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Within the Caribbean, the number of students pursuing postgraduate studies in higher education institutions (HEIs) has increased over the years. Consequently, locally contextualised epistemologies and empowering methods are needed to help adult learners in Caribbean higher education (HE) navigate their studies. This paper presents findings from a photovoice study undertaken with postgraduate adult learners at an HEI in Jamaica. Participants used photographs, written reflections and group discussions to explore their HE journey. Given the intervening nature of the pandemic in the immediate period after the study was conceptualised and participants engaged, this paper focuses on the ways in which photovoice offered participants opportunities to make meaning of their HE journey. Findings demonstrate that the use of photovoice was transformative in how it empowered participants through the opportunity to engage in self-discovery and discuss their thoughts and emotions, facilitated peer support, and how it enabled adult learners to forge resilience as they undertook their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through strategic policy development has been at the forefront of institutional change, especially within the higher education sector. Canadian colleges have a large equity-seeking student population due to their open admission structure, but despite this, there are implicit biases and actions that impede students' learning experience. Limited literature exists around how Canadian colleges have approached EDI policy development; thus, this paper initiates the unpacking of the evident policy – practice disconnect by asking: 'How do colleges understand equity, diversity, and inclusion as articulated in policy documents?' To address this, the study employs Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) as its main research method to deconstruct the narratives found within purposefully sampled documents including: 1) EDI policies and procedure; 2) institutional multi-year strategic plans; and 3) EDI-based plans and performance reports. Results indicate that colleges tend to be selective in their usage of EDI definitions. There is also a tendency to use ambiguous language around EDI, which makes it difficult to mobilise knowledge effectively and approach equity directly. Policies often fail to address the privileges held by certain positionalities, reinforcing existing power structures rather than challenging them. The significance of this research is in its contribution to enhancing a theoretical understanding of how knowledge supports policy, as well as informing the future development of constructive EDI policies in higher educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both challenges and opportunities are inherent with a growth in Chinese international students in UK Higher Education. However, teachers from the West may not understand the differences in Chinese educational practices, which can lead to negative stereotyping of these students as passive and problematic. This paper rejects this deficit perspective, focusing on the views of Chinese students as to what might need to change about the UK teaching and campus environment to improve their learning experience. Two focus groups were held with Chinese social science Masters' students in a UK university. Some of their key requests included to reduce class sizes; to provide more guidance around study skills; to offer more timely and accessible information; to provide a more flexible range of services and learning support; and to create more social time with staff and other students. The discussions particularly brought out the importance of 'relational pedagogy'. These requirements will need more staff time and institutional flexibility which will necessitate adequate funding. The authors conclude that, despite Chinese students' significant contribution to the local economy and to University finances, there does not seem to be a commensurate investment in protecting their wellbeing and ensuring they receive a quality education. We consider it is important to listen to and act on the students' suggestions outlined here if UK Higher Education is to remain the destination of choice for many Chinese and other international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has seen a significant shift in the last two decades, with contemporary students representing more diverse cohorts who are increasingly balancing study alongside competing life-roles and responsibilities. Given the rise in student attrition and concerns regarding engagement, we saw a visible need to consider how our students could be better supported in managing their study requirements which might improve retention and engagement. We asked students what best helps them to manage their learning and time, and this study reports on responses from 430 students over 8 course offerings between 2019 and 2021. Responses were coded using inductive category development and grouped into internal and external locus of control. The findings reveal 52.6% students demonstrated an interplay of internal and external locus of control factors, while 29.5% identified fully internal and 17.9% indicated fully external LOC. The study highlights that flexible, multi-pronged strategies and institutional supports are fundamental in supporting diverse modern tertiary student populations. The paper concludes with considerations for educators and higher education institutions, drawing on the principles of Universal Design for Learning and pedagogical care that may address many aspects raised by students that are outside their locus of control, which may consequently benefit student retention and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In immersive block models students learn over shorter teaching periods and with fewer concurrent units than in typical semester or trimester models. A core aim of many such innovations is to enhance students’ learning outcomes; however, there are few investigations of student satisfaction at scale in immersive block models. This paper reports on an exploratory study of results from an institution-wide student feedback survey administered at an Australian public university that has introduced a 6-week immersive block model across the institution. Two strands of analysis were undertaken. Strand 1 (N = 4,157) compared satisfaction ratings across units delivered in the immersive block model in 2021 with ratings from the trimester model in 2019. Strand 2 (N = 1,925) explored the relative strengths of correlations between individual survey items and overall unit and overall teaching satisfaction in the immersive block model. The research found that overall, five of seven unit satisfaction indicators and all six teaching indicators improved to a statistically