Comparing universities on an individual basis is quite a daunting task but there is actually an established academic field of study which examines educational policy and standards in many countries and is known as Comparative Education.
This field of study is unknown to most but is gaining recognition as prestigious universities such as Stanford, Columbia and Oxford have introduced these programmes.
However, another source of recognition are some large scale projects as PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS who strive to assess the extent to which students are capable of full participation in society.
The programme for international student assessment (PISA) is project of the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) which examines the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in three domains including scientific literacy, mathematics and reading .
It aspires to answer abstract questions including :
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), on the other hand provides reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students compared to students of other countries. It is carried out every four years at the fourth and eighth grades covering more than 60 countries of the world.
Such programmes bring out the actual reality of educational standards and their glory and plight as comparisons are made irrespective of financial resources and teaching methodology.
They can prove to be highly beneficial for our nation and its education policy makers as we can simply adopt the methods of the countries whose performance is exemplary and ensure that we maintain or embrace the necessary measures.
This field of study is unknown to most but is gaining recognition as prestigious universities such as Stanford, Columbia and Oxford have introduced these programmes.
However, another source of recognition are some large scale projects as PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS who strive to assess the extent to which students are capable of full participation in society.
The programme for international student assessment (PISA) is project of the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD) which examines the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in three domains including scientific literacy, mathematics and reading .
It aspires to answer abstract questions including :
- Are young adults prepared to meet the challenges of the future?
- Are they able to analyse, reason and communicate their ideas effectively?
- Do they have the capacity to continue learning throughout life?
- Are some kinds of teaching and school organization more effective than others?
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), on the other hand provides reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students compared to students of other countries. It is carried out every four years at the fourth and eighth grades covering more than 60 countries of the world.
Such programmes bring out the actual reality of educational standards and their glory and plight as comparisons are made irrespective of financial resources and teaching methodology.
They can prove to be highly beneficial for our nation and its education policy makers as we can simply adopt the methods of the countries whose performance is exemplary and ensure that we maintain or embrace the necessary measures.
4 comments:
I partially agree, the standards of universities are somewhat reflected in the number of retakes that are allowed. After all retaking numerable times taints the credibility of unis. Though does this mean the universities in the US and Canada reflect the highest quality?
The standards may be reflected by the products it supplies to society, job market and knowledge bank. The evaluation shall not be entirely based on routine exams, therefore no of retakes become irrelevent.
I am still in the process of finding ot if that is the case i.e if American and canadian Universities reflect the best quality however as far as the LEAGUE TABLES are concerned, the US tops most rankings with a major differrence.
Now we can always suspect the credibilty of league tables, nevertheless we must keep in mind that these are some of the most renowned measures of Universities achievements.
The stance that no. of re takes is irrelevant , I think is a little bit too extreme .... the second chance always helps ... but unlimited number of attempts blemishes the plaudits!
Post a Comment