Journal articles on the topic 'Faculty empowerment strategy'

Cultural immersion experiences offered through study abroad opportunities for nursing students have been increasing in recent years. Examining the impact of these experiences has largely focused on students and not on the faculty leading the experiences. It is important to understand the impact of these experiences on all participants. Exploring the literature on empowerment provides some clarity on the relationship between studying abroad and its impact on participants. Further research linking cultural immersion experiences with empowerment is needed to better understand this relationship and the possibilities of empowering both students and faculty engaged in these exciting opportunities.

The cycle of activities starting with planning of human resources, recruitment, performance appraisal and professional development programmes, feedback and analysis all ensure that they are utilized to develop strategies to upgrade the professional competence of the staff through various mechanisms evolved. In higher education institutions efforts are continuously made to enhance the professional development of teaching and nonteaching staff, through strategies for empowerment includes training, re-training and motivating the employees for the roles and responsibility they perform. It is necessary to have a performance appraisal system comprehensive enough to ensure that information on multiple activities is appropriately captured and considered for better appraisal. The outcome of the review of the performance appraisal is the development of efficiency and transparency in fulfilling the aspirations of the stakeholders and greater commitment to teaching-learning process. In this paper, we have identified various faculty empowerment strategies to be adopted for future quality improvement in higher education institutions in the light of a comprehensive performance management system based on 360º appraisal.

Women’s empowerment is a worldwide issue addressed by the government in every country. It has been the main agenda point discussed in all government plans. In India, we aim to achieve women’s empowerment and gender equity, one of the sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030. Women’s empowerment is achieved by creating a conducive social environment that facilitates individual or collective decisionmaking for social transformation. This can be achieved by looking at women’s empowerment from a psychological perspective. This study aims to find the impact of institutional culture on the psychological empowerment of women faculty in higher education institutions. It also aims to find suitable institutional culture types to enhance women’s psychological empowerment in institutions. This study was developed based on selfdetermination theory proposed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985. Descriptive research was conducted, and quantitative analysis was carried out with IBM SPSS and AMOS version 23. A sample of 385 women faculty working in higher education institutions in India was contacted to collect primary data. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model, and it was found to be acceptable. Statistical analysis of the data reveals that there exists a strong positive relationship between dimensions of institutional culture and psychological empowerment.

To improve the graduation rate of students with disabilities who attend colleges and universities, a response strategy consisting of four components is advocated: self-determination and self-advocacy curriculum developed to build life skills, faculty committed to increasing cultural capital for all students and sustaining environments where positive postsecondary experiences flourish; a range of related services; and a coordinated system of supports that is student-centered and delivered in the classroom.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between empowerment leadership and organizational innovation. This analyzes the influence of empowerment leadership on organizational innovation, whether knowledge sharing mediates the effect of empowerment leadership on individual creativity, if individual creativity moderates the influence of empowerment leadership on organizational innovation, and how psychological empowerment mediates the effect of leadership on individual creativity.
 
 Theoretical framework: Empowerment leadership includes delegation of authority, participating in decision-making, informing employees about regulations, becoming a role model, showing concern, and interacting with the team members. Organizational innovation is the ability to generate and adopt new ideas or behaviors because it increases productivity and business performance. Knowledge sharing is a mechanism that fosters individual creative thinking and increases employees' creativity. Therefore, leaders tend to promote the practice of knowledge sharing by generating useful new ideas and thoughts.
 
 Design/methodology/approach: Respondents are lecturers at the Faculty of Economics and Business of Islamic Higher Education (IHE) in Java, Indonesia, who have been selected as participants. Data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM to test the modified results of several models.
 
 Findings: The results showed that empowerment leadership directly affects organizational innovation, knowledge sharing mediates the influence of empowerment leadership on Individual creativity howevet, it failed to mediate the effect of empowerment leadership on organizational innovation, while psychological empowerment failed to moderate the relationship between variables.
 
 Research, Practical & Social implications: This study added distinctive supports to the leadership literature by identifying key leadership behaviors that foster or impair individual creativity, knowledge sharing and organizational innovation through investigating their relationships with leadership styles in the same research model.
 
 Originality/value: This study indicates that empowerment leadership majorly affects organizational innovation. Furthermore, knowledge sharing plays an important role by mediating between variables for the development of organizational innovation.

The aim of the current research is to investigate the impact of integrating the learning for mastery strategy supported by smart electronic applications and the peer tutoring strategy in teaching Calculus 1 on the development of academic achievement and self-efficacy in mathematics among female students in the College of Science, Saudi Arabia. To achieve the research objective, a quasi-experimental design was employed. The research instruments included an achievement test and a mathematics self-efficacy scale, which were distributed to 60 female students from the Biology Department at the College of Science. The research results revealed statistically significant differences between the average scores of the experimental group and the control group in the post application of the achievement test and the mathematics self-efficacy scale in favor of the students in the experimental group. The current research recommends the importance of utilizing the integration of various teaching strategies, such as learning for mastery and peer tutoring, in teaching Calculus 1 at the university level. It also suggests training faculty members to use these strategies to develop different aspects for their students, such as self-efficacy in mathematics.

The concept of entrepreneurship empowerment was explored in depth to highlight its multifaceted nature and its role in fostering economic growth and cultivating a positive community mindset, which in turn spurred the development of essential infrastructure contributing to community empowerment. Service Learning, as a strategy for community entrepreneurship empowerment in the Indonesian culture, was enacted through the collaboration of faculty and university students who were acknowledged for their capacity to deliver authentic learning experiences. It, thereby, facilitated the acquisition of both soft and hard skills. This initiative exemplified the coordinated efforts among universities, such as the local MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) Community of processed Parijoto fruit, and its various partners. The execution of this community service program, which was done in Muria, comprised six primary phases: surveying, conducting interviews, gathering data, preparing materials, engaging in focus group discussions, formulating action plans, and conducting evaluations and reflections. The outcomes encompassed the analysis of laboratory products, educational sessions, mentoring activities, and the creation of educational resources. While the assessment of processing parijoto fruit yielded positive impacts from the endeavor, it was found to have a need to optimize support from businesses to sustain a conducive environment for MSMEs. Such entrepreneurship training initiatives have demonstrated efficacy in empowering communities and generating further prospects for individuals residing in rural areas.

Progressive higher education institutions, in a competitive environment, evaluate brand positioning to navigate through communication, economic and globalization challenges. Literature in Sub-Saharan Africa hardly interrogates how public universities manage institutional brand for competitive advantage (Sulkowski, Wozniak, & Seliga, 2019) from an internal communication perspective. In Kenya, rapid university expansion and funding reduction enhanced competition. In a complex and dynamic context, vibrant institutions align corporate strategy to internal communication and position institutional brand. Thus, this study interrogates how the internal communication practices of an emerging university in Kenya impact institutional brand during transformation. A total of 153 Questionnaires were administered and 18 in-depth interviews were undertaken. Data as collected from 18 middle-level management who were purposively selected and the 153 self-administered questionnaires using stratified random sampling were administered on MMU faculty and administrative staff. The findings suggest that effective communication be through employee participation in decision-making (90%), conflict management (73%), brand management (mean 3.3), and corporate storytelling for institutional memory. However, management communication practices did not effectively communicate corporate objectives, marketing and branding strategy during university transition which negatively influenced image building and employee trust. The study recognized the importance of an internal communication policy, during transition, to provide a systematic and structured process which incorporates employee participation and empowerment. Employee participation strategy that integrates induction, interpersonal activities and interactive channels such as social media to communicate institutional strategic elements and enhance relationship management. Empowerment contributes to institutional brand management through mid-manager training, information inclusion, diversity management through internal stakeholder sessions, the use of mediated communication embracing social media, intranet and website to sensitize institutional management and employees. Upcoming public universities, like organisations, are expected to survive and thrive, through strong corporate branding to counter progressive forces arising from global, curricular, policy, technological and generational transformations. The study recommends an internal communication policy and management practice for effective communication of institutional messages to enhance employee participation and empowerment to improve brand positioning during institutional transformation.

Efforts to improve the quality of small and microenterprises (SMEs) depend not only on the availability of internal resources but also on innovation and worldwide regulation dynamics. The triple helix concept has become an alternative solution for improving the quality of SMEs, which consists of academicians, governments, and businesses (SMEs). Muza is an SME that is being fostered by lecturers in the Faculty of Animal Science Universitas Brawijaya in Blitar District; this SME produces smoked salted eggs and has become one of the featured products based on Blitar's Service of Fishery and Livestock Department. The communication between the academician and the Muza Management-Government on the development program was implemented separately. This research aimed to develop development strategies to increase the quality of Muza smoked salted eggs. The research was conducted in Blitar District in July 2022. The research used an explanatory method to identify problems in the field and categorize the problems into groups using the SWOT method. SWOT components are formed using in-depth interviews with the planner and implementer of the strategy, which consists of five people. The subjects were given a closed questionnaire that consisted of SWOT components. The SWOT analysis results show that the total IFE score is 4 and the EFE score is 4.45. The IE matrix shows that the empowerment strategy is on the “V” cell, which has a "hold and maintain" strategy. Thus, the programs given were not efficient, and strategic planners need to focus on product quality improvement. The design of GMP and HACCP systems is strongly recommended.

3 WINS Fitness is a student-delivered free exercise program for the community delivered in public parks. We believe this program, which operates without external funding and has been sustained for 6 years, is one significant solution to reducing the level of physical inactivity in the United States. The operative 3 WINS in our program are participant health, community health, and student professional development. The primary focus has been underserved communities, and our current eight programs in Los Angeles, serve over 300 participants regularly. Three challenges to the program are student empowerment, faculty understanding and involvement, and establishing the relationship between university and parks, which represent a vital partnership. However, the accomplishment of undergraduate students having such a dynamic impact on public health underscores the need for encouraging this sustainable and innovative strategy to increase the physical activity levels of communities across America.

This study aims to describe strategies in developing the academic culture of FIP Students along with its supporting and inhibiting factors. The research method used is case study. The Research subjects include faculty and department leaders, lecturers, sub-academic staff, and students. Data collection is using interviews, observation, and documentation. Data were analyzed descriptively qualitative. The result of the research shows: 1) the strategy on improving the academic culture of the students is to budget funds for scientific activities, collaborating student activities with academic activities, provide motivation and empowerment to students, involve students in research activities and community service, conduct training on scientific writing programs and plagiarism prevention, engaging students in various scientific competition events, facilitating the formation of a student scientific community, developing academic networks with foreign universities through student exchange, intensifying academic awareness; 2) supporting factors on improving student academic culture is the amount of financial and non-financial support from the leadership and availability of supporting resources, while the inhibiting factors are the low motivation of students to follow scientific activities and too many non-scientific activities in the work of student organizations.

Since the transmission of arts education in the family is limited in Indonesia, the exploration of teaching strategy for community becomes imperative as a form of informal education. This article aims to report research results on the implementation of arts education in society through thematic community service program, namely Pos Pemberdayaan Keluarga (POSDAYA) or “family empowerment post.” This qualitative study used a project-based research method, which began by diagnosing the problems, creating a plan for activities, implementing the plan, and evaluating the results. Participants of this research were women and children from Bandung Barat Regency of West Java and students of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Data were collected from interviews, participant observation, and study documentation. The data were triangulated and interpreted. The research found a collaborative teaching strategy between students, advisors, and women who worked for POSDAYA to implement arts education for children through creating dances and musical dramas. The story in the drama contains moral values such as caring for others, appreciating one’s parents, tolerance, and environmental awareness. Implementation of arts education through the community service program conducted by students and or faculty members is beneficial to develop children’s creativity and character.

Maintenance of efficient, highly specialized, and valuable forces in the present age is one of the most important concerns of organizations, especially organizations with advanced technologies. The importance of human resources planning and management in these organizations has greatly increased, and in the various areas of human resource management, the approach to occupational anchor planning has been very much considered. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the job path anchors in human resource strategy among the target community. Participants were selected randomly from among 3500 students at the Faculty of Management of Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre Rey Branch, Islamic Azad University in Tehran Province, Iran. The sample size was 346 by the Cochran method and the questionnaire was collected by electronic means. At the time of the study, 346 questionnaires were completed and the analysis was performed based on 346 questionnaires. To collect data, standard job anchor questionnaires, and Human Resources Strategic HR Questionnaire was used. The study population included 346 people, of whom 203 were male and 143 were female. The age of the people below the age of 20 was 38, from 20 to 25 years old, 94, between the ages of 26 and 30, 60, people aged 31 to 35, and 76 people over the age of 35 years. The reliability of the work anchors was 91% and the human resources strategy questionnaire was 80%. Investigations have shown that, on the anchors of the career path, the factors of creativity - entrepreneurship, autonomy-independence, pure challenges and public management with a committed strategy and public management, creativity-entrepreneurship, security-stability in the strategy of contracting businesses and creativity - entrepreneurship, Pure challenges, security with secondary jobs, and creativityentrepreneurship, public management, pure challenges in parenting jobs. According to the results of this study, it seems that the emphasis on reducing organizational structures, empowerment, and participatory decision making can determine the necessary grounds for determining the type of human resources strategy in an organization.

