Students’ perceptions of an internationalised learning environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Quintal ◽  
Ian Phau
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Fierce Competition ◽  
The Way

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore student perceptions of the internationalised learning environment across a particular university's home and offshore campuses. It addresses three research questions namely: what constitutes the internationalised learning environment for students? Can a university offer an internationalised learning environment that is equitable for students across its home and offshore campuses? And what differences exist in the internationalised learning environment for students in a university's home and offshore campuses? Design/methodology/approach – In total, 484 completed responses were collected from the university's six campuses in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Findings – Findings suggested significant differences in the way students perceived of teaching reputation, context-specific curriculum, resources, student-support staff interaction and their attitude towards their university. Practical implications – These insights could help a university's teaching staff and administrators to focus on specific attributes in marketing the internationalised learning environments of each of its campuses. This could give the university better opportunity for improving the learning process and its outcomes for students. Originality/value – This paper sets out to define the parameters of the internationalised learning environment and conducts an audit of this environment from the student perspective. Findings suggested significant differences in the way students perceived of teaching reputation, context-specific curriculum, resources, student-support staff interaction and their attitude towards their university. In the market of fierce competition for international students, it is crucial that these positive attributes be part of the marketing messages in any promotion campaigns for universities.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions of higher education in Sāmoa: Finagalo fa’aalia o alo ma fanau a’oa’oina ile Iunivesetē Aoao o Sāmoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rosa Filoi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Student Resilience ◽  
National University ◽  
Socially Responsive

<p>This thesis evaluates and analyses Sāmoan student perceptions of higher education in Sāmoa. This work offers an insider’s account of Sāmoan education in particular, focussing on current students belonging to the National University of Sāmoa (NUS). A Pasifika and Sociological framework was used in this study, employing Pasifika research methods of talanoa and aspects of Fa’afaletui. Nineteen NUS students and one student support staff were interviewed for this study. This thesis is not focussed on exploring linear pathways instead it focusses on student resilience in prioritizing their education. Thus, important of this work is to inform the National University of Sāmoa of their students’ needs and the challenges they face in order to provide appropriate support that are culturally and socially responsive to a Sāmoan student’s worldview.</p>

Graduate leadership students’ perspective on including spiritual topics

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Allen ◽  
Peter Williams
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Diversity Awareness ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore working students’ perspectives on the inclusion of spiritual topics in graduate leadership and management programs at secular, nonreligious, and multifaith universities. The growth in interest in spiritual issues at work and in leadership and management education suggests that spiritual topics have a role to play in leadership and management education, but this has not been systematically researched from a student perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 128 graduate students in leadership and management programs were surveyed using a 22-item rating scale-based questionnaire, with three additional open-ended items. Questions were developed from a survey of the literature. Findings – Descriptive analysis suggests support for the inclusion of spiritual components in courses but emphasizes students’ desire for an unbiased learning experience. Factor analysis not only revealed student perceptions being influenced by openness to and interest in the topic but also identified concern or fear when engaging others in the educational context. Analysis of qualitative results supported the quantitative findings but provided a richer understanding of students’ perceptions of benefits (e.g. diversity awareness) and concerns (e.g. student and instructor bias). Practical implications – This research suggests a role for spiritual topics in management and leadership programs, with appropriate caution, classroom facilitation skill and control of bias by instructors. Originality/value – This study provides a systematic exploration of students’ perspectives on the inclusion of spirituality in graduate leadership and management programs.

Undergraduate accounting students: prepared for the workplace?

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Towers-Clark
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Working ◽  
Stakeholder Perspective ◽  
Perceived Relevance

Purpose – This paper aims to explore and investigate student perceptions as to what generic skills they considered were important for accountants and to what extent these skills were developed by their programme of study. Design/methodology/approach – Data gathered from 357 UK undergraduate accounting degree graduates were used to develop insights into perceived relevance of current skills development and provided a basis for developments of the programme to better meet student skills development in preparation for them being accountants. Findings – Areas determined as requiring further development within the programme to better meet perceived required skills of accountants are those of team working, oral communication, interpersonal and career planning and interviewing skills. Research limitations/implications – Conclusions drawn are only from a student perspective and do not reflect wider stakeholder perspective. Practical implications – This study sought to understand what skills students perceive could benefit from development within the programme. Social implications – The motivation for this study was to respond to criticism that students on graduation were not achieving desired level of skills that would be important to their chosen field. Originality/value – Further skills including leadership, entrepreneurship and conflict management were skills perceived by students as important for their current employment.

