Unit information: Global Higher Education in 2018/19

Unit name	Global Higher Education
Unit code	EDUCD0003
Credit points	20
Level of study	D/8
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Lucas
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit is concerned with Global Higher Education and will be based around theories of globalisation, internationalisation and regionalisation in understanding the development of higher education across different national contexts. The significance of global league tables and the huge increase in numbers of international students around the globe means that higher education in all countries is positioned within the global landscape and this has implications for national higher education policies and debates on the funding and governance processes of the higher education sector. The unit draws on a wide range of disciplinary literature within sociology, geography and cultural studies as well as the wider literature on higher education.

The unit will begin by charting the current landscape of policies and debates relating to higher education across different national contexts, including, Europe, Australasia, Asia and North America. It will be focused around three key themes; a) Global Perspectives on Higher Education, b) Governance of Higher Education at Global, Regional and National Levels, c) The Global University: institutional processes. Key debates around marketization and privatization as well as quality assurance and enhancement and internationalization and diversity will be explored throughout the three themes.

The unit will be of value to academics, higher education researcher, educational developers, higher education managers and administrators and those who wish to enter such occupations.

Unit Aims

• To provide an understanding of the concepts of globalization and internationalization and how these inform the development of higher education in different national contexts.
• To critically engage with the policy debates and theoretical ideas underpinning the governance of higher education at a global, regional and national level.
• To better understand the institutional processes of the university and how these are influenced by the idea of a ‘global university’.
• To enable participates to share experiences and apply debates to their own context, practice and research interests

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able;

• to demonstrate knowledge of and critically evaluate and compare the theoretical ideas and concepts relating to globalization, internationalization and how these inform changing higher education systems;
• to critically engage with the policy debates and ideas underpinning the governance of higher education at a global, regional and national level;
• to develop skills to critically analyse and better understand the institutional processes of the university and how these are influenced by the idea of a ‘global university’;
• to consider the key themes of the unit and how these might apply to their own context, practice and research interests.

Teaching Information

Tutor presentations with interactive discussion, group activities and student-led discussions and presentations.

Assessment Information

A 4,000 word assignment which will assess students’ critical understanding of the literature on a selected topic within the unit, and their ability to discuss the implications of the theories and concepts in relation to their own professional practice and /or through a small-scale empirical study.

Formative assessment will also be provided in the form of detailed feedback on drafts and discussion of student presentations.

Reading and References

Hazelkorn, E. (2015) (2^nd Edition) Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: the battle for world class excellence, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan.

Stromquist, N.P. & Monkman, K. (2014) (eds) Globalisation and Education: integration and contestation across cultures, Plymouth, Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Shields, R. (2013) Globalization and International Education, London, Bloomsbury.

Mok, KH & Neubauer, D. (2016) Higher education governance in crisis: a critical reflection on the massification of higher education, graduate employment and social mobility, Journal of Education and Work, 29:1, 1-12

Yonezawa, A. & Shimmi, Y. (2015) Transformation of university governance through internationalization: challenges for top universities and government policies in Japan, Higher Education, 70: 173-186.

Horta, H. (2009) Global and national prominent universities: internationalization, competitiveness and the role of the state, Higher Education, 58: 387-405.

Deem, R. & Lucas, L. & Mok, K. (2009) The World Class University in Europe and East Asia: dynamics and consequences of global higher education reform in Kehm, B.& Stensaker, B. (ed.) University Rankings, Diversity and the New Landscape of Higher Education, Global perspectives on Higher Education Series Vol.18, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Marginson, S. (2016): Public/private in higher education: a synthesis of economic and political approaches, Studies in Higher Education, Online First.