Transformation Of Higher Education Research Articles

Reference Universities: Sociological Support of Educational Innovation in Russian Regions

The article discusses measures taken at the government level to develop Russian regions and reduce socio-economic disparities between them. As one of the directions of political and managerial practices to mitigate the heterogeneity of the development of Russian regions, the sphere of higher education is cited as the main branch of personnel reproduction of the economy. Transformations in higher education, often used as tools of “shock therapy” to revive the education system itself, are simultaneously projected on the economy, being a kind of impulse for positive changes in the regions. The program “supporting universities”is an example of solving the problems of uneven socio-economic development of regions, the outflow of population from them to megacities and large cities, and the reduction of human and social potential. The analysis of the program for creating reference universities in 2015–2017 in the regions of Russia, its goals, objectives and main stages of implementation revealed a number of shortcomings of the project.

Covid-19 Outbreak and Higher Education: A Case from Taiwan

This paper aims to discuss the university transformation during the Covid-19 outbreak. We review the literature pertaining to transformation of higher education. We also provide a case study of a Taiwan university to discuss how the university takes actions to cope with the threat of Covid-19 pandemic. We expect to share a new perspective on how higher education transformation would work and describe what the future business school shall prepare for next generation learning. Lastly, we propose the post Covid-19 strategies of higher education.

A reflective analysis of articles published in the journal of Transformation in Higher Education (2016–2020): Beyond transformation?

Background: The fault lines exposed by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and global economic recession unfolding during 2020 in societies around the world, reiterated the need for transforming higher education globally. In South Africa, transformation in higher education has been a priority since 1994. The first article in this journal was published in 2016 during the 2015-2016 #mustfall protests. During the protests, decolonisation and decolonising of higher education were central. Aim: A reflective analysis of articles published in the journal of Transformation in Higher Education 2016-2020. Setting: Transformation and decolonising in global and South African higher education. Method: A reflective analysis is done through a decolonial lens. The contributions of authors are reflected upon through three themes: place (local and global), epistemology and alienation. Results: Although I find the engagement with decolonising substantive, I argue that there is still a lack of publications on specifically decoloniality and decolonial analysis. Conclusion: I argue that the journal of Transformation in Higher Education provides a platform for difficult and robust discussions on decoloniality, transformation, epistemology, issues of sexuality, gender and race, internationalisation and possible pluriversalisation in higher education for South African and international scholars.

Leaving Academia: The Shifting Terrain of Higher Education

Leaving academia, this essay joins a steady chorus of reflection now thinking backwards over the last half century of extraordinary transformations in higher education. The industry is booming, more students than ever are entering universities, yet the academy is seen as increasingly in crisis. Staff workloads keep mounting, student debt soaring, and staff and student anxieties alike are multiplying, even as government underfunding, imposed managerialism and commercialisation threaten to reduce the underlying logic of higher education to market principles. In this context it is more urgent than ever to record the half century of struggle that opened up and enriched academic life, gradually ensuring the entry of hitherto excluded voices and topics into research and scholarship, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Drawing on my own involvement, I recall some of these always-incomplete attempts to challenge the fault-lines of intellectual life in the academy, knowing that we need always to cherish the value of teaching, research and learning, simply for its own sake.

The Dawn of the Academic Revolution: An Individual Contribution to Shaping the Future of Universities

A dramatic global socio-economic transformation is challenging the traditional university models. Disruptive technologies are quickly changing the way we live and work, inducing shifts in occupational structures and pushing demand toward new skills and competences. Several factors such as the rise of neoliberalism and knowledge economy, the 2008 global economic crisis, Fourth Industrial Revolution, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing emergence of online learning, the amount of student debt, and employers’ dissatisfaction are generating pressure to reconsider global higher education systems. The key stakeholder groups—governments, education institutions, employers, and learners are seeking for new models that are more learner-oriented. The power struggle between various tensions within the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous landscape generates a range of scenarios for the universities’ futures. Regardless of which scenario prevails, it is likely that academia will undergo a significantly dynamic transformation in the near future. Following a literature review shaped by personal experience in higher education, the author analyzes macro factors that may affect higher education in the forthcoming decade, with the aim of supporting strategic planning by universities. By generating a set of potential scenarios—Transformative, Market, and Fortress, the author identifies three possible futures to add to the debate about the direction and intensity of the required higher education transformation.