significant degree in the immersive block model. While student perceptions of workload appeared to be most susceptible to negative change, the correlation between workload and overall unit satisfaction was relatively weak compared to other unit indicators, suggesting that students have some tolerance for reduced satisfaction with workload. Meanwhile, the data suggest that students’ overall satisfaction with their units in the immersive block model appears most strongly tied to their satisfaction with teaching. Overall satisfaction with teaching appears most strongly associated with academics presenting content in a clear manner while showing concern for students’ learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching quality assurance has become a common concern and a common pursuit for institutions of higher learning around the world. This paper takes teaching quality as a governance issue in higher education, as different governance systems entail different approaches to quality assurance. Through a detailed examination of the Chinese system in teaching administration in comparison with the Canadian system, this study aims to provide insights on different approaches to teaching quality assurance in more centralised and decentralised governance structures. Based on the findings of this study, no winner can be declared between centralised and decentralised systems in the area of teaching quality assurance. Instead, the study points to different strengths in each system. With more local autonomy, the decentralised system better respects disciplinary uniqueness and academic freedom in teaching. With more national planning, the centralised system secures a system-wide threshold in teaching quality and an optimal long-term development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge exchange (KE) is increasingly important in higher education internationally, yet relatively little attention has been paid to it as a pedagogic opportunity for students. This paper draws on 26 interviews with stakeholders within and outside HE to develop a model of studentled knowledge exchange as a guide for learning through KE. The model includes the following elements: Preconditions, Prior Knowledge, Planning and Place, Pedagogic Context and Product, and offers an analysis of different forms of KE which occur between individuals in a learning triad consisting of student, facilitator and external participant. The research foregrounds a social view of learning where valid knowledge comes from diverse participants in the exchange, including students themselves. Students act as a catalyst for multi-directional KE – a finding which challenges the implied hierarchies evident in much of the literature on this topic. The model is offered as a starting point for developing a pedagogy of KE in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on findings from the From Adversity to University project, a unique widening participation initiative developed by one university to support a diverse range of people into Higher Education through engagement with a 12-week bridging module. This small-scale case study presents an in-depth exploration of how learning space shaped students' experience of a bridging module during the COVID-19 pandemic. Space is conceptualised through a theory of embodied cognition which recognises the complexity of social, cultural, and cognitive inter-relations between space and students' learning experience. An interpretative narrative methodological approach was taken, drawing on the Listening Guide [LG]. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five students who completed the bridging module during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. All had been affected by homelessness and most were in recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction. For all participants, there was a complex and dynamic interconnectivity between learning spaces and their experience of the bridging module. The findings demonstrate for the five students how learning spaces (including the flexibility of the space) contributed to participants' sense of belonging, recovery from drugs and alcohol addiction, mental health and well-being. Implications of the study point towards the need for further research into the connection between learning space and the creation of a sense of belonging particularly for students from marginalised groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of grade inflation has been studied in many countries across the globe, yet it remains under-researched in Pakistan. This study aims to understand grade inflation in Pakistani universities by examining the contributing factors and its consequences. The data for this study was collected through in-depth interviews of 20 professors from four (two public and two private sector) universities in the federal capital of Islamabad, Pakistan. The data reveals that the major cause for grade inflation in the selected universities was the competition between public and private universities to recruit students without giving due consideration to merit. Additionally, the culture of hiring untrained candidates as visiting faculty who aspire to be hired in permanent positions was a key contributing factor that led to grade inflation. Other factors include the limitations of the semester system and individualised directed studies. This study recommends the need to monitor and revisit the examination and grading system in Pakistani universities to enhance imparting quality education and to compete at the international level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UK academics currently report increased workplace stress and workload, with decreased work-life balance, but often feel reluctant to disclose mental distress. We distributed an anonymous online qualitative survey to explore factors which lead academics to decide whether to disclose mental distress in the workplace. Thirty-one participants responded, providing qualitative data about institutional and psychosocial factors that informed academics' decision to disclose, supplemented by information on role position. Data was analysed thematically. Our study reports the individual struggles of academics as they manage their professional identity alongside the demands of the HEI workplace and explores the individual processes of identity conflict that leads to a re-construction of the professional identity after disclosing mental distress. Our findings reinforce the evidence that this decision occurs within the context of an increasingly business-focussed work culture of over-commitment and strain in this sector in which academics are made responsible for their own wellbeing. These findings lead us to recommend further research into disclosure using the lens of identity integration. We endorse important systemic changes by suggesting that