Although many schools are equipped with the latest instructional technologies, multiple studies have indicated that more than half of the teachers equipped with computers only use them for administrative functions, and only half of their students report using technology more than once a week. Many faculty members lack the technological proficiency needed to take advantage of these new technologies, making them unable to bring these technologies into the classroom and leading to many standing unused in the classroom. This study analyzes teachers’ perceptions of technology use in the classroom by surveying those who participated in the TeachUp! technology empowerment program created and developed by Digital Opportunity Trust USA, Inc. (DOT USA). The results show that teachers who were part of DOT USA’s TeachUp! program perceived a significant increase in the areas of student engagement, student excitement, student acceleration of learning, and student proficiency with computer technology. The analysis has indicated that faculty members need not only to learn how to use technology at a basic level but also to learn how to integrate that technology into their curricula. In addition, newer teachers from digital native generations must be taught how their acquired skills can be used to integrate technology into the classroom curriculum to provide complex cognitive engagement for their students. It is essential that the role of the teacher as a professional in the classroom not be discounted when evaluating classroom curriculum development and strategy, including those that would integrate various technologies.

This study aims to explore the role of strategic quality in achieving organizational excellence. Through an examination of strategic quality with its dimensions encompassing collaborative management, employee empowerment, incentives and rewards, and job satisfaction, the study seeks to elucidate the impact of these dimensions on organizational excellence. Stemming from the primary problem of assessing the contribution and role of strategic quality dimensions in achieving organizational excellence, the scope of the study includes faculty members at the College of Administrative Technology, serving as the research sample. The researchers employed a questionnaire to assess the extent of the role's impact and comprehend its presence. Consequently, the study arrived at a set of conclusions summarizing the significance of strategic quality in attaining organizational excellence. The in-depth analysis of the dimensions of strategic quality reveals their substantial role in achieving organizational excellence. This conclusion underscores the importance of understanding and enhancing strategic quality dimensions as fundamental drivers for performance improvement and excellence within the organizational context. The researchers advocate the imperative activation and development of these dimensions as an effective strategy to enhance performance and achieve distinction in the organizational environment of the researched college.

This paper aims to analyze and discuss the implementation of innovative strategies in a public higher education institution in Indonesia. Analysis is undertaken by using Total Evaluation and Decision Square (TEDS) Method, which employs [a] Total Financial Management (TFM), [b] Total Content Management (TCM), [c] Total Process and Project Management (TPPM), and [d] Total Stakeholder Management (TSM) as the focus of analysis. The study is a qualitative study with the descriptive approach. Data and information were collected by using in-depth interview to the dean of the faculty and leaders of the department in the faculty as informants. Results of the interview were further analysed by using thematic analysis to get insights related to the topic of study. It can be inferred that the institution has already undertaken positive and beneficial innovation strategies. However, they are not effectively undertaken. This can be seen in the results of this study which show positive indicators in the parameters of Total Content Management (TCM), Total Process and Project Management (TPPM) and Total Stakeholder Management (TSM). The parameter of Total Financial Management (TFM), however, shows negative result in innovation strategy. The study reflects the actual condition of higher education institutions in Indonesia regarding institutional funding, and it further implies that the institution needs to be more innovative in finding suitable and reliable funding resources (apart from regular/yearly institutional budget as being provided by the Indonesian central government) to undertake its major tasks by law, which are [a] education, [b] research and development activities, as well as [c] the community development-empowerment activities. 
 Keywords— TEDS method; total content management; total financial management; total process and project management; total stakeholder management

The global health development community is increasingly examining the phenomenon of short-term experiences in global health (STEGH), with an aim to mitigate the negative impacts of such activities on host communities. Appropriate supervision is one strategy, but various barriers (e.g., institutional requirements) limit the availability of qualified supervisors. Remote supervision represents one potential model to provide supervision that may mitigate the negative impacts of STEGH. This paper reports observed outcomes from a description of a pilot remote supervision program employed in a global health program for Canadian undergraduate students. Benefits for learners included greater confidence and independence, greater perceived effectiveness in conducting their project abroad, and reassurance of remote support from their supervisor, supplemented with day-to-day guidance from the local partner. Host communities reported greater trust in the bidirectional nature of partnership with the visiting institution, empowerment through directing students’ work, and improved alignment of projects with community needs. Finally, faculty noted that remote supervision provided greater flexibility and freedom when compared to traditional in-person supervision, allowing them to maintain professional duties at home. Collectively, this pilot suggests that remote supervision demonstrates a potential solution to mitigating the harms of STEGHs undertaken by learners by providing adequate and appropriate remote supervision.

The paper addresses the foundations of governance and democracy by presenting an evidence informed strategy that supports the collection of new evidence through groundwork case studies delivered through a consortium of 11 HEIs in different nation states. The partners working with Senior Credentialed Educational Leaders in schools have developed research questions, addressed by applying A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE). This paper presents ABCDE as the strategy. Community members start to develop their sense making from observations to their beliefs (A-B) and from their beliefs to their methods (B-C). Community members can move from methods to developing hypotheses (C-D) to developing principles and theories-of-change (D-E). Community members apply ABCDE to develop confidence and trust in themselves and others in a process of becoming self-governing. ABCDE Empowers Young Societal Innovators for Equity and Renewal (EYSIER) by mobilising grass roots up theories-of-change with new partnerships brokered by ‘Professional Educators and Administrators’ Committees for Empowerment’ (PEACE). PEACE is brokered by cross faculty partnerships of HEIs that partner with private, public and third sectors of all spheres in the wider society to produce and exchange knowledge to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The paper identifies PEACE needs supporting by coherent policy to build trust in societal institutions within a social contract and embedded economy that socialises investment, risk and rewards. The consortium seeks funding to deliver ABCDE and mainstream it, brokered by HEIs as hubs, to achieve the SDGs and address violent extremism including Nigeria, Pakistan and the broader MENA region and the Balkans.Keyboard: Empowering Young Societal Innovators, Equity, Renewal, ABCDE

Purpose: This study aimed to look into opportunities for implementing green campuse on education and research pillars at edupark to become Edutourism in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Science, Sriwijaya University (FKIP Unsri). Theoretical framework: Educational tourism knowns as Edutourism provides combination between travel and educational material which focuses on learning through experience. It is a general term used by schools and other educational institutions, like colleges and universities to involve students and communities for learning based on nonformal situation in Edupark around them. Previous studies showed the potential and benefits of an area that can be used for educational tourism and tourist visits for educational activities, training, empowerment programs, research, laboratory studies, and higher education programs. Edutourism programs have shown to help students and communities learn better and get along better with others. Methodology: This study implemented a descriptive design and content analysis to develop SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis. This study involved 44 FKIP Unsri lecturers as participants by using a questionnaire for data collection. Findings: Based on the SWOT analysis, it was determined how critical it is to have a sufficient number of education centers in the Edupark area, as well as a sufficient number of study programs preparing educators and a sufficient number of education centers in the Edupark area to meet the needs of the visitors. Research, Practical & Social implications: Future studies should focus on management and development of Edupark for each faculty in Sriwijaya University. It is important to create teaching-learning situation by loving nature and building good interaction among lecturers, students and communities. Originality and Value: A green campus is a part of becoming a sustainable higher education institution. As part of a green campus, the Edupark of the FKIP Unsri provides a space for activities based on the pillars of education and research. The support in the form of the commitment of faculty leaders and the motivation and socialization that have been carried out for the use of the FKIP Unsri edupark have made lecturers use edupark for research and teaching students.

Information literacy is one part of community empowerment activities, especially in the information field. Information literacy is the ability to search, evaluate, and use information needed effectively. Basically information literacy is not a new ability or skill, but in the era of information disclosure, information literacy is a must-have skill requirement. The problems faced today, there is still an imbalance between the pace of information available and the level of agricultural information literacy at the farm level. The development of agricultural information through the internet has led to cyber extensions, information is available quickly and varied, but not all farmers are able to access and use it. The Faculty of Agriculture UGM has developed an application with the name DesaApps. DesaApps stands for Digital Extension Society for Agriculture Application which aims to be an application platform that provides agricultural counseling and develops a digital farming community. The existence of DesaApps can be useful for users of the application to provide information to one another, interact and transact in agriculture. The features in the DesaApps application consist of Frequently Asked Questions, Articles, Price Information, Farm Notes, Weather Information. Shop Information, Office Information, and Selling Items. Utilization of the features provided by Desa Apps provides an opportunity for farmers to obtain the information needed, as well as a means of improving the skills of managing information obtained. Therefore, the presence of Desa Apps empowers farmers to be independently informed. However, the performance of Desa Apps as one of the sources of information still needs to be improved. In order to be able to optimize the use of Village Apps, the utilization strategy is to improve application performance, promote and promote Village Apps, responsiveness of experts, and optimize the use of Desa Apps as a marketing place.

Employee retention is a critical component of an organization's broader talent management strategy and is vital to any organization's stability, growth, and profitability. However, retaining high-performing employees is a challenging task, especially for higher educational institutions, as high turnover intentions result in increased costs associated with induction and training new staff, loss of research outputs and subsequent organizational productivity, and decreased teaching quality. Private universities are essential for meeting the demand of tertiary education and for expanding this sector in Bangladesh. Yet, these institutions are often accused of high staff turnover which affects their educational quality and moral strength. This study aims to understand and identify the factors that influence employee retention in private universities in Bangladesh. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory guided the literature review in identifying and synthesizing the diverse factors affecting employee retention in higher education institutions. To validate the thesis, eighty-two academic staff from ten private universities in Bangladesh were surveyed using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale. Exploratory factor analysis categorizes diverse variables into four main groups. Although the hygiene factors (extrinsic reward and recognition) were found to be the most important, the study revealed that all the remaining three factors (perceived empowerment, work-life balance, and sense of belonging) serve as motivators for academic staff to stay committed to their institution. Thus, the study sheds light on areas where administrators of private universities can focus their efforts to reduce faculty member turnover.

Employee retention is a critical component of an organization's broader talent management strategy and is vital to any organization's stability, growth, and profitability. However, retaining high-performing employees is a challenging task, especially for higher educational institutions, as high turnover intentions result in increased costs associated with induction and training new staff, loss of research outputs and subsequent organizational productivity, and decreased teaching quality. Private universities are essential for meeting the demand of tertiary education and for expanding this sector in Bangladesh. Yet, these institutions are often accused of high staff turnover which affects their educational quality and moral strength. This study aims to understand and identify the factors that influence employee retention in private universities in Bangladesh. Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory guided the literature review in identifying and synthesizing the diverse factors affecting employee retention in higher education institutions. To validate the thesis, eighty-two academic staff from ten private universities in Bangladesh were surveyed using a structured questionnaire with a Likert scale. Exploratory factor analysis categorizes diverse variables into four main groups. Although the hygiene factors (extrinsic reward and recognition) were found to be the most important, the study revealed that all the remaining three factors (perceived empowerment, work-life balance, and sense of belonging) serve as motivators for academic staff to stay committed to their institution. Thus, the study sheds light on areas where administrators of private universities can focus their efforts to reduce faculty member turnover

This article provides a comprehensive examination of student-centered learning (SCL) in Sri Lanka's state tertiary education sector, focusing on its socio-cultural influences. The study explores the intricate relationship between pedagogical methods and societal dynamics, highlighting how SCL enhances student engagement and independent thinking. Using a literature review of theoretical frameworks and empirical studies, this paper delves into the complex interplay between SCL and socio-cultural factors, including cultural values, social norms, and educational traditions unique to Sri Lanka. The research investigates the impact of SCL on key stakeholders and analyses various aspects of SCL, considering its principles, practices, and outcomes. It also addresses how these align with traditional Sri Lankan values, such as respect for authority, collectivism, and communal harmony, which have historically influenced education in the country. This paper emphasises the need for a pedagogical shift and concrete action plans. It advocates for faculty development programmes and institutional support to effectively implement SCL in Sri Lankan state universities. Additionally, the study anticipates and addresses potential challenges in adopting this modern learning approach in Sri Lanka.The findings have practical implications for policymakers, educational institutions, and educators. They highlight the importance of considering support mechanisms, curriculum design, teacher training, and cultural sensitivities to promote student engagement, empowerment, and holistic development in Sri Lanka's educational landscape.

