How Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Research on the Impact of Organization Commitment on Traditional Chinese Medicine University Teachers' Innovative Work Behaviour

As a result of an imbalance of innovation, several countries' increase in productivity has stopped, which is why Education 4.0 promotes development. A world-class system of education that develops outstanding learners and cutting-edge concepts is essential, and talented teachers serve a key role in development—results from the current study on Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) at Traditional Chinese Medicine University. Professors are discussed online. These research outcomes show that HE institutions significantly impact Organisation Commitment (OC) and IWB, with OC functioning as an initial step towards IWB. The paper intended to provide insight into how Higher Education (HE) institutions in the nation of China employ the principles of Traditional Chinese Medical Education Innovative Work Behaviour (TCMEWB) along with factors that might impact IWB analysis. The medical education on-the-job teachers' TCMEWB is investigated regarding their respective emotions, strengths, and adaptability. Similar to previous studies and current hypotheses, outcomes show that stress and unreasonable assumptions affect the relationship between self-confidence and TCMEWB, with both theoretical and practical impacts. The investigators in the southwest region of China analysed 500 teachers (F=75.5%; M = 24.5% ) and reported that IWB and the impact of OC dramatically improved academic achievement. The results of the study were examined using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and SPSS. Studies from the two statistical tests of weight (t-test and analysis of deviation) indicate that the mean OC of teachers at China's Traditional Chinese Medicinal Higher Education Institutions depends on demographic factors such as Experience, Education, and Salary. In order to figure out the level of OC among teachers, investigators evaluated several factors, including emotions, strength, and adaptability. The correlation and coefficients for these factors vary from 0.24 to 0.57.

Learning from survivors: Reporting parties' perspectives on how higher education institutions should address gender‐based violence and harassment

AbstractTackling gender‐based violence and harassment (GBVH) is an essential step for addressing gender inequality. This article applies theories of student/survivor ‘voice’ to accounts from interviewees (n = 35), analysing their perspectives on how higher education institutions (HEIs) should address this issue. Interviewees were current or former students in the United Kingdom who had disclosed or reported GBVH to their HEIs. The most urgent step that interviewees called for is open discussion of GBVH and how HEIs are handling it. They also want more education, prevention and early intervention, and changes in how reports are handled. These findings are contextualised within a critical discussion of how reporting parties' voices are, or could be, heard within higher education. It argues that institutional mechanisms for hearing survivors' voice in relation to GBVH may need to differ from approaches for engaging with students on other issues, most notably by taking into account how power relations shape voices.

A Big Ten Leadership Approach to Service Animal Policy Development in Higher Education

There is a deficiency in scholarly research on higher education service animal policy that has created definitive gaps in how disability services office (DSO) directors approach policy development and how higher education institutions (HEIs) ensure access for service animal handlers. This qualitative research study aims to narrow these gaps by investigating the Big Ten Academic Alliance (Big Ten) DSO directors’ approaches to service animal policy development and exploring how federal and state legislation influence service animal policies. Participants in this study were five DSO directors from Big Ten institutions in the United States who participated in semistructured interviews. Findings reveal four themes associated with the approach Big Ten DSO directors take when developing and implementing service animal policies: (a) the influence of federal and state legislation, (b) transformational leadership, (c) social justice, access, and equity, and (d) involvement of institutional stakeholders in policy development.

Using data science for sustainable development in higher education

AbstractDespite the abundance of studies focused on how higher education institutions (HEIs) are implementing sustainable development (SD) in their educational programmes, there is a paucity of interdisciplinary studies exploring the role of technology, such as data science, in an SD context. Further research is thus needed to identify how SD is being deployed in higher education (HE), generating positive externalities for society and the environment. This study aims to address this research gap by exploring various ways in which data science may support university efforts towards SD. The methodology relied on a bibliometric analysis to understand and visualise the connections between data science and SD in HE, as well as reporting on selected case studies showing how data science may be deployed for creating SD impact in HE and in the community. The results from the bibliometric analysis unveil five research strands driving this field, and the case studies exemplify them. This study can be considered innovative since it follows previous research on artificial intelligence and SD. Moreover, the combination of bibliometric analysis and case studies provides an overview of trends, which may be useful to researchers and decision‐makers who wish to explore the use of data science for SD in HEIs. Finally, the findings highlight how data science can be used in HEIs, combined with a framework developed to support further research into SD in HE.

