School of Education
Department of Administrative and Policy Studies
John C. Weidman, PhD, Professor of Higher and
InternationalDevelopment Education / 5910 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
230 South Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-648-1772
Email:

ADMPS 3136: Comparative Higher Education

Instructor’s Homepage:

Google Scholar Publications Profile:

ResearchGate Profile:

Term:Fall, 2016 (2171); Thursday, 4:30-7:10 pm, 4321 WWPH.

Office Hours:Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-4; also by appointment.

SYLLABUS

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

This seminar focuses on contemporary problems in post secondary education throughout the world. The seminar will begin with a brief historical introduction, followed by a review of case studies and other documents on higher education in the USA and other countries. Special attention will be given to an examination of comparative and contrasting policies and issues in higher education as they unfold in various developing regions and in the USA.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of higher education from a comparative, international, and development education perspective. It includes reviewing the dynamic historical, comparative, social, economic, political, and organizational aspects of this education subsector with a specific focus on contemporary issues in each of the world’s global regions. Those seeking credit for University Center for International Studies (UCIS) programs must focus their term papers on a country or region in the particular program’s geographical area.

OBJECTIVES

  1. To study the purposes, basic concepts and methodological characteristics of comparative research in international higher education;
  2. To learn the different philosophical and epistemological perspectives and disciplinary fields related to comparative higher education;
  3. To recognize the innumerable issues and topics studied in international, comparative, and development higher education;
  4. To understand the global, regional, national, local and institutional tensions and issues that influence higher education;
  5. To learn about higher education systems of different nations, including an understanding of higher education governance, organizational structure, institutional relationships, challenges, differentiation, and integration; and
  6. To become versed in the main literature in comparative, international, and development higher education.

DISABILITY SERVICES

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call (412) 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability Resources and Services office is located in 140 William Pitt Union on the Oakland campus.

STATEMENT ON CLASSROOM RECORDING

To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Academic Integrity Guidelines

Student Agreement

I. Student Obligations

A student has an obligation to exhibit honesty and to respect the ethical standards of the profession in carrying out his or her academic assignments. Without limiting the application of this principle, a student may be found to have violated this obligation if he or she:

  1. Refers during an academic evaluation to materials or sources, or employs devices, not authorized by the faculty member.
  1. Provides assistance during an academic evaluation to another person in a manner not authorized by the faculty member.
  1. Receives assistance during an academic evaluation from another person in a manner not authorized by the faculty member.
  1. Engages in unauthorized possession, buying, selling, obtaining, or use of any materials intended to be used as an instrument of academic evaluation in advance of its administration.
  1. Acts as a substitute for another person in any academic evaluation process.
  1. Utilizes a substitute in any academic evaluation proceeding.
  1. Practices any form of deceit in an academic evaluation proceeding.
  1. Depends on the aid of others in a manner expressly prohibited by the faculty member, in the research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of work to be submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
  1. Provides aid to another person, knowing such aid is expressly prohibited by the instructor, in the research, preparation, creation, writing, performing, or publication of work to be submitted for academic credit or evaluation.
  1. Presents as one’s own, for academic evaluation, the ideas, representations, or words of another person or persons without customary and proper acknowledgment of sources.
  1. Submits the work of another person in a manner which represents the work to be one's own.
  1. Knowingly permits one's work to be submitted by another person without the faculty member's authorization.
  1. Attempts to influence or change one's academic evaluation or record for reasons other than achievement or merit.
  1. Indulges, during a class (or examination) session in which one is a student, in conduct which is so disruptive as to infringe upon the rights of the faculty member or fellow students.
  1. Fails to cooperate, if called upon, in the investigation or disposition of any allegation of dishonesty pertaining to another student.
  1. Violates the canons of ethics of the student's professional discipline, as promulgated by professional organizations and/ or regulatory bodies (e.g., American College of Sports Medicine, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and Pennsylvania Department of Education).

