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Due to the proliferation of information available online and through academic libraries, students are increasingly reading from the screen. Academic documents can be long and complex, requiring sustained concentration to read deeply. This paper reviews current literature on the advantages and disadvantages of electronic and paper media for academic reading. Theoretical and empirical research into screen reading in academic institutions falls broadly into the following categories; reading and comprehension theory, the effect of a document’s platform, design and tools on reading, and screen versus paper research studies. These categories inform and provide the structure for this review. This paper concludes by considering how academic librarians can manage their collections and deliver library services in response to recent screen reading research. This overview of the literature on reading theory, the platforms and tools integral to reading electronic documents, and screen versus paper reading research, will enable academic librarians to make more informed collection management and library service decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: This paper evaluates the status of digitization in 30 Nigerian university libraries with a view to identifying the status, progress, prospects and challenges to digitize library materials and form the basis of providing a roadmap to successful execution of digitization projects. The study assessed the status of digitization of past question papers, theses and dissertations in Nigerian university libraries from May to September 2006 through a self-administered questionnaire, site visits and interviews. It was found that, though there are automation services in those universities, there is no digitization of these materials mentioned in the surveyed institutions. The major obstacles militating against digitizing in the university libraries include lack of funds, lack of appropriate facilities, lack of skilled manpower and lack of constant electricity supply. Respondents were anxious to have the services to commence because of their importance in facilitating teaching, learning and research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Latin American universities have been subject to old and new forms of colonialism that act concurrently. Old forms of colonialism are based on a matrix of race and labour divisions that universities have inherited, reproduced, and reinforced. New forms of colonialism are attaching to global forces that promote a world class university model based on prestige, competition and international rankings. By means of both a bibliometric and a thematic analysis, this paper examines scholarly work on colonialism and internationalisation in Latin American universities and suggests that Latin American universities have developed both local and global-oriented mechanisms so as to deal with old and new forms of colonialism. Both mechanisms take place within universities although one is oriented to local actions, while the second has a more reflective nature. It is argued that both mechanisms are part of what has been called 'border thinking', that is collective and contesting narratives and actions that aim to dissolve colonial forces in the periphery. Although Latin American universities have been proactive in developing concrete initiatives to cope with older local forms of colonialism, a further task remains of promoting and instituting initiatives that confront the newer and global forms of academic colonialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on Artificial Intelligence, especially in the field of machine learning, has exploded in the twenty-first century. AI research in universities has long been funded by a combination of government and corporate sources. The funding of AI research in the contemporary university includes technology companies as both funders and generators of research areas. This paper looks at the links between technology companies and AI research in three areas: first, the ways in which technology companies influence both the content and practices of AI research in universities; second, how university research policies enable conditions that blur traditional boundaries between corporate and academic AI research; and third, how an ethos of 'open science', that is increasingly corporatised, moves ideas about AI from universities to companies. We conclude that technology companies influence AI research within established feedback loops in the transformed relationships between economy, society, research, and the contemporary university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is analytical and primarily focuses at the individual academic level. It examines the drive for academics to meet narrowly defined key performance indicators that is potentially leading to sub-optimal outcomes such as universities diverging from acting for the wider betterment of society and reduced quality of teaching and learning. This trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. For example, a heavy reliance on online learning has potentially reduced student engagement where these programmes have not been designed and implemented well. If academic performance is primarily judged by research outcomes, but academics face increasing expectations around developing high-level, online teaching materials, then this creates a tension for them. Turning to the ways forward, universities need to develop staff performance evaluation systems that re-orientate towards a broader set of indicators of success, and academics need more input into the performance indicators that are cascaded down to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore how the principles of participatory action research (PAR) articulate with questions of climate justice. Drawing on three qualitative case studies in Brazil, Fiji and Kenya, the paper explores university institutional capabilities, asking how the principles of mobilising PAR to support transformative outcomes can further climate justice. The paper argues that for participatory action research to become a pathway to build universities' capabilities, key considerations are needed. PAR needs to: (a) move beyond change in individual behaviour to respond to climate change and affect institutional norms, procedures and practices; (b) recognise and partner with marginalised groups whose voice and experiences are at the periphery of climate debate, enabling reciprocal flows of impact and knowledge between universities and wider societies; and (c) foster "relationships of equivalence" with actors within as well as outside university to influence university governance and wider climate-related policy-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research suggests partnerships between universities and schools create learning advantages for pre-service and beginning teachers while opening new research avenues and school relationships for academics and universities. This paper argues that these findings are often based on a business-orientated definition of 'partnership' and originate from studies that examine partnerships which are frequently