Employability Capital for Tour Guides at a World Heritage Site

Aim. Employability has gained increased interest after the respective global shocks of 2008 and 2020. The study deepens the theory of employability in relation to a globally significant tourism industry. The aim of the study is to identify the core dimensions of the employability of tour-guides. Method. The study adopted a qualitatively intrinsic case study at a world heritage site (WHS), namely the Maropeng Visitor Centre. The researcher focused on the notion of employability for tour-guides, based on existing research gaps regarding those two central concepts. Results. The study determines the roles and responsibilities of tour-guides so as to align these to the notion of employability capital of tour-guides. Secondly, the study probed how higher education institutions (HEIs) should contribute to tour-guides’ employability particularly, and their employability capital, generally. Moreover, misconceptions emerged about HEIs’ offerings concerning employability and tour-guides’ education. Conclusions. Employability capital has become a factor influencing success in the work environment. This study revealed the importance of practical courses in tourism education (tour guiding, first aid, and additional languages) and highlighted the imperative to understand students’ skills and capabilities within the scope of practical training courses. Originality. The study advances knowledge on employability capital in relation to tour guiding at WHS. This would help to develop a better system that would increase employability capital in the tour-guiding sector.

Completing a Ph.D. – Does it have to be a Lonely Existence?

The co-authors of this paper are current Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students with the University of Wolverhampton. We embarked on writing this opinion piece to share our experience of the first year of our Ph.D. and suggest how higher education institutions (HEIs) can enhance the academic development of doctoral researchers and minimise the detrimental experiences which studies have shown to affect this group of students.

Drivers and barriers in developing sustainability leadership – a case of natural scientists at Ugandan universities

PurposeAlthough natural science disciplines significantly contribute to sustainable development goals (SDGs), little research attends to how higher education institutions (HEIs) influence the development of leadership skills needed among sustainability leaders. This paper aims to examine the leadership development experiences of natural scientists at the forefront of disciplines associated with SDGs to identify barriers and drivers to sustainability leadership skills development at HEIs.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods comparative study was used, integrating qualitative interviews among 21 natural scientists and 11 non-scientists, two focus group discussions and a cross-sectional survey of 221 leaders. The theory of planned behaviour was used as the analytical frame to identify themes emerging from the data as facilitators or barriers to leadership development.FindingsThere was a statistically significant difference between scientists and non-scientists in the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions that drive participation in leadership development activities. Attitudes belittling leadership skills, limited integration of leadership skills in medical, engineering and agricultural curricula and a social identity of superior learning efficacy impede natural scientist students at HEIs from engaging in leadership development.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research using a larger sample could assess the prevalence and effect of the drivers and barriers on sustainability leadership effectiveness.Practical implicationsBeyond integrating leadership skills in HEIs curricula, the development of sustainability leadership requires deliberate elevation of the value of leadership skills within natural sciences, specifically by addressing attitudes, beliefs and workload challenges that impede scientists’ engagement in co-curricular activities.Originality/valueIntegrating multiple disciplines provides generalised insights into the context of leadership development among natural scientists at HEIs. This study identifies specific drivers and barriers affecting leadership development at HEIs in a developing country setting.

Legal Education and Gender Issues

The study aims to analyze the political, pedagogical and scientific role of legal higher education in relation to the approach and training committed to coping with violence and addressing gender issues. To this end, we problematize traditional legal education, the necessary interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspective of the higher education of undergraduate Law students and the interrelation between education, research, and extension in this universe. We carry out a documentary analysis of the Pedagogical Projects (PPCs) of Undergraduate Law Programs in operation in the city of Arcoverde, located in the Moxotó Backlands, Pernambuco, Brazil, as a way of understanding how higher education institutions (HEIs) situate gender issues in legal education. The results indicate that the HEIs provide syllabuses that favor technique and dogmas to the detriment of discussions that elicit deeper dialogue on social issues, such as gender issues, in addition to maintaining the fragmentation of knowledge as a curricular characteristic. Finally, regarding the research and extension aspects, the institutions present goals and activities that opt for a generic and apolitical discourse, not committing, in general terms, to addressing gender issues.

Communicating COVID-19: Analyzing Higher Education Institutional Responses in Canada, China, and the USA.