Industry 4.0 covers the readiness of achieving expertise that impacts the society, strategy, talent and technology. Individual, social and economic demands pose ever-changing challenges for education and training even in today’s world. In spite of the shrinking rapidity, which progressively affects the cognitive, biological, and information offerings into the new insights on people learning, for an effective reformation to an even more miniature of scientific and technological connect, ultimately on the knowledge content. Today’s students will compete in a technological, diverse, multi-cultural world and must be prepared to thrive in that futuristic environment; therefore, it is vital that today’s pedagogy produce lifelong learners, who can succeed in a global arena. To ensure our educational technology progresses at the rate demanded by today’s ubiquitous digital learners, we are reviewing emerging technologies and traditional teaching methods and propose desirable changes. Further enhancement in student learning and outcomes through technology enabled learning builds alliances among institutional units, employers, community partners and provides the effective delivery of learning services and opportunities to students. Technology depends on the cleverness and the innovative application of theoretical tools from control and estimation for scalability through hierarchy and multi-modality. Educational technology enhances the learning experience for students, faculty, the university and community at large. Hence, to develop a richer context for student learning, covering societal inadequacies, injustices in empowerment to learning access among students, cross-cultural involvements, and opportunity to learn, we deliberate on the latest trends in pedagogy - intelligent tutoring systems and ICT integration that can be modified during their implementation to suit future needs for industry 4.0 requirements.

Backgroun/rationale: Adults with physical disabilities are an underserved population among Americans who participate in adaptive shooting sports. A basic rifle marksmanship clinic has potential to promote a low impact outdoor physical activity for adults with physical disabilities as leisure skill development.Methods: This grant-funded service project of a therapeutic recreation (TR) graduate student utilized program design and evaluation. The specific program design included best practices for teaching basic rifle marksmanship and measured participants’ performance outcomes related to shooting skills and knowledge. A half-day rifle marksmanship clinic was conducted as a university-funded community service grant which provided rifle instructor certification, ammunition and supplies. The clinic was a collaboration between physical therapy (PT) and TR faculty and PT, OT, and TR majors.Results: All participants gained shooting knowledge and skill through this program. A shooting clinic format with classroom instruction followed by practice on a live firing range was effective. The use of a leisure partner for each participant helped sustain interest and continued support to develop skill after the clinic. Doing an in-home exercise program prior to the clinic reduced muscle soreness from the intensity of target practice in a clinic format.Conclusions: TR specialists may promote shooting sports as treatment for functional improvement or as leisure skill development. They may collaborate with physical and occupational therapy to emphasize psychosocial aspects of shooting sports.Recommendations: Shooting skills instructors could expand live fire training time at clinics, start training with virtual shooting or air or laser rifles to assess participant readiness, promote inclusive practice specific to shooting sports, and apply empowerment evaluation as a signature program strategy.

Objective: To explore the perception of undergraduate students from a group of the Chemistry faculty regarding plagiarism, cyberplagiarism and their relationship with information sources. Theoretical Framework: Although the criminal code in Mexico indicates that plagiarism is a crime, there is evidence of it being a frequent event, we do not know the perception that undergraduate students have in relation to plagiarism, which is why it is necessary to investigate it. Method: Students from the Bachelor of Pharmacobiology and Chemistry participated voluntarily, and signed the informed consent. Participants were asked to write in free format what plagiarism/cyberplagiarism is and its relationship with information sources. Each document was then analyzed, identifying the terms used to consult their meaning in the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy and their representation was developed. Results and Discussion: Students have different perceptions of what plagiarism is, from “carelessness” to “crime”, and only 40% of participants completed the work by identifying the relationship between Plagiarism and the Information Sources session. Implications of the research: The findings allow us to detect a need: to incorporate the topic of plagiarism into the program of each subject. This will allow students to be aware that plagiarism has consequences that can affect their future. Enabling students not to resort to plagiarism is a strengthening strategy that also contributes to the cognitive process of students. Originality/Value: This study provides, in the first instance, the perception of plagiarism among undergraduate students and detects a heterogeneity in its meaning and consequences. We propose active, teacher-led empowerment to learn how to manage time, prioritize activities, and collaborate with peers to counteract this crime.

The findings of this study are crucial, as they might potentially be used as a foundation for creating educational curricula in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for the K–12 STEM education. The research emphasizes the significance of customizing ICT program planning to address the different perspectives and challenges faced by various stakeholders in ICT curricular offerings in the K–12 STEM education. Curriculum specialists, school administrators, faculty members, and students all have similar viewpoints when it comes to the ICT curriculum offerings. The study has developed two separate concepts for the suggested inputs to develop a comprehensive framework for ICT program planning. The inputs included identifying the problem, sorting the parts into groups, defining the program’s inputs, setting goals and objectives, figuring out what the expected program outcomes would be, making an effective implementation strategy, figuring out who the key stakeholders were, deciding how long the program would last, setting up a strong monitoring and evaluation system, and getting the money that was needed. Furthermore, the school’s evaluation of effectiveness, as measured by students’ accomplishments in MIL (Media and Information Literacy) and EMPTECH (Empowerment Technology), demonstrates notable achievement in imparting knowledge and skills in these disciplines. The correlation analysis between the evaluation of knowledge and abilities and the effectiveness level of the school yields interesting results, highlighting a positive correlation between evaluation scores and students’ General Weighted Average (GWA). The study provides valuable insights into the problems and difficulties encountered by participants in ICT curriculum offerings in K–12 STEM. The respondents generally have a positive perception of the ICT curricular offerings, with little variation identified across different stakeholder groups. These findings offer a comprehensive framework for program planners, educators, and policymakers seeking to enhance ICT programs in K–12 STEM education. The study emphasizes the significance of tailored approaches and ongoing assessment in meeting the diverse needs of individuals engaged in K–12 STEM ICT education. As a result, this finally leads to the development of ICT programs that are more efficient and adaptive.

<p><strong>RESUMEN </strong></p><p>Este reporte evidencia el trabajo dentro de un proceso de formación, y se alcanza con el propósito de dar cuenta y describir el proceso pedagógico y vivencial en las jornadas de trabajo en la etapa de inducción a directivos de las Instituciones Educativas Públicas de Educación Básica y Técnico Productiva de la Región Puno; específicamente el vivenciado con los Directores y Subdirectores del aula 7B en la Sede Juliaca. Donde la observación directa y la interactividad, permitieron sistematizar este trabajo, mostrando un proceso que buscó facilitar el entendimiento del nuevo rol del directivo en las Instituciones Educativas basados en un liderazgo pedagógico que les permitirá empoderamiento desde una gestión administrativa hacia una gestión pedagógica, con un plan de trabajo anual que busque la implementación de compromisos e indicadores de gestión escolar utilizando aplicativos informáticos. Este proceso se dio en el marco del programa nacional de formación y capacitación de directores y subdirectores de Instituciones Educativas, iniciándose en enero 2015, en la etapa de inducción. Del convenio de cooperación interinstitucional entre el Ministerio de Educación, fue la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Nacional del Altiplano-Puno la entidad formadora encargada de la planificación, organización, ejecución, y evaluación de la etapa de inducción. Esta etapa tuvo una duración de 120 horas, ejecutados a través de tres módulos de aprendizaje presenciales, para posteriormente realizar la estrategia de soporte pedagógico para el nivel primario y el de jornada escolar completa para secundaria, entre otros, hasta completar 152 horas.</p><br /><strong> </strong><p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p>This report show work within a training process, and it reached for the purpose of accounting and describe the educational and experiential process of working days in the induction stage directors of public educational institutions Education Basic and Productive Technical Puno region; specifically experienced with the Directors and deputy Directors 7B classroom at headquarters Juliaca. Where direct observation and interactivity, allowed to systematize this work, showing a process that sought to facilitate the understanding of the new role of the directors at educational institutions based on a pedagogical leadership allowing them empowerment from an administrative management towards pedagogical management, with an annual work plan that seeks the implementation of commitments and indicators of school management using computer applications. This process took place under the national program for training of directors and deputy directors of educational institutions, beginning in January 2015, in the induction stage. The interagency cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Education, was the Faculty of Education at the National University of Altiplano-Puno entity responsible for the planning, organization, implementation, and evaluation of the induction stage. This stage lasted 120 hours, executed through three modules of classroom learning, later to make pedagogical support strategy for the primary level and the full school day to school, among others, to complete 152 hours.<strong></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic, progressive red blood cell disorder affecting millions globally. Inequities in determinants of health, stigma, and poor preparation for transition from pediatric to adult-centric care contribute to health disparities among young adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD). Through co-design, young adults can engage in conversations and action to combat negative discourse and co-develop interventions that close the health equity gap in minoritized communities. When using co-design as an approach, end-users, community stakeholders, designers, and other relevant parties are involved as partners from conception to evaluation and beyond. The co-design technique includes stakeholder groups at the center of the design process to identify solutions that address their needs. Strategies are developed in alignment with the needs and priorities of the community. Aims The aim for this research was to describe the application of co-design principles in the concept, design, and development for The POSSE Project (Purpose, Opportunity, Support, Scientific Discovery, Empowerment). The POSSE Project is a co-design partnership bringing together key stakeholders to generate community-driven solutions to advance health equity and support young adults living and thriving with SCD. Strategies used to engage diverse stakeholders are described. Methods Using a Co-Design approach, young adults, parents of young adults, health care providers, and advocates participated in community advisory board meetings. The advisory board consisted of 10-12 members from January 2022 to June 2023 to discuss the content and structure of The POSSE Project. A second group of community stakeholders included a parent of a young adult living with SCD, an adult who lives with SCD, and two nurse faculty members, also met during this time to specifically discuss the concept, design, and development of the simulation scenarios. Summaries from the meetings were shared with both the advisory board and the second group of community stakeholders. Results In community advisory board and community stakeholder simulation meetings, participants identified challenges that are unique for young adults living with SCD including (1) their experience in an emergency department during a pain crisis, (2) their transition from high school to college, and (3) their desire to experience a social life that is uninterrupted by a pain crisis or hospitalization. The content and structure of the simulation scenarios were discussed. During the pilot intervention, one simulation episode with discussion questions was created. During the full-scale implementation, episode one was used as a foundation to design and develop a total of three episodes, each with two scenes. Young adults further emphasized the need for simulated scenarios to generate conversations among the sickle cell and health provider communities to positively impact communications and health outcomes. Conclusion Using Co-Design as a strategy, community stakeholders engaged in dialogues about the experiences of young adults living with SCD. Future research is needed to elicit the perspectives of young adults and community stakeholders about innovative solutions to advance health equity. Furthermore, promoting health care providers' allyship in eliminating health disparities warrants using simulation.

Paralegals play a crucial role in providing access to justice, particularly in legal aid provision and legal empowerment for communities. In this context, the role of paralegals is essential in bridging the gap in legal access, especially in areas that lack sufficient numbers of advocates. Bubalango Village in Sumalata District, North Gorontalo Regency, faces limitations in access to information and legal understanding, which hinders the community from obtaining the legal assistance they need. Therefore, the Faculty of Law at the University of Gorontalo organized a paralegal training program to enhance the community’s capacity in providing basic legal aid, educating citizens about their rights, and strengthening networking and partnerships with legal institutions and the government. The training includes topics on the Indonesian legal system, citizens' rights, paralegal ethics, and practical skills in drafting legal documents and mediation. It is hoped that this training will strengthen access to justice and build a more inclusive legal system at the village level

Purpose Business schools are becoming invaluable platforms linking academia, business and industry. The constantly changing nature of markets requires a continuous and iterative dialog between business schools and other constituents including the government, the private sector and the civil society to guarantee that business and management education is catering for local and global market needs. The purpose of this paper is to address the growing role of business schools in transforming the society, building on the experience of the school of business of the American University in Cairo, and its impact in preparing the business leaders and entrepreneurs who can make a difference in society through rigorous and adaptive business and management education while addressing the elements of governance, accreditation, internationalization, and relevance, creativity and innovation in research. Design/methodology/approach In this study, desk research is coupled with sharing of the development of the accreditation journey of American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business and the lessons learned over the last 15 years. Findings While undergoing multiple accreditations, the school should effectively and efficiently manage the timeline, otherwise the maintenance of all accreditations could end up in one year, and that could be really challenging, a situation faced by the school during the academic year 2016–2017. While having a task force or a committee is mandatory, for the long-term development and sustainability of a continuous improvement culture, an office for academic assessment and accreditation is a must. For the school, the office helps create and embed the culture that accreditation is a journey and not a destination. Accreditation as a process should involve all school stakeholders on and off campus including faculty, staff, students, alumni, advisory boards, employers and the university administration; they should all be engaged and their buy-in through creating a sense of ownership and empowerment is invaluable. Throughout the accreditation journey, nothing is more important than communication, a school can never have enough of it. While the accreditation process needs a strong, transparent, effective leadership style, a bottom-up approach aligning and motivating the school’s different constituents is essential. For accreditation and continuous improvement to be sustainable, it should be driven and guided by a unified school-wide strategy addressing and catering to its different objectives. Accreditation is all about an invaluable triangle of building blocks, including an informed human capital, a respected and well-thought process and a timely, accurate and efficient wealth of data and knowledge about the school. Research limitations/implications The limitations are primarily the focus on the case of Egypt and AUC School of Business. Obviously, there is no one size that fits all, but there are lessons learned that could be replicated and tested in business schools located in similar environments. Practical implications The study presents the experience of the governance model at AUC School of Business with both internal council of the school of business and external board of advisors. Social implications The study presents the implications of the school on the society and the role, directions, guidelines that accreditation and continuous improvement introduce to the curriculum. Originality/value Historical background of business and management education at large in Egypt and Middle East North Africa is coupled with the overview of the school of business, sharing the challenges and opportunities of accreditation and continuous improvement.

