Variation of greenness across China’s universities: motivations and resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanxia Zhao ◽  
Yonghua Zou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Vertical Dimension ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Tier 2 ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Institutional Variation ◽  
Greenness Index

Purpose This study aims to examine the cross-institutional variation in university greenness and analyze its underlying dynamics. Design/methodology/approach This study constructs a University Greenness Index (UGI) and conducts multivariate regression. Findings This study finds variation within two dimensions; in the vertical dimension, top-tier universities have significantly higher UGIs than tier-2 universities, and in the horizontal dimension, agricultural and forest, engineering and technology and generalist universities have significantly higher UGIs than other specialist universities. The dynamics underlying the greenness variation lies in different universities’ motivations and resources, which are associated with China’s higher education administrative system, especially the mechanism by which funding is allocated. Research limitations/implications The Internet-search-based greenness index has some inherent limitations. First, there exists a gap between green information expression and real green achievement. Second, this research may be difficult to apply to other countries, because of the specific characteristics of China’s higher education system. Practical implications Based on the empirical results, two policy implications can be generated. First, for the problem of the vertical dimension variation, related institutional transformation should be launched to promote university greenness. Second, for the problem of the horizon dimension variation, specialist universities can take advantage of an interdisciplinary approach to promote greenness. Originality/value This research helps scholars and administrators to better understand the progress being made and the achievements realized with regard to green university initiatives in China.

Accreditation and ranking of higher education institutions (HEIs): review, observations and recommendations for the Indian higher education system

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald Ozee Fernandes ◽  
Balgopal Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Ranking ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The World ◽  
Indian Higher Education

PurposeThe higher education system has been entrusted globally to provide quality education, especially to the youth, and equip them with required skills and capabilities. The visionaries and policymakers of the countries around the world have been working relentlessly to improve the standard of the higher education system by establishing national and global accreditation and ranking bodies and expecting measuring performance through setting up accreditation and ranking parameters. This paper focuses on the review of Indian university accreditation and ranking system and determining its efficacy in improving academic quality for achieving good position in global quality accreditation and ranking.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed exploratory research approach to know about the accreditation and ranking issues of Indian higher education institutions to overcome the challenges for being globally competitive. The accreditation and ranking parameters and score of leading Indian universities was collected from secondary data sources. Similarly, the global ranking parameters and scores of these Indian universities with top global universities was explored. The performance gaps of Indian university in global academic quality parameter is assessed by comparing it with scores of global top universities. Further, each domestic and global accreditation and ranking parameters have been taken up for discussion.FindingsThe study identified teaching and learning, research and industry collaboration as common parameter in the accreditation and ranking by Indian and global accreditation and ranking body. Furthermore, the study revealed that Indian accreditation and ranking body assess leniently on parameters and award high scores as compared to rigorous global accreditation and ranking practice. The study revealed that “research” and “citations” are important parameters for securing prestigious position in global ranking, this is the reason Indian universities are trailing. The study exposed that Indian academic fraternity lack prominence in research, publication and citations as per need of global accreditation and ranking standards.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study is that it focused only on few Indian and global accreditation and ranking bodies. The future implication of this study will be the use of methodology designed in this study for comparing accreditation and ranking bodies’ parameters of different continents and countries in different economic development stages i.e. emerging and developed economies to know the disparity and shortcomings in their higher education system.Practical implicationsThe article is a review and comparison of national and global accreditation and ranking parameters. The article explored the important criteria and key indicators of accreditation and ranking that would provide an important and meaningful insight to academic institutions of the emerging economies of the world to develop its competitiveness. The study contributed to the literature on identifying benchmark for improving academic and higher education institution quality. This study would be further helpful in fostering new ideas toward setting up of contemporary globally viable and acceptable academic quality standard.Originality/valueThis is possibly the first study conducted with novel methodology of comparing the Indian and global accreditation and ranking parameters to identify the academic quality performance gap and suggesting ways to attain academic benchmark through continuous improvement activity and process for global competitiveness.

Ethiopian new public universities

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Van Deuren ◽  
Tsegazeab Kahsu ◽  
Seid Mohammed ◽  
Wondimu Woldie
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
System Level ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
New Public ◽  
And Gender

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze and illustrate achievements and challenges of Ethiopian higher education, both at the system level and at the level of new public universities. Design/methodology/approach – Achievements and challenges at the system level are based on literature review and secondary data. Illustrative case studies are based on university data and interviews with university representatives. Findings – The Ethiopian higher education system has increased its enrollments substantially. The construction of 13 new universities that started enrolling students around 2007 contributed greatly to this achievement. Challenges accompanying this growth lie in funding, quality and quantity of staffing, teaching practices, research and community service, quality assurance and gender balance. Originality/value – The present study contributes to existing literature by describing case studies illustrating challenges and achievements in new public universities in Ethiopian higher education.