based in North America and Europe. Thus, the existing studies often focus on partnerships that create learning advantages, but only in profitable or scalable ways that might lead to formal or enhanced collaborations. This paper critically examines the literature and problematises their findings amongst four case studies of partnerships of various sizes and levels of bureaucracy to determine if the literature's broader conclusions remain true when applied to less business-driven views of partnerships that consider 'partnership' in a broader definition. The paper makes a scholarly contribution by informing the audience of what benefits can come to those involved in school and university partnerships of different sizes, and when not preoccupied with creating partnerships for immediate or potential profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the question "Who Owns Religion?", in the context of a recent analysis of debates in religious studies, marked by controversy and friction between members of religious traditions and scholars writing about those traditions. Habermas's concept of a public sphere is at the center of an analysis by Laurie Patton that uses six case studies, including one involving the Sikh tradition. The paper reviews this conceptual framing and the accompanying analysis, provides a reconsideration of the Sikh case, which pertains to the construction of religious boundaries in that tradition, and draws more general lessons, including the functioning of academia as well as the contextual appropriateness of the concept of the public sphere. It argues that "eruptions" in the public sphere can be reduced by improvements in academic knowledge production, to provide a better foundation for navigating differences in modes of reasoning, or between the religious and the secular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite agriculture being the largest employer of young people, South Africa faces a youth unemployment crisis. The youth are increasingly disinterested in agriculture and often view it as a last resort in the absence of alternative employment opportunities. This paper explores strategies to change these negative perceptions and attract young people to agriculture. Drawing on twenty-two studies conducted over the past decade, national grade 12 statistics, University enrolments, yearbook reviews, and twenty job advertisements, I identify five key areas for intervention. First, the youth interested in agripreneurship need support to access financial and physical resources. They also need training offered jointly by tertiary institutions and the government. Second, agricultural education in primary and secondary schools will likely attract and retain youths to agriculture. Third, we need to reform the education system at all levels to ensure holistic student development opportunities, including the technical and soft skills required by agricultural sector employers. Fourth, our marketing strategies need reform; collaboration with the media is necessary to increase awareness and change youths' perceptions about agriculture and agricultural careers. Five, we need to strengthen the role of agricultural associations to bridge the gap between the agricultural sector and secondary and tertiary education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doctoral education in Europe has changed significantly in the last two to three decades. This transformation, visible in the structuring dimensions of doctoral education, appears to indicate a move to a more instrumental approach. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of an instrumental concept of doctoral education in Portuguese universities. It draws on the findings of a 2020 study that focused on how these institutions are adhering to this concept. The study relied on the analysis of the information disclosed by the institutional websites of 118 doctoral programmes, selected to be representative of all the doctoral offer in the country. Findings suggest the existence of a hybrid concept of doctoral education among Portuguese universities, which is revealed by its association sometimes with a traditional concept, other times with an instrumental concept, or with a combination of both. Especially in these two last cases, the influence of academic capitalism and isomorphic pressures is evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government's levelling up strategy is the latest attempt to address the nation's spatial inequalities. This issue has been amplified by voting in the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union, within which people in places with lower levels of educational qualifications and wages demonstrated their desire for change. These places have been characterised as 'left behind' by the pursuit of a knowledge economy fuelled by university expansion and mobile labour. The article explores how the specific policies adopted to support university expansion in England have influenced spatial inequalities and the political motivation for levelling up. It then describes how universities are recognised within the diagnosis of spatial inequalities in the Levelling Up White Paper and the vision for addressing them, but not the strategy embodied in its prescription of missions. The article concludes by exploring how tertiary education systems can strengthen the civic influence on universities, and how this could inform future approaches to funding and regulation in England. This could balance the growing influence of national government and global market forces, which has been a feature of university expansion in England since the 1980s, and thereby position universities better for the imperative of levelling up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a detailed introduction to the structures and practice of ideological and political education in Chinese universities. It draws on a thematic analysis of documents from the Chinese Communist Party and State sources, and data from 24 in-depth interviews with managers of ideological and political education, teaching staff, student counsellors and students from three universities. This paper shows how ideological and political education in Chinese universities has developed into an institutionalized system. It reveals how the practices of ideological and political education institutionalize patriotism as appropriate ideological perspectives for students. It offers empirical evidence of the party-led structures, formal teaching and varied activities that together make up ideological and political education in Chinese universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As quintessential knowledge organisations, universities need to constantly foster knowledge sharing between their students to enable their academic success and employability. This paper draws on a range of relevant literature to proposes the categorisation of the diverse knowledge-sharing activities undertaken by students in university environments along three dimensions: relatedness to curriculum, distance between students and degree of formality. Broader factors that feed into these dimensions such as the advent of online learning, the widespread integration of social