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This paper provides a small-scale exploration of the evolvement of leadership roles in higher education academic units (AUs), namely Departments, Schools & Faculties. A literature review provides theoretical examples of the evolution of professional services (PS) staff. Changes in PS leadership roles are also explored alongside the emergence of 'Third Space' professionals whereby staff from the perceived 'binary' construct of HE (academics and PS staff) work together on shared initiatives outside formal structures. Semi-structured interviews with PS leaders working in AUs across the sector highlight a number of key themes. Findings suggest that documented tensions between academics and PS staff have lessened with the focus shifting to 'local' vs 'central' challenges. With identity emerging as an important consideration for Higher Education Professionals (HEPs), the paper calls for a sector wide review of structures and resource allocation models, the development of a new HEP apprenticeship scheme and a rebuilding of the PS throughout HE.

Unethical research practices are prevalent in China, but little research has focused on the causes of these practices. Drawing on the criminology literature on organisational deviance, as well as the concept of "cengceng jiama," which illustrates the increase of pressure in the process of policy implementation within a top-down bureaucratic hierarchy, this article develops an institutional analysis of research misconduct in Chinese universities. It examines both universities and the policy environment of Chinese universities as contexts for research misconduct. Specifically, this article focuses on China's Double First-Class University Initiative and its impact on elite universities that respond to the policy by generating new incentive structures to promote research quality and productivity as well as granting faculties and departments greater flexibility in terms of setting high promotion criteria concerning research productivity. This generates enormous institutional tensions and strains, encouraging and sometimes even compelling individual researchers who wish to survive to decouple their daily research activities from ethical research norms. This article is written based on empirical data collected from three elite universities as well as a review of policy documents, universities' internal documents, and news articles.

Among existing infrastructures to disseminate innovative teaching methods and to build collaborative networks, the authors situate a community of practice (CoP). They explain what a CoP is and compare it with teaching-focused economics journals and conferences, and other infrastructures such as institutional teaching centers. Since 2016, the Economics Department at the University of Toronto has used a variety of CoPs, which serve as an instructive case study. The authors document substantial positive impacts, and they discuss guiding principles, give practical advice, and confront challenges to facilitate adoption elsewhere.

The "Issues in Political Economy" (IPE) journal and related conference sessions were established in the early 1990s as outlets for undergraduates to present and publish peer-reviewed research in economics. By providing opportunities to attend and present at professional conferences, referee papers, and edit journal issues, IPE reflects authentic practices within the profession. In this article, the authors describe the benefits that accrue to students who participate in the public dissemination of research, explain how IPE operates, offer some descriptive evidence of its success over the years, and conclude by describing how several departments have leveraged IPE to complement their curricula and build sustainable cultures of undergraduate research at their institutions.

Institution-wide curriculum change is a costly, time-intensive and politically fraught undertaking. It is a challenge identifying who has responsibility for the curriculum and who is empowered to change it. The unbundling of the traditional tri-partite academic role of teaching, research and service leaves a gap of who in those communities decides what features in the curriculum. Using discourse analysis of curriculum change documentation, this paper analyses the experience of departments in a research-intensive institution undergoing a holistic, large-scale curriculum review. Departments engaged to varying degrees, with associated integration of educational and disciplinary perspectives. Landscapes of practice are used to explore different communities within departments coming together, or not, in the process. The acknowledgement and appreciation of educational expertise alongside disciplinary research-based knowledge is highlighted as a marker for successful adoption of the curriculum review intentions. This paper contributes to the underdeveloped field of curriculum change in higher education.

While the field of economics lacks diversity, there is little consensus on the underlying causes of or most effective solutions to this problem. The authors of this article combine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with data from their own survey of U.S. economics departments to identify institution and department characteristics associated with observed variation in gender and racial diversity of undergraduate students across departments. They focus their attention on student support, role modeling, course content, and the use of active learning pedagogy. While they find no significant associations between course content or student support with student diversity, they find that gender diversity in departmental faculty is a strong predictor and that active learning is positively associated with gender diversity.

Faculty members are entrusted with great power to decide who deserves space within the academic profession. Given that the profession's central mission is knowledge production, such decisions inevitably concern epistemic matters, and specifically, what constitutes legitimate knowledge. From this perspective, faculty hiring is not only a matter of inviting new scholars into the academy but an opportunity to welcome new, creative knowledge, or perhaps knowledge that unsettles what has been taken-for-granted. Through interviews with 33 research university professors, we explored how search committees approached epistemic matters throughout the hiring process. Our analysis surfaced three distinct approaches. Defensive committees acted as if their primary task was safeguarding their discipline and department from disruptive epistemic contributions. Inclusive committees foregrounded local community, especially students' learning interests, and welcomed innovative even disruptive epistemic contributions. Conflictive committees displayed both tendencies, but ultimately favored scholars whose epistemic contributions would not disrupt the department or discipline. Across all three approaches, participants described how committees relied on conventions that generated both epistemic and demographic exclusion.

