Higher Education Opportunities Research Articles

Gender stereotypes: persistence and challenges

PurposeThe aims of this study are to identify and analyse prevalent gender roles and the persistence of sexist stereotypes among teachers in training in Spain, to determine the reasons for them and suggest solutions for eradicating sexist prejudices.Design/methodology/approachA gender role questionnaire was administered to 1260 workers from 54 different professions who were enrolled on a postgraduate training course to qualify as secondary education teachers. The instrument contained six variables for both quantitative and qualitative analysis: professional work, family (looking after children), feelings and emotions, household chores, body image and free time.FindingsHousehold chores, looking after children and gender roles linked to body image were those most indicated by both men and women. It is concluded that men participate little in bringing up children and household chores and that women continue to shoulder the responsibility. Both are concerned about their body image, but women have little self-acceptance of and satisfaction with their bodies and a stronger sense of being judged by how they look. Gender stereotypes persist, despite extensive legislation in Spain since 2004.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has limitations deriving from its choice of convenience sampling. Although it includes participants from six Spanish autonomous communities, the number from each region is not very high. Nevertheless, the sample is representative of almost all branches of knowledge (54 professions). Another limitation concerns the images used in the research instrument as a data collection strategy insofar, as they could not be obtained from a data bank specific to the research subject but instead had to be found in databases of general images. It can be inferred that a data collection strategy without any danger of bias would be to encourage each participant to design their own images, reflecting their perceptions and auto-perceptions of gender roles and stereotypes. The fact that there were no pre-existing studies using this type of research instrument in education sciences was a handicap for the investigation. Despite these methodological limitations, the results of the study may serve as a basis for implementing specific future actions originating from any area – but especially from the area of education – aimed at teaching people about equal roles in order to eliminate sexist sterotypes. This research was carried out as part of the Proyecto Diseño y Atención a las Oportunidades de Género en la Educación Superior (Project on Design and Gender Equality of Opportunities in Higher Education) funded by the Vicerrectorado de Cooperación al Desarrollo (Office for University Cooperation for Development) at the University of Alicante (Spain).Practical implicationsSpanish legislation has not been able to promote significant changes in the performance of traditional gender roles or to eliminate sexist stereotypes that perpetuate imbalances between men and women. The ideal and prevalent model of a Spanish woman is still that of a “self-sacrificing mother”, responsible for the household chores and childcare. She must combine this first job with a second profession, and, in addition, she must have a “desirable physical image”. The study puts forward various possible solutions for reducing and/or eradicating sexist attitudes with the participation of different social agents and in particular through education. The investigation could be of use when carrying out specific cross-sectional interventions on the subject of gender equality with students on postgraduate teacher training courses, for the purposes of encouraging the elimination of stereotypes and strengthening the capacity for critical judgement, positive self-concept and self-esteem.Originality/valueThe study may be useful for carrying out specific and transversal university training interventions in postgraduate teacher training on gender equality aimed at promoting the elimination of stereotypes, the strengthening of critical judgement capacity, positive self-concept and self-esteem.

Changes That Should Remain in Higher Education Post COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Experiences at Three Universities

Objectives: The goal of the present study is to describe how the transition to remote emergency delivery was addressed in three universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine the satisfaction levels of their students and faculty with this new teaching-learning experience, and to gather their opinions about the future of higher education. Method: The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including faculty and student surveys and focus groups Results: The study shows high satisfaction with the emergency remote delivery and clearly reflects the relevance of enhancing the digital components of future learning experiences in higher education and a unanimous preference for hybrid education. Participants provide recommendations to institutions regarding what students and faculty would like to keep for a more effective learning experience when the new normal comes. Conclusions: COVID-19 has had terrible consequences; however, the pandemic has brought along some positive effects and improvement opportunities in higher education, and, if the results of the present study are any indication, the future of face-to-face higher education should be hybrid. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The study results can provide recommendations and inform decision-making by institutional leaders and policy makers regarding the necessary enhancement of the digital component of the teaching and learning process in higher education.

