Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights [Scholarly Article - Environment, Development and Sustainability, January 2023]

Title:

Digital transformation towards sustainability in higher education: state-of-the-art and future research insights

 

Authors:

Laís Viera Trevisan, João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio, Bárbara Galleli Dias, Walter Leal Filho & Eugênio Ávila Pedrozo

 

Published:

Environment, Development and Sustainability, 5 January 2023

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10668-022-02874-7

Abstract:

The technological revolution has contributed to environmental and social issues around the world. However, in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) – key stakeholders for sustainable development - there is a theoretical gap regarding systematic reviews on the topic. In order to address this need, this study explores how digital transformation (DT) can contribute to sustainability in HEIs by identifying the general state of the art, the theoretical perspectives in the field, and future research insights. A multi-methods approach was adopted, which consisted of a quantitative bibliometric review and a qualitative content analysis. Consistent with this approach, the Scopus database was used for the bibliometric analysis of 672 publications, which was conducted with the support of VOSviewer software. Subsequently, a content analysis of 72 publications was carried out using the software ATLAS.ti and Zotero. The findings suggest three areas of current research: ensuring sustainability competencies through DT, smart and sustainable campus approaches, and theorisation of sustainability in higher education through DT. The theoretical perspectives of the field were divided and discussed into seven main clusters. Lastly, five research lines for further studies on DT towards sustainability were identified. This study has both theoretical and practical implications since it may be the first literature review on this subject, providing theoretical insights to the academic community, guiding sustainability and digital practices in HEIs - through the identification of tools, approaches, and strategies - and then supporting the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Controversial Religious Issues for Improving Students Critical Thinking Skill in Higher Education [Scholarly Article - International Journal of Instruction, January 2023]

Title:

Controversial Religious Issues for Improving Students Critical Thinking Skills in Higher Education

Authors:

Imam Muslimin

Assoc. Prof., Education Management, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Indonesian

&

Munirul Abidin

Prof., Education Management, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, Indonesian

Published:

International Journal of Instruction, Volume 16, Number 1, January 2023

https://www.e-iji.net/dosyalar/iji_2023_1_7.pdf

Abstract:

This study investigates whether the application of controversial religious issues in learning impacts increasing students' critical thinking skills. The research conducted quasi-experimental research with a nonequivalent group design. The study applied to students in Malang Islamic University's third-seventh semester. Instruments for collecting the data are in the form of tests, and questionnaires are arranged in multiple-choice and essays conducted before and after treatment. Hypotheses were tested using two-way ANOVA in SPSS 20 version. This study found that implementing controversial religious issues in learning positively improved student critical thinking skills. However, differences in gender and semester groups do not affect differences in student achievement. The study implies that lecturers may apply the controversial religious issues method to students in higher education in any group of gender and semester. Mentally, higher education students are ready to discuss controversial religious issues that will affect students' critical thinking skills and student achievement.

 

Fourth industrial revolution—a review of applications, prospects, and challenges for artificial intelligence, robotics and blockchain in higher education [Scholarly Article - RPTEL, 2022]

Title:

Fourth industrial revolution—a review of applications, prospects, and challenges for artificial intelligence, robotics and blockchain in higher education

 

Author:

Chaka Chaka

 

Published:

Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 30 August 2022

https://rptel.apsce.net/index.php/RPTEL/article/view/2023-18002

 

Abstract:

Much has been written about the fourth industrial revolution’s (4IR) contributions to and its impact on higher education (HE). In addition, review studies have been conducted on the contributions of 4IR technologies to and on their impact on HE. Most of these studies have reviewed single 4IR technologies in isolation as attested to by the review studies cited in the current study. Against this backdrop, the current study reviewed, discussed, and synthesized the applications, prospects, and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and blockchain at given higher education institutions (HEIs) between 2013 and 2019 as reported by 26 selected journal articles. Employing a slightly modified version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for searching and screening, three of the findings of this study are worth mentioning. Firstly, the dominant AI technologies for learning are chatbots, and AI holds the prospect of personalized, scalable, and affordable learning. Secondly, the applications of robotics are exploratory in nature, and have a meta-teaching and a meta-learning orientation. Thirdly, some of the applications of blockchain relate to digital grading, digital credentialing and digital certification, and to real-time contracting and time stamping of learning. The implications of this review are that the three sets of technologies reviewed, have a lot applications for HE, barring the challenges that have been outlined.