Variables influencing teacher autonomy, administrative coordination, and collaboration

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb Prichard ◽  
Jana E. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Teacher Autonomy ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Significant Variable ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Program Complexity ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Coordination And Collaboration

Purpose – Schools often vary in how they balance teacher autonomy (TA) and administrative control, and research suggests that there may be several context-specific variables which may be influential. The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of program variables on the level of TA, administrative coordination, and administration-staff collaboration in English as a second or other language (ESOL) programs. Design/methodology/approach – Administrators from 130 ESOL programs completed an empirical questionnaire aiming to understand the influence of variables on the level of TA, coordination, and collaboration. The following five variables were hypothesized to be influential based on the literature review: complexity/size; the variability of students’ needs; external pressures; teacher qualifications; and feasibility. Findings – Top-down coordination was significantly influenced by four of the five of the program variables, and collaboration was predicted by two. However, program complexity/size was the only significant variable influencing the reported level of TA. Research limitations/implications – Teachers were not surveyed in this stage of the research. Follow-up research is planned to involve teaching staff. Practical implications – Administrators may benefit from reflecting more on how they coordinate their program by considering the potential influence of context-specific variables highlighted in the research. The findings could influence administrators to adapt their management style potentially leading to a better working environment and improved student learning outcomes. Originality/value – Previous research has looked at the influence of situational variables on leadership style, but research has not explicitly analyzed the effect of context variables on the level of TA and administrative coordination in educational programs.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions of higher education in Sāmoa: Finagalo fa’aalia o alo ma fanau a’oa’oina ile Iunivesetē Aoao o Sāmoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rosa Filoi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Student Resilience ◽  
National University ◽  
Socially Responsive

<p>This thesis evaluates and analyses Sāmoan student perceptions of higher education in Sāmoa. This work offers an insider’s account of Sāmoan education in particular, focussing on current students belonging to the National University of Sāmoa (NUS). A Pasifika and Sociological framework was used in this study, employing Pasifika research methods of talanoa and aspects of Fa’afaletui. Nineteen NUS students and one student support staff were interviewed for this study. This thesis is not focussed on exploring linear pathways instead it focusses on student resilience in prioritizing their education. Thus, important of this work is to inform the National University of Sāmoa of their students’ needs and the challenges they face in order to provide appropriate support that are culturally and socially responsive to a Sāmoan student’s worldview.</p>

scholarly journals “What should I say to my employer… if anything?”- My disability disclosure dilemma

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1105-1117
Author(s):  
Jennifer Elizabeth Marshall ◽  
Colm Fearon ◽  
Marianne Highwood ◽  
Katy Warden
Keyword(s):  
Further Education ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disability Disclosure ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Negative Side Effects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the key issues surrounding teacher/staff disability disclosures in the UK's further education (FE) sector.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted in a medium-sized FE college (case study) setting in the South East of England. To compare the experiences, views and perceptions of leaders, managers and teachers, interviews were carried out with leaders and managers who are accountable for ensuring disability legislation is adhered to, and with teachers who are responsible for complying with equality and disability legislation. The 15 interviewees who volunteered to take part in this research represent the various layers of the organisational structure and different academic departments in the college.FindingsTwo major themes discussed include: the desire for teaching staff to “come out” and make a disability disclosure and the perception of disability as a “deficit”. A number of staff that disclosed their hidden disabilities stated they would not do so again. To avoid the negative side effects, developing a “culture of disability disclosure” and providing long-term employer support are required.Research limitations/implicationsThis is an exploratory qualitative case study that highlights some of the key issues from a teacher/staff perspective. It is not meant to be generalisable research, but the ideas therein should help to develop a wider (empirical) research agenda.Originality/valueThere is an abundance of critical and sociological research concerning disability disclosure in general; there are also a number of scholarly studies that focus on disability issues from the student perspective. However, this is the first scholarly study that explores the key issues involving FE staff.

Academic libraries in Romania

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 625-634
Author(s):  
Octavia-Luciana Madge
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Electronic Information Resources ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
The Way

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the results obtained from a study on cooperation, collaboration and partnerships between academic libraries in Romania.Design/methodology/approachThe study is limited to the answers received from interviews with 11 of the 15 invited directors/heads of academic libraries from Romanian universities, but the findings can be extrapolated to assess the overall situation in this country.FindingsThe results’ analysis indicates that 73 percent of the participants (8 participants) consider cooperation in the activities of Romanian academic libraries as being at a low to medium level. National cooperation can be found only in relation to access to electronic information resources. Collaboration between libraries and other departments and services within universities exists, but collaboration with students and the teaching staff is less developed. Despite the small number of partnerships and collaborative projects in which Romanian academic libraries are involved, there is a desire to further develop such activities.Originality/valueThe study is the first of its kind undertaken in Romania and paves the way for further research on this issue.

