Enhancing Quality in Higher Education

Enhancing Quality in Higher Education

Author: Ray Land

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-19

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1135069581

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Interest in the quality of higher education provision has been steadily increasing over the last twenty years. This has been driven largely by the international creation of explicit policies and reporting requirements to review, audit and evaluate provision. The interest is associated in many countries with the granting by governments of greater autonomy to higher education institutions. This, crucially, comes bound with increased requirements for accountability in the exercise of such power. Enhancing provision, promoting innovation, cultivating exploration and adopting information-led approaches to practice are at the very heart of higher education. As such quality enhancement comes in many guises and is under constant scrutiny. Enhancing Quality in Higher Education looks critically at recent developments in higher education, taking snapshots of changing practices around the world and analysing the varied theoretical perspectives of quality enhancement that are emerging. The opening section draws upon this theoretical base, whilst the second section contextualises it through the analysis of a diverse range of international case studies. The concluding section considers future prospects for the enhancement agenda in the light of the international pressures facing all systems of higher education in the future. Policy will inevitably be shaped by the historical contexts within which national systems are located. The book draws on a wide range of international case studies, examined by a host of contributing experts. The movement towards quality enhancement can be seen as stimulating action at the grassroots of the academy to self-generate improvement. It is a counter to the prevalent view that change in higher education is essentially about the institutional response to increasing societal pressure and state control and, as such, is a welcome contribution to the literature. This comprehensive volume is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education and educational policy.


Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Foreign Language Education

Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Foreign Language Education

Author: Donald F. Staub

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 3030214214

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Greater student mobility, increasing demand for access to tertiary education, as well as policy changes have spurred rapid expansion of the global higher education sector. However, with increased demand comes considerable variation in the quality of the supply. As higher education is an expensive endeavor for all stakeholders – governments, funders, employers, and families – there are also increasing expectations for accountability and demonstrations of quality. English as a foreign language (EFL) programs, in particular, are under considerable pressure to substantiate their value, resulting in a significant rise in interest around their quality. This volume is the outcome of a May 2018 international conference on quality and specialized accreditation, held in Turkey. The book’s three sections take the reader from the global to the program level, examining trends and best practices in quality assurance and accreditation in EFL programs. The book’s geographic focus is primarily the Middle East and Turkey, yet the issues discussed herein a quite global in nature. This volume will be of interest to educational administrators at the institutional or program level, educational leadership programs focusing on higher education, language teacher preparation programs, and administrators in centralized education systems or accrediting organizations.


Search Engine Freedom

Search Engine Freedom

Author: Joris van Hoboken

Publisher: Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published: 2012-10-01

Total Pages: 654

ISBN-13: 9041141383

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In this book, the author explores how search media can be incorporated into freedom of expression doctrine, as well as media and communications law and policy more generally. And the book develops a theory of the legal relations between national governments and search media providers on the one hand and between end-users and information providers on the other. Among the many issues covered are the following: role of government under the right to freedom of expression; lack of transparency about the ranking and selection of search results; search engine and ISP intermediary liability; filtering by access providers; freedom of expression and the governance of public libraries; the search engine market, its business model and the separation rule for advertising; search engine self-regulation; user profiling and personalization; decisions and actions for which search engines should be able to claim protection. The analysis draws on specific legal developments under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the United States First Amendment, and investigates issues of diversity, pluralism, and freedom of expression as they relate to editorial control in other media. The author concludes with recommendations regarding search engine governance and the proper role of government, indicating which existing elements of the regulatory framework for search media can be improved and offering directions for future legal and empirical research. Considering the ever-growing cultural, political, and economic importance of the Internet and the World Wide Web in our societies, and the societal interests involved in the availability of effective search tools, this first in-depth legal analysis of search engine freedom will prove indispensable to the many practitioners and policymakers concerned with freedom of expression in the digital age.


