European Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Leading university internationalisation: The future of Euro‐Chinese academic cooperation

AbstractUnder the pressure of globalisation, both China and Europe have active strategies to internationalise their higher education systems. This paper explores the cultural and institutional constraints of these strategies in both territories, analysing their impact on the cooperation and competition among higher education institutions. The article focuses on the historical and current practices of internationalisation in Europe and China, the strategic goals underlying these practices, and the implications of internationalisation strategies in constraining the choices and actions of academic leaders in Chinese and European higher education institutions. This article contributes to the literature on Chinese and European cooperation in higher education by analysing the points of conflict and opportunities for growth. Despite differences (e.g., centralised vs. decentralised systems, top‐down vs. bottom‐up decision‐making processes, and the roles of leadership in the governance of higher education institutions), there is a common interest in promoting economic competitiveness, developing a knowledge‐based society, advancing research, attracting and retaining talent, and reducing regional inequalities. The paper concludes that cooperation is possible in specific areas in which neither China nor Europe can succeed alone with the same impact that would be possible with cooperation.

EMI and Intercultural Competence at University of Alcalá: The case of the Master's Degree in Teacher Training

The use of English as a Medium of Instruction to teach subjects other than English is widely spread across European higher education institutions. The University of Alcalá has been working on the implementation of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) for decades now. The internationalisation process accounts for the increasing number of studies both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels taught in English. The response of international students has been positive considering the University of Alcalá one of their favourite Spanish destinations. The interaction of local and foreign students evidences the need to raise awareness towards the intercultural competence as part of the Master’s Degree in Teacher Training, so that learners will feel comfortable in a different language and culture and contribute significantly not only to the labour market but also to dialogue and living together. In this article, the authors report on how this is done in one of the compulsory courses of this specific Master’s Degree: Complementary Training in English Studies.

Embedding internationalization in European higher education institution´s strategies: easier said than done?

This paper portrays the findings of a joint mixed-method exploratory Survey (JIPS) carried out among 85 European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 18 countries. Its aims are to identify common problematic issues in European internationalization Higher Education strategic designs and practices, through exploring the perceptions of international administrative and academic actors. The study reveals a contradiction between internationalization as an institutional vowed priority and what HEIs do in the practice. Three main weaknesses are detected: lack of planning, scarce internal quality review practices, and deficient bi-directional internal communication and participation of staff in decision-making processes.

Why is it so difficult to implement a longitudinal clinical reasoning curriculum? A multicenter interview study on the barriers perceived by European health professions educators

BackgroundEffective clinical reasoning is a core competency of health professionals that is necessary to assure patients’ safety. Unfortunately, adoption of longitudinal clinical reasoning curricula is still infrequent. This study explores the barriers that hinder the explicit teaching of clinical reasoning from a new international perspective.MethodsThe context of this study was a European project whose aim is to develop a longitudinal clinical reasoning curriculum. We collected data in semi-structured interviews with responders from several European countries who represent various health professions and have different backgrounds, roles and experience. We performed a qualitative content analysis of the gathered data and constructed a coding frame using a combined deductive/inductive approach. The identified themes were validated by parallel coding and in group discussions among project members.ResultsA total of 29 respondents from five European countries participated in the interviews; the majority of them represent medicine and nursing sciences. We grouped the identified barriers into eight general themes: Time, Culture, Motivation, Clinical Reasoning as a Concept, Teaching, Assessment, Infrastructure and Others. Subthemes included issues with discussing errors and providing feedback, awareness of clinical reasoning teaching methods, and tensions between the groups of professionals involved.ConclusionsThis study provides an in-depth analysis of the barriers that hinder the teaching of explicit clinical reasoning. The opinions are presented from the perspective of several European higher education institutions. The identified barriers are complex and should be treated holistically due to the many interconnections between the identified barriers. Progress in implementation is hampered by the presence of reciprocal causal chains that aggravate this situation. Further research could investigate the perceptual differences between health professions regarding the barriers to clinical reasoning. The collected insights on the complexity and diversity of these barriers will help when rolling out a long-term agenda for overcoming the factors that inhibit the implementation of clinical reasoning curricula.

