Search Results (512)

Higher education institutions face growing pressure to demonstrate and quantify societal contributions beyond research and teaching; this study addresses measurement challenges for third-mission activity by developing both a conceptual typology and a practical assessment framework. We developed a four-dimension typology—research-based impact, teaching-based impact, campus-management-anchored impact, and administrative infrastructure—that synthesizes the existing literature while drawing attention to under-examined areas such as campus operations and institutional support. Methodologically, we synthesize the literature, analyze national and international best practices, and design an assessment approach that combines individual case studies and evidence-based questionnaires with automated metrics applied in multi-year cycles. We demonstrate that the typology reflects a broad range of impact pathways and argue that the proposed framework balances rigor and feasibility while surfacing key measurement tensions—breadth versus depth; general-purpose versus domain-specific metrics; input versus output indicators; levels of analysis; and assessment burden versus outcome quality. We conclude with actionable recommendations for academic staff, institutional leaders, and national agencies to integrate third-mission activities into evaluation and funding systems, offering a methodological toolkit that may support impact assessment into HEI evaluation without overstating conclusions. Full article

This comparative case study investigates the impact of digital transformation (DT) on the development of a digital organisational culture (OC) within two distinct university settings: one in Saudi Arabia and the other in the United Kingdom. Adopting a qualitative interpretive methodology, the research examines the intricate dynamics of cultural shifts triggered by digital transformation. Drawing on Alvesson and Sveningsson’s framework, the study explores how changes in the nature of work and the emergence of new collective meanings influence organisational culture within the context of digital change. Through in-depth qualitative analysis, the research offers valuable insights into the complexities of transformation within two culturally diverse higher education institutions (HEIs). The study identifies digital strategy as the primary catalyst for this shift, emphasising that robust leadership and management support are essential to aligning strategic initiatives with cultural objectives. The research further establishes that a digital strategy capable of fostering a digital organisational culture is built upon three key pillars: a culture of compliance, performance reshaping, and a culture of continuous learning. However, existing studies identify leadership, resistance, strategy and training as important DT factors. This study extends the literature by demonstrating that these are not independent variables but interconnected forms of cultural change work through which digital organisational culture emerges. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of digital transformation and organisational culture change, providing practical implications and recommendations for successful digital integration within university environments. Full article

This study investigates how community engagement and outreach programs can serve as a vehicle for knowledge co-production between higher educational institutions (HEIs) and industry in developing economies. Despite growing calls for collaboration between HEIs and industry, the existing literature remains policy-driven and largely instrumental, offering a limited understanding of how engagement practices are socially constructed, negotiated, and experienced by diverse stakeholders. There is limited qualitative research on how community voices are integrated into co-creation processes and how these interactions shape sustainable development in emerging economies. The research methodology for the study was developed using the research onion, and an interpretivist research philosophy was adopted. The study employed an inductive research approach to explore actors’ lived experiences and the meanings attached to engagement practices and collected data through in-depth interviews. Participants in the study included representatives from HEIs, industry, and community stakeholders across selected sectors of the economy, and the data were analysed thematically to capture patterns of interactions, power relations, and knowledge and exchange processes underpinning co-production. The study revealed that effective community engagement goes beyond formal partnerships to encompass building lasting relationships which are characterised by trust, mutual learning, and context adaptation. Further, the study also showed that power asymmetries, institutional pressures, and resource constraints have restricted real co-production, resulting in symbolic rather than real engagement. Nevertheless, the use of inclusive and reflective approaches has been shown to foster locally acceptable and essential innovative interventions that can improve sustainable development. The study therefore recommends embedding participatory frameworks within HEIs and industry collaborations to strengthen institutional support for inclusive engagement and to reorient policies towards community-centred knowledge systems. This study, therefore, contributes to the body of knowledge by enhancing theoretical and practical understanding of sustainable higher education–industry collaboration in developing economies by promoting an understanding of engagement as a co-production process. Full article

This paper illustrates the theoretical framework, the methodological approach, and the primary findings of a project titled MASSTER (Managing(South)Africa-and-Senegal-Sustainability-Targets-through-Economic-diversification-of-Rural-areas), in which higher educational institutions (HEIs) and organizations from Senegal, South Africa, and Europe collaborate with the aim of addressing the nexus between migration, agriculture and development in Sub-Saharan Africa by co-creating evidence-based training, tools, and actions to foster development and co-development while targeting several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Zero-hunger, Good-Health-and-Wellbeing, Gender-Equality, Quality-education, Decent-work-and-economic-growth, Responsible-consumption-and-production, all within the frame of Partnership-for-the-Goals. The MASSTER project employs a transdisciplinary and bottom-up approach based on a cross-sectional study conducted in South Africa and Senegal to identify actual challenges, needs, and resources from farmers (n = 737) and students enrolled in agricultural courses (n = 1.013). Findings underpinned the co-creation of the primary project outcomes: training on agritourism development, farm management, income-generating activities, climate change resilience, and food value chain; toolkits designed to boost the adoption of the Whole of Society Approach and to strengthen cooperation between HEIs and local communities; MASSTER Student-and-alumni-tracking-procedure-with-early-warning-mechanism-for-brain-drain; and a MOOC on critical-thinking-and-empowerment. The MASSTER project can have a relevant impact at local and international levels, providing evidence-based tools to be used by HEIs, stakeholders/policymakers, and the scientific community to actively foster development and co-development. Full article

Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the Gulf region despite sustained policy efforts to advance gender equity. This study examined how stakeholders perceive the relationship between gender diversity and inclusion policies and women’s leadership advancement at the University of Sharjah, UAE. Specifically, it investigated the association between perceived policy adequacy and leadership opportunities, explored how policies supported or hindered progression, and identified persistent barriers. A concurrent mixed-method cross-sectional design was employed. The study population comprised academic and administrative staff at the University of Sharjah, from whom 40 survey participants (29 women, 72.5%; 11 men, 27.5%) were invited, with all 40 completing the form, and eight were purposively selected for qualitative interviews (seven women and one man, spanning administrative, faculty, and leadership roles). Quantitative findings revealed a very strong positive correlation between perceived gender diversity policies and women’s leadership (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), with policies explaining 89.8% of the variance in leadership perceptions. However, qualitative data highlighted gaps between formal policy commitments and practice, linked to structural, managerial, and cultural constraints. The study recommends adopting gender-responsive, enforceable policies supported by accountability mechanisms, transparent promotion systems, and targeted leadership development initiatives to achieve sustainable and substantive progress. Full article

This study examines staff and student experiences of an online sustainability induction module at an Australian university, exploring how such a module can contribute to whole-institution sustainability culture within a higher education institution (HEI). Using Sterling’s transformational framework, we analyse participant perceptions and reflections across module content spanning diverse SDGs, including Indigenous land management (SDG 15), ethical consumption (SDG 12), modern slavery (SDG 8), governance (SDG 16) and community engagement (SDG 17). Findings suggest how staff and students may experience the parallels between working across SDGs and learning about sustainable actions within personal, organisational, and community contexts of HEIs. While some participants appreciated the interconnectedness of sustainability challenges, they also highlighted difficulties associated with the breadth and complexity of addressing multiple SDGs within a single induction experience. This research advances understanding of how transition-oriented learning spaces that are situated between individual and institutional development and those involving affective, cognitive, and intentional dimensions of change can support HEIs in considering how to progress the 2030 Agenda. At the same time, it highlights pedagogical challenges in designing induction modules that integrate multiple SDGs in practice. Full article

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are vital leverage points for climate action, yet the role of campus food environments in supporting these commitments is rarely assessed. This mixed-methods diagnostic study examined the food environment, sustainability literacy, behavioural barriers, and reported preferences regarding plant-based eating at a major European university. Across 29 campus canteens, plant-based meals accounted for only 17.2% of menu options and less than 1% of actual meal volume, with substantial inconsistency in availability and labelling across weekdays and canteens. Student survey findings (n = 198) revealed low food sustainability literacy: 64.7% of participants failed the assessment, particularly males (78.1%) and omnivores (75.7%). Among omnivore respondents, the most frequent barriers to adopting plant-based diets were ideological resistance, nutrition concerns, palatability, convenience, and cost. Students most strongly endorsed improved taste, more options (70.2%), and lower prices (62.1%) as strategies to encourage plant-based choices. Taken together, these findings highlight a structural implementation gap between institutional sustainability commitments and the campus food environment. They underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve food sustainability literacy and to increase the availability and attractiveness of plant-based options required for climate mitigation. To address this systemic challenge, this paper proposes a scalable HEI Food Transition Framework, informed by the results, that integrates choice architecture, curricular reform, inclusive provisioning, and data-driven accountability, offering a strategic pathway to align campus food environments with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly tasked with fostering pro-environmental agency to address the global climate crisis. Within physical activity and sport sciences, future nautical sports managers occupy a unique role as stewards of marine ecosystems. This study investigates the sustainability consciousness of 170 undergraduate university students from a single institution. It focuses on analyzing the knowledge–action gap within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. Utilizing the Sustainability Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ-S), this work assessed knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to quantify this dissonance through a robust non-parametric statistical pipeline. Results indicate a significant knowledge–action gap ($r_B$ = 0.903), representing a large matched-pairs rank-biserial correlation effect size for the Wilcoxon test. Furthermore, Kruskal–Wallis analyses reveal that this discrepancy is transversal across student profiles, suggesting a state of informed paralysis within this specific cohort, where high theoretical mastery fails to translate into sustainable professional routines. Crucially, the frequency of engagement in nature-based sports, encompassing both nautical and terrestrial outdoor activities, does not significantly reduce this dissonance. These contextual findings indicate that physical exposure to nature does not automatically mitigate the knowledge–action gap, highlighting the need for explicit reflective pedagogies in higher education. Full article

