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Educational Leadership

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

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Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Leadership Styles Of Middle School Principals And Instructional Leaders, Jessica Devine, Gary Alger Oct 2011

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Leadership Styles Of Middle School Principals And Instructional Leaders, Jessica Devine, Gary Alger

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Grade inflation has been a “hot topic” in the higher education literature for some time now, due primarily to conflicting interpretations of grade-change data. While definitions of grade inflation vary, most seem to indicate that inflation has occurred if a higher grade is awarded without a co-occurring increase in student achievement, and is the outcome of decreased rigor in the assessment of student learning (see Boretz 2004; Young and ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education 2003). Thus, the controversy is in regard to whether or not reported changes in GPA and grade distributions reflect instructor leniency.


Differentiation . . . But To What Degree? The Ed.D. And Ph.D. In Higher Education Programs, Jay Leist, Joyce Scott Jul 2011

Differentiation . . . But To What Degree? The Ed.D. And Ph.D. In Higher Education Programs, Jay Leist, Joyce Scott

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Research into higher education as a field of study is impeded by the lack of an authoritative database of all graduate programs in the United States. One resource used frequently is the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) database, which is self-reported by the host institutions. In 2008, this database indicated that approximately 77 higher education (HIED) programs awarded the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), 91 offered the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and 35 awarded both degrees. This distribution recalls questions that have marked research in the field for 80 years: how do HIED programs differentiate between the two …


Driving Policy Of Higher Education In Nigeria Towards Relevance, Kayode Ijaduola Jan 2011

Driving Policy Of Higher Education In Nigeria Towards Relevance, Kayode Ijaduola

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The educational system of a country remains the main source of human resources that when combined in the right quantity and quality would bring about the development of a nation (Nelson, 2002; Saint, 2002; Tettey, 2002; Nunn, 2005; Mouton, Boshoff, Kulati & Teng-Zeng, 2007). The implication of this is that the level of national development depends upon the quantity and quality of its human resources which in turn depend on the type of the educational system in operation.


Ethical Issues In Higher Education And Scientific Research: Erosion Of Academic Integrity, A. Singh, Bharathi Purohit Jan 2011

Ethical Issues In Higher Education And Scientific Research: Erosion Of Academic Integrity, A. Singh, Bharathi Purohit

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Ethics is the cornerstone of dental research or for that matter any research. Authorship in a scientific research is an important issue which requires considerable debate. The pressure to publish is well-established in the university community. Faculty member’s performance and promotion are judged by the number of published articles in academic scholarly journals. If survival means publish or perish, any and every effort to see one’s name in print becomes important. In such a situation, we should not be surprised to see the operation of the cliché, “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” (Lazar, 1995).


Getting The Right Scope: How To Equip Online Faculty Of The 21st Century With Perfected Knowledge And Skills, Derrick Davis Jan 2011

Getting The Right Scope: How To Equip Online Faculty Of The 21st Century With Perfected Knowledge And Skills, Derrick Davis

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Technology consumes us and has become so intimately connected in our lives that now, to a large degree, it is dictating its use (in educational settings throughout the globe). It’s like a lion that never stops roaring-it’s demanding our attention, and its’ breathe and impact are so far reaching; it can be best described as inescapable. Thus, universities and colleges alike no longer can sit by and speculate whether or not this is a trend that will eventually disappear (as other educational trends have done so in the past). Rather, institutions need to understand that online education is more like …


Institutional Variations And Management Problems Of Postgraduate Studies In Nigerian Universities That Delay Graduation., Chinelo Duze Jan 2011

Institutional Variations And Management Problems Of Postgraduate Studies In Nigerian Universities That Delay Graduation., Chinelo Duze

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Since Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, the social demand for education at the secondary level has been so great that the rapid expansions at this level yawned for corresponding expansions at the tertiary level. To cater for the teaming products of the secondary level academically, the Nigerian government began to expand places at the tertiary level so much that by today, Nigeria has about ninety-four accredited universities owned by the Federal government, State governments, and Private people.


