scholarly journals The (Un)Sustainability of Higher Education Institutions in Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumaya bint El Hassan ◽  
Kyle E. Cordova ◽  
Ghaith Rabadi ◽  
Wejdan Abu Elhaija
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
The State ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Building Process ◽  
Academic Practices ◽  
Globalized World

Higher education in Jordan has been tied closely to the state-building process in the century since the modern Hashemite state's foundation in 1921, with its explicit purpose being to educate and train high volumes of students who are competent and capable to serve as contributors to the state's development. Though this purpose has largely been successful to date, it is becoming increasingly clear that more is needed than simply issuing degrees. In an increasingly globalized world, it is necessary to educate those who can contribute to future research arenas and labor markets over which a single state has limited control. Within this perspective, we detail the evolved societal position that higher education institutions in Jordan occupy and how that position has made such institutions a liability in the nation's continued sustainable development. It is important to emphasize that we do not address here classical sustainability issues, but rather focus on more fundamental and culturally-relevant issues pertaining to the survivability of universities in Jordan upon which more global sustainability views and solutions can be predicated. Specifically, we outline the unsustainability of impersonal, inefficient and ineffective infrastructure, centralization of policies and academic practices, lack of autonomy and/or self-governance, considerable financial dependence on the state, and a general hesitation for higher education institutions to seek boldly societal and economic impact beyond the simple production of graduates. To counter this unsustainability, we propose a three-pronged approach that can help catalyze the re-imagining of Jordan's higher education institutions so that they become maximally effective contributors to the state's future sustainable development. Our proposed approach is based on (i) internally decentralizing higher education institutions to enable greater autonomy and academic freedom, (ii) re-purposing these institutions to become more student-centric, and (iii) embracing diversity and academic community recognition. Finally, it is the intention of this perspective to highlight not only those challenges facing higher education institutions in Jordan, but also to present clearly the necessary and practical steps that institutions themselves may take immediately to ensure their relevance in, and impact on, modern society.

scholarly journals Sustainability Leadership in Higher Education Institutions: An Overview of Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio ◽  
Adriana Cristina Ferreira Caldana ◽  
Markus Will ◽  
Amanda Lange Salvia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Gender Issues ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sustainable Procurement ◽  
Curriculum Adaptation ◽  
Sustainability Leadership

Sustainability leadership entails the processes, which leaders, policymakers, and academics undertake in order to implement sustainable development policies and other initiatives within their organizations. It encompasses approaches, methods, and systemic solutions to solve problems and drive institutional policy towards a more sustainable organization. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) play a particularly important role, especially with regard to their institutional leadership role in promoting sustainable development. There is a paucity of research focusing on sustainability leadership in universities. In order to address this gap, this paper discussed the concept of sustainability leadership based on literature and empirical insights. The study aimed to understand the main characteristics of sustainability leaders at HEI and the main challenges they are confronted with. Secondary research questions involved gender issues and positive outcomes of sustainability leadership. The empirical component of the study consisted of an online-questionnaire survey performed among leaders (n = 50) from a set of universities in 29 countries. The sampling scheme was purposive, based on the membership in the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP). The study was explorative in nature, and the descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Due to the purposive sampling, the participants from top management positions could be considered as experienced, and their views were assumed to be information-rich. With a self-evaluation, the respondents described their leadership style and their usual traits, with inclusive style and systemic thinking being predominant in the sample. Regarding the skills, the respondents selected the ability to innovate, to think long-term, and to manage complexity from a pre-defined set of options. Connectedness with interdisciplinarity and knowledge about organizational settings, as well as global challenges and dilemmas, were stated as important issues related to the knowledge required for being a leader. Regarding requirements for a change towards more sustainable universities’ curriculum adaptation, investments in education for sustainable development (ESD), sustainable procurement, and reporting were mentioned. The study also revealed that gender issues were taken seriously among the sampled institutions, which is an encouraging trend. Challenges seen in implementing sustainability leadership are, for instance, a lack of interest by the university administration and among some members of the academic community, as well as lack of expertise and materials or resources. Based on the empirical insights, a set of measures were listed and which may be adopted in the future, so as to allow leaders of Higher Education Institutions to enhance their sustainability performance.

