University Space Research Articles

Digital Skills’ Impact on the Use of Digital Learning Tools

Innovations and developments in the ICT sector drive significant changes in how higher education institutions (HEIs) execute their teaching and learning processes. HEIs have always succeeded in the implementation of ICT tools for the facilitation of the process of teaching and learning. However, they have faced many challenges related to using these tools. Various tools have been introduced, not only for teaching and learning but also for socialisation. These tools include social media tools that are used to achieve different activities in response to the demands of society. Social media, however, is more utilised than digital learning tools, causing major concerns because users appear more interested in social media tools to perform academic activities than in digital learning tools. Students entering the university spaces are often comfortable using their phones but less comfortable using laptops or PCs. These, however, are the primary devices used in digital classrooms at institutions of higher learning. The basic ability to use them is crucial in succeeding in today’s digitised e-learning classrooms. This study investigates the impact digital literacy could have on using digital learning tools in HEIs. The study employed quantitative research methods using a survey developed and distributed to university alums to assess their digital skills upon entering their studies and how this impacted their learning experience. The participants were recruited from two public universities and one private university in the Eastern Cape. The purpose of the study was to formulate a checklist, based on the analysis of the data collected, that will inform the digital literacy factors impacting the use of digital learning in HEIs. While the study acknowledges that different students have different learning needs, it was still possible to create a solution through the suggested checklist consisting of eight (8) interventions developed to guide universities in improving the use of digital learning tools in their institutions.

Digital Archives for Academic Heritage: Tools and Processing Environments for the Museum Metaverse and Scientific Dissemination

Abstract. In recent years the digital visualisation techniques, including 3D digital models of indoor spaces, saw an exponential increase in their applications, both in the fields of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and of Cultural Heritage (CH). This growth is mainly due to the increasing affordability of tools for the acquisition and elaboration of three-dimensional digital survey/data management and to their increasing ‘user friendliness’.The research proposes a further step on research started some years ago by our group about the exploration of indoor mapping for the creation of the 3D virtual museum of our Institution, starting with the realisation of a virtual model of the university’s spaces (departments and halls). At first, the virtual museum will host the Curioni Digital Collection, which consist of circa 140 wooden models of building details, bridges, tunnels, and vaults designed by prof. G. Curioni during the second half of the XIX century as teaching aids for the Construction and Structural Design classes. A comparison between two main tools to support management and diffusion of geometrical, alphanumerical, and topological data will be given (Matterport and Unity). The parallel approach considering two tools is to provide a digital twin of a real collection placed in a real space, and, on the other hand, to use a real historical university space, virtualized, to host a virtual collection.

Education and human capital: Socio-philosophical aspect

Education is as a social institution that ensures social stability and integration. Additionally, education plays a role in the socialization of individuals, including their acceptance and execution of social roles and statuses. This article raises issues of the development of education as a social institution and as a factor in the for-mation of human capital. The authors present and analyze key theoretical approaches to defining the role and significance of education in shaping human capital. The concept of “human capital” is examined within the context of contemporary Kazakhstani society. Human capital is viewed as an investment in personal devel-opment and social welfare, encompassing not only material success but also improvements in quality of life. The authors analyze the main trends in the development of higher education in Kazakhstan, provide statistics on government educational grants for higher education, and the allocation of quotas across regions of the country. The state, as a regulator, consciously implements policies to support socially vulnerable populations and improve the lives of youth from densely populated areas of the country. This work was carried out as part of a project funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No AP14971423 “Sociocultural adaptation of students studying under the “Serpin” program to the university space”).

Education and human capital: Socio-philosophical aspect

Education is as a social institution that ensures social stability and integration. Additionally, education plays a role in the socialization of individuals, including their acceptance and execution of social roles and statuses. This article raises issues of the development of education as a social institution and as a factor in the for-mation of human capital. The authors present and analyze key theoretical approaches to defining the role and significance of education in shaping human capital. The concept of “human capital” is examined within the context of contemporary Kazakhstani society. Human capital is viewed as an investment in personal devel-opment and social welfare, encompassing not only material success but also improvements in quality of life. The authors analyze the main trends in the development of higher education in Kazakhstan, provide statistics on government educational grants for higher education, and the allocation of quotas across regions of the country. The state, as a regulator, consciously implements policies to support socially vulnerable populations and improve the lives of youth from densely populated areas of the country. This work was carried out as part of a project funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No AP14971423 “Sociocultural adaptation of students studying under the “Serpin” program to the university space”)

Educational environment and Pedagogical space and their importance the formation of ecological awareness

The formation of students' ecological awareness in an educational environment organized by means of pedagogical methodology in the pedagogical space of a technical university determined the directions of the research search.

