Books by Tristan McCowan
Palgrave Macmillan, 2019
This book analyses the role of the university in working towards the Sustainable Development Goal... more This book analyses the role of the university in working towards the Sustainable Development Goals. In contrast to the previous Millennium Development Goals, higher education is seen to have a crucial role in this new agenda. Yet how can the university fulfil these weighty expectations, and are the dominant trends in higher education supporting or undermining this vision? This book draws on the idea of the ‘developmental university’, a model characterised by its porous boundaries with society and commitment to teaching, research and community engagement in the public interest. The author examines case studies from Latin America, Africa and other regions to analyse how this model can be revived, countering recent trends of marketisation, status competition and unbundling. The book also considers alternatives to the developmental model drawing on indigenous knowledge systems, looking beyond the SDG framework to the creation of a new form of society. This timely volume will be of interest and value to those working in the field of sustainable development, and to students and scholars of comparative education, international development and higher education studies.
Education is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, yet the nature of the right remains ... more Education is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, yet the nature of the right remains unclear. Is it an entitlement to go to school, to acquire particular forms of knowledge or develop particular skills or attributes? And why exactly is education so important that we might defend all people’s right to it? This book provides a much-needed exploration of this key contemporary issue. Highlighting limitations in the approaches of both the Education for All initiative and existing international law, the book presents a radical new vision of how the right can be understood. As well as basic education, there are discussions of higher and lifelong education, of human rights education, and of the intersection of rights-based approaches with others such Amartya Sen’s ‘capabilities’. The work serves as a stirring defense of the universal right to education against instrumental conceptions of learning, the inactivity of national governments and the abrogation of responsibility of the international community.
Papers by Tristan McCowan
Journal of Studies in International Education, 2023
Internationalisation of higher education has diverging implications for climate change, on the on... more Internationalisation of higher education has diverging implications for climate change, on the one hand entailing greenhouse gas emissions through mobility, but also contributing to climate action through international collaboration. These apparent contradictions and resulting trade-offs present significant challenges to universities. This paper puts forward a framework for understanding the combination of impacts, the interactions between them and implications for the climate crisis. It distinguishes between three dimensions of internationalisation: actors (movements of students and staff), practices (integration of the international into curriculum and research) and influence (the global reach of the various impacts of the university). Internationalisation in these three dimensions can have positive or negative implications for climate action and sustainability, through direct impacts (greenhouse gas emissions) and indirect ones (changes in individuals, societal structures, knowledge and technologies). Implications are drawn out for the actions and strategies of universities, as well as for the global system of higher education.
Revista Brasileira de Política e Administração da Educação, 2022
This article provides a critical reflection on climate change in contemporary
times, addressing t... more This article provides a critical reflection on climate change in contemporary
times, addressing the responses made by universities through land-based teacher
education courses with a agroecology approach. It draws on historical dialectical
materialism, with reference to land-based higher education and the Transforming
Universities for a Changing Climate project. Significant possibilities are identified
for the critical development of educators with an understanding of agroecology
linked to the material production of life in the farming territories.
Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Nov 28, 2022
Indicators and metrics have gained increasing prominence in international higher education in rec... more Indicators and metrics have gained increasing prominence in international higher education in recent years, and global rankings have become a powerful force in shaping ideas of what the university is and should be. Yet these measures do a poor job of capturing the broad role of the institution, and particularly in recognising its actions in promoting the public good and addressing inequalities. African higher education institutions have struggled to perform well in the conventional rankings, whose indicators rely on extensive resources for high-level research. This article explores the possibilities of alternative metrics for understanding the public good contribution of universities in the context of four African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. After assessing the shortcomings of the existing indicators and metrics, and the challenges of the availability of data, it puts forward a dashboard approach as a possible new model. Dashboards have the advantage of avoiding the conflation of diverse qualities of importance and allow different profiles of an institution to be compared. The article proposes six main elements for the dashboard: solidarity with society, equitable access and deliberative space (which correspond to the intrinsic notion of public good) and graduate destinations, knowledge production and community engagement (which correspond to instrumental notions). Finally, the challenges of implementing public good metrics in practice are discussed.
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research i... more The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice.
Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 2022
Indicators and metrics have gained increasing prominence in international higher education in rec... more Indicators and metrics have gained increasing prominence in international higher education in recent years, and global rankings have become a powerful force in shaping ideas of what the university is and should be. Yet these measures do a poor job of capturing the broad role of the institution, and particularly in recognising its actions in promoting the public good and addressing inequalities. African higher education institutions have struggled to perform well in the conventional rankings, whose indicators rely on extensive resources for high-level research. This article explores the possibilities of alternative metrics for understanding the public good contribution of universities in the context of four African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. After assessing the shortcomings of the existing indicators and metrics, and the challenges of the availability of data, it puts forward a dashboard approach as a possible new model. Dashboards have the advantage of avoiding the conflation of diverse qualities of importance and allow different profiles of an institution to be compared. The article proposes six main elements for the dashboard: solidarity with society, equitable access and deliberative space (which correspond to the intrinsic notion of public good) and graduate destinations, knowledge production and community engagement (which correspond to instrumental notions). Finally, the challenges of implementing public good metrics in practice are discussed.
DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals - DOAJ, Feb 1, 2022
Within or Beyond the University? Experiences of alternative higher education. Despite an importan... more Within or Beyond the University? Experiences of alternative higher education. Despite an important process of expansion and growth, higher education institutions around the world still reproduce exclusion, discrimination and inequality with regard to underrepresented and underprivileged communities and peoples, their knowledges and their languages. In this text, we briefly frame contemporary alternatives to mainstream higher education that-some within existing universities, some beyond conventional higher education structures-are working against the grain to address these failings. By introducing the case studies of alternative, intercultural, indigenous, decolonial, cooperative and/or social movement universities that make up this special issue, we identify institutional and organisational tendencies, topic issues and emerging theoretical contributions, thus aiming to develop a deeper understanding of the orientation and role of these institutions, their impacts and challenges faced.
Equity Policies in Global Higher Education, 2022
In the last three decades Brazil’s enrolments grew from approximately 1.5 million to more than 8 ... more In the last three decades Brazil’s enrolments grew from approximately 1.5 million to more than 8 million students. Unlike the expansion in the 1990s, when few students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds gained access, the current expansion of Brazilian higher education is changing student profiles. The share of students from lower socioeconomic levels among enrolees and graduates has increased significantly. However, when analysing these changes in terms of the various courses/careers and modes of education present in the Brazilian higher education system, it becomes evident that there are still remnants of an elitist system displaying significant inequity. This chapter shows how the expansion going on in Brazil, despite including new students, does not achieve ‘horizontality’, and instead reproduces inequalities in one of the most unequal societies in the world.
We are grateful to Carole Rakodi for her comments on an earlier draft. Universities, employabilit... more We are grateful to Carole Rakodi for her comments on an earlier draft. Universities, employability and inclusive development 1 Chapter 1-Introduction 2 Chapter 2-Universities and employability in South Africa: equity in opportunities and outcomes 15 Chapter 3-Divergent narratives on graduate employability in Kenya: dysfunctional institutions or dysfunctional labour markets? 39 Chapter 4-In pursuit of graduate employability and inclusive development in Nigeria: realities and expectations 57 Chapter 5-Higher education and employability in Ghana 77 Chapter 6-Enabling conditions 91 Chapter 7-Conclusion 101 Contents 15. McCowan, T (2015b) Should universities promote employability? Theory and Research in Education. 13/3: 267-285; McGrath, S (2009) What is Employability? (Learning to support employability project paper 1).
Educação & Realidade, 2021
RESUMO Apesar de alguma heterogeneidade superficial, as instituições de ensino superior do mundo ... more RESUMO Apesar de alguma heterogeneidade superficial, as instituições de ensino superior do mundo inteiro compartilham algumas estruturas centrais. De acordo com críticos como Ivan Illich, a ossificação destas formas institucionais terminou empobrecendo as práticas que originalmente pretendiam apoiar. Este artigo avalia as bases para essas afirmativas e a construção associada de alternativas. Identifica três aspectos significativos da instituição: portas de entrada – os controles sobre as admissões à universidade; funções – as diferenciações entre estudantes, docentes e outros atores; e carimbos – os processos e os artefatos de validação da aprendizagem e do conhecimento adquirido pelo estudante. Estes três aspectos se apresentam em diferentes formas, níveis de rigidez e pontos de controle, tendo impactos dúbios sobre a igualdade e a justiça social e sobre o propósito central da universidade de promover a compreensão humana. São apresentadas implicações para o futuro da universidade ...