 

The future of standardised assessment: Validity and trust in algorithms for assessment and scoring [Scholarly Article - European Journal of Education, January 2023]

Title: 

The future of standardised assessment: Validity and trust in algorithms for assessment and scoring

Author:

Cesare Aloisi

Published:

European Journal of Education, 17 January 2023

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejed.12542

Abstract:

This article considers the challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to assist high-stakes standardised assessment. It focuses on the detrimental effect that even state-of-the-art AI and ML systems could have on the validity of national exams of secondary education, and how lower validity would negatively affect trust in the system. To reach this conclusion, three unresolved issues in AI (unreliability, low explainability and bias) are addressed, to show how each of them would compromise the interpretations and uses of exam results (i.e., exam validity). Furthermore, the article relates validity to trust, and specifically to the ABI+ model of trust. Evidence gathered as part of exam validation supports each of the four trust-enabling components of the ABI+ model (ability, benevolence, integrity and predictability). It is argued, therefore, that the three AI barriers to exam validity limit the extent to which an AI-assisted exam system could be trusted. The article suggests that addressing the issues of AI unreliability, low explainability and bias should be sufficient to put AI-assisted exams on par with traditional ones, but might not go as far as fully reassure the public. To achieve this, it is argued that changes to the quality assurance mechanisms of the exam system will be required. This may involve, for example, integrating principled AI frameworks in assessment policy and regulation.

 

Student Dataset from Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico to Predict Dropout in Higher Education [Scholarly Article - Data, August 2022]

Title:

Student Dataset from Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico to Predict Dropout in Higher Education

 

Authors:

Joanna Alvarado-Uribe, Paola Mejía-Almada, Ana Luisa Masetto Herrera, Roland Molontay, Isabel Hilliger, Vinayak Hegde, José Enrique Montemayor Gallegos, Renato Armando Ramírez Díaz & Hector G. Ceballos

 

Published:

Data, 7(9), 25 August 2022

https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5729/7/9/119

Abstract:

High dropout rates and delayed completion in higher education are associated with considerable personal and social costs. In Latin America, 50% of students drop out, and only 50% of the remaining ones graduate on time. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify students at risk and understand the main factors of dropping out. Together with the emergence of efficient computational methods, the rich data accumulated in educational administrative systems have opened novel approaches to promote student persistence. In order to support research related to preventing student dropout, a dataset has been gathered and curated from Tecnologico de Monterrey students, consisting of 50 variables and 143,326 records. The dataset contains non-identifiable information of 121,584 High School and Undergraduate students belonging to the seven admission cohorts from August–December 2014 to 2020, covering two educational models. The variables included in this dataset consider factors mentioned in the literature, such as sociodemographic and academic information related to the student, as well as institution-specific variables, such as student life. This dataset provides researchers with the opportunity to test different types of models for dropout prediction, so as to inform timely interventions to support at-risk students.

 

Academics in eastern Europe warn of risks to academic freedom [Science Business, September 2022]

Title:

Academics in eastern Europe warn of risks to academic freedom

 

Author:

Anna Rzhevkina

 

Published:

Science Business, 7 September 2022

https://sciencebusiness.net/widening/news/academics-eastern-europe-warn-risks-academic-freedom

 

From the article:

Hungarian and Polish academics raise concerns over academic freedom, as governments further tighten controls over universities and research institutes.

