Workshop

Mapping Estonian Universities

Frans Kaiser & Marike Faber, Tartu (Estonia) 21 March 2011

• Rationale for U-Map• The design principles• The six dimension of the university profiles• Activity profiles• U-Map in Estonia

Outline of this presentation

Context

• European (supranational) policies regarding higher education and research- European Research Area (ERA)- Bologna Process- European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

• ‘diversity’ as a major strength

Diversity in Higher Education Systems

• diversity and differentiation• institutional and programme diversity• horizontal and vertical diversity

Advantages of Diversity:

• offers better access for a wider variety of students• provides more social mobility through multiple modes

of entry and forms of transfer• better meets the diverse needs of the labor market• It permits the crucial combination of elite and mass

higher education• increases the effectiveness of higher education

institutions (institutional specialisation)• offers opportunities for experimentation

Diversity in Higher Education Systems

Functions of U-Map

• transparency tool (various stakeholders)• HEI’s: instrument for institutional strategies (mission,

profile)• Students: choices• Business and industry: partnership and relationships• Policy makers: base for governmental policies• Researchs and Analysts: tool for research

• Instrument for better ranking

European Classification: U-Map

• Recently finished; three reports (2005, 2008, 2010); book (2009)

• interactive design process (stakeholders approach)• basic design principles• tests on validity, reliability, feasibility

• see: www.u-map.eu

Design Principles

U-Map is:• based on empirical data• based on a multi-actor and multi-dimensional

perspective• non-hierarchical• relevant for all higher education institutions in

Europe• descriptive, not prescriptive• based on objective, reliable and verifiable data• parsimonious regarding extra data collection

1. Teaching and learning profile2. Student profile3. Research involvement4. Knowledge exchange5. International orientation6. Regional engagement

U-Map dimensions

Teaching and learning profile

Student profile

Research Involvement

Involvement in Knowledge exchange

International orientation

Regional engagement

Degree level focus

Mature students

Peer reviewed academic publications

Start-up firms Foreign degree seeking students

Graduates working in the region

Range of subjects

Part time students

Professional publications

Patent applications filed

Incoming students in exchange programs

New entrants from the region

Orientation of degrees

Distance learning students

Other research output

Cultural activities

Students sent out in exchange programs

Importance of local / regional income sources

% Expenditure on teaching

Size of student body

Doctorate production

Income from knowledge exchange activities

International academic staff

% Expenditure on Research activities

Importance of international income sources

• sets of ‘scores’ on the dimensions and indicators• actual institutional activities, not performance• full or partial institutional profiles• information for external stakeholders• instrument for strategic institutional management• base for benchmarking, for inter-institutional

cooperation, for effective communication and profiling

Institutional Activity Profiles

Institutional Profiles

Institutional Profiles

Questions so far?Questions so far?

U-Map The Lifelong Learning Project

Commission of the ECCommission of the EC

• Have a substantial number of institutions participating in U-Map

•National approach •Estonia•Portugal•The Netherlands•Flanders (Belgium)•...

•Institutional approach

• Disseminate U-Map to a wider audience

• Explore the institutional setting for the future U-Map

• Have a substantial number of institutions participating in U-Map

•National approach •Estonia•Portugal•The Netherlands•Flanders (Belgium)•...

•Institutional approach

• Disseminate U-Map to a wider audience

• Explore the institutional setting for the future U-MapThis project has been funded with the support of the Lifelong Learning programme of the European

Commission This project has been funded with the support of the Lifelong Learning programme of the European

Commission

• Stakeholder approach• Pre-filling• Workshops

1. Introduction and online questionnaire2. Presentation of the results

• Datacollection with the online questionnaire• Helpdesk

• On-line: see www.u-map.eu

U-Map in Estonia (LLP)

ApproachApproach

• Set up• Estonian Ministry of Education and

Research• Rectors’ Conference• Higher education institutions

• Ownership

U-Map in Estonia: stakeholder approach

• What is pre-filling?• Making use of existing datasources: EHIS

U-Map in Estonia: pre-filling

• Why pre-filling?• To reduce the administrative work• More possibilities for verifying the data

• Technical workshop• Introduction to the U-Map questionnaire• Help-desk

• FAQ• Estonian specific website

U-Map in Estonia: workshops

• Dissemination• Activity profiles of Estonian Universities• Discussion on potential impact

• February / March• Discussions with national data providers• Pre-filling

• March• Technical workshop for institutional dataproviders

on data and online questionnaire• March - May

• Datacollection deadline 16 May• May - September

• Verification and creating profiles• September - October

• Dissemination (workshop)

Mapping Estonian Universities: Planning

U-Map website

www.u-map.euwww.u-map.euwww.u-map.euwww.u-map.eu

Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!

www.u-map.euwww.u-map.eu