Die Internationalisierung der Hochschulen und der Umgang mit Mehrsprachigkeit in Studium und Lehre

Due to internationalization in higher education, English is gaining in importance as the language of teaching and learning (LoTL) in European institutions of higher education. Against this background, the question arises of how English can be used for teaching and learning without disadvantaging researchers, teachers and students by forcing them to use a second or foreign language for their cognitive-academic development and, at the same time, neglecting to assist them in developing individual translingual practices from which they could benefit. This article outlines the repertoire of translingual competencies and practices that have been observed in plurilinguals. For these competencies and practices, a range of terms has been coined, such as translanguaging, co-languaging, code-mixing and code-meshing, some of which are vague or overlap and therefore will be clarified in this article. In addition, a translation-studies perspective will be introduced into the current discourse on translingual practices. Based on this clarification, didactical measures will be outlined by means of which “English-plus multilingualism” (van der Walt 2013: 12) can be fostered in higher education on the part of both teachers and students.

Emergency Remote Education and Smart Working at Three European Higher Education Institutions

Due to the threat posed by COVID-19, many colleges and universities around the world opted to switch to online courses and smart working to keep their students, professors, and staff safe during the pandemic emergency. Face-to-face classes, including labs and workshops, have been canceled and substituted with online activities. New administrative procedures have also been established to support the emergency remote education. This article analyzes these changes in light of the experiences of three higher education institutions in different countries, namely Latvia, Poland, and Italy. From this analysis, some aspects have emerged that have stimulated a deeper reflection on the use of digital technology in higher education. .

Nursing Students' Perceptions on Healthcare-Associated Infection Control and Prevention Teaching and Learning Experience: Development and Validation of a Scale in Four European Countries.

Healthcare-associated infections are one of the major concerns worldwide. This study presents the development and the validation process of the InovSafeCare scale and aimed at identifying and measuring the ecosystem variables related to healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) prevention and control practices in European nurse students. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to (1) elaborate an item pool related to the educational environment, the healthcare setting environment, and the attitudes, beliefs, and performance of the nursing students regarding HCAI prevention and control and (2) analyze psychometric properties of the scale using factor analysis. The validated InovSafeCare scale was applied to undergraduate nursing students of five European Higher Education Institutions. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method with SMART-PLS3 software was used. The study sample consists of 657 nursing students, who responded a self-report inventory. From the analyzed data were identified 14 factors. The InovSafeCare scale reveals good validity and reliability of the dimensions in different European countries.

Universitas: how do students perceive university social responsibility in three European higher education institutions?

PurposeThe social dimension of Higher Education has gained relevance on the political and strategic discourses that urge Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to put University Social Responsibility (USR) into action and also recognise its importance for students’ development. However, students’ conceptions of USR are seldom explored. This paper aims to understand students’ perceptions of USR and the potential of their involvement in broadly-defined USR activities/projects.Design/methodology/approachThis research involves two studies in three European universities, Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas: the first uses a qualitative approach to consider how students perceive the impact of their involvement in the Erasmus+ project ESSA, using document analysis, focus groups and thematic analysis; the second involves a questionnaire with 718 students to explore their views on USR, participation in university-based experiences, personal and social development and citizenship conceptions, analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsStudent’s value USR and their university policies and practises, even if they feel they are not engaged as they should. They value university as a learning space beyond the classroom and putting USR into practice. Their participation is related to their appraisal of USR and their conceptions of citizens’ roles.Research limitations/implicationsIn spite of using convenience samples of students in three different universities, this research not only sheds light on students’ views on USR and their participation in diverse university-based experiences but also advances with research instruments that can be used in future research in this field.Social implicationsThis research helps HEIs realise the potential of promoting students’ participation in diverse university-based experiences, increasing community engagement and their development as professionals and critical citizens.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a research gap by exploring how students perceive USR and their participation in university-based experiences might simultaneously be a strategy for putting USR in action and fostering students’ civic engagement.

Listening to the Student Voice – Student Engagement in Professional Higher Education

The practical orientated education and training of professional higher education institutions attract a very diverse student body and more and more non-traditional students are finding their way to higher education institutions in Europe. In order to sufficiently address the different needs of this group, non-traditional students must be given opportunities for student engagement in student organisations and extracurricular activities outside of lectures. Furthermore, the diversity characteristics of non-traditional students within professional higher education institutions need to be analysed, as well as the barriers and challenges to student engagement. With the help of qualitative expert interviews and focus groups, five problem areas were defined and an outlook on possible improvements was given in order to sharpen the view of an inclusive university environment outside of the lecture hall.