Enabling equality of access in higher education for underrepresented groups: a realist ‘small step’ approach to evaluating widening participation

ABSTRACT This article presents the evaluation of a small-scale widening participation intervention delivered by a Post-92 university to further education students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The intervention aimed to provide high quality information, advice and guidance about higher education opportunities and benefits through four workshops, so that participants could increase their confidence and skills and make informed decisions about their future.A realist small steps approach to evaluation was applied to explore the effectiveness of the intervention and why it was successful. Activity based focus groups were employed to address the research questions into how participants acquired and internalised knowledge about higher education and how this led to change or action. The evaluation found that the effectiveness of the intervention was limited because of poor attendance at the workshops. It was also found to be more beneficial to students who were pursuing a higher education pathway, as they highly valued the access to ‘hot’ knowledge the programme provided. However, for some participants, decisions were restricted because of financial constraints. An updated theory of change is presented that includes new and updated enablers that will make the intervention more effective in the future.

Transforming Schooling for the Mexican Immigrant Community: Integrating Christ's Love and Academic Excellence

Escuela Luz del Mundo (ELM) or “Light of the World School” was a progressive Christian middle school that served a high poverty, Mexican immigrant community in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA for seven years. In this study, the two distinguishing features of ELM are examined: Academic excellence and how Christ’s love was revealed at the school. These features are explored using the qualitative research methodology of ethnography. Literature is reviewed that illustrates the historic legacy in the United States of students living in poverty and students of color being denied access to high quality educational opportunities. At ELM, school personnel worked against this legacy by integrating Christ’s love and academic excellence.

Аналіз національного рівня інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти: приклад України

It is shown that the internationalization of higher education attracts significant attention of researchers and participants of higher education space. It is emphasized that the internationalization of higher education is a multilevel phenomenon and covers supranational, continental, national, institutional, and individual levels. The national level of internationalization of higher education is analyzed in detail. The organizational strategies of the national level of internationalization, which are implemented through national policies and programs are considered. It emphasizes that national level involves policies related to education, science and technology, culture, trade, social development, employment, foreign relations, migration, industry, and the programs can be seen as the way policy is translated into action. Important rationales driving internationalization at the national level are revealed. It also considers the approaches to internationalization at the national level, which describe the dominant features of the general ways that a country has decided to proceed with internationalization. It is shown that Ukraine has significant achievements in internationalization of higher education and in integration into the world and European higher education space due to the implementation of the Bologna reform and European reform in higher education management and governance, gets new opportunities for higher education through current international scientific and educational projects and projects of cooperation with international organizations.

COVID-19 and Challenges of Higher Education in India

Corona disease has been identified as the most widespread contagious disease in the World, which appeared in the second half of the year 2019. It started from Wuhan, which is the capital city of Hubei province in China and reached almost every corner of the world. It has various impacts not only on physical and mental health but on the economy, education and social life of the individual throughout the world. After the outbreak of the pandemic, higher education has been significantly disrupted as millions of students around the world are now studying remotely as campuses shut down in an attempt to help contain the virus in their respective areas or zones. It has posed various challenges and also provided several opportunities for higher education in India and abroad. This paper tries to speculate the problems of higher education in India after COVID-19.

Teaching Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education during COVID-19

COVID-19 has forced higher educational institutions to make a fast change from face-to-face learning into online learning system. However, the latter provides many opportunities, but it encompasses many challenges. Thus, its implementation necessitates a careful flexible strategy based on a continuous evaluation. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the learning system in Lebanese higher educational institutions. Based on a sample of 263 students and 48 instructors from 10 universities, the result of this study reveals that the implemented online system during COVID-19 has some advantages like time management and flexibility for both instructors and students. However, several disadvantages of online learning have been revealed during the pandemic period in Lebanon like absence of social interaction, logistic problems, pressure on instructors, lack of training on online learning and difficulty of know-how transfer from instructors to students. With the appearance of COVID-19 Delta Variant, Lebanese universities have to improve their online learning methods to balance between health care conditions, instructors’ competences and students’ motivation.

Regional Disparities in Higher Education Opportunity in Hokkaido

Regional Disparities in Higher Education Opportunity in Hokkaido

STUDENTS PERCEPTION’S TOWARDS ONLINE TEACHING: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN BERHAMPUR UNIVERSITY

