ACCESS POLICIES TO HIGHER EDUCATION: WHY ASSESS?

Evaluation is a controversial and little-understood strategy of public governance, control, and decision making. As early as classical antiquity, scholars were summoned to court to counsel kings. Public policy and program evaluation is a recent addition to the great chain of attempts to use the brainpower of scholars and scientists to further the interests of the state. Evaluation scholars are asked to provide retrospective assessments of the implementation, output, and outcome of government measures in order to effect deeper understanding and well-grounded decisions on the part of those in charge of government operations. Evaluation is the process of distinguishing the worthwhile from the worthless, the precious from the useless; evaluation implies looking backward in order to be able to steer forward better. Written from a political science perspective, Public Policy and Program Evaluation provides an overview of the possibilities and limits of public sector evaluation. Evert Vedung examines evaluation as a mechanism for monitoring, systematizing, and grading government activities and their results so that public officials, in their future-oriented work, will be able to act as responsibly, creatively, and efficiently as possible. Topics discussed include: Evaluation, Rationality, and Theories of Public Management; Models of Evaluation; Internal or External Evaluation; Impact Assessment as Tryout and Social Experimentation; Process Evaluation and Implementation Theory; Eight-Problems Approach to Evaluation; and Uses and Users of Evaluation. All evaluation rests upon the idea that perceptions, opinions, intentions, judgments--in short, everything concerned with the world of human consciousness--play such interesting roles in political and administrative action that their functions are worth investigating. Through experience, humans may learn from past actions. The interventions of the modern state are so extensive, their execution so complicated, and their potential consequences so far-reaching that science and social research are needed to monitor operations and establish impacts. As an excellent Introduction to the field of policy evaluation, Public Policy and Program Evaluation will be a valuable resource for students of public administration, public policy, political science, education, and sociology.

Background Since the early 2000s, policy makers in Korea have put greater emphasis on culture and humancentered issues than on construction and industrial developments. In that regard, public design emerged as an instrument to strengthen urban competitiveness, and government ministries and local governments are implementing various public design policies. However, the current evaluation systems are mostly used to evaluate public design as the performance of the governments, which is the same as other public policies. In fact, public policies are alien to design. The aim of design is to meet peoples values, while that of public policies is to achieve public purposes using material, finance and human resources. Therefore, it is necessary to examine whether evaluating outputs is sufficient for public design policy evaluation. The paper aims to suggest a new direction for evaluating policies on sustainable public design and helping people in reality. Although the number of policies for public design has increased, policy evaluation systems have not been properly developed yet. Methods The current meaning of public design and the current conditions of the public design policies in Korea are examined, and then existing policy evaluation systems are analyzed based on previous studies. Results The existing evaluation systems focus on public design itself rather than citizens realization of public values based on preceding research analysis such as performance measurement using BSC(Balanced Scorecard). Conclusion The study attempts to give initial guidance on the direction of public design policies, which focuses on civic engagement on the premise that design can solve social problems.

Várias pesquisas de survey, particularmente as realizadas durante o regime militar, demonstraram que as avaliações de diferentes políticas públicas tinham baixas correlações entre si; algumas demonstraram que essas correlações eram ainda mais baixas entre analfabetos e pessoas com apenas o primeiro grau; finalmente, demonstraram que a correlação entre essas avaliações, por um lado, e as intenções de voto e preferências partidárias, por outro, eram, em sua grande maioria, estatisticamente não significativas. Dados de um survey pré-eleitoral com amostragem domiciliar estratificada e mais de cinco mil entrevistas realizadas em 1998 no Distrito Federal mostram resultados que contrariam os anteriores: as avaliações formam conglomerados, ainda que com diferenciação entre as áreas avaliadas; não há diferenças entre os níveis educacionais no que concerne às correlações entre as avaliações; as avaliações correlacionam-se intimamente com a intenção de voto para governador. As diferenças entre esses resultados e os anteriores podem ser atribuídas a mudanças ocorridas na população, a peculiaridades do Distrito Federal, à especificidade de uma eleição que contrapunha um governador e um ex-governador, à ênfase de um deles, durante a campanha, nas políticas públicas da sua administração, a características do regime militar ou a combinações entre quaisquer das explicações. Independentemente das razões apontadas, o fato é que a eleição para governador do Distrito Federal de 1998 demonstrou a existência de uma racionalidade eleitoral.

