Exploring and Transforming Practices in Higher Education Within the Framework of Reconnection to Self, Others, and Nature: An Introduction

This article investigates lecturers’ and students’ perspectives on effective teaching practices in Islamic higher education during the Covid -19 pandemic. The pandemic caused the movement of teaching and learning modes from face to face into online/distance teaching and learning. The different modes of teaching and learning processes may raise a different perspective on effective teaching and learning practices, especially in Islamic higher education. Thirteen English lecturers and 262 English students from the third, fifth, and seventh semesters participated in this survey research. Questionnaires are distributed through Google Forms to collect data on lecturers’ and students’ perspectives on effective teaching practices. The results show that the lecturers and students have good perspectives on four aspects of online teaching (pedagogical, managerial, social, and technological roles) as effective teaching practices in higher education during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, lecturers and students have quite different sequences of most frequent responses on the roles. The three sequences of the lecturers’ responses are social roles, managerial roles, and pedagogical roles. Then the three sequences of the students’ responses are pedagogical roles and managerial roles (two positions: the second and third positions). This different perspective can be a consideration in conducting online teaching and learning.

Executive Summary Diversity has deep roots in American society and a tenacious hold on its social fabric. Institutions of higher education have not been very responsive to the issues raised by rapidly growing diverse communities in the United States. The institutions' response to diversity is not unexpected given that higher education is relatively conservative about changing its institutional practices. In order to understand how higher education may respond to diversity issues we discuss two frameworks in this paper that focus on the association between leadership and diversity. Our purpose is to use the frameworks as heuristic tools for examining the type of leadership practices higher education can utilize in its response to diversity. By contrasting the two frameworks we show that how higher education responds to diversity depends on its decision to either transform or transition the organizational culture and institutional environment. ********** Diversity in higher education is sometimes treated like the family member or relative that is shielded from view or the presence of others in an effort to avoid embarrassment or unkind comments. Unfortunately, much like the family member or relative, diversity will not go away or disappear, especially in an emergent global environment. Ever since the Bakke decision in 1978, institutions of higher education have been reluctant to promote diversity as a necessary dimension toward building themselves into inclusive communities. The institutions' reluctance intensified following the Hopwood decision in 1998, that diversity is not a compelling reason for altering the institutional climate in higher education. The reluctance of higher education institutions to promote diversity can be attributed to the observation that diversity in higher education has an end in itself, rather than a means to a greater educational end, and because universities have failed to establish the fundamental link between diversity and their educational missions (Alger, 1997: 20). In the twenty years that lapsed between Bakke and Hopwood white Americans have become increasingly hostile toward diversity issues. In a recent national poll conducted by the Washington Post, the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University, researchers found that white Americans misperceive the socio-economic realities of African Americans, tending to hold unrealistically positive views of their progress. Moreover, these distorted views are linked to an unwillingness to support social policies and programs that create opportunities and provide support to minorities (Morin, 2001). If the social climate in American society is less supportive of initiatives that address diversity issues, how then can institutions of higher education respond to diversity? More importantly, how do leadership practices in higher education respond to diversity? Our purpose in this paper is to discuss and contrast two frameworks regarding the association between diversity and leadership in higher education. We examine the association by asking two questions: What types of leadership practices transition institutions of higher education to address diversity issues? What types of leadership practices transform institutions of higher education into an inclusive community for diversity issues? While we recognize that the term diversity is used in higher education to refer to multiple types of communities based on cultural, racial, ethnic or sexual identities, we limit our use of the term in this paper to minority (non-white) persons and their communities. We use the term leadership practices in this paper to identify actions at either the organizational or individual level that seek to determine goals and strategic planning within the organizational culture of higher education (see Ackoff & Pourdehnad, 2001; Schnebel, 2000). Diversity as a Concern Why is diversity important to higher education? …