The next steps in academic integrity — education, awareness, norms, duty and law

We conducted and analyzed several internet surveys in order to understand the profile of global research integrity and ethical awareness, encompassing global population distribution. These were (1) the global distribution of Committee of Publishing Ethics (COPE) membership; (2) the global distribution of “Integrity” or “Ethics” journals; (3) the level of academic integrity awareness in European higher education institutions and (4) awareness of academic integrity in the top universities of Asia and Africa. The results of this survey series highlight seriously imbalanced awareness of research integrity and publishing ethics across the world, especially in developing areas with the highest population density. We therefore propose a new index, the “Academic Integrity Awareness Index” for future discussions across the linked spheres of publishing and research.

Roma university students in Spain and Central and Eastern Europe: Exploring participation and identity in contrasting international contexts

AbstractRoma are Europe's largest, most marginalised minority, with a long history of racism and exclusion informing complex inequalities. Roma higher education participation remains under addressed, and paucity of research hinders understanding. While there is variation between countries, the proportion of Roma accessing higher education compared to the general population is extremely small in all countries. Spain has the largest Roma population outside Central and Eastern Europe, and relatively high levels of Roma participation in higher education. As part of an international project on Internalisation and Mobility, here we discuss insights from eleven qualitative interviews carried out with Roma students and recent graduates in Central and Eastern Europe and Spain. Findings from a thematic analysis of interviews highlight identity and inclusion and how experience intersects with distinct national approaches. We focus in particular on competing pulls of ethnic invisibility versus coming out, and related onus on a responsibility to give back. The participation of Roma in higher education remains an important social justice issue in Europe. Our research shows that proactive efforts by higher education institutions in Europe are needed to challenge persistent assumptions that fail to value the contribution and potential of Roma students within higher education.

FEATURES OF ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF DESIGNERS IN THE EUROPEAN HIGHER SCHOOL

. In the context of the constant growth of information flows, the rapid development of technology, globalization and European integration, education occupies a key place. There is an acute issue of comparison and interconnection of educational systems developing in different countries. A forecast on the quality of the provision of educational services can be made according to the profile of the educational program, which contains information on the curriculum, its specific features, the organization of the educational process and the content of education for the preparation of a qualified worker. The purpose of the article is to analyse the educational programs of domestic, English and Finnish schools in the field of fashion design of leading European higher educational institutions. Methods of scientific knowledge applied: theoretical analysis and synthesis of pedagogical phenomena, study, and generalization of pedagogical experience, comparative analysis, activity approach. The main components of the formation of professional education of a graduate were determined: professional skill, professional culture; creative, collective and humanistic character of professional activity. It was established that the domestic level of professional education in the field of clothing design is practically in no way inferior to higher educational institutions in developed countries. The advantage was the focus on professional skills (individual and collective), practical use of the results of professional education in well-known design studios, fashion houses, fashion industry enterprises, creative unions of Ukraine, exhibition environment enhances the professional culture of future specialists. Domestic design education does not cover such issues of European design.

Unethical practices within medical research and publication \u2013 An exploratory study

The data produced by the scientific community impacts on academia, clinicians, and the general public; therefore, the scientific community and other regulatory bodies have been focussing on ethical codes of conduct. Despite the measures taken by several research councils, unethical research, publishing and/or reviewing behaviours still take place. This exploratory study considers some of the current unethical practices and the reasons behind them and explores the ways to discourage these within research and other professional disciplinary bodies. These interviews/discussions with PhD students, technicians, and academics/principal investigators (PIs) (N=110) were conducted mostly in European higher education institutions including UK, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic and Netherlands.Through collegiate discussions, sharing experiences and by examining previously published/reported information, authors have identified several less reported behaviours. Some of these practices are mainly influenced either by the undue institutional expectations of research esteem or by changes in the journal review process. These malpractices can be divided in two categories relating to (a) methodological malpractices including data management, and (b) those that contravene publishing ethics. The former is mostly related to “committed bias”, by which the author selectively uses the data to suit their own hypothesis, methodological malpractice relates to selection of out-dated protocols that are not suited to the intended work. Although these are usually unintentional, incidences of intentional manipulations have been reported to authors of this study. For example, carrying out investigations without positive (or negative) controls; but including these from a previous study. Other methodological malpractices include unfair repetitions to gain statistical significance, or retrospective ethical approvals. In contrast, the publication related malpractices such as authorship malpractices, ethical clearance irregularities have also been reported. The findings also suggest a globalised approach with clear punitive measures for offenders is needed to tackle this problem.

