建设世界一流大学:实施策略的全球调查

Building a World-Class University:Global Survey Findings on Strategies Adopted

大学改革是当今世界的一大话题。尽管资金有限,发展中国家仍孜孜以求在世界一流大学精英俱乐部里能谋一席。他们紧紧抓住西方世界一流大学发布在互联网上的免费学术材料不放,不管这样做从很多方面来看都是一把双刃剑。本文的大学改革调查几乎覆盖几个主要国家,并通过元分析向大学管理者提供依据充分的建议,目的是为开放远程大学解决社会经济及政治挑战提供探讨。本文结论主要由可被采纳的策略组成。这些策略不仅是生存策略,更是切实可行的专业发展道路,能使大学在不利的经济条件下,在本地和国际社会中进步和繁荣。绪论部分定义了世界一流大学的内涵。之后,研究方法部分概述了获得认可的内外部改组方式。结论部分描述了世界范围内诸大学已采取的不同策略的调查结果,以及目前产生的效果。本文目的在于介绍其他大学已经或正在采取的策略,以及这些策略可能与自己大学的文化联系。尽管这些全球性的发现是描述性的,而不是规定性的,但有些观点可能值得一看,并用在国内加以改良和采纳。最后部分小结了成效最好的那些策略——提供给志在成为世界一流大学的学校作为参考。传统和远程教育都需要改革成为更小更专业的极具灵活性单元,以便提供未来所需的更高技能。当前远程教育的合并与再工业化动向可能并不合时宜,对于创新和新技能具有敏感察觉能力和反应能力的专业化也许能为学生带来更好的结果。

University reform is a current topic around the world. Despite financial constraints in this era of austerity, developing nations continue their reform efforts to get a seat in the elite club of world-class universities. Although in many ways a double-edged sword, they seize upon the free academic materials on the internet offered by the leading world-class universities of the West. This Paper gives the survey findings of university reform around the world covering almost every major country, and through meta-analyses makes informed suggestions to university administrators. The interest here is to provide a forum and overview for open and distance education universities seeking ways to tackle soci- oeconomic and political challenges. The conclusions consist essentially of strategies that could be adopted. These are not simply survival tactics but practical ways forward to develop professionally, to improve and to thrive in local and international communities despite adverse financial conditions. At the outset, the introduction defines what is meant by world-class. The methods section then outlines the recognised ways of re-structuring both internally and externally. The results section gives the survey findings of the various strategies which universities have already adopted around the world, and the outcomes so far experienced. The aim is to offer insights into what other universities have done or are doing, and which can then be potentially correlated to ones own university culture. While these global findings are de- scriptive rather than prescriptive, some ideas might be worthwhile looking at for adapting and adopting at home. The final section then gives a summary of the strategies that appear to be working best - as potential suggestions for those aspiring to world-class status. The landscape of both conventional and distance education needs to be reformed into smaller specialised units that are flexible in order to produce the higher skills needed for tomorrow. The current drive towards mergers and the re-industrialisation of distance education may be misplaced, and specialisation sensitive and responsive to innovation and new skills could offer better outcomes for the students.