Ministry Of Higher Education And Scientific Research Research Articles

Recontextualising graduate employability in support of pedagogical reform in public universities in the Kurdistan Region‐Iraq

AbstractIn light of the high graduate unemployment rate and migrant crisis, graduate employability in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq is an ever more pressing issue. Reducing the issue of graduate employability to a skills gap between Kurdish graduates and the private sector labour market is too simplistic and dismisses other sociocultural and structural factors that are external to graduates and higher education institutions (HEIs), and which impact the former’s employability. Through a qualitative study and using Bourdieu’s (1977) habitus as an explanatory framework for the analysis, this article aims to recontextualise graduate employability by exploring five stakeholders’ perceptions of what impacts graduate employability in the region. The findings uphold previous labour market reports that there is a skills gap, but also reveals other sociocultural and structural factors that also impact graduate employability. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) has introduced a programme of pedagogical reform in KRI’s public HEIs and is in the process of training its academic practitioners in the tenets of Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy. This article supports the implementation of Freire’s critical pedagogy in KRI’s public HEIs as a critical pedagogy can address the skills gap while also creating spaces for students to explore, question, analyse and evaluate the sociocultural and structural factors that impact graduate employability in KRI.

The Jordanian Universities Experience in Integrating Online Learning and its Quality Assurance

University educational institutions in Jordan, in general, have quickly dealt with emergency situations facing education, such as the Corona pandemic, in which they needed to move from traditional learning to online learning (in its fully and blended forms) during the previous period. This led the public and private educational institutions in Jordan to implement the executive action plan that was prepared by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) for integrating online learning into the higher education system and reflect it on their programs in order to keep pace with developments at the local, regional and international levels. This study includes a specification of the components relevant to online learning management system, and aims to determine the percentages of achievement at the level of fully online learning and blended learning for all components of the online learning management system in public and private Jordanian universities and also determine the percentages of achievement for each one of these components at the university level, and the most important actions that should be taken by universities to achieve them. The study also aims to benefit the integration of online learning within the Jordanian higher education system in an effective manner that achieves high levels of educational quality for online learning in its both forms and ensure the desired shift in the performance of Jordanian higher education institutions and the quality of its output, keeping pace with global developments in this field. The study concludes with a set of results that will benefit decision-makers in the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions (AQACHEI), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), and Jordanian higher education institutions.

Investigating Peer-Assessment in EFL Classes at University Level

Peer assessment (PA) is a kind of evaluation which allows the learners to assess their peers’ work with the instructions of the teachers and agreed upon criteria. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) has worked on reforming the higher education system since 2008. It tries to apply the student-centered approach of learning and prepare graduates to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. One of the alternative methods of assessment in the Student-centered approach is PA. This paper aims to investigate the use of peer assessment in EFL classes at university level. Further, it tries to find out whether peer-assessment is used correctly! Finally, it discovers the challenges encountered by EFL students while implementing PA in the Essay Writing classes. In this study both qualitative and quantitative method are used. The study has conducted in the colleges of Education, Basic Education, and Languages at SUE with the third stage students. The study concludes that peer assessment is used in EFL classes, but it is not used as correct as it should be. The instructors who used it have to illustrate its procedures in the class before using it.

A proposal for a national frame of reference for the accreditation of engineering programs in Tunisia

PurposeThis study aims to propose a national frame of reference for the accreditation of engineering programs (EPs) in Tunisia. It uses as a benchmark the structure used by the world’s leading accreditation systems such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur. It provides a comprehensive framework for academic institutions to evaluate the performance of their programs. In addition, it suggests the procedures, steps and timeline for the application process and defines the required documents that should be submitted.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes the standards applied by well-established accreditation agencies such as ABET, Commission Titre Ingenieur and European Accredited Engineer, studies the perceptions of academicians who participated in six workshops and uses the results of surveys and interviews to characterize their opinions about accreditation. A sample population of 146 faculty members, experts and policymakers from 23 different higher education institutions in Tunisia, who had participated in the workshops mentioned above, was solicited to participate in the survey. The opinions of 51 respondents who responded to the survey were analyzed. This methodology led to the establishment of a proposed national frame of reference for accreditation of EPs.FindingsAnalysis reveals that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) provides authorization (“habilitation”) to institutions allowing them to offer their educational program. However, it is inaccurate to consider this procedure as accreditation because it is more of a licensure process. In addition, the MHESR grants the “habilitation” to those institutions that successfully apply. The National Authority for Assessment, quality assurance and accreditation Instance Nationale de l’Evaluation, de l’Assurance Qualité et de l’Accréditation (IEAQA) is not involved in this process, which makes the latter’s role trivial.Practical implicationsThis frame of reference will help the MHESR to evaluate the EPs based on a comprehensive analysis of well-established accreditation systems, to improve its “habilitation” process by splitting it into two parts as per international practice, namely, licensure and accreditation and to make the existence and role of the IEAQA much clearer.Originality/valueThis study is the foremost study to propose a comprehensive frame of reference for accrediting EPs in Tunisia.

