OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education NR O way OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education In many OECD countries, tertiary education systems have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. With tertiary education increasingly seen as a fundamental pillar for economic growth, these systems must now address N ORway the pressures of a globalising economy and labour market. Within governance frameworks that encourage institutions, individually and collectively, to fulfil multiple missions, tertiary education systems must aim for the broad objectives of growth, full employment and social cohesion. In this context, the OECD launched a major review of tertiary education with the participation of 24 nations. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries in understanding how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help them achieve their economic and social goals. Norway is one of 14 countries which opted to host a Country Review, in which a team of external reviewers carried out an in-depth analysis of tertiary education policies. This report includes: Tony Clark, Richard Sweet, • an overview of Norway’s tertiary education system; N Education Tertiary of Reviews OECD Karl Heinz Gruber, Pedro Lourtie, • an account of trends and developments in tertiary education in Norway; Paulo Santiago and Åsa Sohlman • an analysis of the strengths and challenges in tertiary education in Norway; and • recommendations for future policy development. This Review of Tertiary Education in Norway forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education, a project conducted between 2004 and 2008 (www.oecd.org/edu/tertiary/review). O R w ay ISBN 978-92-64-03930-8 www.oecd.org/publishing 91 2009 05 1 E -:HSTCQE=UX^XU]: 912009051cov.indd 1 18-Dec-2009 9:31:08 AM OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Norway Tony Clark, Richard Sweet, Karl Heinz Gruber, Pedro Lourtie, Paulo Santiago and Åsa Sohlman ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2009 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS – 3 Table of contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5 2. General Background ........................................................................................ 7 2.1 The Norwegian Economy and Labour Market ............................................ 7 2.2 The Norwegian Tertiary Education System .............................................. 10 3. Norway’s Policies for Tertiary Education ..................................................... 17 3.1 Strategy ..................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Institutional Structure and Links ............................................................... 19 3.3 Governance of the System and of Institutions .......................................... 20 4. Funding Tertiary Education .......................................................................... 23 4.1 Free Tuition ............................................................................................... 23 4.2 Allocation of Public Funds to Institutions ................................................. 24 4.3 Student Finance ......................................................................................... 25 4.4 Human Resource Management ................................................................. 28 5. Regional Policy Considerations..................................................................... 31 6. Equity Considerations .................................................................................... 35 6.1 Strengths and Challenges: Analysis of the Current System ...................... 35 6.2 Priorities for Future Policy Development ................................................. 38 7. Monitoring the System and Institutions ........................................................ 41 8. Teaching and Learning ................................................................................. 45 8.1 The Bologna Process ................................................................................. 45 8.2 The Quality Reform and Quality Processes .............................................. 47 9. Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer ........................................... 55 9.1 Background ............................................................................................... 55 9.2 Strategic Planning for the Contribution of Tertiary Education to Research and Innovation.......................................................................................... 56 OECD REVIEWS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION – NORWAY – ISBN 978-92-64-03930-8 – © OECD 2009 4 – TABLE OF CONTENTS 9.3 Monitoring and Evaluation ....................................................................... 57 9.4 The Supply of Graduates from Scientific and Technological Disciplines .... 57 9.5 The Transfer of Knowledge ...................................................................... 60 9.6 The Demand for Knowledge ..................................................................... 62 9.7 Regional Research Policies ....................................................................... 64 10. Future Policy Directions and Conclusion ................................................... 67 10.1 Key Policy Directions for the Future ...................................................... 67 10.2 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 68 References .......................................................................................................... 71 Annex 1: The OECD Review Team ................................................................... 73 Annex 2: National Co-ordinator, National Steering Committee, and Authors of the Country Background Report ................................................................... 75 Annex 3: Programme of the Review Visit ......................................................... 77 Annex 4: Comparative Indicators on Tertiary Education ................................ 79 This report is based on a study visit to Norway in March 2005, and on background documents prepared to support the visit. As a result, the report reflects the situation up to that point. OECD REVIEWS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION – NORWAY – ISBN 978-92-64-03930-8 – © OECD 2009 1. INTRODUCTION – 5 1. Introduction This Country Note on Norway forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education. This is a collaborative project to assist the design and implementation of tertiary education policies which contribute to the realisation of social and economic objectives of countries. The tertiary education systems of many OECD countries have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, and are experiencing new pressures as the result of a globalising economy and labour market. In this context, the OECD Education Committee agreed, in late 2003, to carry out a major thematic review of tertiary education. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries to understand how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help them to achieve their economic and social objectives. The focus of the review is upon tertiary education policies and systems, rather