universities need to consider factors contributing to poor mental wellbeing as structural issues, which require institutional action. Furthermore, we highlight the need for HEIs to value the hybrid identity of those who are both academics and experts-by-experience. Finally, we advocate for universities to adopt the social model of disability, which promotes inclusion and equality of opportunity for people who experience mental distress. The small study sample size makes the findings tentative, but they are nevertheless significant and intriguing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a country where conversations about race, racism, power, and identity are becoming more commonplace and viewed as a necessity for creating an inclusive society, it is striking that many higher education faculty members struggle to incorporate these kinds of conversations into the classroom. While studies have pointed to a variety of reasons, including faculty members' racial literacy and their White fragility, few studies to date have examined what faculty members from American rural contexts view as obstacles and opportunities in discussing race in the classroom. This study fills this gap by examining what barriers and strategies faculty members from a rural Predominantly White Sea and Land Grant institution engage with when discussing race-related topics in the classroom. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, this study's findings revealed barriers consisting of instructor ambivalence and discomfort, student discomfort, lack of experience with and insight into discrimination, and institutional issues such as lack of support. This study also identified strategies that instructors indicated using to successfully incorporate race into the classroom, including strategies aimed at creating a productive classroom environment, exposing students to diversity, and creating an environment that allowed for critical reflexivity. The study concludes with recommendations on how higher education administrators and instructors in rural areas can work to render discussions about race more constructive and meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the dynamics and impacts of internationalisation on curriculum and instruction in higher education in the UAE. Employing a quantitative questionnaire for students and qualitative questionnaire for staff, the research was conducted across selected higher educational institutions situated in DIAC. Quantitative data underwent statistical analysis, while qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results derived from the quantitative data underscore a robust acknowledgement of the significance of internationalisation among higher education students in the UAE. However, they also reveal noteworthy gaps in awareness of this phenomenon. The results from the qualitative data shed light on potential and practical avenues to enhance the impacts of internationalisation on curriculum and instruction within higher education in the UAE. The study contends that internationalisation has yielded positive effects on curriculum and instruction in higher education in the UAE. These effects could be further optimised through pertinent strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted almost all areas of our lives, including the internationalisation of higher education. Therefore, enabling the internationalisation of higher education is one of the biggest challenges for academic institutions, and in this context, there is a need to move beyond myths and realities. Owing to the scarcity of research in the domain, this study aims to identify various critical strategies and empirically examine their impact on the internationalisation of higher education. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore strategies and develop a theoretical framework. To test research hypotheses, this study employed an explanatory research design utilising a survey instrument methodology to collect data from 253 respondents from both the public and private sector universities in Pakistan. The measures of the internationalisation of higher education were adopted from earlier studies while an instrument was developed to measure strategies on a 5-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity of data were ensured, and correlation and regression analyses were utilised to test hypotheses, in addition to validation of hypotheses through AMOS and PLS-SEM. Findings revealed a significant and positive impact of communicating, cooperating, coordinating, collaborating, and continuing strategies (5C's) in enhancing the internationalisation of higher education. Also, the finding implies that an integrated policy through the adoption of the 5C's strategies needs to be implemented by academic institutions to overcome the challenges of the internationalisation of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention of higher education students is of major concern within the United Kingdom due to the financial and reputational impact on institutions, financial and personal impact on students and loss of potential skills and knowledge within society. Student background characteristics are acknowledged as the initial factors influencing retention within various models, however subject specific understanding is limited. This study aimed to identify pre-enrolment factors associated with student retention in Sport, Health and Exercise Science programmes. Student retention at department and programme level were calculated by 'time to event' analysis using Kaplan–Meier survival trend curves and log rank (Mantel–Cox) analysis for; gender, age, locality to the university, highest qualification on entry and participation of local areas in higher education (POLAR4) classifications. Results identified that male students, students from low Higher Education participation neighbourhoods and students who enter Higher Education without A-Level or foundation qualifications were at an increased risk of degree non-completion. Importantly, these characteristics were also disproportionally high in the student populations considered here. It is imperative that initiatives to improve retention, particularly in these populations, are sought and implemented at department level to improve student and institutional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction, the article examines whether international student mobility (ISM) is still a distinctive educational strategy of upper-milieu students in the 21st century. As a result of the Bologna process, ISM has become widespread in Europe. Does this also mean that international mobility loses its distinctive character? Based on current studies that point to a differentiation within ISM, we investigate to what extent students from upper milieus may strive to re-establish the 'structure of distances' - as Bourdieu