Higher Education Opportunities Research Articles

Higher Education Opportunity and the Choice of Vocational vs. Academic High School

Higher Education Opportunity and the Choice of Vocational vs. Academic High School

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM FOREIGN STUDENTS

The article deals with the main aspects of the internationalization of higher education and focuses on the Slovak Republic’s improvement in attracting foreign students. The contemporary world requires employees with higher levels of knowledge and qualifications; as a result, nowadays higher education institutions have been competing to attract successful students and faculty members from all around the world. Mobility of students and academicians is promoted by the European Union’s (EU) higher education policies and the Slovak Republic has given priority to tertiary education. As a part of the European Higher Education Area and having bilateral agreements, the Slovak Republic has made significant progress in the internationalization of higher education. In the last ten years, the number of foreign students studying in The Slovak Republic has increased significantly. In this study, it is aimed to determine the reasons behind this increase from the eyes of foreign students. In the research conducted as a case study, interviews were conducted with 12 foreign students studying in the Slovak Republic. The findings were analyzed by content analysis and the following themes were reached: Economic reasons, educational reasons and social reasons. Key words: Internationalization, higher education in the Slovak Republic, higher education opportunities, foreign students in the Slovak Republic.

Authentic Assessments through the Lenses of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in a Fully Online Course

The social isolation resulting from the 2020 global pandemic posed both challenges and opportunities in higher education. One of the greatest opportunities has been the chance to foreground the dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). As online course enrollments in postsecondary programs increase, educators, researchers, and learning design practitioners need to identify strategies to implement an inclusive learning environment in online learning programs. The purpose of this article is to describe how we, learning designers, conceptualized the DEIJ dimensions and reflected them in our design decisions with the use of technology. Using the DEIJ lenses, we focus on the design of authentic assessments with the use of technology, such as available features within the Canvas learning management system and external tools.

ФОРМУВАННЯ В ЗДОБУВАЧІВ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТІ 016 СПЕЦІАЛЬНА ОСВІТА ПРАКТИЧНИХ НАВИЧОК ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ КОРЕКЦІЙНО-РОЗВИТКОВОЇ РОБОТИ ПІД ЧАС ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ

The article draws attention to the peculiarities of the organization of remedial and developed classes for children with special educational needs during distance learning, the importance of modern digital technologies in their provision. It is recognized expedient as the need for time to use distance learning and its technology under extraordinary circumstances. The change of the traditional role of a special education teacher during distance learning is indicated, which is not limited to correctional and pedagogical activities and requires new professional skills. Among other things, the need for a sufficient level of digital awareness of special education teachers, which would allow them to properly organize corrective and developmental work during distance learning for children with special educational needs, using various digital platforms and services for this purpose is justified. The advantages of their use in the corrective and advanced work of a speech therapist with children with speech disorders are considered. An opinion about formation practical skills of the organization of corrective and developed work during distance learning for children with special educational needs of future teacher-speech therapist during their studying in a higher education institution is expressed. As a result, it is a deepening the digital competence of future teacher-speech therapist as an integral component of their professional training. The role and opportunities of higher education in providing practical training of future teacher-speech therapist are clarified on the example of the work of the Educational Speech and Language Therapy Laboratory of the Berdyansk State Pedagogical University as its structural division. Taking into account the available work, the participants of the training-speech laboratory of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University of digital platforms and programs in work with children having problems of broadcasting online are highlighted. Key words: extraordinary circumstances, distance learning, digital technologies, correctional development, future teacher-speech therapist, children with speech disorders, digital didactic exercises.

Building a University–School–Community Partnership to Improve Adolescent Well-Being

Abstract Adolescent health and well-being are abysmal due to low and declining physical activity rates, increasing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and minimal opportunities to engage in meaningful social experiences. Adolescents who live in communities that are underserved face greater risks for experiencing health disparities including lack of access to quality healthcare, nutritious foods, social support, and educational opportunities and safety. Existing efforts have been developed and implemented to address these challenges with limited success. A university–school–community approach to adolescent well-being may offer innovative strategies to improve and enhance the well-being of adolescents from communities that are underserved. A university–school–community partnership was established to implement innovative health and well-being programming for Indiana youth at a charter school. This school was founded by Purdue University to engage and provide at-risk students with the preparation for future opportunities in higher education. In addition to strategic partnerships, this partnership utilizes a prevention science approach to mitigate youth well-being risks and offers positive-oriented experiences to address them. University partners have collaborated with community organizations and relevant community partners to implement such efforts. This article outlines a collaborative evidence-based model to build sustainable well-being efforts in other schools and communities.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR WOMEN IN SUKAMARA REGENCY, CENTRA BORNEO PROVINCE

