Public Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Digital Transformation in South African Public Higher Education Institutions – A Pedagogical Approach

Traditional teaching and learning approaches were disrupted by COVID-19, which led to a considerable movement towards online and remote education, with public universities having to adapt to new remote learning methods and a delayed academic calendar. While these changes allowed for continued learning during the pandemic, they also came with challenges and had implications on student performance and well-being. This transition brought to light the necessity for effective pedagogical practices to engage students in virtual classrooms, which also exposed existing disparities in access to technology and internet connectivity. Studies have focused on student access and success in transformative digital learning by redressing socioeconomic issues. Keeping students engaged and connected to what is being delivered has yet to be explored in Public Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs). Numerous tools are available to engage and connect students during teaching and learning. However, these are not optimally utilised in PHEIs due to a lack of knowledge of their existence; lecturers’ preferences; lack of skills in using engaging tools; conventional teaching style that is assumed to be working; and lack of will to adapt and change with the times. Changing from conventional classrooms to hybrid and online classrooms requires changing teaching methods and especially pedagogies. This study aimed to identify how PHEIs could better benefit from using 21st-century pedagogies in virtual classrooms now that the pandemic is over. A qualitative research approach was used to gather data. A desktop literature review was used from a constructivist paradigm to assess and select data to include in the study methodologically. Data was analysed using theme analysis. This study found that blended learning and virtual learning have high propensity and knowledge retention rates amongst students, given that the pedagogies used by lecturers align with the new requirements of active and engaging learning. This study covered a broad aspect of pedagogies underpinning learning in 21st-century classrooms and theories. Recommendations were made for improved active engagement in the 21st-century classroom. Keywords: Pedagogies, Covid19, Learning, Public Higher Education Institutions, Student Engagement

Stress during the covid-19 pandemic: unusual challenges for university professors

Objective: Investigate the factors related to the stress levels triggered during the COVID-19 pandemic and the quality of life (QOL) of university professors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 318 professors from private and public higher education institutions in Maranhão, Brazil. Data collection included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Brazilian versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Abbreviated World Health OrganizationQOL Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-bref). Statistical analyses were performed with Student’s T-test and Analysis of Variance with Duncan’s post-hoc. Results: according to the results of the professor score assessment, perceived stress levels were classified as normal (n = 166, 52.2%), moderate (n = 126, 39.6%), and high (n = 26, 8, 2%), with an average of 26.6 (± 10.5). QOL had an overall average of 56.4 (± 13.0). Among the QOL domains, the physical had the highest mean with 66.1 (± 17.7), while the lowest mean was in the social domain with 55.8 (± 14.8). Conclusion: The factors that influenced the stress levels were being female with age between 31 and 40years old, those who had a child, and those who did not perform a frequent religious practice.

Leadership policies and strategies for the integration of ICT in public higher education institutions: case study Antsiranana (Madagascar)

Leadership policies and strategies for the integration of ICT in public higher education institutions: case study Antsiranana (Madagascar)

Student Privacy and Learning Analytics

This single-site case study will seek to answer the following question: how is the concept of privacy addressed in relation to a student success information system within a small, public institution of higher education? Three themes were found within the inductive coding process, which used interviews, documentation, and videos as data resources. Overall, the case study shows an institution in the early stages of implementing a commercial learning analytics system and provides suggestions for how it can be more proactive in implementing privacy considerations in developing policies and procedures.

Nursing students' perceptions of clinical clerkship

Introduction: clinical clerkship are a critical element because they provide students with the opportunity to practice what they have learned, so it is important that they view these formative experiences positively.Objective: to evaluate the perception of clinical clerkship of third year students of the bachelor's degree in nursing at a public higher education institution in the province of Tucumán, in the second quarter of 2023.Methos: descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study. The instrument to measure the students' perception of Matheus' clinical clerkship, composed of 24 items, was used. Informed consent was obtained.Results: 124 students, mostly female (88,71 %) and aged between 20 and 29 years (57,26 %) were interviewed. Of the respondents, 56,45 % rated the teaching performance as positive and 10,48 % rated the teaching-learning process as negative. The overall perception of the clerkship was positive in 51,61 % of the students.Conclusion: perceptions of the clinical clerkship were mostly favorable, and teaching performance was the most highly rated aspect. Older students had a better perception of the clinical clerkship

