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Humboldt's Unity of Research and Teaching: Influence on the Philosophy and Development of Higher Education in the US
-- Frankie P Albritton Jr.
The 19th century German model of higher education, with its emphasis on the unity of teaching
and research and graduate education, was the model emulated by several of what were to become
the most prestigious universities in the US. The German model has its origins in the philosophy of
the German Wilhelm von Humboldt. This university model played a significant role in the
economic ascendance of Germany in the late 1800s, and was a precursor to the development of outside
agency funded large-scale university research. This model of research, combined with the extreme level
of faculty independence, also played a role in the rise of German militarism in the
20th century. Finally, the German university system, based on the Humboldtian model, illustrates the difficulty of
attempting to both maintain elite research universities and allowing mass access. The influence on
higher education in the US and the lessons to be learnt from the German university system are valid
reasons for learning more about Wilhelm von Humboldt and his university model.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
The Need of Region-Specific Resource-Focused Education for Affiliated B-Schools in Andhra Pradesh
-- Tapal Dulababu
Education is an essential cog in the wheel of human
progress. Management education has been growing due to
the spurt in demand for management graduates. In Andhra Pradesh
(AP), there has been an unusual and revolutionary growth of B-Schools since
1996. However, the performance of B-Schools, in terms of placements and average
salary, has been lagging dismally, leading to significant
unemployment among MBAs produced by the universities and their affiliates. This paper discusses the need
of region-specific resource-focused education as a differentiating
dimension, which would potentially reverse the aforesaid trend and primarily improve the effectiveness of
management education in AP.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
Strategies for Technology-Based Learning in Higher Education
-- Ioan Andone and Napoleon-Alexandru Sireteanu
Most of the universities, nowadays, are struggling to enhance the professional experience
and skills of their personnel in order to efficiently utilize the new technologies in their teaching
activities. The pressure for this comes from many sources, including employers who are
demanding graduates with generic as well as domain-specific skills, from students themselves who
expect using technologies in their learning, and from institutions that want to take advantage of
the opportunities afforded by the new delivery methods. Semantic
web-based education has become as ubiquitous as the
web is today, but is not yet a reality. At the moment, it is a futuristic
vision founded in current developments in Internet technologies, and the semantic
web in general. This paper proposes an approach for universities to apply emerging technologies in their
educational activities. It also explores the idea of providing teachers with access to, and skills in the use
of, technology-based learning tools, whose design and use are derived from learning needs,
and proposes a teaching strategy for MSc in Business Information
Systems.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
Process Mapping in Educational InstitutionsA Tool to Enhance Knowledge-Based Approaches
A Study of the Distance Education System
-- Shulagna Sarkar
With most nations striving hard towards globalization, quality education has become
a compulsion for all, in order to survive. One such mode of quality education is the distance
mode. Education through the distance mode is a boon to the several underprivileged and illiterates who
are in need of jobs, yet simultaneously seek to continue further education. Considering such a
high significance of the distance mode of education, handling knowledge becomes important. In
this paper, process mapping is recognized as a technique to identify the grey areas of the distance
education system, and how ultimately it provides a platform to enhance knowledge.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
Should We Trust Students' Evaluations? A Study in an Italian University
-- Daniel Piana and Tommaso Agasisti
The progressive reduction of public resources for higher education has
led many governments to rethink their organizations to become more managerial, altering the balance between
central governments and academic institutions, and increasing the decentralization of responsibilities.
In this context, an accountability system becomes fundamental, and evaluation of teaching
acquires two main purposesthe external certification of results achieved by a single university and
the scientific support of the decisional process. This paper focuses on the second aspect,
investigating the principal drivers of students' satisfaction at Politecnico di Milano (Italy), by analyzing
the findings of the teaching quality survey in the academic year 2005-2006. It was found that
students' evaluations are focused on `core' aspects of teaching, such as professors' abilities and
clearness, and the provision of teaching support, providing evidence of the possibility to use these
evaluations for really improving teaching activities. Based on these results, the paper suggests the use
of students' evaluations for managerial purposes.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
Marginalization of School Dropouts in the New Economy
-- Devi Prasad Mahapatra
Life has become miserable for Ramu Naik, even when the whole country is making
remarkable progress with path-breaking developments on the economic front. Unable to grapple with the
financial problems faced by his family staying in Madhapur, the emerging IT hub of Hyderabad, India,
he abandoned his career dreams for a petty job in the parking slot of Cyber towers, thus displaying
the hollowness of the argument put forward by the so-called neo-liberal economists who claim
that `India is shining'. The above incident brings to light the paradoxical situation emerging across
the country. Though the decision to support the family by leaving education halfway gets endorsed
by the near and dear ones, it denies social justification. It is not the story of Ramu Naik alone, as
we keep finding similar cases in society, depicting the inherent scenario
where the school dropouts have become the victims of many socio-economic ills. Call it `marginalization' or `segregation', this is
forcing the school dropouts to seek their livelihood in the informal sector as an alternate lifestyle. In
this article, an attempt has been made to highlight some issues related to school dropouts by
showcasing one initiative taken by Dr. Reddy's.
© 2009 The Federation of Universities. All Rights Reserved.
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