Педагогическое сопровождение адаптации курсантов в условиях военного вуза

The relevance of the research. Professionalism of intending officers manifests itself in such a quality as the ability to adapt to rapidly changing new circumstances, to changing conditions and the requirements associated with military service. The importance of educational support for the adaptation of cadets in a military university is determined by the necessity to improve the quality of professional training of intending officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation so that they can effectively solve tasks related to their professional duties and combat service. The research purpose includes generalizing and demonstrating a variety of approaches to the definition of the concept “adaptation of cadets”; outlining the trend towards its interpretation in the context of specifics interaction between a cadet and a military, professionally-oriented, real educational space of a military university; determining the stages of cadets’ adaptation and the content of educational support for their adaptation in the specified institution. Methods: the analytical method was used to study the literature on the research issue; the theoretical synthesis was used to generalize and demonstrate the approaches to the concept “adaptation of cadets” and to explain the variety of its interpretations by scientists; the descriptive method was used to fix the stages and content of educational support. Results. The study shows the essence, features, components and problems of cadets’ adaptation to the conditions of a military university. It also proposes the stages (diagnostic, transformative) and the content of educational support for the adaptation of cadets in a military university. Appropriate methods, techniques, and questionnaires are recommended for implementation in practice to conduct successful diagnostic procedures at the first stage. At the second, transformative stage, it is proposed to carry out the educational support for the cadets’ adaptation taking into account the selected components of the adaptation process: psychophysiological, socio-psychological, educational-professional, service-functional and cultural-routine ones. Main conclusions: the study proposes the content of the phased educational support in the initial period of cadets’ mastering the educational and professional activities in order to meet the requirements for the quality of professional training of future officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The practical significance of the research results is determined by the possibility of using them in the educational activities of a military university.

Abstract B082: Design Studios for Health to identify distinct outreach events and interventions to reduce the burden of cancer among Hispanic/Latino and Black adults in a major southwestern metropolitan region

Abstract Introduction: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Arizona. While there was a 7% decrease in cancer mortality among Arizonans from 2016-2020, more work is needed to decrease cancer incidence and mortality among racial and ethnic minorities, including Black and Hispanic/Latino populations. Further, it is critical to engage community members to identify cancer-related priorities, brainstorm feasible and acceptable community-based interventions, and co-create community-academia-healthcare solutions to reduce cancer disparities. Methods: The team conducted a series of Design Studios for Health (DSH) – guided listening sessions to foster community involvement, facilitate knowledge exchange, and identify the priorities and concerns for cancer prevention and control in the Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. Each DSH session included introductions, information dissemination, and breakout sessions with a moderator and a notetaker. The first DSH sessions were held in February 2024 via Zoom, one for Black community members (n=14) and one for Hispanic/Latino community members (n=14). In March 2024, an in-person DSH aimed to bring together all previous participants from both communities (n=27). This session deepened collaborations and knowledge exchange, building on insights from the initial sessions. The iterative nature of DSH ensured continuous refinement and co-creation of precision health solutions based on feedback and the data collected. Results: DSH participants identified the following cancer priorities: breast, skin, cervical, prostate, colorectal, and stomach cancers. They emphasized the need for community-shared information on survivorship resources, prevention (shared via social media), symptoms, costs, payment options, resource guides for community health workers, and guidance on navigating medical and insurance payments. Recommendations for academic partners included offering workshops and educational seminars on cancer prevention, using university space to host community cancer prevention events, alternating event locations in the metropolitan region to reach multiple underserved communities, hosting community fairs with multiple cancer education and screening opportunities, forming community advisory boards focused on cancer prevention and control, and organizing local forums to share cancer prevention and control resources. To support local organizations and health education outreach, they recommended creating additional training on cancer, e.g. for community health workers, to enhance public dissemination. Future directions: Based on these findings, our team is developing interactive, virtual, games-based cancer education to help dispel myths about cancer prevention and control. We are collaborating with community health workers to increase the accessibility of cancer prevention, screening, and resource education at pop-up cancer screening events (October and November 2024) held in areas of Phoenix serving low-income, racially, and ethnically diverse communities. Citation Format: Alexis M. Koskan, Maricarmen Vizcaino, Maissa Khatib, Tina M. Brown, Dorothy D. Sears. Design Studios for Health to identify distinct outreach events and interventions to reduce the burden of cancer among Hispanic/Latino and Black adults in a major southwestern metropolitan region [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B082.