Renaming University Teaching and Learning Facilities in South Africa: towards the Africanisation of Higher Education

In South Africa, students and lecturers have been asking university management and government to rename teaching and learning facilities in line with the higher education transformation agenda. Strikes, demonstrations and debates regarding the decolonisation and Africanisation of higher education have been used as ways to communicate the need to fast-track the renaming process. Renaming lecture rooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, sports facilities, halls of residence, campus roads and other facilities help to embrace African culture, values and beliefs. This paper explores Africanisation by renaming of teaching and learning facilities. To understand Africanisation, a qualitative study was conducted using semi–structured interviews and observation of university facilities to understand the process of renaming. Selected naming committees, student representative members and lecturers participated by giving their views on the renaming of teaching and learning facilities. Findings from this study revealed that facilities with African names embrace African identity, ownership and brings peace and a sense of belonging to the learning and teaching environment.

Two steps forward, one step back: transformation of higher education policy and reforms in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACT Higher education transformation in the Czech Republic has been aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Czech higher education institutions within the European context, as well as strengthening their role as the main sources of innovation for sustainable development in its economic and social dimensions. This transformation has undergone a turbulent development in last years. The paper elucidates some recent legislative amendments and aims of the Ministry of Education’s development plans. We also clarify some research steps that have been undertaken to shed light on the next steps in the transformation. The problem with the reform process is that many systemic undertakings come under pressure from changes in policy cycles, governmental priorities, budgeting, and socio-demographic conditions.

Transformation of Higher Education During the Pandemic: Pain Points

The relevance of the study is due to the contradiction between the mass transition of the Russian system of higher education to the distance learning format and the insufficient willingness of participants in the educational process to work under the new requirements caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. Teachers, students and administrators of higher educational institutions in Russia have encountered a number of difficulties. Their analysis will highlight the objective and subjective factors of their occurrence and develop recommendations for the further organization of distance learning in its combination with the traditional format. The purpose of the study was to analyze the modern work experience in the remote format of one of the leading Russian universities – Kazan Federal University. On this basis, the article analyzes successes and problems of this process, shows the contradictions between traditional and distance learning, considers the main models of educational organization that involve traditional and remote learning formats using distance educational technologies. It is concluded that in the system of basic formal education at all levels and areas of training, distance learning can be considered as a form that complements and strengthens the social, pedagogical, organizational, psychological, and didactic potential of the traditional (face-to-face) educational format.The work comprehensively used the methods of theoretical (analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison, etc.) and empirical (study of literature, conversation, questioning, observation) research.

Gazing at South African higher education transformation through the potential role of the Wesleyan quadrilateral: A theological approach

The 2015–2016 South African higher education student movements evoked critical conversations regarding the extent to which institutions of higher learning have transformed into democratic and inclusive spaces. One of the key gaps in this field is the paucity of research that explores the potential role of theology in steering the direction of transformation in South African higher education system. Through a Wesleyan approach, the paper argues that the four quadrilaterals of the Wesleyn approach, scripture, tradition, reason and experience will be used as a theological tool to weight beliefs in the levels of dogma and doctrine, opinion and so as not to confuse critical reflection with negativity and judgmentalism in critically reflecting on the South African higher education struggles for transformation and decolonization. In our attempt to contribute meaningfully to the broader debates, started by scholars such as Nadar and Reddy ( 2015 ) and more recently, Phiri and Nadar ( 2018 ), who locate their work in theology to think through gender, curriculum and African feminism differently, counter-hegemonically. In this paper, we aim to contribute to this emerging body of work by arguing that theology has a critical role to play in helping us to imagine what a transformed, inclusive and socially just higher education could look like.