Higher education institutions (HEIs) generate substantial volumes of academic data, yet the visualization infrastructure required to transform this data into decision-relevant representations remains underdeveloped in most Latin American university contexts. This study addresses that gap through the design, development, and expert validation of the Institutional Data Visualization Model (IDVM) for academic management at Universidad Tecnológica Israel (UISRAEL). A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a quantitative survey instrument (N = 216) administered to faculty, students, and administrative staff with structured interviews with five institutional authorities analyzed thematically. Diagnostic findings revealed that perceived adequacy of data visualization practices ranged from moderate to adequate, with the lowest scores concentrated in accessibility and data provenance, and qualitative evidence confirming a pattern of data richness coexisting with representational poverty. The IDVM was developed through a four-phase iterative process aligned with design-based research methodology, operationalizing a three-level hierarchical visualization structure, six academic data domains aligned with national accreditation criteria, and an explicit data governance framework. Expert validation through a three-round Delphi process (n = 5 experts) produced a final Kendall concordance coefficient of W = 0.924 (p < 0.001). The IDVM provides a theoretically grounded, empirically derived, and locally adapted framework for improving academic data governance in Ecuadorian and Latin American higher education. Full article

This paper explores how higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amid rapidly evolving national development agendas. This study reviews publicly available institutional documents and global SDG ranking data to identify patterns of SDG integration: through academic programs, research, and community engagement. The data shows active engagement of the universities in the region linked with varying SDGs. The analysis also reveals that sustainability initiatives in Gulf universities are not purely educational or environmental undertakings; rather, they function as strategic instruments aligned with national visions, international positioning and soft power objectives. Accordingly, this study assesses institutional commitment to the SDGs as expressed through, and made visible by, publicly available reporting, rather than the effectiveness or real-world impact of that engagement, which the available data cannot establish. Guided by theoretical perspectives, the paper argues that SDG engagement remains largely shaped by global ranking frameworks and policy imperatives. While the GCC higher education sector is increasingly embedded in the global sustainability discourse, meaningful localization of SDG practices and data transparency remain limited. By drawing attention to these dynamics, the study contributes to the literature on higher education and sustainable development in the Arab Gulf, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive frameworks and stronger regional collaboration to advance the 2030 Agenda. It calls for strengthened collaboration, capacity development, and tailored policy approaches to fully harness the transformative potential of the SDGs. Future research should explore the sociopolitical drivers of SDG adoption to deepen understanding of HEIs’ contributions to sustainable development in the region. Full article

Although Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognised as key actors in advancing sustainable development, sustainability efforts often remain fragmented across educational, social, environmental, economic and governance dimensions. This study addresses this gap by examining how sustainability can be institutionalised as an embedded organisational capability aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopting an integrative conceptual review approach, the study synthesises the interdisciplinary sustainability literature in HEIs to develop an Integrated Institutional Sustainability Framework. The framework explains how sustainability dimensions interact institutionally and identifies governance as the central coordinating mechanism enabling SDG operationalisation, strategic alignment and cross-dimensional sustainability integration. The findings suggest that governance operates as a central coordinating mechanism, enabling alignment between strategy, operations, education and stakeholder engagement, while education works as the basic enabling institutional capability facilitating the governance mechanism and long-term sustainability integration. The study also argues that sustainability institutionalisation within HEIs requires systemic organisational transformation in which governance, education and cross-dimensional coordination become embedded within institutional strategy, operations and decision-making processes. The paper contributes by proposing an integrated conceptual sustainability framework and highlights the need for future empirical research. Full article

While reading habits strongly correlate with academic success, empirical data regarding higher education (HE) literacy in Portugal remains scarce, particularly across the private sector. This study addresses this gap through a cross-institutional analysis comparing public and private HEIs alongside the island regions of Madeira and the Azores, challenging the assumption that digital natives universally reject print. A survey was administered to 558 students across 140 study cycles from 33 public and private HEIs, with data evaluated via non-parametric inferential methodologies. The sample displayed high reading appreciation, yielding a mean enjoyment score of 7.54 out of 10 (SD = 2.29) and an annual median of 4 books. Significant demographic variations (p < 0.05) emerged: female and older (23+) students demonstrated a significantly higher love of reading and voluntary book consumption, whereas males and younger cohorts gravitated toward technical texts and digital periodicals. Conversely, groups converged regarding internet usage and the primary structural barrier to literacy: an acute lack of time (67.9%). Crucially, while HEI type did not impact genre or platform choices, public university students reported significantly higher reading enjoyment and read more books annually than their private-sector peers (p < 0.05). These findings underscore that individual literacy is actively moderated by institutional micro-climates, providing administrators with precise empirical targets to design tailored reading initiatives. Full article

