Part Of Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Quality Management of Education in National Defense and Security Education Centers is Currently Prevalent

Quality education management is a scientific practice encompassing administration and training across all educational levels. It is widely adopted in national academies and schools today, holding a crucial role in enhancing education quality. National Defense and Security Education Centers, part of higher education institutions, specialize in training and nurturing defense and security knowledge. These centers face unique challenges due to their large annual cohorts engaged in round-the-clock activities, studies, and training. As a result, education quality management is organized and implemented using suitable methods, receiving focused attention and guidance from center leadership. Sociological investigations indicate that 100% of these centers acknowledge the significant role of education quality management, with a strong impact on outcomes and training quality. Similarly, 100% of management staff and instructors believe in the positive effects of education quality management on enhancing training quality. Despite recognizing the importance of education quality management, practical implementation within National Defense and Security Education Centers reveals several limitations. Inadequate management tools, a predominant focus on learners' academic outcomes, and challenges related to input-output control and certification affect training quality. Hence, continuous research and innovative management approaches are essential for these centers to truly achieve desired education quality, contributing to the successful completion of their mission.

Student’s Co-Creation Behavior in a Business and Economic Bachelor’s Degree in Italy: Influence of Perceived Service Quality, Institutional Image, and Loyalty

Universities play a significant role in the economic development of society as they provide knowledge and skills that are essential for social sustainability. In recent years, universities shifted their focus towards student-centered education and need to reconsider their sustainable strategies to become more competitive by encouraging student co-creation behaviors. To create a unique experience, universities aim to involve students in creating and delivering their educational experiences. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the perceived quality of educational service and the institutional image of a university influence students’ value co-creation behavior, and the role of loyalty in this process. The study is based on two complementary studies conducted in an Italian public university. The first study involved 720 undergraduate students with one business management bachelor’s degree who completed a questionnaire to collect primary data. The second study used six focus groups to identify which specific students’ experiences and university activities stimulated co-creation behaviors. The results show that student loyalty plays an important mediating role between university image, students’ quality perception, and co-creation behavior. Additionally, only three dimensions of quality, namely quality non-academy aspects, quality reputation, and quality access have an impact on students’ loyalty. Therefore, only two dimensions of brand image, university brand knowledge (UK), and university brand prestige (UPR) have a direct effect on value co-creation behavior. These findings have important implications for higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop managerial strategies that increase students’ co-creation behavior. The co-creation process should be considered as part of HEIs’ image-building and quality policy-enhancing strategy. Despite the value co-creation approach being overlooked in studies on HEIs governance, this study highlights its potential as a strategic approach for improving service quality and university image.

The creation of science parks as a factor in the innovative activity development

A comprehensive analysis of the Ukrainian legislation regarding the regulation of innovative activities and their implementation practice indicates the presence of multiple problems of a legislative, organizational, and executive nature in the sphere of regulation, support and development of innovative activities in Ukraine.
 The article analyzes legislative changes regarding the procedure for creating science parks as a part of higher education institutions in their establishment, highlights the positive and negative consequences of such changes for the development of innovative activities.
 The Law of Ukraine "On Science Parks" adopted in 2009 established that only a higher educational institution and/or a scientific institution can initiate the creation of a science park, while not separately regulating "initiation" as a stage in the creation of a science park.
 The author proves that the restraining factors in the creation of a science park in accordance with the specified Law as amended on June 25, 2009 were, firstly, the need to agree the decision on the creation of a science park with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the inconsistency of normative legal acts regarding the list of documents, necessary for the approval of the decision on the creation of a scientific park and the terms of approval. Secondly, the mandatory process of adding property rights to objects of intellectual property to the authorized capital of the science park, since in accordance with the Law as amended on June 25, 2009, a higher educational institution and/or a scientific institution participate in the formation of the authorized capital of a scientific park park only by adding intangible assets to it (property rights to intellectual property objects).
 On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the Law as amended on September 7, 2021 and other legal acts, it was concluded that the procedure for creating science parks was changed only for private institutions of higher education, leaving it unchanged for state and communal institutions, for which the volume only decreased documents that must be submitted for approval; the forms of participation of higher education institutions in the formation of statutory funds of science parks have expanded, which can be considered as a positive factor in stimulating higher education institutions to create science parks and develop innovative activities in general.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING METHOD IN THE DETERMINATION SYSTEM OF THESIS SUPERVISOR

