University Space Research Articles

An exploration of African-student agency: Placing students from historically disadvantaged communities at the centre

At the national universities within South Africa, various events during the past years indicate that students suffer under different kinds of oppression. It is widely acknowledged that students from poor, rural geographical areas find the university space alienating and not speaking to their life worlds. In this paper I respond to Fataar’s (2019) notion of the “misrecognised” university student in the South African context. My focus on students coming from historically disadvantaged communities aims to contribute to ongoing debates about social justice for students in the university sector. The problem to be addressed in this paper is the misalignment between the critical horizontal knowledge ofhistorically disadvantaged students and the knowledge codes of the university relating to learning, curriculum, and pedagogical practices. I therefore argue that if university institutional practices recognise, embrace, and align with students’ agency, resilience and adaption, a reframed institutional platform could engage students in their intellectual becoming. Furthermore, I am guided by two questions: 1) How can students from historically disadvantaged communities use their critical horizontal knowledges to connect with disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge of the university to enhance critical specialised consciousness in the becoming of ethical humans? and 2) How can an African theorisation of student agency form the basis to consciously reframe the core institutional function of the university? In responding to these questions, I locate my arguments in African-student agency, reviewing literature by African scholars to gain an understanding of the African concept of student agency.

Ubuntu as a valued capability for university students in South Africa

Universities are often described as institutions that can promote the wellbeing of their local populations. This is because they are central for advancing human development aims which support the aspirations of students and the communities from which they come. Nevertheless, we know this potential can be constrained by historical processes of oppression and negation of indigenous ways of being and doing. Applying the Capabilities Approach and Human Development paradigm as a normative framework for the outcomes of university education in the South African context, we argue for a focus on the centrality of capabilities (real freedoms) in assessing how well universities are doing to support student wellbeing. We pay special attention to one capability which we see as architectonic for other freedoms, which is Ubuntu. While Ubuntu is generally understood as a moral philosophy, in this paper we articulate it as a valued capability in the space of higher education. We also argue that it is a capability that has transformative and decolonial potential that can enable universities to promote student wellbeing if the conditions to practice it are in place.
 Drawing from data collected through qualitative and participatory approaches in two longitudinal research projects that were carried out between 2016 and 2021 with undergraduate students in diverse universities in South Africa, we show that Ubuntu informs students’ conceptions of humanity and their aspirations for ‘a good life’ and that it can inform the vision of transformed and decolonised university spaces that reflect indigenous ways of being and indigenous ways of seeing the world.

Teaching Dance as a Multi-Spatial/Multimedia Practice: Reflections on De- vising Contemporary Dance Pedagogy in University Spaces

The last ten years have seen a remarkable rise in the number of art and dance degree programs in universities worldwide. This essay originates in my experience of having taught for three years (2019–2022) on an ad-hoc basis at one such program in a private Indian university. I describe some of my pedagogic methodologies and creative teaching experiments devised during my tenure and that were dedicated to questions of space and multimedia in dance and performance research. I examine how these methodologies and experiments were not just creative in nature but also triggered by: a. the output- driven approach of private-university systems, and b. the precarity of my own status as an adjunct teaching faculty and a “contemporary”—by which I mean non- classical, non-traditional—dancer in the Indian context. Dance scholar Janet O’Shea, in her essay Decolonising the Curriculum? Unsettling Possibilities for Performance Training, critiques the structure of the university as both “colonial and corporate” (750), and points at its links with the “precarity of neoliberalism” (750). I resonate with O’Shea’s position and acknowledge the neocolonial and neoliberal tendencies of private universities in India that idolize Euro-American university models in their approach to higher education. However, I also argue that these universities, with their advocacy for the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary forms of research, mostly aimed at claiming the “cutting-edge” in the liberal art and education industry, inadvertently generate scope for upsetting the traditional hierarchies and trajectories of dance pedagogy and challenging the exclusive notion of dance itself.

Application of intelligent systems for the development of inclusive education in educational institutions

The current level of development of information technology makes it possible to create software products that develop and promote inclusive education in higher education institutions. With the use of intelligent information systems, education becomes more developed, humane and effective not only for students with special educational needs, but also for healthy students. The paper proposes the creation of a mobile application - an assistant that will facilitate orientation in the university space. The application will help to create conditions that meet the requirements and needs of each individual, regardless of the peculiarities of their development

End of Learning Design?

