Taking a broader view of diversity

www.dit.ie/researchandenterprise

Re-imaging Higher Education: Taking a Broader View of Diversity

Professor Ellen HazelkornVice President of Research and Enterprise, and Dean of the

Graduate Research SchoolHigher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU)

Dublin Institute of Technology5th Global Meeting of Associations (GMA V), Manchester, April

2013


What are we trying to achieve?


A World-Class Higher Education System

• Coherent portfolio of horizontally diverse and distinctive high performing, complementary and actively engaged institutions:

• Providing a breadth of educational, research and student experiences which offer the widest chance to the broadest number of students; ;

• Working collaboratively to maximize capacity beyond individual institutional capability.

• Developing knowledge and skills that citizens need to contribute to society throughout their lives, while attracting international talent;

• Graduates able to succeed in the labour market, fuel and sustain personal, social and economic development, and underpin civil society;

• Operating successfully in the global market, international in perspective and responsive to change.


Overview of Presentation

• What is Meant by Diversity

• 21st Century Diversity

• Valuing and Strengthening Diversity


1. What is Meant by Diversity


What is diversity?

Diversity a basic norm of HE policy because:• Considered a “necessary consequence of the rapid growth in tertiary education

enrolments and the movement of many tertiary education systems from elite to mass systems” and beyond (Santiago et al, 2008, 76);

• Permits the combination of elite and mass higher education – the former being dependent upon the latter (Trow, 1979);

• Increases level of HEI effectiveness;• Offers opportunities for experimenting with innovation;• Best meets educational and societal requirements (Birnbaum, 1983) by:

• Providing opportunities for social mobility;• Meeting the needs of different labour markets (via an increasing variety of

specialisations);• Serving the political needs of interest groups.


Diversity is Broad

• Institutional core tasks: teaching; research; engagement; innovation; continuing education; professional development; services; outreach;

• Distinctive Descriptors: traditional, civic/engaged, liberal arts, technological, entrepreneurial, metropolitan, regional/community, specialist, etc.

• Programme and pedagogical profile: comprehensive disciplines/specialisation by field; academic, technological, professional orientation; pedagogical profiles.

• Research: spectrum from basic/fundamental, use-inspired basic, goal-oriented, problem-solving, national/policy relevance; multi/inter-disciplinary;

• Student profile: ethnic, religious, or social background, gender, qualifications;

• Staff profile: ethnic, religious background, gender, previous academic and professional qualifications, functional emphasis, e.g., time spent on education, research, continuing education, innovation services;

• Internal organisation: governance, functional orientation of different units, funding mechanisms, reward structures. (adapted from Hazelkorn, 2011)


Changing Idea of the “University”

• Medieval University: focused around the seven liberal arts: grammar, astronomy, rhetoric (or speech), logic, arithmetic, geometry and music, in belief society would benefit from scholarly expertise generated from university;

• Modern European University: influenced by the scientific revolution and von Humboldt led to the rise of the research university, with an emphasis on the teaching-research nexus;

• US Land Grant University: focused on the teaching of agriculture, science, and engineering as a response to the industrial revolution, and changing social class rather than higher education's historic core of classical studies;

• Polytechnics and New Generation Universities: built on the tradition of Workingman’s Colleges, they cater for wider range of socio-economic groups, learner groups and educational requirements;

• New Providers and HE Models: public, for-profit and open-access; franchising, over-seas campuses; global networks; MOOCs; joint and dual awards.


Drivers of Change

• Traditionally, HEIs reflected basic understanding of knowledge, social classes, and skill/labour market requirements;• University taught the classical canon of subjects, including philosophy,

medicine and theology – or basic knowledge;• Hochschule, etc. taught natural and engineering sciences – or applied

knowledge.

• Over time, institutional boundaries have blurred:• Demand for higher education has risen exponentially;• Labour markets evolved, and disciplines have moved up the value chain; • Bologna Process and harmonisation of educational quality;• Knowledge more complex and divisions between fundamental and applied

less meaningful: “applied and not yet applied” (Boulton and Lucas, 2008, 9);

• Growing focus on global challenges and the need for interdisciplinary responses.


