Change levers for unifying top-down and bottom-up approaches to the adoption and diffusion of e-learning in higher education

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in maximizing social and economic benefits in a hands-on way. However, some studies on sustainable development and HEIs reveal a distancing between students and the application of sustainable initiatives in universities. This fact differs from the premises of the Talloires Declaration, which points to students as a community and as global leaders and ambassadors for sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This paper mapped the approaches, present in the literature, used to develop sustainable campuses and in particular the apparent dichotomy between the changes indicated as top-down or bottom-up in HEIs. To that end, scientific articles focused on sustainable actions in HEIs were analyzed to identify implementation approaches for sustainable development and student involvement in the process. Findings Results have shown that sustainability promotion models in universities generally occur in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not sources of development for sustainable policies in universities. Thus, the authors highlight the importance of students becoming central players in sustainable initiatives. Originality/value The article becomes original when it identifies the dichotomy between top-down and bottom-up approaches. It does so through multidimensional scaling and exploratory factorial analysis in scientific articles on the topic Sustainability Funding in Higher Education. These findings show that, unlike what is discussed in the literature, sustainability promotion in universities generally occurs in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not active agents in promoting sustainability. In response to this, the authors discussed the importance of the bottom-up approach, where they are key players.

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The place of English in the Russian higher education landscape

10.5117/9789463727358_ch09 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Belyaeva ◽

Lyudmila Kuznetsova ◽

Olga Nikiforova ◽

Svetlana Suchkova

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Open Access ◽

University Teaching ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Teaching And Research ◽

Russian Higher Education ◽

Access Data ◽

Russian Universities

The dissemination of English and the role it plays in Russian higher education are connected with its internationalization – a process that has been gaining momentum over recent decades spurred by a number of top-down and bottom-up initiatives. The role of English in university teaching and research is illustrated by the analysis of open access data on two leading Russian universities and the findings of a survey of teaching staff’s perceptions of English in academia. The views of some other stakeholders have been collected from the existing publications on the topic. The term Englishization is inappropriate to describe the Russian context because the use of English in Russian academia is not as far-reaching as the term implies.

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Development of Inventories of Teachers’ Adoption and Diffusion of E-learning Policies

Korean Association for Educational Information and Media ◽

10.15833/kafeiam.24.1.023 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 23-52

Author(s):

Hoisoo Kim ◽

Fushu Chi ◽

Xiaoli Zheng ◽

Sichang Yum

Keyword(s):

E Learning ◽

Adoption And Diffusion ◽

Learning Policies ◽

And Diffusion

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Learning Beyond the Brick and Mortar: Prospects, Challenges, and Bibliometric Review of E-learning Innovation

Jindal Journal of Business Research ◽

10.1177/22786821211000190 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 227868212110001

Author(s):

Lamin B. Ceesay

Keyword(s):

Relevant Literature ◽

Future Research ◽

It Services ◽

Research Areas ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Brick And Mortar ◽

Bibliometric Review ◽

E Learning ◽

Adoption And Diffusion ◽

And Diffusion

The increasing proliferation of IT services in all sectors has reinforced the adoption and diffusion across all levels of education and training institutions. However, lack of awareness, knowledge about the key challenges, and opportunities of e-learning seem to allude policymakers, resulting in low adoption or increased failure rate of many e-learning projects. Our study tries to address this problem through a review of relevant literature in e-learning. Our goal was to draw from the existing literature, insights into the opportunities and challenges of e-learning diffusion, and the current state-of-research in the field. To do this, we employed a systematic review of literature on some of the salient opportunities and challenges of e-learning innovation for educational institutions. These results aimed to inform policymakers and suggest some interesting issues to advance the research and adoption and diffusion of e-learning. Moreover, the bibliometric analysis shows that the field is experiencing high research attraction among scholars. However, several research areas in the field witnessed relatively low research paucity. Based on these findings, we discussed topics for possible future research.