Majors are part of higher education institutions that a very important role determining the thesis student supervisor . At the Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA) the determination of the thesis supervisor is carried out through a lecturer meeting based on its title in accordance with the competence of the lecturer who will guide, regardless of the number of lecturers' workload or the number of students being supervised. The results of the decision of the meeting to determine the supervisors will be announced to students after the meeting is held. This flow inefficient and may lead to ineffective determination of the supervisor . The final result of the system shows that the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method can be applied to determine the weight value of each attribute so as to produce a ranking of each alternative lecture who will be selected as a student supervisor for the thesis according to the result of computerized and accurate calculations.

RETRACTED: Research and implementation of mechanical virtual experiment teaching platform

Virtual experiment teaching is an important part of higher education institutions and research institutions. It plays an important role in helping students develop basic experimental research capabilities and innovative experimental research concepts. Mechanical majors focus on the cultivation of students' practical hands-on ability, but the traditional mechanical experimental equipment update iteration is slower, the experimental cost is higher, and there are potential safety hazards. In order to solve the problems encountered in the above mechanical experiment teaching, this paper focuses on the characteristics of the mechanical disciplines, after analyzing the development of virtual experiments at home and abroad, using the B/S architecture, Bootstrap framework and Hibernate technology, and the virtual reality technology and augmented reality technology in Unity3D environment are used to design and implement the mechanical virtual experiment teaching platform. Users can select the corresponding experiment in the virtual platform. In the experiment, the parts can be viewed from different perspectives. After the experiment is completed, the experimental result information can be obtained, and the experiment report can be completed online, which effectively saves teachers and students time. Through the survey of 518 students and 52 teachers who used this platform, most of the teachers and students agreed with the rich multimedia resources, friendly interaction and convenient collaborative communication of the mechanical virtual experiment teaching platform.

Shiny on the Outside, Rotten on the Inside? Perceptions of Female Early Career Researchers on Diversity Policies in Higher Education Institutions

Diversity policies have become an indispensable part of higher education institutions (HEIs) of the Global North. The increased monitoring by the European Commission has led to changes in Belgian HEI policy especially regarding gender. While research shows that the implementation of diversity policies has a positive effect on redistributing power, critics point out how the initial aim of these policies has been answered by empty promises. This research is based on 50 in-depth interviews of the perceptions and experiences of female academics with diversity policies in five Belgian HEIs. Results show that women perceive these policies as ways to window-dress equality externally, but do not have the expected effects internally. Women were divided on the utilisation of positive action. In addition, the policies lacked an intersectional perspective regarding ethnic minority backgrounds as well as family status for faculty. Studying their experiences and perceptions will allow staff equality agenda in HEIs to progress.

Exploring the Process of Occupational Adaptation among Novice Lecturers: A Preliminary Case Study

Novice lecturers or also known as neophyte lecturers are an important part of higher education institutions, and the early stages of the career among novice lecturers involve the process of adapting to the new role of educators. They need to overcome different challenges and participate in occupational adaptation. The purpose of this study is to explore the occupational adaptation process among novice lecturers in order to promote their career development. The goal is also to provide useful references for the university management to support novice lecturers in making a successful start in order to grow into professional educators. Using qualitative research method, this study engages case study approach to investigate occupational adaptation process through in-depth interviews of two novice lecturers in a public university in China. By analyzing their emotional and behavioral changes in the process of occupational adaptation, findings indicate that the occupational adaptation process of novice lecturers can be subdivided into three stages; namely 1) initial period, 2) transition period, and 3) adaptation period. The transition and division between each period reveal marked changes mainly in psychological, emotional, and behavioral adjustments. Helping novice lecturers understand the characteristics of the three periods may assist them to adapt to their jobs as soon as possible and accomplish greater success in their careers.