Education is the most important for a nation and a state's life. Because of that, education should be obtained by all people without exception. However, in its application, it is still found that there are differences in higher education opportunities in terms of gender. This research was conducted to describe the perception of the community in Petarikan 1 village about the importance of higher education for women and the factors that influence it. This research is qualitative, with the subject of the community of Petarikan 1 Village, Sukamara District, Sukamara Regency with data collection techniques including observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of this study indicate that as much as 15% of the community considers higher education for women very important, as much as 35% is important, as much as 40% is less important, and as much as 10% is not important. The factors that cause are the family environment and lack of awareness of the importance of education 39.8%, people's thinking that is still traditional 27.3%, and economic factors 32.8%.

How intercultural experience affects university students’ gender views: potential for transforming higher education in Japan

Reducing gender disparities in Japan is an urgent issue that requires the attention of multilevel stakeholders, including higher education institutions. Under Sustainable Development Goal 4, target 4.7 calls for educational institutions, including universities, to explore innovative approaches to tackle issues such as gender inequality. The transition from student life to adulthood is a crucial time for university students as they face and become aware of gender inequalities in society. This study examines various opportunities in higher education, such as short study-abroad programs and globalization-related coursework, that positively influence university students’ understanding of others and potentially broaden their gender perspectives. Historically, the impacts of studying abroad and intercultural experiences have only been subjectively assessed based on participants’ self-evaluation. However, by using the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory, quantified data can be used to evaluate the nature and form of depth-based growth and compare three cases for potential changes before, after, or during educational programs. The study’s findings shed light on opportunities and barriers to transforming students’ views especially on gender issues. The study reveals (1) signs of improvement in students’ gender perspectives after participating in a short study-abroad program, (2) that international students with diverse experiences tend to demonstrate lower gender traditionalism, and (3) that freshmen and sophomores have relatively moderate views on gender norms, indicating that further intervention could improve their gender perspectives. The results showcase the possibility of developing meaningful study-abroad programs and other coursework to drive the positive change in students’ perspectives, especially regarding gender.

From the Adoption to the Implementation of Online Teaching in a Post-COVID World: Applying Ely’s Conditions of Change Framework

The pivot to online and distance teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a strong momentum for the establishment and integration of online learning and teaching opportunities in higher education on a global scale, and the Saudi higher education sector is no different. However, the adoption of online teaching during the pandemic was abrupt and sudden; the goal was to provide continued access to education during lockdowns rather than to ensure the effective and sustained use of online and distance courses and programs. The purpose of this study was to examine faculty members’ perceptions regarding the presence or non-presence of eight conditions of change as suggested by Ely and to examine any differences in their perceptions based on various factors (e.g., college affiliations and number of online courses taught). According to Ely, the presence of these environmental conditions is necessary for the successful and sustained implementation of technological changes in educational institutions. The participants in this survey study were 168 faculty members at one public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The findings indicated that on average, only four out of the eight conditions were perceived as being present by the current sample. Analysis of variance also indicated significant differences in faculty members’ perceptions regarding the presence of some of the conditions based on their reported knowledge of online teaching as well as the number of online courses taught. A discussion of these findings as well as recommendations for the improvement of institutional conditions to support online teaching is provided.

The wicked problem of B(A)ME degree award gaps and systemic racism in our universities.

The independent regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students (OfS), set new national targets in late 2018 to achieve equality of opportunity in higher education by tackling degree award gaps. The sector response to this was to measure degree award gaps between B(A)ME students and white students in their higher education institutions. Analysis of degree award gaps using quantitative methods has revealed an “unexplained gap”. We argue that the existence of this “unexplained gap” is evidence of “systemic racism”. However, the factors influencing a degree award and their associated gaps across different racialized groups of students are so complex, that its problematisation, never-mind its solution is inherently complex. It is our view, therefore, racialized degree award gaps are a wicked problem. Despite this, it is also our view that it is an important social justice endeavor that we must still seek to address as a sector. To do so, we propose a mixed methods approach that uses dynamic centring and an intersectional lens to better understand the experiences of racialized students within the higher education “system”. Current quantitative analysis of degree award gaps simply tells us how different groups of racialized students experience the system. In using a mixed methods approach in the way we outline, we may better understand the racialized lived experience of our students and the factors influencing the experience of different racialized groups within the “system”. This solution-focused approach can help create opportunities that enable students to better navigate social structures and systems and improve their experience in the system. However, this will not address the wicked problem of degree award gaps itself, which is complex, pervasive, and messy.