Leadership In Tunisian Higher Education From The Perspective Of The Efqm Excellence Model, Raoudha Kammoun, Omar Ben-Ayed Jul 2010

Leadership In Tunisian Higher Education From The Perspective Of The Efqm Excellence Model, Raoudha Kammoun, Omar Ben-Ayed

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Since the early 1980s, the concept of quality has been a central focus of attention in the debate of higher education (HE). Over time, many developed countries have experienced a growing concern for quality in HE such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and the United States of America, amongst others (Anyamele 2004, Becket and Brookes 2005). The focus on quality leads many developed countries to acknowledge the benefits of the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) within their institutions (Kanji and Tambi, 1999). However, quality movement is rather slow in the HE of developing countries. Indeed, some HEIs have …


Outcomes Assessment, Michele Langbein Jul 2010

Outcomes Assessment, Michele Langbein

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Outcomes assessment is an intense topic that has been debated and discussed on university campuses around the world. Educational accountability is a very important topic. There is tremendous pressure from accreditation agencies to comply with outcomes assessment requirements to maintain accreditation. In addition, to be competitive in a market of many choices, students, employers, and legislators are seeking trustworthy programs. This has raised many questions for Provosts, Deans, and Department Chairs. What are the purposes of outcomes assessment? What should we assess? What methods should we use? How do we overcome faculty objections? Do we need to hire additional administrators …


The Evolution And Management Of Higher Education In Nigeria: A Review Of Private Initiatives, Olabanji Odabara Jul 2010

The Evolution And Management Of Higher Education In Nigeria: A Review Of Private Initiatives, Olabanji Odabara

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Nigeria possesses the largest university system in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although South Africa’s tertiary enrollments are higher, Nigeria boasts more institutions. Nigeria has over 75 universities as at 2005 (Adedipe, 2005), about 41 polytechnics and 62 colleges of education as at 1998 (UNESCO, 2000a). In less than 50 years of tertiary education in Nigeria, the enrolment which was 210 in 1948 increased to 392,683 in 1996 (UNESCO, 2000a:87). As at 2005 Nigeria had 23 private universities. As the Federal Universities grew in number and students enrolment, State Universities started emerging in 1979 with the Rivers State University of Science and Technology …


The Tesol Arabia Conference And Its Role In The Professional Development Of Teachers At Institutions Of Higher Education In The United Arab Emirates., Jonathan Aubrey, Christine Coombe Jul 2010

The Tesol Arabia Conference And Its Role In The Professional Development Of Teachers At Institutions Of Higher Education In The United Arab Emirates., Jonathan Aubrey, Christine Coombe

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

There are many reasons to pursue professional development, but perhaps one of the most important may be to narrow the wide chasm left behind by many teacher education programs. Freeman (1989) and Holliday (1994) have pointed out many of the difficulties associated with the transfer of knowledge into classroom practices, while others have directed attention to the vast kaleidoscope of cultural diversity involved in ELT (see Larsen-Freeman, 1983; Colabucci, 2007; Govardhan, Nayar and Sheorey, 1999). Consider, for a moment, what happens to a cohort of MA TESOL students upon completion of their teacher education programs. They scatter off to various …


Towards Improving The Status Of Higher Education In Nigeria, Adesoji Oni, Alade Abiodun Jul 2010

Towards Improving The Status Of Higher Education In Nigeria, Adesoji Oni, Alade Abiodun

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

It is rewarding to begin this discussion by first of all reflecting on the concept of education. The term education is quite elusive and very difficult to pin down to a single definition. This is because numerous authorities in different fields define and describe education as it appeals to them and their background. In any case, education is what help us to acquire suitable appreciation of our cultural heritage and to live a fully more satisfying life. This includes the acquisition of desirable knowledge, skills, habits, values for productive living in the society. It equips the members of any human …


Differing Administrator, Faculty, And Staff Perceptions Of Organizational Culture As Related To External Accreditation, Claire Procopio Apr 2010

Differing Administrator, Faculty, And Staff Perceptions Of Organizational Culture As Related To External Accreditation, Claire Procopio

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

There is an inherent tension in the U.S. system of accreditation. Historically, the system has been one of self-regulation (Brittingham, 2009). As access to higher education has grown, however, and the concomitant flow of federal money to colleges and universities has increased, the federal government and the taxpayers it represents have called for more and more external reporting of measures of college quality. Critics of the current system would like more external oversight to create what they have termed variously a “culture of quality” or a “culture of evidence” (Bardo, 2009; Crow, 2009; Kelderman, 2009; Understanding, 2001). The most dissatisfied …