media into learning, the effects of national culture and individual student characteristics on knowledge sharing and the move towards the formalisation of peer learning among students are explored in relation to each of these dimensions. Through the use of several practical examples, the paper demonstrates how these dimensions can act as a planning tool that can help university staff develop, revise and compare student-to-student knowledge-sharing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflection on the meaning of the word 'tradition', and related terms such as 'traditional', is conceptually complex but has been subject to limited critical scrutiny within academic discourse. The evidence of this study, drawing on the theory of tradition and a database of all 6947 papers published in Studies in Higher Education between 1976 and 2021, is that higher education researchers make extensive use of these words in a routinised and often un-scholarly way. The language of tradition is frequently invoked as an emotive means to both resist and argue for change in higher education often framed as a dualism where the words tradition or traditional are deployed as positives or pejoratives. Despite the intensification of empirical work since the 1970s and 1980s, and the increasingly international authorship of Studies of Higher Education, use of tradition as a rhetorical device continues to play a significant role in the literature. As the paper illustrates, this has contributed to the creation and perpetuation of myths about students, universities and academic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a conceptual paper that examines the origin and development of universities and their current role in global society. There has been an unprecedented and exponential growth of technology and artificial intelligence capabilities over the past ten years which is challenging current working practices and affecting all areas of society. The paper examines how this role may change to match the new demands placed on them by a digitally enabled society that has greater leisure time. The design of the paper is first to detail some of the changes in work practices that are taking place and how these will impact on society. It then offers several ways in which universities could modify their role to respond to these emerging challenges. This could include new courses, new organisational structures and new pedagogical practices. The paper provides a platform for discussion and debate around the strategic vision and direction of travel for higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest in knowledge management (KM) for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), research on this topic is still fragmented and loosely focused. This paper adds to this research by providing a state-of-the-art of the current literature and outlining overlooked areas of investigation in order to address further studies towards bridging this gap. To this purpose, through a systematic review process, 121 articles have been coded and analysed according to distinct dimensions. Findings reveal that, despite the growing trend of papers on the topic, research on KM in HEIs is still in its embryonic stage with high levels of heterogeneity and lack of wider theoretical constructs. Furthermore, a thematic analysis highlights six main research concepts, from which this paper derives a comprehensive framework integrating the key issues from the literature and suggesting new possible research avenues in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, access to education is regarded as a right enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution yet issues of inequality, poor access and exclusion remain as intense as they have always been for students with disabilities. When universities closed due to Covid-19, all students suffered in one way or the other but those with disabilities suffered the most as their support is not mainstreamed. This highlighted the need to create a seamless system of student support if we are to leave no student behind. To do this, the paper proposes the adoption of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that supports inclusive teaching and learning. Adopting UDL is critical in ensuring curriculum access and in addressing fragmented student support. Supporting students with disabilities should be everyone's responsibility and the sooner we adopt the principles of UDL, the better the learning outcomes for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes J.M. Coetzee's "The Mind of Apartheid" as a point of departure in thinking about audits in universities. Using the psychoanalytic framing of apartheid that Coetzee puts in place, audit is likened here to a form of obsessional neurosis. If this is indeed a plausible diagnosis of audits – and this should remain a question for deliberation – then a set of questions emerges for post-apartheid universities, which the paper seeks to develop. By what scenes from the past are audits haunted? What memory traces do audits reactivate? What phantoms do audits seek to exorcise? Can we speak of the demons by which auditing is possessed? And what sort of working through the past would this call for? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological interventions have been sold as improving student understanding of economics for decades. Yet despite the panoply of ways to incorporate technology, it is not clear which types of interventions consistently result in statistically significant improvements in learning outcomes. Of 145 papers devoted to the technology in collegiate economics courses, less than one third quantitatively assess the impact of technology on student learning outcomes. Of the regressions reported, 60 percent find a positive relationship between a technology intervention and a student-learning outcome; in only 42 percent is the relationship statistically significant. Meta-analysis indicates (a) no technology intervention routinely produces estimates of improved learning outcomes across studies, despite evidence of (b) publication bias that favors papers with statistically significant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an introduction to the themed issue, this paper interrogates the idea of university unbundling through a critical reading of Ronald Coase's theory of transaction costs. Coase, who was initially interested in the structure of firms, later applied his transaction cost theory more broadly to anything that might be defined as 'welfare'. Not unlike other abstract economic theories, in the age of market discipline, Coase's ideas have been widely employed to regulate the provision of public goods. Read through Coase, the main effect of the unbundling discourse has been to rationalise the university – to make it subject to a logic of efficiency as an end, and ultimately we suspect, to do damage to universities as important institutions for the cultivation of democratic values and socio-economic justice. After a brief summary of the other six papers included in the issue, the paper concludes with a discussion of the possibility of maintaining a public university in light of the neoliberal discourse