Accountability in the context of higher education evolutions

Introduction: The basis for addressing accountability in higher education is related to the nature of this influential institution; higher education is a subsystem within society that is in a reciprocal relationship with it and other subsystems. Therefore, any change within this subsystem signals changes within the international, national, and local community. From this perspective, when it comes to accountability in higher education, recognizing the internal changes in this subsystem is accompanied by understanding external changes. For this reason, in this article, accountability in the context of higher education in the world and Iran is explored with the approach of what the recent important social changes and trends have been and what their relationship is with higher education; so that by critically examining the form, content, and orientation of those factors in the context of time, a picture of the accountability process in higher education from the past to the present can be drawn, perhaps providing a way to picture its future in a way that the higher education institution, as a committed social institution, considers accountability as a virtue. In
the view of accountability as a virtue, the position of higher education as an actor, its relationship with what connections, and the subject matter and context in which it is questioned determine the concept and method of accountability and its elements in the formal and informal structure.
Findings: A) Science and technology developments and higher education: Science and technology are not two independent and unrelated components in the development process. Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a concept that has been discussed. The integration and combined effects of several exponential technologies have shaped this revolution, and as a result, the curriculum from school to university is evolving. The exact effects of such fourth-cycle technologies on society and the planet are still unknown. But the fact that deep and rapid changes are on the way seems certain. Since the social impacts or destructive environmental damage of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are hidden from us, the need for higher education to respond is essential.

B) Social demand for education and the massification of higher education: Today, elite higher education has evolved into inclusive higher education, and the development of the learning community has been postponed to the simultaneous quantitative expansion and qualitative improvement of access to higher-level learning. In such a system, higher education loses its original meaning and becomes a continuation of education. Therefore, higher education must respond to the balance between massification and protection from the deviation of the university mission.


C) The idea of ​​the entrepreneurial university and the marketization of higher education: the entrepreneurial university was supposed to respond to the needs of households, businesses, and the government, and its realization requires two-way interaction: the university is in touch with society and business, creating employment, producing knowledge, and transferring it in appropriate ways to the stakeholders and
the university's social responsibility. The community must also feel responsible for the university so that the cycle of systemic vision and the importance of the environment in advancing the goals of the entrepreneurial university is not flawed, because the entrepreneurial university is a network and has many relationships with its contacts and fellow entrepreneurs and industries, and with all types of individuals and groups related
to innovation and growth. It needs more ability to respond to real needs; therefore, innovations must be brought to the market, and innovation and entrepreneurship must be presented in fundamental ways in universities.
D) Society, industry and higher education: The importance of responding to the needs of industry has been and continues to be such that it has led to changes in educational courses in higher education institutions and their creation or dissolution, and countries have had different experiences based on their own requirements. Diversity between syllabi or implementation methods, continuous monitoring and modification of educational
and research courses to change requirements, reduce undesirable consequences, quality assurance for competitiveness and response to the needs of society today are among the reasons that lead to the diversity of postgraduate courses, and research, which is a strategic point in knowledge-based societies, is one of the sensitive points of focus on these courses. In global experience, the labour market situation, industry needs and the demand for cooperation from the demand side are the main drivers of PhD courses and applied research, and they have often been supported by government policies. Although the connection with industry brings the opportunity to impact the local region and economy, enrich financial flows, increase innovation and create jobs for students, there are concerns about the impact of this approach on the core mission of university research.
E) Quality assurance and ranking of higher education: The universality of higher education and the constraints on public spending have increased the sensitivity of stakeholders to the quality of higher education and its added value. Quality assurance bodies, which are accountable to institutions and the public, must ensure that experienced education providers provide a good standard in order to maintain trust in the national and international education system.
F) Accountability and the horizons ahead: The mission of universities is not limited to creating and sharing knowledge with students, companies and society at large. Universities have a moral responsibility to work for the common good and to find solutions to important global issues. This overarching mission and the goal of positively impacting society with respect for all stakeholders are embedded in the concept of university social responsibility. Universities therefore need to implement policies and procedures that ensure transparency and accountability in their decision-making and governance processes.

Discussion: The university is a social institution that must voluntarily and enthusiastically regain its lost responsibility and, by descending from the ivory tower, listen to the silenced voices and unknown needs in society and, with knowledge and wisdom,
find the appropriate way to serve itself at any time. Only then will accountability, as a social concept and constructed by society, go beyond the artificial duality of virtue and mechanism and provide its appropriate service by finding a balance in the ecosystem in which it breathes. In such a definition, for example, the universalization or marketization of higher education will not necessarily contradict the norms of the institution of science; provided that the institution of science moves from aristocracy to accepting social orders and becomes sensitive to social needs.