Strategies to improve the accessibility of standardized assessments, including the use of access features, accommodations, and alternate assessment formats, is a critical issue in creating fair and valid assessment systems. Large-scale standardized assessment systems, particularly in elementary and secondary education settings, play a critical role in evaluating student eligibility for services, efficacy of instruction, and student learning. In many cases, scores from academic large-scale assessments are high-stakes, meaning that they carry consequences for students including grade promotion or eligibility for graduation and access to postsecondary education options. Most large-scale assessments are designed to be a valid and reliable measure knowledge and skills of the majority of the student population. Yet large-scale standardized assessments can be challenging for students with disabilities, English learners (Els), and other diverse students. Issues around accessibility and fairness have been a central part of test development and assessment policies over the past 20 years and seek to ensure that students from all backgrounds can demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This attention to access is critically important when considering the high-stakes impact of the use of these scores on students. Strategies for addressing assessment accessibility seek to balance equity in testing experiences for all students as well as maintaining the standardization of the test designs. This balancing act continually brings the field to questions about the construct being measured and multiple ways to demonstrate or provide evidence of knowledge of that construct. Decision making and governance around what is allowable and what is available for accessible assessment is directly tied to the educational policy context and its embedded assessment system. In the USA, assessment and accountability policies involve policy guidance and implementation at both the national and state level. In some cases, state-level decisions are collaborative, drawing upon a consortia of states in the development and use of assessments and accompanying accessibility approaches. Yet in all cases, decisions about accessibility options need to focus on individual student needs and the purpose of the test. Current frameworks include a range of options: those that are available to all students (access features on a regular assessment), designated for some students through a formal process (accommodations on a regular assessment), and designed for a small percentage of the population (alternate assessments). Research on the impact and utility of different approaches to accessibility on large-scale standardized academic has followed the changes in assessment policy over the past two decades. Research on accommodations and impact on student scores is the most robust out of the three approaches to accessible assessment discussed in this entry. There is substantial evidence that many commonly used accommodations (e.g., extended time), overall, do not change the construct of the test. However, the research base is limited in the extent to which it can weigh in on the possible impact of accommodations use for students from specific disability groups (or with specific student characteristics, which is more relevant in accommodations decision making) or on assessments on a range of target constructs. Further, individual accommodations are rarely administered alone, such that the package of accommodations becomes the accessibility strategy, an intervention that is difficult to parse out in a controlled research design. Continued research on assessment accessibility is encouraged to consider the content and design of the assessment, student characteristics, and accommodation as a complex and dynamic system. The future of accessible assessment holds a great deal of potential. Recent shifts to online assessment delivery provide growing opportunities to maintain that balance between individual student characteristics and preferences and the requirements of a standardized testing system. Collaborative approaches to the assessment context, from decision making about student eligibility for alternate assessment to the design and implementation of tests via state consortia, all represent ways in which to engage with the broad range of stakeholders (e.g., students, families, teachers, administrators, policy makers, and researchers) that bring important information to bear on what it means to have an accessible high-stakes assessment. A system that is inclusive of students with disabilities, ELs, ELs with disabilities, and students without disabilities or EL statuses will necessarily be complex and nuanced. Embedded in all of these decisions is the recognition that assessment is not a stand-alone activity, but that it ties back to instruction, student engagement, teacher efficacy, and the pursuit of a fair and equitable education system that works for all students.

Belonging has been identified as important to student retention, engagement, achievement and wellbeing in higher education. It has been challenging for universities to foster, particularly in non-traditional student cohorts and in regional areas. This article aims to identify how belonging has been experienced and supported on four regional campuses of one Australian university (University of Wollongong) enrolling a high proportion of non-traditional students. It focuses on belonging’s role in the students’ successful progress beyond the first year of their university studies. The study examines the experiences of students through focus groups discussing what aspects of their campuses had contributed to students’ success. This study extends previous work on belonging by describing how belonging is successfully cultivated in regional campuses through specific staff and student interactions that had built a culture of community and support, and how the belonging that resulted contributed to student retention. The study’s findings demonstrate how principles from theory and research about practices that support student belonging can be successfully enacted in a university setting with students from regional and equity backgrounds.