This highly interactive and provocative hypothetical-style panel discussion will take the audience on a collective journey through the complexity and challenges of strategically designing and delivering online learning in a post-digital, post-crisis new normal. The aim of the panel is to collectively shift the dial on how we understand, articulate, and develop the benefit of learning design to the institution, how others have been extremely successful in doing that (and what can we learn from them) and how we are collectively struggling with precarious contracts, budgets, de-professionalisation and constantly shifting priorities as we return to a campus-based teaching and learning experience. Drawing on the principles of hyperreality, participants will become part of the community of a hypothetical university. Through highly interactive and immersive scenarios the panel session will collectively traverse the transitional, uncertain spaces of a post-crisis university and design for an educational future that learns from the relationships between people and technology to make teaching and learning better.

Everyday experiences of Islamophobia in university spaces: A qualitative study in the United Kingdom

Two recent reports suggest that Muslim students are experiencing increased levels of Islamophobia while studying at universities in the United Kingdom (UK). While so, the issue has attracted little scholarly investigation. Responding to this gap in the literature, this article sets out new and previously unpublished findings drawn from qualitative research undertaken with more than 70 Muslim students enrolled at four UK universities. Having set out the methodological approaches, this article begins by contextualising the research within the broader scholarly study of contemporary Islamophobia. Having framed the findings within the context of critical Islamophobia theory, the findings are set out using a threefold thematic structure. This structure affords an insight into the everyday experience of Islamophobia in university spaces and includes: hate incidents on campus; Othering in the learning and teaching spaces; and, microaggressions in university accommodation. In doing so, this article generates new knowledge about the everyday nature of Islamophobia as experienced by Muslim students within university spaces in the UK today.

ПРОБЛЕМАТИКА ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ЗОНУВАННЯ ГРОМАДСЬКОГО ПРОСТОРУ УНІВЕРСИТЕТІВ. НА ПРИКЛАДІ М. ЛЬВОВА

The article is devoted to the research of problems of the functional and planning structure of existing objects of publicly accessible public spaces within the university campuses of the city of Lviv and identifying the main trends in their design and successful functioning. Based on the analysis of the scientific publications and studies that related to this topic, the main aspects of the formation of public space at the universities were presented. Thousands of students enter the universities of Ukraine every year, and all of them daily use the public spaces next to the university buildings, which are the important places for social interaction and communication of students. It is worth noting that the main criterion for the success of public university spaces is the high intensity of their use, which is determined in foreign experience by the involvement of catering and trade establishments in the functional filling of campuses. There are an important arguments, the everyday access and working mode without days off, a large number of incoming groups and to use educational zones with flexible planning in planning structure. While the domestic public spaces at universities operate sporadically, the first floors are equipped with one entrance group, which reduces the number of pedestrian transit connections with the building, and outdated approaches are used to design even modern university public spaces for students. A field survey and analysis of the territory of the academic campuses of Lviv Polytechnic National University, Stepan Gzhitskyi Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Lviv State University of Life Safety of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine was conducted. The main shortcomings of the functioning and operation of these territories were identified and highlighted.

On the low-cost asynchronous one-way range measurement method and the device for micro to nano deep space probes

Recent startups and university space activities extend to cis-lunar and near-Earth interplanetary field. One of the biggest hurdles in those missions is in the orbit determination based on the range measurements, while the radio transmission and reception capability becomes within those small organizations' facilities. Also, about the navigation in cis-lunar space, conventional GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) real time positioning is hardly available and some alternative methods have been sought. The most straight forward approach is to be supported by the space agencies' facilities for the range measurement with the transponders onboard the probes. However, it depends on the facilities availability and also on the relatively expensive, old and analogue transponders. This paper presents a new method deriving from the GNSS based devices. It does not require the transponders but inexpensive radio circuits easily built. And both the probes and the ground stations have only to be equipped with the common and simple inexpensive devices. The method enables the small organizations to perform autonomous operation of the probes in a distance beyond the moon's orbit. The paper first presents the latest test data obtained during the development using the Software Defined Radio (SDR) boards.

Do we have the right to call ourselves an inclusive university? Untold stories of queer students at a rural university in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Ruraqueer students constantly experience higher levels of victimization, and negative university experiences than their urban and suburban peers. Further, rural students have limited access to university resources while, queer events and workshops related to queer community, as well as university-based ongoing activities to support positive sexuality and gender identity development are scanty. This has been worsened by extant research written from an ‘outsider’ perspective lacking breadth and depth of experiences of queer students especially in rural universities from an African perspective. Anchored on a qualitative approach using purposive sampling, in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study with eight under and postgraduate students who identified as queer. Emerging themes show how rurality intersects with actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics of queer students in university spaces. Findings challenge the homogenization of university residencies; non-inclusive LGBTQ curricular; university environment that remains homophobic and how traditional, cultural and societal norms contribute to queer students sense of belonging. Implications suggest inclusive teaching and learning and ongoing awareness programmes that acknowledge diversity and enhance visibility of students with intersecting marginalized identities.

