Competitiveness Of Universities Research Articles

Leaving the Academic Sector: Saudi Society

This study aims to identify the most important reasons academics prefer to leave work in the academic sector in favor of other opportunities outside the walls of universities. This study seeks to shed light on academics to understand their views on the actual motives of this phenomenon, its effects on administrative development in universities and society, and its repercussions on the competitiveness of universities in Saudi Arabia. This study was conducted through interviews with academics who have left academic work and with current academics or those who intend to leave academic work and depart from universities in favor of other opportunities. The results indicate that there are several reasons leading to job leakage, some of which are related to the university work environment, administrative complexities, weak leadership competencies, and bureaucracy. Some are related to the attractiveness of alternative opportunities in terms of financial compensation, self-fulfillment, and achieving a prestigious social status. The study indicates several effects resulting from the departure of academic talents and the implications of this phenomenon for the competitiveness of Saudi universities at the local, regional, and international levels. The study presents several recommendations derived from the study's results, which, if implemented, could contribute to reducing this phenomenon. KEYWORDS Administrative development, brain drain, career management, career success, job satisfaction, work environment.

ТРЕТЯ МІСІЯ УНІВЕРСИТЕТІВ: ДОСВІД ІТАЛІЇ ДЛЯ УКРАЇНИ З ІМПЛЕМЕНТАЦІЇ Й ОЦІНЮВАННЯ

The analysis and reflection of Italy's experience in the implementation and evaluation of third university mission was carried out and revealed effective approaches and practices that can be adopted and applied in Ukraine. Further investigation of Italian experience is appropriate since the implementation and evaluation of results and achievements within all three university missions is a key task of public administration, university governance and management, a fundamental condition for ensuring the effective functioning and competitiveness of Italian universities and its higher education system in general. The authors demonstrate that the process of formation and implementation of the third mission in Italian universities is closely related to the formation and development of the national system of quality assurance in higher education, and first of all, to the evaluation of the quality of university research. It is emphasized that the current stage of evaluation of the third mission at Italian universities is aimed at a) overcoming the vision of the third mission as an auxiliary one and b) promoting its influence on the first and second third missions (i.e. education and research) in order to strengthen its importance and impact on university activities. The authors argue that recognition and implementation of the third mission by Ukrainian universities can be facilitated by its official inclusion, alongside education and research, into university statutory documents, strategies, goals etc. An algorithm of steps aimed at the official implementation of the third university mission by Ukrainian universities is proposed, including: 1) the formation of the national concept of the third mission for Ukrainian universities; 2) identification of strategic directions and a framework of quality indicators for the third mission assessment and evaluation, with relevant criteria; 3) incorporation of quality indicators for third mission assessment and evaluation into the system of indicators pertinent for assessment of quality of educational programs and university educational activities at large; 4) establishment of a Third Mission Commission within the National Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education; 5) organization and conduct of periodic evaluation of the quality of third university mission implementation; 6) systematic collection of data and monitoring of the situation related to educational, informational, advisory activities on the formation of third university missions by Ukrainian universities and development of environment and conditions beneficial for advancing the culture of third university mission in higher education sector and Ukrainian society at large.

Readiness comparison of foreign students of different directions to study at a Russian university

An effective system of pre-university training is the key to the competitiveness of Russian universities in teaching foreign students. The study is devoted to a comparison of the processes of formation of readiness, typical for students in different areas: engineering, humanitarian, economic and biomedical. The comparison was carried out on the basis of an intellectual analysis of the opinions of foreign students about studying at the preparatory faculty of the Russian Technical University. There were no particular differences in the factors influencing the readiness to study in different areas. On the contrary, according to the results of the study, it is possible to identify a number of problems common to respondents from different areas of study, and to form algorithms for leveling them within the framework of the pedagogical system of the preparatory faculty. These algorithms could become the basis of an adaptive technology for forming the readiness of foreign students to study at a Russian university.