Data analytics is a rapidly growing field that plays a crucial role in extracting valuable insights from large volumes of data. A data analytics practicum course provides students with hands-on experience in applying data analytics techniques and tools to real-world scenarios. This practicum is intended to serve as a bridge between the student's academic environment and the professional application of their skills in an employment and internship setting. This study examined the design of a data analytics practicum course. The main objectives included (1) the identification of topics and skills employers look for in new hires in data analytics-related internships and entry-level positions, (2) the development and implementation of a Data Analytics practicum course and (3) reflection on the first-time offering of the course and suggested improvements for the next iteration. As part of this study, industry and organization survey responses drove the design of the course and development of key student learning gains for five learning modules throughout the semester. Faculty within the departments of information technology (IT), mathematics, and statistics collaborated in the construction, development, and implementation of team-teaching instructional practices of the Data Analytics Practicum in Spring 2023. This study applies an interdisciplinary approach to data analytics practicum development and instruction.

Higher education institutions play a crucial role in advancing sustainable development goals. They bear the responsibility of informing and encouraging all stakeholders, including faculty members, students, and industry partners, to collaborate towards achieving these goals. While many universities are integrating Sustainable Development Goals into their operations and educational programs, there is an increasing need to establish collaborative platforms with private sectors and non-governmental organizations to further champion this agenda. Educating the future workforce is a key responsibility of these institutions, and they should actively raise students' awareness of these goals, enabling them to develop competencies related to sustainability. This study aims to explore how higher education institutions can effectively raise awareness of sustainable development goals. In addition, the research contributes to the literature by presenting a curriculum designed in a Turkish higher education institution to foster awareness of sustainable development goals. The findings hold the potential to significantly enrich existing literature on awareness-raising practices and the promotion of sustainability strategies, extending beyond higher education institutions to organizations at large.

We designed this project to advance inclusive and equitable teaching by leveraging data to motivate, inform, and tailor teaching development initiatives to the varied needs and resources of academic departments. We developed an innovative framework and mixed methods research design to systematically assess inclusive and equitable teaching at the student, course, department, and institution levels. In the context of a decentralized institution, we partnered with academic departments to collect data about their current practices, existing resources, and needs for advancing inclusive and equitable teaching through a student survey, analysis of course syllabi, and interviews with instructors. We shared and discussed results with partners in academic departments to support and inform departmental change initiatives. We highlight how synthesizing findings across multiple levels of analysis using a mixed methods design provides a new perspective on the perennial issue of the uptake of inclusive and equitable teaching practices in higher education. We discuss lessons learned and future directions with the hope that the framework and/or the research methodology can be a template for other researchers or educational developers to support implementation and sustainability of inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

This study aimed to evaluate the crisis management plans in Saudi Arabian universities by identifying key challenges and obstacles. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 473 faculty members. The participants completed a survey that included the university campus's existing crisis management plans, educational leaders' challenges in implementing effective crisis management, and a socio-demographic checklist. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that there are three critical areas that need attention: comprehensive crisis plans, designated crisis management teams, and regular drills and exercises. The model yielded a X[superscript 2] value of 236.18 with 84 degrees of freedom (df), resulting in a statistically significant outcome (p < 0.001). Among the key challenges and obstacles affecting crisis management performance in educational centres, as identified by faculty members, ensuring effective coordination and communication between different departments and stakeholders within the university, conducting regular evaluations and drills to test the crisis management plan's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement, and coping with emerging or evolving threats that require constant updates and adaptations to the crisis management plan need more attention, with factor load values of 0.92, 0.90 and 0.84, respectively. The findings indicated that, although universities had well-documented crisis management plans and designated teams, significant gaps remained in their implementation, coordination and regular evaluation. The study underscored the importance of establishing robust communication frameworks, improving coordination among departments and stakeholders, and ensuring continual updates to crisis management plans. Finally, the study contributes to the literature by providing insights into the current state of crisis management in Saudi Arabian universities and offering practical recommendations for enhancing preparedness and resilience in the face of crises.