Tertiary Enrolment by Region, 1970-2007


HEI growth in OECD countries, 1955-2011


From Elite to Universal ParticipationElite

0-15%Mass

16-50%Universal Over 50%

Functions of higher education

Shaping mind and character of ruling class; preparation for elite roles

Transmission of skills; preparation for broader range of technical elite roles

Adaptation of "whole population" to rapid social and technological change

Curriculum and forms of instruction

Highly structured in terms of academic conceptions of knowledge

Modular, flexible and semi-structured sequence of courses

Boundaries and sequences break down; distinctions between learning and life break down

Institutional characteristics

Homogeneous with high and common standards; small residential communities; clear and impermeable boundaries

Comprehensive with more diverse standards; "cities of intellect" – mixed residential & commuting; boundaries fuzzy and permeable.

Great diversity with no common model; aggregates of people enrolled but...many rarely on campus; boundaries weak or non-existent.

Research and knowledge transfer

Pursuit of understanding of fundamental principles focused on "pure disciplines" and arising from curiosity, with no (direct or immediate) commercial benefits.

Pursuit of understanding of principles in order to solve practical problems of the modern world, rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake.

Research is democratised, co-produced with and responsive to wider society, with an emphasis on impact and benefit.

(Hazelkorn, 2011 – Adapted from Brennan, 2004 and Trow, 1973, 1974, 2006; Gibbons et al, 1994)


2. 21st Century Diversity


When systems and institutions evolve (1)

• In the 20thC, diversity was “solved” by a binary system – but this is changing.

• Hungary has replaced its binary with more varied range of programmes;

• Netherlands has replaced its binary with a three-way differentiation;

• Finland and Norway are encouraging mergers between different institutions;

• South Africa, UK and Australia have adopted a unitary system;

• Many developing countries are encouraging different models of private and for-profit HEIs.

• 21stC knowledge economies require citizens who are motivated, dedicated learners able to overcome unforeseen challenges of tomorrow – more “versatilists” and fewer specialists & generalists (Schleicher, OECD, 2010):

• This has implications for HE and HEIs.


When systems and institutions evolve (2)

• Mission evolution rather than simply mission creep/drift (Guri-Rosenblit et al,

2007):• HE has evolved to take on a diverse range of functions and niches within and

between institutions (Clark, 1978); • Some of today’s most well-known universities began life as more modest

institutions (Marcus, 2011); • Terms such as “unitary” and “binary” are becoming out-dated.

• There has been a “gradual shift in meaning of diversity” from simplistic differentiators to “diversification in institutions and programmes with different profiles” (van der Wende, 2009, p323).

• Greater breadth of programmes and study opportunities at undergraduate level to enable/support universal access and democratisation of knowledge;

• Greater specialization and professionalization at postgraduate level to support advanced learning and research.


Diverse Research Missions

• Traditionally, research is usually interpreted/measured simply as:• Binary between fundamental and applied research, e.g. R&D;• Intensity, e.g. no. of researchers, researcher students, publications, research

income;

• Today, policy is promoting engagement as learning beyond the campus walls, discovery which is useful beyond the academic community and service that directly benefits the public – but there remains much confusion.

Knowledge ceasing “to be something standing outside society, a goal to be pursued by a community of scholars dedicated to the truth, but is shaped by many social actors under the conditions of the essential contestability of truth” (Delanty, 2001, 105);

• Research-innovation spectrum is a dynamic “continuum”.


The “multiversity”

Today, higher education is a vast complex organisation:• Provides education from associate degree to PhD level, conducts

research, participate in outreach initiatives, and a source of innovation and entrepreneurship;

• Emblem of nation-building, the engine of the economy and the source of human capital;

• Actively engages with a diverse range of stakeholders through knowledge and technology transfer, and underpinning the global competitiveness of nations and regions;

• Medical schools, museums, theatres, galleries, sports facilities and cafes – all of which play a significant role in their community, city and nation;

• Meets needs of demographically, ethnically and culturally diverse populations, and responds to complex and challenging political-economic environments.


21st C. University?

Vocational InstituteTraditional University

Education/Learning

Innovation/EngagementResearch/Discovery

The Knowledge Triangle

Specialist Research Institute


University for 21st Century (Duderstadt, 2000)

10 possible models:• The world university – international focus;

• The diverse university – social/ethnic diversity, pluralistic learning community;

• The creative university – university of the arts, media, architecture;

• The divisionless university – interdisciplinary approach to learning;

• The cyberspace university – open and distance learning;

• The adult university – advanced education and training;

• The university college – undergraduate provision;

• The lifelong university – programme provision throughout lifetime;

• The ubiquitous university – new “life-form” linking/connecting social institutions;

• The laboratory university – new “green-field” site ‘experiment’ in learning.


