Implications For Higher Education Research Articles

“COGNITIVE FRAGMENTATION” AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CLIP THINKING AND ITS IMPACT ON MODERN SOCIETY EVOLUTION

In today’s information-saturated world, individuals are inundated with verbal and visual messages, leading to the development of what is termed “clip thinking” as an adaptive response. This phenomenon, characterized by constant interaction with superficial and nonsensical texts, alongside continuous internet browsing, has profound implications beyond mere cognition. Clip thinking, a systemic issue, extends its influence beyond cognitive processes. Its roots lie in the transmission of information through modern gadgets, the ubiquity of the internet, and the prevalence of clip culture. Modern youth, constrained by the small screens of digital devices and the constant scrolling of text, are increasingly averse to engaging with complex material, resulting in decreased information retention and comprehension. This shift in information consumption habits has concerning implications for higher education. Many students rely heavily on electronic aids, neglecting memorization and overlooking the importance of understanding complex texts. Consequently, the prevalence of fragmented thinking among students leads to deficiencies in conceptual and critical thinking skills. Instead of engaging deeply with subject matter, students often resort to generalized concepts, overlooking causal connections. Carriers of clip thinking become vulnerable to any manipulations by the mass media, as the mosaic nature of their consciousness is capable perceive only what is happening right now and information provided through information and telecommunication gadgets without subjecting it to critical analysis. Hence, university lecturers face significant challenges as they endeavor to navigate the need for innovative teaching methodologies in light of the fragmented thinking prevalent among modern students. The searching for innovative teaching technologies should not solely aim at altering the thinking patterns of students with clip-like cognitive tendencies. Rather, the primary objective of modern educational technologies should be to foster the mental skills necessary for information analysis and synthesis, as well as the identification of similarities and differences, generalizations, and classifications within the information landscape. Hence, this topic retains its profound relevance in contemporary education.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of ChatGPT on Higher Education

ChatGPT is shaking up the higher education world by generating informative content that mimics human writing. However, its integration into university settings raises concerns about academic integrity and potential information security risks. The aim of this study is to systematically review the impact of using ChatGPT in university settings and its implications for higher education. This study employed a systematic review method to assess the evidence in the literature. Thirty-nine articles were analyzed according to PRISMA principles. The findings suggest that ChatGPT has the potential to personalize learning and improve writing performance. However, there are still potential issues, such as undermining academic integrity and breaching personal information. Therefore, urgent action is needed to address these issues and optimize the use of ChatGPT in higher education. Future research could further discuss how to fully utilize ChatGPT in academia while carefully considering ethical issues.

A comprehensive assessment of self-leadership among students in China’s ethnic regions: insights and implications for higher education

ABSTRACT In modern society, individuals are granted greater autonomy, amplifying the significance of self-leadership. The cultivation of self-leadership stands as a pivotal determinant in the holistic development of college students. Despite its importance, higher education’s role in fostering self-leadership has been comparatively overlooked, with empirical examinations using validated models in this domain remaining scarce. This research delves into the self-leadership attributes of students in Chinese ethnic region universities, utilizing the College Student Self-leadership Assessment (CSSA) and enriching the study with semi-structured interviews with students and educators. Drawing on responses from 2,578 participants across thirteen ethnic region universities in China, and insights gleaned from interviews, students’ self-leadership was evaluated across nine dimensions. The results illuminated that students generally exhibited commendable self-leadership attributes, particularly excelling in value selection and self-perception. Nevertheless, deficiencies were noted in their intrinsic learning motivation, goal management, and independent decision-making. Additionally, significant variances in self-leadership were detected across variables such as gender, grade and institutional tiers. These findings underscores the essential need for educational strategies that strengthen students’ self-leadership. Key recommendations involve adopting project-based learning that incorporates cultural engagement, and developing interdisciplinary curricula, which together enhance student autonomy and community involvement, thereby fostering a robust self-leadership foundation. This study provides key insights into pedagogical and assessment methods to develop self-leadership among students, filling a crucial gap in higher education research, especially in ethnic region universities, and underscores the need for specialized support for their developmental needs.

