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HER Call for Papers

Call for papers

13th International Workshop on Higher Education Reform (HER) Dublin

Wider access, changing national demographics and international mass migration: implications for higher education reforms and policy

7-9 September 2016

Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

The Higher Education Research Centre (HERC) Dublin City University is pleased to host the 13th International Workshop on Higher Education Reform (HER) in association with the Institute of Education, Dublin City University, and the Centre for Academic Values in Education (CAVE) Trinity College Dublin.

This is the 13th in a series of international workshops, inaugurated at the University of British Columbia in 2003, with a focus on research investigating various aspects of policy reforms and other major changes in higher education.

Themes for 2016

Despite increasing rates of participation in higher education significant socio-demographic inequalities remain. Contemporary demographic shifts pose additional challenges for the future development of higher education. In the broader context of widening access to higher education for underrepresented groups this workshop particularly focuses on the implications for higher education of ageing populations and global migration.

At one level, the global population is ageing. This is particularly the case in the developed regions, with many European countries and Japan being prime examples. However, the populations of developing regions are also ageing- the case of China being particularly notable, resulting in a recent reversal of the ‘one-child’ policy While increasing longevity is a welcome development- reflecting improvements in education and public health- for some countries this may lead to a situation which has been characterized as ‘becoming old before becoming rich’.

At another level, factors such as globalization, war, poverty and climate change are leading to the mass migration of people across many global regions – a scale unprecedented for more than half a century. Beyond emergency humanitarian support, many of these people require access to education and training, some of which will be at a higher education level to assist migrants to demonstrate and/or upgrade prior levels of knowledge and skill.

These trends pose major, and not unrelated challenges for higher education institutions and systems – pedagogical; organizational; financial; and, not least, ethical.

Issues

We invite contributions dealing with the above themes, which may address issues such as the following:

What are the implications for higher education of the increasing proportion of older age cohorts in the populations of most developed countries (the ‘longevity dividend’)?

Conversely, in some developing countries what are the implications of growing proportions of younger populations (the ‘demographic dividend’)?

What are the implications of contemporary global migration patterns for higher education?

What are the consequences of demographic change for the labor market and associated knowledge and skill requirements?

To what extent might some demographic developments lead to a shrinking higher education landscape – in terms of numbers of institutions and/or range and scale of provision?

What are the consequences of these trends for finance, governance and management strategies of higher education institutions?

Addressing the above questions requires a genuinely interdisciplinary response drawing, for example, on: pedagogy, comparative policy studies, organizational theories, sociology, economics, technology, demography, history, and law.

 

Call for papers and panels

The 2016 workshop will provide an opportunity for comparative analysis and discussion of these and related issues with an emphasis on policies and reforms of postsecondary (higher) education. The workshop format has been chosen to encourage and facilitate a frank exchange in a collegial environment of views based on empirical research and (comparative) policy analysis.

As with previous workshops, a publication is planned based on a selection of papers and panel presentations.

Paper proposals and panels should address the workshop themes and issues. Proposals of up to 400 words (for papers) and up to 800 words (for panels) should be sent via email to:

HER2016@dcu.ie 

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 March 2016. Submissions will be peer reviewed and the result communicated to proposers within three weeks.

Registration

Online registration will be open from 31 January 2016 on the HERC website, when you will also find other practical details: dcu.ie/herc/

International Scientific Committee

German Alvarez Mendiola, Professor, Centre for Advanced Research and Studies, Mexico City.

Walter Archer, Emeritus Professor, University of Alberta, Canada.

Sumin Li, Professor , School of Education, Tianjin Normal  University, China. .

Hans Schuetze, Emeritus Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Maria Slowey, Professor and Director HERC (Higher Education Research Centre) Dublin City University and Chair National Organizing Committee, HER 2016.

Andrä Wolter, Professor, Institute for Educational Research, Humboldt University, Germany.

Shinichi Yamamoto, Professor, Graduate School of Higher Education Management, J.F. Oberlin University, Japan.

Pavel Zgaga, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

 

Support from a number of entities is acknowledged, including the CSSHE (Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education).