Staff and students’ perception of implementing flexible working arrangements in institution of higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam M. Mwando ◽  
Amin Issa ◽  
Verinjaerako Kangotue
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Work Productivity ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Space Efficiency ◽  
Flexible Working

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception of university staff and students in implementing flexible working arrangements (FWA) to increase space efficiency, lower overheads and improve productivity at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and document searches. A total of 253 university staff (academic and support) and students were surveyed to solicit their perceptions on the extent to which FWA could be implemented to ensure space optimisation, minimise property related costs and improve employee productivity. Findings The study confirms that the successful implementation of FWA needs coordinated institutional policy to effectively support and cater to university staff’s different needs while meeting those of the university. Implementing FWA may reduce demand on utilities resulting in lower overheads for the institution. Based on the findings, the study is inconclusive on whether FWA improves or reduces staff productivity. Practical implications In the era of austerity measures in institutions of higher education (IHE), with rapid advances in communication information technologies, FWA are not only a possibility but inevitable to ensure optimal use of space, lower operating costs and improved work productivity. This study provides a cursory understanding of the possibility to implementing FWA in higher education. Originality/value This study contributes to the FWA body of knowledge from the perspective of both academic, non-academic staff and students in IHE.

Application of remote technologies in education

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olesya A. Stroeva ◽  
Yuliia Zviagintceva ◽  
Elena Tokmakova ◽  
Elena Petrukhina ◽  
Oksana Polyakova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Smart Technologies ◽  
Method Of Evaluation

Purpose At present, the development of information technologies changes the whole system of public functioning. Special attention is paid to the system of higher education, as it forms future highly qualified specialists, who will become the basis of digital economy. According to this, new remote technologies are implemented into the system of education each year, which are a basic prototype of smart technologies. The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of remote technologies in the development of the system of higher education and to form skills with the students. Design/methodology/approach Based on this, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: view the aspects, peculiarities and possibilities of remote education; distinguish the main tools of remote technologies in education; offer electronic final program as a remote method of evaluation of students’ knowledge. Findings In this study, the following methods are used: analysis, synthesis, logical method, abstraction and comparison. Scientific novelty consists in performing research in the sphere of significance and implementation of remote technologies in the system of higher education of the Russian Federation. Originality/value This research could be useful for public officers who form programs of development of higher education and for academic staff of higher educational establishments.

Smart technologies: perspectives of usage in higher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innara Lyapina ◽  
Elena Sotnikova ◽  
Olga Lebedeva ◽  
Tatyana Makarova ◽  
Nataliya Skvortsova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Classical Education ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Labor Resources ◽  
Smart Technologies

Purpose The system of higher education is ineffective – it has to change the concept of educational process, which is peculiar for increase of the volume of education of labor resources. According to this, there is a necessity to pass to the system of higher education with elements of smart technologies. The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of smart technologies as an innovational and intellectual tool in development of the system of higher education and formation of actual skills with students. Design/methodology/approach The aspects of classical education in universities with elements of remote forms of implementation of smart technologies on IT platforms are studied; peculiarities of smart technology as intellectual tools of higher education are analyzed; perspectives of usage of smart technologies as innovational tools for development of higher education are determined. The research methods include analysis, synthesis, abstraction, comparison and logical method. Findings Information technologies become an inseparable part of life of society and human. A new network generation of people that cannot imagine life without new technological devices is growing. However, despite this, modern education does not sufficiently influence the development of human capital in the conditions of digital environment. Originality/value Scientific novelty consists in conducting the research in the sphere of significance and perspectives of implementing smart technologies into the systems of higher education of the Russian Federation. This paper could be interesting for public officers who form the program of development of higher education and academic staff of higher educational establishments.

Researcher development models and library research support

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fathima Azra Fazal ◽  
Rupak Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Development Models ◽  
Researcher Development ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Library Research

Purpose This paper aims to discuss with an introductory narrative on the models and its role in the context of librarianship. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores the relationship between researcher development and library research support. The authors observed the interconnectedness of the two concepts and how this should be studied more with respect to librarianship. Five major higher education and researcher development–related models are examined to assess which would be more suited for library’s research support activities. Accordingly, Prof Linda Evans’ conceptual researcher development model, the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), the Research Skill Development Framework, Society of College, National and University Libraries Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model and Association of College and Research Libraries’ Standards for Libraries in Higher Education were reviewed. Review and examination of the frameworks, along with relevant literature on the topic, were examined. Findings The authors found that the Vitae RDF seemed most ideal, as it was comprehensive and detailed in presentation and could be used not just by the academic staff but also by librarians and researchers to their benefit. Research limitations/implications Further studies and thorough review of recent educational and library-related frameworks and models are required from the lens of library research support. Practical implications Application of frameworks needs to be actively adopted by librarians. Originality/value There are few studies that have examined researcher development and research support in librarianship in conjunction. The present study has aimed to bridge this gap.