6 University Models (OECD, 2004)

Post-secondary system: collection of specialised HEIs carrying out several missions/functions for different population groups and kinds of knowledge:•Tradition – catering to relatively small share of youth for credentials;

•Entrepreneurial - teaching, research and service are well balanced;

•Free Market – market forces drive specialisation by function, field, audience;

•Lifelong Learning and Open Education – universal access for all ages w/ less research;

•Globally networked – teaching/training institution in partnership with other orgs.;

•Diversity of Recognised learning – disappearance of formal institution – distance, ‘open course’ education.


Responding to Society

Wedgwood, 2004, 10.


U-Multirank



Diversity Examples (1)Name Keywords Description

Danube University Krems, Austria

Professional; Problem Solving/Goal-oriented; Specialist Disciplines; MA/PhD; Mature/Part-time; Young; City; Single-campus; International

Postgraduate continuing education studies in health/medicine, communication/globalization, business/law, education and media as well as of arts, culture and building.

Open University,UK

Classical/Professional; Use-inspired Basic And Problem Solving/Goal-oriented; Research-informed; Open Access; ODL; Dual-sector; Young; International;

Dedicated to modern distance learning with programmes across the arts, social sciences, business and science. It promotes interdisciplinary research, and new modes of teaching and learning. Emphasis on open access.

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, US

Professional/Technological; Problem Solving/Goal-oriented; Specialist/Entrepreneurship; Undergraduate; Private Not-for-profit; Young; Selective; Single-campus

Founded in 2002, to prepare “students to become exemplary engineering innovators who recognize needs, design solutions, and engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world”.

Asian Institute of Technology,Thailand

Professional/Technological; Problem Solving/Goal oriented research focused on the region's sustainable development and its integration into the global economy; postgraduate education;

Promotes technological change and sustainable development in the Asian-Pacific region through higher education, research and outreach. Established 1959, AIT has become a leading regional postgraduate institution, working with public and private sector partners throughout the region and with some of the top universities in the world.

RMIT University, Australia

Professional/Technological/Vocational; Problem Solving/Goal-Oriented; Mass; Meritocratic; Dual Sector; Old; Public Dependent; Managerial; Multi-campus/International Campuses; Large

From 1887, is a university of technology and design, providing educational pathways between vocational and higher education or the option of qualifications combining the best of both. Has 3 campuses in Melbourne, Australia, and two in Vietnam.


Diversity Examples (2)Name Keywords Description

Albukhary International University, Malaysia

Private; non-fee paying; priority to disadvantage students; undergraduate specialist;

Established 1996. Programmes offered in business and ICT. All students required to undertake planned social and community engagement activities throughout period of study. The objective is to inculcate in them the passion to serve and contribute to others.

University of the Arts, London, UK

Professional/Vocational; Specialist Disciplines; Problem-solving/Goal-oriented Research; Selective; Dual Sector; Old; Managerial.

Developed from 5 independent art, design, fashion and media colleges in 1986. Provides professional education from foundation to PhD, with focus on practice-based research.

Earth University, Costa Rica

Private international institution, non-profit; undergraduate; student centred and experiential learning environment.

Founded 1986 by Act of Government, offers four-year undergraduate in agricultural sciences and natural resources management. Focus on scientific education and techniques which emphasizes ethical values, entrepreneurship and environmental and social commitment.

University of the West Indies,Caribbean

Comprehensive; public; multi-campus across 16 countries; BA-PhD;

Established 1948 to provide innovative, internationally competitive, contemporary university committed to enhancing every aspect of Caribbean development and improving the well-being of the people of the Caribbean. Originally an extension of U of London, aim to help "unlock the potential for economic and cultural growth“ allowing for improved regional autonomy.

Warsaw University of Technology, Poland

Technological; Problem Solving/Goal-oriented and Pure Application; Technology Transfer; Specialist Disciplines; Metropolitan; BA-PhD; Old; Residential/Commuter; Multi-campus; Government/Public controlled; Large.

Began as Warsaw Institute of Technology, there are 28 fields of study primarily in science and technology. Research is focused on industrial and commercial applications.


