Resources

Interdisciplinary teaching, learning, and research are often heralded as necessary responses to the many pressures facing contemporary higher education. Defined as the integration of knowledge from two or more disciplines, interdisciplinary work requires a change in the boundaries and norms that have long defined the academy. Through examples from a range of disciplines and institutional types, this volume considers how successful interdisciplinary engagement necessitates a focus on the structure and rewards of academic behavior. This change is an intensely social process, involving dialogue and interation among diverse ideas, individuals, learning environments, and bodies of knowledge. It is this diversity that enables the rich potential of interdisciplinary engagement but also presents the greatest challenges for institutions. This volume considers the obstacles and opportunities inherent in interdisciplinary initiatives. Academic administrators, faculty, and graduate students interested in understanding the disciplinary norms of higher education and cultivating interdisciplinary engagement will benefit from this volume. The author provides theoretical perspectives and practical applications for advancing interdisciplinarity in the classroom, the research laboratory, across the university campus, and outside institutional boundaries. Such endeavors entail not only interaction between scholars and professionals from normally distinct disciplines but also articulation of shared problems or topics that underscore the integration of disciplinary bodies of knowledge. This is the second issue in the 35th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication. (From the Publisher)

This monograph examines the philosophy underpinning current higher education provision. Contemporary culture seems to encourage consumers to purchase products where the product is shaped by the provider and the input of the consumer is very limited. Research suggests that students, their perceptions shaped by the educational experience they have undergone, view education as a commodity and require that information be packaged for easy consumption. The purpose of this study is to examine the current situation in education against the backdrop of an emerging trend that sees education as a product and students as consumers or customers. The literature provides a basis to argue that a qualification now is frequently a simulacrum while previously it represented knowledge and competency. (From the Publisher)

Globalization is changing the face of Higher Education across the world. Academics and students today are increasingly internationally mobile and, as such, an unprecedented number of international exchanges and cross-border education projects are being developed. The implications for individual universities are significant: international students can bring much-needed revenue to boost university coffers and stimulate university classrooms but they also have high expectations and demands. This book discusses the implications for those involved in managing the organizational processes and those designing programmes and supporting the student experience. A key concern in the text is that of reciprocal internationalization - the importance for universities to develop within an internationally-integrated environment rather than as national universities which accommodate the needs of people from other countries into their pre-existing practices. The emphasis throughout the discussion is therefore on the development of intercultural competences for university staff supported by sustainable international management practices. (From the Publisher)

The present state of the university is a difficult issue to comprehend for anyone outside of the education system. If we are to believe common government reports that changes in policy are somehow making life easier for university graduates, we cannot help but believe that things are going right and are getting better in our universities. Ivory Tower Blues gives a decidedly different picture, examining this optimistic attitude as it impacts upon professors, students, and administrators in charge of the education system. Ivory Tower Blues is a frank account of the contemporary university, drawing on the authors' own research and personal experiences, as well as on input from students, colleagues, and administrators. James E. Côté and Anton L. Allahar offer an insider's account of the university system, an accurate, alternative view to that overwhelmingly presented to the general public. Throughout, the authors argue that fewer and fewer students are experiencing their university education in ways expected by their parents and the public. The majority of students are hampered by insufficient preparation at the secondary school level, lack of personal motivation, and disillusionment. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no administrative or governmental procedure in place to maintain standards of education. Ivory Tower Blues is an in-depth look at the crisis facing Canadian and American universities, the factors that are precipitating the situation, and the long-term impact this crisis will have on the quality of higher education. (From the Publisher)

An investigation of how the contemporary university should develop and the form of pedagogy used. (From the Publisher)

