The Meanings Of Mass Higher Education

This book is the first systematic attempt to analyse the growth of mass higher education in a specifically British context, while seeking to develop more theoretical perspectives on this transformation of elite university systems into open post-secondary education systems. It is divided into three main sections. The first examines the evolution of British higher education and the development of universities and other institutions. The second explores the political, social and economic context within which mass systems are developing. What are the links between post-industrial society, a post-Fordist economy and the mass university? The third section discusses the links between massification and wider currents in intellectual and scientific culture.

What are the key elements of mass higher education? How does mass higher education affect students and staff? What are the policy, pedagogic and management issues that need to be addressed? More is now expected of higher education provision. It has to meet demands for expansion, excellence, diversity and equity in access and assessment, teaching and research, as well as entrepreneurial engagement with the world outside. Thirty years ago, Martin Trow wrote of higher education systems moving from elite provision through a mass system to universal levels of access. The UK is now approaching such universal levels; Scotland has already reached them. It is nearly fifteen years since Trow's mass threshold was reached. Despite being on the brink of universal provision, there is still no clear picture of what a mass system should look like. This collection looks forward to the next decade of higher education, and identifies strategic issues that need to be tackled at institutional and management levels. It considers how far the higher education system has adapted to respond to the requirements of a mass and universal system, rather than struggling to sustain an elite system with mass participation. Beyond Mass Higher Educationis key reading for those leading and managing universities and colleges, as well as higher education researchers and policy makers. Contributors: John Brennan, Centre for HE Research and Information; Grainne Conole, University of Southampton; Stephen Court, AUT; Jim Gallacher, Glasgow Caledonian University; Peter Knight, The Open University; Carole Leathwood, London Metropolitan University; Brenda Little, Open University; Lisa Lucas, University of Bristol; Ian McNay, University of Greenwich; Robin Middlehurst, University of Surrey; Bob Osborne, University of Ulster; Richard Pearson, Institute for Employment Studies; Wendy Saunderson, University of Ulster; Michael Shattock, Institute of Education, London; Celia Whitchurch, King's College London; Mantz Yorke, Liverpool John Moores University.

This book discusses mass higher education development in East Asian countries by means of three main issues: the strategy for higher education development; the way professors and students in the region are experiencing the rapid developments; and the challenges imposed by mass higher education. These challenges include the quality of education as well as structural changes in the rapidly developing systems, funding sources for supporting mass higher education, and job markets for college graduates. Part I discusses how the East Asian countries have accomplished or are in the process of accomplishing the rapid development of higher education. Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong serve as case studies of mass higher education in the region. The case studies introduce and discuss national strategies to develop higher education, funding sources and mechanisms, and initiatives to assure quality of education in a period of rapid growth. Part II and Part III of the book focus on the phenomena of mass higher education in the region and the influence on academia. Mass higher education changes professors and students, who are different from those in elite higher education. Part III further discusses the challenges posed to Asian mass higher education. The Comparative and International Education Society Higher Education (HESIG) has awarded Mass Higher Education Development in East Asia the Higher Education SIG Best Book Award 2015.

In recent years most western democracies have experienced a shift from elite to mass higher education, with the United States leading the way. This text compares the experience of this very important social change within different nation states. Whilst recognising the critical global economic forces that appear to explain the international nature of the change, it sees the issues as rooted within different national traditions. There is a particular focus upon the discourse of access, especially the political discourse. The book addresses questions such as: How has expansion been explained? Has expansion been generated by state intervention or by a combination of economic and social forces? What are the forms of political intervention? What points of agreement and conflict are generated within the wider society by expanding access? Leading academic experts explore the ways in which different systems of higher education have accommodated mass access, constructing comparative pictures and comparative interpretations and lessons in an accessible and informative style. This book should be critical reading for students in education, sociology and politics, as well as policy-makers and academics.

Undoubtedly the most important development in higher education in recent years has been the seemingly inexorable expansion of national systems. In a comparatively short time period many countries have moved from an elite to a mass model. Furthermore, expansion has invariably changed the whole experience of higher education for all the interested parties from, presidents, rectors and vice-chancellors to first-term undergraduates. Structuring Mass Higher Education examines the impact of this change upon the existing national structures of higher education. It also defines and highlights what makes an ‘elite’ university – something which institutions must strive for in order to gain their position as global players. With case studies and contributions from a wide range of international authors, the book explores questions such as: Do higher education institutions retain a national significance, even though the vestiges of an international reputation have long faded? Has expansion undermined the quality of higher education because governments sought to expand "on the cheap"? Is the elite institutional response to mass higher education perceived as a threat to be responded to with purposeful action that sustains their elite status? Does the emergence of the international league tables pose a challenge to those responsible for governing elite institutions? These are critical issues with which both policy-makers and institutional leaders will have to grapple over the next ten years, making Structuring Mass Higher Education a timely, relevant, and much needed text. It will appeal to policy makers and practitioners within higher education as well as student and scholars worldwide.

In most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50 percent) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy. It follows that there are enormous stakes involved for a particular country even though the payoff of serious reforms may take decades and thus be counterproductive to the political forces responsible for designing and implementing such reforms since their horizons tend to be very short. This new book tackles important issues in this dynamic field.

Higher education has come under increasing public scrutiny in recent years, assailed with demands for greater efficiency, accountability, cost reduction, and, above all, job training. Drawing upon examples from across the world, with an emphasis on Anglo-American higher-education systems, this handbook employs sociological approaches to address these pressing concerns. The second edition is thoroughly updated and adds several new chapters to shed further light on the transformations wrought by the interrelated processes of massification, vocationalization, and marketization that have swept through universities in the wake of neoliberal reforms introduced by governments since the 1980s. The handbook explores recent developments in higher-education systems and policy as well as the everyday experiences of students and staff and ongoing problems of inequality and diversity within universities. In doing so, the chapters address a number of current issues concerning the legitimacy of higher-educational credentials, from the continuing debate regarding traditional pedagogies and the role of universities in social class reproduction to more recent concerns about standards in mass systems. Collectively, this handbook demonstrates that the sociology of higher education has the potential to play a leadership role in improving the myriad higher-education systems around the world that are now part of an interrelated set of subsystems, replete with both persistent problems and promising prospects. This book is therefore necessary reading for a variety of stakeholders within academia as well as professionals and policy-makers interested in understanding higher education and the acute challenges it faces.

This ground-breaking Handbook examines the evolution of university autonomy and governance by tracking the changing relationship between higher education institutions and the state. Through unique historical analyses, contributors provide important insights into the position of students, academics, and universities in today’s society and map potential future directions of travel for the sector.