Higher Education

 

Higher Education

Apotex attempted to silence the controversy that it anticipated would be generated when Olivieri’s findings became public knowledge by asking Olivieri to delay publication until there was further research confirmed. She refused; Apotex then threatened to sue Olivieri for breach of her research contract; the clinical trial agreement she had signed concerning the Deferiprone study ostensibly gave Apotex the right to block publication of study results and data (Thomson, 2002: 34). In the course of the now bitter dispute, Olivieri approached her affiliated medical research faculty at the nearby University of Toronto, where in an effort to secure advantage over the Hospital for Sick Children against Apotex, Olivieri sought to have the University of Toronto to end its clinical training / scientific research relationship with the Hospital.

Had the University acceded to the Olivieri request, such termination would have potentially compromised the careers of numerous physicians in training and graduate students who depended on their placement at the Hospital or upon the research opportunities for their own career advancement. This is a classic example of how inevitably research objectives will have to bring into harmony with organizations that provide funding for conducting research. Here is an example of research gone rogue from the vantage point of the funding organization. What we infer from this example is that globalization although may seem to proliferate greater freedom, in practical terms, it has made the higher education system more subservient to corporate ambitions and regulations.

The ultimate result of the corporate domination (as feared by numerous commentators) of Canadian universities is stated this way: If business dominates the university educational agenda, “the knowledge revolution” will be the acknowledged victor that will influence the future of all such institutions. Instead of pursuing knowledge for its own sake in the traditional construct of higher education in Canada and throughout the world, universities now play a crucial role in the production of new knowledge that nations need. The new parameters that have emerged can be explained with reference to the ‘old’ view of the pursuit of knowledge against its modern globalized counterpart.

In 1950, American liberalism icon Adlai Stevenson expressed the matter this way: “If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain” (Johnson, 2006: 267). On the other hand, the globalized era attitude is summarized differently by Schmidt (2009), as cited in Thornton (2009:5)

It is this contemporary appreciation of knowledge as power, and the logical and highly desired commodification of knowledge and knowledge transfer that raises this troubling converse question – “…what space is there within the new paradigm (of the Canadian university structure) for the pursuit of feminist, critical and theoretical knowledge that lacks market value?”

When the time line from 1970 to 2011 is carefully examined in the present context, three themes have emerged as critical of the way in which the neoliberal and performativity imperatives have started to dominate the area of Higher Education in Canada:

First, is the growing importance of research to the reputation of institutions for higher education. Second, this focus on research can negatively affect students especially undergraduate students. Third, the demand for practical results limits the directions that academics can explore.

Research is perceived within the university communities more far more important to their future existence and credibility than teaching, especially the teaching required to advance the interests of the undergraduate student cohort – “…reflective enquiry is badly undervalued at Canadian universities…” (Pilkington and Tupper, 6; Thornton, 7);

It is impossible to distill the divergent viewpoints that are extracted from the sources cited in this Review into a single coherent message. However, the scholarship does lend itself to a reasonable set of conclusions as supported on the available evidence. It is clear that the contemporary Canadian university environment is influenced by and sensitive to the forces of globalization that have wrought such profound changes in global higher education. Governments are disinclined to contribute greater revenues to the institutions; the institutions are not fully accountable to the public that funds them; it is unclear that universities have accepted a mandate to educate their undergraduate cohort, yet in the pursuit of revenue sources Canadian universities are increasingly inclined to function as the adjunct of the capitalist business community. Globalization has embedded itself in higher education; but the power of ideas as product, and the inability of mere national borders to stop them, is as evident in Canada as it appears to be internationally. The demographics of students enrolling at university every year may become more vibrant as more and more developing countries participate in the pursuit of quality higher education, the hard fact remains that the student experience in terms of his/her freedom to choose exactly what to pursue as education continue to be increasingly restricted.

What has transformed the face of Canadian universities are these forces of the globalized economy, performativity and standardization, that show no signs of retreat or diminution in a neoliberal model. The relative rank of the university on a global measure and the ability of the institutions to mesh with globalized standards are now the most important yardsticks against which success is determined. Knowledge is no longer a component of learning, so much as it is the currency in which the institutions can trade, as the inducement to attract the ‘best and the brightest’, globally.
3.4 The Experiences of Higher Education Students in Canada

Guo and Chase (2011) explain that there are actually important roles played by international students within the Canadian universities; these roles relate to producing and disseminating knowledge. This study reports that the international student participants, who come from 36 countries and 54 academic disciplines, report positive learning experiences within the Canadian higher education system. The authors state that higher education students “learned from each other about the history, geography, culture, education and economic systems of the country they represented, as well as social issues such as war, poverty, illiteracy and HIV/AIDS pandemic… More importantly, students educated each other about global issues and global responsibilities in moving towards the goal of global citizenship.” (p. 314).