 

The impact of open access on knowledge production, consumption and dissemination in Kenya’s higher education system [Scholarly Article - Third World Quarterly, 2022]

Title:

The impact of open access on knowledge production, consumption and dissemination in Kenya’s higher education system

 

Author:

David Mwambaria 

African Leadership Centre, Global Affairs, King’s College London, UK

 

Published:

Third World Quarterly, Volume 43, Issue, 19 May 2022

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01436597.2022.2056010

 

Abstract:

Open access (OA) journal publishing is presented in the literature as both an opportunity for and a threat to academics, authors and higher education systems. Institutions with information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure have enabled their academics to freely retrieve accessible content in various disciplines, which in turn increases the rate and quality of publications from these institutions. Using semi-structured interviews with Kenyan faculty, students and librarians and with Kenyan and non-Kenyan publishers, as well as secondary sources, this article examines perspectives often overlooked in this debate. The paper concludes that while OA is considered an important initiative that could enhance knowledge production and consumption in Kenya, it nevertheless presents its own challenges, which should not be overlooked. OA is not a simple solution to individual and institutional challenges or systemic epistemic injustices, which lead to poor-quality knowledge circulating via some OA platforms and have the potential to dampen the global competitiveness of knowledge produced in Kenya and other countries in the Global South.

 

Promoting sustainable development goals: Role of higher education institutions in climate and disaster management in Zimbabwe [Scholarly Article - Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 2022]

Title:

Promoting sustainable development goals: Role of higher education institutions in climate and disaster management in Zimbabwe 

 

Authors:

Munyaradzi A. Dzvimbo, Tinashe M. Mashizha, Kelvin Zhanda, Albert Mawonde

 

Published:

Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 29 June 2022

https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/1206/2349

 

Abstract:

This article seeks to explore the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in climate change adaptation and disaster risk management (DRM). The study is based on the qualitative desk review, thematic and document analysis and uses the theory of change to facilitate a road map for HEIs in strengthening professional human development, policy consistency in dealing with climate-induced natural disasters (CINDs) research and policies. Academic journals covering the role of HEIs in climate and disaster management in Zimbabwe were selected on google scholar. Reviewed documents include universities’ curriculum documents, government disaster policy documents and other related disaster management policy protocols. The article’s findings reflect that HEIs in Zimbabwe have been engaged in climate change education and DRM as the country and the region are prone to threats posed by extreme weather events in the form of tropical cyclones and extreme droughts. The article concludes that HEIs core mission that includes public engagement to advance achieving sustainable development goals in Zimbabwe is growing at a steady pace to find ways to avert the impact of climate change and put strategies in place to respond to disaster to minimise social, environmental and economic losses posed by disasters. Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) is enhancing people’s resilience in Chadereka village in Muzarabani through disaster preparedness training. National University of Science Technology (NUST) is also training communities on disaster concepts, disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response. 

 

The role of institutional practice, non-educational actors and social networks in shaping refugee student lifeworlds in Ugandan higher education [Scholarly Article - Transformation in Higher Education, 2022]

Title:

The role of institutional practice, non-educational actors and social networks in shaping refugee student lifeworlds in Ugandan higher education

 

Authors:

Rovincer Najjuma, Department of Foundations and Curriculum Studies, College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 

Michael Gallagher, Centre for Research in Digital Education, Moray House School of Education and Sport, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom 

&

Rebecca Nambi, Department of Foundations and Curriculum Studies, College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

 

Published:

Transformation in Higher Education, 26 July 2022

https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/184

 

Abstract:

Background: Participation in higher education can be empowering for refugees, yet this participation is contingent on a range of structures, practices and policies, many of which are not readily accessible.  

 

Aim: Informed by Habermas’ lifeworlds, this study examined higher education meso-level institutional practices and how non-higher education actors support access and participation of refugee students.  

 

Setting: This research was conducted with (1) refugee students in three private universities and one public university representing several regions in Uganda, (2) administrative staff from these same universities and (3) staff from non-higher education support organisations that help navigate universities for refugee students.  

 

Methods: Data were generated through desk research identifying policy language, a survey and 25 semi-structured interviews with students and staff at universities and staff at support organisations.  