Seeking Ncate Accreditation: Leadership Perspectives And Tips, Michael Ledoux Apr 2010

Seeking Ncate Accreditation: Leadership Perspectives And Tips, Michael Ledoux

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) signifies that a variety of licensure programs demonstrate a high level of quality in programs, candidates, faculty and operations. NCATE accreditation depends in part upon national recognition of individual licensure programs by Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs), and on program approval by state departments of education. In order to demonstrate that programs meet benchmarks of NCATE Professional Standard 1 Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions, the unit must provide evidence of candidate proficiencies based on assessments, rubrics and candidate data that are aligned with professional standards (Retrieved October 22, 2009 from …


A Measure Of Students’ Connectedness In Tertiary Institutions In Anambra State Of Nigeria, Ada Omenyi, Ngozi Agu, Christi Odimegwu Jan 2010

A Measure Of Students’ Connectedness In Tertiary Institutions In Anambra State Of Nigeria, Ada Omenyi, Ngozi Agu, Christi Odimegwu

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The Nigerian higher education has been accused of performing below expectation when judged from both internal and global benchmarks of quality of output, peaceful co-existence on campus, fair conduct of examination, amongst others. The nature of higher education is such that its students are seen by members of campus community as adults who have attained the age of taking full responsibility of their behaviours and students on their part see themselves as those set free from the encumbrances of family control and influences. Indeed the campus environment is one perceived as “everyman to himself”. Students’ relationship with teachers, fellow students, …


Higher Education Consortium Leads To College Students Taking A Fresh Look At Continuing Challenges For Their Region, Joseph Fink Iii Jan 2010

Higher Education Consortium Leads To College Students Taking A Fresh Look At Continuing Challenges For Their Region, Joseph Fink Iii

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Institutions of higher education have long had teaching, research and service as their primary missions. Emphasis among those three areas of activity can vary substantially from one institution to another. For example, a land grant university may have a greater emphasis on service or outreach to the communities it serves than would, say, a traditional liberal arts college. Society appears to have an increased expectation that the research conducted at research universities will lead to economic development opportunities (Yusuf & Fink, 2007). Fortunately, each type of institution has much to offer society at large and the communities or regions where …


Working Together To Ease The Pressure To Publish In Higher Education, Barbara Burns Jan 2010

Working Together To Ease The Pressure To Publish In Higher Education, Barbara Burns

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Academics are under a great deal of pressure to publish. Decisions on crucial issues of hiring, tenure and promotion are largely determined by publication rates (Boice & Jones, 1984) and faculty scholarly performance has traditionally been assessed by “straight counts” of publications (Braxton & Del Favero, 2002). These publication rates are used by institutions as an indicator of the institution’s performance and are important criteria in securing external funding from government and other sources (McGrail, Rickard & Jones, 2006). Failure to publish within the expected norms established by a college or university can result in a faculty member’s termination.


Coaching Educational Leaders, Jothany Blackwood Oct 2009

Coaching Educational Leaders, Jothany Blackwood

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

As institutions of higher learning respond to the rapidly changing demographics of its administrators, they must continuously find processes that improve the performance and effectiveness of these individuals. They must also begin to understand how the integration of coaching and/or mentoring shapes educational leaders and their institutions. From developing administrator’s potential to work well with others and strengthen communication, coaching also access to mobility, career advancements, promotions and pay increases. Of interest is the presence of female administrators in the California community colleges and the role that coaching plays in their ability to be effective educational leaders.


