Improving Graduate Education in Developing Countries

Jamil Salmi

Dublin, 5-7 March 2008

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natural lab experiment:

U. of Malaya vs. NUS

• early 1960s: 2 branches of University of Malaya

• today:

• NUS ranked # 19

• UM only # 192

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outline of the presentation

• excellence in graduate education

• challenges for developing countries

• a new education paradigm

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defining excellence

• self-declaration

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defining excellence

• self-declaration

• reputation

• rankings

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results and performance

• top graduates

• leading edge research

• vigorous technology transfer

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critical dimensions

• concentration of talent

• abundant resources

• favorable governance

AutonomyAcademic Freedom

StudentsTeaching StaffResearchers

Research Output

Technology Transfer

Concentration of Talent

Abundant

ResourcesFavorable Governance

Leadership TeamStrategic VisionCulture of Excellence

Public Budget Resources

Endowment Revenues

Tuition Fees

Research Grants

Excellence Supportive Regulatory Framework

Graduates

Excellence in Graduate EducationAlignment of Key Factors

Source: Elaborated by Jamil Salmi

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U. Of Malaya vs. NUS

– talent

• UM: selection bias in favor of Bumiputras, less than 5% foreign students, no foreign professors

• NUS: highly selective, 43% of graduates students are foreign, many foreign professors

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U. Of Malaya vs. NUS (II)

– finance

• UM: $118 million, $4,053 per student

• NUS: $750 million endowment, $205 million, $6,300 per student

– governance

• UM: restricted by government regulations and control, unable to hire top foreign professors

• NUS: status of a private corporation, able to attract world-class researchers (incl. Malaysians)

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outline of the presentation

• excellence in graduate education

• challenges for developing countries

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the challenges

• governance

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the challenges

• governance

• brain drain

• resources

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US InstitutionsEndowments

Assets(2006 million $)

UK InstitutionsEndowment

Assets(2002 million $)

Harvard University 28,916 Cambridge 4,000

Yale University 18,031 Oxford 4,000

Stanford University 14,085 Edinburgh 3200

University of Texas 13,235 Glasgow 240

Princeton University 13,045 King’s 200

Comparison of US and UK Endowment Levels

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the challenges

• governance

• brain drain

• resources

• digital divide

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the digital divide(i) Distribution of Internet Hosts

Developing Countries (5.9%)

Australia, Japan & New Zealand

(6.4%)

Europe 22.4%

Canada & United States

(65.3%)

(ii) Distribution of World Population

Canada & United States (5.1%)

Europe (12.0%)

Australia, Japan & New Zealand

(2.5%)

Developing Countries (80.4%)

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connectivity in Africa

• same bandwidth as an average household in the US

• 100 times as expensive as what an average US university pays

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the way forward

• national priority

• vision and strategic planning

• strategic deployment of resources

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the way forward

• national priority

• vision and strategic planning

• strategic deployment of resources

• internationalization (regional cooperation, diaspora)

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internationalization

• language

• mobility– faculty– students– leaders

• joint / double degrees

• supportive technology– distance education– remote research

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outline of the presentation

• excellence in graduate education

• challenges for developing countries

• a new education paradigm

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new education paradigm

• learning by doing

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other intriguing experiences

• Laurea University of Applied Science (Finland)

• Alverno College (USA)

• LimKokWing University of Creative Technology (Malaysia)

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Giorgio Armani-Samsung mobile

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new education paradigm

• learning by doing

• creativity

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creativity

• invent

• experiment

• think out of the box

• take chances

• break the rules

• make mistakes

• and have fun…

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new education paradigm

• learning by doing

• creativity

• e-learning / blended learning

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new education paradigm

• learning by doing

• creativity

• e-learning / blended learning

• open education resources

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MIT’s Open CourseWare

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Chinese open resources for education

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virtual learning communities

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new education paradigm

• learning by doing

• creativity

• e-learning / blended learning

• open education resources

• regional / local engagement

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resolution of local problems

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Clemson University

• land grant university focused on agricultural and mechanical crafts

• changing region

• strategic partnership with BMW to become premier automotive and sports car research U

• aims to become # 20

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conclusion

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conclusion

alignment

time dimension

adaptation of doctoral programs to new education paradigm• integration of research and undergraduate

studies• interactive pedagogical approaches• e-learning