Informal Practices in the Making of Professionals: The Case of Engineers in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan

2020 ◽  
pp. 095001702094758
Author(s):  
Ayça Ergun ◽  
Leyla Sayfutdinova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
Professional Networks ◽  
Informal Practices ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study expands the understanding of the role of informality in post-socialist professions by examining the use of informal practices by an under-researched professional group of engineers in Azerbaijan. We use in-depth interviews with engineers educated in Soviet and post-Soviet periods to trace changes and continuities in the use of informal practices in their education and work. The study found that although many practices inherited from the Soviet period (e.g. bribery in higher education and nepotism in employment) have undermined professional standards, others, such as reliance on interpersonal professional networks and reputations, have helped to transmit professional knowledge and preserve professional values. We argue that informality has a dual impact on the engineering profession in Azerbaijan: some informal practices undermine professionalism while others help to sustain it.

Standardization and modernization of Kazakhstan Higher education

2021 ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Yu.N. Pak ◽  
◽  
Zh.S. Nuguzhinov ◽  
D.Yu. Pak
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Educational Standards ◽  
The Republic ◽  
State Educational

Worked out is the analyzes of development of the Kazakhstan system of standardization of higher education on the example of several generations of state educational standards. Their features are examined in structural terms, as well as in terms of the requirements for the compulsory minimum of the educational content, the level of preparedness of graduates and learning outcomes. The dynamics of transformations in the context of expansion of universities academic freedoms, the ratio of compulsory and university components of educational programs is shown. The role of educational and methodological associations of universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the development of the regulatory and legal support of the educational process is emphasized. The relevance of introducing the competence-based approach in higher education on the basis of combining educational and professional standards is noted. It is shown that inconsistent and hasty reforms, uncompetitive level of teachers’ remuneration, expanding bureaucratization, underdeveloped quality assurance culture do not contribute to the successful modernization of higher education.

ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING (SMM) IN HEI’S ADMISSION

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Awais Mehmood ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Promotional Messages ◽  
Admissions Process ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose: Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) are shaping their operational approach in a more business oriented manner due to intensification of competition to recruit quality students. This requires adaption of various marketing communication tools to develop, sustain and improve brand image. The invent of Web 2.0 technologies have offered many such options to organizations including social media (SM) that is being now used by many (HEIs) to connect with their stakeholders especially students. The specific objective and purpose of this study is to investigate the use of SM marketing in the higher education sector in Pakistan and its perceived impact on admission of students. Methodology: It is a qualitative study based on inductive approach where in-depth interviews were conducted with the university’s administrators responsible to manage the SM activities. The interviews were transcribed using NVivo to determine content type placed online by the HEIs in Pakistan, benefits accrued and their perceived impact on student admission. In addition ethnography technique was used to find the type of content on SM being placed by the Pakistani HEIs. Findings: The study illustrates that Facebook and Twitter are the most commonly used social media accounts by the Pakistani HEIs. The content placed on SM by the Pakistani HEIs include announcements, admissions, events, community messages, promotional messages, achievements, greetings, endorsements and job/internships opportunities. Through this content HEIs areable to better engage with their students, obtain necessary feedback, correct any misperceptions and help in career building. These benefits are consequently contributing directly and indirectly to the elements considered important by students for selection of HEIs as highlighted in students’ preference theories(Soutar & Turner, 2000; Maringe, 2006; Mangan, Hughes, Davies, & Slack, 2010). Implications: This study will help the HEIs to understand common benefits they can accrue through their SM use and its potential in facilitating their admissions process. The study will also let the managers of SM in HEIs know of ways to optimize their usage of SM that will consequently help them better gauge the identified benefits and ultimately help in achieving desired objectives pertaining to students’ recruitment.

Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible?

Humanomics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Mashitoh Mahamood ◽  
Asmak Ab Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Board Of Trustees ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Financing Higher Education ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of waqf in financing higher education. Nowadays, higher education is costly and this has prevented students, especially those who are self-financed, from accessing such learning environments. This paper offer an alternative solution to relieve such a situation, namely, through the application of an endowment-based or waqf educational institution. The study suggests a way to establish an endowment university by concentrating the discussion on the concept and principles of its establishment, as well as sharing the experiences of the Malaysian waqf universities and the Turkish Foundation Universities/Vakif Üniversitesi in financing their universities using waqf, i.e. a pious endowment instrument. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data were mainly collected using in-depth interviews with the universities’ higher management authorities and some of the members of the board of trustees. Findings – The findings show that the role of waqf or pious endowment is significant in providing financial assistance to their communities as well as strengthening their academic quality. In addition, tawhidic epistemology together with morality and ethics have influenced waqf donors or founders to donate their wealth and property to enrich and sustain universities and higher education. Originality/value – This article provides the experiences of the Malaysian Waqf Universities and the Turkish Foundation Universities/Vakif Üniversitesi in financing their universities using waqf. It also contains some good examples from the experience of several earlier Islamic civilizations, in particular those of the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. In addition, examples of the implementation of waqf and endowment-based universities in the UK and USA as well as the Al-Azhar University of Egypt is also included.

scholarly journals The Changing Role of Universities in Lithuanian Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 227-232
Author(s):  
Saulius Spurga ◽  
Inga Žalėnienė
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
General Population ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Soviet Society ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
High Level ◽  
Changing Role

AbstractThe Lithuanian Republic was re-established on 11 March 1990 after the fall of the USSR, marking the beginning of a wave of reforms in the country’s higher education (HE) sector. The prevailing assumption had been that, as a Soviet society, Lithuania enjoyed a high level of education at the tertiary level. Yet, the facts of the matter speak differently; during the Soviet period, only about 10% of the general population went on to obtain HE qualifications.

