Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Bridging the Gap for Students with Disabilities (Published)
Students with disabilities experience (SWDS) difficulties in learning due to limitations placed on them by their defect. To meet their learning needs distinguishing educational provisions from regular education were introduced into educational system which consist of special teachers and modification of curriculum, instructional procedures, methodology, instructional materials and learning environment contingent on category and magnitude of disabilities. Similarly, given that learning has to be effective; inclusive education in regular educational institutions was introduced. Nevertheless, while those who cannot benefit from inclusive education due to the severity of their handicap; provisions were made to accommodate them in special classes and special schools. These provisions are indeed beneficial to SWDs. However, introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tertiary institutions personalizes and has been found to enhance learning for SWDs. Moreover, its use is not without challenges which need to be addressed to enable them benefit maximally from this novel and unique technology. This paper, therefore, through evaluative and prescriptive methodology using google search on the theme, concepts and keywords examines the type of AI technologies used by SWDs in higher education, benefits and challenges. Finally, the paper offers some suggestions on overcoming these challenges to enable SWDs benefit maximally from the usage.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, Challenges, Higher Education, students with disabilities (SWDs).
Transforming Teaching from Conventional to Digital Learning: Students Sensitivity in Higher Education (Published)
This study surveyed transforming teaching from conventional to digital learning: student sensitivity in higher education. The study was a descriptive survey which adopted the ex-post-facto design. 378 respondents were selected at random from a population of 24,888, students in Delta State higher education. The study instrument was self-constructed and titled Student Sensitivity to Conventional and Digital Learning System Questionnaire (SSCDLSQ). Face and content validity were employed for the instrument and it was further subjected to Cronbach alpha to establish the reliability and a value of .85 was obtained. Graphical representation to interpret the respondents’ information such as gender, academic level, and institution of learning. Research questions were analysed with mean rating and standard deviation. Hypothesis 1 was tested using a t-test. Hypotheses 2 and 3 were tested using ANOVA at a.05 significance level. Findings revealed, among others, that students display positive sensitivity to transforming teaching from conventional to digital learning. The researchers recommended, among others, that teaching should be transformed from a traditional classroom setting to digital learning, particularly for large classes, since it increases reading habits and collaboration.
Citation: Nkedishu V.C. and Okonta V. (2023) Transforming Teaching from Conventional to Digital Learning: Students Sensitivity in Higher Education, British Journal of Education, Vol.11, Issue 4, 18-36
Keywords: Higher Education, Technology, conventional, digital learning, student sensitivity, transforming teaching
Loans and Scholarships in Africa’s Higher Education Finance: A Comparative Analysis of Capitation, Policy and Recoveries in Eleven Countries (Published)
This article is a comparative analysis on financing of higher education in eleven African countries; Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Existing trends and practices on loans and scholarships in relation to capitation, policy and recoveries were compared in the eleven countries that were also member state countries to the Association of the African Higher Education Financing Agencies (AAHEFA). Data was collected at the 2019 AAHEFA conference held in Lusaka, Zambia, where eleven chief executive officials or their representatives from country loans and scholarship related institutions shared comprehensive reports related to funding of higher education in the eleven countries. The data collected was analysed thematically. The article shows that the eleven African countries shared several similarities and differences ranging from management structures, education prioritization, capitation, recovery methods and policies. High demand for student funding against limited resources and loan recovery methods were among the emerging similarities. The differences included variations in funding patterns, policy differences among funding agencies and nebulous management structures. It argues that since most of these loans boards are in their infancy, they needed to learn very fast on how to manage granting and recovery of loans.
Citation: Chirwa I.N., Masaiti G., Mwale N., Mkandawire S.B., Mulenga I.M., Sichula N.K. (2022) Loans and Scholarships in Africa’s Higher Education Finance: A Comparative Analysis of Capitation, Policy and Recoveries in Eleven Countries, British Journal of Education, Vol.10, Issue 16, 67-88
Keywords: Financing, Higher Education, Loans, Policy, capitation, recovery, scholarships
Book Review: Interculturality in Learning Mandarin Chinese in British Universities. By Tinghe Jin. London and New York: Routledge, 2021. 188 pp., £120 (hardback), £33.29 (e-book). ISBN: 9781138228306 (Published)
This account provides a critique of Tinghe Jin’s recently-published book entitled Interculturality in Learning Mandarin Chinese in British Universities, which offers one of the first in-depth enquiries on interculturality and language learning in the context of UK higher education. A review of the book’s objectives, content and key messages is given, while terminology and concepts encountered in Jin’s research are discussed and problematized. Emphasis is given to evolving concepts, such as ‘culture’, ‘Chinese culture’ and ‘intercultural competence’, as well as to hidden problems in Chinese language learning. The need to extend insight into teachers’ perspectives on interculturality is highlighted for future research.
Citation: Yanyi Lu (2021) Book Review: Interculturality in Learning Mandarin Chinese in British Universities. By Tinghe Jin. London and New York: Routledge, 2021. 188 pp., £120 (hardback), £33.29 (e-book). ISBN: 9781138228306, British Journal of Education, Vol. 9, Issue 8, pp.50-54
Keywords: Higher Education, Interculturality, Language Learning, Teaching
A Case for Blended Learning: Integrating Massive Open Online Courses in Traditional Degree Programmes, (Published)
In 2008, when they first emerged, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were regarded as an opportunity to transform traditional education. They were expected to bring changes to the way knowledge is conceived and delivered and open the door to education that is more accessible, more affordable, more global and, at the same time, more individualized. MOOC platforms were seen as a conducive learning environment in which students could acquire new knowledge and skills in an autonomous and collaborative manner. However, despite the advantages that they offer, MOOCs have had a limited impact on higher education. The present paper will review the potential and challenges of the MOOC learning model and make a case for blended learning as a viable educational alternative.
