Teaching In Higher Education Research Articles

Организация и методика проведения полевой практики по ботанике в вузе в условиях дистанционного обучения

The trends in the formation of a digital society serve as benchmarks for the current and prospective development of higher pedagogical education. Therefore, one of the goals of biological and ecological education for future teachers is to master modern digital technologies. Federal projects for creating a digital educational environment include the development of digital services and content for educational activities. Thus, the development of distance learning technologies and blended learning has become a crucial condition for the digital transformation of biology and ecology teaching in higher education. The Federal State Educational Standards for Higher Education (FGOS VO) require the learning outcomes to reflect the components of information culture for future biology teachers and bioecologists. This includes skills such as obtaining necessary information from dictionaries, atlases, guides, the ability to navigate various sources of biological information, critically evaluate and interpret information about living and non-living nature in the media and other sources, and the ability to use information and communication technologies in solving practical tasks. In this regard, organizing field practice for biology students in botany under distance learning conditions is an important component in the subject, meta-subject, and methodological preparation of future biology teachers and bioecology specialists. The accessibility of modern information resources to students, including those with limited capabilities and athletes, in any location and time using distance technologies emphasizes the need to improve their information culture. By engaging students remotely in the study of living nature through mobile devices, virtual and augmented reality, university teachers shape their knowledge and skills in botany, ICT competencies, and information culture, which is part of general human culture and an important element in the development of every individual. Objective: To improve the effectiveness of organizing and conducting field practice for bioecology students in botany under conditions of distance and blended learning. Method or Methodology: The publication is based on information, technological, and competency-based pedagogical approaches. The article utilizes group natural science and pedagogical observations, mathematical methods, and the analysis of students’ activities resulting from individual independent collection of plant material with subsequent analysis and chamber processing. Results: Positive results have been obtained, allowing for the recommendation of implementing distance, mobile, and immersive technologies for organizing and conducting field practices in biology. Application Area of Results: The presented results can be applied in conducting educational activities in universities under conditions of blended and inclusive learning, particularly in biology field practices, both online and offline.

Creativity-Fostering Teacher Behaviors in Higher Education: A Transdisciplinary Systematic Literature Review

While society’s demand for creativity is echoed across the world, teachers in higher education often struggle to support students’ development of creative competencies. This transdisciplinary systematic literature review of 58 peer-reviewed empirical studies provides a comprehensive overview of creativity-fostering teacher behaviors identified across all academic disciplines in higher education. In our thematic analysis, we identified 22 themes grouped into six overarching dimensions (the six dimensions of fostering creativity, namely, [a] affective, [b] cognitive, [c] behavioral, [d] metacognitive, [e] creativity-in-action, and [f] uncertainty). Based on these dimensions, we developed a new conceptual model of teacher behaviors for creativity: the “meta-creativity” model. This model highlights the transdisciplinary, interactive, and interdependent nature of creativity-fostering teacher behaviors, which are subject to the conflicting needs and tensions of creative processes. This review provides key practical insights for teachers, administrators, and policymakers and new research directions for a more holistic approach to teaching for creativity.

Transitioning to Online Instructions and COVID-19 Response: A View from Mining Emergent College Students Discourse in Online Discussion Forum

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted teaching and learning activities in higher education around the world. As universities shifted to remote instruction in response to the pandemic, it is important to learn how students engaged in learning during this challenging period. In this paper, we examined the changes in learners’ social and cognitive presence in online discussion forums prior and after remote instruction. We also extracted emergent topics during the pandemic as an attempt to explore what students talked about and how they interacted with their peers. We extracted discussion forum posts between 2019 and 2020 from courses that have been offered repeatedly each term at a four-year university in the U.S. Our findings suggest that students exhibited higher social presence through increased social and affective language during remote instructions. We also identified emergent COVID-19 related discourse, which involved sharing personal experience with positive sentiments and expressing opinions on contemporary events. Our qualitative analysis further revealed that students showed rapport and empathy towrads others, and engaged in active sense making of the pandemic through engaging in critical discourse. Our study sheds lights on leveraging discussion forum to facilitate learner experiences and building classroom community in online courses. We further discussed the potential for conducting large-scale computational linguistic modeling on learner discourse and the role of artificial intelligence in deriving insights on learning behavior at scale to support remote teaching and learning.