Improving Thermal Comfort in the Outdoor Spaces of Universities through Planning: Corridors of the University of Al-Farahidi, Iraq

Improving Thermal Comfort in the Outdoor Spaces of Universities through Planning: Corridors of the University of Al-Farahidi, Iraq

Optimizing University Mobility : An Internal Navigation and Crowd Management System

In the evolving landscape of educational technology, the article explores the critical frontier of indoor navigation systems, focusing on universities. Traditional approaches in higher education often fall short of meeting dynamic user expectations, necessitating revolutionary solutions. This research introduces an innovative internal navigation and crowd management system that seamlessly integrates augmented reality, natural language processing, machine learning, and image processing technologies. The Android platform serves as the foundation, harnessing augmented reality's transformative capabilities to provide real-time visual cues and personalized wayfinding experiences. The voice interaction module, backed by NLP and ML, creates an intelligent, context-aware assistant. The crowd management module, employing advanced image processing, delivers real-time crowd density insights. Personalized recommendations, powered by NLP and ML, offer tailored canteen suggestions based on user preferences. The agmented reality navigation module, using Mapbox, Unity Hub, AR Core, and Vuforia, enriches the user experience with dynamic visual cues. Results reveal the success of each module: the voice interaction module showcases continuous learning, user-centric feedback, contextual guidance excellence, robust security, and multimodal interaction flexibility. The crowd management module excels in video feed processing, image processing with OpenCV, and real-time availability information retrieval. The personalized recommendations module demonstrates high accuracy, equilibrium, and robust performance. The AR navigation module impresses with precision, enriched navigation, and tailored routes through machine learning. This cohesive system sets new benchmarks for user-centric technology in universities. Future work includes multi-university integration, intelligent spatial design, and real-time decision support, paving the way for more efficient, user-centered university experiences and contributing to the advancement of smart university environments. The research serves as a pivotal force in reshaping interactions within university spaces, envisioning a future where technology seamlessly enhances the essence of human interaction in educational environments.

The Caste of Campus Habitus: Caste and Gender Encounters of the First-generation Dalit Women Students in Indian Universities

This article critically examines the university academic spaces and the campus culture determined by a particular form of the dominant habitus which is, in effect, actively excluding the first-generation women students belonging to the marginalized sections of Indian society. As this dominant habitus is constantly reproduced on university campuses, with or without contentions, entering the academic spaces of Indian universities for first-generation Dalit women—who are deprived of both cultural and social capital—is invariably becoming a herculean task. Therefore, this article analyses the concealed forms of dominant campus habitus that structurally create a conducive environment for privileged students and a rigid glass ceiling for first-generation Dalit women students in their journey toward higher education. Notwithstanding the limitations associated with their social status of being first-generation learners, the formations of alternative cultural capital and resilience of the Dalit women students have been analysed from a feminist perspective, proving that one could overcome these social challenges through the acquired cultural capital. The analytical concepts and theoretical frameworks of this article have been developed based on empirical/ethnographic data collected from women research scholars at a prominent university in South India. The narratives were collected in the academic year 2020–2021 through in-depth interviews and focused group discussions.

The state of training of art education specialists in the universities of the European Union and the USA for the use of music therapy in professional activities

The goal of modern university education in Europe and the USA is training, upbringing, harmonious development and socialization of a highly moral, spiritually developed personality, which takes place with the use of health-preserving technologies. This goal acquires great importance precisely in the conditions of the educational space, since it covers a significant part of the population, which is characterized by differences in cultural level, material status, and age. The number of students with special needs is increasing in university education. The use of music therapy in the modern university space contributes to solving the identified problems, for which it is necessary to implement: highly qualified training of personnel in music therapy and educational projects and programs in universities in Europe and the USA. During the 20th and 21st centuries in Europe and the USA, music therapy began to be intensively introduced into university education to activate educational and intellectual activity, model a health-saving educational environment, meet the special needs of student youth in inclusive education, and create a STEAM learning environment. To date, Ukrainian scientists have systematized only certain aspects of scientific knowledge about music therapy, which is introduced into the content of modern university education in Europe and the USA. In this way, the leading international experience on the training of specialists in the artistic field to apply music therapy in professional activities has not been summarized, the system of measures to attract students to these classes has not been substantiated, and data on the specifics of the content of classes with music therapy tools have not been systematized. The consequence of using music therapy in the university environment should be the expression of feelings and positive changes in the behavior of subjects of education during communication with others and reflection. Music therapy solves communication issues, improves motivation, attention, behavior, improves memory and the ability to learn, affects the emotional sphere of the individual.