The Global Impact of CEFR in Higher Education: A Case Study in Kazakhstan and Insights from a Pedagogical Experiment

The article explores the transformative impact of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) on global language pedagogy, with a particular focus on its implications for higher education and its application in Kazakhstan. Introduced by the Council of Europe in the early 2000s, the CEFR offers a comprehensive framework for language teaching, learning, and assessment, spanning six competency levels from A1 to C2. Its widespread adoption has reshaped language education policies and practices worldwide, emphasizing communication skills across reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The study investigates the evolution of the CEFR and its integration into higher education systems, examining its influence in countries such as the UK, Germany, France, and Canada. Notably, Kazakhstan has embraced the CEFR as a guiding framework for language instruction, aiming to enhance graduates’ employability in the international job market. Additionally, the article presents findings from a pedagogical experiment conducted at a Kazakhstani university, assessing the effectiveness of CEFR-aligned speaking assessment criteria in improving students’ proficiency. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative student feedback, highlighting the positive impact of aligning teaching strategies with the CEFR. Overall, the research contributes valuable insights into the practical application of the CEFR in Kazakhstani higher education and its broader implications for language instruction worldwide. Keywords: CEFR, higher education system, teaching methods, assessment criteria, student feedback, survey.

Navigating the AI frontier: Should we fear ChatGPT use in higher education and scientific research? Finding a middle ground through guiding principles and practical applications

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence-based chatbots, including ChatGPT, in various sectors has raised concerns about their implications in higher education and scientific research. While the academic world aims to foster critical thinking and produce reliable research, the use of chatbots has elicited resistance from some academics due to fears of inaccuracies. In this paper, we extensively examine this phenomenon in higher education and scientific research, seeking to understand its practical applications, limitations, and potential risks. We investigated how ChatGPT is currently being used by academia, young researchers, and students. We also identified its areas of application and conducted trials by engaging ChatGPT, with transcripts included in the paper. Based on our findings, we discuss the results in the context of the needs in higher education and scientific research, presenting guidelines for responsible adoption. We distinguish positive use cases, areas requiring caution, explicit limitations of ChatGPT, and cases of unethical use. Importantly, we view ChatGPT as a valuable technological innovation but emphasize the necessity for thoughtful and responsible implementation. While we do not consider its use inherently deceitful, consistent, and shared guidelines are essential to ensure its ethical and effective application.

AI Chatbots in Chinese higher education: adoption, perception, and influence among graduate students-an integrated analysis utilizing UTAUT and ECM models.

This study is centered on investigating the acceptance and utilization of AI Chatbot technology among graduate students in China and its implications for higher education. Employing a fusion of the UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model and the ECM (Expectation-Confirmation Model), the research seeks to pinpoint the pivotal factors influencing students' attitudes, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions regarding AI Chatbots. The study constructs a model comprising seven substantial predictors aimed at precisely foreseeing users' intentions and behavior with AI Chatbots. Collected from 373 students enrolled in various universities across China, the self-reported data is subject to analysis using the partial-least squares method of structural equation modeling to confirm the model's reliability and validity. The findings validate seven out of the eleven proposed hypotheses, underscoring the influential role of ECM constructs, particularly "Confirmation" and "Satisfaction," outweighing the impact of UTAUT constructs on users' behavior. Specifically, users' perceived confirmation significantly influences their satisfaction and subsequent intention to continue using AI Chatbots. Additionally, "Personal innovativeness" emerges as a critical determinant shaping users' behavioral intention. This research emphasizes the need for further exploration of AI tool adoption in educational settings and encourages continued investigation of their potential in teaching and learning environments.

