This reflection on practice presents an exemplar of an integrated distributed leadership and reciprocal peer review of an academic development initiative. Distributed leadership, characterised by collaborative responsibility, is flexible and adaptive and -- when integrated with reciprocal peer review of teaching -- fosters quality learning…

As generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seen as a catalyst for a new learning and examination culture in higher education, it urges universities to reinvent themselves and to adapt to these changes effectively. By analysing the content of 67 university guidelines on generative AI, this study investigates how universities in Germany position…

Wicked problems have been characterised by their high epistemological and axiological complexities. These are the kinds of problems that may invade our classrooms because many of them concern many stakeholders, including our students. Several approaches have been developed to address wicked problems in various contexts. However, little is known…

This paper examines the effect of class size on student's academic and behavioral performance in synchronous online courses, utilizing student-level administrative data and website clickstream data from a research university in China. By examining variations in class sizes within students but across classes, we revealed a significant negative…

Amidst escalating global crises, universities and colleges are becoming increasingly digitalized to respond to evolving educational demands. However, technology and digitalization are also introducing new forms of inequality and extending existing disparities. The purpose of this study was to investigate these disparities, their impact on…

IU International University of Applied Sciences with more than 120,000 enrolled students at present and more than 200 bachelor's and master's programmes in total is a member of the UN Global Compact and its higher education initiative. The principles of these two initiatives are the key factors which define the sustainability approach of the…

In the past decades, the development of higher education institutions (HEIs) in industrialized countries has become intertwined with innovation policy and the goal of national competitiveness. Focusing on the discourses on innovation by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), this article illustrates the transformation of Finnish higher…

Purpose: This article reports on a study that explored how the Tanzanian government can support the development of research-intensive universities in its higher education system. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through document analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews with participants obtained from national higher…

This paper explores the regulators' perspective and demonstrates how legitimacy deficits of private universities outweigh performance results in decisions regarding university inspections. We examined the period when the regulator had an urgent claim on Russian universities, particularly during the campaign to 'clean the system of higher…

This research explores how boundary-spanning efforts in higher education can be expanded through the digital space and contribute to sustainability in higher education. By employing a qualitative case study design, we examine the journey of a Turkish public university's open education faculty, focusing on how the university has leveraged its open…

Multi-organizational networks are increasingly understood as powerful levers for inducing change in higher education, particularly for fostering more diverse and inclusive organizations. Yet, there is limited scholarship on how these networks successfully change colleges and universities. This case study follows the evolution of one network…

This case study highlights the symbiotic relationship between sport management programs and athletic departments, emphasizing the benefits of leveraging on-campus athletics for practical student experiences. Given the prominence of intercollegiate athletics in the United States, universities have a unique opportunity to offer sport management…

Research and development (R&D) is vital for economic growth, and external funding is crucial for developing countries like Egypt to compete globally. The European Union (EU) Framework Programs (FPs) offer significant funding opportunities, but challenges in accessing these funds remain underexplored for countries like Egypt. This study…

An effective educational response to the climate emergency requires disrupting existing ideas about universities' roles, curriculum design and the relationship between educators, students and communities. This study examines an approach to curriculum development taken by academics at The Open University, UK whilst developing the postgraduate short…

Objective: Using the tripartite model of anxiety and depression, we examined general distress (common to anxiety/depression), anxious arousal (uniquely anxiety), and anhedonic depression (uniquely depressive) symptoms before and during the pandemic in emerging adults, who may experience higher levels of distress as a result of the COVID-19…