The higher education (HE) landscape in Pakistan has undergone substantial growth, marked by the establishment of numerous universities and a growing student population. However, this expansion has brought forth a diverse array of challenges that necessitate effective leadership practices to unlock the sector's full potential. This article comprehensively explores the multifaceted challenges confronted by leaders within Pakistan's HE system and presents a strategic roadmap for their resolution. Through a rigorous analysis of the literature, the study identifies challenges, including bureaucratic constraints, financial limitations, governance issues, faculty empowerment, quality assurance, political interference, technology integration, brain drain, gender inequality, and research funding. By addressing these challenges, the study proposes a series of strategic pathways that capitalize on established research and expertise. This study aims to contribute to the discourse on higher education leadership and advocates for transformative approaches that foster innovation, excellence, and progress within Pakistan's HE landscape.

Introduction: The present study aimed to develop an empowerment course based on project-based learning to enhance scholar skills of faculty members.
 Methods: The program was developed in 4 steps consisted of problem identifications and needs assessment, identifying the goals and objectives, definition of teaching-learning and assessment methods. In the present study, the Delphi technique was applied to assess the needs in the viewpoints of different stakeholders. In addition, we reviewed the literature and documents related to the role of scholar among teachers in Universities of Medical Sciences. The results of the need assessment presented in expert panel. The faculty development program finalized based on project-based learning approach through consensus of the participants.
 Result: In the present study, 12 competencies of scholarship developed. The empowerment program was designed according to the project-based learning approach. The program included targeting for learning and preparations, searching for defining a problem and designing a question, guiding inquiry for learning and solving problem, analyzing data, reflection as well as the feedback seeking.
 Conclusion: The faculty empowerment program can provide situations to achieve the educational scholarship goals through applying the knowledge to the real educational environment. The future studies are recommended to assess the effect of the programs for the faculty competencies and improvement of educational programs in systems.

Introduction: The purpose of present study was to analyze the content of domestic and foreign articles in the field of mentoring faculty members to provide a model for promoting the human capital of faculty members in medical universities.
 Methods: This research has been compiled by a synthesis research review (Meta-synthesis strategy). Therefore, after designing the research questions (what are the main components of the faculty mentoring model? What are the factors influencing the faculty mentoring model? What are the main characteristics of mentoring and mentoring faculty members? What are the faculty mentoring challenges? Systematic search of articles in time period (1390-1399) (2000-2020) in Persian and English in Magiran databases, SID; Human, Noormags, ScienceDirect, Eric, Sage with the keywords of "Mentoring Faculty Members" and "Mentoring in Higher Education". Consequently, out of 73 researches, 38 researches acquired the final analysis. 
 Result: Findings in response to the first question, with 5 sub-categories (regular prior planning, preparation, correct implementation, systematic feedback and results management), in response to the second question, in 3 sub-categories (incentive capacity development, effective cooperation, interests and expectations) Mentor and Menti), in response to the third question, with 3 secondary sub-categories (Menti personality traits, Menti specialized traits and Menti cognitive traits) and Mentor faculty members, including 5 traits (Mentor personality traits, Mentor specialized traits, counseling services, empowerment research and educational empowerment) were classified. In response to the fourth question, they were categorized into 6 sub-categories (inappropriate interactions, weak mental performance, weak mental performance, unfamiliarity with academic norms, inefficient management, lack of planning).
 Conclusion: Considering the importance of Mentoring programs in the development of human capital of faculty members of medical universities, the identified components should be considered by the managers of the higher education system to improve the performance of faculty members.

Research universities worldwide have been taking reform actions to enhance their competitiveness in the global higher education market; however, the implementation of new initiatives may lead to challenges for university leadership. Faculty resistance is regarded as one of the most common obstacles faced by university leaders. Taking a qualitative approach based on Kotter’s leading change model, this study adopts École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne as a case study to explore change management strategies adopted by university leadership in an attempt to ensure a planned transformational change. By analysing 22 interviews with university administrators and faculty members, this study reveals that the president of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne managed changes through approaches that included vision creation, coalition formation, communication, faculty empowerment and culture consolidation. Additionally, the study shows that Kotter’s change model, which was designed for business organizations, could not be applied to the analysis of the change management process in the context of higher education without modifications due to institutional and cultural differences.

PurposeDrawing upon social exchange theory and self-determination theory (SDT), this study investigates the influence of psychological empowerment (PE) on innovative work behavior (IWB) among faculty members in Iraqi institutions of higher education. Additionally, this study aims to explore the role of inclusive leadership (IL) as a mediator between PE and IWB. Academic institutions are vital contributors to economic expansion through their research and the development of highly qualified graduate employees.Design/methodology/approachTo test the developed hypotheses, a quantitative approach was used with structural equation modeling via partial least squares (PLS-SEM) and bootstrapping estimation. The analysis was conducted using 497 responses.FindingsThe results of this study demonstrate that PE has a positive impact on IWB among faculty members. Furthermore, IL mediates the relationship between PE and IWB.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the significance of IL in encouraging employee participation in organizational change. The findings also suggest that IL plays a crucial mediating role in the relationship between PE and IWB among faculty members in Iraqi institutions of higher education.

The present work aims to show a strategy aimed at strengthening the academic staff through the creation of collegiate work groups which in the Mexican context are called Academic Corps (CA); the foregoing based on its strategic planning, collegiate work, relevance of the members of the CA, as well as the impact of its Lines of Generation and Application of Knowledge (LGAC) in the Educational Programs of the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, for which which proposes an academic-administrative structure that favors institutional achievements through the elevation of its indicators, where in the first instance a detailed analytical method of how many full-time professors participate in CA and the description of their LGAC, historical of academic corps by educational program and in what degree of consolidation they are found, in conclusion, different strategies were implemented promoting the increase of consolidated and consolidating academic corps , and their dissemination through means of recognized prestige at national and international level, combined to the degree of empowerment of its members, evidence of joint work and integration ration of thematic networks of collaboration.

Abstract Background Having the ability of managing obstetric emergencies is the necessary capability for providing care during labor and delivery.Simulation is considered to be a valuable strategy for empowering midwifery students in managing emergencies. So, this study was conducted to determine the structural empowerment of midwifery students following the simulation-based training of management of midwifery emergencies. Methods This semi-experimental research was conducted from August 2017 to June 2019 in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan, Iran. 42 subjects of the third-year midwifery students were included in the study through convenience sampling method (n = 22 in the intervention group, n = 20 in the control group). Six simulation-based educational sessions were considered for the intervention group. Conditions for Learning Effectiveness Questionnaire, was used at the beginning of the study, one week after it and one year later. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results In the intervention group, the significant difference was observed between the mean score of the students’ structural empowerment before and after the intervention (MD=-28.41, SD = 3.25) (p < 0.001), before and one year after the study (MD=-12.45, SD = 3.47) (p = 0.003), and immediately after and one year after the study (MD = 15.95,SD = 3.67) (p < 0.001). In the control group, no significant difference was observed. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the mean score of the students’ structural empowerment in the control and intervention groups (MD = 2.89, SD = 3.50) (p = 0.415); but, immediately after the intervention, the mean score of structural empowerment in the students of the intervention group was significantly higher than those of the control group (MD = 25.40, SD = 4.94 ) (p < 0.001). One year after the study, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean score of the structural empowerment (MD = 6.89, SD = 3.58 ) (p = 0.061). Conclusion Simulation contributed to the structural empowerment of midwifery students by providing the opportunity for personal and professional growth and strengthening of the formal and informal power in the area of midwifery emergency management but these benefits were not seen at one year.

Abstract With 14 million Ukrainians in need of psychological aid (UNDP) and a strained health system, UA urgently requires mental health and psychological support services (MHPSS). As a TA partner on the USAID funded Public Health System Recovery and Resilience project in UA, the Philadelphia (PHL) team supports capacity building for population-based MHPSS at the community level with a study tour strategy. Such approaches apply to other countries interested in remodeling public health systems. The strategy aims to advance community based MHPSS through in person tours in PHL with remote follow up to stimulate vision, exchange ideas and accelerate action among governmental, community, and academic partners. The study tours presented overviews on health policy, system development, program services delivered to children and adults, community interventions, and workforce development of professionals and paraprofessionals. All included the foundational principles of trauma-informed practice. The June 2023 tour hosted 11 decision makers and regional officials who embraced the vision for system development and endorsed further engagement. The December 2023 tour hosted 13 practitioners and coordinators of health and social services to observe community programs. Results include development of PHL NGOs and UA social service hub partnerships to implement train the trainer programs for peers/people with lived experience and for mural arts programs to promote community engagement and empowerment. The September 2024 tour involves university partners from nursing, social work and psychology and PHL counterparts to strengthen curricula to include mental health competencies, support faculty development with potential for collaborative research and student exchange, and design post-graduate continuing education courses for upskilling the incumbent workforce. Study tours and direct exchange are an effective strategy for capacity building for MHPSS in Ukraine to address population health needs. Key messages • The sequenced study tour strategy affects distinct levels of change makers in UA. The results are governmental buy-in, partnerships for programmatic development, and academic advancement. • The study tour model promotes systematic change and offers solutions to MHPSS workforce shortages through information exchange, relationship building, and capacity development.

Empowerment of wheat genotypes by application of growth regulators, compatible solutes and plant extracts under water restriction is an important strategy for getting sustainable yield. Field trail was performed at the research area of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. Three wheat cultivars Aas-2011, Faisalabad- 2008 and Triple dwarf-1 were subjected to drought stress (skipping the irrigation at grain filling stage). The wheat genotypes were subjected to treatments viz., T1 i.e. All normal irrigation without application of abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), moringa (MLE) and mulberry leaf water extract (MBLE), T2­ i.e. skipping the irrigation at grain filling stage and application of 2µM ABA, T3 i.e. skipping the irrigation at grain filling stage and application of 10 m mol SA, T4 i.e. skipping the irrigation at grain filling stage and application of 15% MLE and T5 i.e. skipping the irrigation at grain filling stage and application of 10% MBLE. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with factorial arrangement and repeated three times. From this study it is concluded that Aas-2011 shown best result under drought condition by applying growth regulators and plant water extracts.
 rs and plant water extracts.

Currently, digital business laboratories are one of the most important tools for student skills in university business. However, based on initial searches, a digital business laboratory has yet to be found within the State Islamic Universities (PTKIN). This research aims to analyze the digital business laboratory development model at PTKIN. This research uses research and development methods with a qualitative-comparative approach. This research concludes that this digital business laboratory plays a role in forming Bachelor of Economics who are adaptive, creative, and have strong digital business skills. Not only that, but digital business laboratories must uphold the function of higher education. The development and management of such a complex laboratory ultimately produces output and outcomes for students and the community, government, and stakeholders involved in laboratory operations. Mono-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multi-disciplinary approaches are alternative development patterns to equip students with excellent knowledge and skills. Through this strategy, a digital business laboratory development model was created by carrying out three programs, namely the internship program, partnership program, and empowerment program. Thus, this research is expected to contribute fully to advancing students, universities, government, and society.

Purpose This paper aims to improve the understanding of student readiness for universal design for learning (UDL), thereby reducing a barrier to its adoption by management faculty. It explores how students’ personality (conscientiousness and openness to experience) affects their readiness to embrace UDL and investigate how that relationship is mediated by self-directed learning (SDL). Design/methodology/approach Analysis uses survey data from students in management courses. From these data are created multi-item constructs and control variables. A mediated regression model that uses bootstrapping to estimate parameters and standard errors generates the results. Findings The findings were that SDL is strongly related to student readiness for UDL and that SDL fully mediates the relationship between conscientiousness and UDL. Openness to experience, however, directly relates to UDL without any mediation. Research limitations/implications This research applies only to one institution and two management courses. The methodology used in this study is limited to one part of the UDL model, which is a measure of student readiness to engage in choice. Future research can extend this model to other courses and institutions and other parts of the UDL model. Practical implications These findings provide insight into the student characteristics that enable them to gain empowerment and motivation from the UDL approach. Implementation of UDL in management education may require learning management strategies that accommodate student readiness for UDL. This study makes progress in identifying student characteristics that explain this readiness. Social implications UDL can improve management education by making it more accessible to students with different personalities and learning styles. Originality/value This study developed a method for analyzing the applicability of UDL in management education. It also devised and implemented a new survey measure for student readiness for UDL.

