HLRC - Higher Learning Research Communications (E-Journal)
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University rankings: The web ranking
No full textThe publication in 2003 of the Ranking of Universities by Jiao Tong University of Shanghai has revolutionized not only academic studies on Higher Education, but has also had an important impact on the national policies and the individual strategies of the sector. The work gathers the main characteristics of this and other global university rankings, paying special attention to their potential benefits and limitations. The Web Ranking is analyzed in depth, presenting the model on which its compound indicator is based and analyzing its different variables.-------Rankings de universidades: El ranking webResumenLa publicación en 2003 del Ranking de Universidades de la Universidad Jiao Tong de Shanghai ha revolucionado no sólo los estudios académicos sobre la Educación Superior, sino que también ha tenido un importante impacto sobre las políticas nacionales y las estrategias individuales del sector. El trabajo recoge las principales características de este y otros rankings mundiales de universidades, prestando especial atención a sus potencialidades y limitaciones. Se analiza en profundidad el Ranking Web, presentando el modelo en el que se basa su indicador compuesto y analizando sus diferentes variables y principales resultados.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v2i1.56 PDF document contains both the original in Spanish and an English translation
Challenges and opportunities in the world of tourism from the point of view of ecotourism
Get PDFThis article emerges from the analysis of the data corresponding to the tourism activity in the world and in Mexico, considering: the arrival of tourists and international visitors, and the arrival of tourists in the North American region. Subsequently, it is intended to place ecotourism as an option for sustainable development, which helps generate additional income for local communities and contributes to the protection and conservation of natural resources. The analysis of global tourism in the above categories, in addition to the discussion about the criteria and characteristics of ecotourism versus sustainable development, allows us to visualize the potential that this activity poses to emerging economies such as Mexico. The discussion about Ecotourism and sustainability shows that there is a mutually beneficial relationship when the community is incorporated in the development of ecotourism projects, as demonstrated in EcoAlberto Park. Nonetheless, an activity that has no government support or equitable tourism legislation, in addition to the absence of quality research, can overshadow any potential natural resource to practice ecotourism activities in global markets representing tourism.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v2i4.8
Challenges in European higher education
Get PDFQuality assurance has been one of the most important components of the Bologna Process and the EHEA. Quality and innovation are sine qua non in achieving competitiveness in European higher education, especially when the focus is on its challenges in a global context. This principle certainly applies to the entire world as well. It is vital that all European countries and all European higher education institutions implement punctually and with distinction the 'Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area' concerning internal and external quality assurance, and quality assurance agencies, as well as the function and operation of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR). On the other hand, if diversity in higher education provision is to be considered an asset, a transparent, multidimensional classification system of instruments designed to benchmark higher education institutions on research and innovation, teaching and learning outcomes, services to society, etc., may help identify and make visible such diversity
General education: Learning from the past, preparing for the future
Get PDFThis article explores the widening gap between business and societal needs and current general education curricula. Research is presented that documents gaps between projected needs of industry and current practices in postsecondary education especially in the general education areas. Positive efforts to close the gap are highlighted. Also highlighted are changing regulatory environments, some that support forward-thinking approaches to liberal education and others that revert to traditional educational practices. With a focus on adaptability and intentional teaching and learning, recommendations are presented for flexible curriculum, intentional pedagogy, and a backwards approach to the teaching-learning enterprise that begins with authentic assessment of student learning.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v2i2.6
Editorial
