Journal of Iranian Higher Education
Year:2009 | Volume:1 | Issue:4|Papers Count:14

The new conditions of environment and its contingencies have resulted in some special dynamism and complexity for universities. In such circumstances, the universities dynamism, quality and development strongly depends on a dynamic planning thinking and developing and implementing of relevant plans to the universities internal and external conditions. In fact, it is necessary that the major guidelines for the future of the university dynamism be described and delivered based on a dynamic process of strategic diagnosis and direction. This may empower the university toward an effective mobility in the environment and maintain its organizational health. This paper aims to examine the current situation of university development planning (UDP) based on the availability of following six indicators: 1) a clear and common understanding about UDP process, 2) documented development plans for universities, 3) the relevance of the universities development plans to their environmental conditions, 4) the relevance of the universities development plans to their capabilities and internal conditions, 5) necessary facilities, resources, and structures for planning in universities, and 6) the quality of decision making in universities. The findings showed that the situation of UDP in all universities is not suitable. Additionally, the conditions of any single group of advantaged, semi-advantaged and non-advantaged universities regarding to the indicators and assessing criteria was not satisfactory and no significant difference between indicators situation among these three groups of universities was reported. On the other hand, although the Heads of departments have pointed out that decentralization in UDP is a necessary and useful action but there is a considerable weakness in the required basic foundations for forming an effective behavioral system of UDP in universities.

By announcing the Iran’s Vision Policy of 1404, the direction of the country’s development was designed for two next decades.The determined aims and objectives of this vision are to be achieved by implementing four development plans (five-year plans) which the 4th Economical, Social, and Cultural Development Plan (1384-1388) has already been approved and started. The major issues about the situation of universities, which have been emphasized in the 4th Act could be seen under the article No. 49. According to this article, universities should unavoidably carryout some fundamental changes in their structures, policies and practices.As a descriptive, explorative and analytic method and by using a strategic approach, this paper tries to explore the necessity and nature of the required changes in universities. The research’s case study was the branches of Malek -e- Ashtar University of Technology (MUT) in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz and the samples were all the university’s senior managers and policymakers including the President of University and Vice-chancellors, the Deans of Faculties and the Heads of Departments in 1385-1386 academic years. Using a questionnaire, the data were collected and analyzed. Findings show that it is needed to transform the university in following four areas: “missions and goals”, “strategies and policies”, “structures and tasks”, “environmental factors and stakeholders”. Also findings suggest that the main priorities for fundamental changes in those four areas should be given to “educating human resources needed for society”; “globalization”; “providing professional services”; and “the University’s Board of Trustees”, respectively.

This paper aims to analyze the effect of the family social and cultural capitals including family income, parental education, and number of family members, parental job, and their social class on their children achievement in the nationwide entrance examination for higher education. The Iranian universities and colleges admission system involves prospective students listing up to one hundred courses in order of preference on their application. Places in universities offered to the applicants based on both their preferences and their final nationwide examination results.Using logistic regression models to investigate the effects of the research proposed variables on the acceptance chance of applicants, the date were collected and analyzed from the family’s backgrounds of applicants in 2005 universities exam.The research findings show that to a large extent parental education, job, income, and applicant’s quota are important factors which impress the examination grades as well as university and college acceptance.The findings also indicate that family social and cultural capitals increase the chance of acceptance too.

In recent years the number of women interested in continuing their collegiate education has been increased. Nowadays as a result of this trend, over 60 percent of the university’s applicants are among the female. Therefore, this paper tries to investigate the causes of the female increasing participation in higher education. Female students from the University of Mazandaran were selected as the research sample and they were asked to answer to a closed-item questionnaire.The findings suggest that the most important causes affecting on the will of female to continue their studies are as follows:- Finding an appropriate job in the labour market;- Gaining higher income and economic benefits in the future;- Being impressed by globalization;- Competing for a better social position; and- Achieving to the educational equal opportunities.

Using interview, observation and content analysis, this paper firstly aims to highlight the Canadian model of political teaching, research and knowledge production. Based on the model the author tries to extract some guidelines and lessons for political teaching, research and knowledge production in the Iranian context.Accordingly the main research question was that what are the most important goals, missions, methods and developments in the Canadian political teaching and research? And how this academic model can be beneficial for political sciences in Iranian universities? Ten universities in Canada were deeply studied in terms of their teaching, research and theorizing approaches in the field of political sciences. Using Grounded Theory as a research method, data were analyzed.

This paper aims to review the possibility of academic staffs’ participation in the collegiate curriculum development process.Indeed the paper is about to clarify that to what extent academic staffs are participating in the process of collegiate curriculum development. In the light of this main question, there are some other relevant issues which need to be discussed. These agenda include current views about participation, bases, necessary resources and ways of participation, positive and negative outcomes of participation and possible participation obstacles. As a descriptive survey, a questionnaire was used for collecting required data which consisted of 62 closed items. The findings revealed that lecturers are aware of and accept all concepts and issues related to participation except its negative outcomes. Additional findings of the paper show that while the participants’ sex affects positive outcomes of participation, the place of their graduation has a positive impact on participation’s bases, ways and obstacles. It is also confirmed that the staffs’ academic position and their teaching experiences have affected the bases of participation.

Throughout the world universities are confronting with this dilemma that how they should change themselves to overcome on challenges which have been resulted from the application of ICT. Using a descriptive research method, this paper tries to study the perspectives of the application of ICT in the teaching and learning process based the views of professors and graduate students in Esfahan University and Industrial University of Esfahan. In order to collect data, a questionnaire was used which included 62 closed items. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a group of scholars and its reliability was estimated 0.88.The results indicated that only notions such as individual and organizational results are considered as perspectives.