This paper evaluates and critiques a recent restructuring initiative for a college at a Midwestern university in the United States in which three academic departments were reduced down to two departments. The case study presents the experiences and perspectives of three faculty members-- one from each of those departments--who participated in the restructuring process. The paper first introduces the current challenges and complexities in Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) which initiate and influence restructuring efforts After laying out the context of our case study, we examine faculty perceptions of the purpose, the plan, and the process of restructuring through an interpretive phenomenological case study analysis using Putnam and Nicotera's (2009) Communicative Constitution of Organization (CCO) as a theoretical framework. The findings are presented as three integrated themes including the importance of a clear and purposeful rationale, maintenance of consistent communication and organization, and an ethical commitment to faculty voice and choice. The ethical implications for each theme are discussed and recommendations for restructuring initiatives are offered. The results of this study will help inform restructuring initiatives in colleges and universities with a particular emphasis on characteristics of effective, ethical leadership and the value of strong communicative elements when engaging in restructuring.

Newly appointed lecturers joining teaching-focussed environments can encounter significant challenges to sustain a successful research career. Some of these challenges pertain to the existing work culture and the suitability of mentoring. At the same time, success in academia is typically associated with the "academic super-hero" model where individuals are expected to achieve excellence on all fronts and in short timescales. Here, we offer a complementary model: the research collective. The research collective is defined as a self-formed group of researchers (irrespective of specialism) supporting each other and presenting themselves united when aiming to promote both their own research, and when promoting the value of research in their department, thereby creating around them an empowering proximate research culture. The advantages of this new model are outlined, and illustrated using the Earth, Ecology and Environment research collective, as an example. Key benefits are described in terms of: i. enhancing the proximal and institutional research culture, ii. promoting the image of the research collective's members to the outside, and iii. ultimately enhancing the research career prospect of individuals. Additionally, we suggest actions research administrators and other stakeholders within the university can take to support the development of research collectives.

This study examines the efficacy and motivational implications of the word-count tracking strategy as a viable teaching strategy for improving writing output among Saudi EFL undergraduates. An intensive writing program was conducted at the English Department Al-Majmaah University with two groups who were taught through two different approaches. The experimental group took a writing session once a week (for six weeks) with the word-count tracking strategy besides their regular credit hours writing classes, while the control group also took a weekly writing session along with regular classes in which students were taught through conventional approach without the word-count tracking strategy. The main hypothesis was that the experimental group would achieve a higher mean score than the control group after the implementation of the word-count tracking strategy. The difference between the mean score of the pre-test and post-test of the experimental group and the control group was found statistically significant at p<0.05. The experimental group, despite achieving a lower mean score in the pre-test, made a 48.51% improvement in the post-test, while the control group showed only 20.33 % output increase. A questionnaire was also administered at the end of the study to evaluate students' perception of the wordcount tracking strategy, the writing program, and their overall motivational level. Students had an overall positive perception of the strategy and believed that the writing program based on the word-count tracking strategy had enhanced their writing fluency as well as their motivation to participate more and more in such writing activities. The study recommends the word-count tracking strategy as a viable quantitative writing improvement strategy for implementation in EFL classes.

Several Nature of Science (NOS) studies have been conducted on different categories of professionals and different age groups. Even though NOS is considered a structural facet of scientific literacy, not much research has been conducted on the NOS ideas of scientists and science professionals. This crosssectional study investigated the nature of science (NOS) views of 40 participants who have or had exposure to chemistry research using a qualitative comparative analysis approach, in one chemistry department in a large Midwest R-1 university. The participants' chemistry research exposure varied from no research to 31 years of experience. Undergraduates, graduate students, postgraduate researchers, faculty, and scientists were recruited for this study to examine how their NOS understanding develops in relationship to their research exposure. These categories of participants demonstrated different and unique patterns of answers related to aspects of NOS. Science content knowledge and research exposure indeed enhanced science learners'/researchers' NOS understanding, but NOS understanding is not developed in direct proportion to the amount of science content knowledge or research experience that an individual gained. It was observed that professionals with the same expertise level responded to NOS questions similarly, and professionals with different levels of expertise answered NOS questions in significantly different ways.

The curriculum includes educational activities that determine the struggle for survival and sustainability of a university's departments. Approaches that seek more flexible solutions and have a post-positivist understanding are needed to manage this system. One of these approaches is action research, first used by Kurt Lewin (1946) to solve social problems. In this study, four offices were established to make the curriculum at a state university in Turkey more Support office operations, collaboration, consultation, continuous improvement cycle, and problem identification (needs assessment). This research, which lasted for two years, has provided important services to participants in addressing current difficulties in office operations.

Strategic planning has become increasingly important for setting the direction of firms and developing contingency plans for things like pandemics. It is also very important for institutions of higher education where strategic planning can be part of operating an academic unit, regional accreditation, and programmatic accreditation. However, the process and stages of strategic planning is not well understood. This particularly holds true for institutions of higher education. Processes vary based on resources available and other factors. Some institutions engage high-powered, external consultants while others use more home-grown practices. This study examines the strategic planning process in higher education business units (departments, schools, colleges). An electronic questionnaire was designed based on published studies. Four phases of strategic planning were identified (plan initiation, situation analysis, strategy alternatives and selection, and implementation and control). The findings indicate that strategic planning is conducted fairly consistently but key differences were identified based upon the institutional characteristics (enrollment, faith-based, accrediting body, and level of degree granted).