While computer-mediated communication is a broad term, this study systematically reviews the impact of e-peer mentorship, a combination of computer-mediated communications and peer mentorship, on student retention in higher education. Of the 6396 articles identified between 2019 and 2024, 22 were selected for this study. The themes identified include computer-mediated communications, e-peer mentorship, face-to-face mentorship, social connection, student retention, and transformational learning. Peer mentorship positively affects learning outcomes due to increased social connection and a sense of belonging to the university. The findings in this study are that well-executed peer mentorship programs in higher education lead to higher student retention rates. e-Peer and face-to-face mentorship offer the same benefits for student retention.

Concerns about student retention and attrition rates in higher education have been steadily increasing over the years. Efforts to identify and treat potential withdrawers have grown considerably; now, more than ever, universities are getting more competitive and financially driven, as the issue of student attrition is threatening to affect the way in which universities continue to run (Harvey, Drew & Smith, 2006). More universities are now developing strategic retention plans that aim at keeping students enrolled in their courses, as there is no doubt that as attrition rates increase, universities’ funding could be at risk (Schwartz, 2007). Literature on student attrition and retention in higher education shows that there has been a substantial amount of research conducted into the issues of attrition and retention in general. Varied conceptual models have been developed to explain and acknowledge student attrition as problematic and these models have focused on determining the factors contributing to student withdrawal, as well as the elements that contribute to student success. However, until now, the literature available shows that there seems to be a shortage of research into the area of foreign language student attrition and retention. As the number of students learning a foreign language in Australian high schools is at its lowest ever, this lack of research is worrying (Group of Eight, 2007). This ultimately illustrates the importance and significance of research studies conducted to determine the reasons why students are withdrawing from foreign language classes at tertiary institutions. This study investigates student attrition and develops a prognostic approach to identify students at risk of withdrawing from their courses. The study was divided into three stages. The first stage examined class assessment reports to provide a picture of existing attrition rates in the course being examined, Elementary Spanish. The second stage explored factors contributing to withdrawal, using survey and interview data collected from 12 students who withdrew from Elementary Spanish, identifying probable factors triggering withdrawal, and comparing these factors to those identified in the literature. These data were contrasted with those collected from 24 students who did not withdraw. The third stage saw the development and piloting of a prognostic instrument and approach aimed at identifying students potentially at risk of withdrawal, using theoretical insights gained from the previous two stages. Previous studies have taken a diagnostic approach to attrition—that is, looking at the problem after it has taken place. The prognostic instrument was piloted with a group of 18 first year Elementary Spanish students in 2007 to identify those at risk of withdrawal, and to evaluate the performance of the instrument. As a result of the pilot in 2007 parts of the approach were improved and in 2008 it was implemented on a group of 31 students. The results were positive in determining which students could be at risk. While the study examined Spanish language students, and thus the results may not be applicable to other languages or other disciplines, this study was the first of its kind in taking a prognostic rather than diagnostic approach to an issue of great importance to both education providers and students.

Also titled: Expenditure on Education and Training

Drawing on educational census data and a review of news articles and higher education policies in Brazil, this article examines the impact of COVID-19 on the access and retention of the low-income Brazilian population in higher education. Guided by the question, “What is the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable population in Brazil in terms of access to, and retention in higher education?”, the paper is structured in two sections: the first offers a short historical overview of Brazilian higher education; the second examines the impact of the pandemic on student retention in higher education, looking at factors such as social isolation, job and income precarity, use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), internet access, and technological resources. I argue that distance education offered by private higher education institutions benefits the privileged students and that the effects of the pandemic are detrimental to the socially disadvantaged students since those who are in public universities do not always have access to technology, and those who study in private universities feel the impact of not being able to pay tuition fees, besides the loss of several jobs in different sectors. In conclusion, I recommend policy initiatives to improve access to higher education.