Background and purposeResponding to COVID-19-induced disruptions to traditional teaching methodologies, and considering the relevance of narratives among indigenous populations, “storytelling as pedagogy” was developed and implemented in the undergraduate Global Health course in a Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI) in Colorado.MethodsWe describe the evolving pedagogic adjustments and storytelling strategies incorporated into the global health course from Fall 2019 to Spring 2023. This entailed before the COVID-19 in-person format, online digital storytelling during the pandemic emergency, the HyFlex and hybrid classes with the emergence of “new normals,” and finally the gradual move to in-person classes. The story arc in the course included the following: (1) Course learning outcomes revisited and the course syllabus language framed based on the native philosophies of empowerment education and experiential learning, (2) students’ inputs sought to incorporate socioculturally responsive topics in the course syllabus (e.g., dental health disparities among indigenous populations), (3) strategic and non-threatening shifts such as “no textbooks” and “no finals” introduced, (4) global health thought partners invited by the course instructor and coached to use story-based teaching methods, (5) use of first-person trauma-informed storytelling methods to teach specific global health topics, and (6) students undertook gratitude journaling, a scaffolding exercise of writing letters on global health topics to global health thought partners.ResultsStorytelling as pedagogy was most effective in the in-person format, while digital storytelling during the COVID-19-induced online classes was extremely challenging considering the stark digital divide in the Navajo Nation. First-person, trauma-informed storytelling is a helpful approach to discuss insider–outsider perspectives and can potentially establish sustainable trustworthy relationships among the students, instructor, and global health thought leaders. Gratitude journaling and photovoice can be tweaked as powerful storytelling methods to build students’ interaction-based critical thinking, intercultural humility, and professional networking.ConclusionMapping storytelling pedagogies’ best practices can be useful in developing a granulated understanding of this strategy and utilizing them across diverse disciplines in higher education. Faculty capacity building is recommended to enable the former to conceptualize culturally responsive storytelling pedagogies and create assessment plans to assess students’ learning outcomes through the utilization of this method.

<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>Since the mid 1980’s, reflective practice has become formally acknowledged and adopted as a key strategy for learning and has become one of the cornerstones of medical education for doctors, nurses, and many of the allied healthcare professions. In the education of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners in Ireland, it is only in the last decade that the notion of reflective practice has been tentatively approached. Indeed until recently it has largely been ignored by practitioners and educators alike, who have been slow to engage with this new way of learning. This paper explores the attitudes of practitioners to the use of a reflective discussion forum to encourage and support reflection and reflective practice among pre-hospital emergency care practitioners in Ireland. It also examines the experiences of practitioners who participated in a collaborative reflective discussion forum.</p><p><strong>Literature</strong></p><p>The research was informed by reviewing literature from a number of areas including: Adult Learning, Reflective Practice, Educational Research directly relating to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and EMS & Nursing Journals and publications.</p><p><strong>Methodologies</strong></p><p>This paper is part of a larger project which consisted of three cycles of action research. Data was collected via an online survey questionnaire, and by conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with participants in the reflective discussion forum. These included all three clinical levels of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners and the three hierarchical levels within the organisation.</p><p><strong>Findings</strong></p><p>The collaborative reflective discussion forum was found to be beneficial. Among the benefits cited were, the opportunity to draw on the experience of more experienced colleagues, the development of critical thinking skills, and the potential for use as part of a mentoring process. It was also felt that the collaborative nature of the forum had the potential to improve workplace relationships through the empowerment of the staff. Concerns were raised regarding the potential for abuse and misuse, particularly in relation to the areas of patient confidentiality and a lack of trust within organisations.</p><p><strong>Recommendations</strong></p><p>The establishment of a regular Reflective Discussion Forum within organisations as a key learning strategy. Any collaborative forum must be chaired by a trusted, experienced and highly skilled facilitator. A learning contract for all participants and faculty, including a confidentiality agreement, must be in place prior to the establishment of any collaborative forum.</p>

IntroductionThis article addresses the experience of designing and conducting life-writing workshops for a group of clients with severe mental illness; the aim of this pilot study was to begin to determine whether such writing about the self can aid in individual ‘recovery’, as that term is understood by contemporary health professionals. A considerable amount has been written about the potential of creative writing in mental health therapy; the authors of this article provide a brief summary of that literature, then of the concept of ‘recovery’ in a psychology and arts therapy context. There follows a first-hand account by one of the authors of being an arts therapy workshop facilitator in the role of a creative practitioner. This occurred in consultation with, and monitored by, experienced mental health professionals. Life-Writing as ‘Therapeutic’ Life-story or life-writing can be understood in this context as involving more than disclosure or oral expression of a subject’s ‘story’ as in psycho-therapy – life-story is understood as a written, structured narrative. In 2001, Wright and Chung published a review of the literature in which they claimed that writing therapy had been “restimulated by the development of narrative approaches” (278). Pennebaker argues that “catharsis or the venting of emotions” without “cognitive processing” has little therapeutic value and people need to “build a coherent narrative that explains some past experience” in order to benefit from writing” (Pennebaker, Telling Stories 10–11). It is claimed in the Clinical Psychology Review that life-writing has the therapeutic benefits of, for example, “striking physical health and behaviour change” (Esterling et al. 84). The reasons are still unclear, but it is possible that the cognitive and linguistic processing of problematic life-events through narrative writing may help the subject assimilate such problems (Alschuler 113–17). As Pennebaker and Seagal argue in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the life-writing processallows one to organise and remember events in a coherent fashion while integrating thoughts and feelings ... This gives individuals a sense of predictability and control over their lives. Once an experience has structure and meaning, it would follow that the emotional effects of that experience are more manageable. (1243)It would seem reasonable to suggest that life-writing which constructs a positive recovery narrative can have a positive therapeutic effect, providing a sense of agency, connectedness and creativity, in a similar, integrating manner. Humans typically see their lives as stories. Paul Eakin stresses the link between narrative and identity in both this internal life-story and in outwardly constructed autobiography:narrative is not merely a literary form but a mode of phenomenological and cognitive self-experience, while self – the self of autobiographical discourse - does not necessarily precede its constitution in narrative. (Making Selves 100)So both a self-in-time and a socially viable identity may depend on such narrative. The term ‘dysnarrativia’ has been coined to describe the documented inability to construct self-narrative by those suffering amnesia, autism, severe child abuse or brain damage. The lack of ability to achieve narrative construction seems to be correlated with identity disorders (Eakin, Fictions in Autobiography 124). (For an overview of the current literature on creative and life-writing as therapy see Murphy & Neilsen). What is of particular relevance to university creative writing practitioners/teachers is that there is evidence, for example from Harvard psychiatrist Judith Herman and creative writing academic Vicki Linder, that life-narratives are more therapeutically effective if guided to be written according to fundamental ‘effective writing’ aesthetic conventions – such as having a regard to coherent structure in the narrative, the avoidance of cliché, practising the ‘demonstrate don’t state’ dictum, and writing in one’s own voice, for example. Defining ‘Recovery’There remains debate as to the meaning of recovery in the context of mental health service delivery, but there is agreement that recovery entails significantly more than symptom remission or functional improvement (Liberman & Kopelowicz). In a National Consensus Statement, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) unit of the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2005 described recovery (in general terms) as being achieved by the enabling of a person with a mental illness to live meaningfully in a chosen community, while also attempting to realize individual potential. ‘Recovery’ as a central concept behind rehabilitation can be understood both as objective recovery – that is, in terms of noting a reduction in objective indicators of illness and disability (such as rates of hospital usage or unemployment) and a greater degree of social functioning – and also as subjective recovery. Subjective recovery can be ascertained by listening closely to what clients themselves have said about their own experiences. It has been pointed out (King, Lloyd & Meehan 2) that there is not always a correspondence between objective indicators of recovery and the subjective, lived experience of recovery. The experience of mental illness is not just one of symptoms and disability but equally importantly one of major challenge to sense of self. Equally, recovery from mental illness is experienced not just in terms of symptoms and disability but also as a recovery of sense of self … Recovery of sense of self and recovery with respect to symptoms and disability may not correspond. (King, Lloyd & Meehan; see also Davidson & Strauss)Symptoms of disability can persist, but a person can have a much stronger sense of self or empowerment – that is still recovery. Illness dislocates the sense of self as part of a community and of a self with skills and abilities. Restoring this sense of empowerment is an aim of arts therapy. To put it another way, recovery is a complex process by which a client with a mental illness develops a sense of identity and agency as a citizen, as distinct from identification with illness and disability and passivity as a ‘patient’. The creative arts have gone well beyond being seen as a diversion for the mentally ill. In a comprehensive UK study of creative arts projects for clients with mental illness, Helen Spandler et al. discovered strong evidence that participation in creative activity promoted a sense of purpose and meaning, and assisted in “rediscovering or rebuilding an identity within and beyond that of someone with mental health difficulties” (795). Recovery is aided by people being motivated to achieve self-confidence through mastery and competence; by learning and achieving goals. Clearly this is where arts therapy could be expected or hoped to be effective. The aim of the pilot study was not to measure ‘creativity’, but whether involvement in what is commonly understood as a creative process (life-writing) can have flow-on benefits in terms of the illness of the workshop participant. The psychologists involved, though more familiar with visual arts therapy (reasonably well-established in Australia – in 2006, the ANZAT began publishing the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art Therapy), thought creative writing could also be valuable. Preparation for and Delivery of the Workshops I was acutely aware that I had no formal training in delivering a program to clients with mental health illness. I was counselled during several meetings with experienced psychologists and a social worker that the participants in the three workshops over two weeks would largely be people who had degrees of difficulty in living independently, and could well have perceptual problems, could misjudge signals from outside and inside the group, and be on medication that could affect their degree of engagement. Some clients could have impaired concentration and cognition, and a deficit in volition. Participants needed to be free to leave and rejoin the workshops during the afternoon sessions. Attendance might well fall as the workshops progressed. Full ethical clearance was attained though the University of Queensland medical faculty (after detailed description of the content and conduct of the proposed workshops) and consent forms prepared for participants. My original workshop ‘kit’ to be distributed to participants underwent some significant changes as I was counselled and prepared for the workshops. The major adjustment to my usual choice of material and approach was made in view of the advice that recounting traumatic events can have a negative effect on some patients – at least in the short term. For the sake of both the individuals and the group as a whole this was to be avoided. I changed my initial emphasis on encouraging participants to recount their traumatic experiences in a cathartic way (as suggested by the narrative psychology literature), to encouraging them to recount positive narratives from their lives – narratives of ‘recovery’ – as I explain in more detail below. I was also counselled that clients with mental health problems might dwell on retelling their story – their case history – rather than reflecting upon it or using their creative and imaginative ability to shape a life-story that