A barrier diagnostic framework in process of digital transformation in higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bayu Rima Aditya ◽  
Ridi Ferdiana ◽  
Sri Suning Kusumawardani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Systematic Understanding ◽  
Diagnostic Framework

PurposeExisting literature has reported a barrier list that could affect the implementation of digital transformation in higher education, yet the research question of how to identify barriers remained unanswered. Thus, this study intended to address this gap.Design/methodology/approachThe research design adopted a mixed-methods approach based on the problem-centered design science research (DSR) process model for the development and evaluation of framework.FindingsThis study proposed a systematic framework of three sets of components: (1) the initial set of barriers; (2) the barrier rating scheme and (3) the barrier scoring matrix. The three-component of the framework is to identify and prioritize barriers to the successful implementation of digital transformation in higher education.Research limitations/implicationsThe evaluation of the framework was only based on an expert opinion.Practical implicationsThis study provided a direction to the policymakers for designing sensible strategies to increase the chances of a successful digital transformation in higher education.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the knowledge body by offering a more systematic understanding of barriers to digital transformation in higher education.

scholarly journals Stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idoya Ferrero-Ferrero ◽  
María Ángeles Fernández-Izquierdo ◽  
María Jesús Muñoz-Torres ◽  
Lucía Bellés-Colomer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quality Of Reporting ◽  
Stakeholder Expectations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Internal Stakeholders

Purpose The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of stakeholder engagement in the context of sustainability reporting (SR) for higher education institutions (HEIs), together with the materiality principle and stakeholder expectations. Design/methodology/approach This research uses an exploratory approach based on content analysis, a case study and descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings Three key findings come out of this research. First, the results indicate that HEIs use diverse criteria for grouping stakeholders and that stakeholder engagement is a heterogeneous process. Second, the expectations of internal stakeholders align with the material aspects of SR. Finally, among internal stakeholders, students and academics disagree on the prioritisation of some sustainability aspects, with non-academic staff adopting an intermediate position. Practical implications This analysis improves our knowledge of stakeholder engagement in HEIs. It helps to identify the relevant impacts of stakeholder engagement, enhances the quality of reporting and encourages a real dialogue with stakeholders. Originality/value The study examines stakeholder engagement and how the materiality principle is adopted by HEIs through SR. Furthermore, it compares these results with stakeholder expectations, considering the discrepancies between stakeholders. The results open the way to future research to explore the potential conflicts and collaborations between and within stakeholders to advance towards more sustainable institutions in the higher education sector.

Technology mentors: enablers of ICT uptake in Australian small business

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 658-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn J Woodley ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Rafael Paguio ◽  
Scott Bingley
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the innovative employment of students as technology mentors as part of a Blended Learning Program (BLP) that supported a group of owner-managers of small businesses to adopt appropriate information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance their work practices. Design/methodology/approach – This discussion uses various evaluations undertaken throughout the project to examine why the technology mentor role is vital in supporting small businesses to develop digital literacies. The participants’ self-reporting of their ICT skills as well as their progress in using ICT was also assessed by technology mentors in the course of the program and reported in mentor reflections. Academic staff also evaluated the performances of technology mentors in relation to each business. Findings – Participants in the BLP pilot program singled out the technology mentors as being essential in promoting their uptake of ICT and in their ability to use specific technologies at work. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based on a pilot program involving six learners and two technology mentors. While this is a statistically insignificant number of evaluations, both the findings and the model of the BLP remain of interest. This model has the capacity to address a long-standing and global challenge to support small businesses in the use of ICT. A scaled up version of the program is required to validate the findings. Practical implications – In the final evaluation, participants all self-assessed as having increased ICT knowledge and skills. They provided specific examples of how they now use ICT. The BLP could be taken up by local and state governments who periodically attempt to support small businesses in the uptake of technologies. The BLP could also be applied to vocational education students in business, information technologies or information systems. As well as supporting small businesses to adopt ICT, this model also provides an important alternative to resource-intensive work-placement programs that are designed to develop students’ employability skills through work-integrated learning. Originality/value – Less effective attempts to support small businesses often involve face-to-face training for unrealistic periods of time that foreground technology rather than real world, useful and relevant outcomes (IBSA, 2013). This BLP successfully supported owner operators of small businesses to identify, apply and evaluate a range of software applications (“apps”) and online programs to enhance their work practices.

scholarly journals Teacher Fellow accreditation – a madrigal of voices! But is it the right tune? Tensions of standardisation, engagement and neoliberalism

