Framing research into university governance and leadership: Formative insights from a case study of Australian higher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwilym Croucher ◽  
Wen Wen ◽  
Hamish Coates ◽  
Leo Goedegebuure
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
University Governance ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Leadership Research ◽  
Analytical Frameworks ◽  
Australian Universities

Ensuring effective university governance and leadership is more important than ever before given contemporary transformations of higher education functions, institutions and social roles. This paper reports contributions which seek to stimulate research in this field. Drawing from the formative case study of Australian universities, it discusses prevailing insights and gaps in leadership research, and articulates theoretical dimensions of good governance, an analytical framework for studying the empirical nature and work of university senior leaders, and the characteristics of contemporary arrangements. The paper contributes methodological approaches, analytical frameworks and empirical insights which are designed to generalize and replicate in broader research.

Tactical evaluations: Everyday neoliberalism in academia

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Cannizzo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
National Policy ◽  
University Governance ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Managerial Efficiency ◽  
Policy Agendas

Neoliberal political rationalities have transformed not only national policy agendas, but also the strategies that individuals adopt to navigate their everyday lives; sometimes described as ‘everyday neoliberalism’. This article explores everyday neoliberalism’s contribution to the transformation of workplace ethics through a case study of Australian academics. National higher education policy reforms have been mirrored by a transformation in academics’ perceptions of what forms of self-management are legitimate and necessary. While governmental reforms are couched in a language of technical efficiency and accountability to stakeholders, interviews with academics reveal depoliticising practices of evaluation. Values conflicts – between scholarly autonomy and managerial efficiency – are indicative of tactical struggles over the means by which academics evaluate their selves and their labour. The managerialisation of university governance has not eroded political and value commitments, but has encouraged academics to pursue more individualised forms of ethics, which re-affirm their compliance with managerial norms.

scholarly journals Higher Education for Sustainability in the Developing World: A Case Study of Rafik Hariri University1 in Lebanon

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamil Hammoud ◽  
Mohamed Tarabay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Society

Responding to heightened global interest in and concern for the sustainability of the planet and our ways of life on it, The United Nations’ Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015) came out as a very ambitious and historic global agreement. The agenda identified what have become known as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), along with their detailed targets to mobilize and guide global efforts toward ending poverty, fostering peace, safeguarding human rights and protecting the planet. Education for Sustainable Development forms part of Target 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to “ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles…”Departing from the Brundtland Commission’s (1987) definition of sustainable development as a paradigm of resource use that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” universities have progressively been incorporating sustainability values, practices and initiatives into their activities, throughout the realm of what they do in teaching, research, administration and operational systems.  Indeed, Commitment to sustainability at universities worldwide dates back to the 1980’s, with a number of landmarks and declarations such as the Magna Charta of European Universities (1988), and the Talloires Declaration of University Presidents for a Sustainable Future (1990).However, the debate so far has centered mostly on the rationale and reasoning for broad adoption, rather than the various actions to be undertaken by higher education institutions (HEIs). Moreover, Efforts and initiatives to integrate sustainability into higher education in the developing world have been ad-hoc, modest and small (Mohamedbhai 2012).  We could only find a few research studies covering such efforts and initiatives anyways (Awuzie & Emuze, 2017; Bhat et al., 2017; Khalaf-Kairouz, 2012).This paper aims to describe sustainable practices of higher education institutions in the developing world, via a case study of Rafik Hariri University in Lebanon.  The authors utilize the 12 Features of Sustainable Society, developed by the Forum for the Future (2003) as an analytical framework, based on the Five Capitals Model.  The research instrument was a questionnaire derived from the 12 Features of a Sustainable Society and designed to identify the strategies, policies, values and practices pursued by the university to contribute to sustainable development.The outcome is a detailed level analysis into the ways in which a small institution of higher education in a developing country contributes to the betterment of the world via engagement in sustainability. Keywords Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Higher Education; Developing World; Higher Education for Sustainable Development; Rafik Hariri University; Lebanon; ESD; SDG; HESD

scholarly journals Provincial Oversight and University Autonomy in Canada: Findings of a Comparative Study of Canadian University Governance

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-81
Author(s):  
Julia Antonia Eastman ◽  
Glen Alan Jones ◽  
Olivier Begin-Caouette ◽  
Sharon X Li ◽  
Christian Noumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Research Universities ◽  
University Governance ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Institutional Autonomy ◽  
State Supervision

In order to fulfill their missions, research universities must maintain conditions and capacity for knowledge production and dissemination, while responding to the expectations of governments, other stakeholders, and/or markets. That universities succeed in this quest is vital, not only for their own future as organizations but also for the benefit of current and future generations of students, stakeholders, and society at large. We sought to contribute to the understanding of how higher education institutions and systems rise to the challenge of achieving and sustaining relative institutional autonomy by conducting a comparative case study of the governance of six major universities in five provinces in Canada. This article presents our findings with respect to provincial oversight of the case universities. We found that the case universities appeared to be coming from and to remain at different points on a state supervision/autonomy continuum, but all appeared to be experiencing greater provincial supervision.

scholarly journals Islamic Studies in Australia’s Universities

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Zuleyha Keskin ◽  
Mehmet Ozalp
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Discipline Area ◽  
Contemporary Context ◽  
Australian Universities