Component policies for the formation of the contingent of applicants as a tool for ensuring the competitiveness of agricultural universities

Introduction. A feature of the modern stage of development of the organizational and economic system of the country's food supply is the overcoming of restraining factors, the influence of which can be controlled with the help of purposeful actions on the processes of its formation. Similar measures at the national and regional levels should be implemented within the framework of the concept of development of the food supply system, which provides for: substantiation of the goals, tasks and parameters of the food system; determining the amount of need for food resources; prospects for the territorial placement of agricultural production, its processing and bringing it up to the level of food resources. Goal. On the basis of the conducted research, propose recommendations for improving the conceptual foundations of the organizational and economic regulation of the food market. Method (methodology). To implement the tasks, the following methods and techniques were used: monographic, comparison - to compare economic phenomena in different time periods in order to identify a cause-and-effect relationship, to conduct a comparative analysis of the development of the food market; abstract and logical - when substantiating hypotheses regarding the production and consumption of agricultural products and food. Results. It has been proven that the practical implementation of conceptual approaches to the organizational and economic regulation of the food market is possible only under the condition of creating an appropriate system of strategic management and operational tactical adjustment of the implementation of the decisions made. This requires the creation of such an organizational and economic mechanism that will take into account the specifics of industries, the variability of factors that determine economic dynamics and market conditions, and will have the following main blocks: financial and economic, organizational and informational, personnel and legal.

МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ ОПЫТ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ КАЧЕСТВА ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ

The problem of the development of the national system of higher education is the subject of research by scientists from different countries. In Kazakhstan, increasing the competitiveness of Kazakhstani universities should be achieved through: implementation of international educational programs, academic exchanges with foreign partners; invitations to attract foreign specialists to teaching; establishment of branches of leading foreign universities. The key issue is to ensure the quality of higher education. This article examines the international experience of ensuring the quality of higher education within the framework of the Targeted Financing Program "Improving the competitiveness of universities in Kazakhstan through the reengineering of the national system of quality assurance of higher education" for 2022-2024. The program is connected with research conducted for more than 10 years in the field of improving the quality of education, introducing the parameters of the Bologna process into the system of higher education, scientific and methodological support of innovations. The main idea of the article is the modernization of the national system of quality assurance of higher education based on the best experience of foreign countries, since the further development of the country depends on the quality of higher education. The result of this study will be the substantiation of approaches to improving the holistic quality assurance system of higher education aimed at the final result –the training of a competitive specialist.

Применение информационных технологий для решения задач экспертной квалиметрии

To assess the significance of indicators that determine goods and services competi-tiveness is one of the most important tasks of expert qualimetry. In particular, this also refers to calculation of integral indicator of university competitiveness. The use of the hierarchy analysis method for expert evaluation of the priorities of particular indicators increases the calculation relevance of the university competitiveness level. The requirements for infor-mation technologies based on the hierarchy analysis method are formulated. It is shown that the use of Expert Decide system version 2.2 allows formalizing the survey of the experts group in the mode of the examination participants interaction and automating the pro-cessing of the expert judgments received, as well as solving various analytical tasks.

Design, Prototyping and Stratospheric Launch of CubeSats for University Competition

This work presents the design and prototyping of two 1U standard CubeSats for the First Brazilian MCTI Satellite Olympiad, launching one in a stratospheric helium-filled balloon. The nanosatellites were designed for two missions: Internet of Things connectivity in remote areas based on CubeSat (IoSat) and low-orbit harmful gamma radiation mapping (LOHGRM). The IoSat mission aimed to provide server connectivity for a remote sensor network. The LOHGRM CubeSat was designed for sensing and mapping gamma radiation power levels in the satellite’s orbit to construct a heat map to study the gamma radiation effect on the equipment. The prototype’s performance was evaluated based on physical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal, and transmission characterization, with satisfactory results under test conditions. The LOHGRM mission test was carried out on the ground as proof of concept without flying while a stratospheric balloon launched the IoSat prototype. Due to restrictions imposed by the competition, the IoSat nanosatellite only captured and registered altitude, pressure, and temperature data without testing the communication payload. Instead, this data was sent to the ground station through the competition communication system and stored in a memory card to assess its operation during the flying. The satellite’s maximum altitude was 22.6 km, operating under –23.5 °C.