In the Coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) response, all the educational institutions have been compulsory to move all teaching and learning activities online at very short time notice by the University Grand Commission (UGC). Consequently, all classes, simulations, practicums, viva-voces, and valuation, etc., were adapted for the online setting. Online education has been at the forefront of discussions as a new and viable option for learning opportunities in higher education. Academic institutions continue to see remarkable growth of online education during COVID-19. Due to the pandemic situation, UGC has instruction with 40 per cent of online learning. Hence educational institutions have been implementing online classes. The article investigates to identify the factors which students perceive significant influence towards online class. From a student perception, there has been adaptation and the prospect to advance new skills, possibly providing online teaching via elearning or virtual learning. Further, this study sought to provide an investigation of online teaching in University with an intention on how the teaching and learning interaction will affect students ‘perceptions relating to their online class preparedness and experiences. The results revealed from descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis that students reported a moderate relationship between the extracted factor scores and overall satisfaction of online teaching. The findings of four factors that affect the students' views about online teaching characteristics instruction seen that student perceptions about online teaching are positively affected by "Perceived Usefulness” of online teaching. The second most important factor is student supportiveness, followed by faculty responsiveness and perceived flexibility. Further, Multiple Regression Analysis has been analysed to inspect the relationship between the various online teaching characteristics and the overall satisfaction from online teaching. Thus, this study may be helpful to teachers in constructing proper pedagogical techniques which can be suitable and beneficial for learning, understanding and application of the online teaching-learning process.

Performance-Based Aid, Enhanced Advising, and the Income Gap in College Graduation: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Income gaps in college enrollment, persistence, and graduation raise concerns for those interested in equal opportunity in higher education. We present findings from a randomly assigned scholarship for low-income students at a medium-sized public 4-year university. The program focused solely on the first four semesters of enrollment and tied aid disbursements to modest academic benchmarks and enhanced academic advising. Meaningful decreases in time to degree appear to be driven by students with the lowest academic preparation and family income. Treated students took out approximately 20% less in student loans during the duration of the program. Participants also indicated high satisfaction with the program’s model of enhanced academic advising.

Exploring Creation of Connected Classroom in Rural College: Challenges and Implications

Education plays an important role in the lives of individuals. Education helps the individuals in developing skills, capabilities, attitudes and behavior (Saleem & Shah, 2015). In developing countries like Pakistan access towards education is not satisfactory. In Pakistan, at the higher education, arts subjects generally and science subjects particularly are not with in the access of rural people. Because there are very few colleges in rural areas, and these colleges have shortage of subject specialist faculty. The available faculty is only for teaching compulsory courses and limited option of humanities group courses. As a result, the rural communities are deprived from their basic right of getting education and unable to utilize their potential in their areas of interest. Connected classroom is one of the technological innovation that can be used to overcome the shortage of teaching faculty issue in rural areas. Connected classrooms are created by using new technology tools to build online networks and develop personal learning resources through collaboration with personal learning networks and professional learning communities (Siemens, 2005). t was observed that in remote and rural areas of Pakistan, the opportunities of higher education are limited. After completing the secondary school certificate, students have limited option to choose subjects of their interest. As a result, either they select the subjects in which they are not interested or move towards cities to get better education opportunities. But it is a sad fact that majority of students cannot afford to travel towards colleges in big cities, and have to left their journey of education. Therefore, this study introduced connected classroom technology for rural and remote communities at college level to improve student's enrollment in rural area colleges instead of moving towards urban colleges. More importantly, it will help to overcome the problem of shortage of subject teachers at the rural colleges as well. Keywords: Connected classroom; teaching faculty; rural college; rural student

The construction of a post-academic university: Opportunity or status quo?

Background: Over the last two decades it has become increasingly urgent to rethink current hurdles and opportunities for higher education, not just in the Global North, but in the effects of Northern policies globally. Aim: For the last 6 years a team of European scholars worked on a book entitled, Academia in Crisis (Donskis et al. 2019 ), AiC as it will be referred to in the article, inspired by the works of our late colleagues Zygmunt Bauman and Leonidas Donskis. Setting: Tamara Shefer from the University of the West Cape (UWC) was invited to provide a foreword to AiC , providing a perspective from the Global South. Method: This served to question underlying dimensions of mutual influence: neo-coloniality in times where the demand for decolonization from South African colleagues is strong and justified. Results: It seems urgent, in the light of recent cooperation and mutual support between these two parts of the world, to reflect on recent developments in and around higher education. What currently ‘neo-colonises’ higher education? More or less parallel to AiC , Rob Pattman and Ronelle Carolissen produced Transforming Transformation in 2018 with the promising subtitle ‘South African offerings’. Conclusion: Combining insights from those two works leads to renewed inspiration, at least in terms of new debates and questions about the present and future of higher education, especially following the current pandemic with all the effects it has had on collegial cooperation, locking down of universities, and perhaps some thinking time over managerialisms and other power processes in academic work.