Student nurses' experiences of discrimination and racism on work placements: What can higher education institutions do?

BackgroundThere is persistent interpersonal, institutional and structural racism within the health sector and higher education. Such anti-Black and anti-Brown racisms are experienced by nursing students, nursing apprentices and fully qualified nurses. This discrimination intersects with other characteristics, namely gender and student status, which can make the nursing profession an unsafe environment for many. ObjectivesTo understand student nurses' experiences of racism and intersecting oppressions, at university and on work placement. DesignA qualitative descriptive study with individual interviews and focus groups. SettingsA widening participation higher education institution in London, UK. ParticipantsTwenty-four student nurses and nurse apprentices studying on an adult nursing programme. MethodsStudents were recruited through purposive sampling. In-depth data relating to student nurses' perspectives and experiences were gathered through two focus groups and three individual interviews conducted by student nurse peers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and open coding was used to analyse transcripts using comparison and thematic analysis. ResultsThree key themes arose: safety and support in the university space; hierarchical treatment in work placements due to intersecting race and ‘student’ identities, and; direct racism by patients and staff in work placements. ConclusionsStudent nurses expressed their vulnerability to discrimination and racism whilst on placement in the National Health Service. More opportunities within university curricula are needed for student nurses to learn about, reflect on, and gain support for managing experiences of discrimination in the health system.

University Quarter as a form of cultural interaction between the University and the city

The object of the study is the university quarter as a socio-cultural phenomenon. The subject of the study is the forms of cultural interaction between the university quarter and the city. The use of comparative and typological methods made it possible to identify and describe four forms of university presence in the city space, grouped around two basic directions. The first direction assumes the priority of the university in relation to the city, which gives rise to such a form of their interaction as a "university city". In this case, university activity, in fact, fulfills the role of the economic basis of urban life. The second direction, which is characterized by the leading role of the city, is represented by the student quarter, campus, university quarter. And in this case, we can talk about the "growing" of the university into the urban space, which has both its positive and negative sides. Special attention is paid to the university quarter, the need for which is associated with the expansion of the university's interaction with the urban community. Combining the project nature, openness, flexible targeting, it demonstrates greater potential compared to traditional options. In turn, the university quarter project can be represented by various complementary options. The analysis of the Samara experience of its design revealed two promising forms of its implementation: building a citywide university space and updating the historical past on the basis of available university resources.

Педагогические условия эффективного формирования профессиональной полилингвальной личности студентов неязыковых специальностей при интегрированном обучении российских и иностранных студентов профессиональному иностранному языку

The aim of the research is to identify pedagogical conditions for the effective formation of professional multilingual personality among non-linguistic students. The paper provides a general description of the multilingual educational space of a non-linguistic university; reveals the essence of the notion of “a student’s professional multilingual personality”; defines the pedagogical conditions for the effective formation of multilingual personality among students at a non-linguistic university; substantiates the necessity of applying the identified pedagogical conditions for the effective formation of professional multilingual personality among future specialists of non-linguistic training programme specializations. The research is novel in that it has identified the pedagogical conditions and has substantiated the need for their application for the effective formation of professional multilingual personality among non-linguistic students on the basis of a theoretical analysis of the problem and an empirical study. As a result of the research, the necessity of implementing a set of pedagogical conditions in order to further carry out their practical evaluation to assess the effectiveness of professional multilingual personality formation among future specialists of non-linguistic training programme specializations has been described. The highlighted pedagogical conditions, according to the authors, reflect significant aspects in the development of students’ internal motivation for learning within the framework of the multilingual educational space.

