Regional
Netherlands Leads the Way for English Language Masters Programs in Europe
Non-English speaking countries in Europe have seen huge growth in the number of graduate-level programs offered in English, according to a new report [1] by the Institute of International Education.
The number of master’s programs in Europe offered in English (excluding Britain and Ireland) was 4,644 in 2011, up from 1,028 in 1977. The Netherlands has a total of 812, the highest number, followed by Germany (632) and Sweden (401). But some countries further down on the list showed the greatest percentage increases in the last year. Italy and Denmark have only 191 and 188 such programs, respectively, but both of those figures are up 33 percent in the last year.
– Institute of International Education [1]
March 2012
Three Million Children at International Schools
According to the latest figures from ISC Research, the number of children attending the world’s international schools passed three million in February, with the numbers growing threefold since 2002.
In response to the increasing demand for places, international schools have been expanding rapidly worldwide. It is currently predicted that the number of students will reach six million in another 10 years and that the number of international schools will increase from 6,000 today to 10,000.
Today 80 percent of students at international schools are local children looking for a route to university admissions worldwide. The model 10 years ago was targeted more at children of expatriate families. In a number of cities, this demand from both expat and local families is outstripping supply. Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha all have significant shortages of places, and in certain regions job decisions by expats are being made according to the availability of good school places rather than salaries. As a result of this demand, a number of countries are actively encouraging the growth of international schools including China, India, Malaysia, Korea, and the UAE.
– International Focus [2]
April 2012
Finland
Mergers Promote International Competitiveness
Finish universities underwent a series of mergers in 2010, with more scheduled for next year as the country seeks to improve the international competitiveness and quality of its institutions of education. According to Anita Lehikoinen, director of higher education and research policy at the Ministry of Education, “Small universities are just not powerful enough.”
Three new universities were created in Finland in 2010 (involving seven pre-existing institutions). The new Aalto University [3], which merged the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki, was aimed at “trying something new, combining technology, design and business schools,” according to the minister.
But in the cases of the University of Turku [4] (which absorbed the Turku School of Economics) and the University of Eastern Finland [5] (which merged Joensuu and Kuopio Universities), the aim “was to make stronger scientific units that could better compete internationally,” Lehikoinen said.
Kuopio and Joensuu would have become teaching-only universities, she said, if they had not “done something drastic. Now we are merging all the free arts academies. The idea is to create one strong arts university.”
Some academics impacted by the mergers felt that they have created extra work and put a strain on existing resources, while also raising question marks about job security. The merging of faculties was seen by some to have led to larger classes and less contact with students. On the positive side, academics have seen greater cooperation between academic fields across merged campuses, with a feeling of improved research strength thanks to pooled resources.
– Times Higher Education [6]
April 19, 2012
Russia
Building India Ties
India is building ties with Russian universities, and helping to create India-study programs at those institutions, The Hindu has reported. India has just signed an agreement to create a Center of Indian Studies at Kazan Federal University [7], the first such India-backed institute in Russia outside of Moscow, and one that will be headed up by an Indian professor. Plans are currently under way for either chairs or research centers related to India at universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Krasnodar.
– The Hindu [8]
March 18, 2012
Ranking Woes
A year ago, Russia’s most prestigious university, Moscow State [9], was considered the 33rd best in the world, according to The Times Higher Education’s ranking of top 100 schools by academic reputation [10]; this year there wasn’t a single Russian institution in the ranking. Only two Russian universities — Moscow State and Saint Petersburg State University [11] — made it onto The Times’ regular Top 400 ranking, placing in the 276-300 and 351-400 bands. Education Minister Andrei Fursenko has now said that Russia is in the process of creating its own rating system.
Brain drain has been one of the major causes of the country’s declining quality standards in higher education, while there is also concern that the Russian academic community is isolated from the rest of the world and faces severe infrastructure and resource shortages.
Dr. Fursenko told the Interfax news agency in March that ratings were an “instrument of competitive battle and influence” and should not be monopolized. He said that Russia was working with international specialists to create its own “international and universally recognized” university rating.
– The New York Times [12]
March 25, 2012
Loans for Overseas Study
Russia is developing a new loan program to send its best students to study specific subjects at the world’s top universities, according to a report from RIA Novosti, the country’s official news agency.
The goal is to fill gaps in critical skills for the development of the nation’s economy, including the management of higher education and the creation of high-tech companies. Students won’t have to pay back government loans if they return to Russia after earning their degrees and work in their field of interest for three years. The program is slated to begin in 2013 with 1,000 students and the possibility of an extension to 2,000 students in 2014. According to the report, the program is being overseen by President-elect Vladimir Putin.
