What is value in Higher Education? Studying scientific production through co-word analysis

In this qualitative study, we research what constitutes the relationships between conceptions of quality and value associated with higher education as experienced by prospective employers of business graduates. Quality and value in higher education are often linked though the relationship is unclear. Employers are an important and under-researched stakeholder group on the demand side of higher education. Data are generated by interviewing prospective employers of business graduates from a UK university. Interviews are analysed using a phenomenographic method to determine the qualitatively different ways in which actors make sense of the relationships between quality and value. Understanding prospective employers’ conceptions of the relationships is important given the competitive pressures on universities and businesses. The research reinforces the experiential and idiosyncratic relationships between quality and value in higher education. Three conceptions of what constitutes quality and value in higher education are discussed: (a) quality is an antecedent of value; (b) quality is simple while value is complex; and (c) quality is internal to HE while value is created in the customer domain. The research outcomes provide important insights for researchers and practitioners through clearer understanding of how quality and value are related for this important stakeholder group.

Introduction: On Learning, Freedom, and Democracy

Values in Higher Education Teaching explores the way in which teaching, research, learning and higher education are a values enterprise and that an exploration of values is necessary to work out the full purposes of a higher education to guide practices and help academics understand academic work. Values inform thinking and actions and although this is well recognized, values are seldom brought to the forefront of inquiries as practices in higher education are developed. This book argues that by putting values firmly on the agenda of those who teach, work and learn in higher education the academic profession can open up new spaces for value conversations and potentially transform the way in which they practice. Values in Higher Education Teaching is key reading for university lecturers, those with responsibility for leadership and management of higher education and postgraduates studying for higher degrees in higher education. There are few books that directly address the broad and complex question of values in teaching in higher education yet at the same time values are widely recognised as permeating all our practices. In this sense an accepted part of academic life remains in the realm of 'taken for granted' rather than being consciously and explicitly explored and practiced. The book deals with the idea of values in both a philosophical and practical manner. It is based on original research and uses both empirical data and theory to address teaching values in higher education and the current values of the higher education system. It explores what academics have valued historically in teaching and also addresses the major reforms of the last 20 years. Reforms have essentially changed the nature of western higher education but have made little real difference to the outcomes for student learning and society whereas teaching with values in all subjects has the potential to radically alter student experiences.

The values and the value of higher education are equally contested issues in contemporary South Africa. The affirmation of the ‘utility’ or ‘market value’ of higher education (Etzkowitz 2002), especially in the context of an emerging network knowledge economy (Castells 1996), is sometimes seen as threatening to traditional higher education values of ‘reason and culture’ (Barnett 2000). These values are considered to be a bulwark against trends of instrumentalism, populism, managerialism and performativity, currently influencing calls for the re-positioning of higher education. This paper poses the question: Would good values advance the value of higher education in facilitating social and economic progress, beyond instrumentalism, in the context of an emerging knowledge economy? Good values or ‘intellectual virtues’ (Aristotle) are seen on a continuum from civic-mindedness to institutional self-interest in the spheres of university leadership and governance. The value of higher education is considered in relation to ‘the object of life’ (Aristotle), which is presented in South African terms. The theoretical framework is informed by selected perspectives on universities in the knowledge economy context, including issues pertaining to national systems of innovation, the triple helix of university–government–industry and theory on the role of universities in development. The subject of the study is a research-active university in an emerging economy. It is argued that the value of higher education in a knowledge economy is not by definition antithetical to traditional values, but may be developed and derived from them in either an evolutionary or revolutionary way.

Introduction: The term value is related to the very existence of the person, since it affects their behavior, configures and models their ideas and conditions their feelings; therefore, values are the foundation of personal and social order and balance. Higher education demands comprehensive training and education in values of teachers, whose achievement is a challenge today.Objective: to identify the formation of values, their integration in the work of higher education and the health professional.Method. A bibliographic review was carried out using the descriptors: formation of values; ethical concepts; higher level education. The bibliographic compilation methods were used, as well as its analysis and synthesis.Development: Addressing the study of values in higher education implies returning to the study of ethics. University education seeks to train comprehensive professionals for society, so its preparation must include the delivery of knowledge, skills and values. The formation of values in higher education is a very complicated issue to address, for this reason it is necessary to have teachers concerned about training ethical professionals, in order to impact and break structures that harm the development of society.Conclusions: The research shows that university students should promote values a little more. The value of obtaining them overrides a good habit as excellent professionals with good ethics. Values are forged in the family, but the role of the faculty in promoting their improvement is indisputable.

Islamic education is essential in shaping moral and social values supporting social cohesion and peacebuilding, especially in Aceh. This study explores how Islamic educational values are integrated into higher education in Aceh and their impact on social cohesion and peace. Qualitative methods with phenomenological approaches and thematic analysis are used in this study. The data were obtained through in-depth interviews with lecturers, students, and stakeholders at several universities in Aceh, as well as through participant observation and document analysis. The study results show that Islamic values such as brotherhood, tolerance, social justice, and conflict resolution are successfully integrated into the educational process. Islamic education contributes to social cohesion in the academic environment and the surrounding community. Students and lecturers reported personal and social transformations, strengthening their involvement in peacebuilding. This study concludes that integrating Islamic values in higher education in Aceh is essential for creating social cohesion and supporting peace. More efforts are needed to strengthen the implementation of these values in the higher education system.