Exploring Students’ Perspectives on Barriers to Virtual Distance Education at Public Higher Education Institutions in Kuwait During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

Exploring Students’ Perspectives on Barriers to Virtual Distance Education at Public Higher Education Institutions in Kuwait During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

Os últimos dias de Astrojildo Pereira: a separação de seu arquivo e as consequências para a construção da historiografia sobre o movimento operário brasileiro

This text aims to historically map the destinies of Astrojildo Pereira’s personal archive in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. This man accumulated a large number of documents and books linked to his political activism and literary activity. The material did not have a simple destination. It was not referred to a safekeeping institution. It was separated into several parts due to state interference and family economic difficulties. The collection would be made available for research in four parts at the three public higher education institutions in the state of São Paulo decades later.

Context of ICT Integration in Public Higher Education Institutions in Antsiranana (Madagascar)

Context of ICT Integration in Public Higher Education Institutions in Antsiranana (Madagascar)

Participative decision making: implications on organisational citizenship behaviour in a public higher education institution

Due to the authoritarian administrative style, used by educational institutions, where those in charge make decisions and middle and lower-level employees simply carry out orders without providing any input, participatory decision-making has gained popularity in the educational setting. Nevertheless, higher education institutions are at a crossroads since they are unsure how to handle the problems, posed by a highly dynamic environment, and the rapid changes that are occurring. Thus, academic staff has been required to take on extracurricular duties to enhance institutions to those that are formally outlined in their job descriptions. In this context, developing OCB and ensuring its sustainability has become increasingly crucial for boosting universities' effectiveness. Based on the social exchange theory, this study aims to assess how participative decision-making can constitute a key idea in modern management that impacts employees’ organisational citizenship behaviours in two campuses of a public higher education institution in South Africa. Data was collected from a post-positivist perspective, a quantitative research method, and a convenience sampling technique to select a sample of 253 academics, through a structured questionnaire. Based on the results of the descriptive analysis, employees reported a medium level of participative decision-making and agreed to display the five organisational citizenship behaviours. Using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression models, the study found a positive relationship between participative decision-making and the five dimensions of organisational citizenship behaviour. Therefore, the study recommends that employees should be more involved in the decision-making for them to display organisational citizenship behaviour. However, public higher education institutions should establish a strong data-driven culture and train staff members to be proficient in code and quantitative concepts; and senior management has to develop rules with open access to the most important metrics.

Recontextualising graduate employability in support of pedagogical reform in public universities in the Kurdistan Region‐Iraq

AbstractIn light of the high graduate unemployment rate and migrant crisis, graduate employability in the Kurdistan Region – Iraq is an ever more pressing issue. Reducing the issue of graduate employability to a skills gap between Kurdish graduates and the private sector labour market is too simplistic and dismisses other sociocultural and structural factors that are external to graduates and higher education institutions (HEIs), and which impact the former’s employability. Through a qualitative study and using Bourdieu’s (1977) habitus as an explanatory framework for the analysis, this article aims to recontextualise graduate employability by exploring five stakeholders’ perceptions of what impacts graduate employability in the region. The findings uphold previous labour market reports that there is a skills gap, but also reveals other sociocultural and structural factors that also impact graduate employability. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) has introduced a programme of pedagogical reform in KRI’s public HEIs and is in the process of training its academic practitioners in the tenets of Freire’s (1970) critical pedagogy. This article supports the implementation of Freire’s critical pedagogy in KRI’s public HEIs as a critical pedagogy can address the skills gap while also creating spaces for students to explore, question, analyse and evaluate the sociocultural and structural factors that impact graduate employability in KRI.

