Higher Education Degree Programs Research Articles

Adoption of online degree programs in higher education in India: An exploratory study based on stakeholder perception and proposed policy measures

Adoption of online degree programs in higher education in India: An exploratory study based on stakeholder perception and proposed policy measures

THE IMPACT OF LEARNING STRATEGIES ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF TRANSNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS (TNE)

This study investigates the impact of learning strategies on the academic performance of transnational higher education (TNE) students. In the context of Pakistan, where traditional rote-learning methodologies are prevalent, this research focuses on understanding the learning strategies adopted by transnational university students and their influence on academic outcomes. The rote-learning methodology is a traditional technique adopted by the students in higher education degree programs in the universities of Pakistan. This technique has made domestic students the passive recipient of information during their lectures in classrooms and hence influence their learning outcomes (Bal-Taştan et al., 2018). The study aims to bridge the gap in research regarding the correlation between learning strategies and academic performance among transnational students. The significance of this study lies in its potential to shed light on how learning strategies affect academic success and satisfaction levels among TNE students. The research employs a cross-sectional, quantitative, survey-based approach to gather data from transnational students enrolled at the IVY College of Management Sciences (ICMS) in Lahore, Pakistan. The collected data is analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The findings reveal that learning strategies, particularly microstrategies and keys of memory and metacognition, are significantly correlated with academic achievement. Moreover, student satisfaction levels are also positively associated with academic performance. The results suggest the need for targeted training programs to enhance learning strategies among students and promote a deeper understanding of the relationship between learning approaches and academic success.

How do Finnish and Chinese students’ diverse pedagogical experiences shape feedback interpretation?


 Due to the dissemination of joint degree programmes in higher education, more students from different educational backgrounds are exposed to the same teaching and assessment without sharing a common pedagogical culture. Since this is relatively new in Finland, little is known about how students with diverse backgrounds experience assessment compared to their Finnish classmates and how this affects their overall performance. Having as a starting point an English for Specific Purposes course offered in Finland and China, this qualitative study focuses on the role of feedback through seventeen in-depth interviews. Themes such as grades and peer feedback were interpreted based on the educational background to which the students have been previously exposed. These findings indicate that the teacher should be aware of their previous pedagogical experiences and how these affect feedback in the classroom. Additionally, peer feedback needs to be addressed explicitly by the teacher during the lessons and create more scaffolding opportunities to avoid potential misinterpretations.

Teachers’ Experiences and Role in the Design Process of Online Degree Programmes in Higher Education

Background The study was conducted at a university of applied sciences in Finland. The viewpoint is of those online degree programme teachers involved in the initial steps of design and implementation of the first online degree programmes in the organisation that follows a pedagogical strategy in all its operations.
 Objectives The teachers as implementers of the intended pedagogical solution have an important role in the design process. Their views were sought to gain information about their experiences of the intended design of online degree programmes in the local context.
 Methods This study presents the results of the second cycle of a design-based research (DBR) process in the holistic design of online degree programmes. Focus group interview and thematic analysis were used to gain the teachers’ experiences of the holistic design to further develop the initial design created in the first cycle. 
 Findings The results reveal teachers’ positive and negative experiences of the holistic online degree programme design in three layers: organisational, pedagogical and online degree programme. Results include several new considerations, including management support, collegial support, collaboration and co-creation, online degree community, extended online and onsite teaching environments, blended education, and international aspects.
 Conclusions The results indicate that it is important for higher education organisations to involve teachers in the design process of online degree programmes. The resulting design principles may be of interest to those managers, coordinators and educators developing higher education online degree programmes.

An Empirical Study On Effectiveness of E-Learning Over Conventional Class Room Learning – A Case Study with Respect to Online Degree Programmes in Higher Education

