Prometheus bound? European initiatives and trends on Higher Education and their association with economic competiveness, skills and employability.

Globalization and increasing internationalization of Higher Education has clearly resulted in a persistent demand for the further transformation of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), towards competitiveness and contribution to development. What is actually in stake is the employability, while another key issue is the harmonization with the economy and the labor market. That raises, of course, a lot of issues concerning the gradual transformation of the Higher Education and the relation between Higher Education and Society at Large. Globalization has affected all the abovementioned, which is crystal clear in large scale initiatives, in Europe, such as the “Bologna Process” and the subsequent development of the European Higher Education Area, in the case of Europe. Given all the abovementioned, the present article mainly focuses on the European trends, transformations and initiatives in Higher Education, related to HEIs’ active and potential contribution to economic development and the enhancement of graduates’ employability and skills.

Is Corporate Social Entrepreneurship a (So Far) Missed Opportunity for Higher Education Institutions? Evidence from Germany

(1) Background: Corporate social entrepreneurship (CSE) is a young phenomenon courting recognition that is attracting increasing attention in academia and corporate practice. Nevertheless, it has rarely found its way into the curricula of higher education institutions (HEI), which raises the question of the concept’s potential for further development in the realm of academic teaching; (2) Our study is based on a mostly qualitative research design consisting of expert interviews, focus groups, and a low-standardized survey; (3) Results: Corporate social entrepreneurship is seen as having strong potential to enrich education at institutions of higher learning, to establish new forms of teaching, and to bridge the gap between higher education and society; (4) Conclusions: Although our results indicate industry need and student demand for competent corporate social entrepreneurs, German HEIs have not yet integrated CSE-specific education into their curricula. However, the required competences are covered by CSE-related fields of study, which hampers the holistic education of CSE learners. A CSE curriculum needs to cover core CSE concepts as well as key competences, and the engagement of quadruple helix stakeholders requires an adjustable and transversal approach of curriculum development.

The universities’ role in developing citizen science discourse

The article, aimed at mapping ways to enhance the systemic character and sustainability of citizen science, analyses the state of its discourse in the Russian context. The analysis, relying upon the multiple actor interdisciplinary paradigm within the framework of rational agency, applied comparative and analytical methods. The research concentrated on identifying common invariant features in the processes of initiating and developing citizen science projects, as well as on distinguishing core unresolved issues. The article points out the relevance of citizen science, viewing the latter as a reflection of changes in the relationships and activities undertaken by people, communities and society at large, diverse actors getting more and more involved in these activities, with their functionality and impact on social processes being expanded. The research can be considered brandly new, because it defines the role of citizen science as a new synergetic paradigm for the development of science and higher education in Russia, and as an important communication-and-cooperation channel between higher education and society at large. In particular, it is revealed that at the macrolevel, citizen science projects contribute to the democratization of both scientific research and society as a whole by invoking actors from various social spheres and subsystems, as well as by strengthening citizens’ confidence in the state. At the microlevel, the projects contribute to the universities’ educational and social mission, expand and diversify the interaction of HEIs with society, and foster new research questions formulation. The practical use of the research is viewed as a possible integration of our conclusions in the further practice-oriented investigations, in forming citizen science backgrounds, competences, and methodological base. Of no less importance are the materials for the training programmes modernization in the field of science and higher education administration.

Now What? Maintaining Momentum after Achieving Designation as an Age-Friendly University

The Age-Friendly University (AFU) designation in higher education recognizes the institution’s commitment to a culture of age-inclusivity across programs and policies. While AFU institutions are embracing the demographic shifts in higher education and society at-large, effectively responding to the needs and desires of an increasingly older population requires ongoing acceptance and support from campus leaders to maintain momentum and stay relevant within a dynamic field. This session will describe the intentional and systematic approach utilized by an AFU steering committee to build interest in and develop meaningful collaborations in multiple domains across campus, including at the level of the president. Our initiatives focus on five themes that align with the 10 age-friendly university principles: support for workforce development, broadening community engagement, expanding engagement in aging research and dissemination, addressing barriers related to aging and our physical environment, and facilitating age-friendly efforts across our state. We will present our experiences in expanding awareness of and support for the AFU movement on our campus and share a model for institutions seeking ideas for sustainability of their own initiatives.

Identifying and disrupting problematic implicit beliefs about engineering held by students in service-learning

Service-learning (SL), especially in engineering, is a promising way to engage and support local communities, educate students as holistic citizens and professionals, and strengthen the connection between higher education and society. However, within engineering education, SL as a pedagogy has yet to reach its full potential as a transformational pedagogy. To further our understanding of why SL in the context of engineering remains limited, this contribution characterizes: 1) beliefs about engineering implicit in students’ descriptions of their SL experiences, and 2) the ways in which students’ beliefs manifest within the context of SL in engineering. We used an inductive, qualitative approach to analyze focus group and interview data. Our data includes rich, contextual descriptions of SL experiences, which enabled us to generate insight into students’ implicit beliefs about engineering and how they manifest in SL contexts. We found that students predominantly draw on three implicit beliefs about engineering when engaged in SL experiences: 1) Engineering is predominantly technical, 2) Engineering requires deliverables or tangible products, and 3) Engineers are the best problem solvers. These beliefs often manifested problematically, such that they promote university-centered and apolitical practice while reinforcing social hierarchy, leading to community exploitation in support of student development. This study produces empirical evidence that such implicit beliefs are a mechanism that limits the potential of SL by hindering community-centric and justice-oriented practice. However, some students demonstrated their ability to disrupt these beliefs, thereby showing the potential for SL as a pedagogy in engineering to surface implicit and counterproductive beliefs about engineering and achieve SL goals. The beliefs that are salient in SL and the concrete ways in which they manifest for students have implications for how SL is practiced in engineering and the experiences of both students and partner communities. These beliefs impact the extent to which the socio-political elements of the service are addressed, the quality and extent to which the engineering solution is aligned with social justice, and the extent to which SL is university- versus community-centric. The implications of these findings lead to recommendations to, and the need for future research on, how engineering educators might explicitly design SL curricula to identify, address, and dismantle problematic beliefs before they manifest in problematic ways in SL contexts.

