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The number of interdisciplinary courses being developed in higher education across different countries is increasing. The people responsible for developing and enacting interdisciplinary courses can have significant design and teaching autonomy, but little is known about how they understand interdisciplinarity. This study uses phenomenographic interviews to address the question: how do interdisciplinary course leaders understand interdisciplinarity? This includes exploration of the relationships between different understandings of interdisciplinarity. Findings from interviews with 23 interdisciplinary course leaders reveal understandings of interdisciplinarity expressed in relation to (A) definitions, (B) knowledge spaces, and (C) situated knowledge work practices. Understandings were multiple and heterogeneous; they varied between participants and more importantly participants each expressed understandings belonging to multiple categories. Findings show that academics' views about what interdisciplinarity means are rarely exclusively aligned with normative definitions, but instead are marked by individuals' construction of meaning through processes of acquisition, sense-making and situational judgment. The study's findings could be used in future educational design and planning work to elicit and discuss different stakeholder understandings of interdisciplinarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of science digitalization, it became possible to detect dishonest behavior. The increasing magnitude of predatory publishing has boosted scientific research on the topic. While studies on university leaders' impact concentrate mainly on its positive effects on organizational performance, to date, little is known about whether academic leaders can negatively influence the organizations they lead depending on their engagement in academic misconduct. Using a sample of Russian universities and their leaders from 2010–2020, I ask whether universities tend to adopt leaders' dishonest behavior. Specifically, I analyzed whether universities increase publications in potentially predatory journals after a leader with such a record enters the office. Relying on a culture theory of academic misconduct, I discuss the role-related factors that contribute to a leader's influence over employees. I focus on whether the leader's influence relates to external incentives for universities to publish more, the leader's career development type, or the leader's and university's research area. The findings demonstrate that the share of publications in potentially predatory journals tends to increase if a leader with such publications assumes office, especially if the university is research-oriented. The results suggest that academic reputation of a leader matters to the university's consequent misconduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high number of displaced people in the world has led to many challenges for refugees, including the interruption of their academic careers. This, coupled with anti-refugee rhetoric and strict immigration and integration policies in host countries, has exacerbated the exclusion of refugees from academia. Higher education institutions have special responsibilities to realise the social inclusion of minorities, including refugees. While the entire academic community can play a role, the onus is primarily on academic leaders such as chancellors, rectors, deans, and heads of departments, and their deputies to create a genuinely inclusive academic environment. These key figures should at least realise that granting access is only one step in realising the social inclusion of refugees into higher education. In this commentary, I highlight some actions academic leaders can take to facilitate the social inclusion of refugees into academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 21st-century higher education, effective managerial skills are crucial for quality assessment. ABC University aims to be an Excellent University by 2047, but leadership competence remains a barrier to this goal. This study focuses on the managerial abilities of the rector and vice-rector in managing higher education operations. The Research paradigm used is constructivist paradigm utilizing qualitative research methods. The study adopts a case study approach, investigating a specific context where the phenomenon of interest is occurring and holds significance for examination. The research commenced by gathering secondary data through preliminary key informant interviews, engaging with 12 former deans and vice deans. The researcher determined the focus and sub-focus of the research followed by collecting observation data and semi-structured interviews with informants consisting of 7 deans, 6 vice deans, 2 heads of departments, and 2 heads of institutions. The sampling method used was purposive and snowball sampling. The data undergoes analysis via the Manual Data Analysis Procedure, employing a thematic inductive approach to generate memos and ultimately construct a conceptual framework of managerial competency. The study reveals that the competency standards for rectorate leaders during the period 2020–2022 are inadequate, encompassing areas such as adaptive leadership, comprehensive managerial proficiency, and intelligent collegial relationships. This lack of effective communication and collaboration has an impact on the process of propelling ABC University towards excellence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent years, the professional development review process has risen in importance in universities with such exercises being shown to have a positive effect on student learning, staff motivation, recruitment and retention. However, they may also be perceived as a controlling mechanism and part of a culture of 'performativity', which implies a lack of trust, an undermining of autonomy and a reliance on externally driven targets to 'manage' staff. However, there is very little published research in this area. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by drawing on data from a Leadership Foundation funded study in a UK University which included 30 interviews and a follow-up survey (n = 177) with both leaders and the staff they lead. The findings suggest that both leaders and staff felt that the process was potentially very important and could offer significant levels of guidance and support for professional development. However, they stressed the importance of a review structure which was adaptable, more professionally relevant, and less reliant on over-ambitious target setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism became the main area of research for Reichel from 1994 onward, when he founded the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at BGU. As noted, Reichel founded the first Department of Hotel and Tourism Management in Israel (1994). Reichel understood the academic arena, and promoted the vision that the department at BGU should be the flagship of tourism research in Israel. Reichel eventually founded and became the Dean of the Eilat campus of BGU (2001-2004), an extension of the main hotel and tourism programme. [Extracted from the article]

Language development is integral to learning, teaching and assessment. In higher education language is usually only discussed when it becomes visible through errors or unexpected uses. Occasionally, national or institutional policies support the fundamental role of language development. More often, language development provision is sporadic. Despite academic leaders' role as key stakeholders in institution-wide language development strategies, their conceptualisations of language development have rarely been subject to in-depth study. This qualitative case study investigates academic leaders' understandings of language development in higher education, both students' and their own. An inductive thematic analysis of the data reveals three significant themes relating to language, learning and context. The contribution of this article is the analysis of inconsistencies and contradictions within those themes through the lens of language as a social semiotic. The analysis highlights how students' language development opportunities can be limited by institutional practices and raises policy implications for higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research aim was to determine what enables engagement with graduate outcomes in tertiary institutions in Aotearoa/New Zealand. We used a mixed methods approach comprising a survey sent to all tertiary institutions, follow-up interviews with 10 academic leaders and eight case studies of good practice of programmes engaged with graduate outcomes across four institutions. Using a general inductive approach, analysis of the academic leader interviews generated five categories of enablers: external drivers, structural/procedural, development, student achievement and contextual enablers. Combining these enablers led to an integrating framework for institutional engagement in the development of graduate outcomes. Drawing on wider datasets from the survey, interviews and cases studies, relevant strategies were identified that staff and students perceived influenced the development of graduate outcomes. The framework and the associated strategies adopt a ‘whole-of-institution’ approach, which is inclusive of programmes, staff and students and their individual histories, traditions, cultures and purposes thus allowing for each institution’s unique characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]