– RIA Novosti
March 27, 2012
Turkey
International Students Numbers Growing
The number of international students studying in Turkish universities has increased significantly over the past five years, according to data from the country’s Student Selection and Placement Center [13].
There were 26,911 international students in Turkey in the 2010/11 academic year, up from 16,059 in 2005/06 academic year – a rise of more than 67 percent. The figure was 21,948 in 2009/10 and 18,720 in 2008/9. The rise is largely attributed to Turkey’s growing economy, growing recruitment from Muslim countries and increased marketing by institutions. Turkey wants to raise its number of international students to 100,000 by 2015, according to the Foreign Economic Relations Board’s Business Education Council.
– PIE News [14]
March 19, 2012
United Kingdom
U.S. Universities Demonstrate Better Use of Social Media Than Those in UK
According to a recent study [15], universities in the United States are using social media more effectively than their UK counterparts. Social media consultancy Sociagility [16] measured the Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and website engagement of the top 25 U.S. and top 25 UK universities in the 2011-2012 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and found an almost exact match between the institutions’ social media output and their ranking.
The universities’ use of social media was assessed across five attributes: Popularity, including site traffic, followers and fans; Receptiveness, such as linking and referencing; Interaction; Network reach; and Trust, including positive endorsements and ratings.
Only two UK universities, the University of Oxford and the University of Sheffield made the top 10 for their social media strategies, with ranks of seven and eight respectively. Harvard came first, followed by the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The average score for universities was set at 100. UK universities as a group scored 72 while U.S. universities averaged 127.
Although US universities have devoted more effort over a longer period of time to social media, the report found that British universities are failing to get the basics right.
“One very simple step that every university can take right now is to ensure that its primary social media accounts are clearly signposted on the home page of its website. The number of UK universities who have not done so is astounding,” the report says.
– Times Higher Education [17]
April 2, 2012
Middle-Tier English Universities Likely to See Drop in Enrollments
A ‘squeezed middle’ of English universities is expected to suffer sharp falls in student numbers this fall, according to figures published in March. The data, published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England [18], identify 34 universities that it says will be hit by recent government funding reforms because they neither attract the best-performing students nor offer the lowest fees of £7,500 (US$11,900) or less.
The universities – including Bedfordshire, the University of Central Lancashire, Leeds Met and Sheffield Hallam – are expected to see drops of more than 10 percent in undergraduate students this fall.
The squeeze comes at both ends under the reforms: top universities will be allowed to recruit unlimited numbers of the highest-performing students, while a total of 20,000 places have been taken from the general pool and auctioned off to universities and colleges charging average fees of £7,500 or less.
– The Guardian [19]
March 29, 2012
Government Wants Universities to Create New A-Levels
Universities should decide on the content of A-level examinations and review them each year, Secretary of Education Michael Gove said in a letter to exam regulator Ofqual in April.
The minister says he is concerned that current A-levels fail to properly prepare students for university. Mr. Gove’s letter suggests formal control of A-level content would be taken away from exam boards and handed to universities.
Gove said: “Leading academics tell me that A-levels do not prepare students well enough for the demands of an undergraduate degree. I would therefore like to see universities having a far greater involvement in the design and development of A-level qualifications than they do at present.”
The move is not only about readjusting curriculum to better prepare students for university study but also to bring about grade deflation, so that universities can better distinguish between students in the admissions process. Currently around one in four A-level candidates achieves an A grade, which is significantly higher than in the past.
– BBC [20]
April 3, 2012
British Universities Raise Concerns Over U.S. Student Loan Rules
British universities have raised concerns over changes in federal student-loan regulations that will make it difficult for students from the United States to use their aid when studying abroad at non-degree granting institutions, such as film institutes, conservatories and performing arts institutions. These types of institutions are permitted by the British government to offer courses but do not grant degrees themselves.
Some Australian universities have already stopped enrolling American students receiving federal aid due to tougher U.S. reporting requirements. Foreign-university officials say the U.S. Department of Education is trying to apply American standards without taking into account the differences in educational systems abroad. The cumulative impact of the rule changes and the costs of compliance could lead some institutions, particularly smaller ones or those that enroll relatively few U.S. students, to stop accepting Americans who receive federal aid, they warn.
The changes now hitting foreign institutions stem largely from the 2008 renewal of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, although, because of the rule-making process, many are only now being put into effect. Education Department officials say they are simply asking the approximately 380 foreign institutions that are part of the loan program to meet the same requirements that their U.S. counterparts do.
Americans overseas are eligible for federal aid if they enroll at institutions that participate in federal programs. In the 2010 fiscal year, they received $670 million in student loans, about 1 percent of total loan volume. (Half of that money went to just four for-profit medical schools in the Caribbean.)
– The Chronicle of Higher Education [21]
March 21, 2012