Critical thinking is considered crucial for participation in the global ‘knowledge economy’, as i... more Critical thinking is considered crucial for participation in the global ‘knowledge economy’, as it enables the adaptation of technology to local needs and allows individuals to make determinations about the quality and reliability of the wide range of evidence now available online. As a result, critical thinking is frequently cited as one of the most important outcomes of a contemporary university education, and yet employers around the world, including across sub-Saharan Africa, often decry a marked lack of critical thinking skills in university graduates. These concerns have prompted a growing recognition that pedagogical reform is an urgent priority. However, in the African context, this focus on the need to reform teaching practice is supported by limited contextually-specific empirical evidence.
Transnational Perspectives on Democracy, Citizenship, Human Rights and Peace Education, 2019
London Review of Education, 2018
The impact of higher education institutions on society has become the focus of significant policy... more The impact of higher education institutions on society has become the focus of significant policy attention in recent years, most prominently as part of research evaluation. This paper presents a theoretical exploration of the notion, identifying the key dimensions as source, form, trajectory, intensity, timescale and destination. While acknowledging the importance of porosity between universities and society, and the need to address critical contemporary challenges, five dangers of the impact agenda are highlighted: the normative dimension; the linear relationship; unpredictability; measurement; and instrumentalization. As a response to dominant conceptualizations, the paper proposes the notion of the generative intrinsic as a more robust basis on which to base the work of universities.
Comparative Education, 2018
In recent years, higher education institutions have been encouraged to engage more strongly with ... more In recent years, higher education institutions have been encouraged to engage more strongly with their local communities, and address their historically weak links with their surrounding populations. In the latter part of the 20 th century a number of community universities were established in the South of Brazil, characterised by democratic local community involvement, expansion of access in non-metropolitan regions, and close ties with local industry. This article analyses these innovative institutions in relation to the complex demands of the so-called knowledge economy and multifaceted relationships between public and private, exploring the ways in which the public good role of universities manifests itself in relation to the local. Given their hybrid nature-independent from the state but with a public good mission-these institutions can be seen to represent a new model of non-state public higher education. Implications are drawn out for the potential role of these institutions in the current policy context of Brazil, and internationally, in light of their context-specificity and the significant challenges from the highly commercialised for-profit sector.
Oxford Review of Education, 2017
Unbundling is the process through which products previously sold together are separated into thei... more Unbundling is the process through which products previously sold together are separated into their constituent parts. In higher education, this dynamic has been driven primarily by financial motivations, and spearheaded by the for-profit sector, but also has pedagogical motivations through its emphasis on personalization and employability. This article presents a theoretical analysis of the trend, proposing new conceptual tools with which to map the normative implications. While appearing to offer the prospect of financial viability and increased relevance, unbundling presents some worrying signs for universities: first, the removal of possible synergies between teaching and research, and between different modes of learning; second, the undermining of the ability of institutions to promote the public good and ensure equality of opportunity; and third, the threat of hyperporosity to the conducting of basic research with long-term benefits.
Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2017
Indigenous groups in Latin America face a double exclusion from higher education, with low levels... more Indigenous groups in Latin America face a double exclusion from higher education, with low levels of access to institutions, and little acknowledgement of their distinctive cultural and epistemological traditions within the curriculum. This article assesses current policies in Mexico and Brazil towards indigenous populations in higher education, considering the various responses to the challenge, including affirmative action programmes in mainstream universities, intercultural courses and autonomous institutions. These policies and initiatives are analysed using the theoretical frames of redistribution and recognition, focusing on demands for formal equality and material well-being on the one hand, and a distinctive cultural and educational space on the other. While state-sponsored policies focus primarily on the redistributive element, initiatives based on recognition come largely from autonomous organisations, raising a series of dilemmas and tensions around educational justice for indigenous populations in the region.
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Books by Tristan McCowan
Papers by Tristan McCowan
times, addressing the responses made by universities through land-based teacher
education courses with a agroecology approach. It draws on historical dialectical
materialism, with reference to land-based higher education and the Transforming
Universities for a Changing Climate project. Significant possibilities are identified
for the critical development of educators with an understanding of agroecology
linked to the material production of life in the farming territories.
times, addressing the responses made by universities through land-based teacher
education courses with a agroecology approach. It draws on historical dialectical
materialism, with reference to land-based higher education and the Transforming
Universities for a Changing Climate project. Significant possibilities are identified
for the critical development of educators with an understanding of agroecology
linked to the material production of life in the farming territories.