A Critical Policy Analysis of Internationalization in Postsecondary Education : An Ontario Case Study

Using a case study approach, I investigate a very timely and significant policy issue regarding postsecondary education. While internationalization seems to be ubiquitous in universities’ policy rhetoric and statements in the Canadian context, specifically in Ontario, it is unclear what values drive internationalization and how they influence policies and initiatives at a public university in Ontario. Relying on Easton’s approach of policy as the ‘authoritative allocation of values’ and drawing on critical policy analysis, I perceive policy as ‘the practice of values’. The critical policy approach and the centrality of values in analysis require a consideration be given not only to what values are represented, but to understanding whose values are represented and whose voices are missing in internationalization activities and related policy statements. By interrogating policy perceptions conveyed through interviews with university administrators and faculty, and reflected in policy statements and administration rhetoric, this study found the emergence and presence of two major discourses of values driving internationalization policies: liberal-academic and neoliberal-instrumental. The liberal-academic discourse is constituted by two sets of values: educational/academic and multicultural/humanitarian. The neoliberal-instrumental discourse is also comprised of two other sets: market-based and competition-based values. Moreover, the findings support there is a significant gap between the meaning of internationalization in theory and its perception in practice. From a critical point of view, internationalization is rhetorically (in theory) acknowledged as ideological components, and literally (in practice) recognized as different realistic components with some pragmatic rationales. Additionally, although participants from different administrative positions and faculties share the same values regarding the necessity of internationalization, there are significant differences between their perceptions and attitudes about the meanings, rationales, and agendas of internationalization. The study shows the gradual extension of commercial logic and market values that historically have been absent from traditional university policies in Ontario to educational initiatives and academic values. The study recommends internationalization initiatives require harmony and a dynamic balance between the two identified discourses of values. There is, therefore, an imperative need to maintain balance in the global market of internationalization and to protect academic and humanitarian values and rationales of postsecondary education

Quality Model for Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Web Content

With the philosophy of providing open education to all, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which introduced in 2006, has been through its first decade. Despite its popularity and worldwide acceptance, MOOC faces a few criticisms about the weaknesses of its content such as lack of clarity, unstructured, poor design and lack of fundamental initial requirements. This caused by the paucity of understanding among content providers about the facet of qualities contributes to the content. There are some previous efforts to improve the quality of MOOCs, but none focused on the content from the content providers or experts' view. As a result, most of the vital internal quality factors are neglected. Besides, the operational definition for the MOOC content quality factors is still missing or not well-defined. Therefore, this research proposes a quality model for MOOC web content as a content provider’s reference to develop quality MOOC content. In order to achieve that, three basic elements were implemented which is the content’s provider perspective, MOOC content quality dimensions and MOOC content quality factors. Development of MOOC content quality dimension is based on 7C’s model and PDCA for continuity, while the determination of factors involves the process like a revision of the possible factors from literature, factors combination and categorization. This proposed hierarchical model tends to make MOOC's learning more optimistic and beneficial to the learners through the development of high-quality content

MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available to anyone who can sign up. MOOCs provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance in careers, and provide quality educational experiences to a certain extent. Millions of people around the world use MOOCs for learning and their reasons are various, including career development, career change, college preparation, supplementary learning, lifelong learning, corporate e-Learning and training, and so on

Lessons In Success: A Multi-Campus Study of Factors Influencing Academic Accomplishment Among High-Achieving African American Students at Private Liberal Arts Colleges

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic experiences of highly successful African-American male graduates of small, private liberal arts colleges using a qualitative approach. Fourteen highly successful alumni from selective, private colleges were purposefully selected for the study, including seven African-American males and seven white males. In semi-structured interviews, participants retrospectively described positive experiences they associated with their academic success in college. The study observed the importance of the small college in creating a deep sense of connection across the campus, empowering students to take risks that helped them succeed academically. This research also explored the idea that African-American participants used an instrumentalist approach to their undergraduate education. Though the study identified significant common ground between the two participant groups, several key differences emerged. African-American students stressed the importance of religious faith, open-mindedness, and campus organizations in helping them succeed academically. White students described the importance of making mechanical academic adjustments, such as improving study habits and developing organizational skills. The study also identified ground for future research around academic success in the small private college environment

THE IMPACT OF INSTITUTIONAL COMPLEXITY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION (EMI) REFORM CONCEPT IN THREE NORTHERN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES

This study examines university English-medium Instruction (EMI) reform implementation approaches from a comparative organizational perspective. Over the last decade, the number of master’s degree programs instructed exclusively in English in non-Anglophone Europe increased dramatically. Europe is an interesting case as it actively promotes multilingual learning; however, many European policies over the last twenty years accelerated the rise of monolingual EMI reforms, especially at the graduate-level. The purpose of this exploratory study is to contribute to our understanding of how widespread EMI reforms impact structures and behaviors at the organizational level in European universities in ways that respond to the organization’s embedded policy contexts. This research aims to advance our understandings of comparative EMI reforms and also, drawing on the concepts of neoinstitutional theory, develop our knowledge of how these processes might be theorized and expanded. I combine the theoretical frames of translation and institutional logics to analyze empirical case studies of the implementation of the EMI reform concept in three Northern European universities in leading EMI provider countries: the University of Oslo in Norway, the University of Göttingen in Germany, and Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The theoretical concept of institutional complexity is used to analyze the contending tensions universities confront when deciding the best way to design and implement EMI reforms. The three-axis comparative framework developed in this study represents a novel approach to examining variations in EMI reform implementation. Variations in organizational EMI implementation approaches (collegial, targeted, and market) are understood by analyzing comparatively how the three universities interpreted axial tensions between institutional logics for the best way to organize their EMI reform approaches: for academic or economic purposes; cooperative or competitive purposes; and local or global purposes. This comparative case study underscores the importance of examining a university’s embedded environment (both European and local levels) to understand university response to widespread EMI reform trends and highlights the significance of contextual dynamics to European EMI program development policy. The study concludes with policy recommendations and future directions

A Comparison Between International and US Graduate Students’ Attitudes and Experiences Using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have affected the pattern of learning in the last few years. Many studies have been conducted to investigate MOOCs\u27 impact on the educational field. In this study, the researcher will compare international and US graduate students\u27 attitudes and experiences when they use MOOCs as a resource for learning. The study used a mixed-method design to collect the data. Quantitative data was compiled by using 79 responses for an online survey, and qualitative data was gathered by 10 semi-structured interviews. Participants in the study were graduate students at Rochester Institute of Technology. They were divided into two groups, international graduate students and US graduate students, who represented the study population. The study finds some similarities and differences between International and US graduate students. One of the obvious similarities is that students in both groups use MOOCs to supplement their learning. Moreover, MOOCs helped students to increase their knowledge in other fields and become more confident to learn new things. There are differences in ways of using MOOCs between international and US graduate students. One of these differences is that international students may use MOOCs to enhance their English proficiency and familiarize themselves to the US educational system before coming to the US. To interpret the high ratio of the drop outs in MOOCs, the researcher believes that students are not aware of the reality of the expression drop out in MOOCs or they just ignore participating

European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN). Conference Proceedings

Erasmus+ Programme of the European UnionThe powerful combination of the information age and the consequent disruption caused by these unstable environments provides the impetus to look afresh and identify new models and approaches for education (e.g. OERs, MOOCs, PLEs, Learning Analytics etc.). For learners this has taken a fantastic leap into aggregating, curating and co-curating and co-producing outside the boundaries of formal learning environments – the networked learner is sharing voluntarily and for free, spontaneously with billions of people.Supported by Erasmus+ Programme of the European Unioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Designing and delivering undergraduate law courses in the shadow of the UK consumer protection legislation

Using both a survey of university law school web landing pages, and an in-depth study with a small number of academic and compliance professionals within seven English universities, this thesis explores the impact of consumer protection legislation on the design and delivery of undergraduate law courses. The legislation requires disclosure of particular information concerning aspects of the design and delivery of courses, including information on teaching and learning. This information, once disclosed, is binding on the university, and cannot be changed without student consent. This study examines the extent to which the implementation of the legislation might be leading to a more instrumental approach to aspects of design and delivery, its implications for understandings of the purpose of legal education, and what this might mean for the role of law academics. The findings suggest that the impact has been two fold, namely to slow down the pace of innovation and change within courses, to embed the role of centralised managerial professionals more firmly into centralised decision making processes that impact on the design and delivery of courses, in order to ensure legal compliance. This thesis argues that the interconnectedness of the managerial and academic processes around the design and delivery of undergraduate legal education has created the potential for reshaping the narratives, values and norms associated with legal education, and around the role of academics in the context of their teaching roles, in line with corporatist and consumerist values. Unless law schools are prepared to take a more proactive approach to publicly articulating the goals, norms and values of their undergraduate courses and the nature of their relationship with students, they risk these goals, values and norms and relationship expectations being shaped elsewhere, and their roles as law teachers becoming increasingly circumscribed. Ultimately the legislation, as a part of the broader marketisation policy agenda, has had a major impact not only on internal organisational arrangements but on academic life as well

Language learning and technology

By and large, languages, both as first, second or foreign languages remain one of the most important core subjects at every educational level. In early stages, their inclusion in the curriculum is intricately connected with (pre-)literacy practices, but also as a main driver for the successful integration of minority students learning a second language. In addition, the attainment of a certain level of a foreign language by the end of compulsory education is a common goal in most educational systems around the globe. Arguably, the key drivers of success in learning a language range from motivational to attitudinal, but ultimately they also have to do with the amount of target language use, the access to quality input, and especially language teachers' readiness to incorporate the latest educational trends effectively in the language classroom, educational technologies amongst them