Freedom of speech as an important subset of the general intellectual freedoms that are generally recognized as an integral part of the campus life of the institutions has also been critically evaluated, particularly in the wake of local university conflicts that have arisen concerning wider global political issues such as the Arab / Israel question (Thomson, 2011; 12). This is certainly seen as a positive development in that it promotes the transfusion of different cultures and ethnicities. From a student experience point of view, it encourages religious, ethnic, and cultural toleration among peers and lecturers alike.

The experience of the international student in Canada has not been given a great deal of attention by researchers. Grayson (2008) compared the academic experience of international students in Canada with that of domestic students, found that international students committed more time to studying, and made more trips to the library than domestic students do. On the other hand, domestic students were found to attend classes more often than international students. Among the conclusions made by this study was the fact that “international students have less social, and particularly academic, support than their domestic peers” (p. 228).

Gou and Chase (2011) suggests that programs geared towards assisting international students with their integration into a Canadian learning community by creating a “transnational learning space where international students developed a sense of belonging, increased cross-cultural understanding and raised awareness about global issues” (p.305) can be very useful to international students, given that such programs can provide the appropriate level of support for international students.

“Internationalization has been viewed by many as a positive educational strategy for promoting global citizenship. In its current approach to internationalizing Canadian

higher education, however, several problems persist. One pertains to the neoliberal approach driven by economic motives that treat internationalization and global citizenship as business opportunities and marketing strategies. Second, in internationalizing the curriculum, the current practice privileges an add-on approach with a focus on the undergraduate curriculum and ignores the needs of graduate students, particularly those of international background. Third, despite the claim that internationalization is now an integral part of institutional strategies at Canadian universities, there has been a gap between the rhetoric and the reality. Although there is an interest in bringing in international students to internationalize Canadian campuses, in reality there has been a lack of support to help international students successfully integrate into Canadian academic environments” (p. 315-316). What does this mean for Canadian higher education?

3.5 Conclusion

“Higher education is valued international commodity and the idea that the higher education is  a commercial product, to be bought and sold like bananas or airplanes, has reached the global market” (Foskett, Maringe, and Foskett, 2010, p. 246. This paper has set out the view of neo-liberal and globalized world views, and the effects this has on higher education in Canada.  The influences of a market economy and international relationship have changed higher education all over the world, and Canada has seen the effects for researchers, for teachers and for students – in Canada and internationally.

In the future universities and colleges will … (I just started off for a conclusion – what do you think?)

Higher Education (new work)

Neoliberalism has been an effect of globalization. Hence, entities around the world including institutions and government agencies have been forced to adopt an approach, which place them in better positions of competing with institutions in their localities or nationalities as well as other entities or an international level. Despite the definition of globalization lacking in clarity , it can be summed as the transformation of entities and nations form localized perspectives to global perspectives which have a better hold of communicating and interacting with others on a global ;level for business, pleasure and education (Zheng, 2010).

Globalization has had diverse effects on all aspects of conduct of business. No segment has remained untouched by globalization. Neoliberalism hence can be described as the mere adaptation of institutions and other entities to meet globalization trends and needs, which have become a necessity in the modern world. Liberalism gives public entities the option of exploring their full potentials. Institutions in Canada have not been left behind in the quest for liberalism to exist without form authorities in order to seek limits of their potentials. The presence of numerous individuals from various countries around the globe is a sure sign that globalization is inevitable to any institution which seeks to stay relevant in the modern world. Different individuals from institutions have various abilities bringing in with them various talents and knowledge, which is important for the economic growth of a country (Zheng, 2010).

Student mobility has been a driving force in the quest for neoliberalism in public universities. Students are able to move from one institution to another to increase their levels of education as it has become easy to move from one universities in a distant land to another provided one has met the required education threshold. Large numbers of international students cross borders of Canada in pursuit of high quality education offered by Canadian universities. Canada has great institution with high standards of learning, hence this universities act out of independent choice in choosing those students who meet the required educational qualifications.

Neoliberalism has positive effects on foreign students as well as native students because of the cultural exposure that is accrued from co-existence between people from various ethnicities and cultures who possess different values and ideals. Students are able to learn new ways of doing things from such co-existence between themselves despite the presence of differences attributed to race or cultural ideals. In a globalized market, economies need competent individuals with adequate social skills to compete in employment scenes, which are already flooded with people with ample skills. It is a necessity for individuals to seek employment in a world, which has become a global village. In Canada, more students are flowing into institutions in pursuit of education and successful careers (Zajda, J2005).

