The mission of the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) is to ensure that all higher education students are exposed to cutting edge research in their classrooms, and that students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are actively engaged in relevant and authentic research in their chosen discipline. To this end, NAIRTL has initiated a wide range of events and activities aimed at enhancing student learning and that support stronger links between research and teaching. This report focuses on the impact of just one of these creative interventions, namely the NAIRTL grants initiative. The objective of the grants initiative is to provide financial support to research proposals that endeavour to enhance student learning through developing innovative and creative approaches to teaching and assessment. More than forty per cent of the National Academy's total budget to date has been invested in the grants initiative, funding 161 projects that involve 420 researchers in seventeen higher education institutions in Ireland. This report focuses on the impact of the projects that were funded in the period 2007-2010. The report is divided into three parts. The first part provides a brief introduction to the National Academy, giving an overview of a selection of its main initiatives i.e. the awards programme for excellence in teaching, professional development activities in academic practice, and development of publications and resources. Part two of this report presents the findings of an evaluation of the impact of the grants initiative. Part three of this report presents fifteen case studies of projects that were funded through the NAIRTL grants initiative. Appended are: (1) NAIRTL Publications; (2) Table of Outputs; and (3) List of Projects Funded 2007-2011. (Contains 23 footnotes.).

Commentary on the preamble to the recommendation

Qualifications are a key element of higher education policies in general and of the Bologna Process in particular. Much work has been accomplished in this area over the past few years, and a proper understanding of qualifications is essential to making the European Higher Education Area a reality. This book provides a systematic overview of the concept of qualifications, discusses its main elements, such as Ievel, workload, quality, profile and learning outcomes, examines generic and subject-specific competences. The author also considers the development of qualifications frameworks and explores the impact of our understanding of the concept of qualifications on recognition.Sjur Bergan is Head of the Department of Higher Education and History Teaching of the Council of Europe, a member of the Bologna Follow-Up Group and one of the authors of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Recognition Convention. He has played an active role in the development of the overarching qualifications framework of the European Higher Education Area.

The Bologna Process is a non-binding inter-governmental initiative to develop a European Higher Education Area (EHEA), by 2010, which would enable higher education qualifications to be comparable, whilst maintaining national autonomy and flexibility. This inquiry has been undertaken to make a contribution to the London Ministerial Summit on 17-18 May 2007. There are five main conclusions: 1) there is overwhelming support for the UK to play a leading role; 2) there is a desire to maintain the distinction between the voluntary, bottom-up process, which is focussed on academic cooperation, and the European Community; 3) there are anxieties about a rigid commitment to a three cycle (bachelors, masters, doctoral) course structure, especially in relation to self-standing integrated Masters courses; 4) there are doubts that the full that the full significance of the coming into existence of the EHEA has been fully recognised; 5) the government has not been sufficiently pro-active in disseminating information and identifying and possibly resolving potential difficulties.

Regionalization of higher education in Africa is the least researched topic in the field of Social Science. IN this regard, this book is a pioneer in terms of exploring both the historical and theoretical dynamics of regionalization processes within Africa. THe interplay manifested within the book between Political Science theories and higher education concepts makes the whole analysis strong and solid. THe book raises fundamental questions that focus on context and formation, operationalization and implications, and challenges and prospects of regionalization processes in Africa. IN doing so, it gives both, the analytical contexts of the evolution of higher education regionalization in Africa and the current initiatives by the African Union as a whole.

Although initially utilized in business and industrial environments, quality management systems can be adapted into higher education to assess and improve an institution’s standards. These strategies are now playing a vital role in educational areas such as teaching, learning, and institutional-level practices. However, quality management tools and models must be adapted to fit with the culture of higher education. Quality Management Implementation in Higher Education: Practices, Models, and Case Studies is a pivotal reference source that explores the challenges and solutions of designing quality management models in the current educational culture. Featuring research on topics such as Lean Six Sigma, distance education, and student supervision, this book is ideally designed for school board members, administrators, deans, policymakers, stakeholders, professors, graduate students, education professionals, and researchers seeking current research on the applications and success factors of quality management systems in various facets of higher education.