scholarly journals Promoting gender equality and structural change in academia through gender equality plans: Harmonising EU and national initiatives

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2021) ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Rita Bencivenga ◽  
Eileen Drew
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Structural Change ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
National Initiatives ◽  
Positive Action ◽  
Eu Project ◽  
Athena Swan ◽  
The Eu

Gender equality has been actively promoted in EU academic institutions by the European Commission’s Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme through the implementation of gender equality plans (GEP). GEP formulation and implementation was strongly influenced by involvement in EU projects in Irish as well as Italian higher education institutions. The paper draws upon experience of the EU project SAGE (H2020), in which Irish and Italian universities actively cooperated, the Athena SWAN Charter in Ireland, Positive Action Plans (PAP) in Italy, and semi structured interviews with gender experts in Irish and Italian higher education institutions to explore the degree to which participation in EU and national initiatives can promote similar outcomes by the adoption of positive actions. The paper concludes that a harmonised strategy, focusing on common priorities and respecting cultural, political and social diversity, could promote the internationalization of the higher education sector and accelerate the process towards gender equality in academia.

scholarly journals Teaching innovations in Asian higher education: perspectives of educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
The Many

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.

scholarly journals How Higher Education Institutions Are Driving to Digital Transformation: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 636
Author(s):  
Andreia Filipa Teixeira ◽  
Maria José Angélico Gonçalves ◽  
Maria de Lourdes Machado Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Business World ◽  
Digital Development

In recent years, the rapid development of technological innovation has transformed the business world. Digital transformation improves the economic positioning of companies, contributing to society and the environment, but beyond technological evolution, it also brings social and cultural changes. With the new trends, companies saw the need to train people with digital skills and higher education institutions (HEIs) were forced to change their teaching methods to keep up with the new demands of the labour market. In this context, it is intended to identify the influence that HEIs play in the digital development of regions, in this case, the influence of Public Polytechnic Institutes of Porto in the development of the Metropolitan Area of Porto. The methodology adopted to answer the objectives of this study and research questions formulated, was an exploratory study, using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The results obtained allowed us to verify the positive influence of HEIs in the digital development of the Metropolitan Area of Porto. As well as identify the motivations that lead companies to participate in digital transformation initiatives, identify the skills needed to meet the demands of the labour market and identify the efforts made by HEIs to keep up with the digital evolution of society.

scholarly journals The Integration of Experiential Learning in Higher Education Institutions—An Assessment of the Romanian Universities

2020 ◽  
pp. 283-297
Author(s):  
Mihaela V. Cărăuşan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Market Requirements ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Research Questions

Abstract This paper presents how Romanian educational strategies are aligned with the policy statements of international organisations for future generations. The research hypothesis is that Romanian higher education institutions (HEI) are not ready to fulfil the needs of future generations. The paper reviews the educational competences of fourteen faculties of public administration and management from nine universities (state and private). The analysis is based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle elements, and we identified whether educational competences referred directly to them or not. Our findings concentrate on the lack of recognition of experiential learning methods and the gap between the labour market requirements and the educational competences acquired in Romanian HEI. The methodology used to respond to the research questions mixes qualitative (strategies and literature review, structured interviews) and quantitative approaches (assessment of the curricula and information presented in the admission process by Faculties of Public Administration and Management).

scholarly journals A internacionalização das instituições de ensino superior sob a luz da teoria de Uppsala: estudo de casos em escolas de negócios

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. e18153
Author(s):  
Patricia Mara Simões Andrade ◽  
Marcello Romani-Dias ◽  
Caio Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Internationalization Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Uppsala Model ◽  
Classic Approach ◽  
Initial Categorization ◽  
Current Reality

Objective: Propose an unprecedented initial categorization structure on the internationalization process of Brazilian HEIs, according to the Uppsala model Methodology: With the qualitative method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of the HEIs, reviewing and articulating the literature with content analysis on all data obtained.Originality: The study links a classic approach to internationalization with the current reality of higher education institutions. Thus, it is expected that there will be a new conception on how HEIs can optimize their strategies for international insertion.Main results: The internationalization of HEI can be analyzed by three main categorized elements, they are: i) the drivers; ii) enablers and, iii) obstacles to the internationalization of HEIs, each with their own specific characteristics. Theoretical Contributions: The research presents a conceptual categorization for the essential factors of the internationalization of HEI's, this articulation allows advancing in the literature on internationalization and also on the management models of higher education institutions.

Gender Equality Policy, Elites and Women Empowerment in Higher Education Institutions

2018 ◽  
pp. 96-113
Author(s):  
Joshua Mugambwa ◽  
Susan Mwebaza ◽  
Bridget Namubiru
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Disaggregated Data ◽  
Policy Elites ◽  
Gender Equality Policy

Gender equality, and its resultant empowerment of women, is a recent phenomenon in Africa. This study examined two questions; 1) To what extent do the elites in Institutions of Higher Education practise gender equality to women empowerment? 2) What are the inhibitions of the contribution of higher education towards women empowerment? The study was qualitative and cross-sectional. Data was obtained from reports and semi-structured interviews, as well as 5 focus group discussions. Semi-structured interviews respondents included 20 academic and 20 support staff. Findings showed that there is still a gap to enable women participate on the same footing as men. Women empowerment in Education takes leadership interest, networks, meritocracy as well as women assertiveness. Limitations to gender equality policy implementation among elites in higher education are individual, social-cultural and economic. Higher education is characterised by stereotypes and retrogressive cultural beliefs which are subtly reproduced throughout the education system. The gender equality policy (2009) has been implemented in favour of men; therefore, the situation has to be improved with concerted efforts by the various stakeholders. Gender disaggregated data should be used in Higher Education to assess women empowerment as well as tracking both quantitative and qualitative women empowerment outcomes in higher education.

Prioritised challenges and critical success factors for delivering quality education in Malaysian private higher education institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-492
Author(s):  
Azilah Anis ◽  
Rafikul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a hierarchical model to rank the challenges faced by the private Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) in the provision of quality education and subsequently their corresponding critical success factors (CSFs) to address those challenges. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mix method was adopted in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 29 participants were initially conducted to identify the challenges and CSFs. This was followed by a questionnaire survey involving 158 respondents to prioritise the identified findings. Thematic analysis was conducted in the qualitative stage, uncovering the challenges and their corresponding CSFs. Data for both stages were accumulated from internal and external stakeholders of Malaysian private HEIs. Finally, the four stages of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were applied to rank the challenges and CSFs. Findings The qualitative stage identified eight challenges, i.e. “academics”, “facilities”, “students”, “programmes and curriculum”, “competition”, “accreditation”, “finance” and “research” together with their corresponding CSFs. The AHP enables the ranking of these challenges. “Finance” has been found to be the most crucial challenge and “high competency in managing the institution’s finance” as the most important CSF to address this challenge. Research limitations/implications As the study restricted its focus on Malaysian private HEIs, the results may not be generalised for public HEIs and foreign private HEIs operating in Malaysia. Originality/value The hierarchical model developed in this study is deemed important for implementation to resolve the prioritised challenges. It spells out the specific areas in which the resources of Malaysian private HEIs need to be prudently disbursed and properly managed.

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