The study aims to examine how higher education institutions (HEIs) in three countries responded to the challenges of COVID-19 over a six-month period at the outbreak of the global pandemic. Employing document analysis, we examined 732 publicly available communications from 27 HEIs in Canada, China, and the USA. Through theoretical frameworks of crisis management and Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), we explore how HEIs respond to the pandemic and protect campus stakeholders. The study revealed common patterns in communication strategies during different stages of the pandemic that include accepting responsibility, emotional reassurance, and compensating victims. It also revealed key differences across social contexts and environments and distinct leadership styles. Findings offer insight into how HEIs communicated at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and inform the application of SCCT and crisis management theory to institutional behavior in the context of prolonged and intersecting disasters.

Defining Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions

People interact with each other based on shared meaning. In the absence of shared meaning, organizations fail to identify and achieve goals. Focus is generally placed on how to engage, fund, and achieve sustainability across HEIs, and the conceptual problem of what sustainability means is often overlooked. This exploratory analysis examines how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the United States define sustainability. Definitions of sustainability were collected from 131 Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) reports submitted between March 2017 and March 2020. Through thematic coding, four definition themes emerged: 3-dimensional, intergenerational, environmental, and ethical. The 3-dimensional and intergenerational themes were the most common, with 11 different combinations of themes identified among the definitions. The majority of definitions described sustainability as an anthropocentric concept rather than an ecocentric concept. How sustainability is defined and communicated is important for the coordinated progress toward global sustainability goals. Further, the implications of various definitions should be acknowledged when identifying strategies to advance sustainable practices in higher education.

1 - Enhancing the Digital Transformation of African Universities: Covid-19 as Accelerator

The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative effects on virtually every sector of the global economy and educational institutions have not been spared. This has inevitably led to the need for African think tanks to consider ways through which the continent’s unprecedented youth bulge could be the cog around which growth and competitiveness of the African economy could be achieved. The first section introduces the paper and highlights how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a key role to play towards ensuring the youth are adequately equipped with skills that are relevant to the twenty-first century’s digital transformation. The second section discusses the theories behind the mega trends of the twenty-first century by international agencies, consultancy firms, governments, academics, and pundits while the third section examines the digitalization of HEIs and cites various publications on higher education and its evolution in the digital era. The fourth section builds on the authors’ findings from previous sections to detail a twelve- point Digital Transformation Agenda for Africa. The fifth section highlights the technological infrastructure that is required to support Africa’s Digital Transformation Agenda and twenty-first century research and innovation before the authors draw conclusions.

New Business Education Model for Entrepreneurial HEIs: University of Tirana Social Innovation and Internationalization

Educational needs are changing worldwide. Social aspects and the impact of knowledge and education on changing society are already taken into consideration from some viewpoints. However, the social impact of different models of education that bring new knowledge in innovative ways and the application of social entrepreneurship still need be investigated. The main question that this study addressed is how higher education institutions (HEIs) will approach the new era, in relation to knowledge needs and their social impact, and which model allows HEIs to become more entrepreneurial and follow social entrepreneurship. The paper contributes to addressing challenges and opportunities that universities (especially those located in developing countries) face in their pathway to developing social entrepreneurship education with the aim of increasing their value creation capacity. Through a case study analysis, this paper highlights the relevance of knowledge creation, circulation, and transfer among different stakeholders for universities to shift towards an entrepreneurial and innovative perspective. The findings of this research highlight the relevance of social innovation, knowledge development processes, and wide and collaborative national and international networks as essential elements in paving the way for universities to become entrepreneurial universities.

The nexus between stakeholders’ materiality and sustainable development goals: evidence from higher education institutions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to shed light on the association between stakeholders’ materiality and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), highlighting how higher education institutions (HEIs) can pursue sustainable development and provide a holistic perspective by mapping material issues. This paper provides a clear understanding of the universities’ role, specifically a state university in a developing country in fostering sustainable development. Particularly, this study identifies where the service industry and Yildiz Technical University (YTU) can contribute to the SDGs.Design/methodology/approachThis methodology contains three stages. In the first stage, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board categories have been mapped to the SDGs, in the second stage mapping of the service sector and its industries has been carried out. Additionally, the methodology was based on an exploratory case study.FindingsThis paper provides empirical results on the significance of the service sector, education and YTU in contributing to the SDGs. Moreover, this paper provides a framework by mapping the material issues on how the education sector can make contributions to the SDGs.Practical implicationsExhibiting how HEIs’ implement integrated thinking and voluntarily implemented International Integrated Reporting Council guidelines can assist policymakers to make regulations based on the voluntary reporting framework.Social implicationsThis paper contributes to increasing academics’ awareness of sustainability practices. The research process and findings of this study can assist policymakers to make regulations based on the HEIs’ voluntary reporting framework.Originality/valueThis study is the first to identify specifically where the service industry and specifically a state university in a developing country can contribute to the SDGs and one of a few in the emerging academic studies. Additionally, how integrated reporting can contribute to value creation by establishing and proactively achieving the SDGs.