of unbundling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predatory publishing is an emerging but worrisome trend among academics, including librarians, in Nigeria. It is in line with this that the paper investigated the awareness and knowledge of predatory journals among academic librarians in five selected Nigerian universities. The study is a survey design that is based on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The population of the study comprised 50 academic staff that were purposively selected for the questionnaire distribution. In addition, five principal librarians, one from each of the universities, were purposively selected for the interview session. The findings of the study revealed that academic librarians are aware of the existence of predatory journals and are also aware of the negative implications of publishing in predatory journals. The study recommended an effective mentoring programme for academic librarians on how to publish their research works in accredited journals. The study contributes to knowledge by providing fresh data for policy-makers, library management and university management on ways to eradicate publishing in predatory journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes flows of basic research through the US economy during the late 20th century. In addition, the paper studies the effect of the flows on scientific papers in industries and fields. This article differs from others in its use of measures of science rather than technology. Together, its results present a picture of the structure of basic research flows in a modern, science-intensive economy. Basic research flows are large within petrochemicals and drugs, and within software and communications. Flows of chemistry, physics, and engineering are common throughout all industries - biology and medicine are almost confined to petrochemicals and drugs; and computer science is nearly as restricted to software and communications. In general, basic research flows are more concentrated within scientific fields than within industries. Our findings concerning the production of scientific papers indicate that the effect of a 1% change in academic R&D spillovers significantly exceeds that of industrial spillovers. In addition, within-field effects exceed effects between-fields, while within- and between-industry effects are roughly equal. It follows that scientific fields limit basic research flows more than industries do, perhaps because large firms implicitly span a range of industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the discussion on the role of universities in regional path development, emphasizing the different agency types adapted. Accordingly, literature on 'new path development' is combined with the three agency types of innovative entrepreneurship, institutional entrepreneurship and place-based leadership. This paper applies a long-term qualitative empirical approach with three case studies – Aalborg (Denmark), Kaiserslautern (Germany) and Twente (Netherlands). Results reveal that different types of agency are closely interwoven and complement each other in their effects on regional (industrial) path development. Additionally, the agency types are strongly influenced by (a) highly motivated individuals/frontrunners, (b) support and openness from the university leadership and (c) regional structures that facilitate university-region collaboration and joint governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education transformation in the Czech Republic has been aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Czech higher education institutions within the European context, as well as strengthening their role as the main sources of innovation for sustainable development in its economic and social dimensions. This transformation has undergone a turbulent development in last years. The paper elucidates some recent legislative amendments and aims of the Ministry of Education's development plans. We also clarify some research steps that have been undertaken to shed light on the next steps in the transformation. The problem with the reform process is that many systemic undertakings come under pressure from changes in policy cycles, governmental priorities, budgeting, and socio-demographic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the entanglement of humanism and posthumanism within the Western European University, focusing on ethical implications and the role of the university in protecting the marginalised. To illustrate its arguments, it draws on a small study conducted in an ancient Italian university which specialises in Humanities and Social Sciences. The paper focuses on two key knotty issues: relationships between university aspirations to posthumanism and the colonial legacies of humanism, and the implications of holding on to humanism as a guarantor of human rights for marginalised people. It concludes by discussing the limitations of a posthuman ethics of responsibility and proposes instead a posthuman ethics of rights for the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past years, the role of universities has been faced with important changes that led to substantial attention from both researchers and policy-makers to their third mission, labelled 'a contribution to society', besides the teaching and research missions. University spin-offs (USOs or ASOs, for Academic spin-offs), emerged among the potential means for universities to pursue the third mission. Research on the creation, emergence, development and scaling up of USOs has grown significantly with contributions from multiple subject areas. This special issue contributes to the research debate by presenting novel insights that deepen and enhance our understanding of the dynamics surrounding the entrepreneurial aspects of academic spin-offs, their growth and their mutual relationship with regional development. The special issue provides rigorous qualitative, quantitative and theoretical investigations to form a research agenda which will help guide future research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of universities, knowledge and innovation to development has moved to the foreground of national and regional policy and practice. More successful nations and regions show a close alignment between knowledge policy and socio-economic development. However, in peripheral regions, this link is less well articulated for place-based development. This paper interrogates this relationship within the South African and Eastern Cape regional context. Using core tenets from the learning region concept, I show how the role of knowledge has gained significant traction in the national knowledge and development policy landscape. Using evidence from the broader Amathole region in the Eastern Cape, I highlight some of the challenges within the knowledge-development policy nexus. In the main, weak knowledge and social capabilities undermine place-based innovation, interactive learning and ultimately development. The paper concludes that although the University of Fort Hare can serve as a development agent in the region, a continuously reflexive and engaged policy making process of learning, networking