The aim of this study was to determine the views of the Transkei College of Education (TCE) lecturers concerning the principles that should guide a quality assurance (QA) policy of the academic programme of the institution. To address this, five sub-questions were raised, dealing with respondents' perceptions on: generic or specific skills; involvement in drafting teacher education outcomes; the criteria for outcomes' assessment; programme monitoring and the handling of the results of the monitoring process. This case study, was conducted at TCE, in Umtata. Data were gathered by using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to all college lecturers, resulting in a (64%) return rate. Participating lecturers' responses revealed that they preferred that the teacher education programme contained both generic and specific skills/outcomes; that such outcomes be developed by stakeholders, the most important of which should be mastery of subject matter to be taught. The respondents' regarded the establishment of a committee to oversee the self-evaluation process as the most important criteria to be used in the process of self evaluation, while senior members of staff take on the responsibility of monitoring self-evaluation processes. The respondents felt that the results of self-evaluation should be used to improve and develop the programme. Overall, the respondents exhibited a good understanding of the principles that should guide the development of both the college's educational outcomes and a QA system for the college. The respondents also showed alacrity of thought regarding the important elements in the development of criteria and outcomes for the programme offered at the college, as well as for the assessment and monitoring of the programme to ensure quality. The study therefore, recommends that practical steps be put in place for the review of the educational outcomes of the college - which of necessity will entail maximum stakeholder participation - both from within the college and outside. Furthermore, it is also evident from the results of this study that the college is ready for a quality assurance system for its academic programme. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

Change is the single most important element of successful business management today. To remain competitive in increasingly aggressive, competitive and dynamic markets, organizations have to adopt a positive attitude to change. Ignoring or trivializing changing trends can be very costly. The best organizations are the trendsetters that monitor the environment, embrace the need for change and effectively lead change in order to survive. Effective management of change is, therefore, of great importance if organizations are to stay ahead of rivals and attain a sustainable competitive edge in the industry (Heller, 1998). The main focus of this dissertation is to evaluate the management of transformational change at the National University of Lesotho (NUL), with the intention of formulating management of change strategies that NUL can adopt for the successful implementation of its strategic transformational change process. The text further explicates the correlation between leadership, change and the management of change within the context of NUL's ongoing transformational change process. A case study approach has been used to conduct the research. The report has been divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides the background to the study as well as the research methodology that has been employed to conduct the study. It further provides a brief outline of the structure of the dissertation. Chapter Two describes the theoretical framework of the change process, management of change and implications of different leadership traits on the management of transformation change in transforming organizations. The theoretical framework forms the foundation on which the study has been based and also provides guidelines and benchmarks of the management of change strategies that NUL can use for the successful implementation of its strategic transformational change process. At the end of Chapter Two, a case analysis model has been developed to conduct the case analysis in Chapter Four. In Chapter Three, a brief overview of an evolutionary background to the study problem is provided. The chapter also provides a critical analysis NUL's strategic transformational change process. Chapter Four offers an evaluation of NUL's strategic transformational change process. The discussion is based on the case study change model developed at the end of Chapter Two. It also highlights on the strengths and weakness of the NUL's change process. Lastly, in Chapter Five, recommendations emanating from the analysis conducted in Chapter Four, are outlined as suggestions what NUL can do and things that it should avoid doing if it is to achieve the objectives and goals of its transformational change successfully. Moreover, the chapter concludes the dissertation by providing a summary of the entire case study and maps the way forward for NUL to meet its strategic objectives and goals, as well as achieve a successful transformational change process with long-term strategic development. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of academic middle managers (AMMs) in the planning and implementation of curriculum change in private higher education institutions in Botswana. This study employed a mixed methods research approach which utilised a structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide to gather data on AMMs‟ role in the planning and implementation of curriculum change in PHEIs in Botswana. SPSS version 21 was used for analysing quantitative data while thematic analysis was used for analysing qualitative data on the role of AMMs in the planning and implementation of curriculum change in PHEIs. The study showed that the role of AMMs in the planning and implementation of curriculum change in PHEIs was too complex and demanding because they spent most of their time on daily administrative routines instead of on core academic activities such as planning and implementing curriculum change in their departments. The AMMs in the PHEIs under study operated more like managers in academic departments than academics in management. As a result the study showed that AMMs faced more challenges than opportunities in their planning and implementation of curriculum change in PHEIs. The major challenges AMMs faced in the planning and implementation of curriculum change were a highly controlled and strict work environment, role conflict, lack of autonomy, role strain and heavy workloads which limited the time AMMs spent on the core business of managing curriculum change in their departments. The study also highlighted some of the strategies albeit a few, which, despite the numerous challenges AMMs faced, are used to try and make the planning and implementation of curriculum change by AMMs was to some extent successful. The study provided insight on the influence of AMMs biographical characteristics as well as the influence of AMM job requirements (such as having a detailed job description and having authority over curriculum matters) on how AMMs enacted their role in curriculum change. Based on the results of the study, a model to assist AMMs in the effective planning and implementation of curriculum change was proposed.