 

Results: Institutional policy homogeneously frames refugee students as international students, which in turn has a cascading impact on the lifeworlds of these students. The first theme includes university policies and administrative practices which structure the lifeworlds of these students. The second is the role of non-higher education supporting organisations that focus on refugee support and education. The third theme describes how non-academic structures, such as clubs and social networks designed to meet the students’ social welfare, are contingent in structuring the lifeworlds of these students.  

 

Conclusion: These themes interoperate and have a structuring effect on the lifeworlds of these students. The cascading impact of classifying refugee students as international students deserves further scrutiny, particularly in its impact on institutional and individual student patterns of participation.

 

Social Inequality in Dropout from Higher Education in Germany. Towards Combining the Student Integration Model and Rational Choice Theory [Scholarly Article - Research in Higher Education, June 2022]

Title:

Social Inequality in Dropout from Higher Education in Germany. Towards Combining the Student Integration Model and Rational Choice Theory

 

Authors:

Lars Müller & Daniel Klein

 

Published:

Research in Higher Education, 30 June 2022

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11162-022-09703-w

 

Abstract:

Students from a lower socioeconomic background have a higher risk of dropping out of higher education. The underlying mechanisms of this association between socioeconomic background and higher education dropout are not well understood. Previous research in higher education has followed Tinto’s model of academic and social integration to explain dropout but has largely neglected social inequality therein. In contrast, social stratification research draws on rational choice theory to explain social inequality in educational attainment but has rarely been applied to explain dropout from higher education. In our paper, we combine these two strands of research. Utilizing data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we draw on a largescale, representative sample of students in Germany to quantify the relative contribution of each theoretical approach for explaining social inequality in dropout from higher education. Binary logistic regression models reveal that both students’ integration and costs-benefit considerations are associated with their dropout risk net of each other. While academic and social integration appears to better predict dropout, rational choice theory accounts for a larger proportion of social inequality therein. We conclude that combining Tinto’s model and rational choice theory provides a more comprehensive perspective of dropouts from higher education and social inequality therein.

Holistic Admissions in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review [Scholarly Article - Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, August 2022]

Title:

Holistic Admissions in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review

 

Authors:

Jolene M. Maude, Memorial University Of Newfoundland

&

Dale Kirby, Memorial University Of Newfoundland 

 

Published:

Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 11 August 2022

https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JHETP/article/view/5317

 

Abstract:

Rich learning environments that celebrate differences and prepare students for today’s global society are cultivated when a diverse student population is actively sought. By evaluating students on factors beyond grades and standardized tests using holistic admission processes, institutions can admit a more diverse student body and enhance students’ experiences. This paper explores the academic literature on holistic admission, the intricacies of the approach, and the impact these alternative evaluation practices have on campus diversity. This review gives a snapshot of the history of holistic admission, outlines the approach, and provides examples of the impact holistic admission practices have on student diversity.

 

CHILE - Green buildings in Chilean public higher education: a trend or a must-have in university strategic guidelines? [Scholarly Article - International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, July 2022]

Title:

Green buildings in Chilean public higher education: a trend or a must-have in university strategic guidelines?

 

Authors:

Claudia Mac-lean, GAIA Antarctic Research Centre, University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile

Pablo Núñez-Cárdenas, Horticulture & Floriculture Centre, Institute of Patagonia, University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile

Bárbara Rodríguez, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

&

Cristian Aldea, GAIA Antarctic Research Centre, University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile; Department of Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile

 

Published:

International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 3 July 2022

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504509.2022.2095452?journalCode=tsdw20

 

Abstract:

Green buildings have gained increasing relevance and market share in recent decades. Also, higher education institutions are progressively incorporating the conceptualisation of sustainable development by greening campuses. Thus, given the construction sector relevance in climate change mitigation and the role universities have to play as models for society, the purpose of the present paper is twofold. First, the authors develop a baseline study to determine the extent to which green buildings’ features and certifications are being incorporated in public Chilean higher education institutions, as a first of its kind effort in the higher education sector in Chile. Second, the authors explore the opportunities that can support the advancement of campus greening through green buildings deployment on university campuses in Chile. This study follows a qualitative strategy approach in the form of a survey design based on the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking that was administered through an online questionnaire to representatives who hold the position of Sustainability or Infrastructure Heads in public universities, which are united in the Chilean State Universities Consortium. The main findings suggest a general maturation process of green building features´ incorporation on campuses at Chilean public higher education institutions in early or transitional stages. The leading indicators relate to open space, pedestrian paths, and efficient appliances, whereas the reported performance is lower with respect to sustainability budget, zero emission vehicles, and greenhouse gas emission reduction programmes. The opportunities identified for promoting the implementation of green buildings relate to three entrenched dimensions: research, promotion, and public policy.

Supporting thinking about thinking: examining the metacognition theory-practice gap in higher education [Scholarly Article - Higher Education, 2022]

Title:

Supporting thinking about thinking: examining the metacognition theory-practice gap in higher education

Authors:

Jayne L. Dennis 

Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

& 

Matthew P. Somerville

University College London, London, UK

Published:

Higher Education, 30 July 2022

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-022-00904-x

Abstract:

Metacognition is the knowledge and regulation of one’s cognition and has been associated with academic performance across all levels of education, including higher education (HE). Previously, a gap has been reported between extensive metacognition research and elaboration of theory versus minimal inclusion of metacognition in teaching practice in primary and secondary education. The present study investigated whether this theory-practice gap extends to HE. Furthermore, we took a novel approach to evaluating academics’ broad and implicit inclusion of metacognitive supportive practices (MSPs) in their teaching practice. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to evaluate awareness of metacognition and inclusion of 16 MSPs in undergraduate teaching among 72 academics in scientific disciplines at a UK research-intensive university. We found that a minority of academics (27/72, 37.5%) were familiar with metacognition and, of those who were, they typically emphasised knowledge of cognition, rather than regulation of cognition. Nonetheless, all respondents incorporated at least two MSPs in their teaching, although typically in a limited fashion, emphasising knowledge and understanding of discipline content rather than cognitive regulation. Compared to academics without a teaching qualification, respondents holding or working towards a teaching qualification used significantly more MSPs, earlier in their career, and used significantly more MSPs aligned with regulation of cognition. This study demonstrates that the metacognition theory-practice gap extends to HE and highlights the scope for staff development programmes to better support students’ metacognitive development relevant for their studies and post-graduation careers.

 

Higher Education in India in the Time of Pandemic, Sans a Learning Management System [Scholarly Article - AERA Open, 2022]

Title:

Higher Education in India in the Time of Pandemic, Sans a Learning Management System

 

Authors:

Sudipta Roy, University of St. Francis

&

Shannon Brown, University of St. Francis

 

Published:

AERA Open, 10 Jenuary 2022

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23328584211069527

 

Abstract:

Higher education in India was caught completely unawares by the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessitated closure of educational institutions. Despite almost a decade of experience with online and distance learning at some top-tier and private institutions, the vast majority were unprepared and looked for quick solutions for different components of teaching–learning depending on the need of the hour. The immediate tool sought was a videoconferencing platform to substitute in-class lectures. With no access to a learning management system, faculty chose one platform for videoconferencing, one for interaction with students, and another for uploading class notes. Disparity in students’ access to devices and the internet presented challenges. Assessment of learning, which hitherto was largely pen and paper based, was delayed for lack of a viable solution. Experiences documented in this study demonstrate faculty resilience, but lack of institutional leadership and preparedness is starkly evident.

