International Trip Report Oct – Nov 2017
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Jordan James Kirkwood Feb 2018
Contents 2 | Introduction: An Academic Exploration 3 | Chile: A Slither of Paradise 5 | North Carolina, USA: The Rose-tinted Beauty of Elon 7 | New York, USA: The Technicalities of the CLA+ 8 | Toronto, Canada: The Troubles of Provincial Government in HE 10 | Tokyo, Tsukuba, and Kyoto, Japan: Similar Problems, Different Style 11 | Appendix 1: Reflections on a 28-day trip, Professor Stuart Brand
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London – Santiago – North Carolina – New York – Toronto – Tokyo - Kyoto - London
Introduction: An Academic Exploration This international trip was a chance to explore the intricacies of all things Higher Education, from management and culture, to the pressures of politics and the changing nature of learning and teaching. With an eager anticipation for what we were going to encounter and an open brief spanning the student experience and learning and teaching, we were able to optimise multiple learning opportunities in each of the trip locations. Additional to this loose-fitting agenda, was the work of my colleague and companion, Professor Stuart Brand, tasked with developing Learning Gain through the use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment plus (CLA+) in the United Kingdom, who was instrumental in making this trip possible. We covered all sorts of topics and structures, spoke to academics, professionals, rectors, ministry workers and charities, engaged in debate, attended sessions, delivered presentations and even played with a fully kitted out Virtual Reality system! Recognising the extensive nature of it all, the following reflections hope to provide an understanding of some of the intriguing noteworthy insights we gained on the trip. When approaching this kind of academic exploration, I think it is appropriate to be mindful of our perceptions and perspectives: of ourselves, our institution, the sector and more. I didn’t realise the bubble I was in until I visited other Universities outside of the UK, firstly in Switzerland and Germany, and then those on this trip. It’s all the assumptions and givens: the ‘it’s always been like that’, ‘it is what it is’, and even those we don’t actively think about or articulate in our minds or vocally. This includes all sorts from government intervention and education structures to fees, curriculum design and the sector’s place in society. On a personal note, I’d like to thank Stuart for making it all possible. It was an enlightening experience, as well as a fun ‘pull-out-all-the-stops’ journey that has resulted in networks and opportunities that have crafted the next steps in my Apprenticeship. Aside from all the thoughtprovoking conversations and debates, presentations and experiences, I gained far more than I could have anticipated. It was an outstanding once-in-a-lifetime experience and something I will treasure for many, many years to come.
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Chile A slither of Paradise Chile: A Slither of Paradise Chile proved to be as interesting as it was beautiful. We set out with an open book and two exceptional hosts, exploring emerging opportunities, contentious challenges, issues of the day and all things higher education. An interesting theme of the intertwined struggle between Higher Education, the Church, and the State emerged. The history of Chilean HE echoes that of their modern history and General Pinochet. Amongst many things beyond the scope of this report, Pinochet made the HE sector an open market with all campus-branches of existing universities being turned into universities of their own. The apparent goal was to ensure the universities were no longer proximally located in the capital Santiago, and thus less of a threat to his rule. During a meeting with the Rector of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso (PUCV) and our host (also a previous Rector at PUCV) we discussed the political intricacies and tensions between HE and the Chilean government. We also debated the concept of student voice; what it embodied, what drove it, and how it was perceived both in Valparaiso, but also the wider Chilean system. An interesting event that arose The Naval Club that we had lunch at in Valparaiso, and the end was a recent protest that lasted 3 months, with of the meeting with myself, the Rector (Claudio), Professor Stuart the Rector unable to access their office for the Brand and Dr Enrique (our host) (L-R). duration. Can you imagine? The ongoing Presidential Race1 at the time was a recurrent theme throughout, with a preference for the victor being openly discussed, and evidently happening as we have continued to keep a keen eye on the news since. 1
Conservative PiĂąera elected Chilean President, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-42388019
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The incumbent, Bachelet, was known for implementing a hard line left-wing agenda, with some ill-fated policy choices. It was the general understanding that the new reforms she was rushing to usher in before her eventual presidential defeat were going to radically upset the financial structures of University and strip them of much of their autonomy. The State was going to be empowered to set the degree programmes of institutions, adding, removing, or changing existing programmes as they saw fit. Naturally, the Sector saw this as a political assault on the relatively autonomous sector.