and institutional embeddedness is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of territorial belonging remains one of the regular flashpoints of conflicts in contemporary politics. With identity overlap and context-dependent instrumentation of belongingness, the question of how one identity classification attains preponderance over others in the overlap and the character of the associated conflicts compel studying every instance as a unique case. This paper interrogates the instrumentation of multiple levels of indigeneship mobilisation in inclusion politics in tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. Qualitatively drawing from vice-chancellor’s selection politics in University of Nigeria, this paper found that four incentives drove the preponderance of ethno-territorial indigeneship mobilisation over other levels of indigeneship mobilisation in the institution. First, politically, the collective interests of the dominant Igbo ethnic group were held paramount in the ethnic territory. Second, the rationales for the collective interest of the ethnic group were widely acknowledged by all communal settlements on the ethnic territory. Third, democratically, the phenomenon ensured the rule of the majority in vice-chancellors’ selection politics. Fourth, the merit prerogative of the academy, breached in inter-ethnic struggle, remained sacrosanct in intra-ethnic competition for the choice position. These exemplify the situation of many federal tertiary education institutions in Nigeria and become their prominent trademarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks the opinions, perceptions, and attitudes of faculty members about the strategies for using hologram technology in the learning environment. The research method was qualitative and based on this, 17 faculty members from Farhangian University Centers (CFU) and public universities in Iran were interviewed. The data obtained were analyzed using the content analysis method. The results, while providing valuable strategies in this field, show that the major strategies for using hologram technology in the learning environment included are "Promoting the efficiency of the curriculum in order to take advantage of hologram technology," "Sharing international experiences through hologram technology in the field of education" "Social, cultural and professional context building for the use of hologram technology" "Creating strategic planning in the field of hologram technology in education" and "Changing traditional approaches and adopting correct management actions in order to make optimal use of hologram technology". The results, show that this technology can definitely be improved and according to the trend it has adopted, it will be one of the main technologies in the field of education. This paper, provides the necessary strategies for the government and the private sector to use this technology in the school curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of British universities before 1945 remains poorly understood. In particular, the factors shaping new academic developments, especially in the humanities, are under-researched. This paper looks at the development of teaching and research in the Modern Languages at the University of Leeds during the First World War, a period that was pivotal in the creation of new departments and programmes in many universities. Using extensive archival sources, the paper examines the pressures that led to the creation of new departments and the interplay of local and national influences that stimulated such change. Tensions are identified, such as that between employers urging an emphasis on the spoken language necessary for trade and commerce, and an 'academic' perspective that favoured more linguistic study and work on literature or history. Other factors, such as funding issues, institutional leadership, links with other educational institutions, staffing and student recruitment are also considered. In conclusion, the paper sheds light not only on developments in the Modern Languages, but also on the working of universities in the first half of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the information sources that companies use to innovate. The analysis compares two science-oriented sources of information (universities and public research institutes) with two market-oriented sources (clients and suppliers). The analysis demonstrates the importance of motivations as determinants of the sources of information used. Adding motivations to the established ‘structural’ explanations provides a new way of capturing companies’ search for information and emphasises thedirectionrather than thebreadthof the search process. The results of this analysis also have implications both for policy-making and for companies’ managers, which are discussed in the paper’s conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

People living under occupation continue their struggle against loss of land by preserving their authentic cultural heritage, narrative, identity, and very existence in various ways. This paper sets out the efforts of Palestinian universities to protect their cultural heritage in the face of continuing Israeli occupation, which demonstrate resilience by building sustainable livelihoods. This includes raising awareness of their cultural heritage, and assisting the economy through the provision of work opportunities that portray a collective policy towards their culture. It sheds light on the case of Al-Quds University that is implementing several conservation projects in different cultural sites rich in the contextual values in the Old City of Jerusalem. The university adopts people-centered solutions, which give the built heritage significant meaning and value. A taxonomy of efforts among the projects is outlined to inform policy discussions related to the role of universities. Through utilizing empirical data that can stimulate discussions on developing a more shared set of efforts, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on the reconstruction of built heritage as a dynamic process and strategy to help people recover from the impacts of conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'global health' has become the dominant way to describe worldwide interventions on health since the 2000s. Despite significant discussions about the meaning of the term, there is still a lack of understanding about how it came to dominate global thinking and the implications of such a shift. This article traces the emergence and diffusion of 'global health' as a concept. It focuses particularly on the role of US experts and universities in shaping the 'global'. It uses a combination of interviews, literature review and archives to trace its apparition in expert discourses and diffusion in universities. It shows that the definition of 'global health' came out of and contributed to American dominance in globalization. In addition to bringing a fresh perspective on the origins of global health, the paper contributes to the globalization debates by showing the co-constitution of scientific and political fields in globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media has become an