Responsibilities, challenges, opportunities and governance - rethinking the university for the 21st century

Peer Reviewe

Institutional and political challenges of accreditation at the international level

This contribution is a strong plea for approaches in quality assessment and accreditation, which honour diversity and promote innovation and creativity in higher education. For many reasons, accreditation has become an important issue for higher education, which has occurred during a period in which there has been a major shift in values. Higher education, always considered primarily a public good, is increasingly being transformed into a predominantly private good; a commodity that could be subject to trade rules. Basic questions should be answered before any action is taken in this field. Accreditation for what purpose and for which qualities? Who will be the gatekeepers of the system and what will be their criteria? The implications of the concepts of quality and of accreditation, and the methods adopted in this field, will produce consequences not only at economic and financial levels but also in terms of the cultural, social and political life of institutions and nations. In 1998, during the World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE, UNESCO, Paris), a consensus was reached and the idea of evaluation was accepted, based on the general acceptance that quality in higher education is multidimensional. The WCHE favoured a system in which quality and relevance should go hand in hand. Since then, accreditation, a method already used for a long time in some countries, in particular the United States, was added more prominently to the international agenda. The concept of quality is crucial here. Aproposal of the WCHE, requesting institutions of higher education to define or redefine their missions together with society, could serve to help create the necessary conditions for appropriate evaluations, by comparing what the institutions actually achieve with what the society as a whole expects from them. Standards could be defined through this mechanism instead of using models that do not relate to the cultural environment of institutions or the specific needs of society. These standards should guarantee appropriate quality, while at the same time enhancing diversity, innovation and creativity.Peer Reviewe

Retos institucionales y políticos de la acreditación en el ámbito internacional

Durante los últimos años, la acreditación se ha convertido en una cuestión de suma importancia para la educación superior por motivos bien conocidos: el desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías, los avances en la educación a distancia y virtual, la multiplicación de nuevos proveedores, los intentos por generalizar la transformación de la educación en una mercancía, la internacionalización de la educación superior (1) y, de resultas de todos estos factores, la necesidad de unos sistemas fiables que garanticen la calidad y la pertinencia de los organismos y los programas. Estas medidas son presentadas en el ámbito nacional, regional o internacional como si tuvieran por objetivo garantizar la calidad y proteger a países y estudiantes de los «malos productos educativos» y de los proveedores de servicios educativos fraudulentos. Los sistemas de acreditación también son considerados un instrumento que permite a la educación superior hacer frente a las transformaciones que tienen lugar en la economía, la sociedad y la civilización, las cuales, en muchos aspectos, pueden ser consideradas más importantes que los cambios que ocurrieron en el mundo durante la Revolución Industrial. La piedra angular de esta evolución es el conocimiento. La creación de conocimiento y la forma en que se maneja, así como el control de la información, son herramientas fundamentales de que se valen los países desarrollados para lograr y afianzar su poder en un mundo globalizado. Sin embargo, la creación de conocimiento, así como su difusión y aplicación, también son esenciales para salvaguardar el futuro de los países en vías de desarrollo.Peer Reviewe

Effect of surgical volume on short-term outcomes of cytoreductive surgery for advanced-stage ovarian cancer:A population-based study from the Dutch Gynecological Oncology Audit

Objective: Despite lacking clinical data, the Dutch government is considering increasing the minimum annual surgical volume per center from twenty to fifty cytoreductive surgeries (CRS) for advanced-stage ovarian cancer (OC). This study aims to evaluate whether this increase is warranted. Methods: This population-based study included all CRS for FIGO-stage IIB-IVB OC registered in eighteen Dutch hospitals between 2019 and 2022. Short-term outcomes included result of CRS, length of stay, severe complications, 30-day mortality, time to adjuvant chemotherapy, and textbook outcome. Patients were stratified by annual volume: low-volume (nine hospitals, &lt;25), medium-volume (four hospitals, 29–37), and high-volume (five hospitals, 54–84). Descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regressions were used to assess the (case-mix adjusted) associations of surgical volume and outcomes. Results: A total of 1646 interval CRS (iCRS) and 789 primary CRS (pCRS) were included. No associations were found between surgical volume and different outcomes in the iCRS cohort. In the pCRS cohort, high-volume was associated with increased complete CRS rates (aOR 1.9, 95%-CI 1.2–3.1, p = 0.010). Furthermore, high-volume was associated with increased severe complication rates (aOR 2.3, 1.1–4.6, 95%-CI 1.3–4.2, p = 0.022) and prolonged length of stay (aOR 2.3, 95%-CI 1.3–4.2, p = 0.005). 30-day mortality, time to adjuvant chemotherapy, and textbook outcome were not associated with surgical volume in the pCRS cohort. Subgroup analyses (FIGO-stage IIIC-IVB) showed similar results. Various case-mix factors significantly impacted outcomes, warranting case-mix adjustment. Conclusions: Our analyses do not support further centralization of iCRS for advanced-stage OC. High-volume was associated with higher complete pCRS, suggesting either a more accurate selection in these hospitals or a more aggressive approach. The higher completeness rates were at the expense of higher severe complications and prolonged admissions.</p

Age-related differences of oncological outcomes in primary extremity soft tissue sarcoma: a multistate model including 6260 patients

Abstract Purpose: No studies extensively compared the young adults (YA, 18e39 years), middle-aged (40e69 year

Geography and professional practice, Utrecht, N.G.S., 261 p.

International audienc

Long-term decomposition of grass roots as affected by elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide

Carbon input into the soil and decomposition processes under elevated CO2 are highly relevant for C sequestering in the soil. Plant growth and decomposition of root material under ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations were monitored in wind tunnels. Grass roots (Lolium perenne L.) were homogeneously 14C-labeled at 350 and 700 mL L-1 CO2 and at two N levels to obtain roots of different qualities. This root material was mixed with fresh loamy sand and transferred to four wind tunnels to observe its decomposition in bare soil and as affected by plant growth (L. perenne) at ambient CO2 and elevated CO2 for two growing seasons. After the second growing season, elevated CO2 had stimulated shoot and root growth by 13 and 92%, respectively. The CO2 and N concentrations at which the grass roots had been grown affected the decomposition rate. After the first growing season, the overall decomposition of 700 roots was 19% lower than that of 350 roots. The 14C-labeled microbial biomass in the soil with 700 roots was higher (44%) compared with 350 roots. After the second growing season, the decomposition of 700 low N roots was 14% lower than that of 350 low N roots, whereas the decomposition of the high N roots was unaffected. The 14C- labeled microbial biomass in the soil with 700 roots was still higher (30%) than with 350 roots. The combination of higher root yields at elevated CO2 combined with a decrease in root decomposition will lead to a longer residence time of C in the soil and probably to a higher C storage. | Carbon input into the soil and decomposition processes under elevated CO2 are highly relevant for C sequestering in the soil. In the study reported here, plants were grown and homogeneously 14C-labeled in growth chambers at two different CO2 concentrations and two N supply regimes. After labeling, the roots were harvested, mixed into fresh soil and put into soil containers. Several soil containers were planted while others were kept bare. The soil containers were placed outside in wind tunnels containing ambient CO2 on elevated CO2. The decomposition rates of the added 14C-labeled roots and the formation of the soil microbial biomass 14C in the soil were monitored for two growing seasons