President-elect (Sebastian Pinera – L) and incumbent President (Michelle Bachelet – R). Both will have served as Presidents for 2 terms each, taking it in turns.
As depicted below, the Chilean HE system has seen a substantial but steady decline in the overall institutions within the nation. We uncovered that much of this change was a result of the emergent and exceedingly difficult Commission Nacional de Acreditacion (CNA) that was known for its uncompromising approach to new programmes, university offerings, and institutions. The body argued that their rigid approach was necessary to ensure stability in the sector. We learned of two critical cases of university/programme closure, one involving 4,000 students, and the other 14,000. The reasons were vague, but the impact reverberated throughout; with most (but not all) students being taking on by other institutions. It caused resentment and upset for the students involved, university closure notwithstanding, these students were ‘adopted’ by neighbouring institutions out of force by the accreditation body. They were never fully welcomed or integrated, and they were kept on the degrees of the failed institutions. Naturally, students felt betrayed at the fact they would graduate with degrees from failed institutions. It transpired that the hierarchal nature of Chilean society and HE transcended fairness and equity for these students. The body argued the public system could not sustain another incident such as these, and therefore must have increasing standards. The make-up of Chilean Higher Education Institutes from 1990 to 2017 Universities Professional Institutes Technical Colleges Overall Source: The Higher Education Information Services of the Ministry of Education, Chile 2017.
There has been, and continues to be an increased widening participation (WP) agenda in Chilean HE. Following our discussions with the education ministry in Santiago, it is still common belief that universities are a public, and not a private, good. In contrast to the good intentions of government policy and societal opinion, all the universities we visited shared the view that the moral case for WP was incontrovertible, however the financial case was not. The ramifications of becoming an entirely state-funded university echoed far and wide. The government restrictions and rules (which are highly susceptible to change, as can be seen with the government bill) imposed on those institutions whom elect to be state-funded can hamper their place in the sector and their strategic direction. The WP agenda continues to grow and more people are going to university than ever before. It is with a cautious step that some institutions are diversifying to accommodate the growing demand and expand their place in the untrusting competitive sector. 4|Page
North Carolina The Rose-Tinted Beauty of Elon North Carolina, USA: The Rose-tinted Beauty of Elon After everything we got to experience in Chile, North Carolina, and more specifically, Elon (University) had a lot to live up to and surpass our expectations, they did! Elon was by far and away the most intellectually stimulating as we met with a wide host of lecturers and professors, professional services staff and students. One of the most interesting things about Elon University is that they have a system of Experiential Learning which all students undertake to become an Elon Graduate. The Experiential Learning is made up of 5 factors, of which 2 are needed to earn your degree. They are illustrated below in their digital co-curricular transcript that all students get upon graduating. This was an experimental project which has evolved into the standard for Elon students. You could argue that the swish and slick presentation could gamify the idea of (extra or) co-curricular achievement, and furthermore, that can have positive effects. This digital co-curriculum has been designed in mind, and in consultation, with employers. They’re easy to read, hyperlinked to necessary factors (e.g. company of internship) and offer the student a digital CV that they can keep on their personal portfolios and professional networks like LinkedIn. Another interesting development was regarding the cutting-edge (over the edge some might say) examinations and assessments that some of the classes involved. For example, a class on Astrology assessed students in an ‘epic finale’ that designed to be a formative end assessment and left in a room with a handmade 8ft monolith and cameras set up in the room to assess what the students do. It transpired that the 5|Page