Quality Teaching in Online Higher Education: The Perspectives of 250 Online Tutors on Technology and Pedagogy

Over the past few decades, education systems, especially in higher educa-tion, have been redefined. Such reforms inevitably require reconsideration of operational notions and definitions of quality, along with a number of relat-ed concepts. This reconsideration aligns with the core of higher education re-forms: improving efficacy and compatibility with emerging social demands while adapting to competitiveness and accountability trends. As primary players in the teaching and learning process, online tutors have a protagonis-tic role and, therefore, must be equipped with a suitable set of competencies and attributes in addition to content knowledge. This quantitative research aims to analyze the perceptions of 250 online tutors working in European higher education institutions, distributed in 5 knowledge areas: Business, Education, Humanities, Sciences and Health. This descriptive and explorato-ry nonexperimental study reveals the technological and pedagogical skills and competencies that online tutors consider fundamental for effective online teaching and proposes professional development actions to ensure quality online teaching

The role of sustainability in media and communication studies’ curricula throughout Europe

Purpose This research aims to analyze to what extent sustainability and its related core aspects are integrated in media and communication's curricula of higher education institutions in Europe. Design/methodology/approach A total of n = 1068 bachelor and master’s degree programs, as well as their related curricula/program specifications, from 28 European countries were analyzed by means of content analysis. Findings Results show that the level of curricular integration of sustainability aspects in the field of media and communication is low (14%) to very low (6%) on module level. In most cases, sustainability remains an abstract guiding principle that is not translated into a dedicated course offer. This can indicate the difficulty of operationalizing such a concept as sustainability, which is experienced by not only higher education institutions but also policy and society as a whole. In addition, the results leave space for a reflection on the social and educational responsibility of higher education institutions. Research limitations/implications The authors are aware that not all teaching (content) is depicted in curricula. Especially where teaching is research-based, The authors assume that sustainability (communication) is more present as the curricula' analysis can represent it. In addition, the fact of solely investigating English language curricula can be seen as a further limitation. Originality/value This research is one of the few attempts to verify the actual integration level of sustainability aspects in the curricula of a specific sustainability-relevant discipline, which is neither conducted as a case study nor as a single-country analysis.

A capacity needs assessment to integrate MOOC-based climate change education with the higher education institutions in Europe and developing countries in Asia: findings of the focused group survey in PCHEI under the BECK project

Purpose The extreme climatic events are a result of modern human lifestyles and activities. Climate literacy is one of the significant factors to redefine aggravated human behaviours related to climate change and energy efficiency. Therefore, education relevant to energy efficiency and climate change is identified as a vital requirement in the present education sector. This study aims to identify existing capacity needs for integrating massive open online courses (MOOC)-based climate education in the partner institutions education systems. Design/methodology/approach The integrating education with consumer behavior relevant to energy efficiency and climate change at the Universities of Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (BECK) project funded by the Erasmus+ programme aimed to address this research gap by introducing new harmonized MOOC modules to the higher education curricular of four European, five Russian and five Asian higher education institutions (partner country higher education institutions). A series of focus group surveys and workshops were carried out to identify the present capacity development needs relevant to the subject topic. Findings Accordingly, infrastructure development, awareness-raising, curricular development, capacity building, integration and networking, research and development and financial needs have been identified as the key areas requiring capacity development to integrate energy efficiency and climate change into the higher education curricular. The results have recognized that a MOOC system in curricular will allow better opportunities for research, awareness and capacity development initiatives. Research limitations/implications The relevant European best practices can be adopted into the Asian education systems to allow more opportunities in infrastructure, research and networking development. The project continues to implement the MOOC modules in the partner institutions following a contextual research study and a cross-institutional module sharing assessment. Originality/value The research outcomes identify the significant facts for formulating the BECK project objectives, which provide wider opportunity for climate literacy improvements and education initiatives in the partner countries.

