Globalisation, Higher Education and Society
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| EDEN4007 | School of Education and English | 4 | 30 | Autumn China |
- Code
- EDEN4007
- School
- School of Education and English
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- 30
- Semesters
- Autumn China
Summary
This module invites the participants to reflect on how the world has changed in recent decades and identify the implications for higher education. It examines the traditional role of higher education, how these have developed in recent years and how they are affected by those changes broadly classified as globalisation. What should and can higher education aim to achieve in todays globalised environment? How far is internationalisation reshaping universities potential to transform students and societies? Candidates will explore what the meanings and natures of knowledge economy, and the learning society, and what they imply for conceptions of higher education and the university. Candidates will discuss the role of markets in higher education: how can public and private universities contribute to the public good? How do universities respond to competing pressures from various stakeholder groups (government, business, employers, the public sector, their localities, NGOs, students and their families, social movements, etc.)? Issues of contention in the roles of higher education, such as competition versus collaboration, national agendas and individual agency enhancement, national cultural continuity and multiculturalism will be highlighted. In keeping with the international focus of the module and the programme as a whole, similarities and diversities in responses from various national HE sectors will be compared.
Please note this module is assessed at the end of Autumn semester. First sit/ Resit exams are scheduled normally in the summer and can take the same form as the missing/ failed component of the assessment (exam, essay etc.) or other form, as decided by the School.
Target Students
Level 4 students enrolled in MA International Higher Education
Classes
- One 1-hour-30-minute seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour-30-minute lecture each week for 10 weeks
The module is offered through face to face teaching. The module includes (i) self-paced study for approximately 100 hours guided by set tasks, reading and on-line interest and reading groups and (ii) 30 hours face-to-face teaching and discussion and (iii) further peer collaborative and interactive activities facilitated by module tutors.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework 1: 6000 words - essay
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The module aims to:•introduce debates and issues regarding globalization and identify various forces that have affected higher education policy and practices in recent years•examine the relationship between higher education and society and the potential for change and transformation in an era of globalisation•provide the opportunity to design and conduct a project around one of the module themes, relevant to students' own work contexts•The objectives are to enable students to:critically examine contested ideas about the purposes of higher education in a changing context of globalisation and develop an awareness of the complexities and tensions that make it difficult to come to agreements about it•Identify forces of change in different aspects of social life and how changes in these are reflected in changing demands on HE in their key functions•evaluate higher education’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to policies designed to promote social aims such as inclusion, graduate attributes and employability•explore the continuities and discontinuities between policy documents and research focusing on the purposes and practices of higher education in order to consider what kinds of curriculum reform and pedagogy is desirable and feasible•Undertake a project in the area of global higher education and society in relation to aspects of their own contexts and practices.Learning Outcomes
A. Knowledge and Understanding
A student who completes the module should be able to:
• map and know about the changes in social life that links to the changing demands on higher education;
• evaluate the main technical, political and academic debates about the purposes of higher education and policy and practices;
• analyse how options and constraints operate in higher education environments in relation to social change and educational transformation;
• examine current higher policies and practices in terms of social justice and global equity.
B. Intellectual Skills
A student who completes the module should have improved the following intellectual skills:
• undertaking critical analysis and evaluation of both educational research literature and policy documents;
• making reasoned choices about strategies and policies on the basis of satisfactory evidence;
• conducting rigorous and well-informed investigations in professional settings;
• knowing how to develop written and oral arguments about educational matters.
C. Professional and Practical Skills
A student who completes the module should have developed the following professional and personal skills:
• taking a research-informed and evidenced-based approach to professional activities;
• underpinning work relating to teaching, learning and assessment with a sound knowledge base about global higher education policy;
• understanding how to engage colleagues in well-informed debates about decisions relating to policy and practices.
D. Transferable Skills
A student who completes the module should have improved the following transferable skills:
• communicating with colleagues from diverse backgrounds about international higher education;
• understanding the influence of values on policy and practice;
• reflecting critically for the purpose of improving personal and professional practice;
• working collegially and in teams with a variety of colleagues;
• integrating personal research findings with professional practice.
Conveners
- Dr Zhen Li