Social Commitment at Higher Education Institutions: Analysis of Their Strategic Plans

The social contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) tends to be constrained as a description of HEI activities in terms of outcomes, but no examination of how HEIs face societal problems through collaborative activities has been addressed. One way to explore social strategy pursued by HEIs is through the analysis of their strategic plans. We analyze the strategic plans of public HEIs in Portugal and Spain due to their similarities after the 2008 international financial crisis, which led to a major recession and gave rise to social actions to address societal problems. In doing so, we propose a framework that could guide future research in providing empirical evidence on the formulation, articulation, and implementation of social issues in institutional strategic plans. We interviewed HEI representatives to confirm some of our findings, highlighting several factors that enhance or suppress the attainment of social issues. Our research shows that HEI responses to social commitment differ according to each institution’s regulations and social circumstances. We aspire to encourage management scholars to engage in tackling social strategy through their collaborative activities.

Social representations of retirement: a study with professors from public higher education institutions

PurposeThe article aims at analyzing the social representations of retirement in two different groups of professors – pre-retired and retired – from a public higher education institution. The goal is to explore the experiences, reflections, beliefs, and attitudes originated from the transition to retirement.Design/methodology/approachThe research, of exploratory and descriptive nature, was guided by the Social Representation Theory (SRT) and took a qualitative approach. 16 professors were interviewed, 8 in each group (pre-retired and retired professors), using semi-structured interviews that followed a script designed to discover the main aspects of the transition to retirement.FindingsThree figurative cores were raised – the financial aspect, the centrality of work, and the will to continue contributing, and the unpreparedness for retirement – and testimonies have shown heterogeneous representations. The study observed that although relevant, the bonus for continued services is not the main determinant for professors to continue working in the university.Originality/valueThe results of this study indicate the need to treat retirement as a complex and multidimensional process, offering a fresh perspective on the social representations of retirement in the academic context. The use of the Social Representation Theory to explore these perspectives adds to the originality of the approach, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the retirement process in this specific professional group.

Students’ perceptions of Computerised Adaptive Testing in higher education

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education institutions (HEIs) to re-look at their assessment strategy as learning, development, and engagement move more fluidly into the online arena. The purpose of this research was to investigate students' academic and personal perceptions of computer adaptive testing (CAT) in higher education to understand students’ confidence in adopting CAT. Using a quantitative descriptive research design, an online questionnaire was administered to students at private and public HEIs in South Africa, with 600 respondents. The study found that the students were comfortable engaging in online learning and expressed positive perceptions of adopting CAT, with most respondents recommending it for implementation. Students believe that CAT allowed for more productive interaction with material which meets their needs and learning preferences without feeling overburdened. The findings of the study provide HEIs with valuable information on key managerial implications to ensure the successful adoption and implementation of CAT.

The Role of Higher Education Institutions and Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Creation and Development of Academic Spinoffs

Academic spinoffs have received great attention in recent years as a means of transferring the knowledge generated by the research activities of higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite the contribution identified by the literature, there remains a lack of empirical evidence substantiating how the creation of academic spinoffs is enabled by entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and HEIs. This study theorises on the relevance of EO within the context of universities and how such an orientation may drive the founding and development of academic spinoffs. Based on a qualitative study, with 15 interviews from university rectors/presidents, faculty/school deans, degree program directors at Portuguese public HEIs, and founders of spinoffs, the results generate two relevant insights: (i) EO is relevant to the creation, growth, and performance of academic spinoffs, and (ii) personal fulfilment, the transfer of knowledge acquired in HEIs and the search for economic independence represent the main motivations for the creation of academic spinoffs. The findings are discussed to highlight their implications for theory, practice and policy-making.