Learning and teaching domains is going on major higher education companies of e-learning Ideas and practices changes due to quick acceptance. Many universities all over the world are now begins to offer Internet based courses that complement classroom-based courses. Online courses offer learners various such as benefits facilities, Teachers and other close to students to serve flexibility and opportunities from various schools or around the world. The education system and mode of education is changing over the period of time. In instructional technology Innovations often are implemented in traditional ways. TV significantly changes the way people learn, and it stays that way Existing instruction by providing a speaking head as an instructional tool built into the paradigm for sending information to students. Active learning, Cooperative learning, Project-based teaching and despite such educational innovations contextual face-to-face instruction in learning changed character, online courses tend develop more traditional concepts Learning. Mostly an online course primary objective is to transfer information from the Instructor to the student accessing information to students and expecting them Prove their learning in an exam. The development of online instruction programs for online course developers raise an interesting question. Online study designers follow traditional method or incorporate online programs innovative approaches. Primary factors behind the use of online learning improve the quality of education, and also improve the cost effectiveness of education by reducing costs. With face-to-face Online learning is used successfully with positive effects in career and education. A geographically distributed team within an organization can simultaneously train their skills through online sites and gain greater Competitiveness. Online learning can be beneficial because Students at their own pace can learn through online products. Virtual classrooms are available anywhere with Internet connection, take advantage of this great way to travel. Gurukul system of education changed to imparting knowledge in a class room setting followed by hybrid learning and at present one new way of learning has emerged as a full-fledged mode to earn a degree i.e. online learning. Online learning comprises of both hybrid/ bended learning (comprises traditional face-to face classes, learning over the internet and learning supported by other technologies) and purely online learning is competing course delivery through internet. Due to its flexible and user friendly features, on-line learning has been gaining attention from learners and education institutions. Learning is self-phased and effectiveness of learning is achieved if it fulfils the learners’ expectation in imparting knowledge, uninterrupted support from the instructor whenever needed, disbursement of the learning materials, communication and motivation. The objectives of this paper are to study the effectiveness of elearning compared to conventional classroom learning. The study also shows that major portion of learners cannot set time for study, homework and assignments completion. The institutions along with the routine learning can also include sessions for motivation, sense of accountability and responsibility which may enhance discipline among learners. Significant portion of learners feel that online learning will not enhance sense of belongingness. The institutions can create provision at the campus for the e-learners to meet up occasionally for the interaction between learners and faculties. A portion of E-learners feel that the learning material in e-learning is not effective as that of conventional mode.

Addressing the Challenges of Program and Course Design in Higher Education with Design Technologies

This article describes six major challenges facing faculty members and teams as they engage in the design of degree programs in higher education and how technology tools for program design can be employed to address those challenges. They include tools for collaboration, leveraging best practice, designing for quality and distinctiveness, addressing standards overload, focusing on assessment, and making feedback a meaningful part of the design process. The article makes the case for each of the challenges and shows examples of how the tools help teams engage in collaborative program development in higher education.

Integrating academic writing in degree programmes in higher education

Students at higher education institutions largely communicate their acquired knowledge through written assignments.The results follow the students through their career as documentation of their competence. A dimension of academic writing is to demonstrate a degree of critical thinking, as an important objective of higher education is to prepare the student for taking active part in society – a society in which the ability of critical thinking is an imperative.
 Despite the fact that academic writing constitutes a central part of higher education, there is little systematic follow-up on this topic in most higher education institutions in Norway. From 2018, Department of Language and Culture at UiT decided to remedy this by engaging a writing mentor who offers students support on academic writing. Additionally, the Department has chosen to emphasise the importance of writing by integrating zero-credit obligatory courses within the degree programmes in language and literature. From 2020, students will be required to follow such courses in their first, third and fifth semesters. The courses will follow the students’ progression and emphasise the demands for writing skills at the various levels of the degree.
 By integrating academic writing in the degree programmes, the writing mentor has a unique opportunity to develop seminars accommodated for the writing culture within the students’ own discipline in collaboration with the academic staff. The purpose is to make students better equipped to encounter the technical, formal and ethical requirements of writing in the higher education system. Another objective is to make the students aware of how academic writing and communication areconnected to critical, academic thinking. In this paper, we discuss the idea behind the integrated academic writing courses and share our experiences.

A Study of Student Satisfaction on Service Quality Servqual in Indian Management Education

The time has arrived to put more effort into improving the standard of higher education. The quality of all provided services and instruction must meet or exceed that of comparable institutions worldwide. The only way to prepare today's youth for tomorrow's workforce is to use innovative, technologically-based educational methods. The present study therefore examined a wide range of SERVQUAL model quality factors. Universities in India that provide degrees in business management have a low reputation for providing quality instruction. Previous research on evaluating service quality has been undertaken in both the engineering and humanities disciplines. The literature study, however, turned up zero studies that isolated business management degree programs in higher education. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing the interplay between several aspects of service quality and their collective influence on consumers' satisfaction. Results may be useful for stakeholders since they may help them better understand the challenges with service quality in terms of standard criteria and how this affects service quality generally. How effectively pupils are trained for the job and how far the school has come in terms of physical and intellectual facilities are also factors in this evaluation. Schools may maintain their competitiveness and long-term profitability by providing superior customer care and service, which is essential for attracting and keeping students.

