In studying the performance of academic systems, one often tries to find out--by inspecting some well-defined parameters--how specific changes in the legal system influence the volume and quality of desired outputs, such as publications, patents, or alumni. This mechanistic approach neglects the fact that the main actors in this spectacle are not…

This article considers how higher education institutions change over time, using the United Kingdom system as an exemplar, and focusing on the 15-year period between 1994/95 and 2009/10. While there are many aspects of institutional change worthy of study, the focus here is on how institutions appear to others. Thus, the article examines the…

In this paper, we study a high profile case--the introduction of academy schools into the English secondary school sector--that has allowed schools to gain more autonomy and flexible governance by changing their school structure. We consider the impact of an academy school conversion on their pupil intake and pupil performance and possible…

The first part of the article provides an overview of the changing policy contexts in Europe and North America in which doctoral education and training are embedded and points out the similarities and differences of the ongoing debates and concerns about doctoral education in the two world regions. The second part provides some insight into the…

This study examines what specific data college faculty and administrators use in their jobs and the extent to which they use data analysis to design and improve the impact of programs and services. The study is based on a survey on the use of student data by faculty and administrators at 41 community colleges participating in Achieving the Dream:…

This study examines the historical conditions that fostered significant reform in science education. To understand these conditions, we employ a framework drawn from the new institutionalism in organization theory to study the founding and early development of the Exploratorium--a prominent science center that greatly impacted the field of science…

University innovations relevant to sustainability education do not always come labelled as such. Inspiration can potentially be drawn from a wide range of fields and initiatives. During a 2005 study tour of Canada, seven universities were visited to investigate such programs, focussing on those that comprise more than one subject and that are…

The kinds of impact a consortium might have on the operations of its member institutions are presented following an overview of the consortium's challenge to institutional autonomy. Ten attitudinal forms of consortium impact challenging autonomy include: (1) the rest are going ahead so do it anyway, (2) infiltration and multiple loyalities of…

The conflicts of today's academic world require a different method of educational management. (Editor)

Higher education research is closely linked to the debates on higher education policy and practice. It provides the information basis for decisions about the future of higher education. As the themes of the public debate on problems and reform needs in higher education change quickly, higher education research has to anticipate future problems and…

The universe of postsecondary education is expanding. It is an era of rapid demographic and labor market changes, increased competition and shifts in institutional form (e.g., the rise of for profit degree granters, the hybrid form of nonprofit/for profit partnerships, corporate universities), and new forms of delivery driven by emerging…

This pilot study proposed and tested an institutional development model for use under the provisions of Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The model could be used to improve the funding process and as a basis for future studies of the effects of the program. The study used a broad concept of management that incorporates all aspects of…

In the traditional US higher education system, there is need for intensive study of hierarchical administrative organization, course content, and updating of conservative faculty attitudes. If the university is to survive this era of rapid social change, new educational alternatives must be considered. At some institutions educational philosophy…

The university which has had the temerity to change the world has not had the nerve to change itself to live in that world. The result is that the university's grading system, curriculum, teaching methods, and philosophies are in conflict with the world beyond the campus gates, and higher education does not meet the intellectual and social needs…

Institutional organization and administration must be discussed in relation to change in higher education. Innovation, multimedia use of film, cable, and computers cannot be ends in themselves, but must be used by institutions to move with integrity toward educational objectives. A program for change involves the faculty, administration, students,…