The Impact of digitalisation on work life balance: A study on higher education sector in India

This study attempts to comprehend the reading habits of faculty members of the higher education sector in India during the lockdown period and a comparative analysis of the reading habits of faculty members prior to the lockdown and during the lockdown. The study used an online survey approach to gather information using a Google form. The study population was composed of teachers from the higher education sectors in India. The study revealed the change and the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown state on faculty members’ reading habits in India’s higher education sector. An online survey was conducted of the unknown population using WhatsApp received 734 responses. The responses were analyzed by the study’s objectives and tested a simple null hypothesis, i.e., “There is no significant change in the reading habits of the faculty members of the higher education sector in India during the lockdown period.” The study discovered that faculty members had spent more time for reading, reading habits have considerably increased, a positive impact on reading habits, utilized their lockdown time to satisfy their information needs, the change in reading habits is observable, and there is an inclination towards the utilization of digital and online information. The study would be helpful for librarians, libraries, and information centres to prepare future strategic plans, develop a system for crisis management in libraries, and provide better information services after knowing the opinion of faculty members of higher education. The study is original since no study combining variables such as teachers, higher education sector, India, and reading habits has been undertaken. This study would also guide future studies in this field.

Purpose Due to government policies, accreditation demands, competition, digital India reforms and National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the need for electronic human resource management (e-HRM) has increased considerably in the Indian higher education (HE) sector, but the literature has revealed that the adoption of e-HRM practices in Indian HE institutions (HEIs) is still in its embryonic stage; therefore, the purpose of the current qualitative study is to explore the challenges and facilitators of e-HRM adoption in the Indian HE sector through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Design/methodology/approach The present study incorporates IPA, to capture the personal lived experiences of the HR executives employed in the Indian HEIs. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the HR executives employed in Indian universities and institutions to know the perspectives on the adoption of e-HRM practices in Indian HEIs. Findings The study identified two superordinate themes, namely, challenges and facilitators of e-HRM adoption in the Indian HE sector. The superordinate theme “challenges” comprises eight sub-themes. Further, the theme “facilitators” consists of six subthemes. Practical implications The study has implications for the stakeholders of the HE sector, i.e. HR practitioners, top executives of the HE sector, government and HE regulators and other stakeholders of the HE sector. Originality/value This study has given deep insights into the challenges and facilitators in the adoption of e-HRM practices in the Indian HE sector, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study till date has filled this knowledge gap through qualitative exploration using IPA.

Prioritizing the Factors influencing Whistle Blowing Intentions of Teachers in Higher Education Institutes in India

Data mining is a process of extracting knowledge from large databases. Knowledge is appreciated as ultimate power now a days and considered as very important factor for the success of any organization because it has impacted the role of people working in that organization. In last decade, the higher education sector in India has grown radically. Thus HR management has implemented various improvements and it is hard for organizations to retain a motivated and competent workforce. Clever investment in human resource and its effective management has become very necessary today. HRM in higher education sector is further complicated by qualitative and multidimensional definition of “performance” of an academician (employee) in this sector. This paper aims to propose a model for predicting employee performance in higher education institutes with the help of classification and prediction techniques of data mining. The objective of model is to facilitate decisions in a challenging and emerging field of HRM in higher education sector.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors that determine the knowledge exchange intention and behavioural nature of academics by the help of social media tools in the Indian higher education. Design/methodology/approach This study has used valance–instrumentality–expectancy (VIE) theory to determine the knowledge exchange behaviour of academics. The study has considered the effects of knowledge contributor (KC) and knowledge seeker (KS) as moderators. The model has been validated by using a survey with 320 usable respondents. Findings The results highlight that if the stakeholders of higher education institutions feel the deficits of knowledge exchange, they realize importance of knowledge sharing and use social media to increase effect of knowledge exchange. Besides, perceived usefulness impacts on the use of social media for knowledge exchange by the concerned stakeholders. Moreover, it is observed that experience of the use of social media impacts the use of this tool for knowledge exchange. Research limitations/implications The use and application of VIE theory have successfully been able to interpret the factors affecting use of social media for knowledge exchange in higher educational institutes. The use of VIE theory has also been able to explain the proposed model better as the model could achieve a high explanative power (87%). Practical implications This study has provided meaningful insights to the practitioners and policymakers to realize how the stakeholders of the higher education institutions in India can be motivated to feel the need of sharing of knowledge and how they can use social media with ease for this purpose. Originality/value Not much research has been conducted with regard to the usage of social media as a tool for knowledge sharing in higher education sector in India. In that sense, this study is a novel attempt to undertake such research.

