Practice In Higher Education Research Articles

Students’ conceptualizations of monolingual Swedish-language spaces and bilingual practices at a bilingual university in Finland

This paper aims to analyze students’ discourses on language policies and practices in a Swedish-medium study program at the largest bilingual university in Finland. In educational discourse and practice in Finland, the position of Swedish as a de facto minority language has traditionally been understood as secured through institutional language separation. While the declared language policies at the University of Helsinki have witnessed a shift towards the simultaneous use of multiple languages, the structure of the study programs still reflect a policy of parallel monolingualisms (Heller, 2007). By analyzing student interviews using a spatially informed framework, we look at how the students in a Swedish-medium study program negotiate the meaning of the program as a linguistic space and how bilingual policies and practices appear to them in this construct. Our findings show that the familiar discourses of language separation in minority language educational contexts also circulated in higher education: monolingual Swedish-medium programs were seen as “svenska rum” (Swedish rooms or spaces), material and social markers of the status of Swedish at the university and guaranteeing the access to education in the other national language. However, bilingual policies and teaching practices were seen as necessary to deconstruct linguistic and social borders between students in different programs in order to prevent alienation and to improve language skills. Nevertheless, the existing bilingual courses were oftentimes experienced as marginalizing the users of Swedish and careful planning was pointed out as crucial in implementing successful bilingual and multilingual practices in higher education.

Representational scaffolding in digital simulations – learning professional practices in higher education

PurposeTo advance the learning of professional practices in teacher education and medical education, this conceptual paper aims to introduce the idea of representational scaffolding for digital simulations in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis study outlines the ideas of core practices in two important fields of higher education, namely, teacher and medical education. To facilitate future professionals’ learning of relevant practices, using digital simulations for the approximation of practice offers multiple options for selecting and adjusting representations of practice situations. Adjusting the demands of the learning task in simulations by selecting and modifying representations of practice to match relevant learner characteristics can be characterized as representational scaffolding. Building on research on problem-solving and scientific reasoning, this article identifies leverage points for employing representational scaffolding.FindingsThe four suggested sets of representational scaffolds that target relevant features of practice situations in simulations are: informational complexity, typicality, required agency and situation dynamics. Representational scaffolds might be implemented in a strategy for approximating practice that involves the media design, sequencing and adaptation of representational scaffolding.Originality/valueThe outlined conceptualization of representational scaffolding can systematize the design and adaptation of digital simulations in higher education and might contribute to the advancement of future professionals’ learning to further engage in professional practices. This conceptual paper offers a necessary foundation and terminology for approaching related future research.

A double-edged sword: Teachers' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of online teaching and learning in higher education.

Due to the impact of the recent pandemic, the teaching and learning experience worldwide was marked by a wave of emergency digitalization. The sudden need to transition to online teaching and learning (OTL) has forced Higher Education actors to adapt quickly without proper planning. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges posed by OTL during the pandemic in Higher Education. Data were collected from 636 teachers from 54 different countries using an internationally distributed online survey, and responses were coded using thematic analysis. While the main benefits perceived by teachers relate to flexibility (in tasks execution), accessibility, pedagogical innovation, and self-regulation, key challenges emerge in domains such as engagement, interaction, infrastructure/technical support, assessment and pedagogical practice. Our results further suggest a phenomenon that we describe as a “double-edged sword” with elements of OTL being perceived both as a benefit and a challenge. Results and implications for OTL and future blended practices in Higher Education are discussed.

Christian Worldview as a Critical Information Literacy Lens: A Synthesis of the CCCU Commitments and the ACRL Framework

The work of numerous authors discussing the integration of Christian faith and practice in higher education has been presented in the scholarly conversation to date. Simultaneously, literature abounds regarding the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, its application by academic librarians and teaching faculty in the classroom, and how this framework is being utilized by scholars espousing critical information theories to analyze information. This article proposes an intersectional approach to these distinct scholarly discussions and attempts to answer the question: How can Christian educators equip students to navigate the information ecosystem of a fallen world with a Christ-centered perspective? Reasons for undertaking this work are evidenced by the three commitments articulated by the Council for Christian College & Universities (CCCU) to which the organization’s 185+ member institutions adhere; additionally, the ways in which educators can achieve this goal are founded in the guiding document on higher education information literacy concepts, the ACRL Framework.

