University Partnerships Research Articles

Higher Education Partnerships between the Global North and Global South

Higher education partnerships between the Global North and the Global South are a recognized as means of developing research and education capacity, especially in the institutions of the Global South. Due to the realities of individual agreements, however, not all partnerships work effectively. This article examines a Norwegian and Ethiopian university partnership named “The South Ethiopia Network of Universities in Public Health (SENUPH)” as a case study to identify key elements in the development of effective, mutually beneficial partnerships from policy and institutional perspectives. The first part of this article outlines the different concepts of aid-focused partnerships and mutuality-focused partnerships. The second part reviews the evolution of the Norwegian Funding Programmes for Higher Education Partnerships. The third part describes the mission and key characteristics of SENUPH. The final part analyzes the policy implications for the development of functional, mutuality-focused higher education partnerships, as learned from the SENUPH case study. The Norwegian case provides three implications for how to make such mutual partnerships functional: 1) the importance of fostering the authorship of the partnership among key actors; 2) the significance of multiple phases and periodic evaluation to assess the progress of the partnerships; and 3) the promotion of knowledge and skill development among recipients so they can promote growth and cause a spillover effect that has a positive regional impact.

International distance learning design experiences. Above the clouds, a project for a temporary event in the Bolognetta valley

The health emergency due to the spread of COVID-19 has required a methodological and technological adaptation to the entire world of teaching and researching, in order to define in a brief time new methods for designing and teaching. In consideration of this, Campus Asia1 decided to organize one of the key events of its educational offer in a distance learning form, an international winter school with overn eighty participants and five international guest universities. Together with Kyushu University (China), Tongji University (Japan) and Pusan National University (South Korea), the edition held between 15 and 26 February 2021 saw the participation of two European partner universities, the Università degli Studi di Palermo2 and the Vienna University of Technology (Austria)

Strengthening the national health information system through a capacity-building and mentorship partnership (CBMP) programme: a health system and university partnership\xa0initiative\xa0in\xa0Ethiopia

BackgroundA strong health information system (HIS) is one of the essential building blocks for a resilient health system. The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Ethiopia is working on different initiatives to strengthen the national HIS. Among these is the Capacity-Building and Mentorship Partnership (CBMP) Programme in collaboration with public universities in Ethiopia since November 2017. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes and share experiences of the country in working with universities to strengthen the national HIS.MethodsThe study employed a mixed-methods approach that included 247 health organizations (health offices and facilities) of CBMP-implementing woredas (districts) and 23 key informant interviews. The programme focused on capacity-building and mentoring facilities and woreda health offices. The status of HIS was measured using a connected woreda checklist before and after the intervention. The checklist consists of items related to HIS infrastructure, data quality and administrative use. The organizations were classified as emerging, candidate or model based on the score. The findings were triangulated with qualitative data collected through key informant interviews.ResultsThe results showed that the overall score of the HIS implementation was 46.3 before and 74.2 after implementation of the programme. The proportion of model organizations increased from 1.2% before to 31.8% after the programme implementation. The health system–university partnership has provided an opportunity for higher education institutions to understand the health system and tune their curricula to address real-world challenges. The partnership brought opportunities to conduct and produce local- and national-level evidence to improve the HIS. Weak ownership, poor responsiveness and poor perceptions of the programme were mentioned as major challenges in programme implementation.ConclusionThe overall HIS has shown substantial progress in CBMP implementation woredas. A number of facilities became models in a short period of time after the implementation of the programme. The health system–university partnership was found to be a promising approach to improve the national HIS and to share the on-the-ground experiences with the university academicians. However, weak ownership and poor responsiveness to feedback were the major challenges identified as needing more attention in future programme implementation.

Intercultural Development Among Music Students and Teachers: A Literature Review

In a diverse society, it is crucial to transform one’s attitudes from ethnocentric to ethnorelative to deeply engage in, negotiate, and reconcile various cultural manifestations. Using the umbrella term of intercultural development, I reviewed empirical studies of cross-cultural endeavors, contexts, and outcomes among music students and teachers in K–12 and higher education settings. Intercultural development takes place in various contexts, including classroom projects, university partnerships, service learning, and professional development. According to the literature, music students and teachers working in intercultural settings have elicited learning outcomes related to their intercultural development. The outcomes included intercultural competence and sensitivity, musical and pedagogical understanding, and critical awareness of power dynamics. Based on the literature review, I provide implications for intercultural development in music teaching and learning, and suggest future research directions for scholars.

