Intra-Institutional Diversity or Diversity of Institutional Missions?

1
Intra-Institutional Diversityor Diversity of
Institutional Missions?

• Contribution to the
• Slovenian National Conference 2012
• on Higher Education
• Ljubljana, 15 February 2012
• by Ulrich Teichler

International Centre for Higher Education
Research Kassel (INCHER-Kassel)University of
Kassel, Germany Email teichler_at_incher.uni-kassel.
de
2
Themes of this Presentation

• Major themes of higher education policy in Europe
• Diversity trends and discourse
• The Bologna Process and diversity
• The employability discourse
• The Slovenian case

3
Themes of Trend Reports, Policy Statements and
Future Scenarios (I)

• Five Major Issues in Higher Education in Europe
  in the First Decade of the 21st Century
  (Teichler 2010)
• Management and strategy
• Internationalisation/globalisation
• Quality
• Relevance (knowledge economy, employability,
  etc.)
• Diversity
• Source U. Teichler. Equal Opportunity, Quality,
  Competitiveness (Contribution to the Conference
  The Future of the European University after
  Bologna, Fondation Universitaire, Brussels, 13
  December 2010)

4
Themes of Trend Reports, Policy Statements and
Future Scenarios (II)

• Higher Education Looking Forward (HELF) Project
  of Key Higher Education Researchers Sponsored by
  European Science Foundation (ESF) (2005-2008)
• Knowledge society The role of knowledge
  dynamics vs. external demand
• Expansion and the changing role of HE as regards
  to social equity/jus- tice/cohesion vs.
  meritocracy and vs. acceptance of traditional
  privileges
• Widening of functions (knowledge transfer,
  third mission etc.) or response to mission
  overload?
• Steering and academic power the changing
  roles of governments, other external
  stakeholders, market forces, university
  managers and academic profession a new
  balance or a new steering overload?
• Pattern of the higher education system extreme
  vertical stratification or flat hierarchy?
  Imitation of the top or horizontal diversity of
  profiles?
• Source J. Brennan, U. Teichler, eds. Special
  Issue The Future of Higher Education and the
  Future of Higher Education Research. Higher
  Education (56)3, 2008

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Themes of Trend Reports, Policy Statements and
Future Scenarios (III)

• The Bologna Process (1999-)
• Introduction/functioning of a cycle system of
  study programmes and degrees
• Expansion of lower ranks of higher/tertiary
  education (?)
• Increasing inwards mobility of students from
  other parts of the world
• Increasing intra-European student mobility
• Employability
• Coordination of teaching/learning-related quality
  assurance
• Strengthening the social dimension of HE (?)

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Themes of Trend Reports, Policy Statements and
Future Scenarios (IV)

• The Lisbon Process (2000-)
• Increase of public and private expenditure on
  research
• More research serving the knowledge economy
  (Europe as most competitive economy)
• More intra-European research cooperation and
  mobility (?)
• More competition within higher education and
  research (?)
• A more stratified higher education and research
  system (?)

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Diversity (I)The Desirable Configurationof the
Higher Education System

• Popular views since the 1960s
• Expansion of student enrolment is desirable
  expansion is linked to diversity
• Diversity of higher education institutions and
  study programmes is the response to the
  increasing diversity of motives, talents and
  career perspective of students
• There is a trend towards increasing diversity
• Research quality is the single most powerful
  element of diversification in Europe vertical
  diversification among universities, segmentation
  between universities both in charge of research
  and teaching and other HEIs without a major
  research function
• The vertical dimension shapes the discourses and
  actions as regards diversity more strongly than
  the horizontal dimension

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Diversity (II)Three Generations of Diversity
Discourses and Trends in Europe

• 1960s and early 1970s Diversification according
  to sectors, notably types of higher education
  institutions
• Mid-1970s and 1980s Moderate inter-institutional
  diversity according to types of higher education
  institutions, vertical ranks and occasional
  profiles
• Since the 1990s Stronger vertical
  stratification, establishment or extension of
  intra-institutional diversity of study programmes
  through a cycle system (Bologna), stratification
  goes global, lip-service for profile diversity