Positions of the Russian universities in the world university rankings in 2022

Many states have been striving to ensure their universities’ presence in the global rankings which reflect not only the significance of universities but also the ‘international prestige of the country’ [11]. The reason for the popularization of global rankings in Russia was the globalization of the Russian system of higher education. Rankings present universities not only to applicants, students and the academic community, but also to potential employers - by informing about the quality of education, research activities, etc. Another significant parameter of global rankings is the ‘information openness’ of universities [11]. In addition, universities are fighting not only for applicants but also for additional funding, since education and science have become an element of the economic exchange [5]. The article considers the positions of the Russian higher education institutions in the world rankings in 2022. The relevance of the study is determined by the current trends in the university scientific research and by the political situation. The ranking system is based on the objective assessment by experts from different countries of the significant achievements of universities. Since the scientific research in Russian universities faces difficulties, the authors argue that global rankings have become a controversial means for assessing the competitiveness of Russian universities. The authors describe the dynamics of the positions of Russian universities in world rankings in 2022, the state of national rankings and the difficulties of scientific research based on the statistical and comparative approaches. The results of the study make a certain contribution to the theory of management and can contribute to the successful promotion of Russian scientific achievements and universities in the world community.

Development of mutual relations between agricultural universities and business structures based on trust as a tool for increasing competitiveness

The results of the domestic and foreign scientists research on the concepts of relationship marketing for the selection of partners, the formation of ong-term partnership relations and the optimization process of making managerial decisions of the enterprise, including taking into account the specifics of higher education services, are summarized. The conditions for using the theory of relationship marketing regarding the interaction of universities and business structures are determined. The theoretical aspects of the partnership relations formation of agricultural universities and business structures based on trust were systematized and practical recommendations regarding the organizational support of their development were substantiated. A system of methods was used: systematization, logical-structural, comparative and causal analysis of scientific literature, general scientific research methods, formalization of criteria, algorithmization, method of comparative analysis. It is substantiated that the marketing of mutual relations not only allows to increase the competitiveness of the university, but also has a positive effect on the effectiveness of other partners activities on the new coordination of all participants interests of the educational and scientific environment. The features of the trust concept, the stages of development and the main forms of interaction in the system of relations between higher education institutions and business are determined. It is proposed to take into account the influence of trust on the investment attractiveness of rural areas and regions, as well as on the development of smart-specialization and digitalization projects, the success of which is determined by the scale and strength of partnerships between agricultural universities and business structures. Organizational approaches to the expansion of partnership in educational, scientific-innovative and social areas of educational organizations activity are highlighted and stimulating factors of mutual relations are determined in order of importance. The components and elements of organizational support for the development of relations between agrarian universities and business structures are proposed and determined in order to increase competitiveness by building trusting relationships between participants. It has been proven that the implementation of these elements will contribute to the transition of mutual relations to a strategic partnership and, as a result, to the creation of positive prerequisites and conditions for increasing the competitiveness of agricultural universities. Factors that prevent and promote the development of interaction between universities and agribusiness are systematized, and the effects that participants receive from the partnership are highlighted. It was established that formal and informal institutions are used to achieve the goals and priorities of activities by the participants of the interaction in the organization of mutual relations. Amendments to strategic development documents, partnership programs, and organization of interaction participants activities are proposed. Key words: agribusiness, business structure, institution of higher agricultural education, competitiveness, concepts of relationship marketing, scientific and innovative services, employers, educational services.

Podwójny dyplom jako narzędzie podnoszenia jakości szkolnictwa wyższego

The article examines the issue of double diplomas in the context of improving the quality of education, using the example of Polish universities. It analyses the educational market of universities in Poland. The implementation of international double degree programs affects the formation of the innovative educational environment of the university and contributes to the development of students’ set of key competencies and the formation of human capital. The article describes the advantages and disadvantages of participating in double degree programs for students, faculty, and higher education, in general. It further shows the influence of the double diploma program on the quality of training of highly qualified specialists. The development and implementation of double degree educational programs in practice correspond to the general strategic interests of the development of Polish universities in the modern educational space from the point of view of improving the quality of education and scientific research, increasing the competitiveness of universities and generally comply with the main principles and provisions of the Bologna process. An algorithm for the implementation of double diploma programs has been developed, which will contribute to the internationalization of higher education, and its integration into the world educational space.