Promotion of Student Self-Regulation from Transformational Evaluation Processes: Case Applied to the Innovation Program in University Teaching

Objective: To describe from a transformational model based on student empowerment, the implementation of active and collaborative evaluation procedures among students, with the purpose of promoting self-regulation of their learning. Theoretical Framework: The new conception of evaluation has involved the incorporation of new evaluative agents in the process, focused on an evaluation for learning and how learning, integrating students as active participants in their own learning and evaluation, developing self-regulation and metacognitive, promoting student empowerment, and the delegation of evaluative responsibilities from a dialogic and collaborative model. Method: The methodology adopted for this research arises from a qualitative approach and includes an intrinsic case study, for which the ALE–Q Questionnaire - Evaluation Climate as learning and empowerment in Higher Education by Ibarra-Sáiz, María Soledad, was applied. & Rodríguez-Gómez, Gregorio. Results and Discussion: It can be confirmed that greater student participation in learning evaluation processes promotes student autonomy and responsibility, which mobilizes more inclusive, empowered and democratic evaluation processes. The possibility that students can make value judgments and commit to their own learning, which mobilizes learning throughout life. Implications of the Research: The research involved delving into the learning evaluation procedures in higher education and promoting from here a change from the traditional evaluation paradigm towards a transformational evaluative approach based on student empowerment, this paradigmatic break highlights what is legitimized found among higher education teachers to implement traditional, unilateral evaluation models with little student participation. Originality/Value: The study stresses traditional learning evaluation models versus transformational evaluative models, where the active, collaborative and empowered participation of students is promoted, producing a break in the linearity of how the evaluation processes have been conceived.

English Medium Instruction in Higher Education: Global Trends, Challenges, and the Call for Multilingual Approaches

This review article examines the widespread adoption of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, driven by globalization and the need to prepare students for the international job market. While EMI aims to enhance English proficiency and academic and employment prospects, it also presents challenges in terms of linguistic equity, pedagogical effectiveness, and the academic success of students. Through a synthesis of research, this review explores the implications and challenges of EMI and scrutinizes the assumption that EMI inherently improves English proficiency alongside content learning. The article also critiques the monolingual ideology of EMI policies and advocates for the recent call by researchers for a multilingual approach that includes translanguaging practices to better accommodate the linguistic diversity of student populations. In doing so, it highlights the need for a critical reassessment of EMI implementation based on the suggestion that by integrating students’ wider linguistic resources, EMI can evolve from its monolingual origins to embrace a more effective and equitable multilingual framework.

Object-Based Teaching in Post-Pandemic Higher Education in the US

ABSTRACT Object-based teaching (OBT) has grown in popularity in American higher education over the past 20 years and is now practiced at a broad range of post-secondary institutions, from community colleges to Research 1 universities. However, the prospects for OBT are changing. After the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements of 2020–2021, three trends are observable: a continuing decline in humanities enrollments, persistent student preferences for online learning, and the uneven recovery of college and university museums and galleries. In the interest of understanding the current state of OBT in the US, I deployed a survey to the membership of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. The following are the results of this survey as well as a reflection on how OBT has emerged as a unique tool during this unprecedented moment in higher education.

ФОРМУВАННЯ НАВИЧОК ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОЇ ГІГІЄНИ СТУДЕНТСЬКОЇ МОЛОДІ В УМОВАХ НЕФОРМАЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ (ДОСВІД ПАРТНЕРСЬКИХ ПРОЄКТІВ ЗАКЛАДІВ ФАХОВОЇ ПЕРЕДВИЩОЇ ТА ВИЩОЇ ПЕДАГОГІЧНОЇ ОСВІТИ)