This systematic literature review examines research on inclusive policies and practices in higher education institutions published between 2001 and 2021. Six electronic databases (ERIC, Emerald, Web of Science, Wiley Online, Taylor & Francis Online, and Sage journal) were searched. Forty‐three articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The results suggest that the number of studies on inclusive policies and practices in higher education is gradually increasing. Research on inclusion in higher education primarily focuses on policies, practices and accessibility. Studies reviewed delve into national, regional and university‐level policies. Practices mainly related to curriculum, teaching and learning, and accessibility. The curriculum was projected as critical in facilitating inclusive practices in higher education. The curriculum must be learner‐centred, promote collaboration, use flexible assessment, and provide individual course guides and flexible and expanded learning opportunities for all students. Teaching must be differentiated, use multi‐methods and assessments, and be orchestrated in a conducive atmosphere. Accessibility in terms of physical structures, social environment, attitudinal and digital provision was critical to ensure the inclusion of people who identified as disabled. The findings culminate in the development of an inclusive higher education framework. Implications for research and practice in higher education are highlighted. Context and implications Rationale for this study: This study addresses the lack of a research‐based framework and knowledge on inclusive policies and practices that support students' access and success throughout their studies. Why the new findings matter: The findings provide a comprehensive framework of policies at the national, regional and university level, and of curriculum, teaching and learning, and accessibility practices. Implications for practitioners, policy makers, researchers and general public : Policy makers, university teachers and administration staff can use the framework to assess and reflect on the current policies and practices, but also to develop policies and practices that enhance inclusion in higher education. Considering the framework and the ‘best practices’ focus, university students and the general public can request the implementation of these policies and practices in their higher education institutions. Researchers are provided with a thorough analysis of relevant research work and can respond to the calls for more policy‐focused research at the regional and national level and more studies on socially marginalised groups.

One of the goals of higher education in China is to cultivate college students with comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills. Among them, cultivating college students with aesthetic ability and noble aesthetic sentiment is an important part of this goal. Based on the experience of a college student worker for many years, this paper discusses the situation of aesthetic education practice in higher education from three aspects: the analysis of the situation of aesthetic education practice in higher education, the discussion of the causes of aesthetic education practice problems in higher education, and the solutions to the problems in aesthetic education practice in higher education.

This chapter draws on three case studies of higher education courses conducted as part of the larger research project Quality of Norwegian Higher Education: Pathways, Practices and Performances. These cases had important elements of simulation in their curriculum as part of their nursing, law and management studies. We look more closely into how simulations are designed and used in these courses. The overall questions are: How are simulations used in these teaching practices, and in what ways do they serve to bridge the gap between theory and practice? Nursing education use sophisticated manikins, manipulated by specially trained nurses who interact with nursing students through, predominantly digital technologies as well as tactile hardware. They pose challenges to the students who try to develop mastery of procedures and handle the uncertainties that follow a “true” nursing situation. The management education course used a role play developed in-house with the purpose of training students to perform interviews and selecting candidates for hiring. The setup for simulation in law studies was to establish a stage for a trial court room, with students filling the roles of prosecutors and defenders and members of the audience. We discuss how the cases display risks and promises for the use of simulations in teaching practices in higher education, especially where potentials for knowledge integration are concerned.

Purpose: to conceptualize the place of deontological theory in the practice of modern national higher education. In order to achieve this goal, the nature and peculiarities of the theory of due are analysed, as well as the prospects for applying its principles and ideas in the educational process. Results: the theoretical nature of the research established the specific nature of the theory of due, principles and ideas of which become relevant in the context of the restructuring of social relations, the revision of values and value orientations, the practical implementation of which, among other things, requires reference to the categories of due, obligation, duty, responsibility, etc. Discussion: educational practice in higher education predicts not only freedom and democracy values engaging, but also creating the conditions for forming a system of imperatives socially acceptable personal (in particular, professional) behaviour. The article deals with the place of deontological theory in the practice of higher education. The author explains his position by the specific nature of the theory of due, principles and ideas of which become relevant in the context of the social relations restructuring, revision of values and value orientations, practical implementation of which, among other things, calls for the categories of due, obligation, responsibility and so on. The material presented above is obviously debatable as to the place of deontological theory in higher education practice. In no way denying the general trend towards the promotion by the higher education institutions of the ideas and values typical and standard for education and intellectual priorities of Europe, we insist on the need to address within the national education system the theme of the values of duty, responsibility, self-restraint in the interests of society, ie theory of due. Our position is based on the fact that deontological discourse is also an integral part of the European intellectual culture, and among the values of Europe, the already mentioned values of duty and responsibility, without which the universally recognized ideas of the rule of law and justness, are practically impossible.

