The University as Publisher: Summary of a Meeting Held at UC Berkeley on November 1, 2007

With the advent of electronic publishing, the scholarly communication landscape at universities has become increasingly diverse. Multiple stakeholders including university presses, libraries, and central IT departments are challenged by the increasing volume and the rapidity of production of these new forms of publication in an environment of economic uncertainties. As a response to these increasing pressures, as well as the recent publication of important reports and papers on the topic, the Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) convened a meeting of experts titled, The University as Publisher. The event was sponsored as part of the A.W. Mellon Foundation-funded Future of Scholarly Communication project at CSHE.Our goal was to explore among stakeholders -- faculty, publishers, CIOs, librarians, and researchers -- the implications of the academic community, in some structure, taking over many, if not all, aspects of scholarly publishing. Two themes were the focus of the public panels: Institutional Roles in Evaluation, Quality Assessment, and Selection and Structuring and Budgeting Models for Publishing within the University Community. Our discussions included the importance of distinguishing between informal dissemination and formal publishing and the challenges that each presents to the university community. The harsh economic realities of high-quality formal scholarly publication, not least of which are managing peer review and editorial processes, were emphasized. Understanding disciplinary needs was cited as paramount throughout the discussions; the needs and traditions of scholars in the sciences and humanities, as well as among myriad disciplines, will likely demand different dissemination and publishing models and solutions. An additional theme that emerged was acknowledging the diverse forms electronic dissemination takes in the academy and the need to foster a spectrum of alternatives in publication forms, business models, and the peer review process. Budgetary and academic freedom concerns were explored as well. Regarding the expensive infrastructure required for electronic dissemination and publishing, it was agreed that there is enormous duplication among the university press, IT, and the library

The Regulation of E-learning: New National and International Policy Perspectives

The universe of postsecondary education is expanding. It is an era of rapid demographic and labor market changes, increased competition and shifts in institutional form (e.g., the rise of for profit degree granters, the hybrid form of nonprofit/for profit partnerships, corporate universities), and new forms of delivery driven by emerging technologies. In nearly all of these cases, the pace of innovation and establishment of new institutional forms outstrips the ability of regulators or policy makers to stay ahead of the curve.To better understand the complex interplay of public policy drivers regulating e-learning, the Center for Studies in Higher Education convened a meeting of experts in February 2006 for a preliminary examination of existing and emerging public policies that will shape its regulation both domestically and internationally. Three white papers were used as a point of departure for the discussions, which focused on the following areas: The Changing Regulatory Environment: Who, What, Why, and Where?; Finance, Investment, and the Flow of Capital; Student Access and Equity; Social Costs and Benefits from an International Perspective; and Consumer Protection and Cross-border Education. This report summarizes our conversations and recommendations for future research

BIBS: A Lecture Webcasting System

The Berkeley Internet Broadcasting System (BIBS) is a lecture webcasting system developed and operated by the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center. The system offers live remote viewing and on-demand replay of course lectures using streaming audio and video over the Internet. During the Fall 2000 semester 14 classes were webcast, including several large lower division classes, with a total enrollment of over 4,000 students. Lectures were played over 15,000 times per month during the semester. The primary use of the webcasts is to study for examinations. Students report they watch BIBS lectures because they did not understand material presented in lecture, because they wanted to review what the instructor said about selected topics, because they missed a lecture, and/or because they had difficulty understanding the speaker (e.g., non-native English speakers). Analysis of various survey data suggests that more than 50% of the students enrolled in some large classes view lectures and that as many as 75% of the lectures are played by members of the Berkeley community. Faculty attitudes vary about the virtues of lecture webcasting. Some question the use of this technology while others believe it is a valuable aid to education. Further study is required to accurately assess the pedagogical impact that lecture webcasts have on student learning

Interim Report: Assessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication

The Center for Studies in Higher Education, with generous funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is conducting research to understand the needs and desires of faculty for inprogress scholarly communication (i.e., forms of communication employed as research is being executed) as well as archival publication. In the interest of developing a deeper understanding of how and why scholars do what they do to advance their fields, as well as their careers, our approach focuses in fine-grained analyses of faculty values and behaviors throughout the scholarly communication lifecycle, including sharing, collaborating, publishing, and engaging with the public. Well into our second year, we have posted a draft interim report describing some of our early results and impressions ased on the responses of more than 150 interviewees in the fields of astrophysics, archaeology, biology, economics, history, music, and political science.Our work to date has confirmed the important impact of disciplinary culture and tradition on many scholarly communication habits. These traditions may override the perceived "opportunities" afforded by new technologies, including those falling into the Web 2.0 category. As we have listened to our diverse informants, as well as followed closely the prognostications about the likely future of scholarly communication, we note that it is absolutely imperative to be precise about terms. That includes being clear about what is meant by "open access" publishing (i.e., using preprint or postprint servers for scholarship published in prestigious outlets versus publishing in new, untested open access journals, or the more casual individual posting of working papers, blogs, and other non-peer-reviewed work). Our research suggests that enthusiasm for technology development and adoption should not be conflated with the hard reality of tenure and promotion requirements (including the needs and goals of final archival publication) in highly competitive professional environments