Over the last three decades the UK higher education system has operated under an ideological approach sometimes referred to as New Managerialism (Deem, 2004). The psychological contract of the individual actor within this altered environment was the subject of the research in this study. The psychological contract has been defined as an individual’s beliefs regarding the terms and conditions of a reciprocal informal exchange agreement between themselves and their organisations (Rousseau, 1989). The thesis focused on the psychological contracts of higher education lecturers in a post-92 University Business School in the United Kingdom. The study considered the construction of the psychological contract, the appropriateness of the initial contract, perceived influences on the contract, and behavioural consequences of contract breach and/or violation. The research was focussed on the role of the lecturer in interpreting and unpacking his/her perceptions and understandings. The research questions required data that was personal and experiential. Interviews were undertaken which allowed participants to provide life history accounts that described and theorised about their actions in the social world over time. The approach used had a number of limitations which were identified and considered within the thesis. Notwithstanding the limitations of the research approach, the data suggested that each individual had analysed the extent to which a new employment context would deliver transactional, relational, and ideological reward. However, ideology was less relevant in making the decision to accept higher education employment than either transactional or relational elements. Post-entry, sensemaking acted as a confirmation mechanism in respect of the expectations of what the job would entail and the pecuniary and non-pecuniary benefits that would be received. Initial contracts were relatively accurate in their conceptualisation of the work involved in being a higher education academic. Within the Business School examined in this study, management decisions impacted on participants from both an economic and socio-economic perspective. Employees described how individual work contexts were altered by management decisions. Reaction to decisions depended on individual circumstances at any given juncture based on the influences from multiple contexts both internal and external to the workplace. Context was not homogenous and wide-ranging individual differences were apparent. These contexts played a part in defining to what extent changed work environments would be accepted or not. Participants were continuously active and involved in the evaluation of the multiple contexts that were relevant to them. The capacity to manipulate managers and influence decisions to counteract context change was also evident. The ability to thwart changes to work context varied between individuals and over time. This study identified how participants were able to create and shape their own work environment to satisfy their needs and wants during their careers within a structure that remained predominantly organic in nature despite a changing higher education environment. The goal of the employee was to create the idiosyncratic deal, the specific individually tailored work environment that would deliver the satisfaction required from higher education employment. The psychological contracts were self-focussed and self-oriented but this did not necessarily mean that employees were not also actively involved in assisting the organisation to achieve its ambitions. The notion that a managerial agenda had resulted in the erosion of individualism in higher education was not supported. There was evidence that the psychological contract was unilaterally changed and altered by the employee whenever he or she chose, rather than a negotiated change to a binding agreement. Alteration was intrinsically a private determination and often not communicated.