Solar Decathlon Europe 21/22 – experiences and findings

The Solar Decathlon is a competition for universities from all over the world to design, build and operate small experimental solar powered houses. Its first edition took place in the US in 2002. Since 2010 it is in practice in Europe with four competitions and 65 net zero or net energy plus houses build and tested in 10 disciplines (decathlon). The lecture provides an overview and initial experience and findings from the 22nd edition of the competition in Wuppertal, Germany. It represents a profiling on densification in the existing urban environmental, resource efficiency and carbon neutral energy supply towards climate neutrality.

서울지역 대학생 및 졸업생이 인식하는 전공선택 결정요인과 전공변경 의도 및 전공 만족과 전공몰입의 관계

Objectives This study analyzed the correlation between the decision factors of the first major Choice of university students and graduates and the intention to change major, and further verified the mediating effect of major satisfaction and major commitment in this process. Methods For this purpose, 299 copies were used for the final statistical analysis except 11 copies of the total 310 copies of the questionnaires, which were missing or repeated the same responses, and frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, correlation and multiple regression analysis, and mediating effect analysis were conducted using SPSS statistical analysis program. Results First, personal factors and future factors among the sub-factors of major choice decision factors had a significant positive effect on major satisfaction, major commitment, and major change intention. This means that as the factors of major choice decision are higher in personal factors or future factors, it can act as a positive psychological mechanism that lowers unnecessary and negative major change intentions. Second, major satisfaction and major commitment had a significant negative effect on major change intention. Third, among the sub-factors of major choice decision factors, major satisfaction and major commitment played a full mediating role between personal factors, future factors and major change intentions. The higher the degree of major satisfaction and commitment, which are parameters, the more it can be inferred that it is ultimately related to the effect of lowering the negative major change intention. Conclusions The implications of this study are as follows: First, it is possible to use the core variables necessary to increase the satisfaction and immersion level of the majors recognized by actual university students and graduates and to minimize the intention to change the majors, and to be used as basic data for effective majors, careers, and future design. Second, the necessity of attracting talented people due to the recent decrease in the number of college entrance age population and the necessity of establishing practical policies to improve the satisfaction and immersion of college students in order to enhance university competitiveness and economic efficiency.

대학의 역량기반 교육과정 성과관리 실태 조사 및 방향 탐색

Objectives This study investigated the status of the competency-based curriculum introduced and operated as a plan to strengthen university competitiveness. Based on this, we tried to present implications for the direction of performance management of the university's competency-based curriculum. Methods First, the characteristics of university performance management, competency-based curriculum design features, competency-based curriculum performance management evaluation model, and evaluation index theoretical model were derived through literature and comparative studies. Second, the status of competency- based curriculum performance management at University A was investigated and analyzed. Third, based on the actual status of competency-based curriculum performance management at domestic and foreign universities, expert interviews were conducted to derive the direction for university competency-based curriculum performance management. Results First, based on the CIPP model, evaluation indicators were designed according to the areas of situation evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation, and output evaluation. Second, it was found that more than half of the teachers at University A were generally satisfied with the competency-based curriculum quality management situation. As a result of the IPA analysis, the performance level was lower than the importance level in the previous stage of the CIPP model. Third, experts saw that it was necessary to collect opinions from school members in the situation evaluation, design a roadmap for the entire university curriculum, recruit capacity management personnel, and develop faculty's competency-based class design ability. Conclusions In order to increase teachers' interest in and implementation of competency-based curriculum in the future, it is necessary to provide support such as identifying teachers' needs, training teachers for new curriculum, and selecting and rewarding excellent classes.

We Are Not “Newly Appointed Staff”