The Key Determinants of Social Media Use in Teaching during the Covid-19 Outbreak: Indonesia Case

This study aims to provide empirical evidence on how higher education institutions (HEIs) teacher educators use SM in teaching during the Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Evaluation of the factors that are the key to implementing the use of SM in education during the Covid-19 outbreak is essential. We used a survey aiming to answer the research questions of the study. The study participants are 297 faculty members from all over the Indonesian faculty of education and teacher training. The findings of the study reported that all hypotheses are significant. Facilitating Condition (FC) significantly predicts Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU). Similarly, PEU is positively related to PU and Intention to Use (IU). PU also significantly determines IU. In addition, IU is significantly correlated with Actual Use (AU). The highest path coefficient is achieved by the relationship between the FC and PU. PEU and PU are the lowest relationship. Suggestions and recommendations are offered for the betterment of teaching and learning processes during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Flipped classroom: How higher education institutions (HEIs) of Bangladesh could move forward during COVID-19 pandemic

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh along with most of the developing countries is facing unexpected impediments towards functioning their regular activities. Most importantly, schools at all levels and Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) have been completely shut down since March 26, 2020 that directly obliged stakeholders (Ministry of Education, institutes authorities, parents and other relevant bodies) to adopt online education. Due to having very less experience, in many cases no experience at all, of conducting teaching and learning wholly online by HEIs of Bangladesh, myriad challenges have been encountered by teachers and students. In order to find out a viable technique for dealing with these challenges, this paper addresses two research questions: What are the available open Source technologies that could be used as an alternative of paid LMS system for any developing countries during this COVID-19 pandemic? and Is exiting flipped classroom technique suitable for continuing teaching and learning during COVID-19 pandemic? In an effort to solve the above mentioned questions, a case study method was adopted. The findings of this study propose a pathway (framework) through which the HEIs of developing countries will be able to continue teaching and learning without investing money and organizing training during this COVID-19 pandemic and similar other emergency situations. This strategy provides a simple but reliable emergency means which is based on flipped classroom theory. The HEIs of Bangladesh particularly, and other developing countries generally will be benefited from this proposed framework while they do not have established means to carry their teaching and learning. This paper lastly addresses a few limitations of this framework and provides guidelines to the policymakers on how to incorporate it into the HEIs during this emergency context.

Funding community sustainable development using zero energy buildings

Purpose This study aims to provide an example of how higher education institutions (HEIs) can use a successful campus infrastructure project to fund a student- and faculty-led, community-success platform that advances the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach The authors applied conceptual models for systems thinking and creating virtuous cycles to analyze Millersville University’s work to establish a community-impact, micro-grant fund using cost savings and utility rebates associated with a new campus zero-energy building. The analysis provides a case study that other HEIs can implement to create university and community virtuous cycles that advance the SDGs. Findings The case study suggests that as HEIs face increasing financial challenges, opportunities exist to capitalize on philanthropic giving and other funding sources to support community prosperity and increase university vitality through a shared responsibility paradigm centered on the SDGs. Practical implications This case study identifies specific funding sources that HEIs can use to fund campus and community sustainability projects using the SDG framework, mechanisms for establishing shared purpose around that impact and a conceptual model for thinking about opportunities to leverage philanthropic giving to create a virtuous cycle that increases university vitality through community impact. Social implications Constructing a campus zero energy building funded in part through philanthropic giving provided a unique opportunity to explore how a project’s success can be leveraged to create additional community successes. This case study offers an example for how to convert one success into a platform that funds projects that have direct community impact in one or more of the SDG goal areas. Originality/value This paper aims at bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks for community sustainable development and descriptive-only case studies by using a case study to demonstrate a conceptual model or framework for advancing community sustainability (Karatzoglou, 2013). The case study provides a unique model for using utility rebates associated with an infrastructure project that was funded through philanthropic giving to establish a fund for projects that support the community. Utility rebates associated with campus energy efficiency projects are often otherwise overlooked, used to fund additional energy efficiency projects or simply returned to a university’s operating budget. For some HEIs, this model may connect the work of facilities staff to student success in ways that have not previously been explored. For others, this alternative use of utility rebates may offer an opportunity to increase the investment value of utility rebate dollars by creating virtuous cycles within their communities that contribute to university vitality.

