Universities Denmark opposes professional master’s degrees

The Danish university colleges system, which offers professionally oriented higher education, has expressed ambitions to offer professional master’s degree programmes in addition to the professional bachelor’s and diploma courses already available. Universities Denmark has issued a position paper in response to this.  

In the opinion of Universities Denmark (DU), professional master's degrees should not be offered. DU wishes to safeguard the concept of research, protecting it from trivialisation and ambiguity. The comprehensive university mergers were in part motivated by the goal of supporting and fostering research. Concentrating public-sector research activities at the universities was intended to ensure the presence of the resources necessary for the performance of world-class research. A Master’s degree programme is based on research and should therefore be offered by a university. While there is nothing to hinder the development of Master’s degrees offered in collaboration between the universities and educational institutions offering medium-cycle degree programmes and continuing education, it is important that such programmes be offered through the universities. 

Universities Denmark wishes to promote a flexible, coherent educational system, a system without stumbling blocks and dead ends. The quality of our professional educational programmes should be improved by means of cooperation with the universities, not by constructing parallel systems. This means that it should be possible for students to move between short-cycle, medium-cycle and long-cycle higher education programmes, both horizontally and vertically.

The policy paper, which is available in Danish on the DU website, was written on the initiative of Aarhus University.

Aarhus University supports Open Access

Aarhus University recommends that the university’s researchers allow the public free access to their scholarly and scientific publications. The university supports the Open Access Initiative on the grounds that it will enable the university's research publications to be utilised more effectively. In addition, the initiative will strengthen the university's international position and influence.  

The Open Access model is finding increasing acceptance in international academic circles. Aarhus University began working with Open Access systematically in the spring of 2009. Open Access expert Alma Swan’s public lecture on 22 February 2010 was one result of this engagement.

Open Access is at present voluntary and can be offered in parallel with conventional publication. A detailed guide to Open Access publication is being prepared and is expected to be completed in the course of the spring. At this time, the university will make a decision regarding the extent and terms of researchers’ use of Open Access.  

New Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation

Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has appointed Charlotte Sahl-Madsen as new Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Ms Sahl-Madsen replaces Helge Sander.

Aarhus University would like to congratulate Ms Sahl-Madsen on her new position. We look forward to an interesting and fruitful partnership. The university is particularly looking forward to collaborating with the new minister on implementing the new high-trust strategy recently proposed by the international evaluation panel in connection with the evaluation of the university sector.

Ms Sahl-Madsen leaves a position as Chairman of Danfoss Universe to take up the position as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. She is also a former member of Aftagerrådet (council of business school stakeholders) at the Aarhus School of Business, Aarhus University.

Quality assurance of research-based public-sector consultancy

Aarhus University has adopted a general framework for the quality assurance of research-based public-sector consultancy activities. Advising public authorities is an important aspect of public-sector consultancy. A range of procedures have been developed to guarantee the quality of these services. The new policy provides a common framework which will facilitate cooperation across the main academic areas.

Read the memorandum on the public-sector consultancy quality assurance policy here (in Danish only)

Research Days 2010

All of Aarhus University’s main academic areas will be represented at a range of activities in connection with this year's Research Days event, which will take place 22-24 April. Many fascinating Aarhus University researchers will have an opportunity to present their work to the public.

The main event will take place at the Lakeside Lecture Theatres on the Århus campus on Friday 23 April from 1 pm to 6 pm. The theme of the event is Body and culture. The Danish School of Education will host events in Emdrup and Århus, primary school students will guest the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences in Foulum and Årslev, and NERI researchers will present some of their work in Silkeborg and Roskilde. Read more about the Aarhus University Research Days 2010 events here (in Danish only):

Effective communication of research results is the focus of Research Days 2010, which is also the occasion for the award of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s research communication prize.

Evaluation of the teaching environment at Aarhus University

In order to help ensure a satisfactory teaching environment, Aarhus University carried out an evaluation of the psychological teaching environment in 2007/2008. The university has now decided that the next major evaluation of the teaching environment at Aarhus University is to take place in the spring of 2011. Psychological, physical and aesthetic dimensions of the teaching environment will be included.

At the same time, the university has decided to perform a sample inquiry on the physical and aesthetic teaching environment. The results of the preliminary survey will contribute to the development of the evaluation to be performed in 2011.

Calendar

• 26 February: Meeting in Regeringens Vækstforum (the government’s growth forum), of which Rector Holm-Nielsen is a member
• 1 March: Aarhus University Board meeting
• 3-4 March: University management seminar at Sandbjerg
•  4-5 March: The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation's annual Dialogforum in Fredericia (programme in Danish only). Chairman of the Aarhus University Board Jens Bigum and the Rector's Office will participate.
• 18 March: Next phase of academic development process – theme meetings
• 22-24 April: Research Days

Kind regards

The Rector's Office

23 February 2010

If you would like to subscribe to the English version of News from the Rector's Office, please go to http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en. The English version of News from the Rector's  Office is available at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter. You can read previous editions of News from the Rector's Office at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter/2009