Get PDFWelcome to this special issue of Higher Learning Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC)! This issue is dedicated to international accreditation of higher education.Academic leaders from Australia, Brazil, Chile, México, Spain, Switzerland and the United States provide insights into the world of higher education accreditation, and describe existing trends, changes, guidelines and their own experiences navigating the higher education accreditation process for specific countries in the times internationalization.Authors for this issue were individually invited because of their knowledge and insights gained while working on innovative projects as institutions adjust to new and emerging accreditation standards.Thus, Agueda Benito Capa (rector at Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain), Almeida Guimaraes and Chaves Edler de Almeida (leaders at CAPES the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education), Boehringer and Blyth (academic leaders at Blue Mountain Hotel School, Australia), Scott (dean of Media Design School, New Zealand), Morales Hernández (corporate rector at Universidad del Valle de México, México), Prince (director of academic affairs at Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland), and Armanet (academic vice-rector at Universidad de las Américas, Chile), write about their experiences.They detail, at different levels, the path to accreditation, the complexities and decisions involved, the standards and history behind the processes, and provide the insights that can only be learned from experience. We want to acknowledge and thank all the invited authors and their collaborators for their contributions to this special issue. The global vision of accreditation summarized in the articles presented demonstrate the power of academia, encompassing divergent international standards that cross boundaries for a common goal:quality in higher education. The Editor
The value and benefits of fieldtrips in tourism and hospitality education
Get PDFoai:liu.journals.sfu.ca:article/18The objective of this article is to understand how the use of fieldtrips can enhance students’ educational experience in Tourism and Hospitality education. A total of 23 students who participated in a fieldtrip as part of their hospitality and tourism degree programme were included in this research. A comparison study was conducted among Year 1 and Year 2 undergraduates to examine differences between their perception of fieldtrips and their educational experience. Results revealed two key categories of attitudes: 1) learning towards subject, and 2) interest toward subject as motivational factors through fieldtrips. A key finding revealed Year 1 students’ attitude towards fieldtrips as an enhancement to their education whereas Year 2 students viewed fieldtrips as a form of learning towards their future career pathway.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v1i1.1
Peer mentoring at the Universidad Europea de Madrid: An educational strategy for the development of general and specific competences
No full textThe current educational model for the Europea Higher Education Area (EHEA), demands a greater involvement on the behalf of students in all aspects of their education. In this respect, peer mentorship not only provides effective orientation for newly admitted students, a key element of quality in education, but also the active participation of students mentors, leading to the development of a wide range of skills in both mentor and mentee students. From a research-action perspective, this article describes a program of peer mentoring, in which the student interaction taking place leads to wide-ranging knowledge acquisition (knowledge and know how) for both participants. Within the sphere of mathematics, the program was developed with the aim of developing general skills, as well as the specific objective of improving competence in mathematics. In the results obtained, the profile and educational development of the student mentor, together with the study of the needs of first year students, from the perspective of teachers and students, were especially relevant. The conclusions and recommendations from this study may constitute a good basis upon which future peer mentorship programs may be developed as an approach that is very much in line with the EHEA and of great educational value.------La mentoría entre iguales en la Universidad Europea de Madrid: Una estrategia educativa para el desarrollo de competencias generales y específicasResumenEl modelo educativo actual, desarrollado dentro del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), requiere de una mayor implicación por parte de los estudiantes en todos los aspectos de su formación. En este sentido, la tutoría entre iguales no sólo proporciona una orientación efectiva de los alumnos de reciente incorporación en la universidad, elemento clave de calidad, sino una participación activa del estudiante mentor, que resulta en el desarrollo de un amplio abanico de competencias por parte de ambos (estudiante mentorizado y mentor). Este trabajo describe, desde el ámbito de la investigación-acción, un programa de tutoría entre iguales en el que la interacción que se produce en las sesiones de mentoría constituye un interesante medio de adquisición del conocimiento en sentido amplio (saber y saber hacer) para ambos participantes. El programa se desarrolla en el seno de la asignatura de Matemáticas, por lo que se busca la mejora de diversas competencias generales y, como elemento diferenciador, un mayor desarrollo de la competencia matemática. En la presentación de resultados resulta especialmente relevante la figura del alumno mentor, su perfil y avance formativo, así como el estudio de las necesidades de los alumnos de primer curso a través de la óptica de los docentes y de los discentes. Las conclusiones y recomendaciones podrían constituir una buena base para el desarrollo de futuros programas de tutoría entre iguales, un ingrediente educativo de máxima coherencia con el EEES y de gran valor formativo.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v1i1.32 PDF document contains both the original in Spanish and an English translation
Can the use of clickers or continuous assessment motivate critical thinking? A case study based on corporate finance students