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Kershaw-Solomon ◽  
Nick Beech ◽  
Jeff Gold ◽  
Julia Claxton ◽  
Tricia Auty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competency Frameworks ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact competency frameworks as standardisation can have on the employee engagement of academic staff within higher education (HE) through their employment as managerial tools. Design/methodology/approach A literature review is conducted from which the conditions for effective competency frameworks are evaluated and the influence of changes in the HE environment in the form of political agendas and tight resources are explored. Findings This paper provides insights into the dynamics of public service modernisation and the tensions between the dominant discourse of managerialism and the degree of agency afforded to professional academics. It highlights the relevance of informal peer relationships in setting the climate to generate collegial bonding and professional engagement that underpin successful teacher fellowship accreditations. It further highlights the key role managers play in this process and provides a conceptual framework highlighting the dynamics and combined effect of employee engagement and competency frameworks set within complex HE environment. Practical implications This paper brings together the prerequisites for effective implementation of competency frameworks to implement successful employee engagement strategies set within the complexities of the HE context, which has not been studied to date. Armed with such insights, Human Resource Development (HRD) departments and universities can implement competency assessments that generate greater staff engagement. Originality/value The paper provides a critical approach in reviewing the impact of Continued Professional Development and its link to professional status and thus helps British Universities and others to understand how the mechanisms at work affect engagement levels of academic staff. Armed with this depth of understanding of how the change initiative works, with whom and under what circumstances, universities will be better able to meet target UK Professional Standards Framework membership levels required by the higher education academy (HEA) and, subsequently, the HEA to meet their targets for the government.

Professional community and student engagement in higher education: rethinking the contributions of professional staff

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaw Owusu-Agyeman ◽  
Enna Moroeroe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Culture ◽  
The University

PurposeScholarly studies on student engagement are mostly focused on the perceptions of students and academic staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) with a few studies concentrating on the perspectives of professional staff. To address this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine how professional staff who are members of a professional community perceive their contributions to enhancing student engagement in a university.Design/methodology/approachData for the current study were gathered using semi-structured face-to-face interviews among 41 professional staff who were purposively sampled from a public university in South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using thematic analysis that involved a process of identifying, analysing, organising, describing and reporting the themes that emerged from the data set.FindingsAn analysis of the narrative data revealed that when professional staff provide students with prompt feedback, support the development of their social and cultural capital and provide professional services in the area of teaching and learning, they foster student engagement in the university. However, the results showed that poor communication flow and delays in addressing students’ concerns could lead to student disengagement. The study further argues that through continuous interaction and shared norms and values among members of a professional community, a service culture can be developed to address possible professional knowledge and skills gaps that constrain quality service delivery.Originality/valueThe current paper contributes to the scholarly discourse on student engagement and professional community by showing that a service culture of engagement is developed among professional staff when they share ideas, collaborate and build competencies to enhance student engagement. Furthermore, the collaboration between professional staff and academics is important to addressing the academic issues that confront students in the university.

Family-friendly support programs and work family conflict among Indonesian higher education employees

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 726-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tri Wulida Afrianty ◽  
John Burgess ◽  
Theodora Issa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Support Programs ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Friendly ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of family-friendly programs at the workplace in the Indonesian higher education sector. The focus is the impact that these programs have on employees’ work family conflict. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of academic and non-academic staff from 30 higher education institutions across Indonesia participated in the research. A total of 159 completed questionnaires from 109 academic and 50 from non-academic staff are reported and statistically analysed using SPSS. Findings – Work and family experiences in Indonesia do not positively align with the findings reported in most academic literature pertaining to western societies where the use of family-friendly programs (i.e. flexible work options, specialized leave options and dependent care support) leads to a reduction in employees’ work family conflict. In fact, some of the programs were found to have the opposite effect in the Indonesian context. Research limitations/implications – The design of family-friendly support has to take into account the context in which the policies will operates; these policies are not transferable across countries in terms of their effectiveness. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that has examined the operation and effectiveness of family-friendly support programs in an Indonesian context.

scholarly journals Academic leadership development programs: a model for sustained institutional change

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1008-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt ◽  
Ina Louw
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Institutional Change ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiplier Effect

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a leadership development program (LDP) for senior academic staff on “qualitative research” after two years to establish the success, limitations and overall impact of the program in terms of personal, professional and organizational benefits. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the background, outline of the LDP and evaluation of results through participant feedback: at the end of the program; and after two years, using a “participatory action learning and action research” (PALAR) approach. Findings – All participants were very positive about the design, conduct and learning outcomes of the program in terms of their own and their students’ learning during and after the program. But although the workshop had prepared them, some had not cascaded their learning and skills by conducting similar programs in their department, faculty or university wide, which was one of the main original objectives to achieve a multiplier effect across the institution. The authors discuss various reasons for this shortcoming and develop a process model for positive institutional change management in higher education. Research limitations/implications – Medium- and long-term effects of an LDP need to be followed up after a timespan of one to three or five years to establish whether the development has been effective and sustainable and to learn from limitations and shortcomings for future R&D activities. Practical implications – The authors identify the limitations and suggest practical institutional changes that encourage cascading of learning in theory and practice with a multiplier effect. Social implications – The paper aims to assist higher education institutions to ensure sustainability in their LDPs. Originality/value – The process model for leadership development in higher education can be adopted, adapted or further developed by other scholars interested in designing, conducting and evaluating a sustainable LDP in their field and organization.

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