The impacts of higher education institutions on sustainable development

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Findler ◽  
Norma Schönherr ◽  
Rodrigo Lozano ◽  
Daniela Reider ◽  
André Martinuzzi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Perspective ◽  
Indirect Impacts

PurposeThis paper aims to conceptualize impacts of higher education institutions (HEIs) on sustainable development (SD), complementing previous literature reviews by broadening the perspective from what HEIs do in pursuit of SD to how these activities impact society, the environment and the economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2005 and 2017. Inductive content analysis was applied to identify major themes and impact areas addressed in the literature to develop a conceptual framework detailing the relationship between HEIs’ activities and their impacts on SD.FindingsThe paper identifies six impact areas where direct and indirect impacts of HEIs on SD may occur. The findings indicate a strong focus on case studies dealing with specific projects and a lack of studies analyzing impacts from a more holistic perspective.Practical implicationsThis systematic literature review enables decision-makers in HEIs, researchers and educators to better understand how their activities may affect society, the environment and the economy, and it provides a solid foundation to tackle these impacts.Social implicationsThe review highlights that HEIs have an inherent responsibility to make societies more sustainable. HEIs must embed SD into their systems while considering their impacts on society.Originality/valueThis paper provides a holistic conceptualization of HEIs’ impacts on SD. The conceptual framework can be useful for future research that attempts to analyze HEIs’ impacts on SD from a holistic perspective.

scholarly journals Dissemination Strategies for Higher Educational Institutions for Geo-Social Necessities: A Synergic Model

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-51
Author(s):  
Manulal P. Ram
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
The State ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Academic Potential ◽  
Synergic Model ◽  
Demographic Potential

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are expected to be established in conjunction with the specificities of the regions to which they are supposed to belong. But over the years, the regional necessities based on its resourcefulness and demographic potential are seldom accounted for in their justifiable dissemination across the state. This article analyze (a) whether our HEIs are established by satisfying the needs of its geographical area and (b) whether the programmes offered by them have any mutual benefits to the regional populace and academic community. Various resource diversities are attached with every institution, in the context of contesting components of science and other academic disciplines. This study proposes a synergic model to facilitate the allocation of academic programmes and dissemination of institutions with 10 broad synergic bands, each incorporating various resource potentials available with every geographical niche. A total of 54 government arts and science colleges of the state have been geocoded and tagged with these bands, to find the institutional synergies with their surrounding resources. Although colleges capture synergy points ranging from two to nine, but only a few of the institutions are enriched with higher numbers of bands. The more synergy points the institution captures, the more will be its academic potential in terms of feasibility of programmes in consideration of sustainable development of the locality in which they are situated. This model is therefore an instrument for every institution and to self-evaluate its performance for the societal prosperity of their immediate neighbourhood.

scholarly journals SYSTEM MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: MODELS AND PROBLEMS

Management ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Petro Kalyta
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
System Management ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Definition Of

Problem statement and tasks. It is known that the state of the Ukrainian economy is unsatisfactory and needs significant improvement. To change the situation for the better, the President of Ukraine issued a Decree "On Sustainable Development Goals of Ukraine for the period until 2030", which is a guide to the latest development of the country focused on people. Besides, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Principles of Social Responsibility adopted by the United Nations. However, the real sustainable development of the country can not be achieved without advanced management systems that ensure at different organizational levels of management the adoption and implementation of a set of agreed management decisions adequate to situations and their changes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the state of system management in Ukraine, as well as the state of training of Ukrainian specialists in specialty "management", on which the creation, application, and improvement of management systems in organizations (companies, institutions) depend to the greatest extent.Research methods. In the course of this research methods of comparative analysis, data analysis by their grouping, and generalization of information have been applied.Results. Conceptual models of sustainable development of both individual organizations and Ukraine as a whole are proposed. The key role of modern system management in ensuring competitiveness and sustainable development is pointed out. The state of system management in Ukraine and the state of training specialists in specialty "management" in the Ukrainian higher education institutions are analyzed; shortcomings are identified and suggestions for their elimination are provided. An inadequate translation of the "management" concept’s definition in the DSTU ISO 9000:2015 is revealed and the causes and consequences of this fundamental error are investigated. Conclusions. Since Ukraine got its independence until today, due attention has not been paid to system management development there. There is no central executive body responsible for the development of system management in the country as a whole. The problem of system management improvement has not been reflected either in any government policy or in any development strategy for specific life spheres. Public sector organizations, in particular, executive governmental authorities and business companies mainly use outdated imperfect management systems. In the country, there is a confusion in the understanding of the "management" concept, which has led to the inadequate definition of knowledge areas and specialties. The stage of manager’s education in the Ukrainian higher education institutions does not meet the needs of Ukraine's development and its economy in the conditions of a globalized saturated market. To eliminate the mentioned shortcomings and improve the situation, it is urgent to change the attitude to this extremely important component of state-building. 