In contemporary societies, corporate organisations’ discourses are progressively colonising the everyday practices of individuals or collectives in organisational settings. In Ghana, the government mobilizes state institutions’ technologies for colonising the everyday practices of staff and management of public university organisations. One of such state institutional technologies and practices is the state’s migration of university staff onto the government mechanized payroll. The question is, how do state institutions colonize and control the everyday management practices of public university organisations including employee socialization practices, and what are the ramifications? Data for this study include text in the form of letters and press releases realised from mediated interactions between government institutions and university management and workers’ unions, and talk realised from interview. The data is analysed in relation to the new public universities’ management discourse inspired by dialectical-relational approach to critical discourse studies. This study demonstrates that the discursive practices of the government institutions and the migration of the staff of SDD-UBIDS onto the government mechanized payroll, IPPD2 technology is a political strategy to control public universities. The ramifications are that such institutionalized practices curtail academic freedom and competitiveness of public universities locally and globally as employees’ competing discursive practices, contestations and enactments are ignored. The highlight of this article is that, generally, in preparing the new public university bill and implementing new public universities’ regulations in Ghana, the government and the management of public universities strategically align and go along. However, an inclusive and pluralistic discourse to shape public universities’ regulation and management in Ghana to ensure academic freedom, and a competitive national and global higher education is badly needed.

ПРОГРАМИ АКАДЕМІЧНОЇ МОБІЛЬНОСТІ ЯК МЕХАНІЗМ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ПРОЦЕСУ ІНТЕРНАЦІОНАЛІЗАЦІЇ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ ПОЛЬЩІ

The purpose of the article is to study academic mobility programs that are being implemented in Poland as a mechanism for implementing the internationalization process of higher education and allow to assess the level of the country's involvement in such events and to form further prospects for development in this direction. Author noted that the most important impetus for the development of the internationalization of higher education in the European Union as a whole and in Poland was the Bologna process. Special attention is focused on the fact that the country is an active participant in it, which allows, against the background of preserving the best traditions of the national higher education system, to increase the competitiveness of universities, to join the unified educational space. The importance of academic mobility programs as a mechanism for implementing internationalization processes has been proven. The level of academic mobility development in Poland is analysed. The main trends in the implementation of these processes in institutions of higher education were studied. Approaches have been established that provide the opportunity to achieve diversity in models, priorities, and geography, going beyond the boundaries of the European community. A set of tasks aimed at the academic mobility development in the country and measures implemented to intensify the use of programs in this area have been defined. We argue that academic mobility programs implemented in the country are divided into international (pan-European), those offered at the national level and universities. The characteristic features of several such initiatives, their direction and conditions are analysed. The variety of offers in both Polish and English languages is emphasized, which contributes to attracting the attention of both students and teaching staff from different countries. Attention is focused on certain types of financial support and assistance, which are provided in the form of various scholarships and grants. The need for systematic activity in the direction of the development of academic mobility programs was noted. A set of measures has been formed, which should be implemented at different levels of management (national and university) and aimed at increasing the efficiency and intensification of these processes in Poland. Key words: academic mobility, academic mobility programs, higher education, quality of education, educational space, higher education institution, internationalization of higher education, integration processes.

Doing well by doing good: why is investing in university social responsibility a good business for higher education institutions cross culturally?

PurposeThis paper aims to corroborate the importance of university social responsibility (USR) for universities and to establish a rationale for their investment in a strategically implement socially responsible initiatives and programmes and gain returns from such investments. This purpose can be achieved by examining a complex conceptual model connecting USR with many desired student-related outcomes that leverage the university's competitiveness, long sustainability and contribution to the triple bottom line – “people, planet, and profit”.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a cross-country comparative study using quantitative techniques. Their analysis was guided by a holistic conceptual model constructed and experimentally evaluated using obtained primary data. The robustness of the suggested model was evaluated using structural equation modelling with partial least squares.FindingsThe findings validate the hypothesized associations and indicate that adopting USR initiatives increases student satisfaction and alumni loyalty through student-university identification, perceived university image, and service quality. In addition, the cross-country analysis finds no variation in the strength of the connections owing to cultural variations, except for the association between service quality and institution image.Practical implicationsIncorporating USR at the centre of university's strategy not only complements its teaching and research goals but also answers the requirements and expectations of stakeholders, increases competitiveness and assures sustainable performance.Originality/valueThis cross-cultural USR study uses a mix of methods to show that, even though USR is important, until now, its importance has been overlooked.