was not a catalogue of their medical history. Some participants did demonstrate a desire to retell their medical history or narrative – including a recurring theme of the difficulty in gaining continuity with one trusted medical professional. I gently guided these participants back to fashioning a different and more creative narrative, with elements of scene creation, description and so on, by my first listening intently to and acknowledging their medical narrative for a few minutes and then suggesting we try to move beyond that. This simple strategy was largely successful; several participants commented explicitly that they were tired of having to retell their medical history to each new health professional they encountered in the hospital system, for example. My principal uncertainty was whether I should conduct the workshops at the same level of complexity that I had in the past with groups of university students or community groups. While in both of those cohorts there will often be some participants with mental health issues, for the most part this possibility does not affect the level or kind of content of material discussed in workshops. However, within this pilot group all had been diagnosed with moderate to severe mental illness, mostly schizophrenia, but also bipolar disorder and acute depression and anxiety disorders. The fact that my credentials were only as a published writer and teacher of creative writing, not as a health professional, was also a strong concern to me. But the clients readily accepted me as someone who knew the difficulty of writing well and getting published. I stressed to them that my primary aim was to teach effective creative writing as an end in itself. That it might be beneficial in health terms was secondary. It was a health professional who introduced me and briefly outlined the research aims of the workshop – including some attempt to measure qualitatively any possible benefits. It was my impression that the participants did not have a diminished sense of my usefulness because I was not a health professional. Their focus was on having the opportunity to practice creative writing and/or participate in a creative group activity. As mentioned above, I had prepared a workshop ‘kit’ for the participants of 15 pages. It contained the usual guidelines for effective writing – extracts from professional writers’ published work (including an extract from my own published work – a matter of equity, since they were allowing me to read their work), and a number of writing exercises (using description, concrete and abstract words, narrative point of view, writing in scenes, show don’t tell). The kit contained extracts from memoirs by Hugh Lunn and Bill Bryson, as well as a descriptive passage from Charles Dickens. An extract from Inga Clendinnen’s 2006 account in Agamemnon’s Kiss: selected essays of her positive interaction with fellow cancer patients (a narrative with the underlying theme of recovery) was also valuable for the participants. I stressed to the group that this material was very similar to that used with beginning writers among university students. I described the importance of life-writing as follows: Life-writing is simply telling a story from your life and perhaps musing or commenting on it at the same time. When you write a short account of something chosen from your life, you are making a pattern, using your memory, using your powers of description – you are being creative. You are being a story-teller. And story-telling is one very important thing that makes us humans different from all other animals – and it is a way in which we find a lot of meaning in our lives.My central advice in the kit was: “Just try to be as honest as you can – and to remember as well as you can … being honest and direct is both the best and the easiest way to write memoir”. The only major difference between my approach with these clients and that with a university class was in the selection of possible topics offered. In keeping with the advice of the psychologists who were experts in the theory of ‘recovery’, the topics were predominantly positive, though one or two topics gave the opportunity to recount and/or explore a negative experience if the participant wanted to do so: A time when I was able to help another personA time when I realised what really mattered in lifeA time when I overcame a major difficultyA time when I felt part of a group or teamA time when I knew what I wanted to do with my lifeA time when someone recognised a talent or quality of mineA time I did something that I was proud of A time when I learned something important to meA memorable time when I lived in a certain house or suburbA story that begins: “Looking back, I now understand that …”The group expressed satisfaction with these topics, though they had the usual writing students’ difficulty in choosing the one that best suited them. In the first two workshops we worked our way through the kit; in the third workshop, two weeks later, each participant read their own work to the group and received feedback from their peers and me. The feedback was encouraged to be positive and constructive, and the group spontaneously adopted a positive reinforcement approach, applauding each piece of writing. Workshop DynamicsThe venue for the workshops was a suburban house in the Logan area of Brisbane used as a drop-in centre for those with mental illness, and the majority of the participants would be familiar with it. It had a large, breezy deck on which a round-table configuration of seating was arranged. This veranda-type setting was sheltered enough to enable all to be heard easily and formal enough to emphasise a learning event was taking place; but it was also open enough to encourage a relaxed atmosphere. The week before the first workshop I visited the house to have lunch with a number of the participants. This gave me a sense of some of the participants’ personalities and degree of engagement, the way they related to each other, and in turn enabled them to begin to have some familiarity with me and ask questions. As a novice at working with this kind of client, I found this experience extremely valuable, especially as it suggested that a relatively high degree of communication and cognition would be possible, and it reduced the anxiety I had about pitching the workshops at an appropriate level. In the course of the first workshop, the most initially sceptical workshop participant ended up being the most engaged contributor. A highly intelligent woman, she felt it would be too upsetting to write about negative events, but ultimately wrote a very effective piece about the empowerment she gained from caring for a stray cat and locating the owner. Her narrative also expressed her realisation that the pet was partly a replacement for spending time with her son, who lived interstate. Another strong participant previously had written a book-length narrative of her years of misdiagnoses and trauma in the hospital system before coming under the care of her present health professionals. The participant who had the least literacy skills was accepted by the group as an equal and after a while contributed enthusiastically. Though he refused to sign the consent form at the outset, he asked to do so at the close of the first afternoon. The workshop was comprised of clients from two health provider organisations; at first the two groups tended to speak with those they already knew (as in any such situation in the broader community), but by the third workshop a sense of larger group identity was being manifested in their comments, as they spoke of what ‘the group’ would like in the future – such as their work being published in some form. It was clear that, as in a university setting, part of the beneficial effect of the workshops came from group and face to face interaction. It would be more difficult to have this dimension of benefit achieved via a web-based version of the workshops, though a chat room scenario would presumably go some way towards establishing a group feeling. Web-based delivery would certainly suit participants who lacked mobility or who lived in the regions. Clearly the Internet is a vital social networking tool, and an Internet-based version of the workshops could well be attempted in the future. My own previous experience of community digital storytelling workshops (Neilsen, Digital Storytelling as Life-writing) suggests that a high degree of technical proficiency can not be expected across such a cohort; but with adequate technical support, a program (the usual short, self-written script, recorded voice-over and still images scanned from the participants’ photo albums, etc) could make digital storytelling a further dimension of therapeutic life-writing for clients with mental illness. One of the most useful teaching techniques in a class room setting is the judicious use of humour – to create a sense of sharing a perspective, and simply to make material more entertaining. I tested the waters at the outset by referring to the mental health worker sitting in the background, and declaring (with some comic exaggeration) my concern that if I didn’t run the workshop well he would report adversely on me. There was general laughter and this expression of my vulnerability seemed to defuse anxiety on the part of some participants. As the workshop progressed I found I could use both humorous extracts of life-writing and ad hoc comic comments (never at the expense of a participant) as freely as in a university class. Participants made some droll comments in the overall context of encouraging one another in their contributions, both oral and written. Only one participant exhibited some temporary distress during one of the workshops. I was allowing another participant the freedom to digress from the main topic and the participant beside me displayed agitation and sharply demanded we get back to the point. I apologised and acknowledged I had not stayed as focused as I should and returned to the topic. I suspect I had a fortunate first experience of such arts therapy workshops – and that this was largely due to the voluntary nature of the study and that most of the participants brought a prior positive experience of the workshop scenario, and prior interest in creative writing, to the workshops. Outcomes A significantly positive outcome was that only one of the nine participants missed a session (through ill-health) and none left during workshops. The workshops tended to proceed longer than the three hours allotted on each occasion. Post-workshop interviews were conducted by a psychologist with the participants. Detailed data is not available yet – but there was a clear indication by almost all participants that they felt the workshops were beneficial and that they would like to participate in further workshops. All but one agreed to have their life-writing included in a newsletter produced by one of the sponsors of the workshops. The positive reception of the workshops by the participants has encouraged planning to be undertaken for a wide-ranging longitudinal study by means of a significant number of workshops in both life-writing and visual arts in more than one city, conducted by a team of health professionals and creative practitioners – this time with sophisticated measurement instruments to gauge the effectiveness of art therapy in aiding ‘recovery’. Small as the workshop group was, the pilot study seems to validate previous research in the UK and US as we have summarised above. The indications are that significant elements of recovery (in particular, feelings of enhanced agency and creativity), can be achieved by life-writing workshops that are guided by creative practitioners; and that it is the process of narrative construction within life-writing that engages with or enhances a sense of self and identity. NoteWe are indebted, in making the summary of the concept of ‘recovery’ in health science terms, to work in progress by the following research team: Robert King, Tom O'Brien and Claire Edwards (School of Medicine, University of Queensland), Margot Schofield and Patricia Fenner (School of Public Health, Latrobe University). We are also grateful for the generous assistance of both this group and Seiji Humphries from the Richmond Queensland Fellowship, in providing preparation for the workshops. ReferencesAlschuler, Mari. “Lifestories – Biography and Autobiography as Healing Tools for Adults with Mental Illness.” Journal of Poetry Therapy 11.2 (1997): 113–17.Davidson, Larry and John Strauss. “Sense of Self in Recovery from Severe Mental Illness.” British Journal of Medical Psychology 65 (1992): 31–45.Eakin, Paul. Fictions in Autobiography: Studies of the Art of Self-Invention. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1985.———. How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1999.Esterling, B.A., L. L’Abate., E.J. Murray, and J.W. Pennebaker. “Empirical Foundations for Writing in Prevention and Psychotherapy: Mental and Physical Health Outcomes.” Clinical Psychology Review 19.1 (1999): 79–96.Herman, Judith. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York: Basic Books, 1992.King, Robert, Chris Lloyd, and Tom Meehan. Handbook of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007.Liberman, Robert, and Alex Kopelowicz. “Recovery from Schizophrenia: A Criterion-Based Definition.” In Ralph, R., and P. Corrigan (eds). Recovery in Mental Illness: Broadening Our Understanding of Wellness. Washington, DC: APA, 2005.Linder, Vicki. “The Tale of two Bethanies: Trauma in the Creative Writing Classroom.” New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing 1.1 (2004): 6–14Murphy, Ffion, and Philip Neilsen. “Recuperating Writers – and Writing: The Potential of Writing Therapy.” TEXT 12.1 (Apr. 2008). ‹http://www.textjournal.com.au/april08/murphy_neilsen.htm›.Neilsen, Philip. “Digital Storytelling as Life-Writing: Self-Construction, Therapeutic Effect, Textual Analysis Leading to an Enabling ‘Aesthetic’ for the Community Voice.” ‹http://www.speculation2005.qut.edu.au/papers/Neilsen.pdf›.Pennebaker, James W., and Janel D. Seagal. “Forming a Story: The Health Benefits of Narrative.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55.10 (1999): 1243–54.Pennebaker, James W. “Telling Stories: The Health Benefits of Narrative.” Literature and Medicine 19.1 (2000): 3–18.Spandler, H., J. Secker, L. Kent, S. Hacking, and J. Shenton. “Catching Life: The Contribution of Arts Initiatives to ‘Recovery’ Approaches in Mental Health.” Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 14.8 (2007): 791–799.Wright, Jeannie, and Man Cheung Chung. “Mastery or Mystery? Therapeutic Writing: A Review of the Literature.” British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 29.3 (2001): 277–91.