Full Report: Scholarly Communication: Academic Values and Sustainable Models

This report presents five thickly-described interdisciplinary case studies that explore academic value systems as they influence publishing behavior and attitudes of University of California, Berkeley faculty. The case studies are based on direct interviews with relevant stakeholders -- faculty, advancement reviewers, librarians, and editors -- in five fields: chemical engineering, anthropology, law and economics, English-language literature, and biostatistics. The results of the study strongly confirm the vital role of peer review in faculty attitudes and actual publishing behavior. There is much more experimentation, however, with regard to means of in-progress communication, where single means of publication and communication are not fixed so deeply in values and tradition as they are for final, archival publication. We conclude that approaches that try to "move" faculty and deeply embedded value systems directly toward new forms of archival, "final" publication are destined largely to failure in the short-term. From our perspective, a more promising route is to (1) examine the needs of scholarly researchers for both final and in-progress communications, and (2) determine how those needs are likely to influence future scenarios in a range of disciplinary areas

Full Report: Use and Users of Digital Resources: A Focus on Undergraduate Education in the Humanities and Social Sciences

A "build it and they will come" approach to many university digitization initiatives has precluded systematic investigations of the demand for these resources. Those who fund and develop digital resources have identified the general lack of knowledge about the level and quality of their use in educational settings as pressing concerns. This full report describes our research and the complete results of a large 2-year study. The purpose of our research was (1) to map the universe of digital resources available to a subset of undergraduate educators in the humanities and social sciences, and (2) to investigate how and if available digital resources are actually being used in undergraduate teaching environments. We employed multiple methods, including surveys and focus groups. Our definition of digital resources was intentionally broad and included rich media objects (e.g., maps, video, images, etc.) as well as text

CARACTERÍSTICAS DOS PROGRAMAS DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CONTABILIDADE: UMA ANÁLISE DAS UNIVERSIDADES DOS PAÍSES DE LÍNGUA INGLESA

