scholarly journals Rethinking the Education Paradigm in Morocco in the Covid-19 Context- Assessment of Resilience Curricula in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Zineb Birrou ◽  
Aziz Kich ◽  
Mohammed Larouz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Future Situation ◽  
Educational Paradigm

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted mental and emotional health in significant ways, and has worsened the already existing crisis of rising anxiety, chronic stress and depression among the youth. This was particularly marked by the drastic lockdown measures, the incessant stream of bad news, and the sudden shift to online education. Faced with stressors, resilience is a skill-set that aids with adapting, coping, and bouncing back from adversity while maintaining or quickly returning to a relatively healthy psychological functioning. This article therefore aims to explore the past, present and future situation regarding emotional and mental resilience skills in Moroccan higher education curricula. To this end, structured and semi-structured interviews have been conducted with four senior officials at the Ministry of Education in Rabat, Morocco. Furthermore, surveys have been collected from faculty members in eight public universities. The findings reveal that resilience education has not been officially implemented yet in Moroccan universities. However, the national vision shows the rising awareness in the need to shift to a more holistic educational paradigm, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, to better prepare students for the uncertain and fast-changing future.  

scholarly journals Transforming finnish higher education: institutional mergers and conflicting academic identities

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jani Ursin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Academic Identities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Institutional Mergers ◽  
Finnish Higher Education

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> </p><p class="RESUMENCURSIVA">As in many other European countries also Finnish higher education system has witnessed several reforms over the past decade many of which originate in efforts to make more competitive and affordable higher education system. The aim of this paper is to describe the changes and institutional mergers in particular that have taken place in Finnish higher education and explore what kind of academic identities are constructed amid changes in Finnish higher education. The paper shows that the mergers followed the objectives set by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for the structural development of the higher education system and that the creation of a joint culture for merged institutions was important yet challenging. The paper also argues that due to these external changes in Finnish higher education there is a tendency to move from a traditional notion of an academic toward more hybrid and dynamic understanding of what it is being an academic in the 21st century.</p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p>

MOOCs Business Models

2020 ◽  
pp. 1189-1214
Author(s):  
Amir Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Viral Nature

MOOCs have grabbed the headlines and rightfully become the focal point of the disruption under way in higher education. The environment in which MOOCs and other forms of online education operate is changing virtually every day. The viral nature of MOOCs has been apparent through the rapid growth of providers, participating (significant) institutions, faculty members involved in providing courses, students enrolled, and other measures. And MOOCs are starting to exhibit the second trend desired by their startup investors: MOOCs don't seem to be going away. More courses are being added, more faculty members and students are becoming involved. While MOOCs have captured the interest of many, the business models and return on investment are still evolving. The aim of this chapter is to present an analysis of various business models being used by various MOOCs providers along with some future monetization strategies for MOOC providers.

scholarly journals A path-dependent analysis of the effect of location on the development of new universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-304
Author(s):  
Debananda Misra
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Development Path ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Contingent Event ◽  
Path Dependent ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Regional Engagement

AbstractThis article examines the effect of location on the development of new universities. The study was conducted in seven new higher education institutions (HEIs) established in India during 1996–2008. I collected the data by conducting semi-structured interviews with 73 faculty members in the HEIs and from official documents, media reports and opinion pieces about the HEIs. Using the conceptual framework of path dependency, I investigated the tensions and challenges faced by the HEIs in their initial years. I find the placement of the HEIs in their respective locations to be a contingent event that can make the development of HEIs path dependent. I find that the initial conditions and decisions of the HEIs were influenced by the location and led to reactive sequential events in their initial years with effects that were hard to shake off, making their development path dependent. I show that having to develop their infrastructure and constrained by resources, the HEIs started their academic programmes first, followed by their research activities, and outreach and regional engagement.

Concepts of quality in independent accreditation in Kyrgyzstan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-463
Author(s):  
Chynarkul Ryskulova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accreditation Standards ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
New Policies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept, criteria and definitions of quality of higher education from the perspectives of the leadership of three new independent accreditation agencies in Kyrgyzstan. Design/methodology/approach The author employed interpretative qualitative research design. The data for this study were collected through semi-structured interviews with the leadership of three independent accreditation agencies and through review and the qualitative analyses of new policies on accreditation of higher education institutions, new accreditation standards and criteria. A priori codes by using categories were defined in advance and emergent codes based on data driven were used for data analyses. Findings The research findings support the author’s argument that the new independent accreditation processes will not assure quality because first, the agencies are not independent of the Ministry of Education and Science; second, the current standards do not provide evidence of quality; and third, the institutions do not have what in Europe is called a “quality culture” – ongoing, continuous efforts toward quality. Originality/value This is first scholarly work looking at independent accreditation process at its beginning stage. The results of an article can have influence on further development of accreditation system and improvement of accreditation standards.

scholarly journals Navigating Distance and Traditional Higher Education: Online faculty experiences

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice G. Yick ◽  
Pam Patrick ◽  
Amanda Costin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Faculty ◽  
Faculty Experiences

<P>The academic culture of higher educational institutions is characterized by specific pedagogical philosophies, assumptions about rewards and incentives, and values about how teaching is delivered. In many academic settings, however, the field of distance education has been viewed as holding marginal status. Consequently, the goal of this qualitative study was to explore faculty members&rsquo; experiences in a distance education, online university while simultaneously navigating within a traditional environment of higher education. A total of 28 faculty members participated in a threaded, asynchronous discussion board that resembled a focus group. Participants discussed perceptions about online teaching, working in an institution without a traditional tenure system, and the role of research in distance education. Findings indicated that online teaching is still regarded as less credible; however, participants also noted how this perception is gradually changing. Several benchmarks of legitimacy were identified for online universities to adopt in order to be viewed as credible. The issue of tenure still remains highly debated, although some faculty felt that tenure will be less crucial in the future. Finally, recommendations regarding attitudinal shifts within academic circles are described with particular attention to professional practice, program development, and policy decision-making in academia.</P> <P><B>Key words:</B> distance education, online education, online faculty experiences, academia, tenure</P>