Multi-dimensional Diversity

• As knowledge has become more complex and society more demanding, diverse higher education models have developed – giving birth to multi-dimensional diversity;

• HE sits at the intersection of an expanding and multifaceted set of objectives and stakeholders, interpreted and prioritised in different ways rather than in a bipolar world of teaching and research;

• Possible to “envisage a larger and still more varied array of providers, both public and private, national and international, global and corporate, campus-based and virtual” (Skilbeck, 2003; Skilbeck, 2001, 58-71) or identify institutions which may straddle the line between categories;

• Higher education systems are increasingly horizontally differentiated according to distinctive missions or field specialisation.


Aligning Diversity with Performance

• Academic recruitment and promotion reflects traditional disciplines and patterns of knowledge production and accountability;

• Yet, advances in knowledge – solving global challenges – increasingly requires the collaboration of scholars from many fields and perspectives:

• Interdisciplinary research impeded by policies on hiring, promotion, tenure, and resource allocation (US National Academies, 2004);

• Academic norms and values can be a road-block to diversity (van Vught, 2008).

• Tension between public policy objectives and official methodologies of resource allocation and academic recruitment/promotion;

• We need to institutionalise new forms of academic credentialism and assessment, including defining the appropriate peer.


Differentiation vs. Stratification

• Increasing concern about rising demand and costs of higher education vs. declining national budgets is leading to policy trade-offs;– Governments finding it difficult to provide all the higher education its citizens

want and its society requires;– Rankings have pushed up the status premium of elite universities, their

hosting nations, and graduates from those institutions.

• Differentiation of mission: excellence vs. equity; talent vs. access: “...following expansion and democratisation of higher education,...our ability to

maximise the talents of the intellectually gifted have diminished...” (Murphy, 2011)

• Growing distinction between world-class research universities and mass teaching HEIs– Institutional differentiation obscures relationship between social hierarchy of

students and hierarchy of institutions.


3. Valuing and Strengthening Diversity


Valuing Diversity

• Around the world, policymakers realise sustainable prosperity in the global economy requires greater diversity of educational and research opportunities and perspectives – and people to work in jobs we don’t yet know about (Porter, 2002; IHEP, 2010);

• The idea of the university as a stand-alone “ivory tower” has faded. • There is greater recognition that a higher education system requires

diverse and distinctive HEIs, each contributing valuable knowledge and skills, with mutual respect, for in the interests of the success of the overall eco-system –• Strategy of institutional collaboration and alliances, and geographical

clustering;• System coherence = Maximising capacity beyond individual capability.


A Dynamic Eco-system

Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem. Used by ecologists, it refers to the totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region. Within the eco-system, each species plays a critical role, mutually supporting each other, without which the entire system may collapse (Rosen, Wilson).

Research is conducted increasingly through bi-lateral, inter-regional and global networks, with inter-locking innovation systems because complex problems require collaborative solutions (Gibbons et al, 1994; Nowotny et al., 2001).

“With rapid technology changes, single universities or research institutes may not be able to accommodate the needs of business development for skills, knowledge and innovation....[T]he most successful high-science locations today are those that take a multiple form, rather than a link between firms and a single university.” (OECD, 2006, 119).


Drivers of Diversity

• Governance• Reward system and public/policy values should support wider range of

institutional missions – and research activity and outputs;• Quality assurance and rankings can be a process of homogenisation.

• Competition – for students, staff, socio-economic changes, reputation • High levels of autonomy or inter-institution competition do not encourage

diversity if there is insufficient funding;

• Reward structures• Financial reduction – forcing definition of institutional niches• “Underfunded institutions will tend to scrounge for funds no matter where

they find them” and ignore institutional identify and mission (p155);

• Policy needs to take into account “whole array” of actions to be effective – including parity of esteem.

(adapted Reichart, 2009)


Reimaging Higher Education


“Diversity has been identified in the higher education literature as one of the major factors associated with the positive performance of higher education systems” (van Vught 2008: 154).

“Diversity is not necessarily desirable particularly if, in the name of differentiation of resources, one lets slide into penury those institutions which bear the brunt of mass teaching and learning whilst creating poles of excellence for the fortunate few. How does diversity of resources for instance, square with the notion of equality of access to public service across the national territory?”(Neave, 2000: 19)


Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU)Dublin Institute of Technology

[email protected]://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/rankings

Taking a broader view of diversity

Education

research university

university medieval

mass higher education

continuing education

tertiary education systems

global market

social background

basic knowledge hochschule