The alternative sanctions which may be imposed upon a finding that an offense related to academic integrity has been committed are the following:

  1. Dismissal from the University without expectation of readmission.
  2. Suspension from the University for a specific period of time.
  3. Reduction in grade, or assignment of a failing grade, in the course in which the offending paper or examination was submitted.
  4. Reduction in grade, or assignment of a failing grade, on the paper or examination in which the offense occurred.

DEPARTMENTAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a student in ADMPS believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer. [Dr. Michael Gunzenhauser is the Associate Dean and Integrity Officer.]

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Class Participation. Each student is required to participate fully in the seminar discussion and to take responsibility for leading a portion of at least one class session. This will include selecting a supplementary reading related to the topic for a class session, distributing it prior to class, and leading a 30-minute discussion of the reading and its implications for the study of comparative higher education.
  1. Term Paper.

A 25-30 page (double spaced) term paper on a topic that includes a comparative dimension relevant for higher education. Some examples are comparing selected aspects of the higher education systems in at least two countries; assessing library and information needs of higher education for countries located in a particular geographic region; reviewing problems and prospects for the implementation of computer technology in the higher education systems of developing countries; comparing curricular structures of higher education systems in at least two countries, etc. Students are required to make a presentation in class on their term papers. The following list suggests several of the comparative factors that might be included in the analysis presented in the term paper:

1. Higher education system in cultural context: ethnic groups and dominance; popular languages spoken in order of prevalence.

2. Colonial or other antecedents of the higher education system.

3. Language(s) of instruction in higher education.

4. Purpose of the higher education system (official as well as actual).

5. Internal and external (international) influences.

6. Governance: location and use of authority and power; centralization; power of faculty/student/administrative groups; organization of higher education system; structural similarities and differences across types of institutions; internal and external influences; levels of control and lines of responsibility; role of alumni; role of political parties and degree of politicization; degree of institutional autonomy; role of private and voluntary organizations in higher education.

7. Numbers and types: of higher education institutions; of academic programs and degrees; of students by race/gender/language/social class; percentage of cohort group enrolled; rates of growth by institutional type.

8. Finance: budgeting process; sources of funds by percentage; proportion of national budget and of GNP/GDP devoted to higher education.

9. Admissions, transfer and graduation: processes for each, relationship to secondary education sector; retention, transfer, repeating, study length; elitist nature of admissions and matriculation; effect of higher education on the national social structure; equity; access of women and minority group members; massification of higher education.

10. Reform of higher education: planning alternatives; higher education in the nation’s service; models of reform approved, planned, and implemented.

WEIGHTING OF CLASS PARTICIPATION AND WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS IN FINAL GRADE:

  1. First Written Assignment. Proposal (3-5 pages) (15%)
  2. Class Participation including Identifying Supplemental Reading and Leading Class Discussion (25%)
  3. Final PaperComparing Selected Aspects of Two National Higher Education Systems/Institutions Using Appropriate Framework(s) (25-30 pages) (45%)
  4. PowerPoint Presentation of Final Paper (15%)

REQUIRED READINGS [copies in CourseWeb]

Abdullah, D., Abd Aziz, M. I., & Mohd Ibrahim, A. L. (2014). A “research” into international student-related research: (Re)Visualising our stand? Higher Education, 67(3), 235–253.

Altbach, P. G., & Salmi, J. (Eds.). (2011). The road to academic excellence: Making of world-class research universities. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Arimoto, A. (2011). Japan : Effects of changing governance and management on the academic profession. In W. Locke, W. K. Cummings, & D. Fisher (Eds.), Changing Governance and Management in Higher Education (pp. 281–319). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Asian Development Bank. (2014). Counting the cost: Financing Asian higher education for inclusive growth. Manila: Asian Development Bank.

Bat-Erdene, R., Sukhbaatar, J., Amarzaya, A., Chuluuntsetseg, D., & Byambatsogt, J. (2010). Current state of higher education in Mongolia. Beijing: UNESCO.

