scholarly journals COVID-19 induced psychosocial challenges in South African higher education: Experiences of staff and students at two rural universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-193
Author(s):  
Babawande Emmanuel Olawale ◽  
Bonginkosi Hardy Mutongoza ◽  
Emmanuel Adu ◽  
Bunmi Isaiah Omodan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Psychosocial Challenges ◽  
Rural Universities ◽  
The University ◽  
University Community

Although the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education and mental health of the university environment is relatively unknown, it is expected to be very significant considering the high incidence of emotional reactions amongst university students and staff.  While fears around COVID-19 exposure, anxieties, and the challenges of support normalize stress, anxiety, and depression as emotional reactions in the face of the pandemic, this psychosocial impact has negative consequences for the university community. Thus, in order to salvage the higher education institutions from the debilitating effects of the pandemic, there is a clear need to safeguard the welfare of students and staff. Hence, it becomes vital to examine the experience of members of the university community during the COVID-19 crisis in order to develop measures and implement interventions that will assist in navigating psychosocial challenges. To achieve this objective, the study employed a mixed-method research approach in which data was collected using web-based survey and online interviews. Concurrent triangulation sampling technique was employed to select a sample of fifteen (15) students, five (5) university managers, and five (5) lecturers – making twenty-five (25) respondents at each of the two universities, thus making a cumulative total of fifty (50) at two (2) rural universities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Thus, qualitative and quantitative data collected were analysed concurrently by first reporting the qualitative findings and then comparing them to the quantitative findings. Findings revealed that although the university environment traditionally provided opportunities for strengthening social ties which satisfy the universal need to belong to a community, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered rural university life, thus, significantly impacting on psychosocial wellbeing. The study recommends that rural institutions must facilitate psychosocial wellness programming with the assistance of wider stakeholders such as the government and the private sector who can assist in financing this initiative.

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Stakeholders in the Energy Efficiency of Higher Education Institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8908
Author(s):  
Rubén Garrido-Yserte ◽  
María-Teresa Gallo-Rivera
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Save Energy ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have a huge potential to save energy as they are significantly more energy-intensive in comparison with commercial offices and manufacturing premises. This paper provides an overview of the chief actions of sustainability and energy efficiency addressed by the University of Alcalá (Madrid, Spain). The policies implemented have shifted the University of Alcalá (UAH) to become the top-ranking university in Spain and one of the leading universities internationally on environmentally sustainable practices. The paper highlights two key elements. First, the actions adopted by the managerial teams, and second, the potential of public–private collaboration when considering different stakeholders. A descriptive study is developed through document analysis. The results show that energy consumption per user and energy consumption per area first fall and are then maintained, thereby contributing to meeting the objectives of the Spanish Government’s Action Plan for Energy Saving and Efficiency (2011–2020). Because of the research approach, the results cannot be generalized. However, the paper fulfils an identified need to study the impact of HEIs and their stakeholders on sustainable development through initiatives in saving energy on their campuses and highlights the role of HEIs as test laboratories for the introduction of innovations in this field (monitoring, sensing, and reporting, among others).

scholarly journals Socio-biological factors of increased morbidity risk in participants of educational process in higher education institutions related to the global epidemiological situation in 2020-2021

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir V. Perelygin ◽  
Sergey G. Paramonov ◽  
Nataliia A. Sklyarova ◽  
Mikhail V. Zharikov ◽  
Lyudmila V. Sklyarova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Morbidity Risk ◽  
The University ◽  
Epidemiological Situation

One of the numerous negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the "second epidemic" of negative psychological effects. Population stress in modern conditions can serve as a catalyst for mental disorders of teachers and students. In the present situation, restrictive and special measures should be considered as additional harmful socio-biological factors for participants of the university educational process.

scholarly journals PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION FOR FUTURE UNIVERSITY TEACHERS: DETERMINANTS OF EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION

2020 ◽  
pp. 60-66
Author(s):  
O. K. Logvinova ◽  
V. K Vittenbek ◽  
G. P Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Group Method ◽  
University Environment ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Higher Education Pedagogy ◽  
The University ◽  
Focus Group Method

The study is aimed at identifying and analyzing the determinants of effective pedagogical education for future university teachers. Research interest in this issue stems from world wide dramatic changes in higher education caused by interdependent processes of globalization, massification and digitalization, which in turn foregrounds the problem of effective teaching in a more diverse and complex university environment. The research is based on both theoretical analysis and comparison of modern approaches to the problem under study, generalization of pedagogical experience and empirical investigation. The authors focused on students’ expectations and perceptions regarding real and ideal university teachers. Data collection involved the qualitative approach with the use of focus group method as well as focused interviews. The findings obtained helped to substantiate key determinants of effective pedagogical education for future university teachers, namely an opportune content and teaching methods updating, relevant forms of training, consideration of students’ expectations. The results of the research are of interest to a wide range of experts in the field of higher education and can be applied within the courses of “Pedagogy of Higher Education”, “Pedagogy and Psychology of Higher Education”, “Methods of Teaching at the University”, etc.

scholarly journals Comparative Study Of Platforms For E-Learning In The Higher Education

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Jose Mondejar-Jimenez ◽  
Juan-Antonio Mondejar-Jimenez ◽  
Manuel Vargas-Vargas ◽  
Maria-Leticia Meseguer-Santamaria
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Virtual Campus ◽  
University Environment ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The University

Castilla-La Mancha University has decided to implement two tools: WebCT and Moodle, Virtual Campus has emerged: www.campusvirtual.ulcm.es. This paper is dedicated to the analysis of said tool as a primary mode of e-learning expansion in the university environment. It can be used to carry out standard educational university activities in accordance with the guidelines set out by the new European Space for Higher Education. New needs continue to present themselves, not only with regard to the exchange of information and documents, but the complete and integrated management of teaching which is carried out using virtual environments and the Internet: e-learning.

