Launch for Europe and North America of the Higher Education Policy Observatory

This seminar will serve as a general presentation of the Higher Education Policy Observatory –an interactive online platform developed by UNESCO IESALC- and its umbrella initiative, the Higher Education Policy Center, followed by a roundtable discussion with high-level policy makers from Europe and North America on the use of international data to guide higher education policy. The platform displays baseline comparative information on HE systems and policies worldwide. It showcases primary information collected by IESALC on HE policies and governance systems in nearly 150 countries through more than 40 indicators drawn from a battery of 150 variables, resulting in over 22.000 datapoints.  

The platform allows users to: 

• Visualize key information about HE systems and policies in individual countries,  
• Compare up to three HE systems on each indicator in a free and user-friendly way,  
• Access global and regional overviews of specific indicators through maps and graphs. 

It is the first online platform that centralizes and compares key legislative information on HE systems across the world in a single place. In its second phase, scheduled for the second half of 2024, the HE Policy Observatory will also integrate the main statistical information collected on HE by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 

The UNESCO IESALC Policy Hub is a one-stop shop for higher education (HE) policymakers, and any other relevant stakeholders working with or interested in HE policy, to access ready-to-use information and analysis on HE systems and policies globally. It includes a series of short publications (Policy Briefs and Insights), podcasts (Policy Talks), events (Policy Network and Forum) and a platform for visualizing and comparing higher education data internationally (Policy Observatory).  

Objectives 

• Introduce the HE Policy Observatory to policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders interested in HE policy and systems in Europe, North America, and beyond.  
• Discuss the importance of data and evidence, including international data, to drive informed policies and the improvement of HE systems. 
• Reflect on the new opportunities offered by the HE Policy Observatory for policymaking and research. 
• Discuss the next steps in generating evidence and data to expand our collective knowledge base and using it to improve HE worldwide (including the development of new indicators or the building of new international collaborations). 

Panelists:  

• Rajeev Darolia, Chief Economist, Department of Education, United States 
• Chiara Finocchietti, Director of CIMEA-NARIC ITALIA and President of ENIC-NARIC Network

Moderator:

• Victoria Galán-Muros, Chief of Research and Analysis at UNESCO IESALC

Registration: here