scholarly journals Increasing the Research Capacity of Universities in Ukraine: Problems, Value Dimensions and the Way of Democratization

2021 ◽  
pp. 116-131
Author(s):  
Yurii Mielkov
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Scientific Activity ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Research Activities

There are certain obstacles to the development of the research capacity of Ukrainian universities, which can be classified as belonging to one of the two groups: «external» and «internal». If the former include more obvious things like insufficient funding for national science and higher education, as well as the imbalance of teaching and research activities of the academic staff, the latter relate to the values, interests and motivations of the researchers. It is argued that a possible way to overcome the first type of obstacles is to rethink the role of the university teacher, who from a translator of knowledge becomes a mediator helping students to acquire the ability for life-long self-education and the constant creation of own knowledge. The competition to traditional universities presented by non-formal education emphasizes the benefits of the individual approach and personal communication between teachers and students and the special value of the personal knowledge as a result of own research. The article argues that in the absence of internal motivation for scientific research and a tendency to recognize the principles of scientific ethos, the attempt to «force» creativity leads only to the profanation of scientific activity, in particular to mass violations of academic integrity by students. Really effective research can be based only on the moral imperative of each human person as an autonomous subject of values and responsibility, and the most important factor in the development of university science is the democratization of higher education, which returns to the humanistic ideal of the Enlightenment that considers each person as capable of creative and independent thinking. Such democratization contributes to the implementation of lifelong learning and effective activities of university graduates in a volatile and complex world, and also corresponds to the ideas of the open science concept as one of the most important ways for increasing the research capacity of Ukrainian universities.

scholarly journals A North–South-South partnership in higher education to develop health research capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the challenge of finding a common language

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Horwood ◽  
Sphindile Mapumulo ◽  
Lyn Haskins ◽  
Vaughn John ◽  
Silondile Luthuli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Nutritional Epidemiology ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
English Speaking

Abstract Background Globally, increasing numbers of higher education institutions (HEIs) in non-English-speaking countries have adopted English as a medium of instruction (EMI), because of the perception that this provides opportunities to attract high-calibre students and academic staff, and engage with the international research community. We report an evaluation of a North–South-South collaboration to develop health research capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by establishing a postgraduate programme in nutritional epidemiology at the Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH), where EMI was adopted. We report experiences and perceptions of stakeholders, facilitators and students about using EMI. Methods In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 among convenience sampled stakeholders (8), facilitators (11) and students (12) involved in the programme from all three partner institutions (University of Kinshasa; University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; University of Bergen, Norway). Interviews were conducted in participants’ language of preference (English or French), audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated into English when required. Analysis employed a thematic approach. Results Most participants viewed EMI positively, reporting that studying in English created opportunities to access relevant literature, improve interactions with the scientific community and advance their careers. As a result of adopting EMI, some students had opportunities to present research findings at international conferences and publish their research in English. English-speaking researchers from partner institutions were able to participate in supervision of students’ research. However, inadequate English competency, particularly among students, was challenging, with some students reporting being unable to understand or interact in class, which negatively affected their academic performance. Further, EMI created barriers at KSPH among academic staff who were not proficient in English, leading to poor participation among non-English-speaking staff and lack of integration with other postgraduate programmes. Participants suggested additional English language support for EMI. Conclusion Partnerships between HEIs could be a powerful tool to develop research capacity in low-income countries in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. EMI could be a solution to language barriers faced by many such partnerships, but wide-ranging support to develop English proficiency among staff and students is essential to ensure that the challenges do not outweigh the benefits.

scholarly journals The ISA Lab workshop: a Project based learning iniciative

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Orozco-Messana ◽  
Elena De la Poza
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Global Impact ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Sustainable Projects

In the context of higher education in the XXI century, the different stakeholders (markets, firms, households, States) assume prospective University graduates will be responsible for providing solutions to the most challenging societal problems, delivering sustainable projects and contributing to improve the quality of life of citizenship controlling for the local but also global impact. Academic staff adapt their role continuously to foster students into the acquisition of competences and skills to better fulfill the societal demands.This paper deals with the process of conceptualization, design and implementation of a PBL workshop in an international and multidisciplinary environment. The ISA lab workshop was envisioned by an academic who ideated, planned, designed and empowered others into action. The result was the first edition of the ISA lab workshop, an international multidisciplinary workshop on sustainability.

