When we're on the study tour, we'll be representing the AUA and doing our research on behalf of the whole UK HE sector. We are from a cross-section of Universities so between us we have a good background in UK HE. Although we're not going on the tour to represent our individual institutions, it might be of interest to know which they are:
University of Birmingham
City University
University of Lancaster
University of Manchester
University of Newcastle
University of Nottingham
Queen Mary, University of London
University of Surrey
University of Wolverhampton
Friday, 18 February 2011
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Where are we going?
Unfortunately, we can't vist all of Brazil in our 10 day trip ... We are flying into Sao Paulo, following which we will go to Brasilia and lastly Rio de Janeiro. We plan to visit the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Universidad de Brasilia, Centro Universitario de Brasilia, Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro (aka Universidade do Brazil), Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro.
Having just typed out that lot a bit painfully, I'm happy to report that Brazilian HE is very keen on acronyms - which means we are visiting USP, FGV, UniCEUB, URFJ and PUC Rio respectively. Phew. I think it will take me a little while to get familiar with all those.
The Universities in Brazil are a mixture of private and public foundations. PUC Rio is one of a series of Catholic foundations, which are private. As we don't have many private Universities in the UK, it will be interesting to understand the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each type.
We'll also be visiting the British Embassy and the British Council in Brasilia.
We will of course have a full itinerary of meetings at each institution, but we hope to be able to experience a little of Brazilian life and culture too. If you're Brazilian and/or have been to Brazil and have any tips for interesting places to visit or good places to eat please let us know. Ideas for what to do with a weekend in Rio will be particularly appreciated!
Having just typed out that lot a bit painfully, I'm happy to report that Brazilian HE is very keen on acronyms - which means we are visiting USP, FGV, UniCEUB, URFJ and PUC Rio respectively. Phew. I think it will take me a little while to get familiar with all those.
The Universities in Brazil are a mixture of private and public foundations. PUC Rio is one of a series of Catholic foundations, which are private. As we don't have many private Universities in the UK, it will be interesting to understand the differences, advantages and disadvantages of each type.
We'll also be visiting the British Embassy and the British Council in Brasilia.
We will of course have a full itinerary of meetings at each institution, but we hope to be able to experience a little of Brazilian life and culture too. If you're Brazilian and/or have been to Brazil and have any tips for interesting places to visit or good places to eat please let us know. Ideas for what to do with a weekend in Rio will be particularly appreciated!
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Academic Standards and Course Construction
We would like to cover three main areas: Quality mechanisms, course construction and partnership consequences.
We are interested to know how much autonomy institutions have for quality assurance, and how much is done through the state. Are the institutions compared, and is there any accreditation involved? To what extent is peer review considered, for instance are students involved in the Quality Assurance process?
The area of course construction has a slight overlap with theme 3. Is the institution able to choose its own course content, and if it does, how is this determined? Is all teaching done in classrooms or is there any scope for students to learn whilst in employment?
We also want to investigate partnerships and what they mean for students and Brazil. What recognition is there of courses and is there any effect on student mobility? How do institutions set up and monitor partnerships? Are there domestic league tables or rankings, and is there any notice paid to these and global rankings?
We are interested to know how much autonomy institutions have for quality assurance, and how much is done through the state. Are the institutions compared, and is there any accreditation involved? To what extent is peer review considered, for instance are students involved in the Quality Assurance process?
The area of course construction has a slight overlap with theme 3. Is the institution able to choose its own course content, and if it does, how is this determined? Is all teaching done in classrooms or is there any scope for students to learn whilst in employment?
We also want to investigate partnerships and what they mean for students and Brazil. What recognition is there of courses and is there any effect on student mobility? How do institutions set up and monitor partnerships? Are there domestic league tables or rankings, and is there any notice paid to these and global rankings?
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Student Expectations and Representation
Under this theme we hope to talk to as many staff and students as possible about how Brazilian Universities on the one hand engage with students and on the other hand manage their expectations.
We plan to explore the general context of HE in Brazil, what public information is made available to prospective students and what the expectations are around student support - not just in the financial sense, but concerning what we in the UK might think of as 'pastoral care'.
People familiar with UK HE will probably be wrestling with the National Student Survey even as I type, so what systems do they have for gathering student feedback and evaluation in Brazil, and how do they respond to messages from students?
And we'll also be trying to find out the extent to which students are represented within Brazilian Universities, and what the role of Students' Unions is.
I'm quite sure we'll find out lots of other things too, that we hadn't ever thought about.
If you have any suggestions for questions we might ask or topics you think we should be exploring, please let us know by adding a comment!
We plan to explore the general context of HE in Brazil, what public information is made available to prospective students and what the expectations are around student support - not just in the financial sense, but concerning what we in the UK might think of as 'pastoral care'.
People familiar with UK HE will probably be wrestling with the National Student Survey even as I type, so what systems do they have for gathering student feedback and evaluation in Brazil, and how do they respond to messages from students?
And we'll also be trying to find out the extent to which students are represented within Brazilian Universities, and what the role of Students' Unions is.
I'm quite sure we'll find out lots of other things too, that we hadn't ever thought about.
If you have any suggestions for questions we might ask or topics you think we should be exploring, please let us know by adding a comment!
Monday, 7 February 2011
Teaching, Learning and Pedagogy
This theme is all about the structure and foundation of Brazilian Universities. This is a huge topic and we have selected three main areas of interest to focus on.
The first is financial aid. Is there any support provided to students, and if so who pays for it, who gets a scholarship or bursary and how are they monitored? This has the potential to be stretched to what role the Government plays when considering the difference between private and public universities and what subjects are supported. Furthermore, what involvement is there from multi-national companies and from the financial sector for those who have to pay?
Our second area is curricula. How are Brazil's strategic goals for economic development reflected in the curricula? How broad is the curriculum?
Thirdly, we will look at the typology and explore the diversity of student ‘types’ and mode of study. We know that Brazil has a high proportion of distance learning, so how is this supported and what scope is there for part-time study, flexible learning, and CPD? What levels of education do students pursue, in particular if they have desires to enter academia? We also hope to establish what the characteristics are of an academic, such as their motivations, research, teaching and outreach.
The first is financial aid. Is there any support provided to students, and if so who pays for it, who gets a scholarship or bursary and how are they monitored? This has the potential to be stretched to what role the Government plays when considering the difference between private and public universities and what subjects are supported. Furthermore, what involvement is there from multi-national companies and from the financial sector for those who have to pay?
Our second area is curricula. How are Brazil's strategic goals for economic development reflected in the curricula? How broad is the curriculum?
Thirdly, we will look at the typology and explore the diversity of student ‘types’ and mode of study. We know that Brazil has a high proportion of distance learning, so how is this supported and what scope is there for part-time study, flexible learning, and CPD? What levels of education do students pursue, in particular if they have desires to enter academia? We also hope to establish what the characteristics are of an academic, such as their motivations, research, teaching and outreach.
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