Network Objectives

Higher education everywhere is currently undergoing major changes as a consequence of policy initiatives intended to manage budgets in the face of increasing demands for mass higher education, changing employment needs, changes in demographics (of academics and students), the impact of the new media and emerging staffing issues and professional registration requirements.

The objective of this network is to bring together people and projects working in higher education institutions across Europe (and beyond) in order to develop a clearer picture of policies, trends and developments in different countries, and to promote pan-European research collaboration and dissemination.

There is considerable debate around methodology and different ways of conceptualising the field of higher education. We expect this to be reflected in contributions to the ECER conference, where we will be looking to open debate on changing philosophies, policies and practices in higher education as much as to report the findings of research studies and development projects.

The network has five thematic research fields:

(1) Teaching, learning and assessment in higher education
This subtheme includes various topics relating to teaching, learning, assessment, guidance or supervision in higher education.

(2) Employability and transition to work of higher education graduates
The subtheme focuses on employability of graduates, the development of student competences and the relationship between economic life and higher education.

(3) Academic work and professional development
The subtheme includes such topics as the emergence of new professionals, professional development of university staff, academic/disciplinary cultures and identities, changes in academic work as well as issues relating to academics' well-being.

(4) Policy, management and governance in higher education
The theme pays attention to the relationship between state, market and higher education, reformulation of national higher education systems and policies (such as the Bologna Process) and to the impacts these reformulations have on the function and missions (such as education, research, leadership) of higher education institutions.

(5) Inclusion and diversity in higher education settings
The subtheme welcomes papers relating to equality issues in terms of disability, ethnicity, race, age, gender religion etc. and papers dealing with widening participation, the role of the "under-represented groups" such as mature students, students with lower socio-economic background etc. in higher education.

Please visit the new EERA Network 22 website.
The address is: http://ktl.jyu.fi/ktl/eeranetwork22