A knowledge management culture in the European higher education system

Purpose. Improving the quality of educational services by identifying the features and current trends in the development of knowledge management culture in the European higher education system. Methodology. The research methodology involves application of the systematic approach methods. 1. Structural approach related to defining the structural features of knowledge management culture in higher education institutions in Europe. 2. Functional approach that determines the essence and target orientation of the knowledge management function. The use of the comparative method allowed the authors to highlight the essential content of the concept knowledge management culture in relation to the concepts of organizational culture and information culture. The dialectical method of cognition was also involved, which made it possible to comprehensively consider the phenomenon of knowledge management culture in educational discourse through the contradictory relationships of its various sides and aspects. Findings. The culture of knowledge management in the European higher education system is considered at three main levels: 1. Cognitive level, implying a change in the style of thinking, mobilization of intellectual potential, and creativity. 2. Management level, involving the use of analytics and innovative leadership. 3. Technological level, based on the use of information and communication technology in the accumulation, transfer and management of knowledge. Originality. Knowledge management culture is studied in close relationship with the organizational and information culture. The features of knowledge management at three organizational levels have been determined: cognitive, managerial and technological ones. Practical value. The institutions of the European higher education system use knowledge to gain and maintain competitive advantages. Insufficient attention to the issue of knowledge management leads to a decrease in the ranking of higher education institutions. The introduction of knowledge management culture provides improvement in the psychological microclimate of a team, dominance of the atmosphere of creativity, an increase in the level of self-education, disclosure of personal intellectual potential, formation of a system of innovative leadership, stimulation of scientific research and, as a result, an increase in the quality of educational services.

THE ROLE AND RELEVANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND ITS PRACTICES IN THE PORTUGUESE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Purpose – Validation of the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices used by Portuguese hotels, their degree of importance, and the alignment between their strategic dimension and their operational implementation. Design – The study was developed using quantitative analysis, supported by a questionnaire shared with top managers of hotel companies in the Portuguese Hotels national register. Methodology – The HRM practices integrated in the study were the result of those identified in the literature review, the global HR barometer developed by the Michael Page company, and the HRM practices integrated in the Label Pro HR project, developed by the Mediterranean Federation from Human Resources in association with HRM Associations and European higher education institutions. Findings – In Portugal, HRM in the hotel industry is beginning to be understood as a way to achieve competitive advantage. 92,7% of the top managers in our sample reported that the existence of an HR department grants a competitive advantage. Recruitment and Selection, Training and Development, Performance management and evaluation, and Safety and Hygiene at Work are the most important HRM practices. We conclude that the characteristics of hotels (classification and size) are crucial for HRM, their organizational processes, and the strategic importance assigned to the function. Originality of the research – The study is innovative because it uses a questionnaire specifically designed for the study, and which considers a high number of HRM practices. The sample consists of 124 of the 1.515 registered hotels (8,2%).

Centralised Supports for Writing in Higher Education and Their Applicability to Research, Teaching and Learning Contexts

In 2018, as part of an EU COST Action (COST Action 15221 – www.werelate.eu), 43 academics, based at various higher education institutions in Europe, were asked about existing and desirable centralised support for writing, research, teaching and learning. This article draws on the academics’ responses. It uses that data to demonstrate the ways in which the learner-centred approach, typically adopted by writing centres, might function as a blueprint for a blended centralised support model for these four strands of higher education. In order to explore this idea, the article examines the reported support for research, as the data suggest that the majority of the centralised supports that currently exist at these institutions are designed primarily to support research. The study unpicks the mechanisms and approaches that are designed to ensure that research can be supported; it identifies what is effective in terms of supporting staff as researchers. From there, turning to the existing and desirable supports for writing, teaching and learning, I argue that, using a learner-centred writing centre model as inspiration, the structures which are currently in place to effectively support research can be modified and repurposed to more effectively support writing, teaching, and learning in higher education. 

Institutional barriers to participation in EU framework programs: contrasting the Swiss and UK cases

The aim of this study was to examine how institutional barriers arising from policy decisions influence the level of participation of third-party countries in European Framework Programs (EU-FPs). To achieve this, we contrasted the effect of EU funding restrictions following Switzerland’s 2014 reclassification as a “third country” in Horizon 2020, and the political uncertainties resulting from the 2016 Brexit vote in the United Kingdom (UK). We compared the participation patterns of Swiss and UK higher education institutions (HEIs) with control groups of similar European HEIs over time and, complementarily, analyzed changes in the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our results showed that the Brexit-induced uncertainty had stronger negative effects than the Swiss reclassification, which was, however, characterized by effective EU funding restrictions. In both cases, the negative impact of institutional barriers was stronger for the more central HEIs in EU-FP networks. These results suggest that the effect of institutional barriers is closely linked to consortium building mechanisms, where research collaboration requires stability and projection over the long term. Regarding individual grants, the impact was stronger for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions than for European Research Council grants, suggesting that a researcher’s mobility is affected by political uncertainties. Finally, in the UK case, we observed a steep decrease in the participation of SMEs. Based on these results, we suggest that a stable framework of participation and a clear ruling on relationships with the EU for what concerns people’s mobility and economic relationships are key to fostering the participation of third-party countries.