scholarly journals Accounting for institutional variation in expected returns to higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Dorius ◽  
David Tandberg ◽  
Bridgette Cram
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public University ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Expected Returns ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Institutional Variation ◽  
Returns On Investment

This study leverages human capital theory to identify the correlates of expected returns on investment in higher education at the level of institutions. We leverage estimates of average ROI in post-secondary education among more than 400 baccalaureate degree conferring colleges and universities to understand the correlates of a relatively new metric of institutional ROI. Results indicate that a diverse undergraduate student body, high graduation rate, and public university status are strong, positive, and robustly associated with institutional ROI. The model accounts for more than 70% of inter-university variation in ROI, suggesting that the factors we have identified are among the most important correlates of institutional ROI. We discuss the policy implications of these findings for institutions of higher education in the context of institutional rankings and a rapidly evolving education landscape, giving special attention to student body characteristics colleges and universities.

scholarly journals Teaching sustainable development in higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Howlett ◽  
Jo-Anne Ferreira ◽  
Jessica Blomfield
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Reflective Thinking ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Course Evaluations ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to argue that substantive changes are required in both curricula and pedagogical practice in higher education institutions to challenge dominant epistemologies and discourses and to unsettle current ways of thinking about, and acting in relation to, the environment. Central to such a shift, it is argued, is the need for higher education curricula to be interdisciplinary and for pedagogical practices to work to build capacities in students for critical and reflective thinking. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a case study of our reflections is offered on a subject designed to promote capacities in students for critical and reflective thinking via an interdisciplinary approach. The paper uses data from student reflective essays and student course evaluations to make an argument for the success of this approach. Findings Genuine transformative learning can occur within a constructivist informed pedagogical approach to teaching for sustainability. Research limitations/implications Research implications are that genuine transformation can occur in students’ thinking processes (which the paper argues is critical for effective education in sustainability) with appropriately designed courses in higher education. Practical implications More effective environmental actors and thinkers, who can critically engage with the complexity of environmental problems. Social implications Social implications include a more effective and socially just higher education for sustainability Originality/value The authors know of no other narrative that addresses attempts to educate for sustainability using this approach.

University gardens for sustainable citizenship: assessing the impacts of garden-based learning on environmental and food education at Spanish higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-534
Author(s):  
Marcia Eugenio-Gozalbo ◽  
Guadalupe Ramos-Truchero ◽  
Rafael Suárez-López
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Agricultural Labor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Waste Separation ◽  
Spanish Higher Education

Purpose Gardens are being used at all educational stages, because they provide with a real-world context for active and experiential learning. In Spain, there exists a movement in favor of their incorporation to higher education for a variety of purposes but prevalently as an innovative resource to teach sciences to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study is assessing the impacts of such pedagogical practice on university students’ learning and behavioral changes in the areas of environmental and food citizenship, two key dimensions of contemporary citizenship that are essential to achieve sustainable societies. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected by means of an electronic, open-ended question survey completed by 170 students from 6 different universities where gardens are used. Answers were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA software to develop a system of content categories and subcategories in relation to reported learning and behavioral changes. Findings Widespread among universities was learning on organic agriculture practices, greater appreciation of agricultural labor, greater willingness to cultivate, higher awareness of environmental impacts of agriculture, improved behaviors regarding waste separation and enhanced fruit and vegetable consumption. Originality/value This work delves into how university gardens act as a vehicle through which students integrate knowledge and reflect on their environmental, food and consumption behaviors. Thus, it supports on evidences, the use of gardens at higher education to nurture two dimensions of contemporary citizenship essential to achieve sustainability.

Demonstrating the motivational scale for commitments toward teachers’ turnover intentions using self-determination theory: a case of higher education institutions in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayeda Zeenat Maryam ◽  
Fouzia Ali ◽  
Mehvish Rizvi ◽  
Sadia Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate the turnover intentions (TIs) among the academic faculty of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan through their motivation and commitment toward the concerned institution. It inspects the relationship of dimensions of motivation including an absence of motivation (AM), extrinsic motivation (ExM) and intrinsic motivation (InM) with the dimensions of commitment including affective commitment (AC), continuous commitment (CC) and normative commitment (NC) and finally the academic's TIs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used the self-determination theory (SDT), the theory of organizational commitment (OC) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for its proposed model. A sample of 500 academics, working under higher education commission recognized public and private universities in Punjab Pakistan. A structural equation modeling (SEM) conducted for analysis using an algorithm, bootstrapping and blindfolding techniques.FindingsThe outcomes of the research are attention-grabbing, as no direct relationship has been observed between the dimensions of motivation and TIs except InM. The dimensions of commitments are mediating the relationship between motivation and TIs with high significance value. The results reveal a significant adverse effect on TIs through two dimensions of commitment.Research limitations/implicationsAs it is the case of a developing country like Pakistan therefore the finding cannot generalize to developed countries.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research may lead the policymakers and practitioners of HEIs and controlling body to retain their competent teachers.Social implicationsThis research can help the private sector to develop strategies about the retention of their competent teachers within the institutions that not just value the institution but also will be much beneficial for the students and society.Originality/valueThis paper is identifying how motivation is related to TIs and the role of commitment in it at HEIs. Still, no research has been conducted considering this avenue of SDT, OC and TPB

scholarly journals Higher education between massification and quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103
Author(s):  
Rabah Noui
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Higher Education Reforms ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Education Model ◽  
Quality In Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Dimension