Typologies of anomalies in higher education

Under the transformation of the Russian higher education, its development is hindered by the wide spread of anomalies which carry serious risks for the universities, higher education and society. The article presents the authors interpretation of anomalies in higher education as violations of the substantial, structural and functional nature, determined by the mismatch of actions and interactions in universities with the fundamental norms of higher education. The research aims at providing typologies of anomalies in higher education. The practical meaning of these typologies is to use them as a basis for developing social technologies, mechanisms and forms of prevention and overcoming various types of violations in higher education. The authors use three methodological approaches - institutional, structural, and community-based - to introduce a theoretical framework for the study of anomalies in higher education. The typologies of anomalies were identified on the basis of the following criteria: 1) the nature of norms violated - anomalies of deviant (violation of moral norms) and delinquent (violation of legal norms) types; 2) the nature of anomalies manifestation - explicit and latent types; 3) the spheres of their manifestation - anomalies in the educational process, research, management, and social activity; 4) the levels of their manifestation - institutional, systemic and community-based anomalies; 5) subjects of abnormal behavior - anomalies in the communities of students, pedagogical, scientific stuff, and managers.

Faculty in Contemporary Kyrgyzstan: Reactions to Reforms

After Kyrgyzstan’s independence, reforms were implemented in higher education: new degrees, credit hours, private institutions, tuition in public institutions, and independent accreditation. However, faculty reactions to these reforms have not previously been studied. The authors conducted 57 interviews in four locations over three years. Our findings show that, first, interviewees discussed all kinds of changes in higher education and society. Second, participants were undergoing “concurrent stresses” (Anderson, Goodman, and Schlossberg, 2012) – their personal as well as professional lives were changing. Third, opinions differed. We analyzed these according to three of Schlossberg’s “4 S’s”: differences in faculty selves, situations, and support systems. However, few participants described strategies for dealing with the changes. Fourth, nearly all spoke of the reforms as something not under their control. Fifth, very few faculty members described the changes as unilaterally negative or positive. Most said, “I like this, but not that.”

Technological trends of higher education development

The aim of this paper is to present and analyse the Internet of Things and Technology-Supported Learning Environments, which represent current technological trends of higher education development. The method used in the paper is content analysis of available scientific literature - theoretical and empirical. It is shown how the application and integration of these technologies trigger significant socio-technological changes in the conditions in which higher education operates. The results show that the application of these technologies enables material savings, that it can result in increasing of the efficiency and effectiveness of the higher education processes and in adapting of the teaching process to the individual needs of students. The paper further discusses the challenges and risks that these technological change can bring to higher education and society as a whole. In the conclusion, it is pointed out that despite the numerous advantages that are being realized, it is necessary to develop human resource competencies and find solutions related to the ethical use of data.

Make a difference: Connect, contribute, collaborate: Volunteer for division and section committees and editorial boards

Are you looking for ways to expand your professional network and contribute to ACRL? Committee volunteers help shape ACRL by advancing its strategic plan and influencing the direction of academic and research librarianship. Serving on a committee or editorial board is a great way to become involved and make an impact on the profession.If you’d like to become more engaged, ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect Julie A. Garrison invites you to volunteer to serve on a 2021–2022 division or section committee.Thank you for volunteering to contribute your time and expertise to ACRL! This is an incredible time within higher education and society, and we value your continued commitment to fostering a strong and healthy association that supports our collective professional efforts. Our association relies on the time, energy, and talent of our member volunteers to carry out the work of the association and envision and enact our future. In the interest of creating an appointment process that is as transparent as possible, I will issue a statement informing the membership of the number of opportunities and volunteers, and other relevant information, after the appointments process is complete.

Toward greater access and impact: Directions for a sociological understanding of Philippine higher education

In the Philippines and many other developing countries higher education has a special function, not only with regard to educating students for jobs but also with regard to partnerships for industry growth, research for national development and the formation of critical leaders in society. However, these aims are impeded by issues of access and the unclear impact of higher education and society on each other. In this conceptual study, the authors highlight four directions for a sociological analysis of Philippine higher education: students’ access to higher education, its organization and whether it promotes or impedes access, institutions’ responses to social, economic and technological changes, and their active influence on society. By reviewing and organizing different frameworks and empirical studies, the authors suggest ways of understanding higher education in the Philippines and how a sociological perspective can clarify postsecondary institutions’ role in promoting access for students and having a greater impact on society. Having this sociological consciousness can help administrators, instructors, students and industry leaders to be aware of how higher education in developing contexts can be leveraged for societal development.