Global citizenship cultivation through COIL-PBL model: case study of the Great Debates course

The current global political, economic, and social challenges urge the need to cultivate global citizenship among students in their learning process. This paper presents the role of Collaboration Online International Learning (COIL) using theProject-Based Learning (PBL) approach in cultivating global citizenship among university students. The paper explains the different implementation challenges of a COIL course on the different levels and core design elements of the COIL-PBL model to overcome such challenges. Empirically, this paper presents a primary case study of the Great Debates course that was implemented in different forms by three partner universities, which are the University of Washington Bothell (UWB), the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) in the USA, and the Future University in Egypt (FUE). The implementation showed a positive impact on cultivating global citizenship among participating students, which isclear from developments in students’ skills in the areas of cross-cultural communication and negotiation, cultural sensitivity and tolerance, teamwork and coordination across virtual global teams, analytical skills, and perception toward other cultures and society. Notably, the COIL-PBL model has started to gain further popularity after the COVID-19pandemic as an alternative for physical mobility, which encourages future research in this area using other implemented courses using the COIL-PBL model.

Leveraging Social–Emotional Learning to Promote Excellence and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A District–University Partnership

Social–emotional learning (SEL) has never been more important as the nation rebuilds after the COVID-19 pandemic and grapples with ongoing racial injustice. More work is needed to promote racial healing in our nation’s schools. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work in the midst and aftermath of the pandemic is challenging; effort, engagement, and trust-building are required to produce sustainable change that truly makes a difference for students. This column features a successful district–university partnership that focuses on SEL as a lever to promote student excellence and DEI. We reflect on the process of beginning this partnership, highlight three key principles, and offer suggestions for establishing and sustaining such partnerships. The partnership between the Mahomet-Seymour School District (MSSD) and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) was established in 2018. The MSSD student body is overall affluent, although it serves a small...

Development and implementation of an online platform for curriculum mapping in medical education

Abstract Objectives Nowadays universities face ever-increasing demands on quality of education, which is crucial from perspective of future graduates. In face of the need of constant quality improvements of medical curricula, it is important to seek strategies for their efficient management. The general trend is to develop electronic support tools to streamline the curricular design, analysis and harmonization. Methods Based on the requirements we have identified by the needs analysis among curriculum designers, teachers and managers at five universities involved in the Building Curriculum Infrastructure in Medical Education (BCIME) project, and evidence published in literature on curriculum development, we have developed methodological guidelines on curriculum innovations and a software-based tools that help manage, map and analyse curricula in the medical and healthcare study fields. Results In this paper, we share our experiences with building and implementation of EDUportfolio, an online platform developed within our consortium and intended to facilitate harmonisation and optimisation of medical outcome-based curricula. Its functionalities and outputs were verified by pilot mapping of Anatomy curricula as taught at partner universities in five European countries. Conclusions The visualisation and the analysis of described curriculum data using natural language processing techniques revealed both the hidden relations between curriculum building blocks and a set of overlaps and gaps in curricula. In addition, we demonstrate both the usability of the platform in the context of the involved academic environments and the capability to map and compare curricula across different institutions and different countries.

Implementation of the wp@e-lab fex mooc in tenth grade students at the Liceo Integrado Fray Francisco Chacón in Sopó, Cundinamarca

At present, virtual and distance learning spaces have been developed in the search for different alternatives in the construction of experimental environments, among which e-Learning spaces and massive open and online MOOC courses stand out. The COVID-19 health emergency reflected the need to implement academic interaction activities at a distance; therefore, the educational institutions opted for the virtual and distance modality for the development of the curricula and programmatic content addressed in each of the areas of knowledge. Simulation-based virtual laboratories are one of the resilient alternatives. On the other hand, school institutions in Colombia do not have the necessary infrastructure or the financial and technology capacity for the creation of scientific laboratories. The international project World Pendulum Alliance proposes the creation of virtual learning environments, reinforcing the experimental field through the implementation of remote laboratories. For this purpose, an alliance is created between different universities in Europe and Latin America, with the aim of disseminating remote experimentation in Basic Sciences. Among the consortium of partner universities, the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia - UNAD is linked to the project and, among its dissemination activities, has created the ReEx-SDC Science Dissemination Center, led by researchers from the School of Basic Sciences, Technology and Engineering ECBTI. This article shows the results obtained from the MOOC course of the IST of the University of Lisbon at the Fray Francisco Chacón School in tenth grade students, with the objective of including remote experimentation in the tenth grade physics curriculum in the following school year.