Who influences higher education decision-making in Taiwan? An analysis of internal stakeholders

ABSTRACT In the past two decades, Taiwan has gone through a series of drastic higher education transformations in response to the multi-faceted demands from globalization and domestic social change. Among the driving forces, new public management and neoliberal ideology have reshaped the nature and culture of higher education in Taiwan. The current study focuses on the broader internal stakeholders’ relationships to higher education policy as they systematically engage with governance through decision-making. We empirically explore who the main actors are that make decisions at the ministerial level. The study identifies six key groups with different characteristics and traits. Acting as coalitions, these groups frequently influence policy formulation. Moreover, their influential paths – identified as elite approach, professional engagement, and political networking – jointly steer higher education decision-making. These triangular paths serve as a valuable conceptual framework to understand the complicated influential paths from internal stakeholders who have affected Taiwan’s higher education policy.

Transforming and sustaining information science education: A conversation to begin the asistED podcast

AbstractThe COVID‐19 global pandemic necessitated sudden, large scale transformations in higher education, as many institutions and programs were forced to leverage their existing technological resources and expertise to manage a rapid shift to delivering education in an online‐only environment. In the short term, the shift required creativity, quick thinking, and in many cases, adaptations that were less than ideal. In wake of that semester, the conversation has now shifted to how to best manage sustained transformation of higher education in the face of these new realities. This, too, will take creativity and leveraging of technology and expertise. This alternative event represents an interactive conversation with information science education professionals about transformation experiences, the leveraging of new technologies, and the future of information science education. This event will also be the first episode of SIG ED's new podcast, asistED: The Information Science Education Podcast, itself developed as a creative new way to offer a forum for conversation, connection, and continuing professional development focused on issues related to information science education. This event will be recorded for later download.

Цифровая трансформация высшего образования.

Цифровая трансформация высшего образования.

Трансформация высшего образования: преодоление конфликта компетенций и фундаментальности

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the problems of transformation of higher education in Russia, expressed in the transition to a competence-based approach, which became a natural result of the introduction of the so-called “Bologna process”. The research methodology consists of a comparative taxonomic analysis of basic education and education obtained by competencies, with the identification of potential advantages and disadvantages. The introduction of new standards in the field of education, not of Russian origin, is considered by the authors as the result of defeat in institutional competition, which does not exceed arguments about the unity of diplomas or educational space. For the strategic development of Russia, it is necessary to build systems of higher education according to its own rules, focus on basic fundamental education, and consider the acquisition of certain competencies as an auxiliary action at the next stages of improving personnel of higher qualifications, when fundamental education has already been obtained. Thus, it is proposed to take the competence approach beyond the boundaries of university education to the stage of postgraduate professional development and additional training.

Issues of Designing Effective Educational Programs in the Field of “Applied Informatics” in the Conditions of Innovative Development

The ever-growing demand for digital IT industry specialists brings to the fore the task of developing effective educational programs that ensure a high qualification level of graduates. The result of such activities – the turn-out of highly qualified specialists will depend on how much more detailed all the components of the educational activities of the University are considered, designed and implemented. Therefore, when developing and updating educational programs, higher education institutions will have to clarify the composition of professional competencies that must meet both the needs for effective performance of generalized labor functions and labor functions fixed in professional standards, and many educational parameters fixed in the regulatory framework of Russian higher education. The purpose of this research is to develop innovative educational programs at the stage of digital transformation of higher education and the transition to practice-oriented project training of University graduates in IT areas. The research tasks include the following stages: 1. Development of a conceptual model of an intelligent integrated educational environment based on the interface of ontologies of professional and educational standards. 2. Systematization and organization of elements of the digital repository and on its basis, the development of algorithms for generating educational-methodical and organizational-administrative content of the intellectual integrated educational environment. 3. Testing methods for generating content in the intelligent integrated educational environment. This task can be achieved only by integrating all components of the educational process into a single information and educational space. The solution to this problem is seen in the development of methods and tools for generating educational-methodical and organizational-administrative content based on the digital repository of the electronic learning system through knowledge management technologies that ensure the adaptability of the educational process using the ontological approach. Such work is currently being carried out at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, including ICT areas. The analysis of professional activity of graduates of bachelor’s degree and master’s degree programs in terms of requirements of the Federal State Education Standards of Higher Education in the field of “Applied Informatics” has shown that these requirements with varying degrees of completeness correspond to a number of professional standards in the field of IT industry. As a result of the analysis of the factors for improving the quality of the educational process, the ways to improve training of bachelors in the field of “Applied Informatics” in the context of combining ontologies of professional and educational standards are outlined. The article also provides approaches to the development of an approximate basic educational program in this direction and reveals the method of its engineering, based on the interaction and composition of elements of the integrated information and educational space and, on its basis, semantic modeling and automatic generation of educational and organizational and managerial content. Thus, the proposed method will contribute to improving the efficiency of the educational process and meet the world trends in the development of science in this field of knowledge, which will bring the training of highly qualified IT industry specialists to a qualitatively new level.

