The public university in the global South continues to be trapped in an existential slumber, struggling to self-define/self-diagnose its purposes, rationales, goals and agenda(s). Despite the emergence of the #FeesMustfall, #RhodesMustFall, and more recently the #Asinamali student protests, South African higher education continues to adopt…

Educational developers play a critical role as change agents and facilitators of curriculum development initiatives. This reflection explores factors that enable and limit curriculum development initiatives as experienced by a group of educational developers working in different university contexts in Canada. By highlighting aspects of our…

In addition to higher learning, universities are expected to also 'do' employability and help students transition from education to employment. Accordingly, a wide range of approaches have emerged and we, as academics, dedicate substantial efforts to designing and implementing attractive employability offerings for our degree programmes. We spend…

Within the spirit of conspiration, this article brings together contributions from participants of the PhD-led UCL Reading and React Group 'Colonialism(s), Neoliberalism(s) and Language Teaching and Learning', which ran in 2019/20. Weaving together various perspectives, the article centres on the dialogic nature of the decolonial enterprise and…

Institutions of higher education face financial pressure to become self-sustaining (Gumport, 2001; 2000). This rapidly growing economic demand is negatively affecting the social mission of higher education (Kezar, 2004). Scholars suggest the implementation of a new model of higher education, one that blends a for-profit model with the traditional…

As part of the development of a Department of Writing Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, the 99-year-old Department of Rhetoric in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences was dismantled. The bulk of Rhetoric faculty have been shifted to this new department of Writing Studies. The…

Postcolonial theory remains part of the challenge of literary theory to curriculum development. As the author's personal history suggests, it is more than simply another way of reading and interpretation, but enables an engagement with, a bearing witness to, the gross inequalities of the world today. Drama is a good example, evidenced by the…

Outlines the present situation and trends in general education. Considers the general education reform models of Harvard University, St. Anselm's College (a private, liberal arts college), Bowling Green State University, and Los Medanos Community College. Suggests general principles for curriculum development. (DMM)

In response to the various calls for sustainable development, a range of activities has been initiated by central and local government, business, NGOs and other institutions. In this paper, the authors focus on the important learning context of higher education. They review the agenda established at Rio and, through a critical examination of…

Confronts the myth of mindless and irresponsible student participation in curriculum reform movements. Documents student involvement in the Harvard reform of general education. Shows that several student reports anticipated major aspects of the Redbook Plan for general education. Suggests that curricular reform make greater use of responsible…

This article presents an interview with Greg Bowe, a research fellow at the Center for Urban Education and Innovation in the College of Education at Florida International University (FIU) where he directed the Undergraduate Writing Program for seven years. Founded in 1972, FIU is a large public urban university in Miami. In this interview, Bowe…

The classic model of universities is changing due to new knowledge needs of industry, technological innovation, convergence of education and the economy, and funding pressures. The growth of industry-higher education partnerships is giving rise to policy issues about the roles and responsibilities of the partners and the government. (SK)

All institutional activities should be based on mutually-agreed-upon educational and cultural values as declared in a formal mission statement. A carefully formulated statement supported by conscious, informal commitment to its fulfillment allows an institution to maintain integrity and provide direction. (MSE)

"Independent learning" has become a catchphrase in Britain's Open University, especially since a 1984 report recommending that courses be designed and taught so that students can become progressively independent as learners. Although the phrase means many things to different people, it also provides an opportunity to appraise teaching…

Six features are identified as common to modern universities and their medieval counterparts. A brief account of the range and complexity of university reforms is given, and deep reforms are accounted for in terms of the university's essential or presuppositional structure. (IAH)