The purpose of this study was to assess Building Communities' goals as these goals relate to Virginia community colleges. Fifty-nine deans and 98 division chair persons were asked whether a goal had been implemented--existing status--and whether a goal should be implemented--preferred status. Fifty-three deans and 84 chair people returned usable questionnaires. Chi Square Tests of Independence (p<.05) were used to compare deans' and chair persons' responses on existing and preferred goal status. Chi Square Goodness of Fit Tests (p<.05) were used to examine the relationship of existing goal status to preferred goal status. Deans and chair people agreed on the existing status of 32 of the 38 goal statements. Deans and chair people share the same beliefs on the existing status of a vast majority of goal statements. However, significant differences were identified between deans and chair people regarding the existing status of (1) outreaching to disadvantaged students, (2)outreaching to different adult populations, (3) renewing faculty, (4) insuring that full-time faculty teach the majority of credit-bearing courses, (5) using computer technology to integrate educational and administrative applications, and (6) placing ill-prepared students in developmental education programs. Deans were more likely than chair people to view the six goals that lacked agreement as having been implemented. Deans and chair people agreed on the preferred status of 36 of the 38 goal statements. Deans and chair people share the same vision as to the preferred status for a majority of goal statements. However, significant differences were identified between deans and chair people regarding the preferred status of (1) setting aside two percent of the instructional budget for professional development and (2) limiting the unrestrained expansion of part-time faculty. Chair people were more likely than deans to support the use of the two goals that lacked agreement. Statistically significant differences were identified between the existing status and preferred status of (1) the student goal area as viewed by deans, (2) the faculty goal area as viewed by chair persons, (3) the instruction goal area as viewed by both deans and chairpersons, and (4) the curriculum goal area as viewed by both deans and chair people. / Ed. D.

This case study analyzed the perceptions of professionalism among an emerging and distinct occupational sector of community college faculty: community college faculty who teach in baccalaureate programs. The research was designed to address three questions as to the experiences of Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) faculty. First, what are the perceptions of professionalism among the community college faculty who teach in the baccalaureate programs at a multi-campus community college in the state of Florida (herein referred to as Seaside College)? Specifically, what patterns emerged when faculty perceptions of professional identity were examined, first, under the lens of professionalism as established by Larson (1977) and, second, through Boyer's (1990) four domains of scholarship? Second, are these faculty perceptions different from their previously held perceptions prior to the college's expansion into baccalaureate instruction? Third, were there any noticeable differences in faculty perceptions about the individual baccalaureate areas across this college? / by Jeffrey Peter Nasse. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Academics in Chinese research universities are confronted by the dilemma of balancing research and teaching in their work. China's pursuit of excellence in higher education through such endeavors as Projects 211 & 985, has led to policies that facilitate the construction of research universities. However, the emphasis on research and quantity has undermined the quality of teaching. It has also drawn academics away from their commitment to teaching. This has become a major issue to be addressed by policy, such as the "Programs of improving teaching quality". / Firstly, characteristics of academics at research universities in China differ from that proposed by Kennedy (1997). The differences are: (1) most academics believe that the duty "to mentor" is accomplished once they accept the appointment of a position for tutoring. (2) Their conception of research is closely related to the quantity of research output, which means that they perceive their duty "to discover" and "to tell the truth" is equivalent to the duty "to publish" and "to get research grants". (3) The definition of "service" is unclear for most of the academics. (4) They are not been "to assist new staff in their teaching role" and "to nurture a new generation of scholars". / Secondly, the conception of "scholarship" and the relationship between teaching and research are changing in Chinese research universities. (1) The academics' views on knowledge include the four types of "scholarship", as proposed by Boyer (1990), these views are hardly sufficient for the construction of "academic communities of practice". (2) Most academics have changed their initial attitude of separating teaching and research in their conception of "academic duties" by accepting the view that teaching and research should be synergized. / The study offers the following recommendations: (1) a free atmosphere with proper competition should be built into the system of academic development of the universities; (2) policy on teaching should focus on improving the level of intrinsic motivation, the assimilation of values, and the satisfaction of three basic needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness; (3) through building a commonly shared value system in the university, institutional regulations and rules can be transformed into a force that supports the building of institutional ethics; and (4) the adoption of a moral rationality which is based on substantive rationality should help academics to confront a distorted realities in the system. / Thirdly, the most powerful force which affects the teachers' opinions and performance towards academic duties is the promotion and evaluation system of the universities. Teachers' opinions are also influenced by age, position, discipline, etc., and their opinions can be grouped into four categories by their understanding and reaction to the evaluation system. / This study focuses on the conceptualization of "academic duties" by university teachers and on the factors that mediate their duty implementation. It explores the academics' experiences at two research universities which have different focuses and developmental goals. Data were collected through interviews with 50 participants in the case universities. In addition, university documents and data collected through observations were also analyzed. The analysis has yielded findings as stated in the following paragraphs. / 徐嵐. / Adviser: Nai Kwai Leslie Lo. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: 1960. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 372-387). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Xu Lan.