Quality Assurance In Education Through Quality Circles – Global And Indian Context, Uma Devi, R.S. Mani Oct 2009

Quality Assurance In Education Through Quality Circles – Global And Indian Context, Uma Devi, R.S. Mani

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Since Independence, the education, particularly the higher education in India has undergone a unique transformation from elitist to egalitarian group. There has been the expansion of higher education facilities in India since independence. We can see the expansion of higher education with increasing speed day by day in the context of globalization, liberalization and privatization. But a big question in front of us is whether the quality is ensured or not. It is saddening to note that 128 universities who got themselves accredited by the NAAC only 32 per cent could get ‘A’ or above level of rating while another …


Rotating-Term Associate Deans: Pathway To Higher Education Administration, Eugenia Gerdes, Christopher Zappe Oct 2009

Rotating-Term Associate Deans: Pathway To Higher Education Administration, Eugenia Gerdes, Christopher Zappe

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In a recent article in this journal, Betts, Urias, Chavez, and Betts (2009) argue that higher education faces a leadership shortage—due both to expected turnover in senior administrative positions and to lack of clear pathways into administration. As we have discussed elsewhere (Zappe & Gerdes, 2008), administration is not typically a long-term goal for those whose careers begin with faculty appointments. For the few who switch pathways to become academic administrators, an associate dean position often is the point of transition. Below, we describe the advantages of rotating associate dean positions, in which faculty members from the same institution leave …


Implications And Challenges Of Nigerian Universities As Learning Organizations, E.D. Nakpodia Jul 2009

Implications And Challenges Of Nigerian Universities As Learning Organizations, E.D. Nakpodia

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

University education as a learning organization started in Europe in the eleventh century, and one of the first universities in Africa was the one in Timbuktu. Fafunwa (1971) has indicated that the 1945 reports of the Commission on Higher Education in the colonies have shown that since the world wars, Nigerians have always demonstrated an insuppressible desire for higher education because it was seen as an important weapon against the colonial masters in the quest for emancipation and national development. As early as 1944 therefore, there were already about 10 Nigerians who were studying in Sierra Leone at the Fourah …


Perceptual Chasm Between Industry And Academic Leaders On The Quality Of Higher Education, S. Rajasingh, B. Rajasekaran Apr 2009

Perceptual Chasm Between Industry And Academic Leaders On The Quality Of Higher Education, S. Rajasingh, B. Rajasekaran

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In the context of the Information Technology Revolution, Communication Explosion, the Knowledge Economy and Globalization, India’s production of Professionals is phenomenal. With over 300 Universities and 15,600 Colleges spewing out 2.5 million graduates each year, in terms of the volume of production India trails behind only the US and recently China. Each year India produces 350,000 Engineers, twice the number produced by the US. A recent evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes all over the world, conducted by a Shanghai university, has not a single Indian University in the world’s top 300 – China has six.


Higher Education And Shifting U.S. Demographics: Need For Visible Administrative Career Paths, Professional Development, Succession Planning & Commitment To Diversity, Kristen Betts, David Urias, Keith Betts Apr 2009

Higher Education And Shifting U.S. Demographics: Need For Visible Administrative Career Paths, Professional Development, Succession Planning & Commitment To Diversity, Kristen Betts, David Urias, Keith Betts

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Higher education provides extensive opportunities for individuals seeking careers, career transition, and career advancement. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects there are an estimated 6,000 jobs in higher education administration that will need to be filled annually through 2014 (Leubsdorf, 2006). Alice Miller, a consultant with the executive-search firm Witt/Kieffer, “predicts there will be at least a 50-percent turnover among senior administrators (higher education) in the next five to 10 years” (Leubsdorf, 2006, p. A51). Additionally, national research by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACE) (2001) and Fain (2008) reveals that 79% of current community college presidents will …


Developing And Leading The Quality Enhancement Planning Committee, L. Waller, Cristal Joslin, Calvin Green Jan 2009

Developing And Leading The Quality Enhancement Planning Committee, L. Waller, Cristal Joslin, Calvin Green

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Quality enhancement in higher education is rapidly emerging as a major national and international issue. Rahman (2005) identifies an international movement to promote quality enhancement through “accreditation councils, degree program standardization, quality enhancement cells, quality faculty, and curriculum review.” According to Rahman, the movement is intended to develop “a vision for the higher education system with quality, equity, and efficiency.” Rahman also points out that the United States faces the need to evaluate the validity and quality of accreditation processes in light of the increase in dot-com universities and diploma mills. El-Khawas (1998) indicates that world-wide attention has shifted to …