The literature indicates there is a shortage of professors of accounting. For some researchers this lack is related to the high price paid to obtain an advanced degree in this area. According to the American Accounting Association (AAA), graduate programs need to be more attractive, less stressful and less expensive for students. Therefore, the objective of this study is to map the characteristics of the selection process, the courses offered and the requirements to obtain a master’s degree in accounting from universities located in English-speaking. This study can be classified as descriptive, with a theoretical-conceptual nature and a qualitative approach. We rely on secondary sources and apply inductive logic. The main results are that in the United States, 71% of the programs require candidates to have knowledge of accounting, finance, economics, taxes, statistics and mathematics; 75% of Australian universities require a minimum score on the TOEFL for foreign students, 20% have a minimum GPA and 10% require taking the GMAT; and no Canadian university requires a letter of recommendation. Regarding the purpose of the courses, 88% of the institutions that offer master programs in accounting focus on improved professional qualification of accountants. In Australia, 30% of the programs last 18 months, while in Canada this figure is 66% and in New Zealand, 50% of the programs last at least two years. With respect to the graduation requirements, 82% of the universities require between 4 and 9 mandatory disciplines. In conclusion, the master programs in the United States and United Kingdom are relatively more demanding with respect to the degree requirements than in the other countries investigated.La literatura apunta una carencia de profesores en el área de Contabilidad. Para algunos investigadores, esa carência está relacionada al alto precio a ser pagado para la realización de una posgraduación en el área. Según la American Accounting Association (AAA), los programas de posgraduación, precisan ser más atractivos, menos estresantes, inclusive con reducción de costes para el alumno. Así, el objetivo de este estudio es mapear las características relacionadas al proceso selectivo, al curso ofertado y a los requisitos para la obtención del título de Máster en Contabilidad en las universidades situadas en países cuyo idioma oficial es la lengua inglesa. Esta pesquisa se clasifica como descriptiva, de naturaleza teórica-conceptual, con abordaje cualitativo. El estudio adopta fuente secundaria de colecta de datos y posee lógica inductiva. Los principales resultados evidencian: en relación a las características del proceso selectivo en los Estados Unidos, el 71% de los programas analizados solicitan de sus candidatos conocimientos en Contabilidad, Finanzas, Economía, Tributos, Estadística y Matemática; el 5% de las universidades australianas requieren el TOEFL; el 20% requieren el G.P.A; y un 10% requieren el GMAT; ninguna universidad canadiense solicita carta de recomendación; en elación al curso ofrecido, el 88% de las instituciones que ofertan Máster en Contabilidad tienen como foco mejorar la cualificación profesional de los contadores; en Australia, el 30% de los programas son de 18 meses; ya en el Canadá un 66% de los programas; y un 50% en Nueva Zelanda poseen el período máximo de 2 años para el término del curso. En lo que dice respecto a los requisitos para la obtención del título, un 82% de las universidades exigen una cantidad entre 4 y 9 disciplinas obligatorias, entre otros resultados. Se concluye que lós cursos de máster ofrecidos en los Estados Unidos y Reino Unido son relativamente más exigentes en relación a lós requisitos de formación del máster en Contabilidad que en los otros países de la muestra.A literatura aponta uma carência de professores na área de Contabilidade. Para alguns pesquisadores, essa carência está relacionada ao alto preço a se pagar para a realização de uma pós-graduação na área. Segundo a American Accounting Association (AAA), os programas de pós-graduação, precisam ser mais atrativos, menos estressantes, inclusive com redução de custos para o aluno. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é mapear as características relacionadas ao processo seletivo, ao curso ofertado e aos requisitos para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Contabilidade nas universidades situadas em países cujo idioma oficial é a língua inglesa. Esta pesquisa classifica-se como descritiva, de natureza teórica-conceitual, com abordagem qualitativa. O estudo adota fonte secundária de coleta de dados e possui lógica indutiva. Os principais resultados evidenciam: em relação às características do processo seletivo nos Estados Unidos, 71% dos programas analisados solicitam de seus candidatos conhecimentos em Contabilidade, Finanças, Economia, Tributos, Estatística e Matemática; 75% das universidades australiana requerem o TOEFL; 20% requerem o G.P.A; e 10% requerem o GMAT; nenhuma universidade canadense solicita carta de recomendação; quanto ao curso ofertado, 88% das instituições que ofertam Mestrado em Contabilidade têm como foco melhorar a qualificação profissional dos contadores; na Austrália, 30% dos programas são de 18 meses; já no Canadá 66% dos programas; e 50% na Nova Zelândia possuem o período máximo de 2 anos para o término do curso. No que diz respeito aos requisitos para a obtenção do título, 82% das universidades exigem uma quantidade entre 4 e 9 disciplinas obrigatórias, entre outros resultados. Conclui-se que os cursos de mestrado oferecidos nos Estados Unidos e Reino Unido são relativamente mais exigentes em relação aos requisitos de formação do mestre em Contabilidade do que nos outros países da amostra

CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LOS PROGRAMAS DE POSGRADUACIÓN EN CONTABILIDAD: UN ANÁLISIS DE LAS UNIVERSIDADES DE LOS PAÍSES DE LENGUA INGLESA

La literatura apunta una carencia de profesores en el área de Contabilidad. Para algunos investigadores, esa carência está relacionada al alto precio a ser pagado para la realización de una posgraduación en el área. Según la American Accounting Association (AAA), los programas de posgraduación, precisan ser más atractivos, menos estresantes, inclusive con reducción de costes para el alumno. Así, el objetivo de este estudio es mapear las características relacionadas al proceso selectivo, al curso ofertado y a los requisitos para la obtención del título de Máster en Contabilidad en las universidades situadas en países cuyo idioma oficial es la lengua inglesa. Esta pesquisa se clasifica como descriptiva, de naturaleza teórica-conceptual, con abordaje cualitativo. El estudio adopta fuente secundaria de colecta de datos y posee lógica inductiva. Los principales resultados evidencian: en relación a las características del proceso selectivo en los Estados Unidos, el 71% de los programas analizados solicitan de sus candidatos conocimientos en Contabilidad, Finanzas, Economía, Tributos, Estadística y Matemática; el 5% de las universidades australianas requieren el TOEFL; el 20% requieren el G.P.A; y un 10% requieren el GMAT; ninguna universidad canadiense solicita carta de recomendación; en elación al curso ofrecido, el 88% de las instituciones que ofertan Máster en Contabilidad tienen como foco mejorar la cualificación profesional de los contadores; en Australia, el 30% de los programas son de 18 meses; ya en el Canadá un 66% de los programas; y un 50% en Nueva Zelanda poseen el período máximo de 2 años para el término del curso. En lo que dice respecto a los requisitos para la obtención del título, un 82% de las universidades exigen una cantidad entre 4 y 9 disciplinas obligatorias, entre otros resultados. Se concluye que lós cursos de máster ofrecidos en los Estados Unidos y Reino Unido son relativamente más exigentes en relación a lós requisitos de formación del máster en Contabilidad que en los otros países de la muestra