This observational study involving intact groups and convenient sampling examined learning communities at four North Texas Community Colleges. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in cathectic learning climate, inimical ambiance, academic rigor, affiliation and structure among students in learning communities and freestanding classes. Learning communities are gaining nationwide popularity as instruments of reform in Higher Education. Recent studies have discussed the benefits of learning communities to student, faculty and institutions. As learning communities are gaining popularity, especially at the community college level, there is a need to determine if the learning communities are significantly different than freestanding classes. The College Classroom Environment Scales, developed by Winston, Vahala, Nichols, Gillis, Wintrow, and Rome (1989), was used as the survey instrument for this study. Using SPSS 10.1, a multivariate analysis of variance, (Hotelling's T2) was performed on five dependent variables: cathectic learning climate (CLC), inimical ambiance (IA), academic rigor (AR), affiliation (AF), and structure (ST), which yielded a significant difference. The independent variable was learning community compared to freestanding classes (group). Follow-up independent t tests were also conducted to evaluate the differences in the means between the two groups and to explore which dependent variables contributed to the multivariate difference, which resulted in significant differences in inimical ambiance, affiliation and structure. The researcher concludes that learning communities make a difference for some learners, but not necessarily all and that more research needs to be conducted to find the answers to the questions concerning the efficacy and sustainability of learning communities in higher education.

Higher education has always occupied an important place in this nation's concerns. This study was undertaken in an attempt to determine how the Founding Fathers, especially the nation's first six presidents, regarded the subject of higher education. The study was limited to these six men because they were charged with inaugurating the new government and because these six men were all participants in the drafting and ratifying of the Constitution. Findings for this study came from the personal and private papers of the first six presidents, government documents, and the press. A comparison of the findings indicates that these men shared many beliefs while disagreeing on some aspects of higher education.

This dissertation adopts a realist meta-perspective on a body of the scholar's own research papers written between 2005 and 2011, all either published or in press and offered for reference in the Appendices. The six papers represent the point of departure for the thesis; they are the phenomenon for further investigation into 'what must be the case' for the research events to have emerged as they did. One aspect of this study, therefore, is an auto ethnographic account of conducting research in the field of Academic Development within varied settings and over a given time frame. But alongside this personal history it narrates cycles in the Academic Development movement in South Africa over 30 years. Margaret Archer's Social Realist principle of analytical dualism (1995) is used to disaggregate the emergent properties within these histories and to enable an analysis of the underlying mechanisms that generated them. It refers to three social domains. Firstly, it describes the material structures - the institutional environments, policies, roles or professional conditions - in which the projects were conceived. Secondly, it identifies the cultural registers that the profession was drawing on - such as theories, beliefs or discourses. Thirdly, it draws attention to the agency of individuals and communities in the field as they independently activated or mediated these various conditioning structures and registers. So the study is a systematic examination of the parts and the people in research stories, of the complex interrelationship of structural and agential elements, and of how together they have generated particular forms of knowing and kinds of knowledge in Academic Development. Drawing from this 'history-within-a-history', the study makes some claims for 'what must be the case' for substantial knowledge to flourish in a newly emergent, hotly contested and relatively unstable field. It argues that Academic Development has few shared epistemological foundations and boundaries, and its roles and functions are shifting and diverse. It describes the tensions in the field between those who have been inclined to understand it as primarily concerned with redress or equity in the postapartheid state, and yet others who have prioritised Academic Development as an efficiency project within higher education. But there is a third discourse emanating from those in the profession who have consistently argued that neither of these approaches can succeed without drawing on stronger theoretical foundations. This study endorses the view that Academic Developers need to identify more coherent ontological and epistemological frames for their research work. This has important implications for building the kind of substantial knowledge base that could be more influential in addressing the troubled terrain of South African higher education. The study refers extensively to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) and to Mervyn Peake's 1946 illustrations of these children's stories, finding in these texts powerful analogies and metaphors for principles in realist philosophy and theory, and for describing a researcher's journey towards a more assured identity in the curious field of Academic Development.