The article discusses the development of information hygiene skills among student youth in the context of non-formal education, particularly through the experience of partnership projects involving institutions of professional pre-higher and higher pedagogical education. Based on the methods of analysis and synthesis of scientific sources, as well as practical experience, certain aspects of the concept of "information hygiene" are outlined: a system of knowledge that explores the patterns of influence of the information space and information flows on the social well-being, mental, and physiological health of individuals and society as a whole. The goal of forming information hygiene among student youth is to prevent the negative impact of information and to develop a set of skills to prevent such negative impacts during preventive measures. The components of information hygiene include media literacy skills, information habits, and behavior; the safety and protection of the information space; information-psychological resilience and counteraction to negative influences; stable value orientations; and psychological and physical health. The formation of information hygiene among student youth in the context of non-formal education is presented considering the principles of project-based and activity-based approaches. Non-formal education is defined as organized and continuous educational activities carried out within joint projects implemented in partnership with the Resource Center for Teacher Professional Development of Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko, the cycle commission of the Priluky Humanitarian-Pedagogical Professional College named after Ivan Franko of the Chernihiv Regional Council, and the Department of Journalism of the Machine-Building Professional College of Sumy State University. The focus is on practical approaches to education implemented through partnership media literacy projects, which include interactive methods, practical tasks, and activities aimed at developing critical thinking and information analysis skills. The results of these projects and their impact on enhancing the level of information literacy among students are analyzed. Key words: information hygiene, non-formal education, future teacher, future journalist, interregional project, exercises, text, higher education institution, professional pre-higher education institution, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko, Priluky Humanitarian-Pedagogical Professional College named after Ivan Franko of the Chernihiv Regional Council, Machine-Building Professional College of Sumy State University.

Five methodological dilemmas when implementing an activity theory transformative intervention in higher education

ABSTRACT Activity theory is a relatively young methodology for researching higher education teaching practices. Beyond systemic analyse of workplace activities and their development, activity theory used in its full interventionist capacity can foster practitioners’ transformative agency to initiate practice change. Nevertheless, this is not an easy process. This paper shares activity theory research into the digital teaching activity of anatomy teachers within an Australian university. Using the lens of this project, the paper exposes several methodological dilemmas experienced by the researcher. Beyond the issue of the methodological level of activity theory used, these dilemmas relate to the authentic determination of both the unit of analysis and the object of the activity, the type of intervention (i.e. full Change Laboratory or modified), and the complexity in analysis using a concept-rich theory. Sharing these dilemmas invites further research to examine inherent contradictions in the human activity of conducting activity theory research focussed on university teaching.

Forming Optimal Classroom Environments Through Bandura’s Mastery Experiences

Higher education faculty members are increasingly being asked to defend their teaching methods with research-based support. This article offers such evidence through a randomized control-group pretest-posttest study that examined whether a newly created andragogy method, Forming Optimal Classroom Environments (FOCE), increased master’s students’ research self-efficacy in comparison to the standard teaching method (STM). The article details the model, based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, particularly his concept of self-efficacy. The model relies upon both Bandura’s publications and results over the last forty years from researchers who have investigated higher education teaching techniques based on the concept of self-efficacy. Fifteen such research-based techniques form the model. Results found no significant interaction effect when comparing FOCE with the STM. Additionally, both teaching methods demonstrated that knowledge increases were positively correlated with research self-efficacy increases. This indicates that increasing research knowledge is one factor in increasing students’ research self-efficacy. Implications of findings are discussed.

OPTIMIZING LEARNING: A META-ANALYSIS OF TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

This meta-analysis rigorously investigates time management strategies within university education and their impact on academic performance, student satisfaction, and self-efficacy. Covering two decades (2004-2024), it synthesizes findings from both random and nonrandom controlled intervention studies, providing a comprehensive examination of pedagogical impacts. The analysis reveals nuanced but significant enhancements across academic and personal development dimensions, with varied effect sizes (average g values). Interventions were categorized based on their primary focus—either direct time management skills enhancement or integration within broader academic and personal development strategies. Directly targeting time management proficiency was pivotal in bolstering academic performance and self-efficacy, while broader interventions significantly elevated student satisfaction. This analysis highlights the critical interplay between time management strategies, self-efficacy, and satisfaction, suggesting that tailored, skill-specific interventions can yield substantial benefits in academic contexts. The findings advocate for a holistic approach in higher education pedagogy, emphasizing the necessity of embedding effective time management training within university curricula to optimize learning outcomes and student development. This study contributes to the academic discourse on educational strategies and underscores the imperative for empirical, evidence-based approaches in curriculum design and student support services, guiding future research in educational psychology.

Teaching to transgress through residential education: Nurturing pedagogical innovation to tackle the climate and nature emergencies in higher education

ABSTRACT Universities occupy a contested space regarding their responses to the climate and nature emergencies. They are criticised for their neoliberalism, marketisation and corporatism yet they provide education to the leaders of tomorrow who are essential for the transition to a sustainable world. In this paper, residential education is explored through a three-phase Rites of Passage framework based on teaching to transgress. Dependable and trustworthy literature sources were identified to develop strands of a pedagogical framework. Autoethnographic vignettes added further novel strands based on insights into residential education from the authors’ lived experiences. Thus a residential education pedagogical web emerges to reimagine learning, teaching and research in higher education that deals directly with the climate and nature emergencies. We argue that more residential education centres should be developed to operate as semi-autonomous satellites of their parent universities because they can be more participatory, flexible and dynamic.