Arazi Yönetim Paradigması: Küresel Gündem ve Türkiye’deki Durum

Property ownership rights cannot be officially used for 70% of the world. Global calls for action have been made to create and protect property rights, particularly for the last three decades. Under the leadership of the United Nations, the issue of land management was examined from the economic, social, and environmental perspectives considering knowledge transfer, capacity building, and international cooperation, and efforts have been made to integrate global approaches with national conditions. Sustainable Development Goals and their implementation guides in terms of land management, i.e. Integrated Geospatial Information Framework and Framework for Effective Land Administration, are significant actors on the global agenda. This article reveals the concepts that emerged as a result of the global agenda, the development of land management and calls for action, higher education opportunities, and the main issues of the agenda. The study examines the global agenda considering the conditions of Türkiye and concludes that the successful Turkish Land Administration, which has many years of experience, should be modernized considering the new developments, and the clutter in geospatial data production should be eliminated and the efforts should be combined under a single corporate structure.

Exploration and practice of the teaching system for "Human and Animal Physiology" in post pandemic era

After the outbreak of COVID-19, the widespread application of online teaching has brought challenges and opportunities for higher education. Developing an effective teaching system is the focus of curriculum teaching reform in the post pandemic era. According to the characteristics of Human and Animal Physiology, the course teachers has developed a new teaching system by updating the teaching concept, reconstructing the contents of the course, changing the teaching modes, strengthening the integration of moral and intellectual education, and improving the assessment approaches. This teaching system is aimed at meeting the need of personalized learning for students and adapting to a new teaching environment. This article introduces the exploration and practice of the curriculum reform.

Post-Covid Challenges and Opportunities for Higher Education

All over the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the higher education sector. It has also put a lot of pressure on the Indian system of higher education. As a result, all academic institutions and colleges now teach their students through online platforms, thus forcing the higher education sector of the country to move its base online. The present crisis should be used as an opportunity to devise new ways to improve education that everyone can use and understand. Many new types of learning, new ideas, and recent trends have resulted from the pandemic. As we move forward, the same may happen.

Learning Mathematics through virtual mode: A review of literature

This paper identified the gap in existing literature in virtual learning environment in Mathematics. About seven books, twenty-nine journal articles, four conference papers and eight doctoral dissertations were collected from five different websites (Research gate, Elsevier, Wolfram Alpha, Directory of open access journals and Semantic scholar) and four electronic databases (Pro Quest Dissertations & Theses Global, Google Scholar, ERIC and Science Direct). The collected literature was reviewed thematically. The literature indicated that virtual learning is the useful learning process and an opportunity for higher education as well as school level to continue formal education from home, although it has many challenges. Although there are fewer number of studies on the virtual learning environment in Mathematics, some studies emphasise combined use of virtual manipulative and physical manipulative to increase the mathematical ability. Also, some literature indicates that online learning is more effective than traditional classroom learning but the rate of completion online mathematics course is lower than the classroom learning.

HIGHER EDUCATION FOR TRANSGENDERS IN GUJARAT: SOME INSIGHTS

India being a democratic country, through Article 14 and 15 of its constitution provides equal opportunity to every citizen to grow and attain their potential irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender. Despite this constitutional guarantee, the transgender community remained most deprived among the disadvantaged sections of the Indian society. They are still not accepted in the mainstream society; get fewer opportunities for their education and very small numbers have access to higher education. This study conducted through a focus group discussion systematically explores the problems and expectations of transgenders in higher education. The qualitative study was conducted in Vadodara city of Gujarat among transgenders who had higher education opportunities. Themes such as admission, institutional climate, curriculum, financial constraint and availability of resources were highlighted as major aspects that needed attention for the education of transgenders. The results reflect a discriminatory attitude, non-implementation of reservation policies, negative institutional climate, lack of support, lack of transgender sensitive curriculum, financial difficulties and inadequate availability of resources. The study discusses these problems in the line of transgender policies and literature and concludes with the suggestions for policy makers and stakeholders involved in the education of transgenders.

