Building Capacity in University Management

 

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BUCUM is the second TEMPUS project that Cardiff Metropolitan University has coordinated in the MENA region. It involves ten universities in Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon and aims to satisfy the regional priority of University Management and Student Services

The wider objective of the project is to demonstrate that good management practices can build sustainable Higher Education cooperation between nations. The project does this by addressing the challenges facing the management of a global university in the 21st Century.

Following on from the highly successful Tempus project, Leadership in Higher Education (LHEM), BUCUM involves ten universities in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya and Morocco. Also involved are universities and organisations from Greece, Italy, Jordan, Spain and the UK. Its focus is Governance Reform, satisfying the regional priority, 'University Management and Student Services' and aims to implement several new training ideas.

The project objectives are:

Scoping Exercises

In order not to repeat activities already done in the Leadership Project, LHEM, it was decided to conduct the scoping exercise in a different way. Instead of the Leadership Foundation visiting each university (which took over six months in the last project), Rectors and vice rectors from each beneficiary university were invited to Cardiff for a workshop on Building Capacity. In this way, not only the Leadership Foundation, but all beneficiaries could hear and understand the capacity building management problems in MENA universities. This activity was so successful that a second work shop (on Internationalisation) was organised in February 2014 and a third one is planned for 2015.

Training the Trainers – Massive Online Open Sources "MOOC"

As part of the e-learning programme it was decided to use the latest technology to produce MOOCs. The University of Salamanca is leading this activity and at a meeting in November it was decided to produce four MOOCs on:

Risk Management Career Design

Quality Assurance The Knowledge Triangle

Each MOOC is to be led by a member of staff from Salamanca, who will be working with two beneficiary universities. A standard format was agreed which is:

  1. 1-To produce a storyboard for each block - a template was sent to all teams.

  2. It was agreed that the MOOC will consist of four blocks :

    1. Quality Assurance

    2. Knowledge Triangle

    3. Career Design

    4. Risk Management.

Each Block has six Modules

Each Module has: 2 videos, 1 document and 1 test (there must be at least two videos with Debates, 1 with students, 1 showing an activity and 2 from YouTube academic platform).

Storyboards have been produced for each MOOC.

Creation of Governance Centres

Governance centres will cater for all levels of governance, with a dedicated manager who is knowledgeable in all aspects of leadership and a small staff of trainers. Dedicated premises will include a meeting room, computing facilities and training laboratories. Its activities will be:

  • Purposive and Action Oriented: the centre will be directly orientated to governance issues.

  • Collaborative: there will be cross fertilisation of experiences and good practice; the centre will provide the opportunity for its participants to work together and produce solutions on matters of common concern.

  • Frank and Open: transparency on issues confronting the participants' university and readiness to evaluate and accept advice.

  • Challenging: providing questioning on the adequacy of current responses to particular issues.

Development of Short Courses

Short courses will consist of a two day face-to face training at which the participants are introduced to "best Practice " in EU universities, The participants are then given individual tasks ( connected with the training) to implement at their own institutions. After two months there will be a further face-to- face meeting where they will feedback their experiences and learn from them. Topics chosen are

Training for Research Professors Quality Assurance

Internationalisation Soft Skills

Four multicultural teams have been selected, each managed by an experienced staff member from La Sapienza University of Rome, which is the largest university in Europe.

Dissemination Activities

A Dissemination Team consisting of one member from each university has been established. It will do most of its work via the internet but will have two annual meetings Its work will be at three levels – Institutional, National and International.

  1. At the Institutional level
    The aim is that ALL staff and students in all four universities are aware of BUCUM and what we are trying to do. Activities are:

    1. To arrange internal seminars at their university
      We must decide activities we will do and a timetable for each university
      We will also use the prepared Power Point slides

    2. To produce promotional material for the Centres and their work
      This will be using the results of the MOOC and Short Courses teams

    3. To distribute the material in their local area.
      This will be done working with the Centre manager

    4. To give prominence to the Governance Centre
      This will use what we produce

    5. Use of Apps
      The team will work with Shoofly to determine the way that Apps can be used
      The dissemination at this level can begin immediately and will continue the lifetime of the project

  2. At the National level
    The aim is to ensure that other universities in the MENA countries are aware of the BUCUM project and its outcomes. This will be primarily in year three of the project when we have some completed systems to show. Activities are:

    1. To use all national networks possible

    2. To use the Ministry for National dissemination (creating a road map for example)

    3. Web Platform -the team will ensure that the Web platform is continuously updated and used by all partners

  3. At the International level
    The aim is to put the four Ukrainian universities ( and thus indirectly Ukraine) on the global map
    Activities are:

    1. To run an International Dissemination event ?? (Depends on Finance/ Sponsorship)

    2. To have effective www advertising

    3. Web Platform

    4. To use the ARELEN and WHEEL networks.

Quality Control

Several performance measure have been prepared and available to all project partners.

For further information, please visit t​he project website: BUCUM.

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