Trending Topic: Will MOOCs change the Higher Education ? Some thoughts
Online courses are as old as internet itself. But for a long time they were nothing more than a test protokol. can MOOCs change it? Read an analysis about the hüge dropout rates exceeding 90%.
Dealing problems and creating solutions are the things that seperates human brain from the rest. We not only deal with some simple problems that all other creatures face, but also prettey complex problems that we like to put forward. As a part of my continuing effort for uncovering the depths of higher education management, I thought it would be great to get some professional help. I hope Dr. Page’s course on modelling will help to solve this problem twingled with culture, organization, management, sociology and even phsychology.
As we always tend to do we simplfy problems, search for similarities and make assumptions built on experience and observation. Beyond our daily practice of natural modelling, it would be great to take this onto a new level.
This course is not for me to learn modelling but also a chance to understand the new phenomenon of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Take a look at Dr. Page’s blog to learn more.
As a late comer to the higher education the clear separation between the academic and non-academic members of a university stroke me instantly. As a person who has studied the history of the caste system in India and as a professional public administrator doing his Phd on public administration this disturbing problem -which now I’m a part of- turned out to be a social problem to be studied. It turns out to be that it is a topic of a life time.
And when we talk about the 3rd generation universities and the change in higher education it turns out to be a crucial subject to reveal. During my web searches I come across interesting comments and thoughts. Here I would like to share with you a blog post written by Ferdinand von Prondzynski which is giving a glimpse of the Irish version of the problem. You can click the link to read the full post.
One of the refreshing aspects of my university, DCU, is that it makes few distinctions between those employees who have academic tasks, and those whose work is administrative, secretarial, technical or professional. There is no hierarchy of decision-making that places the latter groups in a less favourable position. This is significant, because in every other university I know there appears to be open or subdued warfare between academics and others.
I recently attended a meeting of one of the learned academic bodies and was astounded to hear a very senior professor from another institution argue that administrators were a cancer in the academic system, but I was even more alarmed when that statement was greeted with mutters of approval by many others present. Academics, the speaker suggested, were entitled to expect priority support and, more or less, an obsequious caste of non-academics seeing to their needs. More nods andsotto voce statements of agreement.
Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Erdoğan addressing the issues about the new reformation of the higher education system in Turkey and the managerial problems involved. It is now becoming a trend to see professionals entitled as the President of a university. The words from the Prime Minister was acquired by the journalists during a flight. In Turkey universities are managed by Rectors not by the presidents and they have to be Professors. They have to be elected by the faculty of the university to become a Rector.
Question: Are you planning changes in the draft Higher Education law which is being prepared by the YÖK (Higher Education Council)?
Answer : Ministry of National Education is currently working on that draft. Later it will reach to us. me and my team to study further on it. We are telling that we want to be aligned with the rest of the world. To achieve this alignment we have to study on the Western understanding of the university. God rest him, Mr. Sabancı* had visited me during my first term. He complained about spending 250 million dollars on his university still not having the right to choose its Rector. I can’t even discuss this issue he added and said he was the boss of the whole assets of his company and the university that carried his name and still won’t be able to appoint the manager I need.
And why am I supposed to manage the school with a Rector? In the USA, Rectors are not supposed to deal with the management of the school, but rather carry on academic issues, which is different from the managerial ones.
This points shall all be revised again. Why shall a Rector deal with this kind of managerial stuff, he should rather deal with the academics.
SOURCE : http://www.memurlar.net/haber/345247/
* Sakıp Sabancı (1933 – 2004) Leading Turkish economic and industrial figure who established Sabancı University in 2004.
In countries where institutional habits, cumbersome governance structures and bureaucratic management practices prevent traditional universities from being innovative, creating new institutions maybe the best approach, provided that it is possible to staff them with people not influenced by the culture of the traditional universities and provided that financial resources are not a constraint. New institutions can emerge from the private sector or governments can allow new public institutions to operate under a more favorable regulatory framework.
Jamil Salmi, The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities
We are living in a period of paradigm shift for higher education. The knowledge economy and high technology produced by research organizations turned on themselves, thus forcing a change management. As Salmi mentions, in a country like Turkey, where old habits jeopardize any attempt of establishing a world class university, you must take these factors into consideration.
Interestingly Turkey is also in a process of reforming its major regulations on higher education. As far as the drafts reveal, it is hard to say that anything major is to be reformed. Still leaving the state universities in the same trap of urge to compete and the incapability of breaking the bureaucratic limits.