교육불평등 해소를 위한 고등교육법 제34조의8 신설의 법적 함의 고찰

This study aims to examine the new laws to provide equal opportunities for education to the people who want to receive education by applying the principle of differential compensation differentially applied to the selection of college students. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that all citizens have the right to receive education equally according to their abilities, and the Framework Act on Education also stipulates that they are not discriminated against in education due to social status, economic status, or physical conditions. Nevertheless, social mobility is retreating due to polarization in Korean society, and the function of the class ladder in education is gradually weakening. Accordingly, universities have established a new law to provide more than a certain percentage of opportunities to apply for social consideration prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as basic living recipients, and to expand regional balanced development by more than a certain percentage. This social integration screening legislation is a measure to strengthen the public nature and social responsibility of universities, and as the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act was deliberated and resolved at the State Council on February 22, 2022. The revision of the enforcement ordinance is expected to expand opportunities for higher education for economically and socially vulnerable students who have been relatively difficult to enter college.

Striving to Thrive: Black and Indigenous Women Reflect on Higher Education in Oregon’s Only Women’s Prison

This collaborative and creative paper explores and documents the realities of Black and Indigenous transgender and cisgender women at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Oregon in their pursuit of higher education. Through poetry, essays, personal narratives, and art, this paper reveals how Black and Indigenous students experience and navigate the structural and systemic barriers they face in engaging with higher education opportunities while in prison, and reflects on strategies for dismantling those barriers.

Educational Probe for Developing Online Education: A Case of Online Problem-Based Learning in Design Education in India

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges and opportunities for higher education and one of the important areas was online education. Especially in design field, Online Problem-Based Learning has emerged as a promising method. This paper explores the potential of online-PBL and how it can be developed through a prototype approach. An action research in Indian HEI shows insights regarding the potentiality of online-PBL and application of a prototype approach to educational development activities. A concept of “educational probes” was proposed as a method to design educational program.

Intergenerational Mobility of Education in Thailand: Effects of Parents’ Socioeconomic Status on Children’s Opportunity in Higher Education

Intergenerational Mobility of Education in Thailand: Effects of Parents’ Socioeconomic Status on Children’s Opportunity in Higher Education

Gender, Type of Institution, and Access to Doctoral Education—An Analysis Based on the 2016 National Master’s Graduate Survey

Access to opportunities for higher education is a classic topic in the sociology of higher education, but studies on access to doctoral education are still rare. This paper drew on data from the 2016 National Master’s Graduate Survey to analyze this issue, focusing on the effects of gender and the types of the institution on access to doctoral education. The study found that approximately 10% of Master’s students graduating in 2016 chose to continue on to pursue a doctoral degree, and the factors of gender and the types of the institution both had a significant impact on the outcome for a student’s pursuit of doctoral education. After controlling for the types of the institution, age, number of papers published during the period of study, and other factors, the probability that women in a humanities discipline, social sciences discipline, science or medicine discipline would pursue a doctoral degree was significantly lower than for men. In the discipline of medicine, graduates from a Master’s program at a high-ranking educational institution had a higher probability of pursuing doctoral education. Further analysis indicated that, in comparison with men, women were more likely to be subject to age constraints when choosing to pursue doctoral education, and were also more likely to be affected by satisfaction with their academic advisor.

Pan-African Networks, Cold War Politics, and Postcolonial Opportunities: The African Scholarship Program of American Universities, 1961–75

AbstractIn the early 1960s, when a majority of African countries were gaining independence, the training of personnel capable of implementing nation-building projects became imperative for new African governments, even though higher education opportunities on the continent remained scarce. In a context of competition with the former colonial powers and the USSR, the United States decided to set up scholarship programs for the training of postcolonial African elites. Through the analysis of one of these programs, the African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU), this article will show that in addition to the Cold War motivations of the US government, pan-African connections and university initiatives were essential in laying the groundwork for the project of educating Africans in the United States. It also highlights the too often overlooked role played by African leaders and academics in the concrete realization, reappropriation, and questioning of overseas training projects.