Using Kane's interpretive argument model and Messick's validity argument approach, this study rigorously examined faculty and PhD candidate's perspectives on PhD admission interviews in Iranian universities. We interviewed 10 professors and PhD interviewees which provided comprehensive insight into nuanced perspectives. We conducted rigorous content analysis to identify prevalent themes, forming a strong foundation for our analysis. This study emphasizes the vital requirement for standardized evaluation criteria, robust support systems, and an enhanced interview process to ensure fair and inclusive admission systems. Additionally, our development of guidelines based on Toulmin's reasoning model underscores the originality of our contribution and its potential to benefit stakeholders and the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (MSRT) in Iran. The findings highlighted the importance of standardized criteria, support, and a stronger interview process for fairness and inclusivity in selecting PhD candidates. Faculty stressed clear guidelines to remove subjectivity, while candidates voiced concerns about unclear expectations and proposed added support like mentoring and preparation programs. Based on Toulmin's reasoning model, the study crafted validity argument guidelines for this context. As a result, these proposed changes will impact stakeholders and the MSRT by enhancing the PhD candidate evaluation process and ensuring a fairness and inclusivity. This study provides valuable insights to improve PhD admission procedures at Iranian universities by integrating standardized criteria, enhancing support mechanisms, and fostering fairness in decisionmaking.

This embedded-single case study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the 8th-grade music curriculum through the lens of Eisner's Educational Connoisseurship and Criticism Model. An initial survey involving 146 music teachers was conducted to determine the middle school grade-level music curriculum for evaluation. Subsequently, 15 music teachers, six students, and four faculty members from the music education department participated in the primary investigation, selected using the maximum diversity technique. Data analysis was conducted utilizing content analysis, incorporating insights gleaned from participant interviews, classroom observations, documents, and the researcher's expertise in the field. The study identified several significant factors impacting the implementation of music curricula, including the inadequate preparedness of students who lack exposure to music teachers during their foundational education, insufficiencies in lesson duration, deficient music facilities and resources, and a perceived lack of significance attributed to music instruction by both educational administrators and parents. Furthermore, it was deduced that collaborative efforts between the Higher Education Council and the Ministry are necessary to enhance the curriculum literacy of music teachers and university faculty members, ensuring the alignment of developed curricula. Despite the adequacy of objectives and achievements outlined in the music curriculum, it was concluded that mismatches exist concerning student readiness, with theoretical content surpassing students' proficiency levels and neglecting the student-centered principle. [This article includes an extended summary in Turkish.]

This research aimed to (1) study the current situation and existing problems of undergraduate students 'understanding of intangible cultural heritage, (2) develop a curriculum of intangible cultural heritage based on experiential learning theory, and (3) compare undergraduate students' understanding of intangible cultural heritage before and after teaching. The sample group was 50 students who were selected to attend the Intangible Cultural Heritage curriculum in the spring semester of 2023. The research tools were (1) Lesson plans (2) a Questionnaire on the current situation and existing problems of undergraduate students 'understanding of intangible cultural heritage, (3) an Interview form on the current situation and existing problems regarding students' understanding of intangible cultural heritage, (4) understanding intangible cultural heritage test, (5) Observation of Students' Behavior form, and (6) Interview form on opinions about teaching. This study was conducted in three steps: (1.) The study on the current situation and existing problems of undergraduate students 'understanding of intangible cultural heritage, (2.) The development of a curriculum of intangible cultural heritage based on experiential learning theory, and (3.) The experimental and improvement of curriculum. The results of the study showed that: 1) The current situation and existing problems of the intangible cultural heritage of college students have three aspects: students, teachers, and the school environment. The most important current situation and existing problems of undergraduate students 'understanding of intangible cultural heritage was the school environment aspects. 2) The Curriculum of intangible cultural heritage based on experiential learning theory includes 6 elements: Principle, Goal Contents, Learning process, Learning resource, and Evaluation. The learning process consisted of 4 steps: (1) Concrete Experience, (2) Reflective Observation, (3) Abstract Conceptualization, (4) Active Experimentation 3) The curriculum based on experiential learning theory can improve undergraduate students' understanding of intangible cultural heritage.