Universities with standards but not standard universities: students and academics reflection of university operating standards in Tanzania

Quality of teaching and learning in higher education is explained by the teaching and learning milieus through which academic staff and students interact. Subsequently, governments across the globe have been establishing standards that aim at improving the teaching and learning milieus in universities as part of the efforts to facilitate the provision of quality university education that address national and global needs and contexts simultaneously. This paper draws evidence from the quantitative data gauging the reflection and experiences of academic staff and students regarding the extent to which milieus for the provision of education in post-1995 universities reflect the goals of the standards established to govern the operation of universities in Tanzania. Overall, the study found dissatisfactions from both academic staff and students regarding the extent to which the teaching and learning milieus in post-1995 universities in Tanzania reflect the standards. This poor reflection may have negative impacts on the realisation of the goals the standards intend to achieve. The study therefore underscores the need for the government to plan, design and enforce the appropriate standards that would have notable impacts on the academic experiences of academic staff and students and subsequently provision of education for national and global needs.

Incorporating contemporary technologies into higher education pedagogy: Exploring mastery and innovative implementation

Incorporating contemporary technologies into higher education pedagogy: Exploring mastery and innovative implementation

The impact of ChatGPT on teaching and learning in higher education: Exploring the dual perspectives of participants who were students and teachers

AbstractThis study explored the perceived impact of integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence Systems (GenAI) such as ChatGPT into a postgraduate Master of Education program, drawing on the dual perspectives of participants who were students and educators teaching students at different levels of education in England. Using the Situated Expectancy‐Value Theory and Activity‐Centered Analysis and Design theoretical frameworks, the findings revealed opportunities, benefits, and challenges. Benefits included personalized learning and efficiencies in course design while the challenges consisted of ethical concerns, holistic skill development and problem solving. The surprising outcome of this study was the strong emotive anxiety around using AI and GenAI in participants’ academic and personal lives. A balanced, critically reflective approach can help realize ChatGPT's educational potential while navigating implementation barriers and associated challenges. Participants insights can add to the dialogue negotiating ways of effectively integrating GenAI into the higher education curriculum.Practical Takeaways Foster collaboration: Educators and students should work together to develop critical evaluation skills, ethical frameworks, and adaptive strategies for responsible GenAI use. Prioritize ethical considerations: Promote ongoing reflection on the personal and academic implications of GenAI, including potential biases and impacts on equity. Balance innovation with traditional skills: Emphasize that GenAI augments, rather than replaces, core academic skills like critical thinking, source verification, and effective communication. Align with student values: To sustain engagement, connect GenAI's use with students' immediate goals, future aspirations, and the potential to improve their learning experiences and outcomes.

What’s an innovation? Capitalising on disruptive innovation in higher education

ABSTRACT This article conceptualises how disruptions to conventional teaching models may lead to innovative practice. We have identified a gap in current knowledge around how innovations in higher education teaching and learning are initiated in times of crises. Disruptive Innovation Theory and Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory are used as lenses to understand how academics’ epistemic positioning impacts the implementation of educational innovations, and how such innovations fundamentally change practice. We use COVID-19 restrictions as an illustrative example to deconstruct the catalysts for academics’ experimentation with new digital tools, new ways to connect with their students, and novel means of facilitating collaborative learning strategies in the online space. This study makes a distinctive and original contribution by revealing three characteristics of disruptive tools, practices, and mindsets in Initial Teacher Education that differ from the typical efficiencies in other markets.

How to use inclusive teaching strategies in the age of ChatGPT

Perhaps more than any other recent technological innovation, the sudden appearance of ChatGPT and similar large language models has precipitated a teaching and learning crisis in higher education.