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Family Network show Switched at Birth tells two stories—one which follows the unique plot of the show, and one about the new openness of television executives toward integrating more people with a variety of visible and invisible physical embodiments, such as hearing loss, into television content. It first aired in 2011 and in 2017 aired its fifth and final season.The show focuses on two teen girls in Kansas City who find out they were switched due to a hospital error on the day of their birth and who grew up with parents who were not biologically related to them. One, Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano), lives with her wealthy parents—a stay-at-home mom Kathryn (Lea Thompson) and a former professional baseball player, now businessman, father John (D.W. Moffett). She has an older brother Toby (Lucas Grabeel) who is into music. In her high school science class, Bay learns about blood types and discovers her parents’ blood types could not have produced her. The family has professional genetic tests done and discovers the switch (ABC Family, “This Is Not a Pipe”).In the pilot episode, Bay’s parents find out that deaf teen, Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclerc), is actually their daughter. She lives in a working class Hispanic neighbourhood with her hairdresser single mother Regina (Constance Marie) and grandmother Adrianna (Ivonne Coll), both of whom are of Puerto Rican ancestry. Daphne is deaf due to a case of meningitis when she was three, which the rich Kennishes feel happened because of inadequate healthcare provided by working class Regina. Daphne attends an all-deaf school, Carlton.The man who was thought to be her biological father, Angelo Sorrento (Gilles Marini), doesn’t appear in the show until episode 10 but becomes a series regular in season 2. It becomes apparent that Daphne believes her father left because of her deafness; however, as the first season progresses, the real reasons begin to emerge. From the pilot onwards, the show dives into clashes of language, culture, ethnicity, class, and even physical appearance—in one scene in the pilot, the waspy Kennishes ask Regina if she is “Mexican.” As later episodes reveal, many of these physical appearance issues are revealed to have fractured the Vasquez family early on—Daphne is a freckled, strawberry blonde, and her father (who is French and Italian) suspected infidelity.The two families merge when the Kennishes ask Daphne and her mother to move into their guest house in order get to know their daughter better. That forces the Kennishes into the world of deafness, and throughout the show this hearing family therefore becomes a surrogate for a hearing audience’s immersion into Deaf culture.Cultural Inclusivity: The Way ForwardShow creator Lizzy Weiss explained that it was actually the ABC Family network that “suggested making one of the kids disabled” (Academy of Television Arts & Sciences). Weiss was familiar with American Sign Language (ASL) because she had a “classical theatre of the Deaf” course in college. She said, “I had in the back of my head a little bit of background at least about how beautiful the language was. So I said, ‘What if one of the girls is deaf?’” The network thought it was wonderful idea, so she began researching the Deaf community, including spending time at a deaf high school in Los Angeles called Marlton, on which she modelled the Switched at Birth school, Carlton. Weiss (Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) says of the school visit experience:I learned so much that day and spoke to dozens of deaf teenagers about their lives and their experiences. And so, this is, of course, in the middle of writing the pilot, and I said to the network, you know, deaf kids wouldn’t voice orally. We would have to have those scenes only in ASL, and no sound and they said, ‘Great. Let’s do it.’ And frankly, we just kind of grew and grew from there.To accommodate the narrative structure of a television drama, Weiss said it became clear from the beginning that the show would need to use SimCom (simultaneous communication or sign supported speech) for the hearing or deaf characters who were signing so they could speak and sign at the same time. She knew this wasn’t the norm for two actual people communicating in ASL, but the production team worried about having a show that was heavily captioned as this might distance its key—overwhelmingly hearing—teen audience who would have to pay attention to the screen during captioned scenes. However, this did not appear to be the case—instead, viewers were drawn to the show because of its unique sign language-influenced television narrative structure. The show became popular very quickly and, with 3.3 million viewers, became the highest-rated premiere ever on the ABC Family network (Barney).Switched at Birth also received much praise from the media for allowing its deaf actors to communicate using sign language. The Huffington Post television critic Maureen Ryan said, “Allowing deaf characters to talk to each other directly—without a hearing person or a translator present—is a savvy strategy that allows the show to dig deeper into deaf culture and also to treat deaf characters as it would anyone else”. Importantly, it allowed the show to be unique in a way that was found nowhere else on television. “It’s practically avant-garde for television, despite the conventional teen-soap look of the show,” said Ryan.Usually a show’s success is garnered by audience numbers and media critique—by this measure Switched at Birth was a hit. However, programs that portray a disability—in any form—are often the target of criticism, particularly from the communities they attempting to represent. It should be noted that, while actress Katie Leclerc, who plays Daphne, has a condition, Meniere’s disease, which causes hearing loss and vertigo on an intermittent basis, she does not identify as a deaf actress and must use a deaf accent to portray Daphne. However, she is ASL fluent, learning it in high school (Orangejack). This meant her qualifications met the original casting call which said “actress must be deaf or hard of hearing and must speak English well, American Sign Language preferred” (Paz, 2010) Leclerc likens her role to that of any actor to who has to affect body and vocal changes for a role—she gives the example of Hugh Laurie in House, who is British with no limp, but was an American who uses a cane in that show (Bibel).As such, initially, some in the Deaf community complained about her casting though an online petition with 140 signatures (Nielson). Yet many in the Deaf community softened any criticism of the show when they saw the production’s ongoing attention to Deaf cultural details (Grushkin). Finally, any lingering criticisms from the Deaf community were quieted by the many deaf actors hired for the show who perform using ASL. This includes Sean Berdy, who plays Daphne’s best friend Emmett, his onscreen mother, played by actress Marlee Matlin, and Anthony Natale who plays his father; their characters both sign and vocalize in the show. The Emmett character only communicates in ASL and does not vocalise until he falls in love with the hearing character Bay—even then he rarely uses his voice.This seemingly all-round “acceptance” of the show gave the production team more freedom to be innovative—by season 3 the audience was deemed to be so comfortable with captions that the shows began to feature less SimCom and more all-captioned scenes. This lead to the full episode in ASL, a first on American mainstream television.For an Hour, Welcome to Our WorldSwitched at Birth writer Chad Fiveash explained that when the production team came up with the idea for a captioned all-ASL episode, they “didn’t want to do the ASL episode as a gimmick. It needed to be thematically resonant”. As a result, they decided to link the episode to the most significant event in American Deaf history, an event that solidified its status as a cultural community—the 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) protest at Gallaudet University in Washington. This protest inspired the March 2013 episode for Switched at Birth and aired 25 years to the week that the actual DPN protest happened. This episode makes it clear the show is trying to completely embrace Deaf culture and wants its audience to better understand Deaf identity.DPN was a pivotal moment for Deaf people—it truly solidified members of a global Deaf community who felt more empowered to fight for their rights. Students demanded that Gallaudet—as the premier university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students—no longer have a hearing person as its president. The Gallaudet board of trustees, the majority of whom were hearing, tried to force students and faculty to accept a hearing president; their attitude was that they knew what was best for the deaf persons there. For eight days, deaf people across America and the world rallied around the student protestors, refusing to give in until a deaf president was appointed. Their success came in the form of I. King Jordan, a deaf man who had served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the time of the protest.The event was covered by media around the world, giving the American Deaf community international attention. Indeed, Gallaudet University says the DPN protest symbolized more than just the hiring of a Deaf president; it brought Deaf issues before the public and “raised the nation’s consciousness of the rights and abilities of deaf and hard of hearing people” (Gallaudet University).The activities of the students and their supporters showed dramatically that in the 1980s deaf people could be galvanized to unite around a common issue, particularly one of great symbolic meaning, such as the Gallaudet presidency. Gallaudet University represents the pinnacle of education for deaf people, not only in the United States but throughout the world. The assumption of its presidency by a person himself deaf announced to the world that deaf Americans were now a mature minority (Van Cleve and Crouch, 172).Deaf people were throwing off the oppression of the hearing world by demanding that their university have someone from their community at its helm. Jankowski (Deaf Empowerment; A Metaphorical Analysis of Conflict) studied the Gallaudet protest within the framework of a metaphor. She found a recurring theme during the DPN protest to be Gallaudet as “plantation”—which metaphorically refers to deaf persons as slaves trying to break free from the grip of the dominant mastery of the hearing world—and she parallels the civil rights movement of African Americans in the 1960s. As an example, Gallaudet was referred to as the “Selma of the Deaf” during the protest, and protest signs used the language of Martin Luther King such as “we still have a dream.” For deaf Americans, the presidency of Gallaudet became a symbol of hope for the future. As Jankowski attests:deaf people perceived themselves as possessing the ability to manage their own kind, pointing to black-managed organization, women-managed organizations, etc., struggling for that same right. They argued that it was a fight for their basic human rights, a struggle to free themselves, to release the hold their ‘masters’ held on them. (“A Metaphorical Analysis”)The creators of the Switched at Birth episode wanted to ensure of these emotions, as well as historical and cultural references, were prevalent in the modern-day, all-ASL episode, titled Uprising. That show therefore wanted to represent both the 1988 DPN protest as well as a current issue in the US—the closing of deaf schools (Anderson). The storyline focuses on the deaf students at the fictitious Carlton School for the Deaf seizing one of the school buildings to stage a protest because the school board has decided to shut down the school and mainstream the deaf students into hearing schools. When the deaf students try to come up with a list of demands, conflicts arise about what the demands should be and whether a pilot program—allowing hearing kids who sign to attend the deaf school—should remain.This show accomplished multiple things with its reach into Deaf history and identity, but it also did something technologically unique for the modern world—it made people pay attention. Because captioning translated the sign language for viewers, Lizzy Weiss, the creator of the series, said, “Every single viewer—deaf or hearing—was forced to put away their phones and iPads and anything else distracting … and focus … you had to read … you couldn’t do anything else. And that made you get into it more. It drew you in” (Stelter). The point, Weiss said, “was about revealing something new to the viewer—what does it feel like to be an outsider? What does it feel like to have to read and focus for an entire episode, like deaf viewers do all the time?” (Stelter). As one deaf reviewer of the Uprising episode said, “For an hour, welcome to our world! A world that’s inconvenient, but one most of us wouldn’t leave if offered a magic pill” (DR_Staff).This episode, more than any other, afforded hearing television viewers an experience perhaps similar to deaf viewers. The New York Times reported that “Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers commented by the thousands after the show, with many saying in effect, “Yes! That’s what it feels like” (Stelter).Continued ResonancesWhat is also unique about the episode is that in teaching the hearing viewers more about the Deaf community, it also reinforced Deaf community pride and even taught young deaf people a bit of their own history. The Deaf community and Gallaudet were very pleased with their history showing up on a television show—the university produced a 30-second commercial which aired within the episode, and held viewing parties. Gallaudet also forwarded the 35 pages of Facebook comments they’d received about the episode to ABC Family and Gallaudet President T. Alan Hurwitz said of the episode (Yahr), “Over the past 25 years, [DPN] has symbolised self-determination and empowerment for deaf and hard of hearing people around the world”. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) also lauded the episode, describing it as “phenomenal and groundbreaking, saying the situation is very real to us” (Stelter)—NAD had been vocally against budget cuts and closings of US deaf schools.Deaf individuals all over the Internet and social media also spoke out about the episode, with overwhelmingly favourable opinions. Deaf blogger Amy Cohen Efron, who participated in 1988′s DPN movement, said that DPN was “a turning point of my life, forcing me to re-examine my own personal identity, and develop self-determinism as a Deaf person” and led to her becoming an activist.When she watched the Uprising episode, she said the symbolic and historical representations in the show resonated with her. In the episode, a huge sign is unfurled on the side of the Carlton School for the Deaf with a girl with a fist in the air under the slogan “Take Back Carlton.” During the DPN protest, the deaf student protesters unfurled a sign that said “Deaf President Now” with the US Capitol in the background; this image has become an iconic symbol of modern Deaf culture. Efron says the image in the television episode was much more militant than the actual DPN sign. However, it could be argued that society now sees the Deaf community as much more militant because of the DPN protest, and that the imagery in the Uprising episode played into that connection. Efron also acknowledged the episode’s strong nod to the Gallaudet student protestors who defied the hearing community’s expectations by practising civil disobedience. As Efron explained, “Society expected that the Deaf people are submissive and accept to whatever decision done by the majority without any of our input and/or participation in the process.”She also argues that the episode educated more than just the hearing community. In addition to DPN, Uprising was filled with other references to Deaf history. For example a glass door to the room at Carlton was covered with posters about people like Helen Keller and Jean-Ferdinand Berthier, a deaf educator in 19th century France who promoted the concept of deaf identity and culture—Efron says most people in the Deaf community have never heard of him. She also claims that the younger Deaf community may also not be aware of the 1988 DPN protest—“It was not in high school textbooks available for students. Many deaf and hard of hearing students are mainstreamed and they have not the slightest idea about the DPN movement, even about the Deaf Community’s ongoing fight against discrimination, prejudice and oppression, along with our victories”.Long before the Uprising episode aired, the Deaf community had been watching Switched at Birth carefully to make sure Deaf culture was accurately represented. Throughout season 3 David Martin created weekly videos in sign language that were an ASL/Deaf cultural analysis of Switched at Birth. He highlighted content he liked and signs that were incorrect, a kind of a Deaf culture/ASL fact checker. From the Uprising episode, he said he thought this quote from Marlee Matlin’s character said it all, “Until hearing people walk a day in our shoes they will never understand” (Martin). That succinctly states what the all-ASL episode was trying to capture—creating an awareness of Deaf people’s cultural experience and their oppression in hearing society.Even a deaf person who was an early critic of Switched at Birth because of the hiring of Katie Leclerc and the use of SimCom admitted he was impressed with the all-ASL episode (Grushkin):all too often, we see media accounts of Deaf people which play into our society’s perceptions of Deaf people: as helpless, handicapped individuals who are in need of fixes such as cochlear implants in order to “restore” us to society. Almost never do we see accounts of Deaf people as healthy, capable individuals who live ordinary, successful lives without necessarily conforming to the Hearing ‘script’ for how we should be. And important issues such as language rights or school closings are too often virtually ignored by the general media.In addition to the episode being widely discussed within the Deaf community, the mainstream news media also covered Uprising intensely, seeing it as a meaningful cultural moment, not just for the Deaf community but for popular culture in general. Lacob wrote that he realises that hearing viewers probably won’t understand what it means to be a deaf person in modern America, but he believes that the episodeposits that there are moments of understanding, commonalities, and potential bridge-building between these two communities. And the desire for understanding is the first step toward a more inclusive and broad-minded future.He continues:the significance of this moment can’t be undervalued, nor can the show’s rich embrace of deaf history, manifested here in the form of Gallaudet and the historical figures whose photographs and stories are papered on the windows of Carlton during the student protest. What we’re seeing on screen—within the confines of a teen drama, no less—is an engaged exploration of a culture and a civil rights movement brought to life with all of the color and passion it deserves. It may be 25 years since Gallaudet, but the dreams of those protesters haven’t faded. And they—and the ideals of identity and equality that they express—are most definitely being heard.Lacob’s analysis was praised by several Deaf people—by a Deaf graduate student who teaches a Disability in Popular Culture course and by a Gallaudet student who said, “From someone who is deaf, and not ashamed of it either, let me say right here and now: that was the most eloquent piece of writing by someone hearing I have ever seen” (Emma72). The power of the Uprising episode illustrated a political space where “groups actively fuse and blend their culture with the mainstream culture” (Foley 119, as cited in Chang 3). Switched at Birth—specifically the Uprising episode—has indeed fused Deaf culture and ASL into a place in mainstream television culture.ReferencesABC Family. “Switched at Birth Deaf Actor Search.” Facebook (2010). <https://www.facebook.com/SwitchedSearch>.———. “This Is Not a Pipe.” Switched at Birth. Pilot episode. 6 June 2011. <http://freeform.go.com/shows/switched-at-birth>.———. “Not Hearing Loss, Deaf Gain.” Switched at Birth. YouTube video, 11 Feb. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5W604uSkrk>.Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “Talking Diversity: ABC Family’s Switched at Birth.” Emmys.com (Feb. 2012). <http://www.emmys.com/content/webcast-talking-diversity-abc-familys-switched-birth>.Anderson, G. “‘Switched at Birth’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ‘Deaf President Now’.” Pop-topia (5 Mar. 2013). <http://www.pop-topia.com/switched-at-birth-celebrates-25th-anniversary-of-deaf-president-now/>.Barney, C. “’Switched at Birth’ Another Winner for ABC Family.” Contra Costa News (29 June 2011). <http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_18369762>.Bibel, S. “‘Switched at Birth’s Katie LeClerc Is Proud to Represent the Deaf Community.” Xfinity TV blog (20 June 2011). <http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2011/06/20/switched-at-births-katie-leclerc-is-proud-to-represent-the-deaf-community/>.Chang, H. “Re-Examining the Rhetoric of the ‘Cultural Border’.” Essay presented at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Dec. 1988.DR_Staff. “Switched at Birth: How #TakeBackCarlton Made History.” deafReview (6 Mar. 2013). <http://deafreview.com/deafreview-news/switched-at-birth-how-takebackcarlton-made-history/>.Efron, Amy Cohen. “Switched At Birth: Uprising – Deaf Adult’s Commentary.” Deaf World as I See It (Mar. 2013). <http://www.deafeyeseeit.com/2013/03/05/sabcommentary/>.Emma72. “ABC Family’s ‘Switched at Birth’ ASL Episode Recalls Gallaudet Protest.” Comment. The Daily Beast (28 Feb. 2013). <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/28/abc-family-s-switched-at-birth-asl-episode-recalls-gallaudet-protest.html>.Fiveash, Chad. Personal interview. 17 Jan. 2014.Gallaudet University. “The Issues.” Deaf President Now (2013). <http://www.gallaudet.edu/dpn_home/issues.html>.Grushkin, D. “A Cultural Review. ASL Challenged.” Switched at Birth Facebook page. Facebook (2013). <https://www.facebook.com/SwitchedatBirth/posts/508748905835658>.Jankowski, K.A. Deaf Empowerment: Emergence, Struggle, and Rhetoric. Washington: Gallaudet UP, 1997.———. “A Metaphorical Analysis of Conflict at the Gallaudet Protest.” Unpublished seminar paper presented at the University of Maryland, 1990.Lacob, J. “ABC Family’s ‘Switched at Birth’ ASL Episode Recalls Gallaudet Protest.” The Daily Beast 28 Feb. 2013. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/28/abc-family-s-switched-at-birth-asl-episode-recalls-gallaudet-protest.html>.Martin, D. “Switched at Birth Season 2 Episode 9 ‘Uprising’ ASL/Deaf Cultural Analysis.” David Martin YouTube channel (6 Mar. 2013). <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA0vqCysoVU>.Nielson, R. “Petitioned ABC Family and the ‘Switched at Birth’ Series, Create Responsible, Accurate, and Family-Oriented TV Programming.” Change.org (2011). <http://www.change.org/p/abc-family-and-the-switched-at-birth-series-create-responsible-accurate-and-family-oriented-tv-programming>.Orangejack. “Details about Katie Leclerc’s Hearing Loss.” My ASL Journey Blog (29 June 2011). <http://asl.orangejack.com/details-about-katie-leclercs-hearing-loss>.Paz, G. “Casting Call: Open Auditions for Switched at Birth by ABC Family.” Series & TV (3 Oct. 2010). <http://seriesandtv.com/casting-call-open-auditions-for-switched-at-birth-by-abc-family/4034>.Ryan, Maureen. “‘Switched at Birth’ Season 1.5 Has More Drama and Subversive Soapiness.” The Huffington Post (31 Aug. 2012). <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen-ryan/switched-at-birth-season-1_b_1844957.html>.Stelter, B. “Teaching Viewers to Hear with Their Eyes Only.” The New York Times 8 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/arts/television/teaching-viewers-to-hear-the-tv-with-eyes-only.html>.Van Cleve, J.V., and B.A. Crouch. A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America. DC: Gallaudet University Press, 1989.Yahr, E. “Gallaudet University Uses All-Sign Language Episode of ‘Switched at Birth’ to Air New Commercial.” The Washington Post 3 Mar. 2013 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tv-column/post/gallaudet-university-uses-all-sign-language-episode-of-switched-at-birth-to-air-new-commercial/2013/03/04/0017a45a-8508-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394_blog.html>.