This doctoral thesis examines the impact of international aid agencies on the reform agenda of North African countries. It analyses and compares the paths of higher education reform (1997-2007) in Egypt and Morocco, using analytical instruments pertaining to new approaches in public policy theory. For a long time, both countries appeared relatively immune against reform pressure from outside. Still, the analysis of their reform processes shows that the internationalization of higher education has been high on the agenda in both countries. Moreover, the participatory approach - as promoted by international aid agencies like the World Bank as part of its governance agenda - is practised in pushing through unpopular reform measures : in both countries stakeholders from political parties, non-governmental organization and the private sector took part in the reform process. The establishment of committees and commissions emerged as an important tool for those authoritarian regimes to widen their scope of participation. It is to be axamined how specific instruments, promoted by international organizations and bilateral donors, are integrated into a setting of authoritarian rule. The policy transfer between donors and recipients is relatively smooth as long as it concerns the realm of policies and a rather diffuse way towards internationalization through the implementation of foreign reform instruments in the university sector. Modes of transfer grow more subtle when the realms of power and politics are affected. This book provides an insight into the way authoritarian rulers adapt international reform commissions and committees, their members and their institutional environment. I shall argue that international aid agencies even provide the necessary support for this process of authoritarian consolidation, albeit non-intentionally and rather as an unintended consequence of their engagement. The comparison of Egypt's and Morocco's reform processes by means of an analysis of a specific sector (e. G. Higher education) serves as a microanalysis to understand how authoritarian regimes work. It also helps to understand the varieties of authoritarian regimes. Morocco was and is able to formulate a more comprehensive reform of its higher education system. The country demonstrates greater flexibility due to its monarchical system and its pluralistic nature. Egypt under Mubarak only applied a piecemeal type of reform, partly due to its rigid form of pluralism in a quasi-one-party system. Still, Morocco's flexibility should not be confused with a greater openness of its political arena. It is linked to a specific pattern of pluralism that is reproduced through the aforementioned reform processes

O presente artigo revê a situação do passado, presente e futuro do uso da Educação a Distância no ensino superior na Turquia. A ênfase do artigo é no desenvolvimento de tecnologias de educação a distância nas instituições de ensino superior na Turkia. A natureza dos programas de Educação a Distância, seus regulamentos e financiamentos são sumarizados. O programa da Anadolou Open University para professores é destacado como um exemplo ou modelo para países em desenvolvimento que pretendem integrar, aos seus sistemas educacionais, as tecnologias de Educação a Distância.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically test for fundamental attribution error (FAE) – the naturally occurring bias of humans to over-attribute business success to celebrity-entrepreneur disposition. Design/methodology/approach – Employing a five-step process, this paper measures and tests for FAE bias in entrepreneurial situations. The methodology includes anecdotal historical evidence; developing a FAE survey instrument; having 101 respondents classify variables; statistically testing and validating the instrument; and then statistically identifying the importance of each factor with a sample 105. Findings – Significant statistical evidence for an active FAE bias was found. People do tend to attribute business success to entrepreneurial dispositions, rather than team behavior and circumstantial outcome factors which can reduce the effectiveness of public policy. Research limitations/implications – There is minimal research on FAE in entrepreneurship effecting public policy, thus there is a need for research to better understand factors of business outcomes actually based on entrepreneurial dispositions vs team behavior and circumstantial-situational factors. Practical implications – FAE bias may lead the general public, entrepreneurs, and public policy makers to overemphasize the impact of the entrepreneur’s behavior and especially the dispositional factors of the celebrity-based entrepreneur when assessing causation of firm performance. This would under-emphasize the value of other organizational factors. Misidentification of true cause-effect factors may lead to inappropriate managerial conclusions and introduction of error in public policy decisions. Originality/value – Although FAE is primarily a psychological literature concept, this is the first study to contribute empirical evidence of the FAE of professionals employed in business as it applies to entrepreneurship and economic outcomes.