students turned over the monolith and made it into a conference table of sorts and began discussing their personal development and reflecting on themselves as individuals. They then proceeded to smash up the monolith into manageable chunks, and went around the campus placing statuesque chunks at the places they found were formative for them over their years at Elon. You can read more Signature Pedagogies and Epic Finales here. There is certainly something quite striking about Elon, the people are friendly, everyone knows each other, and there’s a slight eerie tranquillity, which makes it a bit cult-like in that regard. The key underlying fact about Elon is that it is an incredibly selective Liberal Arts private university costing $40,000~ per annum, which casts everything with a rose tint, and that’s important to remember. Elon has cultivated a truly ‘can-do, give it a try’ culture, something that we as institutions in the UK often talk of in the abstract, as a sort of idyllic educational utopia. We were met with idea and action, experiment and trial, across all sorts within the faculties, professional services and the student body. The two examples provided above are a testament to that. Another exciting assessment practice that we were invited to try out was the virtual reality technology in their multimedia centre which academics were using for small class assessment for architecture, design and art. It was an exceptional piece of kit; we got to draw in 3D with our drawings being in the centre of the room, I flew over England and found Aston University from a starting point in Bath. You can see the benefits of this immersive technology in its ability to truly visualise and bring to life ideas, creations and experiments in a way not before achievable. Just to showcase the extent of the interactive media at Elon University, the below is the TV Studio, which is used for a whole host of academic and extra-curricular purposes. We were in awe of the exceptional facilities and technology available to Elon students and staff. TV Studio with full recording equipment, screens, anchor desk and an interview guest seating area just off to the left of the picture. They also had a fully kitted out radio station. Both are broadcast live across Elon with a full programme each week!
Stuart trying out the cutting edge virtual reality technology some academics at Elon are integrating into their assessment for product design, architecture and more.
Given that I am going to spend a few months at Elon University in August 2018 I’m hoping to get a true grasp of what the culture we experienced in the days we were there in November has to offer, and what it means in practice. Despite the near quadruple fee that students at Elon pay in comparison to Undergraduates in the UK, there was a strong sense of intellectual community that wasn’t reserved for the upper echelons of the academic community, but included the professional service staff as well as the students. Rodney Parks, the Academic Registrar who led on the Experiential Co-Curriculum transcript is also a lecturer in nature and wildlife, taking cohorts of students to visit forests in Peru each year. Now that is an impressive cross-stitching of the faculty and staff roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, the academic experience is much more part and parcel of life, with scholars staying in the halls as residence tutors tasked with helping socialisation, bringing together like-minded individuals, and hosting events and activities that have the central purpose of entrenching the liberal education. 6|Page
New York, USA
The Technicalities of the CLA+ New York, USA: The Technicalities of the CLA+ During our visit to New York, we met with the Council for Aid to Education, and American Higher Education not-for-profit which utilises analytics, systems and methods to measure and assess students’ skills as individuals, such as critical thinking, written communication and interpersonal skills through the Collegiate Learning Assessment plus2 (CLA+). Although we were there as a client to company given Stuart’s involvement with the CLA+ and the HEFCE Learning Gain project in the UK, it provided an interesting insight into the practical workings of such a measurement/analytics programme. The CLA+ has been developing its customer-base with a host of institutions signed up to the programme from all over the world, mostly in the US and Europe; but with emerging players in the Latin American sphere also. There is strengthening demand given the growing political and educational prioritisation of measuring learning in HE and FE throughout the world as governments, employers, and universities seek to ascertain life skills developed, honed, or gained as a result of going to university. There is a lot to be said for such programmes but questions surrounding the recruitment and retention of students still remain mostly unanswered. Personally I was excited by the prospect of this programme. However, in retrospection I probably would not have engaged with it due to not being in the educational spheres necessary to be exposed and engaged with; after all hindsight is a beautiful thing.