Design and Implementation of an E-learning Platform Using N-Tier Architecture

<p>Any educational institution aimed at developing towards e-learning and creating a more interactive environment and use in all fields of governmental institutions. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) of Iraq and some of the countries in the Middle East suffer from weak use of information technology in general and weak use of e-learning in particular. Therefore, Iraqi MOHESR is in dire need of an electronic educational system that solves most of the problems experienced by most educational institutions.In this paper, we will develop a strategic plan to build an e-learning platform that provides an interactive environment between teachers and students in Iraqi universities and offers many advantages to overcome some problems in the use of traditional old education. This work is related to the use of multi-layered architecture to build the e-learning platform (Standard design of e-learning platform for IraqiMOHESR). The advantage of these layers is that each layer is created in the Asp.Net program using N-Tier architecture that has functions that are independent of the rest of the layers which are(user interface(UI), business Access Layer(BAL),Data AccessLayer(DAL), Database(DB)). A particular object will not affect the rest of the layers or the performance of these layers.</p><p> </p>

Higher education and human resources capacity building in Algeria

Abstract Higher education in Algeria is not well known in international spheres, apart from a few local studies. However, it is an exceptional case study for its outstanding achievements in recent history and particularly its growing pace. This article aims to describe the evolution of the higher education system at the country level through an analysis of national statistics gathered by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS). The current article puts the case study in a historical perspective although concentrates on the most recent trends to describe the social issues at stake as a result of the introduction of current reforms and policies. The findings of the current study have been contextualized through different factors such as quality assessment and control, role of the private sector, international collaborations/integration, links with its economic and social environment and employability of students. Furthermore, this article also addresses the issue of the applicability of international norms within the higher education systems of developing countries. Finally, this article identifies and discusses the current developments in higher education that are changing in Algerian society today.

Impact of ergothioneine on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis markers in human lung epithelial cells in vitro

The pathology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains unknown. Tobacco smoking is a risk factor for IPF and tobacco smoke‐induced oxidative stress can initiate/worsen epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pulmonary epithelial cells, leading to IPF. Ergothioneine (ET) is an antioxidant amino acid available exclusively from the diet. ET requires its physiological transporter OCTN1 (SLC22A4) for cellular uptake and accumulation. Genetic variants of SLC22A4 have been associated with inflammatory bowel diseases and COPD, diseases with fibrotic phenotype. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that ET protects lung epithelial cells in vitro from factors implicated with EMT.NCl‐H441 and A549 cells were cultured in RPMI‐1640 medium supplemented with 5% FBS and 1% sodium pyruvate, at 37°C and in 5% CO2 atmosphere. In some experiments, the medium was supplemented with 250 or 500 μM ET. To assess the impact of tobacco smoke, cells were cultured in the presence of 5 or 10% cigarette smoke extract (CSE) for 24h. CSE was generated by bubbling one Kentucky 3R4F research cigarette through 10ml of medium. The CSE was filtered and diluted before use. To initiate EMT, cells were exposed to 5ng/mL TGF‐β1 in serum‐free medium for 3 days in the respective experiments.Cell proliferation was determined by CyQUANT® NF assay. Cell shape investigation was performed by phase‐contrast microscopy and ImageJ software. A scratch wound assay was carried out to measure wound closure. Before the assay, cells were subjected to serum‐deprivation for 24h. Monolayers were wounded with a pipette tip, followed by 1‐day of serum‐free culture. The wound area was measured by phase‐contrast microscopy using the Cell^A software.The cell proliferation assay showed that CSE‐attenuated cell proliferation rate was significantly reduced by ET in NCl‐H441 cells. However, in A549 cells, their rapid proliferation rate might have compromised the sensitivity of the assay. In A549 cells, decreased circularity and increased aspect ratio were measured after TGF‐β1 treatment. These effects were significantly reduced when cultured in the presence of ET. In the scratch assay, increased cell migration was observed in CSE‐treated NCl‐H441 cells, but the effect was diminished after ET treatment. These data suggest that ET not only protects lung epithelial cells from CSE‐induced cell death, but also prevent CSE‐induced cell migration, thereby ameliorating EMT. Of note, in NCl‐H441 cells, TGF‐β1 failed to establish signs of EMT.Future research will investigate the effect of ET on molecular markers of EMT such as α‐SMA, vimentin and collagen.Support or Funding InformationThis work has been financially supported by a Clinical Investigator Award from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI CIA 130016). M.A.S. is the recipient of a PhD bursary from the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). A.K. is the recipient of a Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Programme.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Mental State of the Workers of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) in Benin in 2018