Keywords: Higher Education, MOOCs, blended learning, online learning
Women in Higher Education Institutions in Ghana: Discourse on Colonial Legacies and Cultural Norms (Published)
This study addresses the fundamental question of the under representation of women in higher education institutions in Ghana. The paper employed the qualitative research method to interrogate and understand beyond the statistics how the legacies of Colonialism have impacted the lives of female academics. Using a post-colonial theoretical lens, this paper explores the experiences of senior female academics by analyzing their perspectives on under-representation of females within public universities in Ghana. The study elicited information from 9 senior female academics within three Ghanaian public universities. A multiple case study design was adopted to provide a wider set of contexts in which to explore the research questions. The discussion in this paper produced knowledge that being a senior female academic was a struggle that has several gendered dimensions bequeathed through traditional Ghanaian practices as well as colonial vestiges that ensured the academy is male dominated. From the data discussed, this study argues that issues of postcolonial gender inequalities and the interface of cultural norms created gender tensions for women within higher education institutions and the wider society.
Keywords: Higher Education, Institutional colonialism, gender inequalities, post-colonialism
Adopting Alternative Methodologies and Practices in Educational Research in Higher Education in Nigeria (Published)
Alternative methodologies and practices have gained prominence in educational research in the 21st century. The application of other research methodologies and practices challenges the one-fit-all approach associated with a single research methodology in educational research. The current practice is one that has developed to re-position the subsisting culture of research to rather assume a multidirectional trajectory in educational research in higher institutions of learning. While this is the case in the educational systems of other contexts, it raises concern about whether alternative methodologies and practices also apply in educational research in higher education in Nigeria. This literature examines what obtains in the Nigerian context, and where there seems to be gaps, strives to inspire a rethink of the existing research methodology and practices in educational research for better research in higher education in Nigeria.
Keywords: Higher Education, Nigeria, Practices, educational research, methodologies
Implementing Quality and Accreditation in Higher Education in Five European Countries (Published)
The national Quality Assurance Agencies of most European countries have developed accreditation criteria considering the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG, 2015). The paper reports the findings of a comparative study of the national accreditation criteria for programme evaluation which are in use in five European countries, namely Greece, Denmark, Austria, Britain and Ireland. The official published documents available on the Agencies’ websites were reviewed and analyzed. The paper presents and discusses the variation of the criteria additions and omissions from the ESG model for each individual case. The reported comparisons show that a ‘general model’ is followed since the agencies of the five countries operate in substantial compliance with the ESG. However, each country places emphasis on different criteria.
Keywords: European Standards and Guidelines, Higher Education, Quality Assurance, Quality Management, accreditation criteria, national systems
The Challenges Encountered by the Selected Private Universities in Kenya in Implementing Strategies that Would Lead to a Financially Sustainable University (Published)
Great expectations of high quality education are held by many people due to a high demand of tertiary education in private Kenyan universities. Higher education in Kenya has experienced a lot of numerical growth of the number of universities chartered. As of November 2015, Kenya had a total of 70 chartered universities. Of these, 17 were private chartered ones which had grown in number from 3 to 17 in just two decades (CUE 2015, Chacha 2004,4). That notwithstanding, private universities face numerous challenges, which if not addressed, their sustainability will be threatened. This paper therefore seeks to explore the challenges encountered by selected private universities in Kenya, in implementing strategies that would lead to a financially sustainable university. These challenges were classified into two categories: the internal and external challenges. The internal challenges, experienced from within the university included: inadequate finances, university leadership and structures while the external ones include: government funding, government regulations and donor support. Qualitative grounded theory design was used in which an interview guide and a self-developed interview schedule were used in data collection. Twenty respondents were involved from four theological private universities. A fifth university was used for a pilot study. Data was organized manually and analyzed qualitatively through the use of codes and formation of categories. The strategies utilized were: students’ recruitment, internal and external funding, program development, review and diversification. The findings show that different universities are engaging in different strategies without much success in terms of income generated. This was attributed to the many internal and external challenges being faced by these universities. Therefore, this study proposed a financial sustainability system that is based on grounded theory which recommends the need to prioritize income generating strategies – developing, reviewing and diversifying revenue streams (input activities) that will generate adequate income to overcome the challenges in the system that are a major impediment to implementation of activities (output) that would lead to establishment of a financially sustainable university. This paper concludes by suggesting ways of developing, reviewing and diversifying revenue streams that will enhance the financial sustainability of the sampled universities. Moreover, it recommends that universities should develop more creative strategies that are not yet in place, review their status and also diversify their strategies to achieve financial sustainability.
Keywords: Challenges, Donor, Financial Sustainability, Higher Education, Private University, Strategies.
An Investigation into the Factors That Impede Scientific Research in Higher Education in Libya: Time to Act (Published)
Higher education and scientific research hold a key role in promoting development and rapid transformation for countries like Libya which is facing rapid changes and unstable political situation. There is a dire need in the Libyan educational system for a complete re-examination of research policy and planning in order to work towards improving its quality to meet the country’s needs. Given the current crisis in most Libyan universities, this study aims to investigate the factors that impede scientific research in Sabratha University. It also seeks to propose ways to improve research quality in the university. The findings of the study indicate that the lack of strategic plan for research is preventing the university from functioning and preserving its role in society. It also indicates that the lack of resources, fund and proper infrastructure are the main factors that influence scientific research.
Keywords: Higher Education, Influencing Factors, Scientific Research