Challenges for research in higher education: the case of internationalization between the explanandum and the explanans

Abstract A key issue in higher education research is that its nature is shaped by the contexts within which it is produced, in response to agendas that reflect more policy coordination demands than disciplinary concerns. The research problematiques are construed mostly out of the theoretical framework of the disciplines, which, in turn, are diluted within an applied research mode. Internationalisation, quality, and access, for instance, tend to be explored from an implementation and managerial perspective. We convene the criticisms of methodological “isms” to highlight how they shape our conceptualisations and understanding of the transformations in higher education. Under this stance, conceptual narratives on internationalisation of higher education prompted by the Brexit momentum are identified in the study Higher education and Brexit: current European perspectives to bring forward the extent to which internationalisation as a conceptual narrative acts as an explanation of the strategies to address the topic, and what is needed to be itself explained. The paper identifies discursive elements stemming from conceptual narratives convened to approach internationalisation in higher education research, and how they reflect the reification of the state and higher education. By focusing on the Brexit momentum that brought to the front stage the centrality of the nation-states and their competition/cooperation relationship, this paper contributes to call attention to the epistemological and methodological implications of isms.

TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES IN OPEN DISTANCE E-LEARNING

The transformation of higher education, in line with the South African Constitution, has led to increased enrolments of students with disabilities. However, limited research has been conducted on teaching and learning support these students receive. Access of students with disabilities in higher education is a human rights issue yet research shows that it has not been linked to increase in instructional support. As such, their participation has been limited. Some of the barriers limiting their participation are lecturers’ negative attitudes due to lack of disability awareness and the unavailability or inadequacy of support in teaching and learning. As a result, higher education institutions have not succeeded in creating enabling teaching and learning environments for these students. This paper seeks to initiate discussion about the teaching and learning support needs of students with disabilities, particularly in an Open Distance e-Learning context and to propose strategies that can be employed to increase the quality of their participation and improve their academic outcomes.

Decolonising continuing teacher professional development in the teaching of physical science through improvisation in rural areas