Educational Tourism and Local Development: The Role of Universities

On the basis of a scoping review of the literature about educational tourism—a type of tourism in which the traveller’s primary or secondary objective is learning—this study summarizes views on how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can foster local development through educational tourism. The results show that international students can be considered as educational tourists, and their stay can benefit them and the destination. In this context, the university can actively facilitate relationships between tourists and local stakeholders to foster learning at the destination and improve the sustainability of the local economy; some reports about specific cases are described. We argue that the tourism component should be considered by any institution organising or managing educational programmes, in order to exploit the opportunities offered by the destination for the achievement of learning goals. More specifically, the paper focuses on educational tourism related to HEI students in international mobility programs, who are educational tourists inasmuch as their overall experience at the destination includes leisure and tourism activities. Further research is needed to formulate models of intervention.

International entrepreneurship education: Barriers versus support mechanisms to STEM students

Previous research on entrepreneurship education (EE), specifically directed to students from the science and technology fields, has been very sparse. This research aims to analyse how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) develop EE programmes, as well as discussing how the barriers to EE are perceived by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students. The paper is based on an international training project, SCIENT, aiming to foster young scientists’ entrepreneurial spirit having its focus on the lean start-up approach. The data were collected by questionnaires directed to STEM students in some European countries. The results show that HEIs carry out several types of activities and in different ways to stimulate entrepreneurial spirit among STEM graduates and students. As barriers to business creation, the difficulty in obtaining financial support associated with high patent costs was highlighted. Government and private investors should develop financial support instruments to help these potential entrepreneurs.

Website communications for campus sustainability: an analysis of Canadian universities

PurposeThis study aims to better understand the communication of sustainability by Canadian universities, specifically the use of websites, interactive features and sustainability plans.Design/methodology/approachA total of 95 Canadian universities were included in this study. The mixed-methods approach sought to capture the communication of sustainability via websites, the interactive features used, as well as to evaluate the quality of sustainability plans.FindingsThe study revealed that 67% of universities address sustainability on their websites. On average, universities offer three to four interactive features on their sustainability-related Web pages, and the average score of the quality of campus sustainability plans was 29 (out of 41).Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not investigate the extent to which interactive features enhance the involvement and participation in sustainability efforts or the extent to which the sustainability plans were put into practice by universities.Practical implicationsThe findings assist with understanding how higher education institutions (HEIs) can enhance their sustainability communication via their websites to encourage interaction and engagement in campus sustainability. The findings can also help universities to enhance the effectiveness of sustainability plans.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to assess sustainability content and the interactive features on sustainability-related pages of Canadian universities’ websites. The quality of sustainability plans is also evaluated. The study informs the present understanding of communicating sustainability by Canadian universities and provides a basis for future investigations in HEIs in Canada and beyond.

Anchoring (in) the region: the dynamics of university-engaged urban development in Newark, NJ, USA

ABSTRACT While academic and policy analyses have explored universities’ roles in urban regeneration and regional development, issues arising from intraurban collaboration and competition in multi-university city-regions have received scant attention. In response, this paper examines how higher education institutions (HEIs) connect and splinter urban space at multiple scales through a case study of Newark, NJ, USA. Newark’s attempts to reposition itself as a hub for university-enabled innovation disclose the complex ways in which the infrastructures of knowledge urbanism are implemented, negotiated, and spatialized at local and city-regional scales. The study’s multi-disciplinary analysis assesses the discourses, technologies, and territorial constellations through which HEIs (re)shape place and project urban peripheries into wider city-regional networks. The paper’s findings reveal an emergent and decentred ‘de facto’ form of university regionalism crystallizing in Greater New York that illustrates the need for robust, scalar-sensitive assessments of anchor institution strategies as they are articulated within broader regionalization processes.