PurposeThe present paper highlights the increasing importance of remote learning amidst the closure of educational institutions in India in the wake of COVID-19. This paper not only discusses critical issues and challenges that remote learning system in the higher education sector in India has been encountering amidst this pandemic but also sheds light on ways to deal with them.Design/methodology/approachThe paper makes use of secondary sources of data along with descriptive and comparative approaches to examine the issues, challenges and way forward for a transition from face-to-face teaching to remote learning in the case of India.FindingsThe paper suggests that greater use of this alternative mode of learning can be made for checking “human capital deficit,” preventing loss of future earnings (because of loss of education) and also for preparing a future-ready digital workforce to surf the Industry 4.0 wave. Besides, this can help to achieve the goal of “Education for all” and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). Among others, concerted policies for bridging skill gaps, forging partnerships and following equity-oriented policies for ensuring learning outcomes seem to be the way forward for a resilient education system.Originality/valueAs per our knowledge, no such study on the use of remote learning covering the higher education sector in India amidst COVID-19 has been done so far.

The current pandemic scenario has suddenly changed the definitions, models and structures of all fields of life, the education sector being no exception. All the stakeholders of this sector- the governments, administrations/managements of the institutions, the teachers and lastly and most importantly the students, who are at the receiving end, have found themselves grappling with the situation, trying to find the best solutions to continue the teaching learning process in the best way possible. Countries all over the globe are dealing with the existing situation in different ways. While in some countries online/digital education was already an established norm, in some others- specially the developing countries, the concept is relatively new and shall take some time to integrate into the conventional modes of disseminating education. The current paper, however, attempts to present an overview of the higher education sector in India-- the pre-COVID and post-COVID scenario as far as the digital initiatives taken by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India are concerned. The MHRD and the government of India had already started taking steps towards digitalization of education in the higher education sector and those initiatives have only got a stimulus in the current lockdown situation due to the pandemic. The University Grants Commission- which is a statutory body under MHRD, charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education- has been issuing fresh guidelines and directives to the universities of the country for incorporating various programs to encourage online teaching and learning. Training of teachers in various ICT enabled Learning Management Systems under various schemes, making students aware of various digital platforms of learning, directing state governments and institutions regarding making use of the various applications for learning etc. are, to name a few, the steps taken by the government of India in the current situation. All these programs and initiatives shall certainly have a bearing on the future course of education in the country as well, because by the time the pandemic situation is over- the digital/online education shall have become a ‘new normal’ across the country

The current era is the era of knowledge. Knowledge has become a powerful tool to win any war-like situation. Today, global economies run on the power of knowledge. To make a country more powerful, more knowledgeable human resources are required. Thus, the role of the education sector is prominent in creating knowledge resources. Knowledge concepts are systematized and disseminated through the education system. As per the World Bank report, India stands third in the world after the US and China as far as the higher education system is concerned. However, when we talk of quality in higher education, it falls short of institutional recognition at the world level. The reason may be the lack of impetus for innovation and research in India's education system. To improve the quality of higher education in India, a new National IPR policy was launched in 2016 to promote innovation and creativity in higher education institutes. Also, a new National Education Policy was formulated in 2020 which acknowledged less focus on innovation and research in higher educational institutes as a major problem and aims at developing academic inquisitiveness, scientism, and creativity in these institutions. It is necessary not only to create new knowledge but also to protect it as an intangible human asset. Through Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), the owner gets proprietary rights over the newly created knowledge or innovative ideas, though for a limited duration of time, thereby reducing the chances of theft or misuse of these. The present study focused on understanding the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and strategies in terms of policy measures and steps taken by the government to integrate IPR into the education sector in India. The study found that though, the government is taking many measures for popularizing the concept of IPR creation and promotion, still much awareness needs to be created among students and faculties. The study is based on content analysis of secondary data collected from sources like published government reports, research journals, research articles, websites newspapers, etc. The study is descriptive and exploratory

Higher education has emerged as one of the most critical factors for the Nation’s economic, political, social and cultural growth and development. Reforming the higher education sector has become an emergent norm across the globe, especially in the developing world. India is one such emerging nation, witnessing a major shift in its ideological, pragmatic and policy directions in the last few years. The higher education sector in India has witnessed unprecedented expansion. However, given the distinctive social-political-economic context and its complexity in India, expansion in higher education is often linked with ensuring equity and access. Whereas in the developed world, expansion is often associated with quality or excellence in higher education i.e. creating world-class universities. Further, excellence in higher education is arguably the most critical component for the survival, sustenance and growth of the sector. To this end, the paper examines the convergence and divergence in policies and practices related to the pursuit of excellence in higher education and its institutions in India vis-à-vis the dominant global reforms in higher education. Erstwhile policies related to quality in higher education and the current draft National Education Policy-2019, provide a reference to the local-distinctive strategies for seeking excellence at the systemic and the institutional level, with an aspiration for global reputation. For instance, National Institutional Ranking Framework, University Grants Commission’s graded autonomy, Institutional restructuring, National Accreditation and Assessment Council and Quacquarelli Symonds- India rating and so on. The paper also sets direction on how Local strategies for global aspirations could unpack a series of issues regarding the reforms in education and delineate in what ways that these emerging global reforms, strategies are effective and appropriate to the local higher education system and its institutions.

