This article examines parallel developments in the fields of quality assurance in higher education and in environmental policy. Starting from empirically grounded analytical frameworks for the two fields separately, Fischer's framework of policy argumentation is overlaid on both to gain deeper understanding of underlying similarities and…

The prevalent undergraduate major selection at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) mostly depends on the student's choice regardless of academic abilities and qualifications. Owing to the adoption of this Free Choice Method (FCM), the number of students will continue to grow and external pressures at the national level may…

Changes of the shape and the size of higher education systems have been a key issue of both higher education policy and higher education research for more than four decades. It is widely assumed that the expansion of student enrolment was the most powerful factor in evoking structural change and has caused increasing diversification. This article…

On the basis of discussing the notion of virtual human resources and its structure, this paper analyzes the necessity of building up virtual university teaching staff and proposes a model for the structural makeup of virtual university teaching staff.

This article analyses recent policies in higher education in Mexico. The last two decades provide the starting point, and the interpretation centres around higher education policies drawn up by successive presidential administrations of Salinas de Gortari (1988-1994) and Zedillo Ponce de Leon (1994-2000). The second part sets out an initial…

This paper examines higher education policy in Chile after the return to democracy in 1990 from an equity perspective. Chile faces the challenge of implementing equity-oriented policies within the legal confines of an education system constructed under the neoliberal model and introduced by the military government (1973-1990). This has resulted in…

Universities in the United States for at least the last century have made positive contributions to the economic weal, whether through their intrinsic mission of teaching and research or through special arrangements for service activities. In recent years there has been heightened awareness of the special role of academic research among…

This article argues that the way in which research training is affected by national policies aiming at modernizing graduate education is shaped by the way in which national characteristics of state policies, academic institutions and disciplines interact. The argument is applied in an analysis of the consequences of policy changes and higher…

This article discusses the changes in higher education in Russia and the role of international organizations--the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)--in promoting education reforms in this country. The connection between recent government policies and those of international organizations providing both…

This article focuses on attempts to introduce elements of sustainable development education into the curriculum of one of the largest Russian universities. At St. Petersburg State University, compulsory courses relevant to sustainable development have been introduced or modified in 14 faculties out of 20 during the last decade. Examples of…

Changes in higher education policy in Mongolia involved an abruptness that both facilitated reform and challenged institutional managers. This article reports on the nature of these changes and their impact on the School of Economic Studies (SES) at the National University. It focuses on the negotiation between the SES, the National University and…

The United States and France have actively implemented higher education policies to attract foreign students. In the case of France, European Union educational initiatives are often a means to further policies that are already in place. This article focuses on the response of two diverse French higher education institutions to the EU's Bologna…

Discusses the complexity of barriers keeping nontraditional students out of higher education, then examines the United Kingdom government's proposals (contained in "Excellence Challenge") to widen participation. Identifies underlying "simplistic" assumptions about targeting and selection of students and benefits of…

A review of the relationship of higher education policy and the world of work concludes that many experts agree that higher education must devote greater attention to generic competencies, social skills, and personality development; should prepare students for growing globalization and internationalization; and must serve students in ways that go…

This paper examines the policy notion of multiculturalism, and suggests that it is no longer adequate for understanding contemporary forms of interculturality that span across the globe, and are deeply affected by the processes of cultural globalization. Cultural identities can no longer be assumed as static and nation-bound, and are created…