In this study, it was aimed to examine student views on music education in theater departments. Case study model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The study group within the scope of the research consists of 10 undergraduate-II students of Trabzon University State Conservatory Performing Arts Department. In order to obtain the data, an interview form prepared by the researcher was created with "Google Form". Content analysis method was used to analyze the data. According to the data obtained in the study, it was determined that music courses in theater departments in Turkey are mostly "Singing" courses. It was found that the number of music courses in theater departments during undergraduate education is low. According to the opinions of theater students, it was concluded that music education is very important and necessary in their departments. In line with these results, suggestions were made to increase the duration and number of music courses in theater departments.

Literacy abilities are crucial for economic progress and community welfare, with higher education recognizing them as vital for problem-solving, critical thinking, continuous learning, and effective functioning for both experienced educators and the new student cohorts. The study examined the interplay between organizational learning and departmental performance, and its implications for changes in Ethiopian Public Research Universities. The researchers used the framework that focuses on seven distinct dimensions of organization learning (OL) namely continuous learning, inquiry and dialogue, collective and collaborative efforts of organizational members, empowerment, embedded system, system connection and strategic leadership and departmental performance (DP) which consists of three dimensions teaching-learning, research and community services. The researchers employed embedded mixed methods design (QUAN + qual) to examine the interplay between organizational learning (OL) and departmental performance (DP). The researchers selected four public research universities using simple random sampling technique. Then, they selected 1,176 respondents (969 instructors and 207 department heads) from target population using simple random sampling technique. The researchers adapted standardized questionnaires and collected quantitative data using questionnaires, and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean & standard deviation), and inferential statistics (multiple correlations, multiple regressions & structural equation modeling). Qualitative data was collected using semistructured interview from 14 key informants who were selected using the purposive sampling technique based on their rich lived experiences of teaching-learning, research and leadership in higher education institutions. The qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The finding of the study showed that the structural equation model fit to the data. It was also found that the correlations between the different dimensions of organizational learning practices and departmental performance ranged between low and moderate. There were positive significant and moderate correlations between each dimension of organizational learning and departmental performance. The organizational dimensions accounted the largest cumulative variance to departmental performance dimensions; research (R[superscript 2] = 40.70%; [beta] = 0.638, p < 0.001); community service (R[superscript 2] = 33.50%; [beta] = 0.579, p < 0.001) and teaching-learning (R[superscript 2] = 24.60%; [beta] = 0.496, p < 0.001). The study showed that the presence of formal and informal organizational learning cultures in universities enhance departmental performances. Therefore, the Ethiopian public research universities should create effective organizational learning systems to improve departmental performances.

Foreign language anxiety (FLA), whose impact is often negative on learners' cognitive processing, happens when a learner pursues a foreign language as a non-native speaker. This study aimed to investigate anxiety in learning English as a foreign language and its influence on learners' cognitive processes. The sample comprised graduate and undergraduate students of RUDN university (n=306 respondents), who were asked to fill up an adapted Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. The data was analyzed through SPSS v.20 and descriptive statistics were drawn. The findings indicate a statistically important anxiety influence on language performance among university students in classroom settings. Interestingly, the findings also confirmed that foreign language anxiety negatively affects cognitive processing in learning the English language. The study also identified some important affective factors with regard to English language classrooms. These findings would provide useful insights in the domain of foreign language anxiety while taking cognitive dimensions of students' classroom environments. The study also contributes to language education, teaching and learning of English as foreign language, educational psychology, and cognitive sciences. The study recommends to provide more exposure to the learners about the target language to reduce anxiety. Future studies should consider socio-biographical variables such as gender, socioeconomic status, educational background, and age differences as significant variables for a more comprehensive analysis of foreign language anxiety.

The impact of COVID-19 on the higher education sector has extended beyond using alternative technological methods. It has also influenced the professional identities of instructors themselves. This study aims to investigate EFL instructors' perceptions of the impact of online teaching on identity transformation during the COVID-19 lockdown. It also investigates how online teaching has affected teachers' professional identity in relevant aspects. The study was conducted during the first academic semester of 2022/2023. The researchers adopted a mixed research methodology that involved both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. A questionnaire was distributed to (44) EFL instructors, and semistructured interviews were conducted with (8) EFL instructors at the Department of Languages and Translation at a Palestinian University, Palestine. Appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses were utilized to figure out participants' responses to the questionnaire and the interviews. The results of the survey revealed that online teaching positively influenced instructors' social relations with their colleagues and students, enhanced the teaching process, and promoted instructors' self-esteem. As for the interviews, the findings showed the substantial impact of online teaching on EFL instructors' identity in terms of their professional needs, self-awareness and self-esteem, relationships with learners, relationships with colleagues, and their perspectives towards their institution. Hence, some recommendations were suggested.

