EQ953-15 Comparative Perspectives on Higher Education
Department Education Studies
Level Taught Postgraduate Level
Module leader Dr Georgiana Mihut
Credit Value 15
Module duration 5 weeks
Assessment 100% Coursework
Study location University of Warwick main campus, Coventry
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Introduction
This is an optional module for several of our MA programmes, and offers students the opportunity to think through current trends affecting higher education, distil differences and similarities between higher education systems in different world regions, and engage creatively with higher education decision-making processes and policy challenges. The module is highly interactive and challenges students to design policy proposals; simulate decision-making processes; apply concepts learned during the module to analyse higher education in different national contexts and engage in comparative analysis.
Principle Module Aims and Outcomes
- Gaining a broad and comparative perspective on the major trends currently affecting higher education internationally.
- Demonstrating awareness of differences and similarities between higher education systems across world regions and across national contexts.
- Developing familiarity with relevant higher education data sources and the use of data to support higher education research and policy.
- Engaging critically and creatively with policy challenges affecting higher education and the multi-stakeholder processes underlying change in higher education.
Syllabus
In the 15-CAT version of the module, several major trends affecting higher education internationally are introduced and discussed. These trends include (1) massification, diversification, stratification, and quality assurance, (2) access and equity, (3) flexible pathways and tertiary education, (4) internationalisation and the student experience. Activities included will offer students opportunities to discern through the challenges associated with policy change in higher education. At the end of the module, students are asked to write an essay in which they compare the higher education system of two countries of their choice.
Study Time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 5 sessions of 1 hour (3%) |
| Seminars | 5 sessions of 2 hours (7%) |
| Private study | 85 hours (57%) |
| Assessment | 50 hours (33%) |
| Total | 150hours |
Assessment
| Weighting | |
|---|---|
| Comparative essay | 100% |
|
2,500 words essay in which students compare two national contexts of their choice, focusing on one of the trends discussed in the module. For the 15 CAT version of this module, this represents 100% of the grade. All content needed for students to complete this assignment will be covered in the five weeks of the module. |
|
Module Information
This is an optional module on MA Childhood in Society, MA Education, MA Educational Innovation, MA Educational Leadership and Management, MA Islamic Education: Theory and Practice, and MA Psychology and Education.