Debris collision mitigation from the ground using laser guide star adaptive optics at mount Stromlo observatory

The Australian National University (ANU) and industry partners EOS Space Systems and Lockheed Martin are part of the Space Environment Research Centre (SERC), an Australian-Government funded cooperative research centre headquartered in Canberra, Australia. SERC aims to mitigate the threat of collisions with space debris using a ground-based high power (10-20kW) infrared (IR) laser to modify the debris orbit should a collision be predicted. To that end, the ANU has equipped the EOS 1.8m laser tracking station telescope on the ANU Mount Stromlo campus with a state-of-the-art Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGS AO) system to pre-compensate the IR laser prior to propagation through earth's atmosphere. The ANU LGS AO system is currently being integrated with the EOS telescope and the high-power IR laser. This paper provides a brief overview of the LGS AO system and focus more specifically on the design, integration and commissioning of the first LGS facility ever constructed in Australia. The LGS Facility includes two sodium guide star laser sources which can be either propagated separately or combined so as to produce a brighter reference star to maximise adaptive optics correction. The two lasers, their beam combining optics, their common beam transfer optics, and the laser launch telescope are hereby described.

Lessons learned from the rapid development of a statewide simulation model for predicting COVID-19's impact on healthcare resources and capacity.

The first case of COVID-19 was detected in North Carolina (NC) on March 3, 2020. By the end of April, the number of confirmed cases had soared to over 10,000. NC health systems faced intense strain to support surging intensive care unit admissions and avert hospital capacity and resource saturation. Forecasting techniques can be used to provide public health decision makers with reliable data needed to better prepare for and respond to public health crises. Hospitalization forecasts in particular play an important role in informing pandemic planning and resource allocation. These forecasts are only relevant, however, when they are accurate, made available quickly, and updated frequently. To support the pressing need for reliable COVID-19 data, RTI adapted a previously developed geospatially explicit healthcare facility network model to predict COVID-19’s impact on healthcare resources and capacity in NC. The model adaptation was an iterative process requiring constant evolution to meet stakeholder needs and inform epidemic progression in NC. Here we describe key steps taken, challenges faced, and lessons learned from adapting and implementing our COVID-19 model and coordinating with university, state, and federal partners to combat the COVID-19 epidemic in NC.

Sensemaking of University and District Stakeholders in Implementing a Teacher Residency Policy in Louisiana

A growing body of research has identified teacher residency’s potentials for improving and sustaining preservice teacher learning through a stronger district–university partnership. Drawing on sensemaking perspectives on education policy implementation, this qualitative case study examines how a variety of university and district stakeholders make sense of and implement a state-mandated teacher residency in Louisiana. Findings reveal that stakeholders are primarily making sense of the residency in isolation, leading to incoherent understandings and varied implementation practices. Opportunities to improve stakeholders’ collective sensemaking and collaborative implementation and to optimize the benefits and potentials of teacher residency partnerships are discussed. This study has implications for teacher education policy implementation and continuous inquiry into the complexities of teacher preparation.

Open innovation in science: assessing the formation and function of SME-university collaborations through the proximity matrix

ABSTRACT As university-industry collaboration is regarded as an important practice within the open innovation in Science (OIS) framework, this paper assesses the formation and function of these collaborations using the ‘proximity matrix’, evaluating similarities between actors through evaluating their closeness in terms of distance, network membership, knowledge base and working practices. Through presenting analysis of 22 in-depth interviews with SMEs, the findings outline that the process of SME-university collaboration is driven by the ability of the firms to both access (through social proximity) and understand (through technological and organisational proximity) their university partners. Furthermore, the results also suggest distinct roles for each proximity.

Model Development and Transient Analysis of the HCPB BB BOP DEMO Configuration Using the Apros System Code

Extensive modeling and analytical work has been carried out considering the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket (HCPB BB) Balance Of Plant (BOP) configuration of the Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) using the Apros system code, developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. and Fortum. The integral plant model of the HCPB BB plant has been improved with respect to the blanket and steam generator models. Based on HCPB-BL2017 v1 data, reported in 2019, the blanket has been remodeled by separate Apros process components, dedicated to average inboard and outboard segments, where the power deposition scheme of the breeding units took into account the output of high-fidelity neutronic analyses. A new helical coil steam generator model has been developed for primary–secondary system coupling using CAD data provided by EUROfusion partner University of Palermo. Transient analyses have been performed with Apros on the plant configuration that utilizes a molten salt technology-based small Energy Storage System (ESS).