almost ubiquitous method of communication and engagement, not only in the information sector but right across the increasingly digitalized world. Likewise, it has played a large role in the development of fourth-wave feminism and in movements such as #YesAllWomen, #FreeTheNipple and #MeToo, as well as in calls for improvements to the representation of gender in media. This paper draws together both aspects in order to critique and reflect upon the current usage of social media as it pertains to the representation of gender in UK university libraries, archives and special collections. It explores the challenges of utilizing such media for academic institutions deeply rooted in discourses of authority and heteronormative patriarchal power. It uses a sample of social media posts to foreground and examine a number of successes and shortcomings, with discussions informed by critical theory. In particular, foundational texts of feminist theory, such as Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own (1929) and Black Looks: Race And Representation (1992) by bell hooks, are used to frame explorations of gender and intersectionality in university collections; ultimately seeking to discover how information professionals may better represent the diverse nature of their collections on social media platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has become a momentous global concern since the end of the twentieth century. The 2015 adoption of the SDGs represents a significant challenge for higher education globally as it compels widescale consideration of how the sector will address the SDGs and contribute to the 2030 Agenda. Seven years after the adoption of the SDGs, therefore, it is important to investigate the extent of engagement and clarify opportunities for growth. This paper reports research into university engagement with and contributions to the SDGs, what has happened and been documented so far, and what plans university leaders have for future engagement. From the analysis of multi-source evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that contributions vary across and are fragmented within universities, not resourced or reported in systematic ways. It calls for a much broader research agenda in this area that focuses not just on specific substantive issues but looks broadly across a suite of countries, universities, evidence, and issues and articulates a comprehensive view on what has been achieved as well as areas for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the research output of female staff and the factors that affect their research productivity in the Nigerian university system. The study was carried out with a view to promoting strategies that will enhance productivity and increase the research output of female staff in Nigerian universities. The study adopted a survey research design. The purposive sampling method was used in administering questionnaires to 381 female academic staff from twelve randomly selected universities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. The study revealed that female research output was generally low: 59.5 per cent of female academics published one paper annually; 23.6 per cent published up to two papers; 1.1 per cent published three papers; and 15.8 per cent did not publish on an annual basis. Although most female academic staff published annually, most wished to increase their publication rate. The study's results found that marital status, religion, academic position and number of hours of lectures per week had an impact on their ability to carry out research and publish the results. The study concluded that female academics made contributions that are more significant to teaching than research and that the Nigerian university system needs to develop strategies to enhance female research output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to teach at university is a distinctive philosophical and legal conundrum but a largely unexplored question. Drawing on Humboltdian principles, the legitimacy of the university teacher stems from their continuing engagement in research rather than possession of academic and teaching qualifications alone. This means that the right to teach needs to be understood as a privilege and implies that it is always provisional, requiring an ongoing commitment to research. Yet, massification of higher education (HE) systems internationally has led to the disaggregation of the academic profession with teaching-only positions now increasingly common. University teachers employed to both teach and research face a narrowing set of performative expectations with respect to how 'research-active' is defined. This paper challenges these contemporary understandings and, drawing on historical evidence, argues that a broader definition of research and scholarship needs to underpin the basis of the right to teach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are now at the centre of the knowledge economy, and they do innovate, but Ethiopian universities have not done much of it. The overall goal of this paper is thus to investigate the innovative behaviour of Ethiopian public universities, with a particular focus on determining the driving forces of innovation and research output in Ethiopian public universities. The determinant factors of innovation activities were analyzed by using panel data analytical frames, with innovation and research output measured in patents and publications, respectively. The data were gathered from Ethiopian public universities between the years 2016 and 2020, with a sample of 24 universities chosen purposely. The result reveals that research output is affected by age of university, number of collaborations with international universities, research funding, number of PhD programmes, and number of research projects done. Innovation is also affected by the number of programmes and the number of MSc/MA staff. To improve research output and innovation in Ethiopian public universities, the study recommends increasing research budgets, strengthening collaboration with international universities, and expanding PhD programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article questions the role of universities in the power/knowledge relation by examining the case of Turkey's 'Academics for Peace.' It is based on six in-depth interviews conducted with dismissed peace petitioners. Facing both the market pressures and the state oppression, the intellectual institutions in many countries are in a precarious position. Even though it is true that knowledge can be oppressive, it is also true that it can help constructing resistance. However, this requires new, and relatively autonomous, spaces of intellectual activity. Deriving from the example of Turkey's 'solidarity academies,' this paper shows that the attempts to construct alternative institutions face numerous hardships, many of them deriving from lack of funding. It calls for contemplation on ways of dealing with the neoliberalization of intellectual institutions and the authoritarian political wave that numerous countries face while scrutinizing the relationship between scientific knowledge and power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the