Bleiklie, I. (2014). Comparing university organizations across boundaries. Higher Education, 67(4), 381–391.

Carnoy, M., Froumin, I., Loyalka, P. K., & Tilak, J. B. G. (2014). The concept of public goods, the state, and higher education finance: A view from the BRICs. Higher Education, 68(3), 359–378.

Chapman, D. W., & Chien, C.-L. (Eds.). (2014). Higher education in Asia : Expanding out, expanding up. Montreal, Canada: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Finkelstein, M., Ju, M., & Cummings, W. K. (2011). The United States of America: Perspectives on faculty governance, 1992–2007. In W. Locke, W. K. Cummings, & D. Fisher (Eds.), Changing Governance and Management in Higher Education (pp. 199–222). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Hoffman, D. M., Blasi, B., Ćulum, B., Dragšić, Ž., Ewen, A., Horta, H., Nokkala, T., & Rios-Aguilar, C. (2014). The methodological illumination of a blind spot: Information and communication technology and international research team dynamics in a higher education research program. Higher Education, 67(4), 473–495.

Jaramillo, A. (2012). Universities through the looking glass: Benchmarking university governance to enable higher education modernization in MENA. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Jaramillo, A. (2013). Benchmarking governance as a tool for promoting change. Washington, DC: World Bank MENA Regional Program.

Kosmützky, A., & Krücken, G. (2014). Growth or steady state? A bibliometric focus on international comparative higher education research. Higher Education, 67(4), 457–472.

Kosmützky, A., & Nokkala, T. (2014). Challenges and trends in comparative higher education: An editorial. Higher Education, 67(4), 369–380.

Locke, W. (2011). The international study of the “Changing Academic Profession:” A unique source for examining the academy’s perception of governance and management in comparative perspective. InChanging governance and management in higher education. In W. Locke, W. K. Cummings, & D. Fisher (Eds.), (pp. 381–383). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Manzon, M. (2011a). Intellectual histories of comparative education. In Comparative education: The construction of a field (pp. 127–152). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Manzon, M. (2011b). References and Index. In Comparative education: The construction of a field (pp. 231–295). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Morphew, C. C., & Swanson, C. (2011). On the efficacy of raising your university’s rankings. In J. C. Shin, R. K. Toutkoushian, & U. Teichler (Eds.), University rankings (pp. 185–199). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Oleksiyenko, A. (2014a). On the shoulders of Giants ? Global science, resource asymmetries, and repositioning of research universities in China and Russia. Comparative Education Review, 58(3), 482–508.

Oleksiyenko, A. (2014b). On the shoulders of giants? Global science, resource asymmetries, and repositioning of research universities in China and Russia [Appendix]. Comparative Education Review, 58(3), Online Appendix.

Ramirez, F. O., & Tiplic, D. (2014). In pursuit of excellence? Discursive patterns in European higher education research. Higher Education, 67(4), 439–455.

Reale, E. (2014). Challenges in higher education research: The use of quantitative tools in comparative analyses. Higher Education, 67(4), 409–422.

Salmi, J. (2009). The challenge of establishing world-class universities. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Teichler, U. (2014). Opportunities and problems of comparative higher education research: The daily life of research. Higher Education, 67(4), 393–408.

Teichler, U. (2011). Social contexts and systemic consequence of university rankings : A meta-analysis of the ranking literature. In J. C. Shin, R. K. Toutkoushian, & U. Teichler (Eds.), University rankings (pp. 55–69). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Toutkoushian, R. K., & Webber, K. (2011). Measuring the research performance of postsecondary institutions. In J. C. Shin, R. K. Toutkoushian, & U. Teichler (Eds.), University rankings (pp. 123–144). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Trigwell, K. (2011). Measuring teaching performance. In University rankings (pp. 165–181). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Välimaa, J., & Nokkala, T. (2014). The dimensions of social dynamics in comparative studies on higher education. Higher Education, 67(4), 423–437.

