15 Desember 2008

Concern Grows Over Religious Conservatism

David Jardine
Concern is growing in Indonesia over the strength and influence of conservative and right-radical forms of Islam among university students. A debate is taking place against the background of increased local applications of elements of the Islamic sharia code and other perceived threats to the country’s constitutionally mandated religious pluralism.
Full report on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0057 14 December 2008

Female Domination to Strengthen

John Gerritsen*
Women will account for more than 70% of higher education students in Austria and England and for an average of 59% across the developed world by 2025, a new OECD report indicates. The report, Higher Education to 2030, said in 2005, 55% of higher education students in the 30 OECD nations were women and women accounted for 60% or more of higher education enrolments in Norway, Sweden and Iceland. But by 2025, 10 nations would have student bodies that were 60% or more female and the OECD average would be 59%, the report said.
Full report on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0057 14 December 2008

Universities Lose Billions as Recession Deepens

Geoff Maslen
Few higher education institutions around the world appear to have escaped the collapse of financial markets. In Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, Britain and down under in Australia and New Zealand, universities have been hit hard as the value of their investments in property and shares and, in many cases, their income from diverse sources crumples. How to counter, or at the very least cope with, this alarming situation – unique in the experience of university managers – will be the great challenge in the year ahead. As the following stories show, for higher education the boom days are well and truly over.
Full report on the University World News site
Source: University Univertsity News, Issue No: 0057 14 December 2008

06 Desember 2008

Are Higher Education Rankings Reliable?

A recent study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has questioned the substance of statistics on which the Academic Ranking of World Universities conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University are based. The study, carried out by researchers at the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRELL), questions whether the Jiao Tong ranking serves its intended purpose, compares it with the Times Higher Education-QS rankings exercise, and concludes that neither system succeeds in effectively ranking Europe’s universities.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0055 30 November 2008

College Offers Virtual World Digital Course

Kristan Hall*
The virtual world Second Life has become a focus of higher education by providing a remote forum in which to teach and hold seminars. Now a college in Texas is offering a certificate and degree course likely to be of interest to a large number of Second Life residents.
Full report on the University World News website
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0055 30 November 2008