The Corporatization Of American Education: Analyzing The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Productivity Among University Professors, Benjamin Marte Oct 2008

The Corporatization Of American Education: Analyzing The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Productivity Among University Professors, Benjamin Marte

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The relationship between job satisfaction and productivity is one that has been examined at great length over the years. Consider Locke’s claim that as of 1976, approximately 3,350 articles on this topic were in circulation (Okpara 2004). In 1992 Cranny et al. reported the existence of at least 5,000 of such manuscripts (Okpara 2004). Numerous studies have been conducted in this field of inquiry, and this paper endeavors to build upon that collective effort. Here, the focus is on the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity among the professors of a major research university in south Florida; while its scope …


New Perspectives On Academic Leadership Moving The Research Agenda, Sabine Hotho, Jim Mcgoldrick, Alastair Work Jul 2008

New Perspectives On Academic Leadership Moving The Research Agenda, Sabine Hotho, Jim Mcgoldrick, Alastair Work

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1. to expand the theory base underpinning academic leadership and HRD; 2. to expand theoretical frameworks to challenge prevailing myths about the ‘unwilling academic manager’; 3. to open up new research avenues and questions which have a better chance of constructively supporting HRD practice in HE.


Leading In The Mathematics Classroom, Jon Warwick Apr 2008

Leading In The Mathematics Classroom, Jon Warwick

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Within the United Kingdom (UK) higher education sector there has been a considerable amount of debate in recent years about the level of quantitative and literacy skills exhibited by students on entry to university courses. Indeed the UK government commissioned two major reports on the development of skills at school level in the post-14 age range focussing specifically on the development of quantitative skills (Roberts 2002; Smith 2004) since there has been a sustained year-on-year fall in the numbers of students opting to study mathematics, science, and engineering subjects at degree level. Coupled with this reluctance of students to specialise …


Preparing Faculty And Staff For Change, Susan Madsen Jan 2008

Preparing Faculty And Staff For Change, Susan Madsen

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Pursuing excellence in higher education requires constant and continuous change. In fact, throughout the past few decades the need for the effective change in higher education has not only increased but become more complex. New challenges have surfaced in today’s educational, economic, and political environments making it more difficult to strive for and obtain this true excellence. In his book Pursuing Excellence in Higher Education, Brent D. Ruben (2004) presents the eight fundamental challenges in higher education today: 1) broadening public appreciation for the work of the academy; 2) better understanding and addressing the needs of workplaces; 3) becoming more …


Instructional Costs And Tuition Revenues, David Yamoah Oct 2007

Instructional Costs And Tuition Revenues, David Yamoah

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

A variety of tax reform initiatives have impacted on the ability of New Jersey and some states in the United States to fund public higher education. Public Higher Education faces competition for limited state resources from a variety of state mandatory spending measures including health, criminal justice and elementary and secondary education. In addition, concern about the cost of higher education has resulted in demand for accountability in the use of public funds, which has lead to the need to establish relationship between funding and cost of providing higher education.


The Creation Of A Center For Technology In Education, Jody Britten Jul 2007

The Creation Of A Center For Technology In Education, Jody Britten

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Institutions of higher education (IHE) have long been invested in the creation of centers for further study, application, evaluation, and research. Larwood and Gattiker (1999) argue that centers must be committed to making an impact on everyday public practice. Furthermore, these authors support that there are clear benefits to centers when there is a purpose that exceeds thinking and data collection and concentrates clearly on influencing practice for goal attainment.


Applying Leadership Criterion Of The European Excellence Model For Achieving Quality Management In Higher Education Institutions, Stephen Anyamele Jul 2007

Applying Leadership Criterion Of The European Excellence Model For Achieving Quality Management In Higher Education Institutions, Stephen Anyamele

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

For institutions of higher education to be successful in the future, there is the need to deliver excellence in all its operations. This means that there is a real need to develop more effective and efficient institutional management practices (Steed et al., 2005). In order to reach this goal, many institutions are turning to total quality management models such as the European Foundation for Quality management (EFQM) Excellence Model as an effective and practical tool to support improvement opportunities within higher education establishments. In an introductory text reproduced from the EFQM Excellence Model Higher Education Version (2003), the EFQM Excellence …