EMI-cum-acceleration policy in the contemporary transnational HE market

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-228
Author(s):  
Osman Z. Barnawi
Keyword(s):  
Social Mobility ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Double Bind ◽  
Economic Competition ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Structural Forces ◽  
The University

Abstract Conceptualizing EMI-cum-acceleration policy in a transnational HE market as the regulation and institutionalization of language practices through a chronometrical approach to time for the sake of global economic competition and social mobility, this qualitative case study explores the experiences and enactments of such a policy by six engineering students at Manar University (a pseudonym) in Saudi Arabia. The data were gathered from analysis of policy documents, individual interviews, and a group interview. The findings reveal that the ways in which each student negotiates, resists, and desires such a policy suggest that an individual has some temporal resources and autonomy to make sense of “the acceleration experience” within the broader “structural forces of acceleration” (Vostal, 2016, p. 117) created at the university. It was also found that students are positioned in a double-bind-between the capitalist logic of accumulation and competition (speed), and the democratic value of equity in the EMI program.

scholarly journals A qualitative case study of graduate assistantship experiences at the University of Central Missouri

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shellie R. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Goal Attainment ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Thick Description ◽  
Graduate Assistants ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The University

This qualitative case study was designed to investigate graduate assistantships at the University of Central Missouri (UCM). Specifically, the researcher sought to understand how assistantships prepare graduate students for real world practices, provide a place to perfect their leaned skills, and assist with professional goal attainment. Participants of this study included current graduate assistants, previous graduate assistants, university leadership, and supervisors of graduate assistants. The conceptual framework of this research study incorporated Kolb's (1984), Experiential Learning Theory. This theory was chosen because it gives credibility to the concept that graduate assistantships can enrich learning and professional development (Johns, 2001; Kolb, 1984). Data collection for this study consisted of individual interviews, a focus group and an online survey. Furthermore, data validity and reliability were enriched through strategies such as triangulation, adequate engagement in collection of data, member checking, and rich thick description (Creswell, 2014; Merriam and Tisdell, 2016; Seidman, 2013). Analysis of the data revealed topics such as professional development effectiveness, opportunities and experience, and the organizational value of graduate assistantships. This information provides concrete evidence pertaining to the benefits and value of graduate assistantships at UCM.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Stakeholder Awareness: A Case Study of a Scottish University

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4186
Author(s):  
Abdulhakeem Raji ◽  
Abeer Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Theory ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Voluntary Exercise ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

This paper adopted a case study approach to investigate the sustainability practices of a Scottish university in order to understand if sustainability forms part of its central policy agenda. As such, the paper focuses on the levels of awareness and disclosure of their sustainable practices, measuring the impacts and effectiveness of those initiatives. This paper introduces signaling theory to explore the idea that appropriate communication via integrated thinking can close the gap between the organization and its stakeholders. We believe that the provision of this relevant information will lead to better communication between the organization and its stakeholders, supporting a signaling theory interpretation. Therefore, we are suggesting that integrated thinking is an internal process that organizations can follow to increase the level of disclosure as a communication tool with stakeholders. From the literature reviewed, four themes were identified (definition of university sustainability, sustainability awareness, disclosure framework within universities, and level of accountability). The research adopted a pragmatic view and conducted individual interviews with participants belonging to three stakeholder groups (members of the university’s senior management, the governing council, and the student union executive). Although this study focused on just one Scottish university, it should still provide some insight for the better understanding of the underpinning issues surrounding the sustainability accountability practices of Scottish universities in general. The research findings indicated that the university prioritized only two sustainability dimensions—economic and environmental—and that the university still perceived sustainability as a voluntary exercise. Additionally, it is evident that the university had no framework in place for measuring its sustainability delivery—and therefore had no established medium of communicating these activities to its stakeholders. Moreover, research findings showed that the social and educational context of sustainability was lacking at the university. The university has done little or nothing to educate its stakeholders on sustainability.

scholarly journals A Simple but Efficient Concept of Blended Teaching of Mathematics for Engineering Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Saray Busto ◽  
Michael Dumbser ◽  
Elena Gaburro
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Video Quality ◽  
Lecture Hall ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Teaching Of Mathematics ◽  
Online Streaming ◽  
The University ◽  
Blended Teaching