scholarly journals Incorporating the Tuning Approach in Higher Education curricular reforms and course design in Tanzania for enhancing graduates’ competencies: stakeholders’ views

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnson Muchunguzi Ishengoma
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Higher Education Reforms ◽  
Graduate Unemployment ◽  
Curriculum Reforms

Available documentary and researchevidencesreveal that the majority of Tanzania universities’ graduates (public and private universities) lack competencies or technical skills (employability skills) required for the job market and by potential employers, despite massive curricular reforms implemented in the public higher education sector since the early 1990s. Lack of employability skills which consequently leads to graduate unemployment or un-employability is attributable to the fact that curricular reforms and design in Tanzania public universities undertaken by lecturers and professors do not incorporate basic Tuning principles of competence-based teaching and learning which puts emphasis on competencies and skills by identifying generic and specific competencies during course design or curriculum reform. This study using the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM)’s School of Education sought to: (1) explore faculty and students’ views on the application of the Tuning approach in curricular reforms and degree/course design as a mitigation of university graduates’ unemployment and un-employability, (2) solicit stakeholders’(academic staff and students) perceptions of Tuning approach and its relevance in higher education curriculum reforms and design to make higher education more competence-based, and (3) find out students perceived causes of graduate unemployment and un-employability and whether the application of Tuning approach in curriculum reforms and design in universities can be a solution to graduate unemployment. Findings from the study reveal that both faculty and students concur that application of Tuning approach in higher education reforms and curricular design could enhance graduates competences and skills and reduce graduate unemployment.Published online: 30 November 2017

scholarly journals СТРАТЕГІЧНІ НАПРЯМИ РОЗВИТКУ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ У ВИЩІЙ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКІЙ ШКОЛІ НА ПОЧАТКУ ХХІ СТОЛІТТЯ

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Oksana S. Tovkanets
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Ict Implementation ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Impact

The article deals with the main strategic aspects of the development of information and communication technologies in the European higher education institutions. The Council of Europe documents on strategy issues have been analyzed. The ways of implementation of information and communication technologies at the national and international levels have been determined which will ensure the competitiveness of the knowledge and competences of prospective specialists who should contribute to innovation in order to successfully enter the European labor market. It has been emphasized that the basis of modern information environment of the University is the provision of all types of support (technical, software, informational, methodological, organizational) that promotes learners’ interaction, implementation of pedagogical technologies and algorithms for managing the educational process, preconditions for innovation and research activities. The strategic trends of ICT implementation in Slovenian universities have been defined: the development and testing of innovative pedagogical approaches, models and strategies of training; creation of ICT open platform, electronic content, services, pedagogical concepts and approaches, models of motivational mechanisms, cloud technologies in educational space, updating of educational network, creation of synergistic and interdisciplinary environment for partnership of all interested parties; ensuring a high level of digital competence and the use of ICTs within the entire education system; promoting the enhancement of the key competencies in general, higher education and adult education: the introduction of e-learning in higher education as a way of achieving the objectives of formal education, expanding e-learning in non-formal education; ensuring the efficiency of the ICT implementation strategy on the basis of regular measurement and evaluation, analysis of indicators of the impact of ICT on education at the national level, and its comparative analysis at the international level, ensuring the implementation of international standards of quality and comparability of ICT indicators in education.

scholarly journals ACADEMIC STAFF RESEARCH PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: THE FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-102
Author(s):  
Iryna Reheilo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Research Performance ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Research Area ◽  
European Research Area ◽  
European Research ◽  
Staff Research ◽  
Research Performance Evaluation