Using Structural Equation Modeling to Assess a Model for Measuring Creative Teaching Perceptions and Practices in Higher Education

Considering the differences in academic backgrounds and majors, diversity of faculty members’ perceptions, and complete shift to digital education, energy must be expended toward ensuring that the teaching practices of faculty members are innovative and distinctive by providing advanced methods and models for evaluation operations. Thus, this study aimed to assess a model for measuring perceptions of both the teaching profession and creative teaching practices among faculty members that explains the relationship between faculty members’ perceptions about teaching and their creative practices that was constructed to explain the nature of this relationship and enable the development of the faculty members’ academic and professional performance. Two instruments were developed in this study, and the study sample consisted of 250 faculty members. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the proposed model. The results of the modified construction model showed an improvement in the goodness of fit indicators, which points toward this being the best model for interpreting the study data. The developed assessment model and scales can be used as tools to measure faculty members’ perceptions and predict the improvement of their creative teaching practices as well as for their professional development during distance learning.

An examination of the impact of COVID-19 on assessment practices in higher education

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid pivot to online learning across many higher education institutions globally. This paper investigates to what extent assessment strategies changed as a result of this pivot. It explores the case of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) in Ireland and finds that 95% of respondents altered their assessment practices in some way. Beyond identifying changing practice, the paper also develops a TARC (Typology of Assessment Responses to COVID-19) model which shows four categories of responses. Reactors are those academics who simply moved their assessments online. Adaptive Responders modified assessments slightly for the online environment. While Opportunists are those who used the opportunity of the pandemic to implement strategies they had been considering, the Committed Innovators engage in innovation in teaching and assessment strategies on an ongoing basis and, thus, they continued to do what they always did. The key factors that were considered in the decision-making about how to alter assessment strategies were pedagogical, practical considerations and the availability of support.

Difficult but Valuable! Learning in Student-centered Assessment Feedback Practices in Higher Education

Aims: The aim of this study is to fill a gap in research on students' experiences of learning in student-centered assessment feedback practices. The article examines what students tell us about their learning in the context of student-centered feedback practices in higher education during online learning.
 Study Design: The study was conducted as a qualitative online survey among Finnish university students (N=35). The relationship between learning and assessment was explored in the context of formative and summative assessment practices during an online learning environment. The data was analysed using a discursive approach.
 Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted in Finland during spring 2021.
 Methodology: The scientific and philosophical framework of the study is based on the theory of social constructionism, according to which social reality is formed through language in an interaction between people. The methodology used was discursive reading, i.e., how social reality is discursively produced through language. The starting point was the idea that language creates different discourses or perspectives on reality.
 Results: The feedback practices provided a different picture of learning and highlighted different dimensions of learning. Learning was discussed in terms of positive emotions, multiple perspectives, sociality, renewal, and holistic learning. In addition, negative emotions, disinformation, regression, and the playing field metaphor were associated with learning. 
 Conclusion: The results show that feedback practices that are presented as student-centered do not necessarily support the learning process of adults. Learning and assessment practices based on pedagogy and a learning theory can best support students' personal and social growth and increase their self-esteem. In online learning, teacher guidance and pedagogically based learning support are emphasized. We argue that in online-learning, where the role of the teacher is often small, student-centered well-intentioned assessment practices can only provide a thin veneer of learning unless students are helped to see the holistic importance of assessment as part of the learning process.

Lessons learned from implementing a virtual flipped classroom during COVID-19: An autoethnography

The virtual flipped classroom has become a common practice in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. I used autoethnographic research to explore my personal teaching strategies and the challenges encountered while implementing a virtual flipped classroom during remote teaching in a higher education institution in Oman. A thematic analysis of the autoethnography account and interviews with two university teachers identified three themes: benefits of the virtual flipped classroom, challenges of the virtual flipped classroom and strategies for implementing the virtual flipped classroom. A framework for implementing this classroom style is proposed to guide higher education instructors when employing a virtual flipped classroom.

Language Ideology and Practices in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

Universities mainly play an important role in serving the national languages and demonstrating their supremacy in the country and at the same time universities strive to compete with the universities of the world. Between the preservation of the national language and the tendency to internationalize the university, a group of linguistic ideologies is formed, which is expected to be contradictory between some or between ideologies and practices. This paper investigates the linguistic ideology of academics in medical colleges at King Abdulaziz University, because of the important role of ideology in shaping education policies. This paper also investigates the practices of academics, and data was collected through interviews with the aim of revealing language ideologies, while I used a questionnaire to monitor language practices.
 
 The results revealed that academics have a pragmatic ideology as a reason for preferring to use English, for example: participating in conferences and publishing scientific papers in English. The results also revealed the existence of positive practices regarding the use of Arabic in communicating with students, and the study revealed the existence of positive practices towards Arabic regarding the use of Arabic references in teaching students and suggesting Arabic references to students if available.