MASSIFICATION AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS; CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH TEACHING LARGE CLASSES AND HOW IT IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

The paper engages with the phenomenon of large classes in higher education institutions in South Africa and its challenges to the quality of teaching learning. Most public higher education institutions in South Africa, in response to historical conditions, have enrolled students more than their capacity, resulting in massification and negative consequences on educational quality. There has been a plethora of literature on the teaching of large classes, however, few studies offer a comprehensive engagement on the challenges presented by teaching larges and its impact on quality of education as well as innovative strategies that can be used to teach and different learning pedagogies that can be used. This essay identified the challenges of teaching large class in higher education institutions due to massification and large enrolments and their implications on sustaining and enhancing quality of teaching and learning. In addition, I suggested several strategies that can be used to overcome the challenges of teaching large classes as well as how to monitor and evaluate these strategies with the aim of improving quality of higher education in the era of massification. Accordingly, the human capital theory was adopted. Furthermore, a qualitative research approach was applied in this study and a systematic literature review was used to collect and review information according to the guiding principles of the hermeneutic framework. The essay contributes to literature with the strategies to enhance quality of teaching and learning, student engagements and teaching approaches aimed at reaching all students in large classes.

Silibus Kursus Mustalah Al-Hadis: Kajian Perbandingan Terhadap Penerimaan Pelajar Di Institut Pengajian Tinggi (IPT) Islam

Mustalah al-Hadis is one of the courses in the Core component of Islamic Studies program offered at the Public Higher Education Institutions (IPTA) or Private Higher Education Institutions (IPTS) in Malaysia. The exposure of basic sciences of hadith in this course is able to strengthen the understanding of the hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW, which is significant as the second source of legislation in Islam. In order to ensure that the learning process goes more smoothly in line with the development of the 21st Century Learning (PAK-21) and as a response to the challenges of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in the educational aspect, the Mustalah al-Hadis course is also not left behind in the Malaysia’s flow of education. Therefore, this article aims to examine students’ acceptance of the Mustalah al-Hadith course syllabus offered at Islamic Higher Education Institutions in northern Malaysia, namely Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs), Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mua’dzam Shah (UniSHAMS) and Kolej Islam Teknologi Antarabangsa (KITAB), Pulau Pinang. This qualitative study takes the form of interviews, observations and document analysis involving lecturers and students taking the Mustalah al-Hadis course. The findings of the study can be concluded that the students’ acceptance of the Mustalah al-Hadis course syllabus depends on the educational background and the students’ determination to learn this course as well as the teaching methodology applied by the course lecturer.

MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP STYLE: A CATALYST TO ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTH

The study explores the management leadership stylers as a catalyst to organizational strength and perspectives among private and public Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Mixed method is utilized in the study which focuses on quantitative measures to measure the extent of management leadership style as a catalyst to organizational strength and perspectives among the respondents while qualitative is used to evaluate how the management leadership style serves as a catalyst to organizational strength and perspectives among the respondents. Likewise, convenience sampling is utilized in the selection of the sample size. The study comprised One Hundred Twenty Five (125) respondents only. Results show that leadership is concerned on the well-being of the members of team in the organization, consider as high standard and expect members of the team to do the same, show that everyone believes they can work for the best in the team and involves in the decision making, show that leader is best in bringing people, and show that leaders have the capacity to take responsibility and a role leaders when needed that can be counted to adopt to new environment and flexibility.

Sustainable development practices in public higher education: A new conceptual framework for nurturing student satisfaction and reinforcing attractiveness to international students

AbstractUsing a multi‐layer review based on stakeholder, institutional and legitimacy theories, the current study presents and empirically analyses a novel conceptual framework addressing the relationship between sustainable development practices, internationalization and students' satisfaction in public higher education institutions. Based on participants' self‐perception, a questionnaire was distributed to 738 students at seven Portuguese public higher education institutions. Structural equation modeling was utilized to estimate the multivariate causal relationships. The evidence shows that SDP are positively, directly, and significantly related to internationalization and students' satisfaction. Students' satisfaction is directly and significantly associated with internationalization, also revealing a moderating effect on the relationship between sustainable development practices and internationalization. To achieve legitimacy among their stakeholders, public higher education institutions must build an institutional commitment to sustainability by adopting and disseminating sustainable development practices with actions on a livable campus.