Engineers’ self-perceived employability by gender and age: Implications for higher education

Engineers’ self-perceived employability by gender and age: Implications for higher education

Online English Courses to ODL: Instructors’ Perspectives and Implications in Higher Education

The rapid shift from traditional face-to-face instruction to virtual platforms has fundamentally reshaped higher education, including English courses. Post-Covid-19, online learning has proven to be a sustainable, long-term option. This study examines the perspectives of 46 Malaysian higher-education instructors delivering online English courses. The study has three objectives: identifying challenges in online teaching, exploring instructors' perceptions of digital tools and resources, and investigating views on transitioning to a fully-fledged Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. Findings highlight technical issues as the primary concern accompanied by varied perspectives. Addressing these challenges and optimizing digital tools and resources can enhance ODL quality.

Half a mathematician? How preservice teachers are connected to their studied discipline

ABSTRACT Preservice teachers study an academic discipline (e.g. mathematics) and – just like students majoring in that discipline – have a certain level of connectedness to it. While studying, students may compare themselves to peers studying the same discipline within alternative degree programs, characterized by different study contexts. Notably, preservice mathematics teachers may engage in such comparisons with major mathematics students, potentially fostering preservice teachers’ feelings of being less connected with the mathematics discipline. Thus, using the constructs of task value and sense of belonging, we investigate how preservice teachers’ and major students’ perceived connectedness to mathematics differs and how it differs from the connectedness they anticipate is experienced by students in the respective other degree program. Data from 174 preservice mathematics teachers and 96 major mathematics students in Germany suggest that preservice teachers perceive themselves as less connected to the discipline of mathematics than major students perceive themselves to be. These findings are supported by contrasting participants’ own perspectives with their anticipated perspectives of what students in the respective alternative degree program would indicate. This comparison yields even more pronounced effect sizes. Differences between levels of comparison as well as implications for higher education and teacher education are discussed.

FOSTERING CHANGE: EXPLORING MOTIVATING FACTORS IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AMONG NIGERIAN PROFESSORS

Investigates the driving forces behind community engagement practices among Nigerian professors. This study delves into the motivations that propel Nigerian professors to engage with communities, examining the factors influencing their participation, commitment, and impact. Through a qualitative exploration, this research aims to uncover the underlying drivers shaping community engagement initiatives among Nigerian professors and their implications for higher education and societal development. By shedding light on these motivating factors, this study offers insights into how academic institutions and policymakers can cultivate and support community engagement efforts among faculty members, fostering meaningful collaborations and positive social change.

Sphoța Theory of Knowing and Its Implications for Higher Education

The article’s central theme is that knowing cannot be equated with knowledge because knowing is an innate process and knowledge is a product. Knowing as an intuitive process is an inalienable experience, whereas knowledge is an alienable property. Knowledge is a discursive construct of human political economy, whereas knowing is the very character of existence. Knowing arises as we interact. It involves awareness, understanding and the experience of intelligence. Knowledge, on the other hand, is a commercial product of the class-ridden world. The argument has its implication for higher education, that is, higher education should primarily focus on nourishing the knowing quotient without being lost in knowledge production. The article traverses various realms of knowing, such as knowing subjects, learning beings, ontologies and epistemologies of knowledge and knowing, as they glimmered from the ancient to the modern both in the east and the west. Towards the end of the article, the arguments culminate with the philosophical narratives of an Indian philosopher Bhartṛhari, especially his sphoța theory, known as sphoța sidhantham.

