Higher Education Research and Policy – serie

The book studies transformations of European universities in the context of globalization and Europeanization, the questioning of the foundations of the «Golden Age» of the Keynesian welfare state, public sector reforms, demographic changes, the massification and diversification of higher education, and the emergence of knowledge economies. Such phenomena as academic entrepreneurialism and diversified channels of knowledge exchange in European universities are linked to transformations of the state and changes in public sector services. The first, contextual part of the book studies the changing state/university relationships, and the second, empirically-informed part draws from several recent large-scale comparative European research projects.

Higher education in the Western Balkans is currently undergoing substantial changes as a result of European reform ideas, new domestic policy initiatives as well as universities and colleges in the region trying to adapt to new expectations and challenges. The book analyzes the changes in both policy and practices in various countries in this region predominantly through a comparative approach. Through a number of empirical studies in which new data was collected and systematized, the book shows how countries in the Western Balkans are struggling to maneuver between adapting to broader European reform ideas while at the same time handling domestic challenges. Hence, the book is a valuable contribution to those interested in studying how various higher education systems are developing in the different European regions.

This book provides higher education teachers, leaders and policymakers with insights from research on assessing students’ learning outcomes. The book is founded in research, shaped by policy, and designed to be of enduring relevance to practice. Framed by a cycle of continuous quality improvement, it begins by discussing policy contexts and research concepts. Experts discuss institutional, disciplinary, national and international case studies. Perspectives are advanced for reviewing the relevance and feasibility of assessment initiatives. The book explores what stakeholders have done to convert work on learning outcomes into improvements in education.

This book offers a research-based insight into a unique - and growing - group of teachers: those who have decided to undertake doctoral studies as a part of their ongoing professional development. Drawing on interviews with 30 Polish teachers with PhDs, this book illustrates how the doctorate is an important vehicle for strengthening teachers’ skills and knowledge, leading them to implement research-based teaching and learning pedagogies in their classrooms. Given these promising findings, this text ultimately seeks to identify implications for policy and practice in the process of building a truly research-rich teaching profession. After all, it is time to rethink the current doctoral education landscape, with the goal of enriching the relationship between research and practice.

Students are influenced by their peer networks instead of the invisible hand of meritocracy. This statement by David Riesman is still true today. The volume analyses how students make use of social connections and the expanding opportunities offered by contemporary tertiary education. The results show that the resources provided by higher education institutions may be termed social capital, adding a new dimension to literature related to students and the institutional environment.

The last decade has marked European higher education with particular dynamics. Today, after a decade of «connected» policy, national systems look much more convergent but new questions and dilemmas are emerging: about the nature and quality of higher education, about the real impact of recent reforms in different countries, and about higher education's future. The book examines the impact of Europe-wide and global developments on national higher education systems. The authors try in particular to place upfront issues of convergence and diversity, of equity and of the relationship between centres and peripheries in higher education. The book is an outcome of research collaboration between six institutes which developed a EuroHESC research proposal on the consequences of expanded and differentiated higher education systems.

Over the past four decades, higher education privatization became a common policy choice for higher education reforms in most emerging systems due to lack in public resources. In Kuwait however, similar financial pressures did not exist. Influenced by the "glonacal agency heuristic," the author investigates the processes of its policy production. Following a comparative qualitative approach, the book concludes that privatization is not a necessary outcome of globalization, but that the production of higher education privatization policies in Kuwait has involved a complex interplay of both local and global factors, with contextual realities playing a crucial role not only in the introduction of these policies but also in defining the form of privatization that is currently being implemented.

This edited volume explores reflective practice in higher education from multiple perspectives in a common context: Oman's national higher education system. The authors of the chapters address how higher education institutions can create opportunities for academic staff to engage in reflective practice, leading to gradual shifts in their pedagogical awareness and behavior in class; how reflective practice supports professional development; how teaching observation practices can create a culture of improvement and excellence in teaching and learning; how reflective practitioners can effect institutional change; promotion of reflective practice among students and the resulting benefits; enhancement of student academic support; and the promising intersection between reflective practice and AI tools for professional development. The case studies detailed by the authors show how reflective practice can be successfully implemented for the benefit of diverse stakeholders across higher education."Reflective Practice for Elevating Higher Education: Voices from Oman offers a rare and deeply insightful exploration of reflective practice grounded in the unique context of Oman's higher education system. What makes this volume especially valuable is its rich combination of personal narratives, empirical studies, and practical frameworks that address not only teacher education but also professional development, quality assurance, and the emerging challenges of AI in higher education. The inclusion of the voices of administrators, policymakers, and educators creates a multifaceted perspective that will resonate well beyond Oman's borders."Hayo Reinders, Senior Professor of TESOL and Director of Research, Anaheim University

Changes in higher education in recent decades–such as expansion, the Bologna reform, internationalization, competition for students, managerialism, and the emergence of a service-oriented approach–have fundamentally transformed the work of academics. The aim of our research, which forms the basis of this volume and is particularly relevant to the region, was to examine the well-being, working conditions, and performance of academics in five Central and Eastern European countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia. This volume consists of two main chapters that present empirical findings based on qualitative and quantitative survey data, as well as national and international statistical databases. The first chapter analyses key higher education indicators from the five countries studied and describes the educational policy environment shaping academic work. The second chapter explores the background factors and effectiveness of academics' work.

This book addresses the following research questions: What are the main transformations in European higher education? How do these transformations affect the national higher education systems of Norway and Poland? How do European-level higher education policy processes affect national higher education policies in Norway and Poland, especially in the areas of funding and governance? Europe and the two countries are the units of analysis, with different authors choosing different research foci and different disciplinary approaches.