scholarly journals The Creative Disruption of Degree Apprenticeships in the UK

2019 ◽  
pp. 57-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryll Bravenboer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Economic Position ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

The introduction of an apprenticeship levy for employers with a payroll above £3m in 2017 has transformed the landscape for higher-level skills in the UK. While there is some evidence of the economic benefits of higher education, it seems to be largely operating to reproduce economic position rather than as an agent of social mobility. At the same time, UK employers have made it clear that graduates do not possess the range of skills that they require and yet have a poor record of investing in the development of their employees. In this problematized context, degree apprenticeships can operate to creatively disrupt our understanding of the relationship between higher education and work. Assumptions about the presumed differences between academic and professional standards, knowledge and competence, on-and-off-the-job learning are all challenged by the introduction of degree apprenticeships. Can universities overcome these challenges to rethink the role of higher education as the worlds of work and learning align?

scholarly journals Narratives of Students about the Role of Social Networking Sites in Higher Education Institutes

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-100
Author(s):  
Sidra Saeed ◽  
Iqra Saeed ◽  
Dr. Warda Gul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Depth Interviews

Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, blogs, Twitter and other educational sites have become an essential part of daily routine at the tertiary level of education. The purpose of this study is to investigate how SNS enable social interaction as well as sharing of knowledge among students. Hence, this study explored students’ perception of educational activities conducted via SNS and their experience of using SNS in higher institutes. The study adopted a qualitative approach and focused on interpreting students’ narratives regarding the use of SNS in higher education. For this purpose, in depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted from university students. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data generated from the narratives of the participants. The findings showed that SNS plays an important role in distance education as they help students to attend online lectures delivered from the online forums of various universities. Students use SNS for various learning purposes, such as to access online libraries, e-learning, to download e-books and to find research articles from various authentic sites.

scholarly journals Constructions of Professional Subjectivity at the Fine Arts College

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Fine Arts ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
Ideal Position ◽  
Professional Artists ◽  
Individual Self ◽  
Important Marker

Higher education can function as an important marker of seriousness in fields characterized by diffuse professional standards. Using the case of a fine arts institute, the article outlines the role of higher education in promoting the interconnection of a professional and individual subjectivity; being an artist is not merely something one does but something one is. By primarily examining interview material, it explores how an ideal position of individual self-reliance relates to the alumni of the institute. Some respondents were not “in sync” with this position and needed to seek out other resources in order to construct themselves as professional artists. However, they seldom rejected the kind of subjectivity promoted by their education, but rather renegotiated it as part of the uncertainty of their chosen field.Keywords: arts professionals, artistic education, self-reliance, discursive repertoire 

scholarly journals “Holding up Half the Sky”—Women and the Glass Ceiling at a University in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. p58
Author(s):  
Kathy O’Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Glass Ceiling ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Administrative Positions ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological Study ◽  
Depth Interviews

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to describe the glass ceiling is perceived by women in the role of mid-to-senior level academics and administrators in higher education in a Chinese university. This study also sought to understand the characteristics of women in mid-to-senior level positions, as well as the tools and resources necessary for women to obtain such a position in higher education. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight women in mid-to-senior level academic and administrative positions in one university and informed by constructivist views, the essence of their lived experience helped to inform a broader discourse of women and the glass ceiling. The ?ndings highlight how women’s career progression is shaped by cultural norms and conventions.

Competence of Educational Specialists in the Field of Education for Sustainable Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
������� ◽  
Dmitriy Ermakov
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
National Education ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Training Professional

Based on the analysis of international and domestic documents, we have shown an importance of the role of educators (teachers, trainers, other educational specialists) in the education for sustainable development, the need for their adequate training, professional retraining and life-long professional development. We present the results of the 2011�2015 survey, in which 359 teachers from 10 regions of the Russian Federation participated. The majority of respondents knows about the necessity of education for sustainable development, and appreciates the need for it. However, only 9.7 % of specialists� estimated the level of their own methodological skills as suffi cient for implementation of education for sustainable development; and 77.4 % would like to improve their skills. We have done a comparative analysis of foreign models of educators� competences in the fi eld of education for sustainable development and the requirements of national education (general, higher education) and professional standards; we have found the signifi cant incompleteness of the second compare to the fi rst. Based on international recommendations, we have formulated practical suggestions for strengthening the capacity of educators in education for sustainable development.

scholarly journals Students' Perspectives on Future Employment: A Qualitative Study on Indonesian Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 417-424
Author(s):  
Muhammad Haekal ◽  
Ahmad Arief Muttaqien ◽  
Ainal Fitri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Hope Theory ◽  
The Future ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Collection Methods

This study aims to determine how undergraduate students at Indonesian higher education institutions think about future jobs associated with aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in precariat work. It involved twenty students from two public universities located in Aceh, Indonesia. Online in-depth interviews were used as the data collection methods. Additionally, Snyder’s hope theory was utilised as a theoretical framework for this qualitative study. The theory would be useful in understanding the students’ insights related to the precarity of the future job, especially in the aspect of goals, pathway, and agency. The study found that despite having a lack of visualisation towards the future, the undergraduate students generally believed that COVID-19 and precarious working arrangements were serious challenges towards future employment. Academic achievements such as high grades might not be sufficient unless supplemented by substantial organisational skills, vast networking, and a resilient entrepreneurial mentality. This study also underlined the vital role of higher education institutions in strategically preparing their students to face the unpredictability and precariousness of the future job marketplace.

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