Exploring Discovery Learning Applied in English Language Teaching of Higher Education

The study aims at exposing the discovery learning applied at high education. The study applies descriptive qualitative design applying phenomenology. The subjects in this study were 3 lecturers of a private university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were gained from interviews and documentations. The data are analyzed using triangulation involving data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusion. The analysis results show that there are benefits and challenges of discovery learning applied in higher education. In conclusion, discovery learning has been one of alternative teaching ways in higher education. Keywords: discovery learning, English language teaching, higher education

Demystifying Lesotho, Rwandan and Nigerian educators’ viewpoints on smart technologies supporting AI in higher education

AbstractGiven the deluge of technology flowing into African countries from the global north, it is not a hyperbole to make a point that developed nations are better equipped to practically integrate Smart Technologies supporting Artificial Intelligence (STAI) into higher education teaching methodologies. However, conversations regarding the application of AI in higher education have been spurred by attempts at its practical implementation in developing countries such as Lesotho, Rwanda, and Nigeria. Furthermore, a dearth of literature exists regarding STAI in higher education within the contexts of higher education in Lesotho, Rwanda, and Nigeria. This dearth points to a necessity for research to be conducted to include the three countries’ higher education contexts in order for researchers to be able to comprehend the perspectives of educators in these countries on their use of STAI in teaching and learning, as well as to identify the challenges associated with integrating STAI into higher education instructional practices. This study examines these three countries as case studies to gain insights into the perspectives of these educators on smart technologies which support AI in their higher education sectors. Vygotsky’s (1978) emphasis on ‘cultural tools’ and social interaction remains crucial in the knowledge-building process, and his social constructivist learning theory underpins the study. An online, semi-structured questionnaire was designed to address the question: What are e the viewpoints of a sampled group of higher education educators from Rwanda, Nigeria and Lesotho on Smart Technologies which support AI in Higher Education? The findings revealed participant from these countries to possess varied technological knowledge of the use of STAI to facilitate content comprehension and achievement of their teaching objectives. However, we argue in this paper that the participating educators’ varied understandings of the use of STAI in higher education needs to expand and to be swiftly accommodated if the three countries are to be on par with developed countries.

Optimising Learning Outcomes: A Comprehensive Approach to Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching in Higher Education

The development of online virtual simulation test teaching programs has recently been in increasing demand due to the lack of traditional test teaching resources in colleges. This research aims to optimize the delivery of experimental teaching in higher education by harnessing the potential of virtual simulation technology. However, several challenges and limitations must be addressed to attain optimal learning outcomes. Data collection methods encompassed questionnaire surveys, multi-subject interviews, and regression analysis to examine underlying issues and trends in this teaching approach. This study underscores three vital dimensions for enhancing virtual simulation experiment teaching in colleges. Firstly, the integration of online and offline teaching modes is essential to broaden the spectrum of test-teaching scenarios. Secondly, technological advancements are pivotal in bolstering the reliability and authenticity of virtual examinations. The incorporation of virtual reality and artificial intelligence significantly enhances the realism and accuracy of virtual experiments, making them more effective in simulating real-life scenarios. Lastly, adapting the teaching model to accommodate diverse levels and facets is crucial for optimizing student learning experiences and outcomes. Tailoring teaching strategies and methods to individual student needs fosters a more personalized learning experience. Additionally, the paper highlights the significance of evaluating the effectiveness of virtual simulation experiment teaching through various assessment methods, including formative and summative assessments. This evaluation process enables teachers to identify areas for improvement and refine teaching practices to achieve better learning outcomes for students. As a result, this research provides valuable insights into the potential of virtual simulation technology in higher education and offers a roadmap for its successful implementation.

English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility

Abstract In this article, we discuss the significance of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility, using Kachru’s (1985) Three Circles Model of World English. As education is one of the major forms of migration (Liu-Farrer, 2022; Borlongan, 2023) in the so-called ‘age of migration’ (cf. de Haas, Castles, & Miller, 2020), more and more students are motivated to study abroad to complete their tertiary education. First, we discuss motivating factors both for the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility. Second, we point out how English has been playing a very central role in the internationalization of higher education institutions and international student mobility (Philipson, 2010; Jenkins, 2017) among these factors. Then, we present the dynamics of international student mobility by looking at their global flow, English-medium programs, and English language proficiency requirements. While Inner Circle countries are still the most attractive destinations for most international students, Expanding Circle countries, where English is not an institutionalized medium of instruction in higher education, also value English by expanding English-medium degree programs and requiring English proficiency test scores to admission. Finally, we end the article by reiterating the dominance and utility of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility and its stable position as the language of educational migration.