Online programs have made a lasting impact on institutions of higher learning for several decades. This ethnographic qualitative study focused on the development and support of a distance learning department at a Hispanic-serving institution. The study aimed to identify unique organizational elements specific to this Hispanic-serving institution. The findings were significant, revealing that the Distance Learning department, operating under an "academic umbrella", functioned as a comprehensive hub for both faculty and student support, offering a wide range of services including technical and instructional technology support. Furthermore, the study found that the department's placement under the "academic umbrella" not only centralized support but also lightened professors' coursework loads by assisting students with instructional technology support.

The application of effective teaching methods needs to be implemented to improve the quality of microbiology education which can empower important competencies in the current era. This study aims to analyze the application and trajectory of argumentation-based inquiry learning through the application of microbiology lectures. This research uses research design methods consisting of preliminary design steps, teaching experiments and retrospective analysis. The source of the data comes from student learning activities in argumentation-based inquiry learning implemented in microbiology courses. The results showed that the learning trajectory of Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) in microbiology lectures with an argumentation-based inquiry model was in accordance with the stages of student research ranging from determining research themes, compiling proposals, designing and implementing data collection, analyzing data, discussing research results, writing research reports to conducting scientific publications in journals. Students who carry out microbiology lectures using argumentation-based inquiry learning through the implementation of different research in the field of microbiology experience a similar learning trajectory so that a specific and distinctive set of Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT) can be formulated.

Universities have historically fostered spaces where students, faculty, staff, and administration can fruitfully engage in discussion around contentious issues. Current political divisions have had a chilling effect on these discussions inside and outside the classroom. To nurture a campus culture of dialogic engagement, the communication studies department in collaboration with the DEI office began a campus dialogue project that invited faculty, staff, students, and administration to participate in monthly dialogues focused on cultural impasse topics. This 5-year project has demonstrated that university communication studies departments can be instrumental in helping community members cross organizational boundaries to engage in challenging dialogues when they are focused on engagement, facilitated by students, intentionally welcoming, and predictably organized.

This study aims to determine the perceptions of fine arts high school music department students about the concept of "instrument training" through an alternative measurement and evaluation technique "Word Association Test (WAT)". In this study, the survey model, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study group of the research consisted of 110 students studying at Nevit Kodalli Fine Arts High School Music Department in the 2021-2022 academic year. The data were obtained by applying the "Word Association Test (WAT)". Firstly, WAT was explained for informative purposes during the application. Then, the students were asked to write the first 5 words that they thought were related to the key concept of "instrument training" within 1 minute. Afterwards, they were asked to make a sentence related to these answer words. The obtained answer words were analysed by content analysis technique. As a result of the analysis, the answer words that the students associated with the key concept of "instrument training" were grouped under 9 categories (teaching materials, performance anxiety, motivation for the instrument, social skills, attitude towards the instrument, technical skills, student capacity, education and training). According to the order of these categories, the most frequently associated answer words with instrument education were instrument, etude, excitement, working, cooperation, happiness, note, talent and teacher. Under the category of performance anxiety and motivation related to the instrument, the students showed a negative distribution on the word "tiring". It was observed that the students had a positive cognitive structure in all categories.

Environmental damage is a negative effect of human activities. The young generation is saddled with the burden of environmental damage left by the previous generations and must take on a role as an agent of change in improving the environment. This study analyses the pro-environmental behaviour of Indonesian students, the factors affecting such behaviour, and efforts to improve those behaviours. This research uses a quantitative approach with survey methods. Four hundred seventy (470) students in the department of geography and department of geography education from various public and private universities in Indonesia have participated as research respondents. The research instrument used was a questionnaire employing the Likert scale. The research variables were environmental knowledge (X1), environmental responsibility (X2), value-belief--norm (X3), environmental education (X4), and pro-environmental behaviour (Y). Data were analysed using path analysis through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) software version 3. Findings revealed high levels of pro-environmental behaviour, affected by environmental knowledge, environmental responsibility, value-belief-norm, and environmental education having convincing positive effects on forming environmental behaviour.

Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy in which faculty members recognize that no two students are identical and that each student can succeed with appropriate guidance. This study assesses the degree of implementing differentiated instruction by the faculty members of the College of Educational Sciences, The World Islamic Science and Education from their perspective. The researcher utilized a survey research method, employing a questionnaire with three dimensions and 28 items to collect data. The questionnaire's validity and reliability were confirmed, and it was distributed to the study population comprising 41 faculty members. The study found that faculty members the College of Educational sciences implement differentiated instruction at a high degree. Additionally, the study identified statistically significant differences in the perceptions of the study sample regarding the degree of implementing differentiated instruction attributed to the variable of academic rank. In light of the results, the study recommends exchanging experiences among faculty members in the College of Educational Sciences and other colleges within the university by facilitating workshops on differentiated instruction