Collegiate Learning Assessment plus (CLA+), Council for Aid to Education, 2017. http://cae.org/flagshipassessments-cla-cwra/cla/ 2
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Toronto, Canada The Troubles of Provincial Government in HE Toronto, Canada: The Troubles of Provincial Government in HE Our trip to Toronto Canada was organised by a senior policy officer at the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB), providing us with discussions with the University of Toronto, a tour of the facilities at the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre, and more. Similarly to the experiences of Chile, the politics of HE were in high tide as the teachers in FE colleges went on strike, and Students’ Unions began opening a coordinated lawsuit to demand repayment of fees for the time lost due to strikes. One of the interesting discussions at PEQAB was the arguably dated view prevalent in much of the Ontario HE Sector that students offered little value to decision-making. It transpired that the key arguments for not having student involvement in decision-making lay in the assumption that; students are generally politically motivated, inexperienced and not specialists in anything therefore no valuable contributions can be produced. Despite this, it seems that student engagement was something to be celebrated through the organising power and effecting change of Students’ Unions, as shown in the fundraising for the Student Centre and the international homeless charity that Ryerson Students’ Union set up. The Ontarian HE Sector was an exciting and vibrant place with many happenings. The Dean of Learning and Teaching at Sheridan College explained to us that they had applied to become a University, but it was declined under the justification of insufficient demand. It was interesting to hear about how the College distinguished itself in an intense sector, with the Dean stating “Sheridan College has a number of university transfer students whom want to hands-on, more personal experience, those students whom might not see themselves as wholly academic”. Sherry further described the College’s position as a pathway bridge for postsecondary education, with creativity not only as a product, but as a process, a culture. Some time has passed now and it appears the Ministry for Advanced Education and Skills Development agrees and the partnership between Ryerson University and Sheridan College has gone ahead with a new University in Brampton, outside of Toronto. James Brown, CEO at PEQAB, Mary Catharine-Lennon, Senior Policy Advisor, and Adrianna Militano, Research Analyst described the Ontarian HE Sector as highly flexible, even on a Federal 8|Page
level, with caveats such as the view that everyone should do research in Higher Education. However it was clear that the approach in Ontario was one that was outcomes-focused, with strong relations between industry, central quangos (such as PEQAB), students and the institutions themselves. Such innovative partnering of a university and a college really symbolises the connectivity needed in a joined up skills-based and knowledge-based economy. It allows two very different institutions to bring together their comparative advantages and produce something that has not been on offer to the Ontarian population before; we should have more of this. We also had a tour of the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre, which a substantial part of which was paid for by funds raised through student donations through an increase of student contributions to the Students’ Union. The Ryerson SLC was a stunning building with architectural excellence throughout, as well as brave but effective space design. Each floor was designed with a theme in mind, the nature floor (full of green things), the sun floor (beach themed with tiered floors slowly descending into the corner which had actually sand!), open learning space which was blue and grey. All of it had a rather subtle or obvious logic. The aim was to create spaces that would cater for the variance of student learning styles, and environment preferences. The Ryerson University Student Learning Centre 1) ‘The Beach’ floor: beach themed with tiered floors slowly descending into the corner where the sun hit the tall glass 2) Student Learning Support: a fully green-themed space with all manner of support (inc. language, academic skills,
accommodation) as well as spaces for students to learn, and bookable rooms. 3) The Collaborative and Group Work floor, designed to be fully flexible with power points located all over, moveable
furniture, and an impressive amount of bookable rooms. 4) A brilliant approach to washroom facilities signage, something that I found quite inspirational.
