Poitiers Challenge to Innovate

7/25/2019 Poitiers Challenge to Innovate

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The challenge for European universities to innovate

Governance and adaptation to innovative modes of higher

education provision (GAIHE); Peer Learning

cole Suprieure de lducation Nationale, de

lEnseignement Suprieur et de la Recherche,Poitiers, January 25, 2016

Jo Ritzen


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Challenges for universities world-wide

Add value to the competencies of the

youngsters who are enrolled.

Balance research excellency with teaching

excellency.

Focus incentives in the university organization

on long term achievements and stimulate

innovation in universities.


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PIAAC Competencies


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Content

Universities matter for economic growth.

In particular the competencies of the graduates driveeconomic growth.

Then it would be smart to make universitiesaccountable for value added in competencies.

Ensuring equity.

The organization and funding of universities matter for

adding value in competencies. Are politics sufficiently well organized to innovate?

Summary: touchstones ballad.


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Universities matter for economic

growth

Role of knowledge for economic growth used

to focus on research and research

productivity.

Governments in several countries (e.g.

the UK and the Netherlands) promoted what

would become known as the triple helix:

university-industry-government cooperation


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In particular the competencies of the

graduates drive economic growth.

Differences in economic growth for the

period 1960- 2000 between countries are

explained by competencies (not by education

achieved).

Overschooling may exist, but notovercompetent as competencies find their

productive outlet.


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What competencies count for

innovation and growth?

Cognitive achievement and knowledge of the field inproblem solving mode.

How to work in teams, how to communicate.

Intercultural understanding. Behavioral skills or personality traits: Openness,

Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness andEmotional Stability.

Economic traits, like impatience, risk aversion, trust,altruism and positive and negative reciprocity.

A good understanding of ICT.


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Then it would be smart to make

universities accountable for value

added in competencies.

November 2015 UK Government Now that

we are asking young people to meet more of

the costs of their degrees once they are

earning, we in turn must do more than ever to

ensure they can make well-informed choices,

and that the time and money they invest inhigher education is well spent


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Then it would be smart to make

universities accountable for value

added in competencies. No knowledge without measurement

AHELO: general skills: US Collegiate Learning

Assessment (CLA); economics and engineering:well-developed new instruments.

Overall students who participated in the focusgroups saw the assessments as having content

relevant to their coursework and being in aformat that was new and challenging (OECD,AHELO, p.128).


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Value added in competencies seems

related to research productivity

(country level)

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Rep.

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Lux.

Malta

Netherl.

Poland

Portugal

RomaniaSlovakia

Slovenia

Spain

SwedenUK

Iceland Norway

Switz.

Turkey

0

5

10

15

20

60 70 80 90 100

Employer satisfaction

F i i i h i i


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Focus incentives in the university

organization on long term

achievements. Innovation implies serious ex ante expenditures

Innovation takes serious human costs (retraining,

re-organization, organizational stress) Ensure that the incentives are present

the leadership can make these costs.

Ensure sufficient funding so that universities caninvest in innovation.

i i i h i i


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achievements. Universities deliver more competent

graduates and higher quality research if they

are more autonomous provided theyare well- funded

Managerial autonomy is important for

research attractiveness and researchproductivity. Policy autonomy translates intorelatively high education performance.

F i i i h i i


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achievements

Austria

Belgium

Czech Rep.

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Netherl.

Poland

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

UK

Norway

290

300

310

320

330

10 20 30 40 50 60

Public expenditure


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Are politics sufficiently well organized

to deliver the frameworks for the right

organization and funding?

In politics sometimes the long run turns out to

have exceedingly short legs. Is it feasible to have ministers of education

drawn from the outside?


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Politics ties itself to the mast to ensure

the long run


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Summary

Research universities in Europe are too muchfocused on research, while universities arefirst and foremost about educationand the

competencies built in universities graduates. Universities need to innovate to do better in

delivering competencies.

Innovation requires a supportive environment,incentives for leadership and sufficientfunding.


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Thank you!

Documents

Poitiers Challenge to Innovate