scholarly journals La universidad de Papel

2012 ◽  
pp. 200-209
Author(s):  
Abril Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Educación Superior ◽  
Policy Planning ◽  
Educacion Superior ◽  
New Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Educational Field ◽  
University Community

Luis Porter. (2003). La universidad de Papel. Ensayos sobre la educación superior en México. México: CEICH-UNAM.El texto reseñado es un ejercicio de reflexión en torno a la planeación de políticas educativas en el nivel superior, a la construcción de nuevos paradigmas de aprendizaje y a la participación de los universitarios; en él se intenta proporcionar a los investigadores y estudiantes en el campo de la educación herramientas conceptuales y técnicas apoyadas con ejemplos prácticos, que fortalezcan sus propios criterios y pensamientos.AbstractThe described text is an exercise in reflection on educative policy planning at the higher education level, the construction of new learning paradigms and the participation of the university community. Said text attempts to provide researchers and students in the educational field with conceptual and technical tools supported by practical examples that strengthen their criteria and thoughts.

scholarly journals Design Of The Accounting Course Focusing On The Development Of Competences

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Adelaida Ciudad-Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Central Core ◽  
European Higher Education Area ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Competence Training ◽  
Training Activities ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

The aim of this work is to develop a proposal for a methodology in the university environment that enables us to design our course with an approach based on the development and acquisition of competences within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), allowing a transition from a model focused on teaching to a model focused on student learning. This means, after having established the competences to be acquired by the student during our course, designing the activities that must be undertaken in order to achieve them, so that the central core of our work is made up of three sequential steps: a) selection and definition of the generic and specific competences to be acquired during our course, b) inclusion of competence training activities and distribution amongst the topics of the course, and c) the procedure for the assessment of competences.

The Role of Higher Education in Fostering Musically Engaged Adults

2012 ◽  
pp. 272-288
Author(s):  
Chelcy L. Bowles ◽  
Janet L. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Musical Engagement ◽  
The University ◽  
Community Adult ◽  
University Community

This article examines the responsibilities and roles of higher education in fostering musically engaged adults by exploring three primary contexts: (a) the adult population within the university; (b) the adult population in the community in which the university resides; and © the interactive university-community adult population. Adults whose lives are enriched through musical engagement are more likely to have the passion and the power to advocate for, and facilitate musical engagement for others.

scholarly journals Measuring Discrimination Against Transgender People at the University of the Basque Country and in a Non-University Sample in Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naiara Ozamiz-Etxebarria ◽  
Maitane Picaza ◽  
Eneritz Jiménez-Etxebarria ◽  
Jeffrey H. D. Cornelius-White
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
University Environment ◽  
Transgender Identity ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The University

Transgender people suffer from others’ negative attitudes in many situations. The university context is one environment where further progress has to be made to ensure the inclusion of transgender people. In this study, a sample of 376 undergraduate students was collected and their attitudes towards transgender people were analyzed. A comparison was made between number of years in university, and a sample from the general public. In addition, comparisons were made by gender, since the literature shows more negative attitudes toward transgender people in men than in women. The results show relatively positive attitudes toward transgender people among higher education students, but they have little knowledge of transgender identity. In turn, researchers found significant differences between different years in the university and between genders. These results support the need to expand knowledge about transgender people in the university environment.

Key issues influencing the future internationalization of higher education: the case of Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Hines ◽  
Lakhana Dockiao
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Issues ◽  
Horizon Scanning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The rapidly changed global context for internationalization (IZN) over the next decade prompted a decision to use a futurist perspective for identifying issues to be considered in the organization’s next strategic plan. This paper aims to report on this project to identify current and strategic issues influencing the future strategy of the higher education (HE) IZN for Thailand on behalf of the Bureau of International Cooperation Strategy and the Office of the Higher Education Commission. Design/methodology/approach The research approach was a customized version of the University of Houston’s Framework Foresight method. It involved framing the domain with a description and domain map, scanning for signals of change within the domain and emerging issues analysis to produce a set of current and emerging issues. A planning step synthesizes a set of recommended actions. Findings The key findings reported in this paper are the identification of 14 current and emerging issues influencing the future of the IZN of HE in Thailand. The issues were organized along with the three horizons framework: H1: how are we [currently] doing? H2: what should we do next and H3, where do we want to go? The primary recommendation of this research reported on in this study is to consider the 14 issues for inclusion into the next strategic plan. Seven specific strategic options mapped over three phases were identified as well. The research reported here was carried out for Thailand, but the process could easily be adapted by other countries and other topics. Research limitations/implications The modified version of the University of Houston Framework Foresight approach has been applied successfully to many topics. The topic explored here is focused on one nation, Thailand. The authors feel the lessons are, however, broadly applicable. Practical implications The ability to use a futurist perspective to identify current and emerging issues is highlighted. The organizing of the issues using the three horizons framework proved to be particularly useful in helping the client to develop a sense of timing regarding the future, that is, when and to what degree to pay attention to the many issues that typically confront any organization. Originality/value The use of the three horizons framework in the analysis of the emerging issues provide benefits in two ways in situating the likely timing of signals of change in horizon scanning and “scan hits” both scanning for the identification of issues and organizing the resulting current and emerging issues along the three horizons with H1 current issues: how are we [currently] doing?; H2 emerging issues: what should we do next and H3 emerging issues, where do we want to go? The paper also includes a section exploring the impact of Covid-19 on the likely timing of the issues identified just before the pandemic hit, finding that timing of some issues would speed up, some would stay the same and some would slow down.

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