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Japan Similar Problems, Different Approaches Tokyo, Tsukuba and Kyoto, Japan: Similar Problems, Different Style Japan proved to be an immersive and curiosity-inspiring country with an equally meticulously developed programme. From visiting both Doshisha University and the University of Tsukuba, we enjoyed a powerfully comparative experience in Japan, similar to the cultural variance we experienced visiting the three cities of Tokyo, Tsukuba and Kyoto. An interesting side note was the restrictive culture experienced in incredibly different ways in all cities visited. One of our most interesting discussions was on the student perspective. The system did not pay too much attention to the student experience, and it seemed that form our conversations with some students, nor did they. When asked what universities student in Japan aspire for, we were met with a resounding “University of Tokyo”. It transpired that with a country so heavily focused on rankings that are greatly weighed on research outputs, students and applicants associate the implied prestige of research with the quality of experience, and thus; the institution. When dissected, we learned that the graduate market was grossly overpopulated with hundreds of graduates applying for one role, therefore the prestige of the institution, notwithstanding its relevance to an undergraduate experience, was pivotal to graduate employability. We spent two days at Doshisha University and we enjoyed the delights of their Learning Commons. Aptly named, these commons provided moveable thematic spaces that students used for study, group work, and even some classes in the open spaces. The logic of the Learning Commons was based on four pillars: encountering ideas through socialisation; talking to others through externalisation; organising ideas through combination; and taking action through internalisation. It was nice to see the strategy of the design brought to life with students. Similar to the opportunities and challenges of learning spaces in the UK, Doshisha found that students adapted the spaces for their own ends (for example: using the presentations areas as group work/planning spaces), and that the boundaries between study and social were quickly blurred. Moreover, they explained how they were seeking to improve the understanding of the Learning Commons for their second years, as, analogous with the United States, they found students hit a cliff edge transitioning from first to second year; also known as the ‘Sophomore Slump3’. 3
L. Jay Lemons & Douglas R. Richmond (2015) A Developmental Perspective of Sophomore Slump, NASPA Journal, 24:3, 15-19, DOI: 10.1080/00220973.1987.11072003
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Doshisha Learning Commons 1) A multimedia area, used for students to learn English, educates themselves on current affairs, or for small, group practice presentations. 2) A collapsible classroom, there are four in a row, which can be made into 4 small, 2 medium, or one large, they were open group spaces outside of teaching bookings. 3) The ‘InfoDiner’ a space where students are encouraged to talk to each other and learn. Within their ‘Global Village’ they had a no-Japanese section for languages and a general section. Food also allowed, only in this area.
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Appendix 1: Reflections on a 28-day trip, Professor Stuart Brand Introduction The idea for this 28-day voyage was conceived during an OECD event in Cambridge in February 2017. The event was concerning international initiatives to measure Higher Education Outcomes and Learning Gain (LG) using a standardised test and it provided the opportunity to network with colleagues from many countries. The relevant connection was specifically with colleagues in Santiago, New York and Toronto. It was possible, to add visits to colleagues in Elon, North Carolina and Tsukuba, Japan thus ending up with six centres in 28 days. From my perspective I left the UK on 28 October feeling slightly daunted as to the extent of travel being undertaken but with no specific targets or agendas, save that of learning more about the HE sectors in the countries visited. Both Jordan and I have an interest in and have worked on, student engagement and specifically partnership working. It was particularly helpful therefore that Jordan has such solid experience from the Student Union movement: there were many occasions where this added to the richness of our discussions. Emergent Themes In no particular order there were a number of themes: expectations of students, student finance, design of courses, graduate attributes, and the balance between central and distributed models. Expectations of students This was, to an extent, an unexpected issue. Early in our trip it became clear that Chilean universities are more hierarchical than British ones. The expectations of students are substantial and routinely around 20 hours of contact time per week would be undertaken. Our hosts were shocked when we asked whether many students would work during the academic year to improve their financial situation. I’ll return to this later. A further example of this issue would be the way in which at Elon there is a great focus on the requirements to become an Elon graduate. These go well beyond discipline based knowledge and could be described as more skills/experience based. There is, it struck me, a resonance with the focus of UK Learning Gain work on ‘generic skills’. Of course the American system benefits from the first year general education component. 11 | P a g e