The Law and Governance of Mining and Minerals

The Law and Governance of Mining and Minerals

Author: Ana Elizabeth Bastida

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-12-10

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1782255680

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This book explores a disciplinary matrix for the study of the law and governance concerning mining and minerals from a global perspective. The book considers the key challenges of achieving the goals of Agenda 2030 and the transition to low-carbon circular economies. The perspective encompasses the multi-faceted and highly complex interaction of multiple fields of international law and policy, soft law and standards, domestic laws and regulations as well as local levels of ordering of social relations. What emerges is a largely neglected, unsystematised and under-theorised field of study which lies at the intersection of the global economy, environmental sustainability, human rights and social equity. But it also underlies the many loopholes to address at all levels, most notably at the local level – land and land holders, artisanal miners, ecosystems, local economies, local linkages and development. The book calls for a truly cosmopolitan academic discipline to be built and identifies challenges to do so. It also sets a research agenda for further studies in this fast-changing field.


Air Quality Management

Air Quality Management

Author: Eric Taylor

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-10-30

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9400775571

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This book provides a wide overview of the issues related to managing of air quality in Canada. Learn about the air issues that have caused impacts to ecosystems or human health and hence been targeted to be managed. Discover how Canada’s national governance involving a federal government along with provincial and territorial governments impacts the air quality management process. Understand how Canadians manage their air quality in context with the USA, their largest and closest neighbour. Benefit from the experience of 43 of Canada’s most experienced air quality management professionals who share their insights into the state of air quality in Canada today, how it is managed, as well as giving a glimpse into the future.​


Effective Crisis Communication

Effective Crisis Communication

Author: Robert R. Ulmer

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2017-12-11

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1506315747

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In this fully updated Fourth Edition of Effective Crisis Communication, three of today’s most respected crisis/risk communication scholars provide the latest theories and innovative approaches for handling crisis. Unlike other crisis communication texts, this acclaimed book answers the question, "what now?" and explains how organizations can create the potential for opportunity, renewal, and growth through effective crisis communication. Authors Robert R. Ulmer, Timothy L. Sellnow, and Matthew W. Seeger provide guidelines for taking the many challenges that crises present and turning those challenges into opportunities. Practical lessons and in-depth case studies highlight successes and failures in dealing with core issues of crisis leadership, including managing uncertainty, communicating effectively, understanding risk, promoting communication ethics, enabling organizational learning, and producing renewing responses to crisis. New to the Fourth Edition: New and updated examples and case studies include diverse cases from recent headlines such as SeaWorld’s reaction to Blackfish, the United Airlines debacle, and the Flint Water Crisis. Updated theories and references throughout provide readers with the latest information for effective crisis communication.


Changing US Security Strategy

Changing US Security Strategy

Author: Anthony H. Cordesman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 1442225343

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More than a decade into the “war on terrorism,” much of the political debate in the United States is still fixated on the legacy of 9/11. US politics has a partisan fixation on Benghazi, the Boston Marathon bombing, intelligence intercepts, and Guantanamo. Far too much attention still focuses on “terrorism” at a time the United States faces a much broader range of threats from the instability in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world. Moreover, much of the US debate ignores the fact that the United States has not actually fought a “war on terrorism” over the last decade, as well as the US failures in using military force and civil aid in Afghanistan and Iraq.


International Farm Animal, Wildlife and Food Safety Law

International Farm Animal, Wildlife and Food Safety Law

Author: Gabriela Steier

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-01-09

Total Pages: 878

ISBN-13: 3319180029

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This volume is an inspiring and breakthrough piece of academic scholarship and the first of its kind featuring a comprehensive reader-friendly approach to teach the intricacies of the various aspects of international farm animal, wildlife conservation, food safety and environmental protection law. The selected focus areas are grouped in sections, such as agrobiodiversity, fishing and aquaculture, pollinators and pesticides, soil management, industrial animal production and transportation, and international food trade. Farm animal welfare, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and food safety are the core of the selected chapters. Every chapter provides real-world examples to make the complex field easy to understand. With its systematic approach, this book is devoted to anyone interested in the subject, becomes a valuable resource for professionals working in food regulation, and provides a solid foundation for courses and master’s programs in animal law, environmental policy, food and agriculture law, and regulation of these subjects around the world. Through its emphasis on sustainable food production, this work offers a cutting-edge selection of evolving topics at the heart of the pertinent discourse. As one of its highlights, this books also provides “Tools for Change,” a unique compilation and analysis of laws from the major farm animal product trading nations. With these tools, practitioners, advocates, policy makers and other state-holders are equipped with information to start work toward improving farm animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and food safety through the use of law and policy.