An ecological approach to understanding transitions and tensions in complex learning contexts

The move away from transmission-based lecturing toward a more student-centred active learning approach is well evidenced in STEM higher education. However, the examination of active learning has generally remained confined to formal timetabled contexts, with assumptions made that students independently manage the transition between timetabled and non-timetabled learning. This paper introduces research findings from a mixed methods study that used an ecological approach when investigating student transitions between a formal lecture theatre and adjacent informal breakout space in a UK STEM university. Using quantitative occupancy monitoring data to analyse usage patterns of both spaces, in combination with qualitative ethnographic observations and field interviews, permitted a purposeful exploration of student engagement with transitions within and between the two learning spaces. The ecological approach aided the discovery of spatial, pedagogic and agentic transitions and tensions, which subsequently informed strategic modification of space across the institution to facilitate the adoption of active learning pedagogy.

Indigenous Early Career Researcher’s Perspectives of ‘safe spaces’’ in Higher Education

The Developing Indigenous Early Career Researchers Project is a three-year longitudinal study funded by the Australian Research Council that ran from January 2020 to December 2022. Its main focus was to investigate the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous Early Career Researchers working in universities across Australia. This article presents four main attributes identified by Indigenous Early Career Researchers as necessary to creating culturally safe spaces in Australian universities. These attributes include, safe to: (a) be Indigenous; (b) seek advice and make mistakes; (c) speak openly; and (d) trust. The successful implementation of these attributes requires institutional support and commitment in the form of relevant higher education policies and practices. Importantly, an overarching perspective of this article is that effective implementation of culturally safe spaces for Indigenous Early Career Researchers requires a significant shift in institutional discourse from the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Knowledges to recognising Indigenous Peoples as sovereign.

Особенности обучения иностранному (английскому) языку студентов языкового вуза в полилингвальном образовательном пространстве (на примере Республики Татарстан)

The purpose of this study is to identify the features of teaching English-speaking speech to students of a language university in a multilingual environment. In the work, special attention is paid to the positive and negative factors of the interaction of languages, as well as the influence of the multilingual educational environment of the university on the language abilities of students. The article analyzes Russian and foreign developments devoted to the specifics of the multilingual educational environment of the university when learning English; identifies the features in teaching a foreign language in modern conditions in higher education institutions; The authors have conducted research to understand how students at a language university feel about having three languages in their curriculum. The analysis of theoretical and practical material on multilingualism is devoted to the phenomenon of the multilingual educational environment, as well as the influence of the multilingual environment and bi- and polylinguism on English language learning. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the study and disclosure of the features of the organization of foreign language teaching in the multilingual educational space of a language university. Therefore, using a multilingual educational approach that takes into account all the benefits and drawbacks identified during this study can help learners feel more comfortable when acquiring a foreign language and improve their interlanguage communication skills.

Croning academics: menopause matters in higher education

ABSTRACT This writing is born out of our experiences of becoming older women, academy hags, facing the performative demands of the neoliberalizing patriarchal university. We are raging. With the figure of the Crone, and feminist-killjoy-croning as our creative and livid research method (Ahmed, S. 2023. Feminist Killjoy. London: Penguin Random House), we squeeze time out/with impossible university spaces and schedules to tend to grey matters. This paper traces the normalization of menopause policies in workplaces and universities, following the social trending and capitalization of menopausal and ageing matters. We question what menopause policies do and argue they constitute a failed project for the advancement of gender equality and should be abandoned. Inspired by Barad’s (2021. “Dialogue with Karen Barad Dialogues on Agential Realism.” In Dialogues on Agential Realism: Engaging in Worldings through Research Practice, edited by H. P. Juelskjær and A. W. Stine, 118–141. London: Taylor and Francis) call to engage in ‘spacetimemattering’, we create webs of entanglement through the objects of university menopause policies. We grey, fade out/ fit in, sweat, bleed, scowl. Powered by fury and frustration, we scrape away the genealogical underpinnings of menopausal bodyminds.