Get PDFThis study explores the use of clickers as a tool to support, encourage and motivate critical thinking in higher education students. A case study was carried out with a cohort of undergraduate students undertaking the BSc. in Accounting and Finance during the academic year 2009/10, were corporate finance was a major component. Since the students in this sample had previously demonstrated passivity during their corporate finance classes, it was proposed that clickers would help motivate them to participate during face to face sessions. Previous research on the use of clickers shows evidence that this tool has a positive effect on student participation and interaction in the classroom. The results of this study suggest that clickers can positively affect classroom dynamics; they help activate the learning experience and provide a more relaxed atmosphere, where students can interact with their teacher. However, little evidence was found to indicate that clickers are a good device to enhance critical thinking skills. In this context, strategies based on a problem-centered approach to learning appear to provide a better outcome.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v1i1.3
Capacity building through integration and transformational leadership - A case study
Get PDFThis article suggests that educational managers can have an influence through leadership by establishing certain moderators that integrate and shape the faculty into a solid team working towards a high performing organisation. The study looks at a case in China and draws suggestions that could be used in other similar settings. The conclusion is to make integration a crucial part of capacity building.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v1i1.2
Editorial
Get PDFWith this first issue of Higher Learning Research Communications (HLRC), Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile, Universidad Europea de Madrid in Spain, Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey and Walden University in the United States, in consonance with their mission, are sponsoring collaboratively a journal dedicated to higher learning in the international arena. The knowledge driven society that so clearly marks our era, where real time communications make the phrase “global world” a true feature of our lives, has changed the means through which we learn. The rapid expansion of multicultural environments and the influence of the fast changing techno-scientific advances, social networking, information power engines and individual multitask capabilities compels us to educate more people at a superior level. However, although teaching will always be a relevant means in education, the paths to learning have evolved notoriously. The binomial teaching and learning demand increased attention to understand the powerful variety of ways to get information, expertise in understanding that the decodification of the learned knowledge involves comprehension of the needed skills, and assurance that the assessment warrants certification of the expected outcomes. HLRC deals with these challenges and has appropriated them to define its scope.Under the auspices of these four universities we are proud to pioneer a collaborative and inclusive endeavor that goes well beyond the institutions and expands across continents. The Senior Consulting Editors and members of the Editorial Advisory Board have been carefully selected for their dedication and experience in the areas of education and higher learning. HLRC also benefits from the Laureate International Universities’ network of over 55 institutions in 28 countries, leveraging the internationality and expertise of academic leaders across the globe. We are very proud and thankful for their participation and commitment to this enterprise. As a scientific, peer-reviewed journal, HLRC aims to advance knowledge on all aspects concerning teaching and learning in higher education by fostering collaboration between innovative minds. We believe this inaugural issue presents examples of good practice in international higher learning and offers forward thinking in educational leadership for a global world. As an introduction, on the invited essay, Sir Drummond Bone provides an overview of internationalization since 2008 to the present. Other articles included on this issue illustrate our mission to provide a better understanding of institutional policy and actual practice across education disciplines. Velasco Quintana and Benito Capa (Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain) explore the role of peer-mentorship in the development of competences for both mentors and mentees, presented in the context of Mathematics. Morales (Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland) introduces a case study of corporate finance students to investigate the use of clickers as a tool to support, encourage and motivate critical thinking in higher education students. Bemposta Rosende, García García and Escribano Otero (Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain) examine blended-learning to identify how the new teaching environments influence teaching activities and learning processes. Goh (Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, Australia) looks at fieldtrips as a means to enhance students’ educational experience in Tourism and Hospitality education. And finally, Stocklin (Les Roches Jin Jian International Hotel Management College, China) investigates the relationship between integration and capacity building so educational leaders can develop the performance of individual faculty members and establish synergies to achieve high performance. Welcome to the first issue of HLRC! This journal fulfills a vision of collaboration we hope will prompt inclusive discussions while exploring the global nature of higher learning leadership and challenges.