Calls for the decolonisation of higher education in the world and South Africa in particular, has gained momentum since the student protests in 2015 and 2016. This takes place after some efforts have been made to transform and democratise the higher education landscape. Efforts made include: National Commission on Higher Education, White Paper 3 1997, The Higher Education Act of 1997 and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act of 1995 which led to the creation of National Qualification Framework (NQF). The policies had promises on issues of access, equity, equality, inclusivity and social justice. After 20 years of democracy, students started to question the progress or lack thereof in the transformation of higher education in South Africa. They started to make demands for access, free education, decolonisation of the curriculum, changes in the pedagogy and epistemic practices. They also demanded the removal of certain statues on some of the campuses. The protests jolted some academics to start debating and writing about the decolonisation of higher education in South Africa. This was done by picking up different aspects that were made points of focus in terms of decolonisation. Consequently, some academics focused on the decolonisation of the curriculum, some on the higher education system whilst others focussed on teacher education. In this article, we intend to contribute to the debate by focusing on Continuing Teacher Professional Development (CTPD) that is an aspect within teacher education. The focus on CTPD was prompted by the fact that not much has been done on the decolonisation of CTPD in South Africa. Furthermore, this is a critical area, because unless teachers are empowered and reskilled to drive the decolonisation process, they may resist and ultimately render the whole process unworkable. It is based on the study that was conducted, focusing on CTPD in the teaching of physical sciences in some of the rural schools in Limpopo Province. The choice of physical sciences was because physical sciences is a gateway subject and most physics sciences teachers in Limpopo Province are based in rural areas. Generally, these schools do not have the appropriate facilities and equipment to teach physical science. Physical sciences teachers also face many challenges such as negative perception about the subject, lack of resources, limited room for professional development, poor teacher training, and inadequate support from within the school and the Provincial Department of Education. This study focussed on creativity and teacher empowerment by enabling physical sciences teachers to reflect on their implementation of science inquiry. Physical sciences teachers were empowered to be creative in handling scientific inquiry especially in the absence of the necessary scientific equipment. The study was conduct at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Limpopo Province where teachers, from rural schools, are specifically invited to the university for the National Science Week, which included a component of ongoing Continuing Teacher Profession Development (CPTD). During the National Science Week physical sciences teachers attend an in-service workshop on Improvisation in Science. Ninety (90) physical sciences teachers participated in this study. Data were generated by using a questionnaire and unstructured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the success of CTPD is not so much in spending more funds in CTPD programmes, but it is in the approach that is used to prepare teachers to respond appropriately to the needs and the demands of the classroom environment. The article argues that the decolonisation process should prioritise the CTPD programmes at universities. This is due to the fact that teachers as agents of change need to be empowered and reskilled, so that they can be in the forefront of the decolonisation process. This can be achieved by adopting a transformative approach that encourages improvisation in science teaching. This approach to CPTD demands that teachers’ professional development should shift from the traditional approach to an approach that empowers teachers to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the classes that they teach.

Ontologising social justice in decolonised and post-apartheid settings

One topical issue in South Africa since the 1994 democratic elections is how a socially just higher education may be advanced in the context of the decolonial demand for the recognition of diverse epistemologies in the curriculum. The challenge since 1994 however has been what social justice means in the decolonial and post-apartheid settings where injustices continue to be perpetrated on the basis of race, albeit covertly. This article examines African and South African epistemologies and ontologies of social justice, in the context of decoloniality and curricula transformation in higher education, that became more pronounced through the #Feesmustfall protests in 2015. I argue that while social justice occurs within particular historical and political contexts, it is necessary to discern some ontologies of social justice that are not necessarily reducible to contexts. Use is made of Realist (R), Critical Realist (CR) and Race Realist Theory (RRT) perspective to unpack paradoxical constructions of social justice in post-colonial and post-apartheid South Africa.

The Role of Strategic Planning in the Transformation of University’s Education

Strategic planning at the university level is supposed to ensure a comprehensive institutional transformation in higher education that carries a functional integration between education, research and ethics in a dynamic process. This planning adopts theoretical and applied topics simultaneously and interact with the environment in all its natural, economic, social, cultural, political and health dimensions. Here, the plans must be made to ensure strategic developmental transformations in all the structural relationships of the university within its various scientific and administrative formations and between its basic functions in higher education and scientific research. So it is necessary to integrate the vision and mission of a university with the implementation strategies at different levels of departments, centers and other initial academic units up to colleges and boards. Comprehensive coordination plans designed to cover long periods of more than five years, medium periods of three to five years and short annual plans This process has to be undertaken directed to ensure a sustainable growth of the university in both productive and absorption capacities.

Research on the Transformation and Development of College English Teachers under the Mode of Applied Talents Training

With the rapid development of economic globalization and the transformation of higher education from elite education to popular education, all employers require college students' English ability is getting higher and higher?especially for the ability to work in English. Teachers not only play a major role in the process of training students' application ability, but also determine the success or failure of the transformation and development of local colleges and universities. This also puts forward higher requirements for College English teachers. The majority of English teachers must realize their own transformation and development from the overall situation of the transformation and development of colleges and the actual needs of students to learn English. College English teachers should adapt to the new situation, change teaching ideas and establish the concept of lifelong learning, so as to increase their own practical experience and industry experience, so as to promote the development of College English teaching.