Perceptions After Completing the Degree: A Qualitative Case Study of Select Higher Education Doctoral Graduates

Aim/Purpose: Limited research exists on the perceived value that a doctoral degree has on higher education administrators’ goals; therefore, this collective case study had two purposes. The first was to assess qualitatively the perceptions of four doctorate-holding higher education administrators to explore the potential value associated with their degrees, and the second was to determine whether they perceived that their degree attainments influenced the achievement of their professional goals, if at all. Background: Understanding goal attainment and the value associated with obtaining a doctoral degree is important to recognize the needs of doctoral students and to inform how to support degree-seeking professionals in achieving their professional goals. Building upon the conceptual model of doctoral value, as defined by Bryan and Guccione (2018), the researchers also utilized Becker’s (1964) human capital theory as the framework for understanding the perceptions of select administrative professionals who have completed their doctoral degrees in higher education. Methodology: Because this was a collective case study, four doctorate-holding higher education administrators were selected, through convenience sampling, to engage in a formal semi-structured face-to-face interview. Interview responses were evaluated using ethnographic analysis (i.e., domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, and componential analysis). Contribution: Findings from this research can be used to better understand the perceptions of graduates who earned a doctoral degree in education, particularly with an increase in the number of doctoral degrees in that field. The results from this study align with findings from previous studies. Findings: The ethnographic analysis of the data indicated that the administrators perceived their doctoral degree as a way to advance professionally (e.g., career opportunities and research publication) and as a way to improve personally (e.g., increased confidence and becoming a role model). Two domains emerged: attainment of goals and perceptions of doctoral degree value. The taxonomic analysis revealed that the attainment of goals included personal and professional goals. Lastly, the componential analysis led to the discovery of nine attributes associated with obtaining a doctoral degree. Recommendations for Practitioners: Administrators in higher education degree programs should understand the needs of their students while they are participating in doctoral studies. By knowing what doctoral students expect to gain after obtaining a doctoral degree, doctoral-program administrators might consider tailoring courses and support programs to meet doctoral student needs. Recommendation for Researchers: Additional longitudinal studies should be undertaken to understand better how doctoral graduates view the value of their degree many years later. Do their perceptions change over time, or are they solidified? Impact on Society: With an increasing number of individuals obtaining doctoral degrees in higher education, departments, colleges, and universities need to understand whether graduates find that their degree has been useful. Because there is a demand for agencies to emphasize skills and work-related training, the perceived value of the degree can inform policymakers on changes in curriculum and programming to increase the perceived value of the doctoral degree. Future Research: Future research should expand upon the number of students who are interviewed, and students in other academic programs may be interviewed to understand similarities and differences. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to understand if the perception of degree value changes over time.

Chinese-Foreign Dual Degree Education Programs: Problems and Developments

This study researches the current status, problems, and development countermeasures of Chinese-foreign dual degree programs in Chinese higher education by using Microsoft Excel and geographic system information (GIS) software, including their types of degree, geographical distribution, and collaborative partners. The result shows a reasonable reginal distribution of Chinese-foreign dual degree program in higher education is a strong guarantee to promote the coordinated development of higher education. How to establish a common quality guarantee system and make the cooperation certificate-oriented is also need to further research.

Assessment feedback in examiner reports on master’s dissertations in translation studies

Assessment is a crucial part of degree programmes in higher education. While previous research has been primarily concerned with PhD thesis assessment practice in western countries, this article considers the focus and assessment criteria of 40 examiner reports on master’s dissertations in translation studies at a Chinese university. The results indicate that these examiners structured their reports in four rhetorical moves: ‘preparing the candidate for a decision’, ‘expressing an evaluation’, ‘conveying the decision’, and ‘making recommendations’. These examiners appeared to place more emphasis on the expression of ideas, rather than on the accuracy and originality of those ideas. They apparently adopted flexible working criteria, assessing the dissertations based on institutional requirements and on their own experience. This article concludes with a discussion of implications for dissertation writing.

