This article discusses the multiple challenges cross-border higher education (CBHE) in Europe faces nowadays, namely regarding the assurance of its quality. The views of a set of European quality assurance agencies are analysed to understand their role in assuring the quality of this type of educational provision. Empirically, the article is based…

Mentoring has proved to be an effective supporting practice for students in higher education in terms of building networks, a stronger professional identity and guiding their career aspirations. However, we lack a deep understanding of what attracts experienced experts to invest time and energy into guiding students. The latest studies suggest…

This study report on the outcomes and transformational potential of the European Universities initiative presents the progress, achievements, and transformational potential of the European Universities initiative, and gives insights on remaining challenges. It provides recommendations to continue making the European Universities initiative a…

After their launch by the UN in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been seen as landmarks for global survival. Higher education has been given a key role in the implementation of the SDGs, and the current article investigates how a sample of Nordic higher education institutions have been adapting to the SDGs. Based on the…

This Education Policy Perspective serves as Part B in a two-part series of policy papers on "Promoting Quality and Excellence in Higher Education and VET". This paper (Part B) examines a wide range of quality-focused policies, other than quality assurance, used by governments to promote pedagogical innovation and enhancement in higher…

The characteristics of institutional work in higher education change is an understudied topic in research. This article describes an institutional change process in higher education by analysing multilevel institutional work. Drawing on the results, the paper presents a modified process model on the multilevel institutional work and the related…

In response to global competition in higher education, university rankings have been developed. These have been interpreted as indicating the regions and countries with the most prestigious and competitive higher education institutions. The rankings are viewed as important in many countries, but their role is ambiguous and contested in the Nordic…

Purpose: Higher educational institutions, such as universities of applied sciences, have a significant role in promoting progress towards a sustainable future as defined by the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs). This paper aims to identify how the UN SDGs are featured in master's theses set in work-life contexts.…

Universities are facing increasing external pressures to compete for external funding and to develop mixed economies comprising both state budget funding and external sources. This study aims to provide empirical and theoretical insights by utilising the Resource Dependence Theory and the Ecology of Games Metaphor to examine how Finnish…

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of India has been widely recognized as a significant and transformative reform endeavour, with the objective of reshaping the educational framework of the country. The aims to establish an education system deeply rooted in Indian Ethos, with the objective of transforming India, also known as Bharat, into a…

Universities globally are called to educate collaborative and ethical engineers. In response, interdisciplinary problem-based learning is increasingly used to equip students with competencies needed to solve grand societal challenges. However, complex problem-solving in interdisciplinary teams can challenge students' existing beliefs and cause…

The field of higher education (HE) is characterized by diversity stemming from multiple sources. Diversity results in boundaries that carry the potential to promote personal and professional development for HE students. Boundaries also offer the possibility of learning generic skills and planning and carrying out challenging tasks that require…

This paper investigates the emergence and early institutionalization of competition in higher education (HE), specifically in business schools. First, building on key contributions from economics, management studies, sociology, and HE research, we develop propositions on competition in HE and formulate our theoretical framework. Second, we apply…

Studies of global university rankings often assume that rankings as Anglo-American policy scripts have an increasing influence resulting in a convergence of policies and practices, or that the ideas of rankings continue to diverge into national types. In this article, we take a middle ground by arguing that when an idea of ranking is grounded in a…

A major admissions reform was carried out in Finnish higher education at the end of the last decade. This paper focuses on three main policy papers connected to the reform and examines the use and production of evidence therein. Drawing on bibliometric research and research on educational policy, we aim to provide insight into how to utilize…