Higher Education Policy Makers Research Articles

Mental health and mental well-being of Black students at UK universities: a review and thematic synthesis

BackgroundThere is a knowledge gap about the experiences that affect the mental health of Black university students in the UK. Current research is focused on understanding the continuation, attainment and...

Remote Teaching and Learning in the COVID Era: Empirical Evidence from three Universities in Thailand

In an abrupt and unprecedented move to cancel face-to-face classes across the country for all institutions in higher education (HE), the paradigm of emergency remote teaching emerged (ERT). The purpose of ERT is to give students consistent, but temporary and quick access to training and instructional support. The quick transition concerned not just instructors but also students, who had little time to adjust to the new circumstances. The study aims to close a knowledge gap by validating previous research with a limited sample, as well as identify possible correlations between perceived satisfaction and specific sociodemographic characteristics in different geographical settings within Thailand. Empirical data was collected from 874 undergraduate students at three different universities in Thailand. The findings revealed that the students were not satisfied with ERT based on their experience. Moreover, the study concludes by providing theoretical and practical implications for educators and policymakers in HE.

The Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Higher Education: Students’ Perspective

Covid-19 is the latest crisis that happened worldwide. Since the onset of this crisis, many higher education and other institutions have faced challenges. With its continuing effect to the public, this study aims to explain student's perceptions and experiences related to the pandemic. In the study, data was achieved after analyzing the reports of 377 undergraduate students. Data were collected using an online questionnaire describing their perceptions and experiences. Consequently, it was found that most students still have positive feedback to the transition to online learning and they were most satisfied with the support provided by teaching staff. Students were mainly concerned about matters to do with their future career and studies. The findings also show thatthe pandemic incited various emotions and opinions from students. This includes the experience of anxiety and other distress, the restrictions of socializing, its negative effect on the learning process of the students, and the disruptions it is causing on the livelihood of people. On the lighter side, the pandemic was able to make the students recognize the importance of human communion and the importance of recognizing their responsibilities. Policymakers in higher education may benefit from these findings while formulating recommendations and strategies to support students during this time.

Student customer experience

The higher education (HE) landscape has been undergoing significant changes over the last decade. The trends of globalization and marketization of HE has had a profound impact on the dynamic relationship between students and higher education institutions (HEI) as service providers. Research efforts have been focused on understanding the role of students as customers, drivers of quality and satisfaction, and the emotional aspects of student customer experience (SCX). Despite an ongoing debate on whether students are customers and to what extent the business paradigm can be applied to HE, focusing on students’ higher education experience makes perfect sense, since students provide revenue and create a need for all the supporting services. This paper reviews the literature on SCX in the HE context. The paper aims to reduce the fragmentation of the field by spotting gaps and finding fruitful areas for future research. Using a bibliometric method based on articles indexed in the Web of Science database, it aims to identify the current state of knowledge in the field. The research contributes to both marketing and education theory by offering venues for new research. For policymakers in HE, it may serve as an up-to-date information source when looking for theoretically proven evidence for decision-making.

Global data on the freedom indispensable for scientific research: towards a reconciliation of academic reputation and academic freedom

ABSTRACT Universities striving for reputational gains in the competitive global higher education market rely on international rankings that claim to meaningfully identify ‘world class’ institutions. These rankings turn a blind eye to varying levels of academic freedom. We explore the origin of the first global university ranking in Shanghai, China, and argue that the current system of academic reputation management has been tailored to advance the interests of an authoritarian regime. From a human rights perspective, we argue that the notion of academic reputation should be reconciled with academic freedom. We also show how data from the new Academic Freedom Index (AFi) could inform international rankings and discuss other avenues for introducing a rights-perspective into academic reputation politics. The article includes ideas for how scholars, students, university administrations, funding organisations, and higher education policymakers can use the AFi to promote state compliance with the ‘freedom indispensable for scientific research’, which is a binding obligation under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

JUSTIFYING UNIVERSITIES: CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE IN POLITICAL FORMS OF WORTH IN THE UK

ABSTRACT Justifying higher education is a political exercise in which representatives of universities advocate for resources from the state while also seeking autonomy to manage their own affairs. This analysis builds upon Collini’s identification of the conflict over the value of higher education in the UK. It sets out the ‘worlds of worth’ typology to explain the basis of conflicting justifications in UK higher education policy debates. It elaborates the six worlds of worth and links them to pragmatic justifications utilised in higher education, varying according to situated contexts. It explains the conflicts between the worlds and how they play out in practical ways in higher education policymaking. The Research Excellence Framework constitutes a compromise between multiple worlds of worth. Debates around ‘low value’ courses are centred around conflicts between the industrial and market worlds. It concludes that the worlds of worth model offers a productive framework for the analysis of pragmatic policy conflicts and illuminates political struggles about what universities are for, embedded in power struggles for autonomy and control.