Setting up of an educational institution is not easy and requires a lot of regulatory formalities to be completed before opening and during its operations. If it is shut down within initial phase it is painful as well as legally difficult to close it, especially in India. It has been observed that a significant number of academic institutions of technical higher education have been shut down by the promoters due to lack of financial viability, lack of knowledge of about the business, poor management, and other social factors. The present study is an attempt to find out the reasons of mass failure of many technical higher education institutions and to suggest a unique financing model in order to ensure the quality of education and long-term benefit for the promoters by maintaining financial discipline.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is an important concept. It encourages people to get on par with the issues related to planetary sustainability, taking effective decision and acting on them. It also provides better vision for rational solutions, empower people and helps in critical and systematic thinking. The present paper studies the role of sustainable development process in higher education arena, growth and performance of higher education institutions and also examines the ESD based learning used for faculty members. The results indicate that higher education sector has witnessed a tremendous expansion in recent years. Attempts have also been made to suggest some measures to enhance the use of sustainable development mechanism in higher education sector in India.

The COVID-19 epidemic has affected higher education worldwide, more so in developing societies. While several studies have looked at the impact of this pandemic on higher education, evidence on the changing policies and practices of managing higher education in a global crisis is still sparse. We present an analysis of how the higher education sector was managed at the system (national/state) institutional and individual levels during the pandemic in India. Drawing on the notion of federalism, we examine the process of decision-making and policy implementation during the crisis and its long-term implications on the governance of higher education. We use student and teacher survey data and critical review of documents by the government and regulatory bodies of higher education, at national and state levels, in our analysis. We find that students have faced the issues like a lack of peer group interactions, unavailability of study materials and lack of regular interaction with teachers that often helps them in performing better while in colleges and universities. Teachers, particularly from private higher education institutions, suffered immense economic distress due to undue delay in receipt of salaries, salary cuts or retrenchment. More importantly, responses to the pandemic-led challenges for higher education by regulatory and coordinating bodies are seldom based on assessing the challenges students and teachers face. It is argued that federalism in education has been substantially weakened as the pandemic response followed a centralised and unilateral approach of decision-making. The article concludes with the short-term and long-term implications of the pandemic-led crisis on the higher education sector in India, adds to the growing literature on the issue.

Learners nowadays are susceptible to stress and boredom due to the prevalence of e-learning. Young adults form their personalities in the context of dynamic networks that heavily depend on technological advances. As a way to involve learners, game-based learning refers to the adoption of some gaming ideas and their adaptation to actual contexts. Computer and video games can give e-learners the opportunity to engage in educational strategies that emphasize practical immersion and are accompanied by frameworks that foster competence, professionalism, and creative thinking. Through this study, the authors explore the use of game-based learning in the higher education sector in India. The authors aim to understand e-learners’ perceptions regarding game-based learning especially as elearning is growing in popularity and to bring out the various factors that contribute to the success of game-based learning in higher education. Based on the study, the authors also propose a 6C Strategy Model highlighting various strategies that faculty members and educators can use. The model will enable faculty members to effectively utilize game-based learning to keep the e-learners motivated and engaged throughout the e-learning process.

China and India are two fast-growing economies and both countries have realized the significance of higher education in building the knowledge economy. Although India has been ahead of China in granting a world class education in the past, times are changing and India's attempts to modernize her higher education sector have been feeble. This study compares the two giants and suggests a framework for changes in the higher education sector in India in order that she remains competitive in the world of education.

Education sector in India has seen immense technological advancement in the last few decades. New types of mobile gadgets have come up in the Indian electronics market - many of which can be used effectively in both class-room and distance mode of education. Higher education sector in India is slowly adopting those new technologies in course delivery; however, it is still a far way to go for Indian education sector in order to achieve effective technology-infusion in academic delivery. This paper discusses effectiveness of new gadgets like smartphones, e-book reader as well as tablets PC in both class-room as well as distance education sector in Indian perspective.