This book provides a provocative look at the issues and controversies surrounding grade inflation, and, more generally, grading practices in American higher education. The contributors confront the issues from a number of different disciplines and varying points of view. Topics explored include empirical evidence for and against the claim that there is a general upward trend in grading, whether grade inflation (if it exists) is a problem, which ethical considerations are relevant to grading, and whether heavy reliance on anonymous student evaluations of teaching excellence has a distorting effect on grading practices. Finally, the contributors offer contrasting perspectives on the prospects for reform. "As state and federal agencies begin to talk about accountability for universities, the topic of grade inflation could become even more politicized. This timely book addresses a topic of significant public interest and does it well. The fact that the contributors disagree, take different approaches, and address different aspects of grade inflation is a virtue." - Kenneth A. Strike, author of Ethical Leadership in Schools: Creating Community in an Environment of Accountability "This book encourages academic communities to engage in constructive debate over their professional responsibilities as evaluators of student academic work. Its greatest strength is that it presents disparate perspectives on the complex topics of grading and grade inflation. The contributors are in a real sense engaged in a discussion on the subject, which makes the book refreshing and intellectually stimulating." - Matthew Hartley, University of Pennsylvania Contributors include CliffordAdelman, David T. Beito, Mary Biggs, Harry Brighouse, Lester H. Hunt, Richard Kamber, Alfie Kohn, Charles W. Nuckolls, Francis K. Schrag, and John D. Wiley. (From the Publisher)

This book significantly advances discussion of the mission of higher education in today's multicultural environment and global economy. It sets out the challenges and considerations that must be addressed by administrative leaders, by trustees, and others who shape the vision and direction of the institution but most particularly by academic deans and faculty. The author makes the case that the inclusion of a diversity and globalization in disciplinary work contributes to the research agendas of individual faculty and their departments, aligns with scholarly values, and promotes such student learning goals as tolerance of ambiguity and paradox, critical thinking and creativity. He offers a strategic vision of success, backed by theory and examples of effective application, for creating transformative change; and provides a roadmap to implementing inclusive pedagogical practices and curricula. With implementation dependent on leadership and participation at every level of an institution, everyone with a stake in its future should read this book. (From the Publisher)

The definitive coursebook for Higher Education. (From the Publisher)

In "Higher Education Reconceived: A Geography of Change", authors Sherrie Reynolds and Toni Craven examine the process of change in higher education as they engage the reader in conversation about how we relate to ourselves and to one another. They draw on modern and post-modern elements of higher education as well as personal narratives to address personal change, emergent change, and changing ideas about learning, curriculum, and communities of learning. The traditional view in higher education is that teaching causes learning. However, these authors assess how, as our ideas of student learning, research, and disciplines have developed, our understanding of teaching has evolved as well. Throughout, the authors intimate a sense of the spiritual in the processes of teaching and learning. This holistic volume encourages meditation on the multidimensional journey of teaching and learning, sheds new light on current paradigms of education, and presents ways of living together in a pluralistic and globally connected world. Opening each chapter with a labyrinth illustration to depict the winding and porous nature of the topic, this book should find a place on every educator's bookshelf. As teacher-scholars together discover a new understanding of higher education fit for our times, they should never forget that - as Reynolds put it - 'Being a university professor is a sacred trust'.(From the Publisher)

If we are all becoming global citizens, what then are our civic responsibilities? Colleges and universities across the United States have responded to this question by making the development of global citizens part of their core mission. A key strategy for realizing this goal is study abroad. After all, there may be no better way for students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become effective change-agents in international contexts. The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad is a comprehensive survey of the field. Each chapter eloquently conveys an enthusiasm for study abroad alongside a critical assessment of the most up-to-date research, theory and practice. This contributed volume brings together expert academics, senior administrators, practitioners of study abroad, and policy makers from across the United States, Canada and other part of the world, who meticulously address the following questions: What do we mean by global citizenship and global competence? What are the philosophical, pedagogical and practical challenges facing institutions as they endeavor to create global citizens? How is study abroad and global citizenship compatible with the role of the academy? What are the institutional challenges to study abroad, including those related to ethics, infrastructure, finances, accessibility, and quality control? Which study abroad programs can be called successful? The Handbook of Practice and Research in Study Abroad is an indispensable reference volume for scholars, higher education faculty, study abroad professionals, policy makers, and the academic libraries that serve these audiences. It is also appropriate for a wide range of courses in Higher Education Master’s and Ph.D. Programs. (From the Publisher)