The problem of evaluating the university faculty research performance in the European Higher Education Area and in the European Research Area is enlightened in the paper. It is emphasized that under the transition to open science and open access and increasing digitalization, that has emerged in the higher education system due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of academic staff research performance evaluation and their career attractiveness needs to be reconsidered. The article analyses the key principles of evaluating researchers and their professional development; they are enlightened in the basic regulations of the European Commission, European University Association and European Research Area, and in the Hong Kong Principles as a part of the Open Science and Open Access Initiative. The issue of using almetrics in evaluating research outputs is actualized; it provides the «visibility» of the researcher not only for the scientific or educational community, but also for society as a whole. This expands the scope of usual indicators of research performance and provides a comprehensive and more objective measurement of researchers’ excellence. The structure of research performance evaluation is given; it should be based on an integrated approach, taking into account the peer-review, quantitative and qualitative measurements, and include all the components of university staff research activity, i.e. the scientific creativity potential and its research outputs, research supervision, young scientists’ mentoring, national and international cooperation, performing administrative duties, research dissemination, and mobility.

scholarly journals Digital sociology and new opportunities for social and educational rehabilitation of disabled people

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
S. V. Kibakin ◽  
Y. A. Malakhova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Scientific Activity ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Teachers And Students

Based on the conducted sociological research and using modern methodological approaches of digital sociology, the feasibility of developing institutional conditions for improving the educational rehabilitation of disabled people by means of modern Internet technologies has been justified. Examples of the development of analogical problems in the works of domestic and foreign authors have been given. The possibilities of scientific and methodological support of social experiments on the development and implementation of educational Internet communications to overcome the disability of disabled people using the Arsenal of digital sociology have been described separately. The data on the attitude of disabled people to higher education in the system of their rehabilitation and life activity, with the identification of social groups with positive, uncertain and negative attitudes with a predominant positive attitude to the possibility of educational rehabilitation have been provided. The educational needs of people with disabilities in various areas have been described, their quantitative characteristics with the definition of priorities and areas of education that are not relevant for people with disabilities have been presented. A significant place in the article has been given to the possibilities of involving disabled people in the process of developing educational programs and in research activities, both in terms of the availability of willing people among them, and the use of various forms of their integration into real research projects as part of temporary creative teams. The conditions for the implementation of scientific support for the development of training programs in the Internet space by conducting their practical testing on the example of the Zagorsk experiment have been characterized separately. Attention to supporting individual research projects of people with disabilities in the course of higher education has been paid, ways to help them collect experimental material have been substantiated. Separately, the role and place of joint forms of scientific activity of disabled people, teachers and students in the performance of state tasks have been shown. Taking into account the important role of social inclusion of disabled people in Internet communications, the prevalence of creating accounts in the Internet information and communication network and using various Internet resources among disabled people and family members has been separately reflected.

scholarly journals UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AUTONOMY: EXPERIENCE OF LATVIA

2019 ◽  
pp. 306-318
Author(s):  
Inna Vlasova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Scientific Activity ◽  
The State ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
Formula Funding

The analysis of legislative support of higher education of Latvia was carried out. It was defined, that institutions of higher education are autonomous institutions of education and science with the right to self-government. The autonomy of higher education institutions is characterised by the division of power and responsibility between the State authorities and the management of the institution of higher education, as well as between the management and the academic staff. The sources of funding of higher education institutions from state sources were found out. They include the financial resources of the state budget for education; income from tuition fees; targeted financial resources. The types of economic activity of higher education institutions were determined. The components of the system of state funding of higher education institutions were highlighted: formula funding (basic funding of studies), which is related to the number of study places; performance agreements for preparation of a certain number of specialists and for development of scientific activity; 3) formula funding (basic funding of science) for institutions of higher education, scientific institutions, and scientific institutes established by institutions of higher education; 4) funding to scientific activities through competitions. The allocation methods of state financial resources for higher education institutions were determined. The first one includes direct allocations from the state budget to higher education institutions. The second one involves indirect subsidies through state-guaranteed loans. The components of new three-pillar model of state higher education funding were presented. They are: basic (base) funding, performance funding, and innovation- and profile-oriented financing. The analysis of financial autonomy indicators of universities was carried out.

scholarly journals ADAPTATION OF STUDENTS TO RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES BASED ON THE USE OF THE UNIVERSITY HACKATHON ECOSYSTEM