Quality Assurance for Online Programs

2011 ◽  
pp. 307-326
Author(s):  
Yi Yang ◽  
Curtis J. Bonk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
School Policies ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Education Administrator ◽  
Education Administrators

Roles of administrators are often overlooked when discussing the quality of online education. Administrators have long asserted the pivotal influence on school policies, faculty members’ morale, and learning atmosphere. This chapter examines the challenges administrators face in ensuring the quality and viability of online programs. In the chapter, we suggest that the responsibilities of an effective higher education administrator encompass roles as strategic planner and manager, effective motivator, aggressive promoter, and strong supporter of others. We also put forth recommendations for administrators that might help them improve the quality and success of online programs.

scholarly journals Declining Desire for Childbearing in Couples with Higher Education: A Qualitative Study in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 604-621
Author(s):  
Babak Moeini ◽  
◽  
Malihe Taheri ◽  
Samane Shirahmadi ◽  
Marziyeh Otogara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Population Policy ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
The Past ◽  
Conventional Content Analysis

Iran has experienced a significant decline in the fertility rate over the past decades. One of the principal reasons for this decline is decreased willingness to bear children, especially in the highly educated couples subset. For that reason, developing and implementing a successful population policy is essential to increase fertility in this subpopulation. The study aimed at explaining the unwillingness to bear children in this subgroup. The qualitative research was conducted using a content analysis approach based on the data acquired using in-depth and semi-structured interviews with couples with an educational level of master’s and above, and without children or having one child. In this study, in total, 40 couples (40 women and 40 men) were interviewed. Of the participants, 57.5% had one child. Four main themes were developed using conventional content analysis: rationality and awareness, gender equality and willingness to bear children, cultural and social renovation, and concern about the child’s future. The results indicated that different factors such as economic, social, and cultural reasons and less hope in the future affect unwillingness to bear children in highly educated couples. Taking into account, these factors are essential at the time of development and implementation of pro-natalist policies.

scholarly journals Transformation of Higher Education into New Normal

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Osman Ferda Beytekin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
The Future ◽  
University Support ◽  
First Time

The purpose of this qualitative study was to get a better understanding of faculty members&#39; views on the future of higher education by their first-time online teaching experiences during the Fall 2021 academic semester, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the outbreak&#39;s rapid and widespread dissemination, it created a unique phenomenon that had a significant impact on faculty members who had no prior experience teaching courses entirely online. In order to conduct this qualitative research, purposive sampling was used to choose ten faculty members from a variety of disciplines who had at least ten years of experience teaching in a traditional classroom setting at a public university in Izmir, Turkey. Faculty members were asked about the future of higher education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from that, each faculty member was asked to discuss how the mandatory shift to online education altered their teaching style and how institutional help impacted their experiences throughout the pandemic. As a consequence of their observations and statements of their perspectives on events they witnessed and personally experienced, the key issue of &quot;transformation of higher education with hybrid perspective&quot; developed as a central theme. The data analysis revealed the following subthemes: &quot;educators on the internet,&quot; &quot;sustain and evolve,&quot; and &quot;university support&quot;. These findings may be applied in a variety of contexts, including educational leadership and the design of hybrid and online courses, among other applications in higher education.

scholarly journals Cultural Perspectives on Social Responsibility in Higher Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris M Yob
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Faculty Recruitment ◽  
Student Preparation ◽  
Cultural Perspectives

<p>The writers of the UNESCO document, <em>Rethinking education: Towards a global common good? </em>challenge educators to address their efforts to meet the current threats to sustainable life for all who share this planet. One way that higher education has been attempting to do this is through campus-community partnerships working to solve social problems locally or further afield. In this exploratory study, answers were sought to the question of why faculty members and administrators participate in these service partnerships, both in terms of what motivates them to do so and what they hope to accomplish, and how cultural context may influence their answers. Answers to these questions may have implications for faculty recruitment and support and for curriculum design and student preparation for serving the common good as well as for the larger vision of how institutions might fulfill their social responsibility. Using one-on-one semi-structured interviews in a number of different countries, some trends could be identified. Responding to a sense of duty was found across all cultural contexts as a primary motivator for faculty members and administrators, but how duty was interpreted and legitimized depended on their various religious and political grounds. Cultural context also influenced whether participants saw their impact as empowering their service partners or establishing social justice. </p>

scholarly journals Going Online? China’s Response in Higher Education System to the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-465
Author(s):  
Tian LIU ◽  
Ying HUANG
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Global Context ◽  
American Experience ◽  
Higher Institutions ◽  
Education Initiative

Abstract Since the early march of 2020, higher education institutions around the world shut down quickly because of the outbreak of covid-19. This article addresses China’s response to this unprecedented pandemic in terms of a nationwide school closure. This article introduces how Chinese higher institutions use different strategies to launch online education under the initiative entitled “Ensuring Learning Undisrupted when Classes are Disrupted” from the Ministry of Education. The article also provides brief introduction on China’s online education initiative in a global context. Concerns of online education discussed in this article include equitable access to online education, challenges of curriculum design, and academic integrity. Practical suggestions are therefore offered based on North American experience. Finally, this article concludes the critical impact of online education on Chinese higher institutions during and even after this pandemic.

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