Islamic studies is an in-demand discipline area in Australia, including both classical Islamic studies and contemporary Islamic studies. While the field of classical Islamic studies has evolved over the centuries alongside the needs of the societies it serves, it has, nevertheless, remained within a well-established Islamic framework. This type of knowledge is sought by many, especially Muslims. Contemporary Islamic studies also plays a critical role in understanding Islam and Muslims in the contemporary context. The higher education sector in Australia contributes to this knowledge base via the Islamic studies courses it offers. This article discusses the positioning of the higher education sector in fulfilling Islamic educational needs, especially in the presence of other non-accredited education institutions such as mosques and madrasas. Despite the presence of other educational institutions, the higher educational sector appeals to a large pool of students, as evidenced by the number of Islamic studies courses offered by fourteen Australian universities. The teaching of classical Islamic studies in the higher education sector is not without its challenges. These challenges can be overcome and have been overcome to a large degree by the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation (CISAC), Charles Sturt University (CSU). CISAC was used as a case study, as it is the largest Islamic studies department offering the greatest number of classical Islamic studies focused courses with the highest number of Islamic studies students in Australia. This article, overall, demonstrates that there is an ongoing need for Islamic studies to be taught, both in a classical and contemporary capacity, in the higher education sector.

scholarly journals A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education?

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Helen Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Leadership Development Program ◽  
And Gender

This article explores a national women-only leadership development program in Swedish higher education, the so-called IDAS program (an acronym for Identity, Development, Advancement, Support). IDAS encouraged and supported women academics to pursue leadership/administrative careers in higher education and was a unique intervention, aiming to increase the number of women Rectors. By drawing on interviews with some of the women who participated in the IDAS program and subsequently became Rectors, the article provides a valuable case study over best practices to increase women senior leaders in higher education. Notwithstanding the success of the leadership program, the article also deals with resistance and criticism linked to equal opportunity initiatives such as this. The article analyzes the criticism voiced by the women interviewed and suggests that it can be understood in relation to different conceptions of gender and gender (in)equality.

scholarly journals Provincial Oversight and University Autonomy in Canada: Findings of a Comparative Study of Canadian University Governance

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Antonia Eastman ◽  
Glen Alan Jones ◽  
Olivier Begin-Caouette ◽  
Sharon X Li ◽  
Christian Noumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Research Universities ◽  
University Governance ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Institutional Autonomy ◽  
State Supervision

In order to fulfill their missions, research universities must maintain conditions and capacity for knowledge production and dissemination, while responding to the expectations of governments, other stakeholders, and/or markets. That universities succeed in this quest is vital, not only for their own future as organizations but also for the benefit of current and future generations of students, stakeholders, and society at large. We sought to contribute to the understanding of how higher education institutions and systems rise to the challenge of achieving and sustaining relative institutional autonomy by conducting a comparative case study of the governance of six major universities in five provinces in Canada. This article presents our findings with respect to provincial oversight of the case universities. We found that the case universities appeared to be coming from and to remain at different points on a state supervision/autonomy continuum, but all appeared to be experiencing greater provincial supervision.

Adapting the TPACK Framework for Online Teaching Within Higher Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 1103-1121
Author(s):  
Fan Ouyang ◽  
Cassandra Scharber
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Online Pedagogy ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
High Level ◽  
Pedagogy Development

There are ongoing obstacles in accurately assessing and effectively applying TPACK within online higher education contexts. In this study, we adapt the original TPACK constructs for application within online higher education, and share the results of a case study using this adapted analytical framework. This qualitative case study investigates and describes one experienced instructor's practice within a graduate-level online course. The instructor enacted a high-level of TPACK proficiency through combining content, pedagogy, and technology as well as masterfully using these knowledges within her online teaching practices. This research demonstrates one way the TPACK framework can be used as an analytical tool by researchers to investigate instructors' online teaching practices. In addition, the modified TPACK descriptions and evaluation criteria can be used to better assess TPACK and further support higher education faculty's online pedagogy development.

Adapting the TPACK Framework for Online Teaching Within Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Ouyang ◽  
Cassandra Scharber
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
High Level ◽  
Pedagogy Development

There are ongoing obstacles in accurately assessing and effectively applying TPACK within online higher education contexts. In this study, we adapt the original TPACK constructs for application within online higher education, and share the results of a case study using this adapted analytical framework. This qualitative case study investigates and describes one experienced instructor's practice within a graduate-level online course. The instructor enacted a high-level of TPACK proficiency through combining content, pedagogy, and technology as well as masterfully using these knowledges within her online teaching practices. This research demonstrates one way the TPACK framework can be used as an analytical tool by researchers to investigate instructors' online teaching practices. In addition, the modified TPACK descriptions and evaluation criteria can be used to better assess TPACK and further support higher education faculty's online pedagogy development.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Corporate Governance Measures: An Application to the Australian Higher Education Sector

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chitra De Silva ◽  
Anona Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Australian Universities

Governance has emerged as a major concern in the higher education sector. Although evaluation of performance of governance is widely used in the private and public sectors, little attention has been given to the assessment of good governance practices in university contexts. The purpose of this paper was to describe the changes in government policy associated with the introduction of Governance Protocols that have impacted on the higher education sector and to answer the research question: do Australian Universities apply the best practice corporate governance measures?. Data for the study were compiled from annual reports and the Web pages of 37 publically funded universities in Australia and Selected Higher Education Statistics Collection. The assessment criteria were derived from the National Governance Protocols. Findings revealed that Australian universities as independent corporations apply the universal best practice corporate governance indicators as governance measures.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document