Yükseköğretimde reform ciddi bir kültür değişikliği gerektirir. İyiyle, kötünün bir arada idare edildiği değil “Mükemmeliyet Kültürü” olmalı. Stratejik Planlama ve yönetim becerilerinin geliştirilmesi olmazsa olmazlar arasında.Ancak öylesine yapılan SP’lerden bahsetmiyoruz. Komünist ve paylaşımcı bir yönetim kültürü ile binlerce yıllık otoriter yapının hakim olduğu Çin 15 yılda bunu başardı. İlk 400′de 9 Çin üniversitesi var. 15 yıl önceki hedefleri dünya klasmanında isim sahibi 10 üniversite oluşturmaktı. Hedeflerine % 90 vardılar.
Peki biz geleneksel durumu idare eden, belirgin bir stratejik hedefi ve ortak kurumsal kültürü olmayan yapılarımızla ne yapacağız? Özellikle devlet üniversiteleri sorunlu kamusal çalışma kültürünü, kıymetli bir şey zannıyla korumaya devam mı edecekler. Ortak bir davaya inanmayan (dünyanın çapında olmak gibi) insanların oluşturduğu kurumlar Hiç bir yere gidemezler. Ancak kendisini oluşturan kalabalıkların, insanların ve küçük grupçukların durumu idare ettiği, günü birlik yaşadıkları, tek hayal ettikleri şeyin emeklilikleri olduğu bir deve kuşu sığınağında yaşayıp giderler.
Yaşlılıktan, eklemleri tutulmuş orta ve üst yaş grubundan üniversitelerimiz, büyüklükleri ile değişim konusunda kendilerini mazur görebilir. Ancak yeni kurulan üniversitelerin böyle bir hakkı yok. Eski türküleri çalarız, öylece yaşar gideriz diyemezler. Zira böylesine ihtiyaç yok. Bu kararlılığa sahip olmayan akademisyen veya idari çalışanların yapabileceği en iyi şey kendilerine bir yaşlılar evi bulmak. Bu görev huzur ve sükunet arayanların işi değil. Dünya ile rekabet etme azminde olan, her türlü zorluğun altına kendini atabileceklerin işi.
Neyse ki ülkemizde yeterince yaşlılar evi var.Orada yüz iki yüz yıl öncenin zaferlerini anlatıp kendilerini mutlu tutmak isteyenlere yer var. Zaman, kendi zaferlerini yazmak isteyenlerin zamanı. Yazamazsak ülke olarak küresel rekabetten silinip gideriz. Artık karar vermek lazım!
Bireyler, kurumlar ve ülke olarak. Atalet mi değişim mi?
Berkeley Kampüsü, ABD
I was in the US for the second time this year. We were enlisted for a study visit to some of the Californian universities, Stanford and Berkeley. But our first stop was Chicago, where we joined the rest of the group, which arrived a few days earlier.
After a good sleep to overcome the jet lag, I found the strength and desire to take a short walk in the downtown for only around an hours time. What I have found was a beautiful city with its tall buildings, rivers and bridges.
I really liked Chicago and wished I had more time instead of a bypassing. And on our trip to San Fransisco I draw this picture on the Paper App by 53 on my iPad 2. This was also a chance for me to try that brilliant and intuitive app, which makes pencils and paper almost obsolete. I also took some great Instagram pictures. You can see them if you watch the slideshow above.
Abdullah Gül University (AGU) is preparing to take over the historical Sümer Clothing Factory, which was built in 1935 and was abandoned in 1998. The restoration of this huge facility ,with almost 50.000 square-meter indoor area, will start soon with the support of local authorities. Hopefully AGU will move to its new premises in the summer of 2013.
Yesterday, I was taking another walk in the area -which I have been constantly doing for the last 12 months- and this scene stand out for me to picture it.
On this old and rusty signboard it writes “Müessese hepimizindir. Temiz tutalım.” which is in Turkish. A reminder for the workers of its time saying
“This establishment belongs to us all! Please keep it clean!”
This sign looked so ironic with its new setting of broken doors and glasses with the rust. It was unavoidable for me to take the pic. I used my iPhone and mighty Instagram.
Abdullah Gul University Prep. School is preparing for a multi dimensional curriculum. They will not only teach English but will also focus on the young people and simply “Empower Youth”.
