The Arab Spring and Helping to Build higher Education Capacity in the Middle East and North Africa

Chair: Mark S. Lazar, Vice President, Global Scholarship and Learning Programs, IIE

Panelists:• Rajika Bhandari, Deputy Vice President, Research and Evaluation, IIE• Kristen Cammarata, Regional Educational Advising Coordinator, Middle

East & North Africa, EducationUSA• Kevin Browne, Vice Provost of Academic and Enrollment Services,

University of Illinois at Chicago• Lucas Welch, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Soliya

Classifying Higher Education in the Middle East and North Africa:

A Pilot Study

Rajika BhandariDeputy Vice President, Research and Evaluation

Center for Academic Mobility ResearchInstitute of International Education

March 8, 2012

Why develop a classification?

• Higher education sector has witnessed tremendous growth

• No standardized framework for understanding the region’s institutions

• Many countries have established these types of classifications and rankings to raise the quality and visibility of their higher education sector

• The Arab Spring and higher education in the region

Intended Outcomes

• Deeper understanding of the diverse range of institutions in the region

• Within region: benchmarking and comparison; increased research collaboration & exchange

• Outside the region: institutions able to compete globally and position themselves on the world stage; expanded international collaboration

• Information available to guide students• Increased degree recognition and academic mobility

Study Design

• Supported by the Carnegie Corporation, carried out in partnership with LAES

• Pilot study countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, UAE

• Primary and secondary data from ministries and higher education institutions (HEIs)

• Sample size: originally 643 institutions; final sample, 427

• Timeframe: March 2010 – March 2011

Methodology

• Reviewed existing classifications and rankings systems

• 11 dimensions, 77 indicators

• Developed and pilot-tested survey to validate the CMAC

• National-level data coordinators in each pilot country

• Outcome: validated and tested CMAC scaled up and applied to other countries comprehensive classification of higher education in the region

Dimensions of the CMAC

# DimensionNumber of Indicators

0 Institutional profile 81 Teaching and Learning Profile (Co) 72 Curriculum 33 Student Profile (Co) 74 Faculty Profile 75 Financial Profile 76 Research Involvement (Co) 97 Cultural Orientation 38 Religious Orientation 69 Regional Engagement (Eu) 7

10 International Engagement (Eu) 13

Examples of Indicators6. Research

Involvement6.1 Expenditures on research6.2 Publications6.3 Research centers

6.4 Libraries10. International

Engagement10.1 International students10.2 International sources of income10.3 Graduate students on out-bound exchange programs

10.4 Incoming grad students with degrees from other institutions

10.5 International teaching and research staff

10.6 Twinning with international HEIs10.7 International admission tests

10.8 Cooperation agreements with international HEIs10.9 Affiliation to international institution/branch

10.10 Intended international engagement10.11 Accreditation10.12 Organization of international engagement

Findings: International Engagement• What do we mean by “international”?

• Mobility:• Only 2% of all students are international (0 to 80%); 4.3%

are from other Arab countries• 11% of the teaching staff is international; 13% are from

other Arab countries• There is a larger presence of foreign faculty than foreign

students.

Findings: International Engagement• There appears to be more international engagement than

regional engagement: twinning programs and cooperative agreements

• There are key differences by sub-region: Gulf nations vs. other countries

• Incomplete measurement, missing data

Overall Findings• Lack of institutional data

• Shifting cultural models: French (45%), American (43%)

• Low regional and international engagement

• Use of English for administration and teaching

• Impact of branch campuses

• Investments in research

Challenges

• Obtaining buy-in from ministries and HEIs

• Summarizing data across multiple campuses is difficult

• Challenges inherent in generalizing across diverse countries and education systems

Looking Ahead

• Significant interest in expanding the work of the pilot study• Capacity-building in the region• Engage other countries that have strategically used

classifications and rankings to strengthen the quality of their higher education systems

• Is a ranking currently feasible? Not yet. We have a good framework in place, but better and more complete data is needed to compile rankings that are accurate and fair.

• Higher education and the Arab Spring

iie.org/opendoorsData on academic mobility to and from the U.S.

www.iie.org/mobilityCenter for Academic Mobility Research

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The Arab Spring and Helping to Build higher Education Capacity in the Middle East and North Africa

Chair: Mark S. Lazar, Vice President, Global Scholarship and Learning Programs, IIE

Panelists:• Rajika Bhandari, Deputy Vice President, Research and Evaluation, IIE• Kristen Cammarata, Regional Educational Advising Coordinator, Middle

East & North Africa, EducationUSA• Kevin Browne, Vice Provost of Academic and Enrollment Services,

University of Illinois at Chicago• Lucas Welch, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Soliya