К ВОПРОСУ О ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ МЕДИЦИНСКОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ

The transformation of medical education at the present stage has determined the problem of this study, the issues of high-quality training of medical personnel necessary for the society have not been fully resolved, pedagogical technologies and methodological approaches that contribute to the growth of educational results have not been fully disclosed. The aim of this study to analyze the existing high-potential forms of training that could be used in the transformation of the educational space of a medical university and contribute to better training of future specialists in the medical industry. The study of literature and other various sources of information was chosen as the main research method that allowed to describe the active and interactive forms of training under discussion as well as to reveal the possibilities of immersive learning and the use of artificial intelligence technologies. Our analysis shows that the use of nontraditional forms of learning gives the required effect of change and novelty, evokes an emotion of interest in students and is a powerful incentive to gain knowledge, skills and abilities. It was noted that all changes in the transformable educational process must take into account the motivational aspect in learning, since the most important factor affecting the effectiveness of the educational process, increasing the effectiveness of educational activities at all stages of acquiring professional medical knowledge is the motivation of students to learn. Those medical graduates gain more success in the future carrier, who not only have special knowledge and a set of professional skills, but they also have incentives for education related to the formation of professional competencies, know universal technologies of self-development, understand how to motivate themselves to receive, process and apply new knowledge, are able to critically evaluate the information received, adapt to the requirements of a particular activity, have a stable positive attitude towards the profession.

Making Sense of Legitimacy Across Universities: Ecocritical Ontological Perspective

This paper reflects on research methodological considerations of how legitimacy of publicly funded universitiesoccurs. From an ecocritical ontological perspective the paper uses a metaphor and sense-making techniques to shed light into effective modalities universities use to connect with local economies. The Milky way Galactic ecosystem metaphor is used not only to make sense of the ecocritical ontological stance taken to make sense of legitimacy but is used as a metaphor to make sense of the findings. The paper asserts that the legitimacy theoretical lens is particularly appropriate to probe universities’ legitimacy and connectedness to the local communities they are embedded in. The rationale behind this assertion is that legitimacy is only conferred to the extent the actions of an entity are perceived as desirable, efficient, proper, or appropriate by the ecosystem stakeholders. The theory is thus useful for examining connectedness of publicly funded universities to its local community. The paper argues that the university system that is delinked from local economic development is like a Milky way Galaxy delinked from its Galactic ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the paper juxtaposes Mondragon University, located in a rural part of Northern Spain with two South African universities embedded in poverty stricken rural South Africa. Mondragon University is presented as a hallmark of success when it comes to local community legitimacy. The paper is centered around the following question: (1) how does university legitimacy yield impactful local community outcomes? Using the Milky way Galaxy metaphor, the findings show a considerable variety in local community connectedness depending on bureaucratic arrangements of the universities. The findings also showed that alternative income sources, outside the public purse, just like the gravitational force in the galactic ecosystem, is the key force that determines legitimacy in a university setting. The paper contributes to business research methods by fusing metaphorical as well as sense-making research techniques to bring to sharp focus permeability of the university space to enable local economic development.

Unlearning Communication for Social Change—A Pedagogical Proposition

We have in recent years seen growing calls for pedagogies for social change amongst communication and development scholars, identifying resistances, critiques, and emerging practices in the field. This review article addresses this ‘pedagogical turn’, suggesting that it is in these pedagogies we can see the pathways to unlearn and relearn communication for social change. Offering a decolonial analytical lens, this article asks two questions: What characterizes these critical pedagogies? And how can the various pedagogies contribute to unlearning and relearning the field of communication and social change? This article is structured in five parts, first offering a review of key critiques articulated within the field of communication and social development in the past two decades, arguing that, in practice, what we are seeing is the organic development of a pluriverse of knowledges, values, and visions of society. Secondly, it proposes the decolonial term of ‘unlearning’ as a pedagogical pathway and epistemological ambition for the production and recognition of a pluriverse of knowledges, thereby challenging dominant perceptions of society and social change. Thirdly, it introduces a model of analysis which structures ways whereby we can think about monocultures and ecologies in relation to a range of dimensions of the pluriverse. Fourthly, it reviews key critical pedagogies, discussing how they address epistemic injustice both in broader societal contexts as well as in the university space. This article concludes by discussing how the process of unlearning through critical pedagogies has implications for the configuration and definition of the field of communication and social change, suggesting three areas for further research: ways of seeing (positionality), new subject positions (relationality), and new design processes (transition).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and health of university students

Objective: To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and health of university students. Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out with 163 university students from different courses, between May and December 2022, in São Paulo, Brazil. Google Forms was used to capture information related to academic dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The majority of students were women and in the health field, studying their third year of college. 53.1% of students considered online classes to be bad or terrible, but only 43.6% thought about giving up their studies during the period. Most participants spent between five and nine hours a day studying in front of screens, and 57.7% said they experienced a drop in academic performance. Students had problems sleeping (58.2%, p<0.001), increased moments of stress, fatigue, depression, or anxiety (76.7%, p<0.001), felt hopeless (71.7%, p< 0.001), and showed changes in weight during the period (75.4%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had negative impacts on the majority of those investigated, both in education and health, especially mental health. It is necessary to encourage multimodal curricula and programs that encourage quality of life and mental health in university spaces.