The perspective of university academics on remote teaching during Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted global education, and to prevent the spread of disease, the world have adopted remote teaching. The aim of this study was to determine the university academics perspective towards various aspects of remote teaching during COVID-19 pandemic. According to the findings, the majority of academics had no remote teaching prior experiences and most of them appeared to be unsatisfied with the provided online training of online teaching, online teaching platforms, Internet access, students’ participation, online assessment, delivering the content of the subjects they taught, and teaching practical-based subjects. The current study provided essential insights for policymakers in higher education to look over the aspects that hinder the process of remote teaching in Iraq.

What Do We Know About Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Participation in UK Higher Education?

Here, we offer a synthesis of recent evidence and new developments in relation to three broad aspects of Black and minority ethnic (BAME) students’ participation in UK higher education (HE). First, we examine recent trends in ethnic group differences in rates of access to, success within, and positive destinations beyond HE. Secondly, we examine the nature of UK universities as exclusionary spaces which marginalise BAME students in a myriad of ways, not least through curricula that centre Whiteness. Finally, we consider the impact of the marginalisation of BAME students on mental health. We argue that progress towards race equality in each domain has been hampered by white-centric discourses which continue to identify BAME students and staff as ‘other’. We highlight the important roles that academic communities and HE policy-makers have to play in advancing ethnic equality in UK universities.

Political appointees vs. elected officials: Examining how the selection mechanism for state governing agency board members influences responsiveness to stakeholders in higher education policy-making

Through an exploratory comparative case study of two U.S. states (Georgia and Nevada), this study investigates how the selection mechanism to state higher education governing agency boards influences the responsiveness of board members to stakeholders and their role in the policy-making process. Framed around the recent national policy agenda to improve postsecondary degree attainment and college completion, findings suggest that state agency board members in both states prioritized the opinions, insights, and goals of the state governor and governing agency staff, regardless of selection mechanism. However, for more localized issues and on-the-ground decision-making, stakeholders formally involved in the day-to-day operation of higher education, such as administrators, faculty, and students, serve a larger role, though this influence can be mediated by the selection mechanism of board members.

Using E-learning System in Jordanian Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Benefits and Challenges

During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the national lockdowns implemented in countries around the world, many universities worldwide made the transition from face-to-face delivery to online learning using e-learning systems. However, the successful transition from traditional class-based learning to online learning depends greatly on understanding the challenges related to the implementation and use of e-learning systems, as well as the technical and management factors that need to be enhanced. This study aimed to investigate the challenges related to the use of e-learning systems in Jordanian universities and to explore the technical and management aspects that impacted the successful implementation and use of e-learning systems during COVID-19. To achieve the study objectives, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher and distributed online to lecturers working at Jordanian universities. A total of 184 lecturers participated in the study. Based on the findings, the study provides recommendations which will help higher education policy makers, university management teams, and software developers build strategies to ensure the successful implementation and use of e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stressors in Electronic Exams in Covid-19 Pandemic

Since emerging Covid-19 on March 11,2010, universities have suspended or canceled their activities in their campus for example classroom learning, workshops, congress and examinations. Policy Makers in Higher Education and Faculty members transitioned their learning , assessment and evaluations to electronic learning and exams. Stress due to Covid 19 spreading and Stress due to exams have challenged higher education. Students my experience double stress through this situation. Background: The pandemic of coronavirus is named COVID-19, has challenged the world during the past several months. Coronavirus is transmitted through direct contact with the patient (coughing, sneezing, respiratory droplets,). Respiratory droplets spread through close contact from a person to others (hugging, kissing, and patient care) can transmit coronavirus The COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life, specially education and learning ( 1).

Reconstruction of Women Students's Subjectivities at the Intersection of Doctoral study and Motherhood (A narrative of Two Women Doctoral Students in Education at a University in Tehran)

Though the research conducted in studying the causes and effects of the increase in the number of female students at universities in Iran particularly in doctoral studies, few studies have examined deeply the lived experiences of women doctoral students and the complexities of their lived experiences has been neglected in the resulted metanarratives. Thus, this article attempts to explore women doctoral students' lived experiences through the narratives of two doctoral students in Education who experience motherhood in their doctoral study. Drawing on post-structuralist theorizing around subjectification, this narrative study focuses on how their subjectivity is being intersectionally reconstructed with motherhood. The findings of the narrative analysis of the interviews depicts the uniqueness of their narratives despite the similarities. Their main self-narrative is personal progress which is narrated through their different storylines of selfhood interwoven with their similar shame/pride storyline of motherhood in doctoral study. It is argued that the implications of self-narratives performed by doctoral students will contribute to the facilitation of other women doctoral students' experiences and provide a deeper insight for the supervisors and the policy makers in higher education. Keywords: lived experience; narrative inquiry; subjectivities; women doctoral students.