Leveling the playing field: strategies to improve equity and inclusion in dance auditions

We contend that improvements are needed in current dance audition practices in higher education regarding inclusivity, equitability, and diversity. As a case study, we critically evaluated and modified audition practices at Ball State University with a specific goal to generate strategies and future considerations that provide a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse audition experience. Findings showed that current audition practices at Ball State, with the re-ordering and inclusion of West African dance forms, positively impacted the audition experience for students overall, and the examination of our audition practices, past and present, has provided ample information to consider for future dance auditions at large. Strategies and considerations presented aim to aid educators and institutions to provide equal opportunity and a more inclusive and diverse audition experience.

Antecedents of instructors' self-efficacy and satisfaction while using LMS in new normal

The shift from face-to-face to a flexible learning environment following the disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic led the universities to fully utilise the learning management system (LMS) as part of the new normal in teaching. Educators in higher educational institutions (HEIs) are in survival mode, especially in developing economies and those with limited LMS experience. This paper has proposed and validated a model to describe the antecedent factors associated with LMS usage to the instructor’s self-efficacy and satisfaction. The structural equation model specifies that 7 out of 10 hypothesised paths provide acceptable fit measures. We successfully modelled the difference along with the prior LMS knowledge. The paper has several implications for the theory and practice in higher education, especially in a developing economy where most HEIs were caught off-guard by the transition caused by the pandemic. We provide theoretical and practical insights derived from this work.
 
 Keywords: Self-efficacy, flexible learning, job satisfaction, computer anxiety, SEM.

Campus Academic Participation Strategy as an Effort to Strengthen the Foundation of Education in Higher Education

The foundation of education in educational practice in Higher Education should be interpreted as an agent of change in creating generations of the nation. Therefore, Higher Education which is directly connected to students and the community should be developed with the nature of education that is liberating. Empirical facts show that educational practices that are implemented do not run according to the nature of proper education. The educational challenge faced by campuses in preparing student competencies in the Industry 4.0 era is to produce graduate students who have competence in data literacy, technology, and human literacy which leads to strengthening noble character. Because of the above, this article aims to explain how the foundation of education is in the context of MBKM with sub-goals, (a) what is the form of the foundation of education in the context of MBKM, (b) what are the strategies for the foundation of education in the context of MBKM, and (c) how to implement the foundation education in the context of MBKM. The results and discussion of the research show that the form of the educational foundation in the context of MBKM is a reconstruction of the educational foundation that is oriented towards MBKM policies and MBKM practices. The Campus Academic Participation Strategy is an alternative effort to adjust MBKM policies and practices on campus. Adjustments to MBKM policies and practices need to be made to be able to implement MBKM on campus. Implementation begins with campus policies related to the formulation of regulations, decrees and guidelines for the implementation of MBKM at the University. The orientation of the formulation of regulations, decrees and guidelines for the implementation of MBKM at universities is then adjusted to BKP MBKM.

Applying Foucault to Participatory Assessment in Higher Education: A Case Study in South Africa

Assessment policy reform has led to the adoption of a “participatory” framework of assessment in South African higher education. Using a Foucauldian theoretical lens, this article explores the relation between participatory assessment practices in higher education and social control. Empirical evidence is drawn from assessment practices observed in certain lectures in a South African university and interviews with lecturers. Data is analysed through a Foucauldian lens that forges a connection between disciplinary power, control and regulation. The article then describes the technologies of disciplinary power that play out within the participatory assessment practices and demonstrates what these technologies of power do to assessors and students when they become involved in them. The article argues that participatory assessment in some respects epitomises progressive educational themes, yet, when studied with an eye towards power, it reveals deep contradictions and paradoxes.

Higher Education Reformation through Teacher Education: A Case Study in Bangladesh Perspective

<i>Teacher education is one of the key strategies to enhance higher education quality and transform from traditional education to 21<sup>st</sup>-century-oriented higher education in Bangladesh. This paper evaluates the experiences of the Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching (PGDHET) program gained through the journey toward developing a higher education teacher professional development program and implementing it. This six-month-long program, titled Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education Teaching (PGDHET), was launched by the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP). The key themes and elements of this teacher education program were academic program and curriculum, teaching-learning in higher education, professional practices in higher education, the well-being of students, ICT in higher education, assessment, research, and supervision in higher education. It offered a focused pathway for quality assurance activities, which is crucial in reinforcing and strengthening a culture of quality teaching-learning in Bangladeshi universities. A comprehensive, rational approach was adopted for developing this paper. Both authors were involved in the development of this program, so their voices were considered a valuable source of data. Their journal entries and conversations with various stakeholders were the primary data collection methods, whereas an intensive review of 86 higher education teaching-learning program programs offered by 80 universities on six continents around the world was supportive of understanding the global trends in tertiary teacher education programs. The analysis revealed that developing such a comprehensive program for tertiary teacher development was not an easy task, as many issues and complexities were involved, like the duration, vision and mission, design, and assessment guidelines during the development phases. The challenges were multifaceted and multidimensional, such as fitting the program content to be applicable across the teaching disciplines and ensuring its suitability for those teaching in face-to-face, flexible, and online learning environments.</i>