In this article we present a case study concerning a simple but efficient technical and logistic concept for the realization of blended teaching of mathematics and its applications in theoretical mechanics that was conceived, tested and implemented at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM) of the University of Trento, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept foresees traditional blackboard lectures with a reduced number of students physically present in the lecture hall, while the same lectures are simultaneously made available to the remaining students, who cannot be present, via high-quality low-bandwidth online streaming. The case study presented in this paper was implemented in a single University Department and was carried out with a total of n=1011 students and n=68 professors participating in the study. Based on our first key assumption that traditional blackboard lectures, including the gestures and the facial expressions of the professor, are even nowadays still a very efficient and highly appreciated means of teaching mathematics at the university, this paper deliberately does not want to propose a novel pedagogical concept of how to teach mathematics at the undergraduate level, but rather presents a technical concept of how to preserve the quality of traditional blackboard lectures even during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to make them available to the students at home via online streaming with adequate audio and video quality even at low internet bandwidth. The second key assumption of this paper is that the teaching of mathematics is a dynamic creative process that requires the physical presence of students in the lecture hall as audience so that the professor can instantaneously fine-tune the evolution of the lecture according to his/her perception of the level of attention and the facial expressions of the students. The third key assumption of this paper is that students need to have the possibility to interact with each other personally, especially in the first years at the university. We report on the necessary hardware, software and logistics, as well as on the perception of the proposed blended lectures by undergraduate students from civil and environmental engineering at the University of Trento, Italy, compared to traditional lectures and also compared to the pure online lectures that were needed as emergency measure at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation of the concept was carried out with the aid of quantitative internet bandwidth measurements, direct comparison of transmitted video signals and a careful analysis of ex ante and ex post online questionnaires sent to students and professors.

“When My Hands Were Tied, You Were Able to Continue”

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-176
Author(s):  
Mary Kimani ◽  
Catherine Vanner
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Assistant ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Abuse Case

This paper discusses our experiences harnessing the complementarity of perspectives, positions, and resources as an outsider lead researcher and an insider research assistant while reporting a child abuse case that we learned of during qualitative case study research in Kenya. We use collaborative autoethnography to examine our experiences during the research process, with semi-structured individual interviews of each other and document analysis of our email correspondence. We provide a narrative of vulnerability regarding the complexity of reporting child abuse and offer recommendations on how researchers can navigate their limitations and strategically draw from insider-outsider partnerships when managing ethical challenges.

scholarly journals UNIVERSITAS KEHIDUPAN DEWA DEWI PLANTARAN SEBAGAI UPAYA PENANGGULANGAN KEMISKINAN BERBASIS KOMUNITAS

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Prastiyo Hadi
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
The University ◽  
The Village

AbstrakTujuan Penelitian ini adalah mencari model penanggulangan kemiskinan berbasis komunitas yang berdasar dari potensi dan permasalahan yang di miliki oleh desa.Metode penelitian  ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif studi kasus yaitu meneliti suatu kasus atau fenomena tertentu yang ada dalam masyarakat yang dilakukan secara mendalam untuk mempelajari latar belakang, keadaan, dan interaksi yang terjadi . Pada penelitian ini di lakukan di Desa Plantaran Kecamatan Kaliwungu Selatan Kabupaten  Kendal Provinsi, Jawa Tengah. Dengan informan 2 orang dari masyarakat, 2 orang perangkat desa dan 2 orang fasilitaor PNPM Mandiri Perkotaan yang mendampingi desa plantaran Hasil penelitian di peroleh model penanggulangan kemiskinan berbasis komunitas yang berdasar dari potensi dan permasalahan yaitu dengan mengacu pada empat bidang yaitu 1)ekologi, 2.Rekreasi, 3) Edukasi, 4)Ekonomi melalui lembaga keswadayaan masyarakat yang struktur organisasinya menggunakan sistem pada Universitas yaitu Universitas Kehidupan Dewa Dewi PlantaranKesimpulan dari penelitian ini mengacu pada kegiatan yang di lakukan untuk mencapai visi dan misi dari universitas Kehidupan Dewa Dewi Plantaran  itu sendiri yaitu mengacu pada empat bidang yaitu 1)ekologi, 2.Rekreasi, 3) Edukasi, 4)Ekonomi melalui lembaga keswadayaan masyarakat yang struktur organisasinya menggunakan sistem pada Universitas  Kata Kunci:Universitas Kehidupan, Dewa Dewi Plantaran,Penanggulangan  Kemiskinan, Komunitas Abstract The purpose of this study is to find a community-based poverty reduction model based on the potential and problems that the village has. This research method uses a qualitative case study approach that is examining a particular case or phenomenon that exists in society that is carried out in depth to study the background, circumstances, and interactions that occur. This research was conducted in Plantaran Village, South Kaliwungu Subdistrict, Kendal Regency, Central Java. With informants 2 people from the community, 2 village officials and 2 PNPM Mandiri Urban facilitators who accompanied the plantaran village The results of the study were obtained by community-based poverty reduction models based on potential and problems, namely by referring to four fields, namely 1) ecology, 2. Recreation, 3) Education, 4) Economy through community self-reliance institutions whose organizational structure uses systems at universities namely Universities Life of Goddess Plantaran The conclusion of this study refers to the activities carried out to achieve the vision and mission of the university of the Life of the Goddess Dewi Plantaran itself which refers to four fields namely 1) ecology, 2. Recreation, 3) Education, 4) Economy through structured community self-reliance institutions the organization uses the system at the University.Keywords : Life University, Dewa Dewi Plantaran, poor prevention,Comunity

scholarly journals Exploring students’ EFL writing through hypertext design

2011 ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
María Eugenia López
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects

This research analyzes the processes students undergo when writing hypertexts collaboratively. This qualitative case study provides an overall picture of students’ EFL writing through hypertext design. It is a collaborative experience which explores and documents how students deal with grammatical, textual and pragmatic aspects when writing hypertexts. This study draws upon data collected during a semester conducted with engineering students at a university in 2003. Students’ hypertexts, audio recordings, students’ reflection logs and an interview were used as main data collection sources. Two main categories emerged as a result of triangulating evidence: “Process of collaborative hypertext writing and negotiation” and “Use of concept mapping and other strategies to overcome difficulties in hypertext writing”.

scholarly journals Resident assistant peer training : perceptions surrounding the use and effectiveness of experienced student leaders as trainers at one small private catholic university

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tina F. Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Senior Resident ◽  
Resident Assistants ◽  
Resident Assistant ◽  
Catholic University ◽  
One Year ◽  
The University

This qualitative case study of one small private Catholic university in the northeast examines the perceptions of experienced (i.e. second to third year staff) and inexperienced (i.e. newly hired staff) student resident assistants. Specifically, this study focuses on the observations and insights of experienced and inexperienced staff as it relates to peer presented training and the overall training curriculum. The university employees a traditional training timeline with large-scale trainings occurring immediately prior to the opening of fall and spring semesters and smaller onehour trainings occurring throughout each semester. The resident assistant staff likewise follows a common model employing a number of new, first year resident assistants as well as a smaller number of second and third year resident assistants called senior residents assistants (the word "senior" implies the student staff member has at least one year of experience; it does not reference the student's academic year). The student to resident assistant ratio is a comfortable 30:1 with students living in traditional and suite style residence halls as well as apartments for upper-division students and graduates. Overall, the residential program studied is very similar to any number of other residential programs across the country. The one possible exception is the use of experienced student staff (senior resident assistants) to train inexperienced student staff (resident assistants). While this training model is not unique to the university of study, there are data to determine how common this model is, nor has there been any research related to the student staff perceptions of the effectiveness of such a model. The results of this qualitative case study reveal the training impressions of nine resident and senior resident assistants with the aim of understanding how they experienced training, their thoughts related to the use of peer presented trainers, and how they saw peer presented trainers influencing the overall staff experience. Three themes emerged: the use of experienced student staff as teachers, mentors, and supervisors. In this study I conclude the use of experienced student staff as teachers and mentors is both appropriate in this setting and desired by both experienced and inexperienced staff. However, the use of the experienced student staff position as supervisors is not viewed as appropriate by either experienced or inexperienced student staff and is cautioned against.

scholarly journals Spelling in the Context of Writing: An Investigation of the Knowledge and Strategies Used by Average and Below Average Writers after Three Years at School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Helen Pentecost
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Primary Students ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
New Words ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Level Data

<p>After three years of schooling, some primary students are behind the expected levels for spelling achievement. This qualitative case study sought an insider view from 12 Year 4 students on the strategies they used to spell words within the context of classroom writing programmes. The students in the study attended three primary schools. Half the students had been identified by their teachers as achieving below the expected level in spelling for their year group and half at the expected level. Data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews with groups of students and individual interviews with teachers from their schools. Data were also gathered from analysis of the students' writing samples. A comparison was made between the data gathered from the two groups of students, searching for similarities and differences in their strategies and understandings about spelling. Data from the students were also compared to the teachers' views about how students learn to spell. The average-achieving students viewed new words as problems that can be solved through using a combined repertoire of strategies. These included drawing on visual memory, using phoneme-grapheme relationships and morphological strategies to spell challenging words. In contrast, the below average achievers had a more limited range of strategies, tending to use only one strategy at a time and did not readily making links to their prior knowledge. If teachers are aware of these strategies and how successful spellers combine appropriate strategies, they can assist students to improve their spelling by giving specific instruction and feedback on their use.</p>

The Paradox of Neoliberal Education Bureaucracy and Hysterical Resistance: The Case of New Zealand Schooling

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (100) ◽  
pp. 179-197
Author(s):  
Leon Salter
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Past ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Political Speeches ◽  
The University ◽  
Four Discourses

Neoliberal discourse often positions itself as the antithesis of bureaucracy. However, as the hegemonic political project of the past forty years, neoliberalism has imposed various forms of bureaucracy, most notably, those that audit performance. This contradiction between antagonism towards bureaucracy and bureaucratising tendencies is particularly resonant in the contemporary neoliberalised education sector, where the perceived risk of not producing self-managing, autonomous, economically productive subjects must be minimised through audit mechanisms which, conversely, necessarily decrease those capacities in students. Through a case study of the neoliberalisation of New Zealand's school sector, using the lens of Lacan's four discourses, this article argues that the discourses of the Master and the University have worked together to sometimes obscure, but at other times highlight, this contradiction. Drawing on policy documents, political speeches and reports, I highlight that a key policy which increased the visibility of the contradiction was National Standards, introduced in 2007 to reduce the risk of the unknown through the collection of performance data. I also draw on interviews with educationalists who adopt the discourse of the hysteric as a means to publicly highlight this contradiction, contesting the symbolic mandate of the teacher-as-data-node, while avoiding the kinds of full-frontal resistance that might cost them their jobs and jeopardise the education of children.

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