Sunlight perception and outdoor thermal comfort in college campuses: a new perspective

The thermal comfort of outdoor spaces in colleges and universities is crucial for promoting outdoor activities and relieving psychological pressure. To evaluate outdoor thermal comfort from a new perspective, this study investigated subjects' sunlight perception through physical measurements and questionnaires. Sunlight perception was delineated through a combination of subjective assessments and objective measurements. Subjective assessments encapsulated thermal comfort and sensation votes, and sunlight sensitivity. Objective measurements incorporated physical environmental data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, illumination, and solar radiation. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was used to examine the thermal sensation of subjects under different sun perceptions to reveal the effect of sunshine sensitivity on subjects. The results showed that in terms of subjective perception, the proportion of people who felt hot outdoors increased with the increase in sunlight perception. Additionally, with the change of sunlight perception, the expected temperature of the crowd also changed. As the sunlight perception changed from weak to strong, the desired temperature of the winter population changed from 21.2 °C to 17.7 °C, and the desired temperature of the autumn population changed from 23.8 °C to 19.8 °C. Appropriately increasing shade outdoors in autumn would enhance the comfort of the crowd, while appropriately increasing the light place in the winter outdoors would enhance the comfort of the crowd. These findings provide valuable insights for thermal comfort design and future research in colleges located in cold areas.

The politics of decolonising the curriculum through adopting mother tongue instruction in a South African historically disadvantaged university setting

This paper focuses on the dynamics of decolonising the curriculum by adopting mother tongue language as a medium for instruction in South African universities. There has been growing criticism on the slow pace of decoloniality within university spaces amid mounting challenges of lack of development in society. The paper speaks to the experiences of historically disadvantaged universities regarding adopting mother tongue instruction, especially considering the complexities and contradictions posed by institutional culture and epistemological traditions. The paper presents insights into how a decolonial perspective can assist in ridding African universities of epistemological and pedagogical practices that hinder decolonial efforts and broader societal development. The paper focuses on the synergies between mother tongue instruction and curriculum transformation in light of the contradictions associated with the use of the mother tongue that could enhance students’ epistemic access and success. It thus presents opportunities and controversies surrounding the introduction of the language policy, especially among historically disadvantaged universities. A Kaupapa Māori approach philosophical lens of reimagination evoked during the 1980s revolution becomes a central theoretical framework. It helps understand how indigenous philosophies can be essential in decolonising African knowledge and epistemological traditions. In this regard, the paper concludes that applying the Kaupapa Māori approach—and in particular, the principle of reimagination on the curriculum transformation in African universities (especially the formerly disadvantaged ones)—can propel a decolonial drive. The paper resulted from experiential knowledge and observations, informal interviews targeting students and scholars and empirical evidence from previous studies.

(Re)orienting White Spaces Through Compañerismo : Latino Graduate Students Creating Homeplaces at a PWI

Abstract: This study employed homeplace and compañerismo as conceptual frameworks to examine the role of space among Latino men in graduate school. While research has highlighted the importance of space for marginalized students on college campuses, this literature has primarily focused on the undergraduate level. Such is valuable work, yet it is critical to examine spatial dynamics among graduate students. Here, we highlight spaces important to this group of students while centralizing close-knit relationships as an added layer. Analysis of the data revealed the continuous importance of the participants’ compañerismo across university spaces, making both compañerismo and space central components across themes, which included reciprocity of space and compañerismo, bending space through compañerismo, and compañerismo as empowerment. We conclude with implications for practice and research.

Wrocławski okres w życiu naukowo-dydaktycznym profesora Jana Gwiazdomorskiego jako przejaw opresji Ministerstwa Oświaty

The end of World War II tore Poland from one totalitarianism (Nazism) and pushed it into the clutches of another, equally dangerous — communism. The new order and the new ideology took over Polish reality in its entirety. Unfortunately, this also applied to science and broadly understood university life. The new authorities regulated the personnel policy almost at whim, removing from the university space those individuals considered dangerous and defiant towards the socialist system. Another, milder manifestation of disciplining scholars who did not agree to the introduction of Marxism at universities was the forced transfer of professors to other universities, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away.
 The article concerns one of the most outstanding Polish lawyers of the 20th century — Prof. Jan Gwiazdomorski, and more specifically, his official relocation from the Jagiellonian University to work at the University of Wrocław. This transfer was a form of repression applied by the authorities to the scholar who did not identify himself with the new, post-war Polish political system. On the other hand, the transfer weakened the scientific community of the Jagiellonian University, which also did not hold favorable views towards socialist reality.
 The article presents hitherto unknown information relating to the Wrocław period in the scientific and didactic career of this luminary of Polish civil law. The source basis of the work are archival materials — a query of Jan Gwiazdomarski’s personal files and minutes of the Faculty Councils located in the Archives of the University of Wrocław. The author, referring to the discussed phenomenon, uses a historical and retrospective approach (he examines the problem from a present-day perspective) and indicates the legal grounds for transferring the scholar to the University of Wrocław.