The study examined the role of self-efficacy and self-regulated learning on the effect of self-directed learning on academic writing problem-solving for EFL undergraduates. The study applied a cross sectional design to evaluate 213 students from the Departments of English Education and English Literature of a private university in Malang, Indonesia. Participants aged 18 to 24 years were randomly selected to ensure representative samples. This study assessed undergraduate students' writing problem-solving using custom instruments inventory of problem-solving in academic writing. Selfdirected learning, self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning are evaluated on different scales. Methods such as confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models are used to ensure the instrument's validity and reliability. The study found that selfdirected learning had a significant impact on self-efficacy and selfregulated learning and on writing problem-solving. The study also found an important relationship between self-directed learning and the ability of EFL undergraduates to solve academic writing problems through self-efficacy and self-regulated learning. This research contributes to ongoing discussions on the relevance of selfdirected learning for personal and professional development. It encourages re-evaluating educational and organizational strategies to maximize self-directed learning's benefits and minimize potential challenges.

Worldwide, HEIs strive to provide the best possible training for their PGRs, the next generation of researchers. PGRs engagement is crucial for a successful completion of their training, however, research on the experiences of PGRs is limited. Moreover, the number of international PGRs has increased steadily over the last decade, which poses the question whether international PGRs have different engagement levels compared to local PGRs. Therefore, thus study is aimed at filling this research gap by investigating the mechanisms that influence the engagement of these groups of students. The paper focuses on the dimensions of (1) students' engagement with the supervisor, (2) their engagement within the department, and (3) their cognitive engagement, by taking a mixed-method approach that draws on the Irish PGR StudentSurvey.ie 2019 data and 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with PGRs at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 2021. The findings indicate that differences in engagement between Irish and international students are mainly influenced by perceived financial security and familiarity with institutional structures and environments, are mediated by their relationship with the supervisor, and ultimately influence the time available for engagement. Therefore, the findings will be relevant to policymakers and HEIs as they offer insights into how challenges for PGR students can be mitigated through supervisor support to encourage higher levels of engagement.

Several academic departments have increased their use of active learning to address low student success rates. However, it is unclear whether those implementing active learning have a consistent conceptualization of it. Like other educational terms, the phrase "active learning" is in danger of becoming overused and misunderstood, which puts the utility of active learning into question. This study examines 115 conceptualizations of active learning across six institutions of higher education that are infusing more active learning into their mathematics courses. We use the four pillars of inquiry-based mathematics education as a basis for analyzing these conceptualizations and compare them in two ways: by stakeholder role and by institution. Our findings show that many participants conceptualize active learning as student engagement and activities other than lecture, yet there was limited focus on the role of the teacher and content. Only eight participants mentioned issues of equity. Comparison within individual institutions shows that faculty within departments may hold common understandings of active learning. Implications of these findings include a need to develop an understanding of active learning that attends to all four pillars and is shared across departments, institutions, and disciplines.

Background: Tests are commonly and heavily used in fundamental engineering courses (FECs) to assess student learning of concepts. With existing literature presenting mixed benefits and disadvantages of testing to students' motivation to learn and documenting widely alternative assessments, the lack of questioning of heavy and common test usage must be addressed to diversify classroom assessment and promote intentionality in test usage. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study begins to address the lack of questioning by exploring and uncovering test usage beliefs and behaviors of seven FEC instructors from two engineering departments in a land-grant, public, Research 1 university. Design/Method: Grounded in the Situated Expectancy--Value Theory (SEVT), we conducted a multicase study. Data include two interviews, course syllabi, and sample tests provided by the participants, and public documents from the institution and departments. We conducted a priori and emergent coding and thematic analysis to identify the beliefs and behaviors before developing individual case summaries for cross-case analysis to identify groupings. Results: Three test usage groups emerged: enthusiastic, default, and questioning. All test usage groups featured tests heavily in their FECs, resulting in varying alignment between these participants' test usage beliefs and behaviors. Conclusions: Our findings reveal the various factors that can shape FEC instructors' test usage beliefs and behaviors, and the complexity in terms of alignment. This work lays important implications, including laying the foundations for future scholarship on testing in engineering education research and leveraging findings to begin efforts in diversifying assessment approaches and promoting intentional test usage in FECs.

To what degree is explicit care/work policy taught in family courses in Canada's leading research-intensive universities? We analyze family courses in sociology departments and in political studies and women's/gender studies programs in Canada's 15 R1 universities to make a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning. This national scan marks a methodological innovation from curriculum studies that generally adopt a single-program or single-site focus. From a Canadian universe of 74 family courses, we identify 15 whose formal course calendar description explicitly addresses care/work family policy (measures to reconcile caring for young children with employment, through early learning and childcare, parental leaves, and child benefits). Sociology predominates among courses where family policy is taught, yet care/work policy content is not common. Given growing concerns about the care crisis and the care deficit in Canada, the low profile of care/work family policy content in family courses is significant. This study sheds light on the value of national postsecondary education curricular reviews and suggests that family curriculum renewal is warranted.