베트남 대학기관평가인증 제도 및 평가준거의 변화와 시사점

This study aims to introduce the evolution of Vietnam's institutional evaluation and accreditation system and the current evaluation criteria. Accordingly, this study examines the overall development of Vietnam's institutional evaluation and accreditation system and summarizes the evaluation criteria. Vietnam began to pay attention to the quality of higher education in the 2000s. In 2003, the Vietnam Education Quality Review and Evaluation Agency was established by the Ministry of Education. In 2004, the Interim Regulations on Accreditation and Evaluation of Higher Education Institutions were issued, and for the first time, Vietnam started its own accreditation and evaluation of higher education institutions. In 2005, the Education Law was amended to provide a legal basis for accreditation, and in 2007, official regulations were issued to replace the 2004 interim regulations, providing a solid legal foundation. In 2013, the Center for University Assessment and Accreditation was established under Hanoi National University. In 2017, the Center completely changed the evaluation indicators used until now, replacing them with new ones based on the evaluation indicators of the ASEAN University Network (AUN). Based on these findings, we outline recommendations for higher education in Vietnam and implications for higher education in Korea.

Toward a coherent critical theory of learner autonomy in language learning: Exploring its political implications in higher education and limitations in the literature

The literature on autonomous language learning reveals both, scholars’ great enthusiasm for the revolutionary potential of learner autonomy as well as pessimism for its continual depoliticization within higher education. Similar to how ‘learner autonomy’ is still today an unfinished construct that raises considerable confusion among scholars, the critical theory of learner autonomy in the field of language learning remains largely unexplored; and thus, yet to be fully articulated. Building on the relevant literature, this article attempts to provide a coherent and nuanced theoretical framework for the critical practice of learner autonomy in higher education. Results show how the field of language learning is dominated by uncritical and apolitical approaches that render learner autonomy a politically impotent practice. Critical autonomous language learning must be both critically aware—so it can raise students’ awareness of the structural and discursive constraints on their autonomy—and politically active—so it may lead to education reform and social change—, while also aiming at reaching the highest levels of institutional material support and student control possible.

National Education Policy 2020 and Higher Education: A Comprehensive Analysis of Impact, Challenges and Opportunities

The educational system forms the bedrock of a nation's progress and advancement. The National Education Policy 2020 has been reimagined as the cornerstone of this transformation, holding the potential to revamp the country's educational system and enhance its economic and social indicators. Recognizing education's role in driving societal and economic progress, a well-defined and forward-looking educational strategy is imperative for a nation's schools and colleges. Various countries adopt diverse educational frameworks, influenced by their traditions and cultures, all aimed at benefiting individuals at different stages of their academic journey, particularly in high school and college. Recently, the Indian government introduced a fresh educational blueprint, drawing from recommendations by a panel of experts. The proposed changes brought about by NEP 2020 have caught many educators off guard. While both secondary and tertiary education have felt the impact of this policy, this article primarily centers on NEP 2020 and its implications for higher education. The primary focus of this paper revolves around NEP 2020 and how it shapes higher education. The document also highlights the key aspects of NEP and examines the prospects and obstacles tied to the implementation of NEP 2020 within higher education institutions.

1984 revisited: Implications for leaders in higher education in the United States

This article offers a current perspective on George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) utopian society in the context of 2022 and implications for higher education and society in the United States. Societies have experienced numerous issues portrayed in 1984 including power struggles and censorship, and identity politics and cancel culture are impeding an open discussion of ideas. Higher education has been considered a bastion of intellectual inquiry and spirited discussions, where faculty members are in a position of authority in the classroom. This authority can influence the learning environment and experiences; however, both faculty and students are feeling threats from various sectors both internally and externally. To address these matters, findings from various reports and studies indicate a need for greater diversity in perspectives on critical issues in academia, which could impact the preparation and the nature of learning experiences provided for students.

Generation Z, sustainability orientation and higher education implications: An ecopedagogical conceptual framework

Generation Zs (hereafter Gen Zs) are the new generation of adults entering the workforce and becoming key stakeholders and leaders in the new century. Relatedly, this is also the generation posited to reorient the paradigm in business, leadership, and governance back towards stronger sustainable development agendas. Consequently, exploring the sustainability orientations and educational outcomes of the evolving Gen Z cohort is beneficial. Whilst there has been significant extant discourse on various research dimensions concerning the preceding generations (e.g., Gen Y/Millennials, Gen X and Boomers), research on the Gen Zs is at a nascent stage. Specifically, there has been no known study to date exploring the collective thematic dimensions of (1) ecopedagogy and sustainability education, (2) Gen Z generational characteristics and perceptions, and (3) governmental and institutional policy implications in higher education. This paper is conceptual in nature and aims to critically review the literature characterising Gen Zs and advance the conceptual and contextual understanding of this generational cohort within the above thematic dimensions. An ecopedagogical conceptual framework is also developed and proposed for further empirical research.    

