Education Reform in Asia-Pacific

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

16 hours of study each week over a 15 week period to complete on-line course work and assessments. This includes a structured schedule of 2 hours of formal on-line tutorials per week throughout the period of study.

240 hours

To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in the Specialist Certificate, or the Postgraduate Certificate or the Master of Global Studies in Education (PC-GLBSTED, or MC-GLBSTED) . This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit:
http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject assesses the impact of globalization on the education systems over the past two decades of a number of countries in the Asia=Pacific Region, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea. It examines how the increasingly interdependent economic system in the region has driven policy change and education reform. It discusses how policy makers in these countries have responded to changes required in educational outcomes in order to equip their societies for new global conditions, exploring the impact of new approaches and ideologies related to globalization, making comparisons across the region.

The subject uses a case study approach. Each week it will introduce students to a particular policy specific to one of these countries, such as the policy of privatization of higher education in Vietnam, governance policy in South Korea, decentralization policy in China, language policy in Malaysia, policy driving pedagogic reform in Singapore, policy focusing on creativity and criticality in Japan, education develop policy in Timor Leste, and gender equity policy in Indonesia. Each student will then be required to focus on one of these policies for a detailed investigation.

The subject will address three main questions: what are some of the similarities and differences in various approaches to reform adopted across these education systems, and what explains these similarities and differences?; how do these policies address the competing requirements of globalization on the one hand and local cultural traditions on the other?; what are some of the main obstacles to education reform in these countries?

• A short essay based on the online learning activities – equivalent of 2000 words (15%)
• A minor essay 3000 words (topics to be announced) (30%)
• A class presentation on case study (up to 10 minutes) (15%)

• A major essay 5000 words -(topics to be announced) - This assignment will build on the previous assessments, benefiting from feedback from their completion. The key expectation is that the assignments together will demonstrate that students have an adequate understanding of the issues explored in classes and readings, together with an ability to apply these to issues specific to the student’s place of work (50%).

EDUCATION REFORM AND EDUCATION POLICY IN EAST ASIA KA-HO MOK, LONDON: ROUTLEDGE

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.