Dissertations / Theses: 'Higher education institution (HEI)'

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Tsebe, Aubrey Tebogo. "The experiences of mentors implementing a mentorship programme at a higher education institution." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/30468.

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This study represents a shift in focus with regard to studies related to mentorship. It endeavours to go beyond documenting the prevalence of mentorship to understanding the experiences of mentors and factors that encourage participation in mentorship programmes. The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of mentors during the implementation of a mentorship programme at a Higher Education Institution (HEI). The purpose of this study, has guided the following two questions for the current study: <ul> <li> How do mentors experience the implementation of a mentorship programme?</li> <li> How can the understanding of such experiences inform theory on mentorship programmes in Higher Education Institutions?</li> </ul> I made use of a case study research design. Four participants were purposively selected for this study based on their potential to provide data relevant for the study as they were part of the recently ended mentorship programme. Data was collected over a period of a week by means of semi-structured interviews and reflections. In this study I made use of qualitative approach, and a thematic method of analysis was used for identifying, analysing and reporting themes. The results of the study indicated the following results: <ul> <li> Mentors had a general definition of their mentorship experiences as personal life event(s).</li> <li> When mentorship was viewed as a personal life event, it was found to have an emotional aspect which creates a platform for learning and development.</li> <li> Positive experiences, as mentioned by participants in this study, included an opportunity for personal growth and development, how mentors and mentees benefited from being part of the mentorship programme, and positive relationships between mentors and their mentees.</li> <li> Negative experiences referred to by participants included difficulties of correspondence between mentors and mentees, lack of mentee attendance at mentorship meetings, gender and racial issues and mentors' uncertainties about what to do in the programme and feeling a lack of guidance.</li> <li> Decisions regarding exclusion and inclusion criteria of mentees into the programme, support from mentorship supervisors and finding mentors who demonstrate good qualities were identified as challenges in mentorship implementation.</li> </ul> Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. Educational Psychology unrestricted

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Aldhaen, Esra Saleh. "Study of the strategic decision making process in higher education institutions." Thesis, Brunel University, 2017. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/14981.

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The strategic decision making process (SDMP) is a major issue in organisations. It is part of the larger topic of strategic management and related to strategic planning. Achievement of strategic objectives outlined in the strategic plan of an organisation depends on the decisions taken through the process. Yet the literature shows that the concept of SDMP is not well understood and organisations find it difficult to develop and implement an SDMP, particularly Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The literature indicates that decisions are taken in organizations in different ways for example using intuition, data, collaboration and ad-hoc considerations. In addition contextual factors are argued to affect the SDMP although very little research has been conducted to explain how contextual factors affect SDMP they do in HEIs. Some examples of contextual factors namely decision process characteristics have been identified and discussed as part of the SDMP literature in industry. However, lack of knowledge about SDMP and how contextual factors influence SDMP is regarded as to be a major obstacle for HEIs in taking decisions and choosing the best alternative amongst available decisions. This research seeks to contribute to address this important issue. Whilst there are many strategic decision characteristics (contextual factors) identified in the literature, this research focuses on decision importance. The rationale for choosing decision importance was that there is always some concern in the minds of the decision makers in the HEIs on what constitutes an important decision. What is considered as important decision while the decision is being taken may prove to be less important after implementation if there is no clear understanding of how to assign importance to a decision. Even in the industrial sector, Elbanna and Child (2007) it has been argued that decision importance has not been studied well. Relying upon the theoretical model developed by Elbanna and Child and other arguments found in the literatue, this research argued that the SDMP is a combination of relationships between decision characteristics, SDMP characteristics and decision outcomes that are influenced by environmental factors. As far as environmental factors were concerned environmental uncertainty was chosen as an external environment factor while organisational performance was chosen as the internal contextual factor. These two factors were argued to moderate the relationship between SDMP characteristics and SDMP outcomes and theoretical support for this conceptualisation was taken from the model developed by Elbanna and Child. A research model was developed to address the research questions, and the aim of the study was “to examine the different decision specific characteristic, SDMP characteristic and SDMP process outcome variables and develop a relationship amongst them in the context of HEIs in a changing environment”. The research was conducted in the United States of America and data was gathered from faculty members involved in decision making at the department level and higher. A positivist epistemological and objective ontological stance was adopted and a deductive approach was used. The research model was tested using the data collected from 485 valid responses to a survey questionnaire. Linear regression was the primary analysis approach and supplemented by path analysis. Results from the regression analysis showed that decision importance exerts influence on decision effectiveness through the mediators, rationality in decision making, intuition and decentralization in decision making. However, the outcome of path analysis showed that only rationality in decision making and intuition are important while decentalisation was not found to be statistically significant. Similarly environmental factors exerted pressure only on the relationship between rationality in decision making and decision effectiveness. The contradicting SDMP factors rationality in decision making and intuition were both found to be necessary to SDMP in the HEI context. This research has contributed to knowledge in terms of establishing a relationship between decision importance and decision process effectiveness mediated by rationality in decision making and intuition and development of the model. Theoretically the findings of this research show that the modification imposed on the model developed by Elbanna and Child was found to be statistically significant and found support from the literature. Environmental factors affected the relationship between rationality in decision making and decision effectiveness. This research has provided a model that can be used to help decision makers in HEIs to implement SDMP practically in the organization, to guide the process towards more robust decisions. The findings of this research find application in supporting policy makers to increase the likelihood of more effective decisions so that the decisions taken more effective.