Mnemonics in Eaching Foreign Languages for Professional Purposes to Students of Economics

Problem and purpose. The paper substantiates the rationale to use empirically approved mnemonic techniques in developing the foreign language communicative competence in the professional field in students of the industry-related non-philological higher educational institution. Representation is given of the experiment conducted at the Siberian Transport University that was aimed at studying the impact of mnemonics application on embracing and perceiving specialized professional information in a foreign language as well as anticipating ways to improve such teaching techniques by means of digital educational technologies. The purpose of the study is to determine efficiency of mnemonics used by both students and teachers in the build-up of professionally-oriented foreign language proficiency as well as to identify the most effective relevant technologies and provide argumentation in favor of their implementing in practice. Methodology. The research is based on analysis and systematization of related theoretical and applied psychological-pedagogical and methodological materials, study of student research works, student questionnaire-based surveys and generalization of benchmarked teaching practices in higher education. The conclusion is made on the use of mind mapping as a productive method to acquire profession-related information in the development of algorithms for learning both foreign languages and profession-related courses.

Examining the causal relationships between interpersonal motivation, engagement, and academic performance among university students.

This study investigates the validity of path models in which interpersonal motivation positively predicts behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, and behavioral engagement positively predicts superior performance in collaborative learning in university classes. The path model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results of the analyses showed that weak positive paths from identified regulation to all three aspects of engagement were substantial. In addition, a weak positive path from intrinsic motivation was significant for emotional engagement. For performance, the weak positive path from behavioral engagement was statistically significant. Based on these results, the implications of the motivation theory and practice in higher education are discussed.

Learning about Inclusive Practices in Higher Education – The Horizon of Asian Approaches

Book: 
 Sanger, C. S. & Gleason, N. W. (2020). Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education – Lessons from Across Asia. Springer, Singapore.

Making Virtual Global Learning Transformative and Inclusive: A Critical Reflective Study on High-Impact Practices in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of global competence, agility, empathy, and innovation in managing opportunities, crises, and problems. Global learning and engagement in higher education is the pathway towards developing learners' intercultural competence, fostering an appreciation of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and empowering individual agency towards collective wellbeing and sustainability. Digital transformation and available tools have expanded the scope and depth of global learning in virtual environments. This article reports a critical reflective study on virtual global learning and shares high-impact, evidenced-based strategies to make virtual global learning more equitable, inclusive, meaningful, and relevant to all learners in higher education.

Online peer-led group reflective practice in higher education: a seminar-based project evaluation

ABSTRACT This study explores the effects of online Peer-Led Group Reflective Practice (PLGRP) on students undertaking their master’s degree in the UK, during the Covid-19 pandemic. First, it provides an overview of the online seminar-based project called Holistic Academic and Research Reflective Practice (HARRP) which fostered the PLGRP pedagogical approach presented and evaluated here. Next, it delves into the reflective pedagogical approaches that informed the project design, before looking at its effects on students. A qualitative methodology enabled the implementation of an open-ended questionnaire which helped capture students’ thoughts on the project. Results of a thematic analysis suggest that online PLGRP provided opportunities for students to develop their academic and researcher reflexivity, researcher competence as well as their independent and interdependent learning skills. Issues around lack of time to attend seminars and lack of familiarity with working in peer-led reflective groups enabled further suggestions and improvements to the HARRP project. The contribution of this study lies in the way in which PLGRP approach is designed and operationalised with the purposes of helping students make sense of their academic and research journey individually and in groups. This study also shows how individual and peer-led group reflective practices shape one another.

Higher education beyond SDG 4: China’s scholarship provision in the Global South

In international development of education, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal four monitors the scholarships offered by Western donors to developing countries. This paper, based on a qualitative study with 43 students from 26 developing countries, examined the foreign students’ perceptions of Chinese scholarships. By looking at students’ scholarship application, university experience and post-study plans, the findings revealed a centralised multi-level scholarship system, in particular attracting post-graduate students. The language of instruction in both Chinese and English, knowledge in shared development contexts and the perceived good value for future career had a combined effect to the students’ experience. In considering education as a cultural political economic ensemble in the global context, the paper concluded that China’s scholarship and higher education practice, serving the country’s soft power and representing South-South Cooperation, contributed to the global education targets from both quantity and quality dimensions but could step further towards education for social and global justice.