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Learning beyond the Brick and Mortar: A Review of Prospects and Challenges of E-learning Innovation

10.20944/preprints202009.0468.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lamin B. Ceesay

Keyword(s):

Relevant Literature ◽

Future Research ◽

It Services ◽

Research Areas ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Brick And Mortar ◽

E Learning ◽

Adoption And Diffusion ◽

State Of Research ◽

And Diffusion

Increased proliferation of IT services in all sectors has reinforced the adoption and diffusion across all levels of education and training institutions. However, lack of awareness of and knowledge about the key challenges and opportunities of elearning, seem to allude policymakers, resulting in low adoption or increased failure rate of many e-learning projects. Our study tries to address this problem through a review of relevant literature in e-learning. Our goal was to draw from the existing literature, insights into the opportunities and challenges of e-learning diffusion, and the current state-of-research in the field. To do this, we employed a systematic review of literature on some of the salient opportunities and challenges of e-learning innovation for educational institutions. These results aimed to inform policymakers and suggest some interesting issues to advance the research and adoption and diffusion of e-learning. Moreover, the bibliometric analysis shows that the field is experiencing high research attraction among scholars. However, several research areas in the field witnessed relatively low research paucity. Based on these findings, we discussed topics for possible future research.

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Strategic Deployment of E-Learning

Critical Design and Effective Tools for E-Learning in Higher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-61520-879-1.ch021 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 346-365

Author(s):

Pat Gannon-Leary ◽

James Carr

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Technology Implementation ◽

New Technologies ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Full Potential ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Or Education ◽

Technological Advances ◽

E Learning ◽

Adoption And Diffusion

Changes in higher education (HE) have continued in response to, or indeed in anticipation of, an increasingly competitive environment, technological advances and shifting demands of users. Introducing new technologies into a Higher Education Institute (HEI) requires management of complex change processes to deliver their full potential. Innovative ideas for technology and practice may be constrained, and compromised by people and cultural reactions thereby reducing their effectiveness and limiting their potential for improving teaching and learning. The management of change in organisational practices therefore involves attention to three aspects: processes, people, and culture. This chapter presents a longitudinal study of one HEI through the lens of two active participants in a number of e-learning initiatives, and discusses process, people and cultural change challenges. It proposes that new evaluation frameworks are required to establish success in the implementation of new and emergent delivery modes mediated through the use of ICTs, and provides one example, the Learning Technology Practice Framework. The use of such frameworks may help with engaging academics in thinking about how to embed e-learning successfully within courses, and at a broader level within the organisation. The changes in the roles of lecturers/tutors and learners is particularly important in light of the disorientation faced by both of these user groups as a result of changing organisational culture and work practices. Lecturers and students have to adapt to their new roles and be allowed the opportunity, time, rewards and training to allow them to adapt the technology to meet their needs in their different and particular contexts of use. Overall it is found that the adoption and diffusion of e-learning in higher education is likely to develop more slowly than imagined by some educational visionaries owing to the complex nature of technology implementation that is common across all sectors, be it industry or education.

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Cross-cultural Usability Issues in E/M-Learning

Annals of Emerging Technologies in Computing ◽

10.33166/aetic.2018.02.005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 46-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mahdi H. Miraz ◽

Maaruf Ali ◽

Peter S. Excell

Keyword(s):

Cloud Computing ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Traditional Classroom ◽

Learning Models ◽

Electronic Learning ◽

Universal Usability ◽

E Learning ◽

Adoption And Diffusion ◽

Cultural Usability ◽

And Diffusion

This paper gives an overview of electronic learning (E-Learning) and mobile learning (M-Learning) adoption and diffusion trends, as well as their particular traits, characteristics and issues, especially in terms of cross-cultural and universal usability. E-Learning and M-Learning models using web services and cloud computing, as well as associated security concerns are all addressed. The benefits and enhancements that accrue from using mobile and other internet devices for the purposes of learning in academia are discussed. The differences between traditional classroom-based learning, distance learning, E-Learning and M-Learning models are compared and some conclusions are drawn.

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Narratability of Knowing and Being: The Ontic Role of Materia Poetica in the Post-Mechanical Age

Journal of Education and Development ◽

10.20849/jed.v4i2.778 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 68

Author(s):

Milan Jaros

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Personal Identity ◽

Digital Age ◽

Competence Development ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Material Condition ◽

Object Based ◽

Material Reality

The realm of mystery of matter that has long inspired creative minds has been broken by runaway complexification of life into fragments tossed around in voids of ‘total presence’. Apart from notable exceptions, the origin and actuality of the material condition of humans remain hidden from view by layers of ‘neo-baroque’ allegories framing narratives of the post-mechanical age. It is argued that resurrection of the ontic role of encounters with material reality may restore what has always served as an indispensable source of personal identity and life-sustaining narratives. It is also a means to fostering narrative novelty in the process of instilling timely attitudes and competences, with a view to ensuring that every individual can effectively engage with materiality of their presence and build upon its appreciation and on any inspiration it can offer, at the pace and level of accomplishment matching their personal ability and circumstances. It is this grounding of knowing and being that offers the promise of a bottom up transition to citizenship in a shared Common in which the key measure of value rests with promoting personal independence and social emancipation! What are the key stages of ‘allegorisation’ of narrativity and literary narratives in particular leading to the meta-modern present? What is the fate of materia poetica? The model of curriculum and competence development - grounded in object based, project driven, personal ownership of knowing, and amplifying the tutor-learner component at the expense of top down ‘talk and chalk’ - recently developed to take higher education into the digital age may be instrumental in delivering such objectives, and prove to be particularly relevant post-Covid 19.

