scholarly journals Professional development of sustainability competences in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Lambrechts ◽  
Elli Verhulst ◽  
Sara Rymenams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to provide insights into the relation between professional development (PD) and organisational change processes towards sustainability, with a specific focus on empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds upon a constructivist approach, combining a literature review, a desk research on key publications and reports and a socio-political analysis to reveal the specific context in Flanders, Belgium. Findings are then connected to earlier insights from research on organisational change for sustainability. Findings The paper provides a number of PD initiatives that focus on sustainability in general and in a single higher education (HE) institution. Framing such initiatives as an organisational change process offers insights on how elements of empowerment are currently incorporated in PD initiatives and how it can strengthen them to lead to the further integration of sustainability competences in HE. Research limitations/implications Limitations are linked with the kind of sources used in the constructivist approach. The analysis only looks at written reports on the topic, albeit it also builds upon the first-hand experiences of educators in the HE institution focused upon in the case. Practical implications There is a need to frame PD initiatives as an organisational change process towards sustainability with specific attention towards empowerment. Without this framing, PD approaches comprise the risk of being left in the margins or being understood as single initiatives without any connection to the bigger picture, i.e. the transition towards sustainability in HE. Social implications Interlinking PD and organisational change provides opportunities to frame the sustainability transition within the university in a wider societal context. Originality/value The paper provides an original contribution to the debate on sustainability competences, as it frames the PD within an organisational context, rather than focusing on the individual role of educators.

Work-based learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Garnett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how transdisciplinarity is woven into the key curriculum components of individually negotiated work-based learning (WBL) programmes and to focus upon the performative value of knowledge in the work context. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon WBL academic literature and the authors 22 years operational experience of WBL. Findings – The paper suggests that while university-level WBL can enhance the performance of organizations and individuals it is also inherently challenging and challenged by the hegemony of subject disciplines and disciplinary-based university structures. WBL is concerned with knowledge which is often unsystematic, socially constructed and is action focused in order to achieve outcomes of significance to work. This contests the supremacy of the role of the university in curriculum design, delivery and validation of knowledge and means that work-based knowledge is often seen as transdisciplinary rather than conforming to traditional subject disciplines (Boud and Solomon, 2001). Research limitations/implications – Central to the distinctive nature of university WBL programmes is the role of the external organization as a partner with the university and the individual learner in the planning of learning activities which are intended to have significance for the workplace. For individual knowledge to become organizational knowledge, and thus fully contribute to the intellectual capital of the organization, it must be shared and accepted by others. It follows that a key concern for organizations must be the facilitation of the recognition of knowledge and this goes beyond using a transdisciplinary lens when guiding and assessing the work of individual higher education students. Practical implications – The paper has practical implications for the design and facilitation of WBL programmes at higher education level. Originality/value – Provides an informed and sustained examination of the concept of WBL and knowledge.

scholarly journals The Role of Universities in Sustainable Economic Development In Pivotal

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-54
Author(s):  
Zoha Adel Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Second World

institution is one of the highest institutions that have the task of providing the development needs of the community of specialists in various fields, in addition to being the centers of scientific research and applied to ensure economic and social progress It enriches decision makers with expertise and skills and thus controls political performance. In any society, the university can not play its full role in social change without interaction between the individual on the one hand and the social environment on the other, Social and interdependent Ah syndrome change, they strengthen the skills, and enrich the spirit of innovation of the individual, and raise the level of social progress. It helps to improve the conditions of the poor segments of the population and facilitates the employment opportunities of the individuals imposed by the society as they meet the needs of the individual and society of different professions, thus providing an opportunity for production and thus have a positive impact on the standard of living to achieve the well-being of the individual and the citizen. The interest reflected on the progress, such as Germany, which was interested in it became one of the main reasons that led to the rise of Germany from the ruins of the Second World War as well as the State of Malaysia, which moved from developing countries to the second world countries by changing the plan Colleges and institutes of universities. In 2020, Malaysia will be among the developed countries. In these countries, higher education, vocational training and training are viewed as a basis for life supplementation and are seen as a major means of improving and upgrading society. If we are to explore the dimensions of education in the 21st century, one of the pillars of education is learning for action, Usually involves the acquisition of skills and the linking of knowledge to practice as an essential part of the training and rehabilitation of the individual for practical life. Hence, such new trends in linking educational preparation to work have been imposed by the labor market and the working life in its new forms. Production and service facilities, The advanced, assumed graduates who can be employed and absorbed can contribute to the development of competitiveness, to provide innovations and creations to achieve the competitive advantage of the enterprise, and to improve production and productivity based primarily on the acquisition and application of knowledge. Gamerdinger reveals that the new technology does not accelerate the possibilities for sound economic policies and increasing global trade, and this requires strategies to develop work related to the development of human performance, and in order to face the state of chronic unemployment globally, education policies are headed towards the so-called reverse conversion as many graduates of specializations Literaries choose vocational and technical education in technical and community colleges. Unemployment in the Arab world carries certain characteristics that must be taken into account when developing the solutions available to them. The most important of these characteristics are: Unemployment is a youth phenomenon. Weak professional experience available to the unemployed. Lack of targeted planning for the labor market. The large gap between the outputs of higher education for youth and the requirements of the labor market. The most important recommendations aimed at enhancing the role of universities in Iraq are: 1 - the operation of labor graduates of technical and technical institutes in the industrial field in order to promote them and eliminate unemployment and increase the hard currency as an important category of Iraqi society, which contributes actively to the renaissance of the country. Linking the Ministry of Industry and Commerce with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to be managed by the Minister of Education alone. The Ministry is keen on the funds of the Iraqi people and contributes to the development of the industrial and commercial sectors with the help of professors and university students. 3 - the need to match the needs of the market and education outputs to reduce unemployment, in addition to the vocational education has become an urgent need at this stage to keep pace with the needs of life in society away from the negative view of this education. 4 - Increasing the number of technical workshops and providing them with the means of material in order to provide the university student maximum desired learning. Enhancing the role of higher education in building a broader partnership and cooperation with various other community institutions (public, private and private sector). 6 - Re-admission plan in universities by making the number of admissions in scientific colleges more than the number of admissions in the humanitarian colleges. 7 - Attracting foreign investment companies to invest natural resources in Iraq such as phosphate, natural gas, oil, oil shale, uranium, silica and geothermal energy for the recovery of the economy and the trend towards domestic consumption.