Shifting the discourse of plagiarism and ethics: a cultural opportunity in higher education

Plagiarism is a pervasive challenge throughout academia perpetuated by the advent of technology, lack of ethical education, and the ambiguity in its definition. Plagiarism in the United States’ higher education settings has gained more attention over the years as international student population has increased. Considering how higher education institutions are growing as international spaces due to globalization, it is crucial to closely examine ethical issues concerning the diverse and multicultural student population. A prevailing view of plagiarism asserts that international students’ plagiarized texts are influenced by their ethical judgment and cultural backgrounds. This invites the question of whether ethical decision-making processes and cross-cultural perspectives are taken into consideration when instructors encounter instances of plagiarism committed by international or multicultural students. This paper intends to expand on the concept of culture in regard to the ethical dilemmas of plagiarism. Extending the discussions of cross-cultural influences surrounding plagiarism and ethical judgments in higher education, we position ourselves as viewing culture through the expanded lenses of macro- and micro-level cultural practices. In response to the internationalization of higher education, we advocate for changes in higher education curricula and instruction towards more cultural responsiveness and inclusivity. Instead of questioning or criminalizing ethics based on cultural background, especially in the cases of plagiarism committed by international students, we suggest approaching culture using the expanded perspectives of macro- and micro-cultural practices. The paper also provides recommendations for higher education instructors when tackling ethical dilemmas while preventing and managing situations of plagiarism.

Agricultural Employees’ Use of and Preferences for Educational and Training Opportunities

Educational and training opportunities provide individuals with many options when it comes to building their knowledge base. Both formal and informal educational opportunities are available in many different formats, including face-to-face and online delivery methods. The purpose of this study was to examine the type of education and training opportunities in which Nebraska agricultural employees participate and their satisfaction with different delivery formats. The specific objectives of this study were to determine 1) the type of education or training programs rural agricultural employees have participated in over the last two years, and 2) the differences between attitudes toward face-to-face versus online education and training approaches. In general, results indicated that agricultural professionals participated in face-to-face training and training related to their job more often than other types of training. They also tended to be more satisfied with face-to-face training than online training. As educators develop programming for agricultural professionals, these findings may be helpful in designing high impact educational opportunities.

More Than Just Hard Work: Educational Policies to Facilitate Economic Mobility

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed long-standing class-based inequities in education and as a result highlighted the role of structural supports (e.g., food, stable housing, income) promoting economic opportunity. Although social class mobility is often attributed to perceptions of hard work, science does not support these dominant narratives. Instead, access to quality education and structural supports correlate with economic uplift. By eliminating structural barriers to low-income college students’ degree completion and coordinating efforts to assist low-income students, policymakers can restore the promise of economic mobility through education. This article focuses on the psychological and behavioral science that should inform higher education policy. As the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, a structure-based, scientific approach to facilitate equal opportunity in higher education is vital to spurring greater economic mobility and avoiding further entrenchment of economic inequalities.

Full-Time Students With Part-Time Benefits: How Being Denied On-Campus Housing Affects College Students With Criminal Records

There are major assumptions that housing opportunities in higher education are equally accessible and available to all students. However, these accessible housing opportunities are not available to current and prospective students who possess a criminal record. Many college students with criminal records are deemed ineligible for adequate housing opportunities even before their applications are submitted. This study uses a qualitative layered analysis approach to explore how denials from on-campus housing affect college students with criminal records. Using the perspectives of this marginalized and invisible student population, we draw the reader’s attention to how students with criminal records are affected as a result of being denied on-campus housing, and we provide tangible recommendations for future research, housing practices, and housing policies in higher education.

A Comparative Study of the Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in the Corona Pandemic in Iran and around the World

A Comparative Study of the Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in the Corona Pandemic in Iran and around the World

Consider higher education opportunities after COVID‐19

Higher education, both domestically and internationally, has been disrupted. Forecasts for the long‐shadow implications of COVID‐19 range from a six‐month to a five‐year disruption. Forecasts predict anywhere from a 15 to 25% decline in enrollment, depending on the part of the world. This virus has put the spotlight on antiquated financial models, rigid admission and registration procedures, and dismal student progression and graduation rates.

Technology Considerations and Opportunities in Higher Education

Technology Considerations and Opportunities in Higher Education

Consider higher education opportunities after COVID‐19

Higher education, both domestically and internationally, has been disrupted. Forecasts for the long‐shadow implications of COVID‐19 range from a six‐month to a five‐year disruption. Forecasts predict anywhere from a 15 to 25% decline in enrollment, depending on the part of the world. This virus has put the spotlight on antiquated financial models, rigid admission and registration procedures, and dismal student progression and graduation rates.