Effectiveness of a Theory-Based Digital Animated Video Intervention to Reduce Intention and Willingness to Sext Among Diploma Students: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Sexting refers to the exchange of sexually explicit digital content in the form of texts, photos, or videos. In recent years, sexting has become a public health concern. Surveys in Malaysia show a high prevalence of young adults engaged in sexting. Given that sexting is associated with sexual risk behavior, cyberbullying, and mental health issues, this behavior needs intervention to alleviate the resulting public health burden. However, there is a scarcity of theory-based intervention programs on the prevention of intention and willingness to sext among young adults. This study aimed to develop and implement a sexting intervention module guided by the prototype willingness model (PWM), delivered using web-based animated video, and evaluate its effectiveness among diploma students from a public higher educational institution. The primary outcomes were intention and willingness to sext, while the secondary outcomes were knowledge, attitude, perceived norms, and prototype perceptions of sexting. This 2-armed, parallel, single-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in a public higher educational institution in the state of Melaka, Malaysia. Diploma students from 12 programs were randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. Both groups answered a self-administered web-based questionnaire assessing the outcomes at the baseline. The intervention group received a newly developed intervention module based on the PWM in the form of 5 animated videos posted on a private YouTube platform, while the control group was put on the waitlist. The intervention group was encouraged to discuss any issues raised with the researchers via WhatsApp private chat after viewing the videos. All participants were observed immediately and 3 months postintervention. Data analysis was performed with SPSS (version 26; IBM Corp). A generalized linear mixed model was used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. There were a total of 300 participants with an attrition rate of 8.3% (n=25). After adjusting for age, sex, relationship status, and the amount of time spent on the web, there were significant differences in the intention to sext (β=-.12; P=.002; Cohen d=0.23), willingness to sext (β=-.16; P<.001; Cohen d=0.40), knowledge (β=.12; P<.001; Cohen d=0.39), attitude (β=-.11; P=.001; Cohen d=0.31), perceived norms (β=-.06; P=.04; Cohen d=0.18), and prototype perceptions (β=-.11; P<.001; Cohen d=0.35) between the intervention and control groups over 3 months. In this study, the sexting intervention module using the PWM that was delivered via web-based animated videos was effective in reducing intention and willingness to sext as well as in improving knowledge of sexting, attitudes, perceived norms, and prototype perceptions. Therefore, relevant agencies involved in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health among young adults in Malaysia can consider the implementation of this module. Thai Clinical Trial Registry TCTR20201010002; https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20201002001.

Brand engagement on social media and its impact on brand equity in higher education: integrating the social identity perspective

PurposeThe rapid adoption of social media has resulted in a fundamental shift in the way communication and collaboration take place. While social media is recognized as an important marketing communication tool, it has become overlooked how social media marketing activities (user-generated and firm-generated content) influence brand equity creation in the higher education sector. Drawing from social identity theory, this study identifies how higher education institutions develop customer-based brand equity using social media marketing and social brand engagement, taking cross-comparison between high and low subjective norms.Design/methodology/approachA survey was used to collect data from a sample of 936 undergraduates of private higher education institutions in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. These data were gathered using purposive sampling, and in testing the hypothesis and structure among the variables, structural equation modeling was used to determine the relationship between the study variables.FindingsFor the conceptual framework, the authors found that the structural equation model complies with the empirical data. The structural equation model shows that social brand engagement mediates the relationship between user-generated content, firm-generated content and brand equity. Further, the subjective norms were found to moderate the relationship between user-generated content, firm-generated content and social brand engagement, highlighting that the lower the subjective norms the higher the influence on social brand engagement as students receive low pressure and influence from external parties.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted at private higher education institutes in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Future research could benefit from the perceptions of undergraduates in public higher education institutes. Future researchers could widen the diversity of service settings in the sample and replicate this investigation to discover if the results are consistent across the whole services sector.Originality/valueThe current research contributes to the services marketing and branding literature in the higher education context. The paper presents the crucial elements in building brand equity for higher education institutes to fill the existing gaps in higher education branding literature. The findings of the current study provide strategies to improve the higher education sector.