In this chapter we take a close look at how practice is manifested in national policy documents aimed at higher education. Our path into these documents is via three search terms: practice, practice-related and practice-oriented. In our search we find many hits on practice, but fewer related to practice in education, while the terms practice-related and practice-oriented were hardly mentioned in the policy documents. From 2016 more and better practice became a frequent phrase in the documents, also with reference to academic higher education. When taking a closer look at the national recommendations for a bachelor’s degree in business administration (which has the greatest volume of students), we find some interest in practice during the 2010s, but it has since dwindled. A concerted understanding of how practice in higher education should be conceptualised is also elusive, with one exception: the white paper from 2021 regarding higher education’s increased relevance for the labour market. In addition, the term practice is closely associated with many other concepts within education, like knowledge, experience, learning and reflection. The ambition to introduce more practice in higher education, here understood as in-field practice in the labour market, raises many questions, such as whether students should have a legal right to be offered a placement and whether educational institutions have the will and the resources to meet national expectations. Even with explicit national signals, it is uncertain whether more practice will become a reality in academic higher education.

This article asserts that a scholarship of practice should emerge to improve day-to-day administrative practice in higher education. Six characteristics of professional practice in higher education strongly indicate such a need. The primary goals of scholarship of practice are to improve administrative practice in higher education and to develop a knowledge base worthy of professional status. This article also presents four attributes that a scholarship of practice must possess with particular attention to the types of knowledge needed for professional practice and how these types of knowledge might be developed by a scholarship of practice. Implications for policy and practice in higher education are also presented.

Universities in the twenty-first century experience numerous competing drivers that shape their sense of purpose and role in society, their perspectives of knowledge and its production and their overall sense of being in the world. One major force is marketplace discourse, in particular neo-liberalism and competition, which is discordant with the discourse of academic collaboration and collegial sharing. This review essay examines what it means to ‘be’ a university in light of these overarching discourses and what is envisioned for universities of the future. In particular, the essay focuses on how universities around the world respond to the tensions of competition agendas in local contexts. How are global policies on education as a tradeable commodity shaping university policies, discourses and practices? How is competition moulding the overall notion of a university education? What is imagined for the future of universities, given the dissonance between competition and collaboration agendas and practices in higher education? These questions are explored through reviews of two recent books that focus on global shapings of higher education institutions: ‘‘Being a University’’ by Ronald Barnett (2011) and ‘‘Higher Education, Policy and the Global Competition Phenomenon’’ (Portnoi et al. 2010) edited by Laura Portnoi, Val Rust and Sylvia Bagley. Barnett’s book is used primarily to outline the characteristics of various universities’ being and becoming. Portnoi et al’s work provides clear illustrations of the lived experience of higher education in the current globally competitive age. Three broad questions frame this review: • How do universities currently see themselves as being in a globally competitive market? • How does the globally competitive agenda operate in practice in different universities? • What could universities ‘become’ in the future?

While research is abundant on academics’ research engagement in higher education, very little has been done to study the setbacks for research practices in English language teaching (ELT) in higher education. Adopting a qualitative research design, the present study explored the research setbacks for ELT in higher education. To this end, 10 masters students, 10 doctoral students, and 10 university instructors of ELT in different state universities in Iran took part in the study. A narrative frame was applied to collect initial data, followed by conducting individual semi-structured interviews to gain more in-depth knowledge about the participants’ research practices. Thematic analysis, used to analyse the data, uncovered a number of themes and categories addressing the masters and doctoral students’ and university instructors’ research setbacks in higher education. A number of themes were generated for the following categories of research setbacks: issues with research projects, insignificant contribution, and pressures from the immediate context. The findings are discussed in the light of the literature and the status of research practice in higher education, and implications are suggested for research practice in higher education.

