity Construction
2013
The study examines how students see their time at university as part of life and identity construction. The research data are based on a questionnaire administered to Finnish-speaking undergraduates at the University of Jyvaskyla on the topic “How do you see your time as a student from the perspective of life construction?” A total of 283 students responded to the open-ended question on this topic. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Reflections on personal and professional identity predominated in the responses, as well as questions related to social relations and their construction. Very many students experienced their time studying as a positive period. In addition many studen…
Conclusions – The Institutional and Organisational Layers of Finnish Higher Education
2019
The concluding chapter of the book discusses contemporary Finnish universities from the perspective of historical layers, which have accumulated over time and have laid the foundation on which new ideas, processes, and structures have been built and which they have also sought to challenge. According to the author, multiple historical layers can be found in teaching, research, and institutional decision-making and administration. He shows how in academic contexts, different historical layers easily support each other, whereas in organisational decision-making, management, and administration, different mentalities, practices, processes, and goals often lead to tensions.
Career practitioners' conceptions of social media in career services
2013
This article reports the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of career practitioners' conceptions of social media usage in career services. Fifteen Finnish career practitioners – representing comprehensive, secondary and higher education as well as public employment services – were interviewed in focus groups. The analysis of the interview data revealed five distinct descriptive categories reflecting the career practitioners' conceptions of social media's use in career services. Social media in career services was conceived as (1) unnecessary, (2) dispensable, (3) a possibility, (4) desirable and (5) indispensable. The results indicated associations between …
What Symbionts Teach us about Modularity
2013
The main goal of Synthetic Biology is to apply engineering principles to biotechnology in order to make life easier to engineer. These engineering principles include modularity: decoupling of complex systems into smaller, orthogonal subsystems that can be used in a range of different applications. The successful use of modules in engineering is expected to be reproduced in synthetic biological systems. But the difficulties experienced up to date with synthetic biology approaches question the short-term feasibility of designing life. Considering the “engineerable” nature of life, here we discuss the existence of modularity in natural living systems, particularly in symbiotic interactions, an…