This article highlights the importance of leadership engagement throughout the leadership learning process, adding to the leadership learning framework literature. We include a brief overview of leadership engagement as it relates to user-centered design (UCD), commonly utilized in information technology companies. The authors offer how UCD can assist in critically designing leadership engagement opportunities with a learner-centered approach. The authors also describe the intersections of leadership engagement and UCD to (re)imagine leadership experiences and provide recommendations and best practices based on existing and current practices. The article concludes with a detailed overview of how the Florida State University Fraternity and Sorority Life Department promotes leadership engagement through its initiatives and programs while centering the learner.

At many research-intensive universities in North America, there is a disproportionate loss of minoritized undergraduate students from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. Efforts to confront this diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenge, such as faculty adoption of evidenced-based instructional approaches that promote student success, have been slow. Instructional and pedagogical change efforts at the academic department level have been demonstrated to be effective at enacting reform. One potential strategy is to embed change agent individuals within STEM departments that can drive change efforts. This study seeks to assess whether tenure-track, teaching-focused faculty housed in STEM departments are perceived as influential on the instructional and pedagogical domains of their colleagues. To answer this, individuals across five STEM departments at large, research-intensive campuses identified faculty who were influential upon six domains of their instruction and pedagogy. Social network analysis of individuals in these departments revealed heterogeneity across the instructional domains. Some, like the teaching strategies network, are highly connected and involve the majority of the department; while others, like the DEI influence network, comprise a significantly smaller population of faculty. Importantly, we demonstrate that tenure-track, teaching-focused faculty are influential across all domains of instruction, but are disproportionately so in the sparsely populated DEI influence networks.

This study aims to determine the needs, expectations, problems and experiences of international students in the process of distance education. To this end, phenomenology design was used, and university students representing different departments and countries were selected through a purposive sampling method. A total of 11 international students participated in the study. An interview form was used for data collection. According to the findings, it was found that the participants did not experience any problems during the registration and admission process and could get enough support from the institution during the orientation and services process. The most common problem in the academic process is the language used by the lecturer. Also, the students mostly preferred the department they studied in line with their choices. Thanks to the repetition of the courses in distance education, they could overcome the language and communication barriers they experienced during the face-to-face education process. It was also determined that the students' social relations with their peers and lecturers were positive, and they did not experience any adaptation problems. Finally, participants' statements on financial challenges focused on the difficulties in both finding scholarships and supporting themselves.

The underrepresentation of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds in geology, geophysics, and other STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is well documented in the United States. Only two universities out of about 107 HBCUs have geology and geophysics degree programs, even though there are over 400 universities in the United States that offer geology and geophysics degree programs. The low presence of these degree programs in HBCUs is a major barrier that has visible consequences. For example, Blacks and other CLD individuals are forced to be intellectually unchallenged, suppressed, and underutilized. Other consequences include low opportunities in college admission, employment, promotion, and life success. How can this problem be solved? This article addresses this question.

There is a gap in the research on the relationship between secondary school subject departments, particularly where, as in the case of science and religious education (RE), there is not the traditional relationship that may be seen in science and maths or across humanities subjects. More awareness of content taught in other departments is important for pupils' coherent experience of curriculum and schooling. This article reports on data from 10 focus groups with 50 participants from six universities, where student teachers of science and RE revealed a complex picture of relationships between the two departments in their placement schools. Furthermore, this article reports findings from a survey where 244 teachers and student teachers of science and RE shared their perspectives on the relationship between the two school departments. The measure was adapted from Barbour's typology, a classification describing the nature of the relationship between science and religion in a range of literature. The terms 'conflict', 'independence', 'dialogue', 'collaboration' and 'integration' were presented to teachers of both subjects. Little evidence was found of conflict between science and RE departments, but more 'independence' than 'dialogue' between the two departments was reported. In the light of these findings, the benefits of boundary crossing are explored alongside the role teachers should play in boundary crossing.

This article features a case study from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), a large, public, urban, research university, in which challenges in administering financial aid for study abroad early in the COVID-19 pandemic led the Education Abroad and Student Financial Services teams to revisit practices and protocols. This article describes compliance concerns, student service, administrative optimization, and interdepartmental relationships. The outcomes emphasize the importance of a strong, sustained partnership between university study abroad and financial aid offices, provide a framework for administrative structures in managing financial aid for study abroad programs, and highlight strategies to provide equitable study abroad opportunities.