Purpose: This study investigates the multifaceted dynamics of institutional sustainability (IS) within the higher education sectors of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It examines the direct influence of cultural, technological, and economic factors, alongside change management techniques (CMT), on the sustainability of universities in these two nations. Methodology: Employing a comparative, mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from 427 university staff members across Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized for data analysis, complemented by Multiple Group Analysis (MGA) to explore variations across different demographics, including gender, geographical location, and institution type (public vs. private). Findings: The study reveals that Change Management Techniques (CMT), cultural norms, technological infrastructure, and economic factors all significantly and directly influence institutional sustainability. Effective CMT is crucial for successful technological integration and mitigating staff resistance. Cultural norms, particularly in high power distance and collectivist societies, profoundly impact the adoption of innovations. A robust technological infrastructure is foundational for operational efficiency and educational outcomes, while strategic economic planning and diversified funding streams are vital for long-term stability and growth. Originality: This research offers actionable insights for policymakers and academic leaders by providing a nuanced understanding of how to build resilient, sustainable, and technologically advanced educational institutions in the Middle East. It emphasizes the necessity of context-specific strategies that acknowledge the unique regional socio-cultural and economic realities of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, bridging the gap between global sustainability paradigms and local implementation challenges. Full article

Building Information Modeling (BIM) implementation is increasingly adopted in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. However, its integration into the academic curricula in developing countries remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the barriers to integrating BIM into the curricula of civil engineering in Jordanian higher education institutions (HEIs). A quantitative approach was used, including Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The data was collected from 102 respondents, including industry professionals and academics. Six key barrier constructs were identified: support, standards, delivery, resources, knowledge, and infrastructure and security. Altogether, they explain 66.896% of the BIM integration barriers. The results of the structural model indicate that institutional and governmental support is the most critical barrier (β = 0.486), followed by the lack of standards (β = 0.206) and curriculum-delivery constraints (β = 0.166). Other barriers, including infrastructure and security-related factors, knowledge gaps, and resource limitations, were found to have statistically significant effects on BIM integration. The findings revealed that the barriers to integrating BIM into civil engineering curricula in Jordanian HEIs are institutional and systemic rather than purely technical or resource-based. This study contributes to the BIM education literature by developing one of the first empirically validated PLS-SEM models to investigate barriers to integrating BIM curriculum in Jordan and in developing countries. This research is distinct from previous descriptive studies by prioritizing the institutional, technical, and curricular barriers to the integration of BIM into civil engineering education. Practically, the research provides a specific roadmap for Jordan to integrate BIM into curricula through improving the collaboration between HEIs and the Jordan Engineering Association, strengthening the accreditation standards, enhancing the support of the government for digital construction education, and endorsing the partnerships between HEIs and the industry to align the graduates with the needs for digital transformation of the construction sector in Jordan. Full article

Higher education institutions (HEIs), engaged in education, research and community services, play an important role in promoting sustainable development. This study investigated the relationships between carbon emission-related variables—Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP)—and the amount of carbon emissions in HEIs. A cross-sectional design was adopted, and data were collected via an online questionnaire from September to December 2024. The participants were students from eight colleges and universities in central Taiwan, yielding 293 valid responses. The average daily per capita carbon emissions were calculated based on activity categories and emission coefficients. Carbon emissions from daily life contributed 87.7%, followed by transportation and academic activities (9.7% and 2.6%). The average carbon emission was 11.82 kg CO₂e/day/person. Statistical analysis showed that living arrangements and household size exhibited significant differences (p < 0.05). Regarding the KAP analysis, attitude and practice showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.59, p < 0.01), while practice and individual-level Scope 3 emissions were negatively correlated (r = −0.12, p < 0.01), indicating that carbon reduction behaviors can effectively decrease individual carbon emissions. This study quantified the carbon emission in HEIs and addressed a research gap by linking individual-level energy behaviors with carbon emission estimates in Taiwan. The findings provide a basis for policy-making and promoting low-carbon behaviors. Future campus initiatives should focus on equipment upgrades, environmental education, and low-carbon actions to achieve sustainability and net-zero carbon goals. Full article