Purpose Universities recognize graduates as co-creators of academic service value, enhancing university-graduate relations. This study aims to analyze graduates’ perceptions of quality, experience, value, and loyalty; and to validate a model of perceived value and university loyalty among Zootechnical Engineering graduates of Argentine Universities. An analysis is conducted of how perceived experience, course quality, and educational experience influence loyalty. Design/Methodology/Approach The research involved a survey of 298 graduates of Zootechnical Engineering degrees of six Argentine universities. Hipothesized relations were tested with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The findings indicated that the perceived quality of Zootechnical Engineering courses significantly impacted the perceived value of education, which enhanced graduate loyalty towards the university. Graduates’ experiences, including academic and professional preparation, contributed to their perceptions of value. The results showed that quality and value were significant determinants of loyalty through correlational, rather than deterministic relationships. Practical Implications Our results offer insight into how University administrators can improve educational strategies and foster deeper graduate relationships, by enhancing perceived value and experiences. This can contribute to stronger alumni networks and encourage ongoing engagement with graduates. Theoretical Implications The model of perceived value and loyalty, which contributes to the literature on the co-creation of value in Higher Education, was empirically validated in a specific territorial and disciplinary context. Originality/Value This study of Zootechnical Engineering graduates’ perceptions of their course and their university in South America, an under-researched area, offers a globally applicable framework for understanding how academic and experiential factors influence alumni relations.

This study examines the evolving perceptions of higher education's value across four decades (pre-1980 to 2020s) in the United States, analyzing data from the General Social Survey (N=34,388). Using ordered logistic regression models, this research investigates three dimensions of higher education's perceived value: public support for education spending, financial satisfaction among college graduates, and happiness levels of those with higher education credentials. The regression models, which control for demographic and socioeconomic factors, reveal a paradoxical pattern in how higher education's value has transformed over time: while public support for education spending has increased significantly over time and financial satisfaction among college graduates has remained relatively stable, happiness among the college-educated has declined dramatically in recent years, particularly in the 2020s. The regression results show that compared to the pre-1980 period, the odds of believing more should be spent on education were significantly higher in subsequent decades, reaching 2.57 times higher in the 2020s (β = 0.944, p < 0.001). For college graduates specifically, this effect was even stronger, with odds 2.82 times higher in the 2020s (β = 1.035, p < 0.001). In contrast, regression models examining financial satisfaction among college graduates showed no statistically significant differences across time periods, suggesting stability in economic returns despite changing conditions. Most strikingly, happiness models showed significant positive coefficients for the 1990s (β = 0.179, p < 0.05) and 2000s (β = 0.256, p < 0.01) compared to pre-1980, but a large negative coefficient for the 2020s (β = -0.785, p < 0.001), indicating a dramatic decline in subjective well-being. Additionally, the analysis of return on educational investment revealed a substantial decrease in respondents achieving high income without college degrees (from 43.82% to 12.90%) alongside an increase in college graduates experiencing low returns (from 13.57% to 23.63%). These findings suggest that higher education has become increasingly necessary yet decreasingly sufficient for ensuring positive life outcomes. The study contributes to theoretical understandings of education's evolving social contract and has implications for educational institutions and policymakers navigating the changing landscape of higher education's value proposition in contemporary society.

As competition intensifies, it is essential that higher education providers endeavour to develop and offer high quality, satisfaction-creating service experiences. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to positive perceptions of the institutions services. Current perspectives suggest that the student should be engaged as an active co-producer of the university experience. Interactive classroom technologies may enhance the student experience by encouraging participation. This study examines whether student perceived value, namely social or functional value, satisfaction, and loyalty differs for students participating in a personal response technology enabled classroom experience, versus a more traditional classroom experience. A partial least squares approach was adopted using a sample of 184 students. The use of personal response technology was not found to be positively related to the student experience. In the current context, it appeared to break classroom social patterns resulting in an individualistic, disengaging educational experience. Interestingly, in the traditional, non-technology condition social interaction was enhanced and social value strongly determined students’ perceptions of loyalty. These results suggest that it is the pedagogy, and not the technology that matters in higher education provision. Conclusions, implications and opportunities for future research are presented.

Consideration of the value of higher education is made difficult by problems of definition, the alternative perspectives possible and the need to place any evaluation in a comparative setting. This paper addresses these difficulties by comparing the value (and values) of two alternative forms of higher education, full-time and part-time, in terms of six related themes—demand, access and equity; maturity and adulthood; employment and activity; residence; cost-effectiveness and productivity; flexibility and innovation. It concludes that part-time higher education is seriously undervalued in this country, and that a shift in the balance of provision is required in order to increase the overall value of higher education for most people in most circumstances. A framework for examining the value of higher education alongside alternative activities or investments is then briefly presented.