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Diversity (III)The new Zeitgeist at the Time of
the Third Diversification Era

• The more diversity the better (no chance for
  profiles?)
• Emphasis of steep stratification
• Growing belief that steep stratification
  contributes to quality, relevance and efficiency
  of the higher education system
• Increasing attention paid to ranks at the top and
  increasing belief that success at the top is
  important (elite knowledge society?)
• Assumption that top universities do not play
  anymore in national leagues, but rather in global
  leagues (world-class universities)

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Diversity (IV)The Biased Diversity Discourse on
the Part of Ranking and Classification Advocates
(I)

• Polarisation Either you are in favour of my
  notion of desirable diversity or you defend
  counter-productive homogeneity of higher
  education systems (disregards of different
  extents of diversity).
• Extremism The more diversity the better (steep
  diversity is beneficial, moderate diversity is
  old-fashioned)
• Normative bias Diversity is vertical diversity,
  and vertical diversity is the sexy game of today
  Marginson compelling popularity of vertical
  diversity (horizontal diversity is negligible)

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Diversity (V)The Biased Diversity Discourse on
the Part of Ranking and Classification Advocates
(II)

• Preoccupation with inter-institutional diversity
  (neglect of intra-institutional diversity)
• Biased claim of transparency (only partially
  transparent, driven by availability of data)
• Claim of benefits with at most reference to
  unintended consequences (neglect of endemic
  weaknesses of the various models of diversity)

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Diversity (VI)Major Arguments in Favour of a
Steep,Mostly Vertical Diversification (I)

• Learning is more successful in relatively
  homogenous environments
• The HE institution as a whole is crucial for the
  quality of academic work of its parts (the
  quality of the academic work of the individual
  depends to a large extent on the institution)
• A steeper stratification of resources is needed
  to ensure quality at the top

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Diversity (VII)Major Arguments in Favour of a
Steep,Mostly Vertical Diversification (II)

• The demand for research in higher education
  institutions is smaller than the demand for
  teaching
• Quality of research is more steeply stratified
  than quality of teaching
• A transparent steep hierarchy is a strong
  motivator for enhancement all over the higher
  education system

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Diversity (VIII)Major Counter-Arguments Against
a Steep, Mostly Vertical Diversification

• Learning benefits from moderate diversity
• There is always a certain degree of
  intra-institutional diversity
• Over-competition undermines the valuable
  potentials of HE
• In the global ICT-based society, quality of
  academic work is less dependent than ever before
  on the physical locality
• Steep vertical diversity undermines horizontal
  diversity (imitation of the top instead of
  variety of profiles)

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The Bologna Process and Diversity (I)

• The obvious aims regarding diversity
• Growing attractiveness of short study programmes
  and growing proportion of graduates with a
  short-cycle degree
• Increasing weight of level of study programmes
  among formal dimensions of diversity

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The Bologna Process and Diversity (II)

• Possible/hidden aims regarding diversity
• Decreasing weight of types of higher education
  institutions?
• Intra-institutional diversity or/and
  inter-institutional diversity?
• Flat hierarchy of institutions and programmes
  guarantees large zones of mutual trust for
  student mobility?
• Employability A call for horizontal
  diversity?
• Or is the Bologna Process neutral as regards
  diversity?

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Recent Developments ofVaried Institutional
Mergers

• In Finland and South Africa
• In both countries various models of mergers
  Universities with universities, universities with
  other HEIs, other HEIs with other HEIs

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Graduate Employment in Various European
Countries according to Institutional Type and
Degree Level

• __________________________________________________
  ___________________
• 
  Bachelor graduates Master graduates
  Single-cycle/
  
  
  traditional degrees
• 
  Univ. Other HEIs All Univ.
  Other HEIs All Univ. Other HEIs All
• __________________________________________________
  ________________________________________
• CZ Managerial/Prof. Position 31 60
• Associate Prof. Position 52 34
• FR Managerial/Prof. Position 17 15 63 81 91
  