business context, many papers have examined whether certain variables can affect sustainability disclosure practices. However, research on universities has mainly been addressed to explore the extent of sustainability information reported with little focus on determining the factors that may affect it. This paper analyzes the influence exerted by some variables concerning the extent of information reported in the university sustainability reports included in this study. To accomplish this task, data were collected using a content analysis of the university sustainability reports extracted from the GRI sustainability disclosure database. The findings reveal that sustainability disclosure practices by universities are explained by different factors, among which are institutionalization, geographical region, external assurance and leadership. Such results are supported jointly by the underpinnings of the institutional and legitimacy theories in response to coercive and mimetic pressures and by the need to improve reputation in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between the creative economy and universities. As funders, educators and research bodies, universities have a complicated relationship with the creative economy. They propagate its practice, ‘buying-in’ to the rhetoric and models of creative value, particularly in teaching, research and knowledge exchange. Third mission activities also play a role, seeking to affect change in the world ‘outside’ academia through collaboration, partnerships, commercialisation and social action. For arts and humanities disciplines, these practices have focused almost exclusively on the creative sector in recent years. This paper asks how the third mission has been a site where universities have modified their function in relation to the creative economy. It considers the mechanisms by which universities have been complicit in propagating the notion of the creative economy, strengthening particular constructions of the idea at the level of policy and everyday practice. It also briefly asks how a focus on alternative academic practice and institutional forms might offer possibilities for developing a more critical creative economy. The argument made is that the university sector is an important agent in the shaping and performance of the creative economy, and that we should take action if we wish to produce a more diverse, equitable space for learning, researching, and being under the auspices of ‘creativity’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary sources are used in this paper to highlight how African Caribbean pupils and students - the Black British-born descendants of post-war Caribbean migrants - are victims of symbolic violence, because they are denied the educational capital needed to improve their social status. Since African Caribbean children entered the 1960s British educational sector, their learning has been perceived as problematic by the State. Although assimilation, integration and multicultural education policies were implemented to supposedly address the ‘problem’ of educating Black children, subsequent government reports identified racism as a significant barrier in their education. I argue here that the contemporary marketisation of education makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between racism and competition, as causal factors of ethnic differences in educational attainment. Moreover, due to increasing private sector intervention and decreasing mediation by the State, racism is now hidden within the vicissitudes of the educational market. School exclusions and discriminatory practices in universities are viewed in this paper as major barriers to the economic success and future social mobility of Black Caribbean pupils and students. I conclude by suggesting that marketisation policies can be appropriated to ameliorate racism in education, but only if the political will to do so exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of sociological knowledge in Australian universities is explored through an empirical study of research papers published in a selection of academic outlets between 1960 and 2011. Drawing on theories concerning scholarly practices, institutional formation and the sociology of knowledge, questions are posed about the factors that shape and structure the production of sociological knowledge about health and medicine. The concept of intellectual schools is examined, with evidence sought for the presence of these 'knowledge networks' in the Australian context. The study suggests the formation and maintenance of schools are subject to structural factors within the university sector, specifically the relative wealth and prestige of the university and the dictates of the higher education market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the evolving landscape of European doctoral education and its impact on the doctorate’s identity and value. It conducts a comprehensive analysis, drawing from both extensive literature review and empirical data from the Portuguese context. This examination reveals intricate changes in doctoral education, driven by a heightened responsiveness to societal and candidate expectations. We begin by setting the stage for these transformative shifts, providing an overview of the ongoing changes. Subsequently, we investigate how doctoral candidates are navigating and endorsing these transformations, as well as how universities, doctoral programmes, and pedagogical approaches are adapting to the evolving doctoral landscape. We briefly address flagship programmes as markers of this reform. Finally, we underscore the challenges and opportunities posed by these changes, while also providing alternative perspectives for reshaping the doctorate in a dynamic and ever-evolving educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper examines the University of Sydney Library’s development and piloting of a methodology to survey its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural collections, to enhance catalogue metadata and allow culturally sensitive material to be identified and protected. The research falls broadly within the interpretivist epistemology and draws methodologically on Participative Action Research. The pilot survey was conducted using a qualitative, collection-based approach, more specifically Direct Collection Analysis. A broad syntax was used to identify cultural content within the catalogue metadata, and items individually examined to determine the nature of their contents. The findings surface the benefits and shortcomings of the initial methodology. It is recommended future surveys be conducted using more specific terminology checklists and undertaken by a dedicated team that has received care and handling training for cultural materials and is led by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander expert in cultural collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of assistive technology (AT) for people with disabilities is well researched and prevalent in education. Growing numbers of students now self-identify as having mental health diagnoses and register for accommodations at post-secondary