scholarly journals Embedding internationalization in European higher education institution´s strategies: easier said than done?

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Alejandra González-Bonilla ◽  
Marta Blanco Carrasco ◽  
Gloria Castaño Collado ◽  
Elena Urquía Grande

This paper portrays the findings of a joint mixed-method exploratory Survey (JIPS) carried out among 85 European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 18 countries. Its aims are to identify common problematic issues in European internationalization Higher Education strategic designs and practices, through exploring the perceptions of international administrative and academic actors. The study reveals a contradiction between internationalization as an institutional vowed priority and what HEIs do in the practice. Three main weaknesses are detected: lack of planning, scarce internal quality review practices, and deficient bi-directional internal communication and participation of staff in decision-making processes.

Author(s):  
Ulrike Quapp ◽  
Klaus Holschemacher

The increasing appearance of fee financed education offers in higher education result in a power shift from higher education institutions in Germany to their students. Thus, for example, students claim more involvement in university decision processes and the right to evaluate lecturers’ teaching skills. This paper is dealing with the development of student rights. It describes the students’ position at universities under higher education policy aspects. A closer look on the rights and duties of students gives an idea of their options to influence civil and structural engineering education. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of the increasing influence of students on universities’ decision making processes were examined. That issue is especially discussed under the perspective of the influence on civil and structural engineering education. The conclusion is that an increasing influence of students and customer orientation at universities may influence the working atmosphere at higher education institutions both in a positive as well as in a negative way. Sometimes students have inventive ideas but often they are not able to overview all aspects of university life. Universities must master the balance between the educational standards of a higher education institution and the increasing demands to involve students in institutional decision making processes.


Author(s):  
Adela Coman ◽  
Catalina Bonciu

In this paper we discuss organizational culture of higher education institutions whose components have been thoroughly described by authors such as Tierney (1988) and Valimaa (1998). We focused on the elements of organizational culture which outlines the identity of a higher education institution: why does the institution exist? How does the institution reach its goals and mission? What does the institution offer to its internal and external public? As such, we analyzed the mission, structure, governance and decision making processes, teaching and research in a comparative perspective: Harvard University (HU) and the University of Bucharest (UB), Romania. By looking into the organizational culture of the best, we learnt some lessons that may inspire, motivate and urge action if UB wants to progress so as to become one day a top leader in higher education worldwide.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubirajara José Picanço de Miranda Junior ◽  
Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi Novaes ◽  
Henrique Batista Araújo Santos ◽  
João Fellipe Santos Tatsch ◽  
Rafael Sanches Ferreira ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Among the processes to be experienced by any organization during its establishment is the formation of an organizational identity. This process can be understood as the activity and event through which an organization becomes unique in the mind of its members. An organizational identity leads to an identification and both are directly associated with the success of an institution. This study is about a public higher education institution in health in its early years, with distinctive characteristics in the country where it is situated. In spite of having been successful in the graduation of its students it has fragile institutional bases, lack of autonomy and internal problems common to other institutions of this type. Thus, this study was conducted to understand how this institution defined itself among its own members, the elements of its identity and what justified its relative success despite its weaknesses. Methods A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate how a representative portion of this organization identifies with it. For the qualitative study two focus groups were conducted with transcripts submitted to content analysis proposed by Bardin, culminating in results from which a Likert scale-based questionnaire was elaborated and applied to 297 subjects. Results There were six central elements of the organizational identity made evident by the focus groups: political / ideological conflict; active teaching and learning methodologies; location / separation of campuses; time of existence; teaching career; political-administrative transformations. The quantitative analysis revealed in more detail the general impressions raised in the focus groups. Most results were able to demonstrate distinct identifications of the same identity with its exposed weaknesses. Conclusions Lack of autonomy, administrative and structural shortcomings and ideological or political conflicts presented themselves as problems capable of destabilizing the identity of a public higher education institution. On the other hand, one way to combat such problems is through the development of the institution itself, particularly by becoming more active and useful to the community and seeking in a common interest to the higher administration agencies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Mona Mohamed Abd Elghany ◽  
Reem Aly Elharakany

The quality of education is influenced by the managerialization of the universities, which refers to the introduction of substantial changes in the decision-making processes of the academic institutions, and the application of renewed information systems along with new managerial methodologies to restructure the organisational strategic relationships with stakeholders. This paper proposes a questionnaire to assess the importance of facilities in universities according to their financial budget consumed value. Semi Structured Interviews were conducted with the heads of logistic and financial departments in Egyptian universities, twenty public universities and twenty-three private universities, in order to identify criteria for the most significant university's facilities and appealing infrastructure that contributes to the quality of education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-163
Author(s):  
A.Yu. Razvaliaeva