scholarly journals Semi-Systematic Literature Review on Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7683
Author(s):  
Amila Omazic ◽  
Bernd Markus Zunk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Development Goals

Public sector organizations, primarily higher education institutions (HEIs), are facing greater levels of responsibility since adopting and committing to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (SD) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HEIs are expected to provide guidance for various stakeholders on this matter, but also to implement this agenda and the SDGs in their institutions. Although the role of these organizations has been recognized, the fields and issues that HEIs should address on their path towards sustainability and SD are still unclear. To provide further clarity, a semi-systematic literature review on sustainability and SD in HEIs was conducted to identify both the key concepts and main research themes that represent sustainability and SD in HEIs and to identify research gaps. This review increases our knowledge of this topic and enhances our understanding of sustainability and SD in the context of HEIs.

scholarly journals Conceptual Framework for Teaching Sustainable Development Course in Blended Learning Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Tilagavati Subramaniam ◽  
Muthu Alagan Thangavelu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Framework For Teaching

Purposes: This paper presents a conceptual framework for teaching sustainable development courses in an online learning environment in institutions of higher education.  Sustainability development courses are becoming essential in higher education institutions mainly to educate the younger generations who will be part of the community to make it happen. Higher education institutions are experiencing dramatic shift to cater a young generation of prospective students, to integrate technical innovations in teaching practices and to concentrate on increasing concerns about global sustainability issues. There has been little research to promote an innovative learning in the teaching of sustainable development. The goal of this paper was to create a framework for teaching sustainable development in a virtual learning environment (blended learning) due to the lack of a conceptual framework that could direct this implementation. Findings: Hence, the blended learning method is eco-friendly, whereby protects global environmental resources. For hands-on experiences, students will develop projects to make their campus and community more sustainable. In the process, students learn how to analyse sustainability and able to apply online learning knowledge into practice. Implication: The conceptual framework proposed will support all educators in higher education institutions engaged in the promotion of quality online education in this pandemic circumstance to develop an effective online practise that are aligned with the corresponding learning needs, skills and facilities.

scholarly journals Education and Sustainable development: interplay and implications

2020 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 09010
Author(s):  
Ansgar Belke ◽  
Andrei Zenkov ◽  
Larisa Sazanova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Development Goals

Universities and other Higher education institutions are more than ever on the cusp of disruptive and radical changes while struggling to keep their traditional remit from falling entirely into the hands of managers and accountants. This paper examines the role of (higher) education in achieving sustainable development goals and addresses the important changes facing higher education from multiple perspectives and divergent cultural viewpoints.

scholarly journals INTELLECTUAL POTENTIAL AS A KEY FACTOR OF FORMATION OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF UKRAINE’S HEI

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Stupniker ◽  
◽  
Valentina Babenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
National Economy ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The State ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Intellectual Activity ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Intellectual Potential

Under the influence of globalization and integration of economic processes in the domestic economy, the importance of intellectual resources is growing. Based on its use in economic activities, enterprises and organizations are able to realize their intellectual capital. The main condition for the formation of this special type of capital is the presence of intellectual potential that arises in the process of manifestation of intellectual abilities and professional competencies of the company's staff. The intellectual component is the fundamental basis of the system of relations between science, industry and society. Therefore, educational institutions play an important role in raising the intellectual level of the national economy. The theoretical approaches to determining the economic essence of the intellectual capital of higher education institutions have beem summarized in this article and the main aspects of realizing the intellectual potential of educational and research institutions in Ukraine have been explored. The availability of intellectual capital allows scientific organizations to formalize and implement in the market various forms and types of knowledge: research, skills, experience, competencies, professional skills. The purchase of knowledge allows commercial organizations to significantly increase the level of their technical and technological solutions, develop know-how, to acquire ownership of the right to use knowledge in the form of patents, licenses, franchises. On this basis, the production of new products can be carried out; use of new technologies, new management methods; creation of a trademark; development of new activities; entering new markets. The implementation of the socio-economic policy of the state should be based on the intensification of intellectual activity of higher education institutions, because in market conditions it is the state that should stimulate educational institutions to form intellectual capital. The important role of intellectual capital of higher education institutions is manifested in the fact that it allows them to become intellectual enterprises and significantly affect the national economy by increasing its competitiveness.

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