The role of compliance for organisational change

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Busse ◽  
Ufuk Doganer
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Fuelled by the latest scandals at Siemens, VW or Walmart, there is a lively debate on the role of compliance and ethics programmes. Unlike large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) arguably tend to underestimate their significance and lag behind. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on the process of introducing compliance codes and its effects on employee acceptance and performance. Design/methodology/approach In line with the qualitative methodology, the authors conducted 12 in-depth interviews with German SME employees which the authors evaluated with the qualitative content analysis. Findings As for the major contribution, results indicate the emergence of a lack of understanding, anger, anxiety and operational performance losses – both at the individual and the corporate level – especially when employees feel uninvolved in the initial introduction stadium. Originality/value Practicing managers may benefit from the recommendation to facilitate staff involvement at earlier stages. As for theory advancement, the authors draw on Kotter’s (2007) long surviving “Eight Steps Change Management Model” and find significant support for shifting the spotlight of attention towards the first four phases. The authors discuss the original value of the research, admit limitations and illuminate some promising future research trajectories.

The role of the teacher in the education of university students

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 81-83
Author(s):  
Sabir Nurgalam Amiraliev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Level Culture ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Today, studying at a university is the most important way for a young person to socialize and adapt in a constantly changing society. Education is the management of the process of socialization of the individual, which consists of a purposeful influence on the intellectual, spiritual, physical and cultural development of the individual. Student education at the university continues under the influence of purposeful professional socialization of future professionals and is mainly associated with the humanization of education, which places additional demands on teachers to improve the quality, level, culture and culture of communication with students. Key words: students, education and formation of students, institution of higher education

Internationalization of higher education institutions: the underestimated role of faculty

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Romani-Dias ◽  
Jorge Carneiro ◽  
Aline dos Santos Barbosa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Internationalization Of Higher Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deal with the topic internationalization of higher education institutions (IHEI), in terms of the research they engage in. The main motivation for the study is to understand the role of researchers in the internationalization of the institutions in which they work through the academic activities they perform. Based on the assumption that each of the researcher’s internationalization activities leads, to some extent, to a greater internationalization of HEI in which it operates, the following question was proposed: Do researchers’ personal characteristics and academic activities affect the internationalization of their (higher education) institutions? Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study adopted as main methods a review of the literature on internationalization of higher education and in-depth interviews based on a semi-structured script with an intentional sample. A sample of 16 researchers was selected for interview using the snowball technique of sample selection. Findings The paper provides theoretical and empirical insights into the characteristics of researchers that influence the internationalization of HEIs. These include the researchers’ international academic experience; insertion in international collaboration networks; international co-authorship; and experience in international publications. These are the four main factors that emerge at the individual level (researcher) that positively impact IHEI. Originality/value The paper responds to a gap found in the literature on the underestimated role of researchers in the internationalization process of HEIs in which they work.

scholarly journals The ignorant manager: conceptualising impact with Rancière

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Scott
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Practices ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Critical Consideration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a response to expressions in the literature concerning the limitations of critical reflection, using Rancière’s exposition of the role of values and reasonableness to examine how forms of negotiated work-based learning can support learners’ pathways to impact in their organisation. The implications for work applied management in terms of enabling these employees to make an impact are considered. Design/methodology/approach Vignettes illuminate and articulate Rancière’s (1991, 2010) ideas, the vignettes constructed through events experienced and narrated, perhaps imagined, tutorial conversations, assignments and work practices. Such construction of “multiple layers of fiction and narrative imaginings” draws on Sparkes (2007, p. 522). They consider individuals’ negotiation of working practices using ideas developed during their studies, and personal and professional development prompted by unexpected insights into their capabilities, interests, and possible roles. Findings Negotiated work-based learning appears to offer the individual opportunity to take responsibility for action in his/her learning and in his/her workplace, but effect depends on several factors, and can be perceived in different ways. Students’ encounter with autonomy in their studies resonates with Rancière’s belief in equality. In the workplace (becoming “citizens” alongside “reasonable” individuals) their agency might, at best, lead to “reasonable moments”, as they encounter both negative and positive challenges of work applied management. Practical implications Successful utilisation of agency in learning prompts expectations of responsibility and equality in the workplace. Such equality can lead to diverse, unpredicted insights and consequent opportunities for changes in practice. Originality/value This is the first paper to utilise Ranciére’s ideas to offer a critical consideration of both learning provision and workplace practice. Consideration of his profound stance on individuals’ freedom and agency provides rich (but challenging) prompts for analysis of one’s own practice, and the potential for impact when the manager is “ignorant”.