Coaching efficacy and coaching effectiveness in predicting athlete satisfaction: A self-other agreement framework

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between coaching efficacy (i.e. coaches’ efficacy beliefs) regarding their competence, coaching effectiveness (i.e. athlete's perception regarding their coaches’ efficacy), and the athletes’ level of satisfaction with their sport experience. As both coaches and athletes can have different evaluations of coaches’ abilities, the different perspectives of coaches and athletes can reveal the dynamics within a coach–athlete dyad. We used 380 competitive college basketball coach–player dyads to determine the differences between coaching efficacy and coaching effectiveness. Drawing on the theoretical argument from the self-other agreement framework and self-enhancement bias, we hypothesize that coaching efficacy (i.e. measured from coaches) is higher than coaching effectiveness (i.e. measured from athletes) and that coaching effectiveness can better predict athlete satisfaction than coaching efficacy. We analyze our data using Welch t-test, random coefficient modeling, and polynomial regression with response surface methodology to test our hypotheses. Our results support our hypotheses such that coaching efficacy is significantly higher than coaching effectiveness and that other-ratings have a better predictive validity for athlete satisfaction, as self-ratings (coach's efficacy belief) could be inflated by self-enhancement. Our findings on athletes’ perceptions highlight the importance of athlete-centric coaching mechanisms.

The part-time assistant professor in the Spanish university from an autoethnographic approach

The figure of the part-time assistant professor has been gaining presence in Spanish uni-versities since its inception in the 1980s, especially since 2010 with the economic crisis and the reduction in the replacement rate of university professors. Despite the growing rele-vance within the university faculty, the controversy that the use of this figure has generated, and the problems faced by this group of professors in their performance, there is a shortage of publications focused on questioning its role, how this figure is used and how its perfor-mance can be smoothed and favored. To contribute in this direction, and with the purpose of encouraging better management of this figure from the perspective of human resources and the quality of the service offered, this article addresses the use and improvement of the benefits of the part-time assistant professor in the Spanish university from a collaborative autoethnographic approach. In this sense, a series of aspects are identified and proposed to improve the framework and conditions in which part-time assistant professors carry out their activity, as well as their competences and attributions, in order to promote reflection and debate among teachers, scholars, government bodies and other actors with the ability to influence their performance according to the goals for which this figure was actually conceived, which ultimately would result in greater self-realization and personal satisfac-tion of these professors, and contribute to educational excellence, as well as a better quali-ty of service and superior competitiveness of universities.

College competitiveness and medical school exam performance

BackgroundIn medical school, students are tested through periodic USMLE Step 1 and 2 examinations before obtaining a medical license. Traditional predictors of medical school performance include MCAT scores, undergraduate grades, and undergraduate institutional selectivity. Prior studies indicate that admissions committees might unfairly discriminate against applicants who graduated from less competitive universities. However, there is limited literature to determine whether those who attended competitive colleges perform better on USMLE Step 1 and 2 examinations.ObjectiveThe purpose of our study is to determine if students who attended competitive undergraduate colleges outperform those who did not on medical school benchmarks.MethodsWe defined a Competitive College as having greater than 10% of its student body scoring 1400 or higher (on a 1600 scale) on the SAT. If this criteria was not met, colleges would be categorized as Non-Competitive. Descriptive statistics and unpaired t-tests were calculated to analyze average test scores on the MCAT, Phase 1 NBME, USMLE Step 1, Phase 2 NBME, and USMLE Step 2.ResultsOur findings suggest there are no statistically significant differences between students who do or do not attend competitive undergraduate colleges on these medical school benchmark examinations following the MCAT.ConclusionAdmissions committees should use this data to aid in their student selection as our research indicates that institutional selectivity accurately predicts MCAT scores, but not performance on standardized medical school examinations once admitted.

A comparative study of trait anxiety between female weightlifters and powerlifters

The aim of the study was to compare and wanted to see the sports competition anxiety between weightlifting and powerlifting. Sixty-eight female weightlifters and powerlifters (4 from each body weight category) who had participated in weightlifting and Powerlifting All India Inter University competition were selected as subject for the study. The participants were between the ages of 18 to 25. The Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) questionnaire designed by Martin (1990) was employed in this study. According to the literature review and researchers knowledge it was hypothesized that there might be significant difference between female weightlifters and powerlifters. For the analysis of the data independent‘t’ test was applied. The significant difference threshold was chosen at 0.05. There was no substantial difference between weightlifters and power lifters, according to the study's findings.