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the policy of massification as a characteristic of the higher education system influences the quality of education? and what higher education model can the authors adopt to reconcile flow and quality?Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted is based on a questionnaire survey of a population of young graduates divided between graduates with a conventional license and LMD license, either in the process of preparing for a diploma or in unemployment or work. But also, the qualitative dimension which, although secondary in this survey, the authors mobilized it through the analysis of open questions relating to the perceptions and representations that young graduates have of their situations.FindingsThe higher education reforms are perceived differently by higher education actors. The results found show that university massification has had the opposite effect by training graduates doomed to unemployment and expatriation.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample for this study is very limited, the results of this finding cannot be generalized to the entire university student as a whole.Originality/valueThis study emphasizes the duality of flow and quality in higher education. The authors have shown the different perceptions of stakeholders in higher education and that despite the multiple reforms of this system the authors still cannot find the best model.

Faculty research productivity under alternative appointment types: tenure vs non-tenure track

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1348-1357
Author(s):  
Marcus T. Allen ◽  
Carol A. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Productivity ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The increasing use of non-tenure employment contracting as a cost savings and/or management flexibility increasing mechanism in colleges and universities raises concerns about the impact of this strategy on other aspects of the higher education system. The purpose of this paper is to document reduced research productivity at a university that uses rolling contracts in comparison to research productivity at another university in the same state university system in the USA that uses tenure track contracting. Design/methodology/approach Negative binomial regression analysis allows investigation of the primary variable of interest (appointment type) while controlling for other factors that may also affect research productivity. Findings The findings suggest that non-tenure track employment contracting may have other long-term implications for institutions of higher education that warrant consideration. Originality/value No prior study has investigated the topic of comparative research productivity in business schools using this methodology or data source.

Work‐life balancing strategies used by women managers in British “modern” universities

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrate Work ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe “work‐life balance” literature is mainly concerned with the provision and up‐take of flexible employment patterns. The purpose of this qualitative study of women managers' coping strategies for reconciling work with their other roles and responsibilities is to provide a complementary perspective.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured extended interviews were carried out with 16 women managers of academic or “support” departments in eight UK post‐1992 universities, about their working practices and how they sought to integrate work with other parts of their lives.FindingsThese women reported high workloads, requiring long working hours, which consumed time and energy otherwise available for other relationships and commitments and their own leisure. Various strategies were adopted to manage the situation, including establishing rigid boundaries between work and non‐work, and shifting these boundaries in favour of work when necessary. Temporal, spatial and symbolic distinctions were used to contain work. Women without dependent children were more likely to be able to redefine boundaries when necessary to favour work.Research limitations/implicationsAs a small and possibly unrepresentative sample of UK women managers in higher education, the study could usefully be extended through comparisons with male peers, and with women managers in other sectors. (It is the preliminary phase of a comparative study of women employed in universities in the UK and Japan.) However, the findings broadly replicate other studies.Practical implicationsThere are policy implications for universities, which need feedback from staff about the impact of equal opportunities initiatives to inform further progress.Originality/valueThis study provides qualitative information on women working in non‐traditional key posts in higher education, who are well‐placed to challenge organisational cultures and act as role models.

Faculty engagement in higher education: prospects and areas of research

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khushboo Raina ◽  
Puja Khatri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Faculty Engagement ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Ebsco Host ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the available literature on engagement of faculty members teaching in higher education institutions and present forth a strong foundation for researchers of the same area to gain insight into the available literature and prospects of faculty engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory study has been conducted using different keywords to draw a list of relevant research papers on Google Scholar and several online databases like Emerald Management, EBSCO Host, Elseiver, etc. Findings – Various definitions of the major constructs have been captured from which dimensions have been explored. Identification of dimensions and factors has been done by performing extensive literature review. Studies so conducted on the major construct have been tabulated to present a comprehensive picture. Universities across the world have been studied to find out differences with respect to India in terms of their higher education system and practices related to faculty. Originality/value – The paper is original and holds significance as not much literature is available on faculty engagement in published domain and higher education has become an area of keen interest in present times. This paper will give a strong foundation of literature to future researchers who want to pursue their studies in this area.

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