Student finances In Chile, it quickly became clear, there is a much greater focus on providing adequate financial for students especially those from poorer backgrounds. This was in part why the possibility of students having jobs while they studied seemed so outlandish to our hosts! Imagine that here: students able to concentrate on their studies and development instead of being preoccupied with making ends meet?! At Elon we could observe the features of a high-fee environment. Although I have serious concerns about the affordability issue, it cannot be denied that there is a focus on the wider sense of university community and indeed the broader benefits of a university education. An associated issue might be the balance between public and private institutions (see below). Design of courses Given my focus on measurement of Learning Gain (LG) an issue now prominent in the UK sector partly because of its prominence in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), there was clearly an interest in attempts to measure this in other countries. The project that I am leading is using the Collegiate Learning Assessment+ (CLA+). Attempts are being made to pilot this test in Chile and we had useful discussions about this there, and also in Toronto. It is an inevitable consequence of this work that there would be implications for curriculum design if we gathered a greater understanding as to how much learning was occurring on different programmes of study. We discussed these issues particularly in Elon and Toronto, where we also presented on Learning Gain and student engagement. Graduate attributes (central vs. distributed?) It was at Elon that we perhaps gained the greatest insights into this issue, although there were discussions in Japan (particularly at Doshisha University) and also Toronto on this subject. Public vs. private We are accustomed to a predominantly public sector system here in the UK with only a small number of established private providers. It is interesting therefore that in the USA the more selective, (more prestigious?) institutions are predominantly private with state funding for the less selective institutions. In contrast we discovered that in Japan it is the publicly funded universities that are the more prestigious and more highly selective. So, there is such variation yet perhaps one thing in common: all these HE sectors do not see the funding environment as secure and all see ensuring the recruitment of sufficient numbers of students as a key priority.
Some personal reflective conclusions Before leaving I was perhaps not expecting such an intense programme of meetings and visits and it was certainly the case that our time was filled with enlightening and constructive discussion. We saw a lot, did a lot, and learned a lot. It was amazing to visit the Chilean Naval Club (like a time warp), to enjoy wineries, notably Santa Rita, to learn about street living dogs and to see the extent to which the higher education sector 12 | P a g e
in that country is still so heavily tied to the Catholic Church. It was clear that Jordan slightly shocked the Rector of the Catholic University of Valparaiso with his innocent question about the Student Voice in academic processes - this inadvertently led to the revelation of a three-month sitin! Elon blew me away: magnificent campus, clearly well endowed, delightful students and so many great pedagogic ideas and developments. This was a different part of the American sector than state-funded Northwest Missouri, with Elon clearly being much more selective. However, the two have something in common: student experience is certainly driven not only by discipline-based issues but predominantly by the whole sense of University community. We have learnt in the UK, through the Paul Hamlyn Foundation HEA work on student retention and success, that the crucial factor is whether a student develops a sense of belonging. This is an area where American universities have a lot to teach us. New York provided a first: a wonderful play on Broadway in an ancient theatre: I note that ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ is now in London too! Toronto was amazing: again great discussions and insights, here with a particular focus on quality assurance using a central approach for the whole sector! I had my first meal is high (very) revolving restaurant; Jordan did something equally high and much more daring!! We also visited the Steam Whistle Brewery twice in three days. Lastly, Japan. Masa was a great host – we rushed about: three hotels in five days, two trips on Shinkansen bullet train, amazing sights in Kyoto, and yet more interesting meetings. The whole 28 days was amazing: yes, tiring sometimes and humping luggage around the subways in Japan or to stations elsewhere is not my favourite hobby, but we did it. We caught eight flights and not one was even five minutes late. We stayed in seven hotels, ate in a huge variety of places, got very cold (the High Line springs to mind), and hardly ever got lost. That’s down entirely to you Jordan – I just abandoned all that stuff to you and you provided an excellent sense of direction everywhere we went. In conclusion, I always wanted to do something like this after I shed my management responsibilities at BCU. This exceeded my expectations. It would not have been possible without your excellent company Jordan – and I will always be very grateful for all you did to make it such a success.
Stuart Brand February 2018
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