   Population Dynamics and Migration: A Deep Dive into Human Stories The Human Tide: Stories Behind Population Shifts By  Aniket Gangatire Shruti Bhatjire Guided by – Moldoev M I Department Of Public Health OSH STATE UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL FACULTY    Abstract Population dynamics—the study of birth, death, and migration patterns—shapes societies in profound ways. Some nations grow rapidly with youthful populations, while others age and shrink. Migration, whether within countries or across borders, is driven by hope, survival, and necessity. It brings both opportunities and challenges, reshaping economies, cultures, and public health systems. While some migrants thrive, others face exploitation, trauma, and systemic barriers. Understanding these forces isn’t just about statistics—it’s about recognizing the human struggles and dreams behind every number.    1. The Young and the Restless: Nations Bursting with Life In a Lagos slum, 16-year-old Aisha shares a single room with six siblings. Her mother sells plantains at the roadside; her father drives a moto-taxi. They pray she finishes school, but jobs are scarce. Nigeria, like many African nations, is young and growing fast—full of energy but struggling to provide for its people. Meanwhile, in Sweden, Elin and Lars debate whether to have a second child. Daycare costs are high, and their careers demand long hours. Their government offers parental leave, but the pressure to balance work and family is real. Nations like theirs are stable but aging—relying on immigrants to fill jobs and support retirees. And then there’s Japan, where Mr. Tanaka, 78, lives alone in a nearly abandoned village. His children moved to Tokyo years ago. The local school closed last year. His story reflects a shrinking world—where loneliness becomes a silent epidemic.    2. The Great Moving: Why People Leave Home  Internal Journeys - Rural to Urban: Raju left his family’s failing wheat farm in Punjab to work construction in Dubai. He sends money home, but his children barely know him. - Displaced by Disaster: After floods drowned her village, Fatima now lives in a Dhaka slum, stitching clothes for pennies.  Crossing Borders - The Dreamer: Carlos walked 2,000 miles from Honduras to Texas, fleeing gang threats. Now he picks fruit under the scorching sun, invisible to the system. - The Skilled Migrant: Dr. Amina, a Syrian surgeon, now drives a taxi in Germany—her degrees unrecognized, her hands aching to heal again.    3. The Health Toll: Bodies and Minds on the Move - The Hidden Wounds: A child in a Greek refugee camp wakes screaming from nightmares of bombs. No therapist comes. - The Silent Crisis: Maria, an undocumented cleaner in London, ignores her worsening cough—afraid a hospital visit could get her deported. - The Lifeline: Thanks to his daughter’s nursing job in Canada, Mr. Singh finally gets his diabetes medication in Punjab.    4. The Way Forward: Seeing People, Not Problems Migration isn’t a crisis—it’s humanity’s oldest survival strategy. The real crisis is our failure to protect those who move. Fair wages. Safe pathways. Healthcare without fear. These aren’t radical ideas—they’re the bare minimum of human dignity. When we look beyond the politics, we see fathers missing first steps, mothers working triple shifts, children clutching diplomas in languages they’re still learning. Their stories are our shared future. The question is: Will we make room for them? Introduction Population dynamics isn’t just about numbers—it’s about people. It’s about families growing, communities shifting, and individuals searching for a better life. Migration, whether within a country or across borders, is one of the most powerful forces shaping our world. It’s driven by hope, desperation, opportunity, and survival. Let’s explore this in detail, keeping the human experience at the heart of the discussion.     Types of Population Dynamics: More Than Just Numbers    1. Expansive Population Dynamics: Youthful Nations with Big Dreams - What it looks like: High birth rates, declining child mortality, and a booming young population. - Why it happens: Limited access to contraception, cultural preferences for large families, and improving (but still basic) healthcare. - Human impact: Imagine a village in Niger where most of the population is under 18. Schools are overcrowded, jobs are scarce, and young people dream of moving to cities or abroad for opportunities. Governments struggle to provide enough resources, but there’s also vibrant energy and potential. - Example: Nigeria’s population is projected to double by 2050. This means more workers, but also more pressure on food, water, and jobs.    2. Stationary Population Dynamics: Stability, But at What Cost? - What it looks like: Birth rates match death rates, and the population stays stable. - Why it happens: Good healthcare, education, women’s empowerment, and access to family planning. - Human impact: In Sweden, couples often wait until their 30s to have one or two children because of career priorities and high living costs. The elderly population grows, requiring strong pension and healthcare systems. - Challenge: Fewer young workers must support more retirees, leading to debates over immigration to fill labor gaps.    3. Constrictive Population Dynamics: Aging Societies and Lonely Futures - What it looks like: Low birth rates, aging populations, and eventual decline. - Why it happens: High cost of living, career-focused lifestyles, and societal pressures make people delay or avoid having children. - Human impact: In Japan, rural towns are vanishing as young people leave for cities. Elderly people live alone, and some die unnoticed ( kodokushi ). The government encourages robotics and foreign workers to care for the aging population. - Example: Italy offers "baby bonuses" to parents, but many still choose not to have kids due to economic insecurity.     Migration: The Human Quest for Survival and Opportunity    Internal Migration: The Journey from Village to City  Types: - Rural to Urban: A farmer in Bihar moves to Mumbai to work construction, sending money home to his family. - Urban to Rural: A retired teacher leaves expensive Tokyo for a quiet countryside life. - Seasonal: A woman in Bangladesh travels to the city for garment work during lean farming months.  Why People Move: - Economic desperation: "If I stay in my village, I’ll starve. In the city, at least I can earn something." - Education dreams: A bright student from a small town moves to Delhi for college, hoping to lift her family out of poverty. - Displacement: Floods in Assam force entire villages to relocate to government shelters.  Struggles: - Slums, exploitation, and loneliness. A construction worker in Shenzhen may live in a cramped dormitory, working 12-hour shifts with no insurance.    External Migration: Crossing Borders for a New Life  Types: - Voluntary (Work/Education): A Filipino nurse moves to Canada for better pay and citizenship. - Forced (Refugees): A Syrian family flees war, surviving a dangerous boat journey to Greece. - Irregular (Undocumented): A Honduran teen crosses the U.S. border illegally, fleeing gang violence.  Why People Risk Everything: - War: "My city was bombed. If we stay, we die." - Poverty: "In my country, I earned $2 a day. In Europe, I can send my kids to school." - Climate Change: "The droughts killed our crops. We had no choice but to leave."  The Dark Side of Migration: - Human trafficking, detention centers, and xenophobia. A Venezuelan refugee in Colombia may face discrimination despite escaping crisis.     Modern Migration Trends: The Changing World 1. The Rise of Megacities (Lagos, Dhaka, Mumbai) – Overcrowded but full of opportunity. 2. Europe’s Refugee Crisis – Syrians, Afghans, and Ukrainians rebuilding shattered lives abroad. 3. The Global Demand for Caregivers – Filipino and Indian nurses propping up healthcare in the U.S. and UK. 4. Climate Migration – Pacific Islanders relocating as rising seas swallow their homes. 5. Remote Work & Digital Nomads – A new class of migrants working online from Bali or Portugal.     How Migration Affects Health: The Good and the Painful    The Bright Side - A Second Chance at Life: A refugee in Germany finally gets treatment for a chronic illness. - Better Nutrition: A laborer in Saudi Arabia sends money so his family can afford meat and vegetables. - Cultural Exchange: Immigrant communities introduce healthier diets (e.g., Mediterranean food in the U.S.).    The Harsh Reality - Mental Health Crisis: A separated child at the U.S.-Mexico border suffers PTSD. - Exploitation: An undocumented worker in Qatar faces heatstroke with no medical care. - Disease Spread: Overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh see cholera outbreaks. - Healthcare Barriers: In the UK, a migrant fears deportation if she seeks prenatal care.     The Human Stories Behind the Data - Ahmed, 28, from Syria: "I was a teacher. Now I drive a taxi in Berlin. I miss my home, but my children are safe." - Maria, 35, from Mexico: "I crossed the desert to give my son a future. Now I clean houses, but he’s in college." - Rahul, 22, from Uttar Pradesh: "In Mumbai, I share a room with five others. But one day, I’ll open my own shop."     What Needs to Change? - Fair Policies: Stop treating migrants as threats. They’re workers, parents, and dreamers. - Healthcare Access: No one should die because they’re "undocumented." - Better Integration: Language classes, job training, and anti-racism laws. - Climate Justice: Help vulnerable nations before people are forced to flee.    Final Thought: Migration Is Humanity’s Oldest Story From our ancestors leaving Africa to today’s journeys across deserts and seas, migration is how humans survive and thrive. The question isn’t whether people will move—it’s how we treat them when they do. A world that welcomes migrants is a world that values every life.    Conclusion: A World in Motion, A Call to Compassion Migration is not just a demographic trend—it is the living, breathing story of humanity’s resilience. Every number in a population report represents a mother, a child, a worker, a dreamer. Some flee war; others chase opportunity. Some leave by choice, others by necessity—but all carry the universal hope for safety, dignity, and a future. Yet too often, systems treat migrants as problems to manage rather than people to welcome. Walls rise, borders harden, and families are torn apart in the name of policy. But history shows us that societies thrive when they embrace the energy, labor, and courage of those who dare to move.    A Human Future Imagine a world where: - No child drowns on a smuggler’s boat because legal pathways exist. - No doctor drives a taxi simply because their degree wasn’t recognized. - No elderly person is left alone in a dying village because young people had no choice but to leave. This is not idealism—it is the bare minimum of justice. Migration will never stop because hunger, war, and hope will never disappear. The real measure of our humanity is how we respond. Next time you hear about "border crises" or "population decline," remember: - The Syrian barber who rebuilt his life in Berlin, one haircut at a time. - The Mexican farmworker who picks the food on your table. - The Indian engineer who codes for a company she can’t legally own stock in. References 1. Castles, S., de Haas, H., & Miller, M. J. 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