Furthering racial liberalism in UK higher education: The populist construction of the 'free speech crisis'.

In this article we analyse the constructed 'free speech crisis' associated with higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK). We examine the media discourses from 2012 to 2022 which led to the establishment of a sense of crisis around speech in universities and, ultimately, to the Freedom of Speech Act in May 2023. We undertake a critical discourse analysis focused on the constructions of universities and university students in two major right-wing broadsheet newspapers, The Times and The Telegraph, and in the right-wing magazine The Spectator. We conceptualise the 'free speech crisis' as a discursive formation which is part of broader political efforts of conservative elites to maintain hegemony in Britain. Drawing on populism theory and race critical analyses, we argue that the 'free speech crisis' is an expression of racial liberalism and a placeholder for a deeper white anxiety over the social reproduction of elites in university spaces, and thus over (cultural) hegemony in the public sphere. We understand the desire to regulate 'free' speech in HE as an effort to prevent the emergence of an elite and (counter)hegemony different to the status quo. We make contributions to two emergent and interrelating bodies of literature: firstly, the study of populism in (post)Brexit Britain, and secondly, the study of culture wars, including iterations of the 'free speech crisis' and 'the war on woke'.

The role of modern educational technologies in the Russian university space

The role of modern educational technologies in the Russian university space

Spacecraft attitude testbed

Spacecraft attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) stand as a pivotal factor for ensuring the success of missions. As satellite sizes continue to decrease, the need for more intelligent and efficient control algorithms becomes increasingly pronounced. In response to this imperative, we propose the development of a scaled-down testbed specifically designed for evaluating satellites (ACDS). This testbed will demonstrate effective control of a CubeSat through the use of Helmholtz coils, magnetic torquer solenoids, reaction wheels and inexpensive student-made components and available components off the shelf (COTS) in the San Diego State University SPACE Lab. Referred to as the Spacecraft Attitude Testbed (SAT), this custom-designed 3-DoF experimental attitude platform replicates the conditions experienced by a weightless satellite in space. The objective of this research paper is to improve the understanding of how to manufacture a testbed and components like those within this paper, expose some of the issues encountered and improve the outcomes for future academic testbeds. Within this study, the testbed employs torque application to magnetic torquers and reaction wheels to regulate attitude. In summary, this research endeavors to establish a comprehensive and cost-effective testbed platform dedicated to the assessment of spacecraft attitude control and determination systems. It not only seeks to enhance our understanding of advanced control algorithms but also aims to contribute valuable insights into fault detection and adaptive control strategies, ultimately bolstering the efficiency and robustness of satellite operations.

Decolonizing the Global North university: Host-guest dynamics and the limits of hospitality

This article critically assesses the hospitality premise on which the project-practice of decolonizing the curriculum rests, investigating the texture and limitations of the hospitality that Global North universities seem willing to offer their many Others, including students, staff, and stakeholders, particularly in the form of knowledges and pedagogies. It investigates how the guests-strangers are treated within the Global North Universities, their knowledges posited as a separate category within the epistemic system rather than integrated into being a part of the system; guests relegated to unpaid servants when obliged to shoulder the lion's share of the work in addressing the unfair, racist systems which devalue them and their knowledges. Embedding the discourse of decolonizing the university in and with postcolonial concepts, the article highlights the profoundly unequal power relationships between hosts and guests that continue to inform even the best-intentioned Global North higher education institutions, self-declaredly dedicated to decolonization efforts. It argues for pressing need on the part of the Global North universities to deepen their awareness of the historical legacies of coloniality and its matrix of power, and consequently reflect on the treatment of Global South guests and knowledges. This long, hard look at their role of host is necessary for a true committment to decolonising the university spaces and rendering them genuinely hospitable, and to transforming the unequal power dynamics and the impacts on guests-stranger Others.

The organisation and operation of policing on university campuses: A case study

The operation of policing services on university campuses in the United Kingdom is under-researched. Drawing on interviews with university managers, security personnel and residential wardens, this article adds to the limited literature on policing in educational institutions by providing a case study of the organisation and implementation of campus policing at a university in the United Kingdom. We find that the work of the security teams includes routine housekeeping and caretaking tasks across campus, maintaining adherence to university rules and regulations, enhancing student well-being and welfare and preventing and responding to crimes. Further research is needed to understand how university spaces are managed and policed across the United Kingdom and the role of private security in dealing with welfare and mental health issues on campus.