Sexual violence among students attending a higher education institution in the UK (OUR SPACE): a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundSexual violence among higher education students is a public health issue. Establishing the prevalence of this issue is essential for designing and resourcing responses, including monitoring the effectiveness of existing prevention initiatives. There is a dearth of rigorous research assessing the prevalence of sexual violence among higher education students in the UK. This research provides the first prevalence estimates of sexual violence among students attending a large university located in central southern England. MethodsOUR SPACE is a cross-sectional survey that was sent directly to all students at the university via email (with three reminders), in May, 2021. The survey was co-developed, promoted via social media, and administered with University partners and student groups. OUR SPACE used a complete sampling approach (n=26 119) to measure university climate, bystander behaviour, and past-year sexual harassment and violence victimisation, and sexual harassment and violence perpetration prevalence. A revised version of Koss' Sexual Experience Survey was used to measure sexual violence. University data reported that the student body comprises 50% undergraduate students (approximately 12 276 women [47%], and 13 843 men [53%]). FindingsOur total sample (n=1608; 949 [59%] cis women, 563 [35%] cis men, 64 [4%] transgender or gender non-conforming students, and 32 [25%] students who preferred not to say) included 949 (59%) undergraduate students. Our response rate was 6%. From 2019–20, 18% (95% CI 16–20) of respondents reported an incident of sexual violence, and 50% (47–53) reported an incident of sexual harassment. Perpetration of sexual violence was reported by 1% (0·6–1·7) of respondents and harassment by 12% (10–14) of respondents. InterpretationOur findings show that sexual harassment and sexual violence are experienced by a significant proportion of students at university. Women appear to face more risk of experiencing sexual violence when compared with men, which is consistent with findings from other contexts. These findings are limited by a low response rate, and response bias. This research indicates the potential importance of prioritising and funding preventive initiatives among student populations in the UK. It also provides a survey tool that can be adapted and replicated at UK higher education institutions across the sector. FundingUniversity of Oxford.

Inclusive Excellence in Kinesiology Units in Higher Education

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the value of developing cultural awareness in kinesiology students to prepare them to enter the workforce in a world where the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are evolving. The authors provide examples of sustained and impactful practices from three kinesiology units in higher education that have been recognized with the American Kinesiology Association Inclusive Excellence Award. The case studies demonstrate that institutional support for inclusive excellence is instrumental in development of sustainable experiences. Kinesiology leaders can demonstrate commitment to inclusive excellence by supporting faculty who conduct teaching, research, and service activities that meet their institution’s inclusive excellence goals. Other areas where kinesiology units can influence student development include curriculum, student engagement activities, university and community partnerships, and leadership for inclusive excellence.

Waves to Weather: Exploring the Limits of Predictability of Weather

AbstractPrediction of weather is a main goal of atmospheric science. Its importance to society is growing continuously due to factors such as vulnerability to natural disasters, the move to renewable energy sources, and the risks of climate change. But prediction is also a major scientific challenge due to the inherently limited predictability of a chaotic atmosphere, and has led to a revolution in forecasting methods as we have moved to probabilistic prediction. These changes provide the motivation for Waves to Weather (W2W), a major national research program in Germany with three main university partners in Munich, Mainz, and Karlsruhe. We are currently in the second 4-yr phase of our planned duration of 12 years and employ 36 doctoral and postdoctoral scientists. In the context of this large program, we address what we have identified to be the most important and challenging scientific questions in predictability of weather, namely, upscale error growth, errors associated with cloud processes, and probabilistic prediction of high-impact weather. This paper presents some key results of the first phase of W2W and discusses how they have influenced our understanding of predictability. The key role of interdisciplinary research linking atmospheric scientists with experts in visualization, statistics, numerical analysis, and inverse methods will be highlighted. To ensure a lasting impact on research in our field in Germany and internationally, we have instituted innovative programs for training and support of early-career scientists, and to support education, equal opportunities, and outreach, which are also described here.

Health services and the Project RoomKey COVID-19 initiative for the unhoused: A university and community partnership.

A hotel-based clinic to serve Project RoomKey residents is a model for meeting the health care needs of an unhoused population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the health services provided by students and licensed clinicians at a hotel that was designed to allow unhoused community residents to shelter in place during the early stages of the Covid pandemic (May 1–June 30, 2020). Documents developed for the project may be useful to others who are setting up similar services for unhoused residents in their own communities.