COVID Crisis, Culture Wars and Australian Higher Education [Scholarly Article - Higher Education Policy, March 2022]

Title:

COVID Crisis, Culture Wars and Australian Higher Education

 

Author:

Anthony Welch

University of Sydney, Australia

 

Published:

Higher Education Policy, 15 March 2022

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41307-022-00265-1

 

Abstract:

The COVID pandemic has had dramatic effects on higher education worldwide, but the impact has been very uneven. The gap between rich and poor has widened further, aid to education has been cut, and abrupt changes introduced to pedagogy, international student and staff mobility, research laboratories, and institutional bottom lines. Anglophone systems with a high dependence on international students (Australia, Canada, UK, New Zealand) have been particularly affected. In Australia, the fact that the COVID crisis occurred in the context of rivalrous US–China relations influenced how the pandemic was understood and its effects, including in higher education. But the specific context was also influential, including lingering tensions between Australia’s geography and history. A further complication was that higher education had become overly dependent on international student fee income, with higher education becoming Australia’s largest service-sector export. It is argued that the longstanding underfunding of the higher education system, the abrupt closing of international borders, and the impact to the rising US–China Culture War have combined to produce major effects on the higher education system, the results of which will continue for some time.

Acceptance of Serious Games to Develop Digital Competencies in Higher Education Professors [Scholarly Article - EJEL, April 2022]

Title:

Acceptance of Serious Games to Develop Digital Competencies in Higher Education Professors

 

Authors:

Dr. Juan Carlos Sandí-Delgado

Professor and Researcher at School of Computer Science, Recinto de Guápiles - Sede del Atlántico, University of Costa Rica, Limón, Costa Rica

 

Dra. Cecilia Sanz

Professor and Researcher at Institute of Research at Computer Science III-LIDI, School of Computer Science, National University of La Plata, Associate Researcher of CIC, La Plata, Argentina

&

Mag. Edith Lovos 

Professor and Researcher at School of Computer Science, Sede Atlántica - National University of Río Negro, Río Negro, Argentina

 

Published:

The Electronic Journal of e-Learning (EJEL), 21 April 2022

https://academic-publishing.org/index.php/ejel/article/view/2181

 

Abstract:

Serious games are the focus of the current research agenda. They show promise for allowing students to learn and practice skills. In fewer studies, they are used for the development of academic competencies. Therefore, it is of interest to deepen the research on the benefits of serious games in academic education and training. This article presents a study using serious games aimed at higher education academics’ training for the development of digital competencies. The study was carried out with 56 academics, using the serious game called AstroCódigo. The study analyzed the level of acceptance of serious games using the TAM model and what factors the academics believe affect this acceptance. It is important to know possible barriers that affect the development of actions oriented to the formation of academic competencies through serious games, which can also affect the adoption of games as a resource for teaching situations. None of prior studies have focused on analyzing the technological acceptance of serious games used for the development of academic competencies. The results of this research indicate that participants believe that using serious games can be beneficial to drive digital competencies. However, there are aspects such as the highest academic qualification, work experience, professional development, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and fear of change associated with age rank which can play a negative role in the use and acceptance of digital technologies by academics, particularly serious games. These results may be a clue to the barriers linked to the fact that most of the participants in this study do not use serious games in their classes or for their digital skills training. Additionally, the possibility to try and fail and the increased level of challenges proposed in the serious games, related to enjoyment, were valued by academics, during the sessions with AstroCódigo. These findings open the door to organize strategies for academic training in digital competencies within higher education institutions. They can also impact the design decisions of new serious games.

Would you Bribe your Lecturer? A Quasi-experimental Study on Burnout and Bribery in Higher Education [Scholarly Article - Research in Higher Education, December 2021]

Title:

Would you Bribe your Lecturer? A Quasi-experimental Study on Burnout and Bribery in Higher Education

 

Authors:

Kristina S. Weißmüller, KPM Center for Public Management, Universität Bern, Bern, Switzerland 

& 

Lode De Waele, Department of Organization Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands and Research Group on Politics and Public Governance, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium 

 

Published:

Research in Higher Education, 2 December 2021

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11162-021-09669-1

 

Abstract:

Bribery is a complex and critical issue in higher education (HE), causing severe economic and societal harm. Traditionally, most scholarship on HE corruption has focused on institutional factors in developing countries and insights into the psychological and motivational factors that drive HE bribery on the micro-level mechanisms are virtually non-existent. To close this research gap, this study investigates the connection between study-related burnout and university students’ willingness to offer bribes to their lecturers to pass important exams. Conducting a vignette-based quasi-experimental replication study with 624 university students in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands we find that university students in three countries differentiate sharply between different shades of bribery and that a majority accept using emotional influence tactics to pass (failed) exams. In contrast, offering a helping hand or money (i.e., darker shades of bribery) to their lecturer was less acceptable. Study-related burnout is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in these darker shades of bribery and students’ commitment to the public interest is but a weak factor in preventing unethical behavior. In summary, this study provides solid empirical evidence that university students are likely to use emotional influence tactics violating both the ethical codes of conduct and the formalized bureaucratic procedures of HE examination, particularly if they suffer from study-related burnout. However, the accelerating effect of burnout on bribery is conditional in that it only holds for darker shades of bribery. HE institutions may benefit from implementing the four-eye principle and from launching awareness campaigns that enable lecturers to better recognize these tactics and engage students in creating a transparent environment for testing, grading, and collaboration that is resistant to bribery.

Course offered by University of Michigan (via Coursera): Leading for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

Title of course: 

Leading for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

 

Offered by:

University of Michigan via Coursera 

 

From the description of the course:

"This course is open to professionals interested in learning more about leadership in higher education for a changing demographic or interested in developing their own leadership skills." 

 

Level:

Intermediate 

 

Duration: 

Approximately 17 hours to complete 

 

Cost: 

Enroll for free 

 

For more information:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/leading-for-equity-diversity-inclusion

Social Selectivity in Higher Education: A Case Study of Canada and the Czech Republic [Scholarly Article - AJER, 2022]

Title:

Social Selectivity in Higher Education: A Case Study of Canada and the Czech Republic

 

Authors:

Sean Hellingman, Wilfrid Laurier University 

Petr Mazouch, Prague University of Economics and Business 

Kristýna Vltavská,Prague University of Economics and Business 

&

Samuel Ryckenberg,Prague University of Economics and Business

 

Published:

Alberta Journal of Educational Research (AJER), Volume 68, Number 1, 10 March 2022

https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/70372

 

Abstract:

This work examines the choices of individuals with respect to higher education in the Czech Republic and Canada. Specifically, how do the students’ socioeconomic backgrounds influence their study decisions. Data from the Czech edition of The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey and the Canadian Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics was used to identify influences of students’ entry to university. Individuals from households with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to enter university than people who were less well off in both countries. Social selectivity is much more present in higher education in the Czech Republic than in Canada.

 

Digital literacy: a review in the South Pacific [Scholarly Article - Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 2022]

Title:

Digital literacy: a review in the South Pacific

 

Authors:

Pritika Reddy, Bibhya Sharma & Kaylash Chaudhary 

 

Published:

Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 34, 83-108 (11 May 2022)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12528-021-09280-4

 

Abstract:

In this era of exponential prominence and adoption of technology, one needs to have the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share and create ideas, responsibly and ethically, using Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools and technologies combined with the Internet. This emerging human attribute is known as digital literacy. Today, digital literacy is an essential component of everyone's personal and professional lives to survive and thrive in the digital world. The notion of advocating digital literacy around the world is leveraged on the shoulders of higher education institutes. The institutes are playing a pivotal role in mentoring the younger generation to be digitally literate so that they can contribute effectively towards an individual, societal and national development and progression. This same now applies to the South Pacific region as well, with its recent progressive growth of ICT and the dynamic use of digital technology. It can also be added that digital literacy and, by extension, digital fluency is more needed in developing countries, including the South Pacific region, as these countries rely heavily on ICTs for their economic survival, competition and progression. However, there is a dearth of baseline research on digital literacy in the South Pacific since the concept is still new and an emerging one in the region. A few works have been done on the components of digital literacy highlighted in this integrative literature review paper. The anecdotal research will elaborate on the concept of digital literacy, discuss its importance and impacts with major emphasis on the South Pacific, and provide a comprehensive review of digital literacy, its importance and its impact on higher education in the South Pacific.