Exploring the needs of teachers in a Middle East university using TPACK: A case study

From the researcher’s experience as an experienced trainer in a Middle East university, teachers are still resistant towards integrating technology in teaching. In order to know the reasons behind such resistance, a case study using the technological pedagogical and content knowledge framework (TPACK) was conducted to: 1) explore the needs of teachers in a Middle East university who are resistant to integrate technology in their teaching, and 2) make recommendations that could be taken into consideration for encouraging teachers to integrate technology in their teaching.The findings showed that perceived knowledge of content is a key determinant of how much teachers want to engage with given members of support staff (trainers). In additions, it was found that teachers recognise the need for a variety of different support stakeholders, but wish to relate to such people in different ways—whether in training courses, one-off workshops and/or ad hoc approaches to fill ‘gaps’ in their knowledge.The findings of this study could benefit technology-training designers by taking into consideration teachers’ needs before conducting any training in order to have effective outcomes. In addition, policy makers in higher education could also benefit from this study by knowing that the trainers’ knowledge about the subject domain of teachers is essential for having effective technology-trainings and therefore change their policies in order to reach better outcomes. Finally, implications for future research are provided.Keywords: TPACK; technological pedagogical and content knowledge; teachers; Middle East universities; needsPart of the Special Issue Technology enhanced learning in the MENA region <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.1fd869f8>

How Policy Makers Employ the Term Quality in Higher Education Policymaking

ABSTRACT Quality in higher education (HE) can be considered a floating signifier that lacks a stable meaning due to the many possible interpretations different actors may ascribe to it in different contexts. We investigate how policy makers employ the term quality in HE policymaking attempting to legitimize policy reforms and find that it is employed in two ways: as “future-proofing tool” and as “relevance-increasing tool”. Furthermore, we show that policy makers employ the term quality when trying to legitimize both overall policy reforms as well as concrete policy design choices that represent politically contested goals and strategies. Our empirical cases are five Danish HE policies adopted since 2003. Our study contributes to existing knowledge with a new understanding of the role and function of quality referral in HE policymaking.

2020 – The Lecturer at a Crossroads of Teaching and Learning in Academia in Israel

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the greatest known disruption to the education system in Israel and in many countries around the globe, resulting in decisions to switch to online learning in all subjects. In the current study we examined lecturers’ opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of online teaching from various aspects, from a systemic, multi-institutional perspective. The findings indicate that only about a third of the lecturers expressed a preference for online learning. The lecturers mentioned the lack of social and emotional interactions (SEL) between students and lecturers as one of the main disadvantages of online learning. In addition, most of the lecturers do not consider online learning as providing an advantage in the quality of teaching and learning. The study also indicates the need for perceptual changes among lecturers, so that they will reexamine the teaching and learning processes and adapt their role and responsibilities to the new opportunities enabled by today’s technological tools and learning environments. The findings also indicate that the success of online learning requires appropriate pedagogical educational approaches rather than replication of traditional frontal teaching patterns on digital platforms. The findings call for in-depth discussion among higher education policymakers and academic institutions on the new and effective purpose of the campus in the post-covid period, the distinction between the virtual and the real in academic instruction, and the challenges and ways of coping with the new reality.

Psychosocial work environment risk factors among university employees – A cross-sectional study in Hungary

IntroductionNational and international research results have highlighted the fact that workplace stress causes mental and somatic problems. The aim of the present paper is to define exposure to workplace-related risk factors, with special focus on psychosocial risk factors, and the way they interconnect with workplace conditions, relationships with superiors and colleagues, and moral, professional and financial appreciation.MethodsCross-sectional research with the help of an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire was carried out among 261 higher education employees (67% women, 33% men, mean age 43.4 years) from 12 faculties of the University of Szeged, Hungary. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 22.0.ResultsThe primary workplace stress factors for university employees were strict deadlines (80.4%), frequent overwork (64.2%) and difficulty in meeting requirements (56.7%). Communication problems with colleagues and superiors were also highlighted (47.5%). Job strain was higher for women than for men. With regard to low financial, professional, and moral appreciation, employees were characterised by the existence of work requirements impossible to meet, as well as by low autonomy. Experience of anxiety and aggression came along with low financial and moral appreciation (p<0.001).ConclusionsOur data suggests that employees at the university were subject to several psychosocial risk factors, and worked under considerable mental stress, leading to a higher prevalence of mental health problems. The results highlight the need for a health-focused policy-making in higher education to reduce health expenditure and increase efficiency at work.