Investigating learning outcomes in engineering education with data mining

AbstractHigher education institutions are catching up on their high competition and challenges are in their analysis productivity. The major challenge is to monitor and analyze student progress through learning outcomes in the curriculum. One of the approaches is the outcome‐based education (OBE) model to deal with learning outcomes. OBE is an integral part of higher education institutions. The OBE system is a key step for accreditation in engineering education. OBE focuses on a student‐centered approach. The OBE is not restricted to well‐defined teaching strategies or direct evaluations but also encompasses indirect evaluations to help students achieve the intended outcomes. In this investigation, engineering students’ data have been analyzed forming three distinct clusters to group students according to best, average, and worst achievement of learning outcomes in two different computer engineering courses generally taught in the early semesters in higher education institutions. A data mining clustering approach is used to segment students using k‐means and k‐medoids techniques. Clustering can be regarded as a data modeling technique that provides summary data that interact with multiple disciplines and plays an important role in a wide range of computer applications. The investigation comprises of two parts for analysis: one part of the analysis is the mid‐term and final exam scores, the quiz and assignment results, the laboratory results, and the evaluation, together with the learning outcomes achieved, and the other part is the comparative analysis of learning outcomes achieved in both engineering courses clustering with the best, average, and worst attainments, respectively. In this investigation, the results obtained from clustering data points show that the same group of clusters with the best, average, and worst learning outcomes achievements formed using both k‐means and k‐medoid clustering for one course. On the other hand, a diverse group of clusters with the best, average, and worst learning outcomes achievements formed using both k‐means and k‐medoids clustering for another course.

Colorblind Racial Ideology, Sense of Belonging, and Racism-Related Stress in Asian Indian International Students.

International students are an essential part of higher education institutions in the U.S.A., bringing diversity to the educational environment and enhancing the economy. Asian Indian students comprise around 17.3% of all international students, and this population faces a range of unique stressors, with racial and ethnic discrimination being one that is understudied. In the present study, 192 Asian Indian international students completed a survey to understand how colorblind racial ideology and sense of belonging impacted their racism-related stress. We also examined this relationship based on gender and level of education. Our results suggest that colorblind racial ideology, sense of belonging, gender, and level of education significantly explained 32.3% of the variance in racism-related stress. In general, students who identified as women and undergraduate students (versus graduate students) reported higher levels of racism-related stress. Our findings suggests that in addition to the acculturation barriers international students face, Asian Indian international students deal with barriers related to racism. These findings have implications for educators and counselors in higher education institutions that Asian Indian international students have multifaceted identities that impact how they interpret racism.

Soft Skills On-Line Development in Times of Crisis

While the 21st century is typified with constant change, over the past few months, with the break of the COVID-19, the world is undergoing tremendous changes at a pace and magnitude that have not been seen before. It has been argued that coping and succeeding in the changing reality of the 21st century globally requires a wider set of skills than before, many of which are soft, social-emotional skills. This is particularly true in the uncertainly of the current times worldwide. Incorporating the development of soft skills in the current academic systems, which still hold a mainly cognitive focus has been found challenging and efforts are relatively scarce and isolated. This is becoming even more challenging as the current situation has forced the academy to adapt quickly to digital teaching methods and the use of various platforms for E learning. Aim: to presents a unique method and tool for cultivating soft skills in students, which can be integrated in the general curriculum through digital and E learning. Method: presenting the theoretical basis of the model and exemplifying the ways it can be used in different subjects and as part of higher education institutions (HEI) strategy. Result: although pilot studies are still undergoing, it is believed that integrating soft skills development using online learning and linking them to course subjects will help HEI to stay relevant in a changing world and fulfil their role in preparing students to the 21st century reality, in the times of the recent health crisis COVID-19 and beyond.

Análisis de los procesos de gestión de la Internacionalización en la Universidad de Guadalajara


 
 
 La internacionalización es un elemento que forma parte de las instituciones de educación superior, sin embargo poco se conoce de la aplicación y de los procesos de gestión de la misma. En este artículo se observa la estructura organizacional en el caso de la Universidad de Guadalajara, con base en los procesos de gestión que se realizan dentro de la institución para la aplicación de algunos de los elementos de la política de internacionalización que se establece en el Plan de Desarrollo Institucional, así como en las funciones sustantivas de los centros universitarios de la misma.
 
