people and planet

12
Part-time vs full-time enrolment. Data from the UNESCO/
OECD/Eurostat (UOE) database on education show that
about one in five tertiary education students study
part time. In countries including Argentina, Finland,
New Zealand, Poland and the United States, at least
one in three study part time. In many countries, parttime
tertiary education courses are less regulated by
the state and more likely to be provided by the private
independent sector. In Japan, almost all part-time
students are in the private independent sector; in
Latvia and the Netherlands, almost half are. In Albania,
Denmark and Ireland, part-time students are likely to
pay higher tuition fees than students in full-time studies
(European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2015b).
Distance vs on-campus learning. Distance learning, being
less tied to the time, place and pace of a campus, could
make access to tertiary education more equitable and
affordable. However, so far, it seems its biggest effect
in high income countries is enabling students to gain
credits for learning modules before or parallel to their
on-campus studies (Lokken and Mullins, 2014). This is a
more modest result than the expectations surrounding
massive online open courses (Barber et al., 2013).
BOX 12.1
In Colombia, a strong management information system provides policy-specific data on tertiary education
Colombia has a comprehensive system of publicly available tertiary education data based on detailed regulations. The Ministry of Education works closely with campuses to
communicate updates to definitions and to resolve technological issues. In turn, campuses invest in staff professional development to ensure timely submission and meet
the latest data quality standards.
There are five distinct data sets. The Higher Education Information System (SNIES) includes base indicators on academic programmes, students, professors, campus
administration, research, continuing education, internationalization and infrastructure. SPADIES tracks enrolment patterns in order to monitor and prevent university
dropout, with a special focus on disadvantaged students. The Colombian Institute for the Promotion of Higher Education (ICFES) records data on Saber Pro, a national
examination designed to assess student learning at the end of the first university degree. The Labor Observatory for Education (OLE) tracks students into the labour market,
providing information on graduate work status, salaries, and shifts in workforce demands linked to student history. The International Network of Information and Knowledge
Sources for Science, Technology and Innovation Management (SCIENTI) monitors detailed information about academic research and development, doctoral research
programmes and research institutes.
Tertiary education enrolment increased rapidly between 2000 and 2015. However, the expansion affected the student intake. The percentage of newly admitted students who
had scored at the lowest level in the secondary school exit examination increased from 25% in 2000 to 37% in 2010 (Figure 12.7a). The low scoring students are more likely to
drop out before finishing a degree. After eight semesters, 55% had dropped out, compared with 35% of the high scoring students (Figure 12.7b).
FIGURE 12.7:
In Colombia, students with lower admission scores are less likely to graduate
100
a. Distribution of tertiary education students, by admission score,
2000–2015
70
b. Tertiary education cumulative early leaving rate, by admission score
and by semester, students who entered at the 2010 autumn semester
Share of student admission (%)
80
60
40
20
High
Middle
Low
Early leaving rate (%)
60
50
40
30
20
10
Low
Middle
High
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
0
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Semester
Source: Colombia Ministry of Education (2016a, 2016b).
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CHAPTER 12 | TARGET 4.3 – TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL, TERTIARY AND ADULT EDUCATION