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Autonomy of Russian Universities: Historical Documentation Research of the 19th – 21st Century University Charters

Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta Serija 4 Istorija Regionovedenie Mezhdunarodnye otnoshenija ◽

10.15688/jvolsu4.2020.2.11 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 156-169

Author(s):

Lyudmila Mazur ◽

Ekaterina Karmanova

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

21St Century ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Basic Model ◽

Documentary Analysis ◽

Russian Higher Education ◽

Draft Version ◽

The Government ◽

Russian Universities

Introduction. The article compares the charters of Russian universities and brings to light the principles of universities’ operation throughout their history from the 19th to the 21st century. The article describes the model of university autonomy in Russia and its influence on the development of the academia, including contemporary universities’ ambitions in terms of global rankings. Methods and Materials. The conceptual framework is based on the methods of documentary studies applied to analyze universities’ charters and the procedures of their development and use, including the preparation of the draft version, editing and further adjustments as well as the origin and characteristics of the document, that is, whether they resulted from ‘bottom-up’ or ‘top-down’ initiatives. The documentary analysis reveals not only the functions of charters but also the degree of universities’ autonomy as defined by these documents. Analysis. In terms of their history and functions, three types of university charters can be identified: general (unified), standard and individual. In the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, individual charters were mostly based on standard provisions or charters, that is, they were ‘top-down’ initiatives. General and standard charters were devised by the related governmental agencies and, therefore, corresponded to the goals pursued by the government at that stage. Individual university charters resulting from ‘bottom-up’ initiatives were created in the transition periods of 1918–1922 and the 1990s, which were characterized by massive socioeconomic change and search for new models of higher education institutions. Results. In the history of Russian higher education, there are several periods when universities had limited autonomy: early and mid-19th century (liberal reforms); 1920s (organizational and methodological experiments); 1960s (revival of limited autonomy of universities); 1990s (self-government and academic freedoms). Liberal cycles are directly reflected in the university charters, but the analysis of the procedural aspects of their development and functioning allows to conclude that autonomy should be considered as a temporary deviation from the basic model of a state university.

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The patterns of curriculum change processes that embed sustainability in higher education institutions

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-00984-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marie Weiss ◽

Matthias Barth ◽

Henrik von Wehrden

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Institutional Change ◽

Case Studies ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Top Down ◽

Open Communication ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Specific Implementation ◽

Internal Stakeholders

AbstractImplementing education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) is critical to facilitating a transition toward sustainable development. However, little is known about the specific implementation processes that lead to the institutionalization of sustainability curricula in HEIs. This meta-study and cluster analysis uses 131 international case studies to shed light on six distinct implementation patterns: (1) collaborative paradigm change, (2) bottom-up, evolving institutional change, (3) top-down, mandated institutional change, (4) externally driven initiatives, (5) isolated initiatives, and (6) limited institutional change. A cluster comparison reveals two distinct implementation phases: ESD can be implemented from the bottom-up, from the top-down, or both, and the impetus can stem from manifold external or internal stakeholders. To achieve more comprehensive ESD implementation, open communication among all stakeholders should be facilitated and feedback as well as reflection encouraged. Maintaining a unified vision statement and active participation of all stakeholders fosters a sense of ownership in ESD implementation and ensures that it will be long-lasting. Collaboration between isolated ESD initiatives and various stakeholders leads to shared knowledge and resources. Strong informal collaboration and communication can compensate for a lack of formalized leadership support from the top. Moreover, thorough planning that involves creating a strategy with detailed steps, and balancing shared responsibilities among internal stakeholders further enables fuller implementation of ESD. This analysis represents a first synthesis of small-N case studies and facilitates a better understanding of sustainability curriculum implementation patterns, which are shared in different contexts. Most HEIs and practitioners can benefit from these findings by reflecting on the specific implementation pattern with which the most overlap is found and focusing on this pattern’s most pertinent drivers.

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