مجله آموزش عالی ایران
سال دوم شماره 4 (پیاپی 8، بهار 1389)

This paper is based on a research that has been conducted among 358 undergraduate students of social sciences who were studying in five Tehran state universities. The main goal of study was evaluating the social structure of education through measuring social and educational relationships of students with each other and with their professors. The theoretical framework is derived from sociology of science and higher education literature. Based on these theoretical backgrounds, social structure of education is influential in shaping the self-efficacy and academic achievement of students.This study applied survey method and questionnaire technique, and using descriptive and inferential statistics methods, data were analyzed. The findings revealed that there is positive correlation between social structure of education and educational performance of students. The findings also showed that students with higher social integration and interactive learning have better academic performance and higher self-efficacy.

Human capital is the most valuable asset at the knowledge based societies. Universities and the providers of scientific information have the difficult task of upgrading and updating the asset through dissemination of knowledge across the globe. Websites as entering way to the unlimited world of human thoughts and thinking have a particular role in this regard. This paper aims to explore factors affecting the quality of scientific information and academic websites. Therefore, a conceptual model consisting of four key dimensions including: information quality, service quality, system quality and vendor specific quality with 14 operational variables was tested by applying AHP analysis. A random sample of IT graduate students from Tehran state universities replied the questionnaire. The findings showed that in compare with universitie's websites, scientific information websites were more advantaged. It also suggested that although information quality at scientific information websites was better but service quality had better position at academic websites.

Increasing competition for survival, make organizations prevent any failure in their processes. Libraries as one of the most important service organizations also should pay attention to correcting their failure making processes. In this paper a new methodology is developed called "Failure mode and effect analysis" technique in decreasing quality fault risk in libraries. For this, failures in quality elements were defined at first. Then risk priority number that is calculated from multiplying "occurrence probability", "severity" and "delectability" was analyzed. Finally the most important failures were defined using their rank and situation in any areas and by this, excellent path for library quality was determined.

In the knowledge-based economy, Higher education institutions have significant opportunities to apply knowledge management (KM) practices to achieve their missions. The paper therefore, aims to evaluate the KM in Yazd University. For this, a questionnaire based on the EFQM Excellence model framework has been designed. Then, using EFQM criteria and fuzzy TOPSIS, the colleges of Yazd University have been ranked accordingly. The findings show that while Arts and Architecture, Chemistry and Mechanical colleges in this University have the best condition in KM but the worst condition was reported for Natural Resources, Mathematics and Humanities colleges respectively. However, although knowledge management in Yazd University must be improved generally but it is necessary to pay a close attention to KM condition in those colleges in which KM had the the worst condition.

The term of higher education in human societies is accompanying with the accumulation of science and research and culture. The spreading science and basic researches and economic, civic, political and cultural agendas in both developed and developing societies can be deeply transformed by the presence of an active educational institution such as university. Nevertheless quantitative development in recent years, the higher education system in our country has not realized its most important prophecy namely preparing the specialized workforces. This paper therefore, tries to examine and specify the position of the country’s higher education in compare with other countries. For this, using UNESCO database, the different dimensions of Iranian higher education and 31countries in were analyzed comparatively. The findings show that while the situation of higher education of Iran in compare with developed countries is unsatisfactory but it is partly equal and or upper when compared with higher education in Middle-East and other developing and countries.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effective factors on the agricultural undergraduate's competency to enter labor market in the age of globalization. The statistical population consisted of all agricultural undergraduate students of the agricultural majors of the College of Agricultural & Natural Resources at the University of Tehran in 2008-2009 academic year (N=1339). Out of which, according to Krejcie & Morgan's table, a number of 297 students were selected using proportionate stratified random samplings method. Finally 276 questionnaires were analyzed (n=276). Validity of the instrument was established using a panel of experts. The reliability of the main scales of the questionnaire was conformed as Cronbach's alpha values were all above 0.94. The findings indicated that the competency of 64.9% of student was equal to the mean score and %31.9 of them had low competency. Therefore, in order to prepare undergraduates properly to enter labor market in a globalised world, universities must pay a close attention to the contemporary educational needs and have to revised their courses and content of curriculum sharply. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that the variables of the participation in international activities, importance of international issues as perceived by students, educational level, student's interest in international issues & activities, and their gender explained %42.6 of variations in the agricultural undergraduate's competency to enter labor market in the age of globalization.

Learning occurs through both formal and informal ways. While there is a considerable volume of research on formal aspects of learning in higher education, informal learning has not received the attention it deserves, particularly in Iran. As informal learning constitutes a large proportion of all learning, this paper reports on a study using both qualitative and quantitative techniques on informal learning among a group of PhD students in an Iranian university. The results suggest that by providing necessary provisions and bases for informal learning, the productivity of PhD studies can be increased by this type of learning.