Dimensions of E-Readiness in University Libraries: Identification and Prioritization Using AHP Technique

Abstract The current research aimed to identify and prioritize the main dimensions underlying the concept of electronic readiness (e-readiness) in university libraries. A mixed exploratory method was used as the research methodology including documentary and survey methods. The literature coding process was confirmed by two different researchers in related fields, which resulted in a conceptual framework including 66 indicators, 12 components and four main dimensions of human resources, electronic infrastructures, networked programs and services, and enablers of the network world. To assess the indicators, a reliable and validated questionnaire derived from the framework was administrated among 221 participants including faculty members in related fields in Iran. By identifying the reliable items using a one-sample t-test, a refined AHP version of the initial questionnaire was also administrated among a set of 20 managers of university libraries located at Tehran city. Findings confirmed the consistency comparison for different matrices, which then resulted in satisfactory and reliable relevance for all components. Findings also showed that the dimensions network programs and services, human resources, electronic infrastructures and enablers of the networked world had the standard relevance respectively. The final framework and its priorities provide library managers and policymakers in higher education with a list of indicators and considerations for appraisal purposes.

The role of social capital in Iranian agricultural students' acquisition of generic skills

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the role of social capital in Iranian agricultural students' acquisition of generic skills. For this purpose, the effect of various social capital dimensions on students' generic skills development was examined.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among 190 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students in one of the colleges of agriculture and natural resources in Iran. The partial least square method was used to examine the relationships among various social capital dimensions (i.e. social values, social trust, social networks, social cohesion, social participation, social communications and information sharing) with students' generic skills.FindingsThe findings showed that social networks and social participation are effective factors in the generic skills development of students. A model designed for the development of students' generic skills based on their social capital level predicted up to 33% of generic skills' variances. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis showed that males and females vary on how various social capital dimensions affect their generic skills. In this respect, the social participation dimension had a significantly greater impact on female students' generic skills, whereas the generic skills of male students were influenced more by the social cohesion dimension.Practical implicationsDeveloping generic skills through social capital can be considered as an effective strategy in countries that do not have formal programs for developing students' generic skills. Additionally, higher education policymakers should present a more supportive approach for developing generic skills of female students through social participation in the campuses.Originality/valueSo far, no study has examined the relationships among various social capital dimensions and students' generic skills in Iran. The picture is even more unclear when it comes to the differences between male and female students. The results of this study confirmed the importance of social networks and social participation in the universities to support students and to improve their generic skills and, consequently, their employability competencies. Furthermore, it could be inferred that male and female students have similarities and also differences in terms of the effect of social capital on developing generic skills that can provide a path for future studies.

‘FROM POINT TO SURFACE’: THE ROLE OF POLICY EXPERIMENTATION IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION REFORMS

ABSTRACT China has undergone unprecedented changes since the Reform and Opening-up policy in 1978. Policy experimentation (PE) has been key in generating and catalysing reforms in the process. This study proposes a conceptual framework to describe the different pathways of PE-enabled reforms. Comparing two empirically informed case studies, this study demonstrates the functions of this policy tool plays within China’s higher education policy-making and development: generative, rhetorical and regulatory. The paper argues that PE can be a genuinely productive mechanism for producing, identifying and negotiating new policy options while allowing the government to supervise and regulate institutional reform behaviours. However, under certain conditions, it assumes more of a symbolic role allowing the government to acquire or consolidate reform legitimacy without engaging substantial innovation. By highlighting those key roles of PE, this paper provides a distinctive perspective for understanding the policy-making and reform process in China’s higher education development.

Knowledge and Perception of Nanotechnology Among Students of Agricultural Faculties’ in Jordan

This study investigated Knowledge and Perception of Nanotechnology among Students of Agricultural Faculties&amp;rsquo; in Jordan. The research was based on distributing a questionnaire. This study collected data from 485 respondents, of which 410 were analyzed. The results revealed that a very significant finding that the majority of the investigated students (45%) have already heard the word &amp;lsquo;nanotechnology&amp;rsquo;, though (72%) of those (45%) do not know about nanotechnology very well. The results of the present study indicated that students have basic or no enough knowledge about nanotechnology. The results also showed that students were with a very superficial knowledge of Nanotechnology. Moreover, none of the examined variables has no significant effect on the perception toward nanotechnology. Even though it is expected that students with higher years of study could show more expertise and acquire more developed topics such as the Nanotechnology concept, the students showed similar knowledge of Nanotechnology regardless of their year in study. The study recommends that the Jordanian educational policymakers in higher education should consider the inclusion of the Nanotechnology concept in the curricula of the different academic courses.