Using a synchronous online learning environment to promote and enhance transactional engagement beyond the classroom

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Wdowik
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Online Learning Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Synchronous Online Learning ◽  
Synchronous Online

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create a synchronous online learning community through the use of Blackboard Collaborate! to promote and enhance transactional engagement outside the classroom. Design/methodology/approach – This paper employs a quantitative and qualitative approach where data were sourced from a third year finance unit across one semester using a survey instrument. SPSS v20 was used to perform basic descriptive analysis. Findings – The study revealed that by providing an online learning community through the use of Blackboard Collaborate! significantly enhances transactional engagement beyond the classroom. In particular the use of Blackboard Collaborate! allowed the teacher to be more accessible, supportive, expect and support high standards and provide challenging activities that generated rich and meaningful interactions and promoted higher order thinking skills. Research limitations/implications – The positive results emanating from this study may encourage other educators and their institutions to adopt a synchronous online learning community to enhance student's engagement levels and increase the quality of student learning and their university experience. This study was conducted at only one university so it may not be feasible to form generalisations resulting from the findings. Originality/value – This study adds new insights towards the scarce amount of literature on engagement in a blended learning environment. In particular the study adds a student perspective to the student engagement literature and to what constitutes quality in higher education and/or improved student experience.

Student engagement and learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 603-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Brown ◽  
Martin Rich ◽  
Clive Holtham
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Module Design ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of a new undergraduate one-term double module called management practice and skills – which sought to change the learning environment for the new intake of undergraduate students based on constructivist ideas aimed at creating a high level of student engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Action research focusing on the evaluation stage of the first cycle of an intervention. The intervention is described in a case study explaining the features of the new module combined with the statistical analysis of the hard data collected on the first cohort of students taking the module using mainly correlation techniques. Findings – The module design did achieve to a great extent the objective of catering to all learning styles and personalities within the cohort. The results from the first cohort established the elusive nature of the concept of student engagement and the challenge in measuring it quantitatively. Research limitations/implications – This is an evaluation of one case example of the application of constructivist ideas in teaching and hence can make no claim to generalisability. The quantitative measure of student engagement was developed for this study – hence it needs to be applied in other situations and tested for credibility. The student data did not include any measures of their views on the module. The collection of their levels of satisfaction at the end of the module and again after two more years at university would offer a richer view of student engagement. Practical implications – This type of module makes high demands on the teaching staff. It requires, for example – design effort, tutors with both business and teaching experience, administration of the logistics, expertise in handling moodle. The role of the moodle virtual learning environment is key to delivering the module and to collecting much of the data. Social implications – The module design explicitly aims to foster students’ social interaction and create a community of learning among them. It supports students’ personal development, development of individual business and team working skills as well as relevant management theory. Originality/value – The paper describes an unusual application of constructivist concepts to teaching in a business degree and the development of an innovative and distinctive approach to the creation of a quantitative measure of student engagement.

Organizational underpinnings of interactive decision making: an empirical inquiry

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 310-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Fedele ◽  
Luca Brusati ◽  
Mario Ianniello
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Inquiry ◽  
Interactive Decision Making ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Administrative Tradition ◽  
The Way

Purpose – Interactive decision making has become a recurrent practice across countries, policy sectors and tiers of government. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how organizational arrangements, i.e. the way the interactive process is designed, influence its outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The research is carried out through a multiple case study. Four cases of interactive decision making are analyzed using a qualitative framework. Findings – Findings can contribute to shed light on the organizational underpinnings of the outcomes of interactive decision making. Accessibility, in particular meant as process openness, i.e. the intensity of the decision-making powers that are devolved to the public, seems to represent the key factor in producing positive outcomes, especially if associated to less-formalized arrangements. Practical implications – On the practice oriented side, findings provide decision makers with insights about how to design interactive mechanisms to improve the chances they would “work.” Specifically, finding suggest to launch interactive initiatives only when the public’s expectations in terms of process openness can be satisfied. Originality/value – The way organizational arrangements influence outcomes is likely to be affected by context-specific factors interacting with the formers in generating the latters. Therefore, in order to reach meaningful research results it might be necessary to systematically factor context-specific features in the analysis. Here lies the relative novelty of the paper: although the relation between arrangements and outcomes of interactive decision making has been already investigated by other contributions, the present analysis purposefully focusses on cases occurred in the same policy sector, in one homogeneous geographical location and characterized by the same administrative tradition in order to discount the influence of these factors.

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