There are a few things in the world, I am convinced, that you cannot put a dollars‐and‐cents value on. Among such things is the value of higher education. We can determine how much higher education may cost us. We can also determine the approximate payback for higher education. But we will be hard pressed to put a monetary value on higher education. And here is the fallacy for those who argue that higher education has become too expensive and it is not worth it. In this paper, I will discuss the cost of higher education (to the student and to the nation or the state), the value of higher education, and the approximate payback of higher education for the individual and the state.

This chapter aims to discuss critically the changing values in higher education within the context of culturally, ethnically and religiously plural modern European societies with a special focus on the case of emerging European Islamic higher education institutions. The inquiry argues for the need to rethink the core values in Islamic and western liberal, secular higher education in order to facilitate a new creative engagement between these two distinctive perspectives on higher education that share an intertwined intellectual legacy. The focus of the study is framed by the following questions: Do central educational values of Islam and western secular higher education remain in conflict? To what extent can a critical dialogue of convergence be facilitated between the educational/pedagogic cultures of Islamic and western higher education? Why should such a critical engagement be based on a shared relational ethics of respecting the dignity of difference and recognition of mutual interdependence? The study adopts a phenomenology-infomed critical, comparative analysis method while exploring the topic within its historical and contempoaray dimensiosns. The original contribution of the inquiry lies in its reflective engagement with the Islamic and western values of higher education and developing a distinctive conceptual framework to facilitate a new pedagogic dialogue among the communities of learners and teachers coming from these educational cultures who increasingly share the same social space. After presenting the aims and context of the inquiry, a brief historical account of Islamic and western values of higher education will be provided. This will be followed by discussing the arguments supporting the incompatibility of Islamic and western values of education. The incompatibility thesis will be deconstructed by critically examining its logic of binary literalism. By drawing on the evidence suggesting presence of a shared reflective, critical educational heritage between Islam and the West, the chapter argues for the need to revive these forgotten traditions of pedagogic curiosity and critical openness to inspire a new cross-pollinating dialogue capable of acknowledging the dignity of being different and recognizing the reality of sharing an interdependent world.

ABSTRACTThis study extends our knowledge on co-creation of value in higher education. The paper examines the relationship between support, co-creation of value and students’ satisfaction, as well as moderating factors including mode of study and fee status, via 979 survey responses from undergraduate students. Analysis using partial least squares found support to be important in determining co-creation of value and, in turn, student satisfaction. Results indicated that student satisfaction is positively influenced through students accessing support mechanisms and their active involvement in co-creation of value activities. Our findings further reveal that fee-paying students are more satisfied when they participate in co-creation activities and access support mechanisms. No significant differences between transnational and domestic students are found.

Character education based on Islamic values ​​in the higher education curriculum is increasingly becoming an interesting topic of debate in contemporary education. This article aims to determine the challenges and opportunities faced in implementing character education based on Islamic values ​​in higher education, using qualitative methods through literature studies and searches. This research explores the concept of Islamic-based character education, analyzes the challenges faced in its implementation, and identifies opportunities to strengthen this approach in higher education curricula. The results of the analysis show that although there are various challenges, such as integrating Islamic values ​​into the secular curriculum, public perception of Islamic education, and limited resources, there are also significant opportunities, such as increasing awareness of the importance of character-based on Islamic values. education, support from Islamic educational institutions, and the important role of universities in shaping students' personalities and morals. These findings imply the need for a holistic and integrated approach to overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities to strengthen character education based on Islamic values ​​in higher education environments.

The article is dedicated to the philosophical consideration of higher education and its development strategies under the situation of complexity and the need to enable a sustainable future. It is argued that the situation in question is characterized by the uselessness of any ready-made solutions and even pre-available knowledge and methodology. In the very field of professional activities, the competence of a specialist relies not so on vocational skills as on one’s critical thinking and creative abilities. It is concluded then that answering the calls of today’s global crisis requires higher education to face the transformation of its system of goals and values in order to enable the achievement of not just purely professional development of a graduate, but that of overall cultural background, the development of one’s personality. That still corresponds with the classical notion of the mission of university, but not with the linear methodology of the Modernity age aimed at standardization and unification that features mostly excessively mechanistic approach to the educational process, while accentuating applied professional competencies and neglecting the profound core, the ideal of the all-around developed human person. The author argues that such a task could be realized basing on the methodology peculiar to the post-non-classical type of scientific rationality that is oriented on human personality and his or her values. That feature could be called human-dimensionality: the appeal towards unique personalities of each student, as opposed to standardization, and with not only one’s mind and reason taken into account in higher education, but one’s will and emotions as well. The closeness between values of higher education and the ethos of science is demonstrated, with the growing numbers of students violating the norms of academic integrity serving as an example of a disastrous effect of the lack of general culture for professional activities. The role of philosophy and humanities in higher education is said to be rehabilitated and renovated.