Migrant Digital Space: Building an Incomplete Map to Navigate Public Online Migration

This chapter introduces the concept of migrant digital space (MDS). MDS is defined as configured by migrants’ online activity before the journey, en route, and when settling down, and as a space shaped by practices. Following a relational approach to space, MDS is understood as an outcome of social relations and practices with material and intangible characteristics. Within this perspective, MDS is formed by (a) digital subjects (accounts, pages, hashtags, channels), (b) migrant-related topics (such as discussions on migration routes; language lessons; football conversations; university enrolment; job seeking) through conversations across (c) various digital platforms. After introducing the concept of MDS it is explained how, in the context of the DIGINAUTS project, the concept was developed into the collection of a dataset of public Facebook content, which was subsequently implemented. The data collected and some of its characteristics are highlighted.

MOOCS AS A TOOL FOR VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY ORIENTATION

The Covid-19 era, and its enforced transition of all teaching and learning activity to the online space, is potentially leading to reduced university enrolment rates. International student enrolments are predictably down due to travel restrictions and concerns about student safety, but even at home the same trends are being observed. One of the conversations around this issue is the value-for-money question in relation to a perceived reduction in the quality of the overall student experience when the networking opportunities of on-campus life and study are taken away. A further question is the level of digital readiness of staff and school-leaver students, and whether they are able to deal successfully with preparation for final-year school exams, university choice, and for university entrance tests in remote learning. Federica Web Learning, the University Centre for Research Innovation and Dissemination of multimedia and distance learning, has long been making the case for MOOCs as a valid tool for virtual orientation. In the current climate, MOOCs can provide chunks of ready-made quality learning content for use as the asynchronous component in today’s hybrid online courses, meaning that the time teacher and class spend in plenary, in video-conferencing, can be devoted to discussion and more in-depth analysis of the learning objectives. The MOOCs can be specially chosen from the growing range on offer from university providers around the world: some provide remedial content in problem subjects and topics; some offer specific exam preparation content and others offer university orientation, or study skills.

Quantifying the Speed, Landscape Pattern Changes and Its Driving Factors of Shenzhen China

Urban expansion has always been a topic of great concern. The purpose of this study is to explore land use change and the types of urban expansion in Shenzhen from 1995 to 2015, and to indicate the driving factors of this change, so as to provide a paradigm for other similar studies. By analysing the landscape expansion index and the correlation coefficient between urban area and various factors in Shenzhen, the following conclusions are obtained: 1) The main changes of land use types are the decrease of cultivated land and the increase of urban land. The land cover type changed most dramatically from 2000 to 2005, and the urban land transformed from cultivated land and grassland occupied most of the area. 2) Analysis shows that during the 20 years from 1995 to 2015, the main expansion type is edge-expansion. In detail, during the period from 1995 to 2010, the proportion of infilling has been increasing, while that of the outlying has been decreasing. After 2010, the urban area of Shenzhen increased slightly. Besides, according to the landscape expansion index, Shenzhen experienced dramatic urban expansion from 2000 to 2005. 3) Education and population growth are the main factors of urban growth in Shenzhen, which is reflected in the strongest correlation between university enrolment rate and urban area.

Illustrating school-to-work transition through drawings: An exploratory study with a sample of South African students

Orientation: Unemployment is a matter of great concern within the South African context.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of students who are in preparation to enter the labour market, to generate data about students’ experiences of being unemployed and to explore the usefulness of diagrams as a data generation tool in exploring such experiences.Motivation for the study: There is need to understand transition experiences of unemployed youths in South Africa and the basis for making interventions.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research approach utilising a participatory research design technique was used.Main findings: Three main drawings are illustrated that express students’ concern regarding this transition. These drawings heighten the focus on (1) individual evaluation of students as they make the transition, (2) evaluation of the university enrolment experience and (3) students’ concern about their future, albeit the high unemployment rate in South Africa.Managerial/practical implications: Through the reflections from the drawings, suggestions are made to assist researchers, career counsellors and students.Contribution/value-addition: This article contributes to the literature on the use and need of using the visual methodology as a part of data generation, especially when working with vulnerable students.

Assessing Higher Education Policy in Brazil: A Mixed Oligopoly Approach

Higher education is increasingly provided by both public and private universities, in particular in the developing world. Considering a mixed oligopoly setting and inspired by the Brazilian context, we explore the relative merits of some frequently used higher education policies in a context where a high-quality public university interacts with a lower-quality private university. We calibrate the model to match relevant values of Brazilian earnings and educational distribution. Subsidising private university tuition fees increases participation, but many high ability students remain excluded, especially if the subsidy is substantial. Affirmative action improves the surplus associated with the public university system, as more high ability individuals attend the public university, but virtually does not increase higher education participation. Although an expansion of public university places induces a reduction in private university fees, total university enrolment grows slowly, and many high-ability individuals cannot obtain a university education.

New Evidence on the Effects of the Shortened School Duration in the German States: An Evaluation of Post-secondary Education Decisions

Most German states have recently reduced the duration of university preparatory schooling from 13 to 12 years without changing the graduation requirements. We use nationwide data on high school graduates and the different timing of reform introduction in the federal states to identify the effects on post-secondary education decisions and to evaluate potential effect mechanisms. The results show that university enrolment of female students decreased in the first year after graduation in all analyzed states, whereas participation in voluntary service or staying abroad increased. Furthermore, students from non-academic families are more affected than students from an academic family background.

Perceived eWOM and Students’ University Enrolment Intentions: The Corporate Image as a Mediator

The advancement of internet technologies and the emergence of social media platforms have made the influence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) more pronounced than ever before on consumers’ purchase decisions, especially young consumers who are more engaged with new technologies and social networks. Through social media platforms, young consumers nowadays are always connected to friends, families and organizations on smartphones, tablets or computers and actively look for eWOM before making purchase decisions. This study is aimed at examining the effect of perceived eWOM on the university enrolment intentions by the Saudi high school students mediated by the corporate image of the university. The sample comprised of 133 high school students studying in Saudi high secondary schools. The findings revealed that electronic word of mouth (eWOM) had a significant and positive association with the students’ enrolment intentions, and the corporate image mediates this relationship. This research’s findings and recommendations can largely help who are in charge of the private and public universities in Saudi Arabia to understand how eWOM shapes the university choices of students.

Nurturing academic writing for students in an enrolled to registered nurse conversion course at university

A growing number of diploma-qualified nurses from vocational programs are enrolling in university Bachelor of Nursing programs to upgrade their qualifications. Universities typically provide these students with credit so they enter the Bachelor of Nursing program in second year. Known as pathway students, these students tend to miss the orientating opportunities that other students experience in their first-year university enrolment. This lack of first-year opportunity can be challenging for many pathway students, notably in academic writing. This paper reports on a tailored and scaffolded academic-writing teaching strategy designed for pathway students in their initial semester of learning. Both the students themselves, and teachers report evidence of improvements in academic writing amongst the pathway students.