institutions. The apparent gap in the literature specifically relating to AT support in this population necessitated a more systematic search. This scoping review maps the literature regarding AT interventions to support young adults with mental health disabilities in post-secondary institutions such as universities and colleges. Four major databases were searched for topic keywords. Abstracts and final papers were screened against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with seven studies identified as relevant. The reported common problems faced by students were academic, psychosocial and cognitive in nature and they affected day-to-day activities. AT identified loosely fit into the categories of note-taking alternatives, smartphones, multimedia presentations to support text material, alternate participation supports, graphic organizers, text-to-speech software, and other AT writing and visualization tools. Future research is needed on outcomes of AT implementation in this population and to explore the apparent lack of awareness of these supports by students and service providers, as evidenced by the limited research identified by this scoping review. There appears to be a gap in access to assistive technology (AT) to students with mental health disabilities, except when the student has concurrent physical or learning disabilities These students have additional barriers as they have little or no prior knowledge of AT, having not been previously identified in high school as needing or receiving AT AT rehabilitation would level the playing field for students with mental health disabilities, making education and student participation more accessible thus improving overall student experience [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the understanding of university spinoff (USO) development by analysing structural properties of their shareholder networks over time and across different regions. Theoretically, we propose a new stage-based typology of USO development across regions. Empirically, the study utilises a sample of 1033 academic spinoffs founded by 87 universities across 12 unitary regions in the UK considering the diversity of spatial contexts in the USO development. We undertake a social network analysis of relations USOs form with their parent universities and shareholders by adopting 'betweenness centrality' and 'structural holes' as two key measures. By employing this novel network-based view of firm development across regions, this study builds on the development model of USOs by identifying three key phases of USO development: (1) organisation phase, (2) exploitation phase, and (3) maturity and reorganisation phase. Second, we observe differences in USOs in terms of shareholder network development across diverse regional contexts. We propose a novel typology of entrepreneurial regions to better understand the diverse spatiality of USOs: peripheral lock-in, entrepreneurial periphery, rigid core, and entrepreneurial core. We call for further research to capture the long-term development and variable growth paths of USOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined impacts of COVID-19 and global climate change are destabilising the infrastructures and future prospects of formal educational systems, with schools and universities struggling to adapt to conditions of radical precarity. At the same time, activist movements are generating alter-educational platforms that reappropriate the learning infrastructures of cities as mobile architectures of pedagogical resistance. Building on Harney and Moten's The Undercommons, this paper discusses transnational examples of radical pedagogies that engage the city as an ecology of deformalised study. We highlight examples from Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdown regime, emphasising how informal study enabled community-led responses to crisis at city-scale. We then turn to urban ecologies of study arising from contemporary activist movements, drawing connections between protest movements in Hong Kong and Deleuze and Guattari's concept of the 'war machine'. This leads to a speculative re-imagining of alternative educational values and futures within a milieu of activist study, care, and resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2019/2020 academic year started well with no anticipation of what was in store for the second semester and how the year would end. New students were welcomed on campus and included international students and international faculty members. It was business as usual, a beautiful and colorful fall semester that transitioned into a cold winter season. Spring arrived after a long winter season and it was off to a good start as well until the pandemic hit. This paper reflects on how an institution with multiple sites responded to the pandemic and what the impact of those disruptions were on the core activities of a university. As a university with the largest number of international students and a footprint on every continent, the university had to coordinate its activities around the world to complete the academic year and start another one. The university is the largest private employer in the city with over 50,000 students and more than 19,000 employees. The main focus of this reflection paper is the New York city campus where the author is based and key areas of this reflections include the impact of the pandemic on international students, teaching, research and funding related issues. Activities were normalized through central command instructions and guidance that were sometimes helpful and at other times overwhelming, but the work continued and the academic year was completed. The new academic year started with minor variations on the start dates. For example, the portal campuses at Abu Dhabi started on Sunday 6th September and New York city campus started on Wednesday 2nd September, whilst the Shanghai campus started on Monday the 14th. Reflections include personal impact and experiences within the academic setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are criticised for overemphasising instrumental values. Instrumental values are important but universities risks undermining cultivation of humanity, critical consciousness and civic agency. Service-learning (SL) is practice that moves teaching and learning beyond the focus on technical skills and instrumental outcomes. Nonetheless, little is known about this role of SL in African and particularly South Africa context. Using a capability approach (CA) as developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, the article explores the contribution of SL in fostering students' capabilities for citizenship, conscientization and civic agency. The findings indicate that through SL processes and activities, students develop citizenship capabilities of affiliation and narrative imagination, informed vision, social and collective struggle, and local citizenship but often not in the way the university intended. The paper contributes to the understanding of how SL can expand the conception of teaching and learning and fosters critical social values in the global South context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]