Higher education institutions, SDG2 and agri-food sustainability: lessons from Chulalongkorn University and Thailand

This paper examines higher education efforts linking United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and agri-food system sustainability given reports of stagnant movement for SDG2 in Southeast Asia and lack of data for effective monitoring or evaluation to realize the 2030 Agenda. It discusses Thai contexts amid a growing global movement in academic theory, policy and practice to mainstream SDG knowledge and implementation across campuses presenting one case to illustrate broader concerns. Chulalongkorn University policies, faculty awareness, curricula, research, sustainability reporting and partnerships about SDGs have contributed to SDG2 objectives from different disciplines and academic units. However, some faculty still lack understanding of SDGs generally while SDG2 has not been an institutional priority. The university has made welcome progress since a 2017 policy promoting SDGs but still needs to strengthen SDG2 data collection, teaching, research and community outreach capacities including links to government and international reporting to address complex agri-food system sustainability challenges. Comparative studies could also help while critically debating SDG deficiencies and promoting socioeconomic, ecological, agri-food system, community and campus sustainability.

Strategies for Success: Simple Education Interventions to Equip Nursing Students in Rural Liberia.

Severe shortages of skilled health workforce remain a major barrier to universal health coverage in low income countries including Liberia where nurses and midwives form more than 50% of the health workforce. According to the 2018 Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) report, Liberia has 10.7 core healthcare workers per 10,000 people, far below the WHO benchmark of 23/10,000 people. High quality training for nurses and midwives is one of the most important strategies to addressing these health workforce shortages. Since 2015, William V.S Tubman University (TU) faculty and Partners in Health (PIH) have partnered in nursing and midwifery education to address nursing and midwifery workforce shortages in Southeast Liberia. In our collaboration we have sought to not only increase the quantity of graduate nurses and midwives but also improve the quality of the training to ensure they are equipped to serve the population. TU strives to produce highly competent generic nurses who will excel in their clinical practice and future specialized training. By applying the theory of deliberate practice, learners are allowed to practice and self-evaluate repeatedly until they attain proficiency. Simulation training was adopted early in the training of nurses and midwives at TU to ensure students are well-prepared for real-life patient care. TU also established a preceptorship program to ensure that students receive skilled mentorship during clinical rotations. Internship for graduating senior Nursing/Midwifery students, where they focus on enhancing psychomotor and assessment skills, professional communication, safety and organization, medication administration and documentation, ensures successful integration into clinical practice after graduation. This progression of the student nurse or midwife from the exposure in the skills lab during pre-clinical modules, to individual preceptorship during clinical rotations to a structured internship experience with an intensive pre-internship “boot camp” have been the major innovations that have helped our partnership flourish. The foundation of these interventions is strong and sustained investment in nursing and midwifery faculty both at the university and the health facilities.

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress among adults in Ghana: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Over the past two decades, there have been several global interventions including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aimed at improving health outcomes. Despite efforts by countries to achieve the SDG targets, mental health challenges remain major public health concerns globally. We examined the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress as well as the comorbidities of these mental health issues among adults. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 2456 adults in four districts of the Volta Region of Ghana using data from the UHAS-Yonsei University Partnership Project. We analysed the data using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation, and binary logistic regression. Overall, 51.8% of the participants had at least one of the mental health issues examined. The prevalence of a mental health issue was 25.2%, 53.3%, and 9.7% for depression, anxiety, and stress respectively. Participants constituting 8.3% experienced all three mental health issues as comorbidities. Participants' level of formal education and income significantly predicted depression, anxiety, and stress respectively at the multivariable level. Adults with a tertiary level of education were, for instance, 68% (AOR = 0.32, 95%CI = 0.15-0.66), 65% (AOR = 0.35, 95%CI = 0.17-0.73), and 50% (AOR = 0.50, 95%CI = 0.33-0.76) less likely to experience depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively compared with those who had no formal education. The majority of our study participants either experienced depression, anxiety, or stress. There were quite high comorbidities of the mental health issues among the adult population. To accelerate progress towards the achievement of SDG 3.4 target of promoting mental health and wellbeing for all by the year 2030, there is a need for effective implementation of the country's 2012 Mental Health Act which makes provisions for the establishment of a Mental Health Fund. This could improve the financial circumstances of indigenes as income has been realised in the present study as an important factor influencing depression, anxiety, and stress among the adult population.