However, some attribute the presence of ‘brain drain’ in other countries from where students come from due to the presence of neoliberal approach, which is an effect of globalization. The options availed to international students to join institutions in Canada has led to mass migration of intelligent individual in search of both education and opportunities provided by Canadian institutions as well as the Canadian economy. Neoliberal approach in universities has enabled foreign students to access opportunities in life, which they regarded as mere dreams. Despite claims of ‘brain drain’, the individuals who find the opportunity to study in these institutions in some instances are able to take back the knowledge acquired from institutions in Canada. Such knowledge is used for developmental purposes such new approaches to managing resources in their individual countries, or strategies for establishing new companies which eventually provide employment to their fellow countrymen and women (Kennelly, 2011).

Neoliberalism has also led to an increased sense of value in Canadian institutions because people associate these institutions with success both from an educational perspective and from a career perspective. The drive behind the large numbers of individuals especially foreign students choosing Canadian universities is the opportunities that studying in these institutions provides to people. Studying under institutions, which have adopted a neoliberal approach, has become part of a necessity in these institutions. Some students who are not natives of the English language find it difficult conversing in English. This proves to be a challenge to these individuals. Language is a basic skill as it influences the mode of study and relations of foreign students and native students with each other. The lack of a language for proper communication is sufficient in creating alienation between student and teachers as well  students also find it difficult to communicate and relate with their peers as language acts as barrier  to effective communication. Communication is basic in all aspects of life whether business, commerce or pleasure. Universities should provide an avenue for learning communication skills for students from all nationalities, which accept study places. Communication is usually in form of language; new languages, which are usually used in Canada such as, french which is a common language in Canada should be enhanced. In addition, due to the presence of limited resources and time universities could adopt an approach, which requires proficiency in the languages of instruction in the lecture rooms in Canadian universities.

Neoliberalism has however led to negative effects on these students in the universities. It has become a competitive affair to gain entry into Canadian universities, as there is competition between the foreign students who are willing to part with large amounts of money and the natives who are in need of education at considerable costs. Hence, education has become more of a business than an activity if imparting knowledge to the knowledge hungry students (Kapoor, & Jordan, 2009).

Exposure of students to foreign land creates a sense of patriotism for their motherland, as they are willing to share experiences, cultural ways of doing things, and more so ideas, which might be new to the country of study. This is usually different from students who are natives of the same country because they feel comfortable. However, for the foreign students the distance from their native homeland creates a sense of separation or feeling of homesickness due to the separation from longtime friends and family (Gannan, 2006).

In conclusion, unquestioned economic rationalization is one of the solid reasons for the movement of people from their native countries to other ‘greener pastures’ in search of academic degrees. Moreover, such degrees have the promise of providing these individuals with good grades due to the perceptions of high quality education (Boudreau, Keil & Young, 2009). Neoliberalism has reduced individuals in search of education in education to beings in pursuit of only economic benefits accrued from knowledge. it has created social classes and statuses which are merely defined by ones attendance to a higher institutions. Thus, it has acted as a reductionism approach, which reduces the efforts of individual as merely in pursuit of individual freedom. Neoliberalism however has been a force of integration between people of different nationalities hence the actual integration of countries (Choudry, 2011).

Reference

Choudry, C.C., Seiler, G. & Bhardwaj, P. (2011). Neoliberalism and education: A case study on Quebec. McGill University.

Boudreau, J.-A., Keil, R., & Young, D. (2009). Changing Toronto: Governing urban neoliberalism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Gannan, A. B. (2006). The discourse of neoliberalism in policy documents of British Columbia’s Year 2000 education reform. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.

Kapoor, D., & Jordan, S. (2009). Education, participatory action research and social change: International perspectives. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kennelly, J. (2011). Citizen youth: Culture, activism, and agency in a neoliberal era. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Zajda, J. I. (2005). International handbook on globalization, education and policy research: Global pedagogies and policies. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer.

Zheng, J. (2010). Neoliberal Globalization, Higher Education Policies and International Student Flow: An Exploratory Case Study of Chinese Graduate Student Flows To Canada. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, Vol 2 (1)

 

Last Completed Projects

Are you looking for a similar paper or any other quality academic essay? Then look no further. Our research paper writing service is what you require. Our team of experienced writers is on standby to deliver to you an original paper as per your specified instructions with zero plagiarism guaranteed. This is the perfect way you can prepare your own unique academic paper and score the grades you deserve.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]