puts it – in the field of higher education. Our research design consists of 95 qualitative interviews with Master's students in Germany. The study conducts a comparative analysis to differentiate between lower, middle and upper milieus (vertical axis), with the main focus of the research being directed towards the upper milieus. In addition, the differences within upper milieus (horizontal axis) are examined by including three academic disciplines in the research design: management/business administration, medicine, and musicology. The results of our study suggest that, even within the context of a knowledge society, characterised by an increased participation in higher education, there remain numerous symbolic, spatial, and cultural opportunities for students from upper milieus to distinguish their educational paths in distinct ways, e.g. the destinations chosen, the rhetorical framing of international mobility experiences, and the integration with work-related practices beyond the course of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student-staff dialogue is often emphasised as a means of improving students' engagement with assessment and feedback processes. However, focusing on dialogue alone overlooks the complexity of students' experiences and the sociomaterial contexts in which they occur. To surface the roles of the social and the material in students' experiences, we engaged pedagogies of mattering theory, and employed a rich picture (RP) approach in which students visually depicted their experiences of assessment and feedback. We anticipated that making use of a range of icons, symbols, and visual metaphors might enable participants to think about what matters in their everyday experiences, moving beyond solely human–human interactions, to highlight the significance of the objects, spaces and material elements that are involved. RPs were analysed using a form of content analysis and the following recurrent motifs were identified: Visual metaphors depicting uncertainty; emotive faces showing impacts on wellbeing; seasons, clocks and calendars depicting the pervasiveness of processes; and figures and objects depicting human and non-human elements. Based on the findings, we argue for a shift to greater embedding of meaningful relational approaches in assessment and feedback processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study deployed a mixed-method approach to explore how international graduates identified and strategically utilised their resources to negotiate employability in the host country. One hundred and eighty international graduates from Australian universities participated in a survey and in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that employability was determined by various forms of capital including human, cultural social, identity and psychological. More importantly, the graduates had to develop 'agentic capital' to decide how to utilise these forms of capital appropriately. Social and cultural capitals emerged as the crucially important elements when the graduates looked for opportunities to get a foot into the labour market. These forms of capital enabled the graduates to mobilise their human capital. However, to navigate barriers in the workplace, the articulation of a sound understanding about the working culture became a 'must' because the graduates found it hard to understand hidden rules and conventions in the labour market. Results from the study indicate that graduate employability should not just be measured right after students' graduation because different forms of capital play their significant roles at different stages of the graduates' career development. Besides, higher education should equip students with various forms of capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher Education staff in the United Kingdom (UK) work long hours to complete their duties. In a 2021 survey, staff reported a weekly average of 51 hours: a fact well understood to undermine health and educational quality. Yet, UK law sets a maximum working week of 48 hours, and failure to uphold this maximum is a criminal offence for employers. Seeking to understand this contradiction, the article reveals that staff are denied otherwise universal legal Health and Safety protection by the development and reinforcement of legal interpretation that assumes they have sufficient 'autonomy' to avoid overwork. As this is a position mutually constructed and accepted by both employers and unions, all efforts to reduce hours, including Industrial Action, have worked from this premise. However, critical analysis of university Terms and Conditions, against relevant jurisprudential developments, adds significant original value by questioning the validity of the status quo legal interpretation. Specifically, a landmark legal ruling against the UK by the European Court of Justice, and the resulting 2006 amendment to the UK Working Time Regulations, strongly suggests most University Terms and Conditions are legally noncompliant. As such, HE stakeholders should pressure powerbrokers involved in this omnipresent dispute to revisit the law: specifically with a view to re-establishing any fundamental rights of which they are currently illegitimately deprived. Where this was successful, empirically informed weekly workload modelling – rather than irrelevant, abstract annual calculations – would become a legally enforceable necessity for the benefit of staff and students alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peer-review process used in most academic journals is critical for curating evidence-based knowledge. Although many graduate programmes expect students to engage in the research process, these programmes often do not mandate formal training for the publication process. With few studies examining the graduate student experience in the publication process, the current study sought to help address this gap. Specifically, we used a reflexive thematic analysis approach to look at 18, hour-long, semi-structured interviews with Education graduate students at the master's and doctoral level. Using a revised version of Kolb's experiential learning theory to contextualise the results, we highlight three main areas related to participants' experiences engaging in the publication process: a) experiences and motivations, b) challenges, and c) pathways to publishing. Based on these findings, we offer implications for higher education to support graduate students' readiness to engage in the publication process as future scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether university support is meaningful in increasing students' entrepreneurial intentions (EI) remains largely under-investigated, especially in the context of Central Asian countries. In this study, we attempted to address this question by examining the effects of university