Fundamental Theorem of Calculus: Cognitive Demands and Learning Limitations on Mathematical Tasks

Background: Mathematical tasks for university teaching are generally of great cognitive demand, without thinking about the limitations they imply for their students. Objectives: To develop a theoretical analysis of the teaching limitations and cognitive demand of four tasks proposed for teaching calculus, specifically, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Design: Qualitative paradigm, with a descriptive-interpretive approach, according to the nature of the data collected. Setting and Participants: The study is framed in a Colombian University, in the subject “Calculus II” for second-semester engineering students, where a professor designs the tasks to be implemented in this course. Data collection and analysis: The data correspond to the professor's lesson plans the statements of the main mathematical tasks within them. These plans were chosen based on availability and accessibility. A content analysis was conducted, considering as units of analysis the paragraphs or sets of paragraphs of the statement of each school mathematics task. Results: Most of the proposed tasks correspond to high cognitive demand (procedures with connections and mathematical construction) and only one was of low demand (memorisation). Moreover, each of the tasks presents its own cognitive demand and several learning constraints that, some of them, agree with the exposed literature. Conclusions: The work aims to have implications for higher education, since to think of a didactic proposal for a better approach to teaching is necessary to configure lesson plans that mobilise the learning of mathematics in engineering, but from the use of tasks with different cognitive demands, in which will vary from less to more, and lead to meaningful learning for the approach of new tasks.

One Hundred Years of Robotics: Implications for Higher Education

One Hundred Years of Robotics: Implications for Higher Education

ChatGPT: Bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education?

ChatGPT is the world’s most advanced chatbot thus far. Unlike other chatbots, it can create impressive prose within seconds, and it has created much hype and doomsday predictions when it comes to student assessment in higher education and a host of other matters. ChatGPT is a state-of-the-art language model (a variant of OpenAI’s Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) language model) designed to generate text that can be indistinguishable from text written by humans. It can engage in conversation with users in a seemingly natural and intuitive way. In this article, we briefly tell the story of OpenAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT. We highlight the fundamental change from a not-for-profit organisation to a commercial business model. In terms of our methods, we conducted an extensive literature review and experimented with this artificial intelligence (AI) software. Our literature review shows our review to be amongst the first peer-reviewed academic journal articles to explore ChatGPT and its relevance for higher education (especially assessment, learning and teaching). After a description of ChatGPT’s functionality and a summary of its strengths and limitations, we focus on the technology’s implications for higher education and discuss what is the future of learning, teaching and assessment in higher education in the context of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. We position ChatGPT in the context of current Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) research, discuss student-facing, teacher-facing and system-facing applications, and analyse opportunities and threats. We conclude the article with recommendations for students, teachers and higher education institutions. Many of them focus on assessment.

Research on Factors that Influence College Academic Performance: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study used the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to test a model that hypothesized the influence of self-efficacy, self-control, emotion, and engagement on student academic performance. The structural equation modeling model was developed to link all the study variables with a literature review to describe the interrelationship. Data collected were from 413 college students in their second year. The results show that self-efficacy, self-control, emotion, and engagement predict student academic performance. And through emotion and student engagement, both self-efficacy and self-control predict student academic performance indirectly. Practically the measures used in this study give more information about the learning environment in higher education settings than those usually come from traditional practices faculty received in the classroom, such as student rating forms and feedback. The main findings of this study have some implications for higher education, theory development, measurement, and future research.</p>