• Associate Prof. Position 64 67 29 15 7
• HU Managerial/Prof. Position 62 62 58
• Associate Prof. Position 29 31 34
• NL Managerial/Prof. Position 57 52 71 71 71 52
  
• Associate Prof. Position 11 22 10 10 9 23
• NO Managerial/Prof. Position 27 75
• Associate Prof. Position 11 13
• UK Managerial/Prof. Position 36 73
• Associate Prof. Position 30 18
• __________________________________________________
  ________________________________________

• Prof. Professional / Univ. University
  Other HEIs Other Higher Education Institutions
  (e.g. Fachhochschulen, Grandes Écoles etc.)
• Source Schomburg/Teichler, eds. Employability
  and Mobility of Bachelor Graduates in Europe.
  Rotterdam Sense Publishers, 2011.

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The Employability Narrative (I)
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• The Employability Debate in Europe
• Bologna Declaration (1999) expresses concern that
  the new Bachelor programmes might have too little
  relevance for the work of graduates
• A growing instrumental and utilitarian
  expectation in general
• The spread of a British debate all over Europe

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The Employability Narrative (II)
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• Employability A Misleading Term
• Employability is a term of labour market
  research and labour market policy referring to
  potentials and measures of securing that youth
  at risk get somewhat employed at all. This is
  not the problem of university graduates.
• The Bologna Process means little for
  employment (e.g. employment vs. unemployment,
  remuneration social benefits, holidays,
  short-term vs. long-term contracts, etc.), but
  much for work (knowledge, competences, work
  tasks, job requirements, etc.)

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The Employability Narrative (III)

• Professional Relevance A Superior Term
• Impact awareness as common element of evaluation
  and accountability culture
• Professional relevance does not call for a
  certain direction of link or for a certain
  balance between training professional rules and
  tools and training of sceptics
• Problem the meanings of professional in
  different languages and cultures

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The Employability Narrative (IV)

• Key Areas of Competences (I)
• Academic/professional specialisation
• General cognitive competences (generic skills,
  broad knowledge, theories and methods, learning
  to learn, etc.)
• Working styles (e.g. working under time
  constraints and perseverance)
• General occupationally-linked values (e.g.
  loyalty, curiosity and achievement orientation)
• Specific professionally related values (e.g.
  entrepreneurial spirit, service orientation)

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The Employability Narrative (V)

• Key Areas of Competences (II)
• Transfer competences (e.g. problem-solving
  ability)
• Socio-communicative skill (e.g. leadership, team
  work, rhetoric)
• Supplementary knowledge areas (e.g. foreign
  languages and ICT)
• Ability to organise ones own life
• Ability to handle the labour market (e.g. job
  search relevant knowledge and good
  self-presentation to employers)
• International competences (e.g. knowledge and
  understanding of foreign cultures, comparative
  analysis, coping with unknown persons)

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The Employability Narrative (VI)
Select Dimensions of Work Orientation and Work
Situation ( of 2000 graduates employed in 2005)
D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J D F UK J
Work orientation Or Sit Or Sit Or Sit Or Sit
Work autonomy 94 89 87 74 70 59 75 52
Job security 80 56 70 60 80 66 79 59
Opportunity to learn 87 62 93 58 90 65 82 45
High earnings 55 28 60 20 62 33 68 23
Enough time for leisure activities 63 38 72 46 79 48 80 40
Chance useful for society 52 45 72 55 63 48 67 47
Combine work and family 64 41 83 50 44 30 69 41
Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation Source REFLEX Or Work orientation Sit Work situation
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Options for Slovenia

• Intra-institutional diversity the option for
  small countries?
• The danger of steep stratification
  over-competition, imitation of the top and
  reduction of horizontal diversity?
• The legacy of the heritage or how far-reaching
  might reforms be?
• Feasibility of horizontal diversity in
  inter-institutional and intra-institutional
  diversity?
• Future scenario of a knowledge society elite
  knowledge society or mass knowledge society?
  Soft or fierce competition? Moderate or
  substantial horizontal diversity?