The work environment is an environment at risk for the psychological well-being of workers. This research is conducted on a population of 348 workers from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) in Benin. It was a cross, descriptive study, with an analytical goal, with non-probabilistic sampling, and by convenience. The research tools were documentation, SATIN scales, interview and observation. The results processed and analyzed by the Excel software, and R show that the general health is poor in 14.7% of workers, average in 27.9%, and good in 57.5%. Psychological health is poor in 10.3%, average in 18.1%, and good in 71.6%. Physical health is poor in 6.1% of workers, average in 24.4%, and good in 69.6%. Similarly, stress is bad for 13.5% of workers, average for 37.7%, and good for 48.8%. Psychosomatic symptoms are poor in 19.6% of workers, average in 21.1% and 59.2%. The symptoms are poor in 31.0% of workers, average in 16.5%, and good in 52.5%. The well-being of this population is attributable to several factors, the predominant element of which is the organizational environment and its conditions. Better consideration of the factors that strengthen human capital is essential for the physical and psychological well-being of MESRS workers.

Proposing a Model for Promoting the Performance of Information Flow in Organizations Using SISP Approach

This study aimed to develop and to validate a Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) model designed to improve the information flow performance by incorporating the antecedent factors into information technology components, information needs and security of information flow factors. The methodology was carried out in four phases; the theoretical study, the conceptual framework design, the survey design, the data analysis, and the model development and validation phase. Questionnaires were distributed to 350 employees at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) and four (4) government universities in Yemen for data collection. Based on the correlation results, it was found that information technology components have significant relationship with information needs. Moreover, information technology components have a direct significant relationship with the security of information flow in the MoHESR and universities in Yemen and they have indirect influence through the information technology components on the security of information flow in the MoHESR and universities in Yemen. By adopting the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis using AMOS, the results indicated that all the fit indices satisfied the recommended range of value. This implies that the model developed was acceptable. The validation results also revealed that the entire model fitness was appropriate and evidence of the stability of the conceptual framework used in this study.

Leadership Behaviours and Academic Performance in Iraqi Public Universities: A Review

In line with the “National Strategy 2009-2013” launched by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), this study proposed to investigates the behaviour of university leaders (transformational leadership or transactional leadership behaviour) in enhancing academic performance of Iraqi public universities (including teaching, research, service, and staff satisfaction). A review of the literature suggests that there is positive relationship between leadership behaviour and academic performance in higher education; however, there is a dearth of studies investigating this relationship. The results are expected to show that leadership behaviour has positive relationship on academic performance in Iraqi HEIs. (98 words)

The Status of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Systems within Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Yemen

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the status of quality assurance and accreditation systems within higher education institutions in Yemen. The paper initially describes the stages of development and changes that have occurred in the field of quality and accreditation in Yemeni higher education. The paper shows that no formal mechanisms for quality assurance and accreditation processes have been fully developed within higher education institutions in Yemen. In addition, the discussion reveals that the continuing efforts exerted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) to establish the quality assurance and accreditation systems in higher education institutions have resulted in increased awareness among university officials, academic staff and administrators about the quality concepts, quality standards and quality assurance system. The paper concludes by exploring the lessons learned about the changes in quality and accreditation nationally and institutionally. The conclusion may provide some opportunities for reflection by quality assurance experts and officials in universities and the MHESR for continuous development of quality assurance and accreditation systems at national and institutional levels.

Bridging the research gap between the Northern and Southern shores of the Mediterranean

Bridging the research gap between the Northern and Southern shores of the Mediterranean