The State of Criminal Justice Educational Programs in the United States: Bachelors’ Degrees, Curriculum Standards, and the Ongoing Quest for Quality

While definitions for, and assessments of, the quality of degree programs in higher education are varied, in criminal justice the field has determined a quality program is one that meets certain standards involving such areas as program mission, curriculum, faculty credentials, and resources determined through “academic certification” by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).The problem is few programs have pursued certification and almost no research has otherwise assessed degree program quality. Using data collected from the population of bachelor’s degree programs in criminal justice (BCJ) operating during 2015–2016 (N = 670), this study assessed program curriculum using ACJS standards, and examined institutional, departmental, and programmatic influences on the number of standards met. Results indicated BCJ programs met few curriculum standards, and that departmental factors were especially significant influences on the number of standards met. These results warrant revisiting accreditation as the mechanism for insuring the quality of criminal justice academic programs.

How do Freshman Engineering Students Reflect an Online Calculus Course

Improved access to technology has led to an increase in the number of online courses and degree programs in higher education. Despite continuous progress, little attention is paid to ‘understanding’ students prior to implementation of learning and teaching processes. Being a valuable input for design of online learning environments and student satisfaction, its neglect may result in frustration and resistance by students. This study focused on investigating preferences of on-campus engineering students to contribute designing a fully online calculus course in a Turkish university. A qualitative design was used to achieve in-depth information about students’ reflections on online calculus sessions. Findings opened the floor for discussion about must-have characteristics of online learners, orientation of on-campus students to online learning environment, challenging nature of mathematics as a discipline to be taught online, and the necessity of considering human and instructional perspectives in online learning rather than following a mere technological path.

College Experiences that Generated Racial Dissonance: Reflections from Cisgender White Women in Graduate Preparation Programs

This study examined the role of college experiences in generating dissonance among cisgender White women enrolled in master’s degree programs in higher education and student affairs (HESA). Using the methodology of grounded theory for social justice (Charmaz, 2005), data analysis revealed that seven of 11 participants experienced racial dissonance in college. Of the college experiences that generated racial dissonance, six occurred in co-curricular contexts, while four were primarily in academic settings. Findings affirm the importance of facilitating racial dissonance among White college students as a way to advance intercultural maturity and other college outcomes essential for sustaining diverse democracies. Implications and recommendations are offered for student affairs practice and research.

Executive Higher Education Doctoral Programs in the United States: A Demographic Market-Based Analysis

Aim/Purpose: Executive doctoral programs in higher education are under-researched. Scholars, administers, and students should be aware of all common delivery methods for higher education graduate programs. Background This paper provides a review and analysis of executive doctoral higher education programs in the United States. Methodology: Executive higher education doctoral programs analyzed utilizing a qualitative demographic market-based analysis approach. Contribution: This review of executive higher education doctoral programs provides one of the first investigations of this segment of the higher education degree market. Findings: There are twelve programs in the United States offering executive higher education degrees, though there are less aggressively marketed programs described as executive-style higher education doctoral programs that could serve students with similar needs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Successful executive higher education doctoral programs require faculty that have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in higher education. As appropriate, these programs should include tenure-line, clinical-track, and adjunct faculty who have cabinet level experience in higher education. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should begin to investigate more closely the small but growing population of executive doctoral degree programs in higher education. Impact on Society: Institutions willing to offer executive degrees in higher education will provide training specifically for those faculty who are one step from an executive position within the higher education sector. Society will be impacted by having someone that is trained in the area who also has real world experience. Future Research: Case studies of students enrolled in executive higher education programs and research documenting university-employer goals for these programs would enhance our understanding of this branch of the higher education degree market.

What’s missing in most of our early childhood degrees? Focusing more deeply on relationships and learning with infants, toddlers, and their families

ABSTRACTInfant-toddler teachers have the least education, the lowest pay, and the highest turnover rate of all adults in the field of early childhood education. In this article, the unique needs of infants, toddlers, and their families are explored at the 2-year associate (AA) and the 4-year bachelor (BA) levels of early childhood higher education degree programs in Washington State. This participatory action review was conducted through surveys and interviews with members of a state early childhood teacher educator professional organization and through examination of publically available course information. The study explored whether early childhood teachers were being prepared in coursework and field experiences to meet Washington state and nationally accepted core knowledge and broad competency areas for preparation of the infant-toddler workforce. A review of early childhood degree programs found an overall insufficient emphasis on a deeper understanding of holistic infant early development and intervention, as well as mental health and observable, evidence-based interactions that promote child and family resilience at the level of the individual early childhood educator’s preparation. Recommendations for ECE degree experiences are offered with changes in depth, breadth, content, and mentored, culturally responsive field experiences.

