Developing inclusive and quality learning environments in HEIs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to redefine quality in the context of “access” providing higher education institutions (HEIs), through a theoretical lens, in order to find solutions to the wicked problem of access vs quality and “inclusiveness vs excellence” debate in higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachThis theoretical paper builds upon institutional theory and resource dependency theory to, first, analyse access vs quality debate and, second, provide answers to the undesirable and at times conflicting “trilemma” of scale, cost and quality in HEIs. To achieve the second objective, the paper offers a different perspective to address trilemma by proposing a synergistic coexistence between inclusiveness and excellence through “transformative” quality and learning theory.Findings“Transformative” quality uses reframing the problem, appraising culture and quality concepts, and eventually develops transformative interventions in access providing HEIs to improve their quality and enhance inclusiveness. Inclusiveness in HEIs needs to be addressed through the investigation of specific hypotheses, for which a closer examination of factors impacting the quality of access providing HEIs has been conducted. The goal is to facilitate a perfect mélange of inclusiveness and excellence in HE and, thus, create a new learning environment.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes towards the access vs quality debate through transformative quality by developing transformative interventions and investigating factors affecting quality in HE.Practical implicationsThe contribution has several policy, managerial and governance implications. Addressing these implications will enable the promotion of the third mission of HE, that is, to develop graduates who meaningfully engage with the society and their profession.Originality/valueQuality and inclusiveness is a serious global problem requiring immediate attention and rigorous theory-informed frameworks. Through the investigation of specific factors and proposing meaningful interventions, this paper identifies the need to study a critical issue having global implications and investigates how it can be resolved.

Debating Our Way Toward Stronger Thinking

Teachers often find it challenging to incorporate higher order thinking skills in ways that both inspire student interest and allow for meaningful differentiation. Structured debate is an activity that can facilitate all of these goals. This article explains, in detail, how debates can be structured to promote a variety of critical thinking skills and intrinsic motivation to learn. Concrete suggestions are provided for how to design a high-quality debate and how to avoid pitfalls that allow students to evade higher level thinking.

Fuzzy Set Theory and Concepts: A Proposal for Concept Formation and Operationalization

The quantity-quality debate in social sciences also concerns concept formation and operationalization. The first approach has strong naturalist assumptions, while the second one focuses on the historical specificity of concepts. The solution to overcome this divide would be finding a path which balances the two perspectives. In this article we argue that fuzzy set theory can be a helpful tool for concept formation and operationalization. The application of fuzzy set theory to concept formation and operationalization provides, first, the opportunity of looking at concepts as complex constructs made up of attributes logically interconnected one with the other and, second, of measuring them accordingly. Thus, after presenting our general argument, we show a theoretical and an empirical application of how to use fuzzy sets in concept formation and operationalization.