Programas de pós-graduação em contabilidade: Análise da produção científica e redes de colaboração

This study aimed at mapping the scientific collaboration networks, in journals, of professors connected with the Postgraduate Program in Accounting in the period 2007-2009, identifying the number of actors, relations, interactions and degree centralization of collaborative networks of programs. It is a descriptive research with quantitative and qualitative approach, documentary, using secondary data. It was noted that: (i) USP and FURB programs have the highest average number of actors, (ii) there is an evolutionary trend in the programs of FUCAPE, FURB, PUC SP, UFBA, UFPE, UFRJ, UFSC and UNISINOS regarding the amount of bonds of collaboration networks. It was concluded that most programs have contributed to the evolution of research and scientific publications in accounting, and, therefore, have been used for collaborative partnerships in the development of their research.O presente estudo teve como objetivo mapear as redes de colaboração científica, em periódicos, dos docentes vinculados aos programas de Pós-Graduação em Contabilidade no triênio 2007-2009, identificando a quantidade de atores, vínculos, interações e grau de centralização das redes de colaboração dos programas. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, documental, com dados secundários. Constatou-se que: (i) os programas da USP e da FURB possuem as maiores médias de quantidade de atores; (ii) há uma tendência evolutiva dos programas FUCAPE, FURB, PUC SP, UFBA, UFPE, UFRJ, UFSC e UNISINOS no que diz respeito à quantidade de vínculos das redes de colaboração. Conclui-se que a maioria dos programas tem contribuído para a evolução das pesquisas e publicações científicas na área contábil, e, para tanto, tem-se utilizado parcerias colaborativas no desenvolvimento de suas pesquisas

DOCTORATE IN ACCOUNTING: A SURVEY OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF FORMATION IN UNIVERSITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Os sacrifícios para se fazer um doutorado em Contabilidade incluem um período considerável de tempo, custo de oportunidade, estresse, custos financeiros e pouca atratividades dos programas. Este estudo busca identificar as características de formação dos doutores em Contabilidade que são requeridas pelos programas de pós-graduação em universidades situadas em países cujo idioma oficial é a língua inglesa. Esta pesquisa é descritiva, de natureza teórica-conceitual, com abordagem qualitativa. O estudo adota fonte secundária de coleta de dados e possui lógica indutiva. Como principais resultados, obteve-se que, como pré-requisitos para cursar o doutorado, 44 % das instituições do Canadá, 29% das instituições dos estados Unidos e 8% das instituições do Reino Unido solicitam conhecimentos prévios dos candidatos nas áreas - contabilidade, negócios, microeconomia, habilidades matemáticas (álgebra, cálculo, probabilidades e estatística). No Reino Unido, constatou-se que a maioria das instituições solicitam o Test of english as a foreign language, 76% solicitam duas cartas de recomendação, 14% solicitam o General management admission test/graduate record examination, 17% solicitam o Grade point average e 24% realizam entrevista com os candidatos. Nos Estados Unidos, o período de duração do curso é de quatro a cinco anos, com dedicação integral, em 72% das universidades, e, no Canadá, em 44%. Na Austrália, em 75% das universidades, e, na Nova Zelândia, em 33%, o período é de três a quatro anos, para dedicação integral, e de até oito anos para dedicação parcial. Conclui-se que, dependendo do país que se resolva fazer o doutorado em Contabilidade, as características de formação se alteram, porém os futuros doutorandos podem escolher entre 103 universidades qual programa se encaixa a seu perfil.The "sacrifices" to do a doctorate in accounting include: considerable period of time, opportunity cost, stress, financial costs and low attractiveness of the programs. This study seeks to identify the characteristics of training of doctors in accounts that are required for graduate programs in universities in countries whose official language is English. This research is descriptive, theoretical and conceptual, qualitative approach. The study adopts a secondary source of data collection and has inductive logic. The main results obtained: as prerequisites to pursue a doctorate, 44% of Canadian institutions, 29% of American institutions and 8% of the institutions in the UK applying previous knowledge of the candidates in the areas - accounting, business, microeconomics, skills mathematics (algebra, calculus, probability and statistics) in the UK, found that most institutions request the Test of English as a Foreign Language, 76% ask two letters of recommendation, 14% ask the General Management Admission Test / Graduate Record Examination, 17% ask the Grade Point Average and 24% carry out interviews with the candidates, in the United States the duration of the course is 4-5 years with full dedication (72%), Canada (44%). In Australia 75% and 33% of New Zealand programs are 3-4 years in dedication and up to eight years for part-time. We conclude that depending on the country that decides to do his doctorate in accounting features of formation change, but the future doctoral students can choose from 103 universities which program fits your profile