Management ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-76
Author(s):  
Iryna Goncharenko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Scientific Activity ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Design Assessment ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The University

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. For student youth the process of entering the profession and harmonization of interactions with professional environment and future professional activity is the key moment of life activity. This process, according to the majority of modern researchers, is a certain complexity and contradiction both for students and for higher education institution, as well as social institutions and organizations acting as social customers.METHODS. The study of the process of adaptation of student youth to research and professional activity was carried out on the basis of the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design. Assessment of students' expectations regarding studies, the level of students' awareness of the future professional and scientific activity was carried out with the help of the University Hackathon Ecosystem toolkit. Processing of the obtained results of the survey was carried out on the basis of the "Methodology of research of students' adaptability to dual education in higher education". The methodology includes two scales: adaptability to professional activity and adaptability to research activity.FINDINGS. The following directions of training are distinguished: professional, social and research, as well as stages of adaptation to professional training: learning identification, learning-professional activation, professional-value reflection. Integration of these directions allows us to organize activities that ensure formation of necessary professionally important qualities (competences) in students (graduates), agreed with potential employers and demanded by the corresponding profession. The conducted experiment on the basis of Hackathon-ecosystem of the university was carried out taking into account the directions of training and their corresponding adaptation criteria: professional direction – activity-result and motivation-value criteria; humanitarian – communication-professional criterion; research – personal-creative criterion.CONCLUSION. Students' adaptation to future professional and research activities can be defined as one of the most urgent social problems at the pre-production stage. This is due to the fact that the student spends one of the main periods of his life in a higher education institution, since it is at this time he is formed as a professional and as a person, masters the necessary competencies in order to achieve a certain professional and research level. At this stage the professional intentions of the individual and the requirements of the profession come into alignment, i.e. there is an adaptation to professional and research activities.

Nurturing research capacity among emerging academics through mentoring : reflections from a pilot at a historically disadvantaged South African university

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 59-83
Author(s):  
Clever Ndebele ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
Higher Education Industry ◽  
South African Higher Education

The need to develop the next generation of academics to replace the aging professorate in South Africa has been on the agenda of the departments of higher education and training for some time, gaining momentum in recent years. The Higher Education South Africa (HESA)'s Publication on the National Programme to Develop the Next Generation of Academics for South African Higher Education (2011) paints a dire situation for the higher education industry with regards to the attraction and retention of academic staff. Key challenges identified in the report include the aging profile of academics, poor remuneration of academics, the current postgraduate pipeline and expansion of the higher education sector. Using the Communities of Practice (CoPs) theoretical framework, this paper unpacks an initiative by a professor at a South African university to develop research capacity among emerging academics through a collaborative mentorship programme with five emerging academics. The major findings of the study include, among other things, development of the mentees identity as both academics and researchers, a boost in the mentees research profiles and the development of a community of practice. The study recommends that supervisors and promoters should be supported financially by historically disadvantaged institutions or the National Research Foundation to mentor and nurture emerging academics from historically disadvantaged backgrounds and that such mentorship initiatives be formalised and incentivised as a token of appreciation for both mentors and mentees.

Mentorship and Sustainable Research Output

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reetha Nundulall ◽  
Nirmala Dorasamy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Research Mentorship ◽  
The University

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa are facing challenges arising as a result of the shift from traditional teaching activities to a combination of research and teaching. Increasing emphasis on research, an integral part of this transformation of higher education, has required HEIs to develop and implement capacity development strategies to enable those new to research to engage in research output; and mentorship is a strategy that is enjoying increasing popularity. This article explores the challenges faced in the implementation of a formal research mentorship programme (REMP), using the University of Johannesburg as a case study. A quantitative approach was adopted to obtain the perceptions of academic staff of REMP as a strategy for building research capacity. The findings reveal that whilst the REMP is strongly favoured by academics as a means of guiding novice researchers, key factors need to be addressed to ensure its success. This article examines the challenges for both mentors and mentees and suggests actions to help mentorship programmes make sustainable contributions to the development of research capacity.

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