Competency mapping framework for regulating professionally oriented degree programmes in higher education

Recognition of the huge variation between professional graduate degree programmes and employer requirements, especially in the construction industry, necessitated a need for assessing and developing competencies that aligned with professionally oriented programmes. The purpose of this research is to develop a competency mapping framework (CMF) in this case for quantity surveying honours degree programmes. The graduate competency threshold benchmark (GCTB) is a key component of the CMF. Therefore, the CMF contains the mapping process, the template documents and the benchmark. The research adopted literature review, pilot study, case studies (including semi-structured interviews) and expert forum in developing the framework. The framework developed in this research provides new insight into how degree programmes map against competencies. Thus, the framework can be applied more widely, to other professional degree programmes, for monitoring and improving the quality and professional standards of construction degree programmes by accrediting bodies. This should connect construction graduates more effectively to the industry.

Introductory Statistics in a Business Anthropology Program

Introductory statistics courses in bachelor’s degree programs in higher education are often challenging to both teachers and learners. In 2012 our institution launched a bachelor’s degree program in Market and Management Anthropology (MMA), a field of study in which qualitative research plays a vital role. Quantitative methods are regarded as a supplement to the armada of anthropological tools such as participant observation or informal and structured interviews. This makes the design and conduct of an introductory course in statistics even more challenging. In this paper I discuss the curriculum, the lecturing, the exercises and software used, and the assessment form for this new target group of students. Despite the qualitative nature of the bachelor’s degree program in MMA, a basic understanding of what statistics can (and cannot) do is essential. The curriculum turned out to be almost the same as that for any other introductory course in statistics, say, one for economics students. However, a stronger focus on nonparametric techniques is meaningful.

Teaching and learning sustainability: An assessment of the curriculum content and structure of sustainability degree programs in higher education

Sustainability degree programs in higher education have proliferated with the emergence of sustainability as a recognized academic field. This study evaluated the curricula of English-language programs granting degrees in sustainability by analyzing 27 bachelor's and 27 master's sustainability programs based on their (1) curricular structure, in terms of the proportion of core versus elective courses, (2) breadth of the core courses, which were classified into one of ten disciplinary categories, and (3) specific disciplinary content of core course subjects. We found that core courses made up the majority of both curricula, although bachelor's programs were more flexible than master's. Within these core courses, sustainability and social sciences were found in more than 85 % of both bachelor's and master's programs, as were natural sciences at the bachelor's level. Less than half of sustainability master's programs required a natural science course, which on average made up just 2 % of required course credits. No text was widely used in core sustainability courses. Our findings demonstrate that there is a wide divergence between the content of programs granting degrees in sustainability; many do not appear to be achieving the integration of natural and social sciences proposed in the literature. We believe that some shared foundations between programs is necessary for sustainability to develop into a mature scientific program that is recognizable across universities and understood by academics, employers, and civil society, and is effective in training the next generation of sustainability scholars and scientists.

Evaluating the level of degree programmes in higher education: conceptual design

Evaluating the level of degree programmes became crucial with the Bologna Agreement in 1999 when European ministers agreed to implement common bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes and a common system of quality assurance. The European Quality Assurance system demands evaluation of the degree programme level based on valid and reliable outcomes. To meet this standard, an Educational Level Evaluator (ELE) had been conceptually designed within the framework of the Design Research Methodology: the research clarification identifies the problems that need to be solved and the criteria against which the outcome of the research is evaluated. The descriptive stage focuses on acquiring understanding of the instrumentation’s key by conceptualising the degree programme level and developing four critical factors. The level concept has to be clear and the instrumentation should be reasoned transparently, empirically proven, and feasible. In the prescriptive stage, the critical factors are used to address the development of the conceptual design of the ELE, which is basically a procedure aiming to evaluate the degree programme level validly and reliably. It is concluded that the design provides measures and actions leading to validity and reliability, and that it now needs to be empirically proven. For this reason, empirical studies are undertaken.