 

Admission Test as Predictor of Performance of Students in the English Subject

Admission testing is an integral part of higher education institutions (HEIs) in maintaining the quality educational standards. Through testing, the HEI's can objectively select applicants that are likely to succeed in their intended course. The study was conducted to determine the predictive validity of the admission Tests of the secondary and college levels to their performance in English subjects using the descriptive-correlational designs. The respondents were the secondary students of the SSC Laboratory High School and First-Year college students from school years 2009-2012. The Pearson Correlation was used to determine the relationship of the admission test results and the performance of the identified respondents on the English subject. The GPA on English and SSC Admission test results on college level shows a moderate positive relationship. Also, high school level denotes a strong positive relationship. This relationship had been manifested in 40% of the respondents in secondary level, and 13% of the respondents in college level. This significant relationship suggests that admission test determines the potential performance of the students in their English subject in both secondary and tertiary level. Thus, it was concluded that SSC Admission Test is a valid predictor of the students' performance in English subject.

The Bologna Process: the democracy–bureaucracy dilemma

The Bologna Process was aimed at making a Europe of Knowledge possible, but the standardisation process following the development of the European Higher Education Authority challenged its democratic values; the autonomy of the bureaucratic part of higher education institutions has been strengthened while their faculty members have less formal power. This article examines this dilemma using Weber’s remarks on the bureaucratisation of education as a tool to reveal the ratio between democracy and bureaucracy in the process of establishing the EHEA 1999–2010 – a dilemma never solved, hence important to be aware of.

Development and Validation of a Model to Investigate the Impact of Individual Factors on Instructors’ Intention to Use E-learning Systems

Introduction E-learning is becoming an increasingly important part of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) (Ngai, Poon, & Chan, 2007). According to Allen and Seaman (2006), HEIs in the United States have been consistently at the forefront of e-learning course offerings. To offer e-learning courses, HEIs are investing substantial resources to incorporate and maintain the infrastructure of e-learning systems (Levy & Murphy, 2002; Yohon, Zimmerman, & Keeler, 2004). However, instructors' use of e-learning systems in community colleges in the United States is relatively sparse (Nevill & Zimbler, 2006). Changes in instructors' attitude toward e-learning systems have not kept pace with the way that e-learning systems have expanded in HEIs (J. K. Kim & Bonk, 2006; Zywno, 2002). While some instructors accept e-learning systems quickly and use such systems enthusiastically, a large number of instructors seem to lack the intention to accept such systems and continue to resist using them (Naidu, 2004). The resisting instructors far outnumber those who embrace and use e-learning systems (Lammers & Murphy, 2003; Zywno, 2002). The following section includes a review of the literature that outlines the key factors related to instructors' use of e-learning systems. Then, the research model is proposed followed by a review of the methodology used in our study. The results of the research and discussion of these results in the context of their contribution to practice and future research are provided. Theoretical Background E-Learning Systems The concept of e-learning has been around since the early 1990s and is one of the most significant developments in the information technology (IT) industry's contribution to education (Selim, 2007). According to Fuller, Vician, and Brown (2006), researchers have been examining the role of IT as an instruction tool for over three decades. A number of individual characteristics have been identified as significant to the acceptance and subsequent use of IT. Gwebu and Wang (2007) suggested that with their increasing popularity and strategic importance, e-learning systems have received ample attention both from practitioners and scholars. According to Selim (2007), as with all educational endeavors, instructors play a central role in the effectiveness and success of e-learning courses. Consequently, understanding individual determinants in the acceptance of e-learning systems by instructors is highly warranted. Referring to the definition of e-learning systems given by the Learning Technology Standard Committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Ngai et al. (2007) stated that an e-learning system is: a learning technology system that uses Web-browsers as the primary means of interaction with learners, and Internet or an intranet as the primary means of communication among its subsystems and with other systems. These systems work as platform to facilitate teaching and learning. (p. 252) Ngai et al. noted that, with the widespread use of the Web, many HEIs are taking the opportunity to develop e-learning courses. As a result, e-learning systems are becoming an increasingly important part of HEIs. Numerous HEIs are now resorting to e-learning systems as teaching and learning tools for enhancing authentic e-learning (Liaw, Huang, & Chen, 2007). According to Mahdizadeh, Biemans, and Mulder (2007), e-learning systems increasingly serve important infrastructural features that enable university instructors to provide students with different representations of knowledge and to enhance interaction between instructors and students and amongst students themselves. Although there have been rapid advances in computer hardware and software capabilities, the problem of underutilized e-learning systems still remains and this underutilization appears to be more acute at community colleges (J. …