Weidman, J. C., & Bat-Erdene, R. (2002). Higher education and the state in Mongolia: Dilemmas of democratic transition. In D. W. Chapman & A. E. Austin (Eds.), Higher education in the developing world: Changing contexts and institutional responses (pp. 130–149). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Weidman, J. C., Jacob, W. J., & Casebeer, D. (2014). Conceptualizing teacher education in comparative and international context. In A. W. Wiseman & E. Anderson (Eds.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2014 (pp. 115–145). Bristol, UK: Emerald.

World Bank. (2009). Accelerating catch-up: Tertiary education for growth in Sub-saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank. (2010). Financing higher education in Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank.

SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS [not in CourseWeb]

Clark, Burton R. (1995). Places of Inquiry: Research and Advanced Education in Modern Universities. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Clark, Burton R. (1983). The Higher Education System: Academic Organization in Cross-National Perspective. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Postiglione, Gerard A. and Grace C.L. Mak (Eds.). (1997). Asian Higher Education: An International Handbook and Reference Guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Van de Graaff, et al. (1978). Academic Power: Patterns of Authority in Seven National Systems of Higher Education. New York: Praeger.

Weidman, John C. and Namgi Park (Eds.). (2000). Higher Education in Korea: Tradition and Adaptation. New York, NY: Falmer Press.

Weidman, John C., John L. Yeager, Laurie Cohen, Linda DeAngelo, Kristin M. DeLuca, Michael G. Gunzenhauser, W. James Jacob, Maureen W. McClure, and Stewart E. Sutin (Eds.). (2015). ASHE Reader on economics and finance of higher education. Boston, MA: Pearson.

World Bank. (2002). Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education.Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank. (2003). Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy: Challenges for Developing Countries.Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank. (2000). Higher Education in Developing Countries: Peril and Promise. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2000.

World Bank. (1994). Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience. Washington, DC: World Bank, 1994.

CLASS SESSIONS AND ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES

September 1Comparative Education as a Field of Study

Readings: Manzon, 2011a, 2011b; Kosmützky & Nokkala, 2014.

September 8Framing Comparative Higher Education

Readings: Weidman & Bat-Erdene, 2002; Weidman, et al., 2014.

September 15The Landscape of Research in Comparative Higher Education I

Readings: Kosmützky & Krücken, 2014;Ramirez, 2014; Reale, 2014; Teichler, 2014.

September 22The Landscape of Research in Comparative Higher Education II

Readings: Abdullah, et al., 2014; Bleiklie, 2014; Carnoy, et al., 2014; Hoffman, et al., 2014; Välimaa & Nokkala, 2014.

September 29International Surveys of the Professoriate

Readings: Arimoto, 2011; Locke, 2011; Finkelstein & Cummings, 2011.

[PROSPECTUS FOR TERM PAPER DUE]

October 6Higher Education in Africa

Reading: World Bank, 2009.

October 13Financing Higher Education in Africa

Reading: World Bank, 2010.

October 20Higher Education in Asia

Reading: Chapman & Chien, 2014.

October 27Financing Higher Education in Asia

Reading: Asian Development Bank, 2014.

November 3University Governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Readings: Jaramillo, 2012, 2013.

November 10University Rankings

Morphew & Swanson, 2011; Oleksiyenko, 2014a, 2014b; Teichler, 2011; Toutkoushian & Webber, 2011; Trigwell, 2011

Review Websites of Major Ranking Agencies:

Center for World-Class Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China:

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

Times Higher Education, UK

QS World University Rankings, UK

Leiden Ranking, Netherlands

US News and World Report, USA: Global University Ranking

November 17World Class Universities

Readings: Altbach and Salmi, 2011; Salmi, 2009.

November 24THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

December 1Class presentations of term papers.

December 8Class presentations of term papers.

[TERM PAPERS AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS DUE]

1