The chapter analyzes the case of higher education evaluation policies in Uruguay, the only country within MERCOSUR which did not generate neither a national nor a regional accrediting agency and whose public debate on evaluation has very special features. The paper presents the case of Uruguay, in the context of the countries of the region and describes and identifies the major initiatives on evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance in the country. This sector of public policy appears crossed by two key dimensions to understand the domestic case: first a very strong structural asymmetry of the higher education system in transition to new scenarios. Second, his condition of late adopter raises special challenges for the country, which differ from those faced by all those countries where defined public policies have been adopted. The final discussion of the initiatives and ongoing discussion leads to the conclusion that public policy evaluation and accreditation of higher education are concrete and historical products, they can not be transferred uncritically from one country to another, neither from a historical period to another, especially one of acceleration of global and local trends of transformation. In such conditions, a certain amount of critical imagination is required and the relevant chapter provides conceptual categories to take on the task of building a culture of evaluation in the Uruguayan higher education.

O artigo trata de aspectos da "democratização" na educação superior brasileira. Discute contradições entre concepções de educação como bem público-social e como mercadoria, relacionando-as com as políticas públicas desse nível de ensino. Tematiza as noções de qualidade e de pertinência social. Afirma que as políticas públicas de democratização da educação superior devem ir muito além das ações focadas no aumento de matrículas e de inclusão social. A democratização requer melhorar e ampliar a educação fundamental, de modo a elevar a quantidade e a qualidade de concluintes no ensino médio; ampliar e melhorar continuamente a formação de professores e a infraestrutura de todo o sistema educativo; assegurar boas condições de permanência do estudante nos cursos; ampliar a participação do Estado no provimento da educação. Em conclusão: transformações radicais na educação superior, especialmente a sua expansão com qualidade e equidade, não se separam de mudanças estruturais e sustentáveis da sociedade.

This thesis provides an assessment of language policy (Spolsky, 2004) in Alicante, one of three provinces in the Valencian Community in the south east of Spain. The Valencian Community was founded in 1982 during Spain’s transition to democracy. Its Statute of Autonomy (Corts Valencianes, 1982), which was created in the same year, declares Castilian (the language of the state) and Valencian (a geographic variety of Catalan) as co-official in the autonomous community. Prior to this, Franco’s regime (1939-1975) had prohibited the public use of regional varieties such as Valencian. Yet, whilst the two languages now share equal official status, there is disparity between official language statements and de facto language policy (Shohamy, 2006). This project contributes to the growing research areas of language policy and language revitalisation. The findings of this study are positioned in the context of Catalan-speaking territories, Spain, and the wider European setting. This thesis provides a localised view of language policy in Alicante and uncovers the complexity of the current sociolinguistic setting. In order to present such a nuanced view of local language policy, this project draws upon qualitative and quantitative data collected during the administration of fieldwork questionnaires in 2014 in the towns of Sant Vicent del Raspeig and La Vila Joiosa. Both towns are in the province of Alicante; Sant Vicent del Raspeig is in the comarca (county) of L’Alacanti whilst La Vila Joiosa is in La Marina Baixa. This thesis examines a number of themes that emerged from the data, including the evolution of the composition of linguistic repertoires and the perception and construction of Valencian identities. This project also discusses the closure of the Valencian public broadcaster Radio Televisio Valenciana (RTVV) and examines how external factors, in addition to internal components, contribute to language policy. Data revealed that there is not one clearly identifiable language policy in Alicante; rather multiple layers of language practices, language management and language beliefs operate and intersect at various levels to contribute to a complex local language policy. This complexity is due in part to the social, linguistic, cultural and historical change experienced since the transition to democracy. Of particular significance is the increased access to Valencian which has resulted from the introduction of language legislation and the inclusion of Valencian in the education system (Blas Arroyo, 2002). As such, more language users are able to acquire standard Valencian, and its surrounding ideologies (Milroy, 2001; 2007), and also literacy. Consequently, language policy continues to evolve to reflect such changes as more language users are exposed to Valencian. However, data suggest that previous conditions and consolidated ideologies inherited from the past also continue to be influential and contribute to current language policy. This range of language practices, management and beliefs informs a complex and dynamic language policy. This project presents the case of language policy in Alicante and contributes to current research in Hispanic Studies and Sociolinguistics. The findings of this study further our understanding of language policy and its development in response to changing sociolinguistic conditions, such as increased access to minority languages in the present European context as a result of language revitalisation efforts. The findings presented here should encourage further research and debate, not only in the context of Spain, but also in other European contexts where a minority language has undergone language revitalisation, which has resulted in a change to traditional sociolinguistic order.