We present the results of approbating the Decision Making Tendency Inventory (Misuraca et al., 2015) in the Russian sample (N=423, Mage= 25,01, SD = 9,63). The development of H. Simon’s satisficing theory in the current studies is considered. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the theoretical three-scale structure of the inventory. We describe the relations between maximizing, minimizing and satisficing scales and personal factors of decision-making, age, and education (its level and difficulty). The study demonstrates that maximizing and satisficing are close tendencies, implemented in case of making important effortful and resource-consuming (e.g., time-consuming) decisions, whereas minimizing is connected to withdrawal from effort and knowledge, avoidant strategies and ambiguity intolerance. The yielded results suggest that satisficing needs to be trained in conditions of high demands for the cognitive sphere such as studying in a higher education institution.


Author(s):  
Maurício Benício Valadão ◽  
Valdir Inácio Do Prado Júnior ◽  
Sebastião Benício Costa Neto

This article aimed to understand the relation stress, leadership style and internal communication between management and teachers of a higher education private institution in the city of Goiânia-GO. To achieve this, the exploratory method was used, relying on the contribution of such teachers in a focal group. Through the results found, it is understood that the institution must elaborate a number of considerations towards the relation stress and internal communication. To do so, it is highlighted: the comprehension that the lack of a well structured internal communication fosters stress; and the use of strategies that contribute to the implementation of an effective internal communication. Estresse, Estilo de Liderança e Comunicação Interna entre Docentes de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior Este artigo buscou compreender a relação estresse, estilo de liderança e comunicação interna entre chefia e docentes de uma instituição de ensino superior privada na cidade Goiânia-GO. Para a sua consecução foi utilizado o método exploratório, contando com a contribuição dos docentes em um grupo focal. Por meio dos resultados encontrados, entende-se que a instituição deve elaborar um conjunto de considerações acerca da relação estresse e comunicação interna. Para tanto, destacam-se: a compreensão de que a falta de uma comunicação interna bem estruturada fomenta o estresse; e a utilização de estratégias que contribuam para a implementação de uma comunicação interna efetiva.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 19-41
Author(s):  
Elfrieda Fleischmann ◽  
◽  
Christo van der Westhuizen ◽  

As Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have only been included in the curriculum in the last decade, many educators globally struggle to integrate GIS practice into their teaching strategies. Following the global trend, South African educators might feel ill equipped as they did not receive formal GIS training in a higher education institution. This paper highlights key global and South African challenges regarding GIS integration. To compare the challenges that South Africa faces with those experienced elsewhere, this mixed method study gleaned data from student educators (n=78) who completed a questionnaire regarding their GIS FET Phase education, followed by in-depth interviews with FET Phase educators (n=10) and two provincial heads of Geography for the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Results from this study indicate a clear global and national pattern of barrier categories.


This chapter presents the outcome of two empirical research studies that assess the implementation and validation of the cybersecurity audit model (CSAM), designed as a multiple-case study in two different Canadian higher education institution. CSAM can be applied for undertaking cybersecurity audits in any organization or nation state in order to evaluate and measure the cybersecurity assurance, maturity, and cyber readiness. The architecture of CSAM is explained in central sections. CSAM has been examined, implemented, and established under three research scenarios: (1) cybersecurity audit of all model domains, (2) cybersecurity audit of numerous domains, and (3) a single cybersecurity domain audit. The chapter concludes by showing how the implementation of the model permits one to report relevant information for future decision making in order to correct cybersecurity weaknesses or to improve cybersecurity domains and controls; thus, the model can be implemented and sufficiently tested at any organization.


Author(s):  
Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge ◽  
Gabriele Hoeborn ◽  
Jennifer Bredtmann

Serious Games have been used in civil education since the 1950s. The first serious games were business games aiming to improve the skills required for decision making processes. In 1964, the INTOP simulation game was the first game representing a complete enterprise operating in different markets (Rohn, 1995). Management games as a subgroup of serious games are still widely in use, especially within vocational training of managers. Since that time, a variety of games have been developed and proved successful for the mediation of skills in complex systems (Windhoff, 2001). Serious games are also widely used in primary and secondary education nowadays. Children learn excellently by playing them. In contrast, learning by gaming is often seen as not serious enough within higher education and vocational training. Consequently, gaming as a teaching method is still often excluded in many curricula. Hence, students lack the experience of active knowledge acquirement during lessons and thus encounter a barrier for successful participation in serious games later.


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