This study is necessitated by the observation that university students’ preferences do not reflect the ideal pedagogical practices in higher education, especially university students in Ghana. Therefore, given that previous studies have concentrated solely on classroom-related practices of lecturers, this study examines undergraduate students’ preferences for their lecturers’ pedagogical practices in higher education. It addresses Peripheral Academic Writing Practices (PAWP) and Actual Academic Writing Practices (AAWP). Using the quantitative approach, with focus on cross-sectional survey design, the study samples 598 Bachelor of Education (Arts) students. Preference for literacy practices questionnaire (PLPsQ) is adopted for the study, with emphasis on dichotomised regularities in higher education: normative socialization (NS) and Academic Literacies Socialization (ALS). Data analysis focuses on mean and standard deviation. Findings from the study indicate that undergraduate students’ preferences show a blended approach of hybridised notations of an integrated pattern of teacher-centred and non-digital based approach to pedagogy as well as student-centred and digital-based approach to pedagogy. Regarding the priority ratings of their preferences, they seem to prefer practices that require their active participation in the lesson, engagement in criticality, and utilisation of digital-based technology. However, in terms of information generating practices, undergraduate students seem to have the most preference for teacher-centred information-generation practices, where they would want their lecturers to provide them with all the information (such as copious notes, pamphlets, course packs, and handouts) that they need to learn for the semester. Therefore, various departments in higher education, especially in Ghana, should organise research clinics, student-led seminars, and workshops in order to develop students’ habit of generating their own knowledge so as to realise the decolonisation, liberalisation, and transformative agenda envisaged in higher education.

PurposeThis research aims to examine the influence of green human resources (green recruitment and selection [Green R&S] and green training and development [Green T&D]) and transformational leadership (TL) on sustainable practices in higher education. Additionally, this study also aims to investigate the role of top management commitment (TMC) in strengthening the relationship between Green HRM and sustainability in the higher education ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted three relevant theoretical frameworks namely, resource-based view (RBV) theory, TL theory and sustainable leadership theory. The primary data were collected from the academicians working in Malaysian higher education through survey-based instruments. This study employed a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) approach using SmartPLS software. A total of 251 valid responses were used to perform hypothesis testing.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that Green T&D and TL show a positive significant impact on sustainable practices and TMC in the higher education system. Similarly, Green R&S also have a positive impact on TMC, while having a negative but insignificant influence on sustainable practices in higher education. Additionally, this study also found a positive relationship between TMC and sustainable practices in higher education.Originality/valueThis study shed light on the importance of Green HRM, TL and TMC in fostering sustainable practices in higher education. We are certain that our findings provide useful and strategic policy implications for managers in higher education ecosystems.

Endorsing the role of Universities as caregiving organisations and following an initial report on contemplative practices (CP) in Higher Education by the Institute of Theological Partnerships (2016) and the Mindful Nation UK (2015), a Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group (CPWG) was convened to explore the possibilities to implement contemplative pedagogy and practices at the University. CP such as Buddhist meditation have direct bearings in developing and cultivating compassion. With the intention to foster a culture of gentleness within the University, a survey was administered to 301 students to: 1- probe their attitudes toward the introduction of CP at the University and 2- to collect information on their use of technology. Results indicate that 79% of students will be favourable to the introduction of CP at the University on a voluntary basis and 58% will be keen to engage with the practice. However, if short time practices were to be introduced in classes, 44% will be self-conscious and admit it will affect their practice. Seventy percent admit difficulty with their attention during lectures and exam revisions and 58% are distracted by mobile technologies used in classes, report of distractibility is more marked among the youngest. 
 The survey’s result highlights student’s tendency to consider learning about CP in relation to the mind and emotions should be part of their education. This awareness is indicative of a change in students’ expectation and support the CPWG initiatives in offering regular Zen meditation practices and building up a Cosmic Garden within the University premises. Challenges in fostering a compassionate learning and teaching environment and concerns related to the pervasive use of technology in classes, in particular the correlation between the variety of online multitasking and the worry of feeling self-conscious during CP will be discussed.

This article presents the importance of online course revision to improve best practices in distance higher education, increase student success and raise retention rates. A year-long, systematic, unified approach to online course review was conducted by a committee of Humanities professors. The aim of this paper is to share the significant enhancements made to an online course design, using the 7th Edition of Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric to boost student engagement, performance, and satisfaction. This study discusses how each standard was applied to refine an online course. The purpose of the revision was to systematically address the standards as proposed by the QM rubric. Findings revealed areas to strengthen in each of the eight general standards resulting in the actualization of the course design to be more accessible and practical for student use. A few of the specific enhancements because of the revision were the creation of a course content map, clear and predictable design, weekly email reminders, and rubrics. Student feedback confirmed positive outcomes after the successful implementation of best practices using the QM rubric.

Value creation: What matters most in Communities of Learning Practice in higher education