support (comprised of educational support, concept development support, and business development support) on students' EI. We employed a structured questionnaire to collect data from 793 student respondents enrolled in 13 universities in Kyrgyzstan and performed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Our analyses indicated that participants' perceptions of EI and university support differed significantly according to their demographic backgrounds. Only educational support had a significant positive influence on EI. Moreover, our results indicated segmental differences in students' perceptions of university support. We argue that universities in Kyrgyzstan should re-evaluate the entrepreneurial support they provide to students, consider their segmental differences, and engage them in more efficient activities. Additionally, we urge policymakers to emphasise the establishment of an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem within the university setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research uses poetry as a form of data to explore a sense of ‘belonging’ for staff working in higher education. Poetic content analysis was explored as a research method and using poetry in this way has allowed for a nuanced exploration of questions of belonging in the context of individual intersectional identities. Following an analysis of eighteen poems submitted by staff working in higher education four major categories emerged: ‘Community’, ‘Exclusion’, ‘Transformation’, and ‘Self’. These emergent narratives led to several recommendations that institutions and individuals might consider implementing to create a more positive sense of belonging for all staff working in higher education. These recommendations and emergent narratives are centred around a willingness for higher education as a sector to better recognise and nurture the deep-rooted commitment that is shared by many staff to the potential of higher education both now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the initial phase of participating in short-term semester abroad programs, newly arrived international students may face a lot of difficulties and challenging experiences living in Thai society. This phenomenological study reports on the issues of socio-cultural adaptation experienced by German exchange students while participating in semester abroad programs at a Thai university and mechanisms through which to address the concerns. From 109 students’ interview transcripts, the six groups of themes identified were (1) language barrier issues; (2) interpersonal communication issues; (3) academic-related issues; (4) personal interest/community involvement issues; (5) ecological adaptation issues; and (6) extracurricular activity issues. The findings from this present study have implications for educators and all stakeholders working in the departments of international affairs and university administration to establish policies and practices for providing social support and tailoring study abroad programs to meet international students’ expectations, needs, and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussion of learner autonomy has often been led by educationalists and policy makers. How do learners interpret the notion? This question, as well as addressing how students’ understandings compared to those of their instructors’ were the questions that the research sought to answer. The research undertook to explore the notion of the autonomous learner as understood by 115 students and 49 instructors at a select French higher education engineering school. Data was collected using open-ended questions and analysed using triangulation to reduce systemic bias via multiple qualitative data analysis methods. Four themes emerged from the analysis. Analyses pointed to similarities and to differences in the ways students and instructors understood the meaning of learner autonomy. Divergent perspectives that students and instructors had revealed that students were more concerned with their ability to compose their curricular programme and choose means to attain objectives. Instructors, on the other hand, were concerned with students’ course subject ownership. Recommendations to bridge understandings and help form a shared vision of goals when speaking of learner autonomy are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Foundation Year students' experiences of Higher Education learning. The research took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided a unique opportunity to formulate factors which contribute to the success of a Foundation Year programme. During the pandemic, the demand to study from home, created uncertainty as to whether students, classically with low confidence, reliant on university support, would cope away from a high level of face-to-face guidance during national lockdown. This article draws on qualitative data from interviews with six students from one University in England. Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field and capital demonstrate students can develop capital through a Foundation Year programme. This capital can be utilised during extreme learning situations like COVID-19. The findings show that the students felt prepared for independent, online learning due to the capital they had developed during the Foundation Year of their course. Initial analysis, from this small-scale project, identifies five factors which suggest an environment which is conducive to achieving study success for Foundation Year students. These factors contribute to a shift of habitus from when they first started at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homesick disposition, an individual's expectation about becoming homesick in the future, has been identified as an important predictor of homesickness. Homesick disposition can be detected and measured even before the separation from home has taken place, making it particularly relevant to understanding feelings and perceptions of rural school students who have yet to relocate and transition to university. A timely detection of homesickness may facilitate prevention strategies for students to feel more confident about going to university. Based on the theory of homesickness , this study uses a quantitative approach with a sample of 620 Australian rural students to examine the relationship between homesick disposition and some factors that have been discussed as its likely predictors in rural students, such as perceptions of control over the decision of transitioning to university, the levels of information managed about university, and the support students perceive they have from their social capital. Results show that rural students' levels of perceptions of control and social capital are important predictors of homesick disposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]