scholarly journals An exploration into pedagogic frailty: Transitioning from face-to-face to online

2017 ◽  
pp. 392-403
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Frailty Model ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The University

Pedagogic frailty and concept mapping can simultaneously encourage personal and organisational change by supporting critical reflection and resilience. These ideas are nascent within higher education institutions and currently, at the University of Surrey, are only developed through face-to-face sessions. This revealed the need for a scalable intervention which engages academics with the discourse on introspective and professional development practices. In response, we have created the design for a blended programme of online foundation for concept mapping leading to face-to-face workshops to explore the pedagogic frailty model. This paper will discuss some significant challenges arising from transitioning self-reflective practices from face-to-face to online spaces. In the process, we will consider ways in which learning design can take the learner context into account.

Exploring fields of ambiguity in the sustainability transition of universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Bien ◽  
Coco Klußmann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Sustainability Transition ◽  
Sustainability In Higher Education ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that systematically captures the ambiguity of different understandings about science, the university and its relation to society, while conceptualising sustainability. Following Corley and Gioia (2004, p. 174) on identity ambiguity and change, it seems pivotal to better understanding the ambiguity of sustainability in relation to academic cultures and university models to manage the transition more effectively. Design/methodology/approach The nature of this paper’s objectives as well as the wide thematic scope leads to the need of exploring a broad knowledge base. This was best addressed by an exploratory literature review with data collection from primary and secondary sources. The data was interpreted through a hermeneutic analysis and resulted in the inductive development of first categories and goals (further referred to as category development). In addition, a multi-method approach further adjusted the categories and raised their empirical validity and social robustness. Findings Implementing sustainability involves dealing with a double bound ambiguity due to organisational and individual identity reasons. Five fields of ambiguity were developed to systemise the conceptualisation of a sustainable university along contradictory understandings of science, the university and sustainability. These fields offer a framework to qualitatively assess the degree of sustainability in higher education institutions. Arguments for and against sustainability in universities have been categorised around five criteria and associated to the fields of ambiguity. The finding indicates that meaning in organisational change management for sustainability can be considered both, a potential driver and barrier for a sustainability transition in universities. Research limitations/implications This paper exclusively focussed on the internal perspective and left aside any external factors that influence the sustainability transition, such as political measures to stimulate sustainability in higher education. In addition, the operational dimension of a sustainable university has been neglected, which is by all means a necessary and important aspect. The interrelation of the identified goals has not been discussed. Originality/value This paper focusses on the conceptualisation and understanding of sustainability within the institution, an often-forgotten but fundamental aspect of implementation. The fields of ambiguity are designed to be applied for assessing the “degree of maturity” of a sustainable university. The fields reveal the different understandings about the role, the mission and the governance of universities, stemming from competing preferences about goals and their assumed relations by various stakeholders of a higher education institutions. The five fields are not an attempt to resolve the hidden contradictions and tensions in a sustainability transition, but to state them clearly to anticipate resistances and conflicts that hinder the development of a shared understanding.

The role of higher education institutions as employers of apprentices

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-657
Author(s):  
Caleb Wright
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

PurposeA discussion piece of how apprenticeships can be used by HEIs as employers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores the current apprenticeship landscape; what HEIs are already doing with apprenticeships; the arguments for using apprenticeships in the sector. There is then a case study on how the University of Birmingham uses apprenticeships before a discussion about future directions.FindingsThe paper reports that although there are a range of advantages for using apprenticeships, HEIs could still use apprenticeships more.Originality/valueThis paper uses a range of sources as detailed in the reference.

scholarly journals U.Porto, its Faculty of Engineering and PBL approaches

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Restivo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Research Development ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

The University of Porto (U.Porto) was founded in 1911. Its Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) is the largest school of U.Porto. U.Porto and FEUP are very active in research, development and innovation with about 20% of all scientific papers in Portugal among the 15 public Universities in the country. FEUP is also aware of the important role of higher education in training future engineers. U.Porto and FEUP have been following discussions and significant efforts have been made for promoting teacher professional development in order to guaranty new teaching/learning methodologies and initiatives to promote engineering education. Diverse initiatives came out since 2000. This work describes different projects specially developed at FEUP like the EMPE project and the FEUP project will be described and results will be addressed. Also, a global and huge program from U.Porto, iJUP, will be presented as very unifying interdisciplinary program at U.Porto involving together teachers/researchers and students from all its 14 schools, and particularly from FEUP.

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