A key policy challenge in establishing new universities is the potential risk of lower academic standards and mission drift, which can affect policy effectiveness and outcomes. While regulation and funding tend to be preferred policy instruments for securing control of higher education expansion and achieving policy objectives, this article…

Within higher education systems, different institutions deliver different patterns of disciplines. A simple analysis of the structure of that pattern of disciplines across institutions in one higher education system uncovers a surprising relationship. That is, the key dimensions which describe that structure align nearly perfectly with dimensions…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study Bayesian dependency modelling (BDM) to validate the model of educational experiences and the student-customer orientation questionnaire (SCOQ), and to identify the categories of educatonal experience in which students expect a higher educational institutions (HEI) to be student-customer oriented.…

The classroom is a learning environment where active interactions and meaningful learning occur between learners and knowledge providers. The teachers and the learners have a unique relationship and this relationship is highly determined by their backgrounds and experiences. Teachers have the responsibility to manage the classroom with the aim of…

The accountability of colleges and universities is a high priority for those making policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine institutional characteristics predicting retention rates, graduation rates and transfer-out rates using publicly available data from the US Department of Education. Using regression analysis, it was…

"The U21 Ranking of National Higher Education Systems" released in May 2012 is a new player on the scene of university rankings, after ARWU, QSWUR and THEWUR, but with a different perspective--that of whole nations. It has some new features that enhance its validity, but it also shares some of the conceptual and methodological problems…

We calculate the number of subgroups in a direct product of finite cyclic groups by applying the fundamental theorem of finite abelian groups and a well-known structure theorem due to Goursat. We also suggest ways in which the results can be generalized to a direct product of arbitrary finite groups.

The present study proposes and examines the multidimensional vector (MDV) model framework as a modeling schema for choice response times. MDV extends the Thurstonian model, as well as signal detection theory, to classification tasks by taking into account the influence of response properties on stimulus discrimination. It is capable of accounting…

Universities have rushed to expand their delivery of courses through e-learning environments. But is e-learning effective? The authors conducted an exploratory study to evaluate e-learning through WebCT on the basis of Bloom's taxonomy. The authors distributed 75 questionnaires to investigate whether individual or instructional factors play an…

Research directed toward examining clinical depression among college students requires valid criterion measures for identifying depressed individuals. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the most widely-used self-report screening instrument for identifying depressed college students, has been criticized for its heavy emphasis on cognitive items…

Used survey data from Cooperative Institutional Research Program to develop empirical typology of college students. Seven student types were identified: Scholar, Social Activist, Artist, Hedonist, Leader, Status Striver, and Uncommitted Student. Results of validity analyses suggest that each of seven types possesses construct and predictive…

An earlier study reported development of a reliable scale for categorizing the content of meaning in one's life. This study concentrated upon validation of the scale by investigating whether 112 undergraduates would tend to place their own meaning in the same content categories as would an outside rater. (Author/MP)

Examined the differential validity of biographical subgroups in terms of postcollege experience using Owens' Developmental-Integrative Model. College students (N=1,428) were statistically grouped into biodata subgroups. Seven years later, 484 subjects were assessed on postcollege behavior. Significant differences were found between the biodata…

Investigates the construct validity of the Clark-Trow typology and its two dimensional substrate with principal components analyses, clarifying their relationships to a variety of higher educational variables. Study provides a conceptual basis for understanding student objectives in the pursuit of higher education. (Contains 20 references and 2…

A definition and typology of peer assessment between students in higher education is proposed, and the theoretical underpinnings of the method are discussed, based on a review of both process and outcome studies. These studies suggest that peer assessment is of adequate reliability and validity in many situations. (SLD)