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Roodt, Estee. "Job demands and job resources as predictors of dispositional employability of academics in South Africa." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/31564.

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Background and Aim The South African higher education sector has undergone numerous changes over the past years due to external factors such as globalisation, managerialism and neo-liberalism (Ntshoe, Higgs, Higgs&Wolhuter, 2008). Furthermore De Villiers and Steyn (2009) add that state funding of higher education in South Africa has been decreased to such an extent that higher education institutions (HEI’s) have been unable to parallel the increase in the number of students enrolled per year. As mentioned by Mouton (2010) universities in sub-Saharan Africa continue to operate under conditions which are seriously under-resourced, which poses significant challenges for the scholars concerned. The changes in the Higher Education Institutional environment have forced HEI’s to increase their level of output in terms of: enrollments, qualifications awarded, research output and institution size and number of disadvantaged students (De Villiers&Steyn, 2009) in order to remain competitive. The number of changes in performance outputs as well as the growing market for competitive higher education (HE) has greatly impacted the job demands of academics in South Africa. The environment in which academics in South Africa function now demands more of them than in previous years. For example the employment relationship has changed (i.e. teacher-driven to student-driven), altering the type of work that people do, when they work and how much they do (Barkhuizen, Rothmann&Van de Vijver, in press). Accordingly, it appears that the job demands of academics have escalated, whilst the levels of support and other resources have declined. The objective of this study was to investigate whether job demands and resources are significant predictors of dispositional employability of academics in South Africa. Method A cross–sectional research design was followed. The Job Characteristics Scale developed by Barkhuizen and Rothman (2005) and the Dispositional Measure of Employability (Fugate&Kinicki, 2008) were used as measures in this study. A total of 360 questionnaires were sent out to the sample, of which 158 completed questionnaires were received, but only 146 of these responses could be used for data analyses. This represents a 40.55% response rate. Results The results showed that there is a significant relationship between job demands and the change identity of the academics and that job demands do act as a predictor of the dispositional employability of academics in terms of their change identity. No significant relationship between the job resources and the dispositional employability of the academics were found, however all of the dimensions of DE had a positive relationship with job resources. A significant relationship between job demands and the ethnicity, home language, age, the respondent’s job level and the number of hours they work was found. However, no statistically significant differences were found within gender, qualifications, job categories, years in service and the number of years in current positions. According to the results the white ethnic group experiences higher job demands than the black ethic group. Furthermore respondents speaking either Afrikaans or English experience higher job demands then respondents speaking indigenous languages. In relation to this, the age group 50 to 59 experience higher job demands compared to that of the age group 20-29. Associate professors experience higher job demands than junior lecturers. No significant relationship between the academics’ perception of their job resources and their demographic characteristics was found. There are significant differences between the DE of the academics and their ethnicity, home language, job category, years in service and hours of work. No statistically significant differences were found within gender, age, qualifications, job level or years in the current position. The Black ethnic group indicates higher levels of resilience and motivation compared to the other ethnic groups, and indigenous languages have higher levels of resilience compared to the other two language groups. Academics that function as both researchers and lecturers have higher levels of career proactivity compared to the academics that function only as a researcher or lecturer. Respondents that have been in the industry for between zero to 10 years have a higher level of resilience compared to the respondents who have served for longer. The working hours of group four (between 31 to 40 hours) show higher levels of resilience compared to the other groups. Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. Human Resource Management

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Öijen, Lena. "Samverkan lärosäte-skola : en studie av Regionalt utvecklingscentrum som samarbetspart." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för humaniora, utbildnings- och samhällsvetenskap, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-35319.

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This thesis is a study of a phenomenon in Swedish education: the RegionalDevelopment Centre (Regionalt utvecklingscentrum, RUC). Insetting up RUC, the Swedish state’s original intention was to enhancecollaboration between teacher education and training, research andschool development. RUC was specified in the appropriation directionsfor Swedish higher education institutions (HEIs) that trained teachers in1997–2010. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify and analyse differinginterpretations and implications of RUC as a phenomenon and conceptualisethe task of addressing them in a changing education-policy context.Empirical sources for the study are central government publicationsand interviews with RUC representatives at 22 HEIs. This empiricalmaterial has been modified and analysed in four stages: a survey of RUCas a phenomenon, construal of ‘ideal types’ of RUC, testing of the construedideal types as analytical tools, and application of the construedideal types as analytical tools to gain an ‘explanatory understanding’ ofRUC. Through analysis of needs, actors and value, five ideal types empiricallybased on transcribed interviews are construed: the receiveroriented,trust-creating, region-boosting, conceptualising and salesorientedtypes. A model shows how these ideal types can be mutuallyunderstood and conceptualised. Examples are given, based on this model,of specific interpretations and implications that may fit each idealtype. RUC’s legitimacy in 2012 still entails a marked emphasis on RUCas a receiver-oriented associate. Three aspects enhancing the likelihoodof RUC, in 2012, being deemed important to retain at an HEI appear tobe the HEI’s goodwill towards RUC, its dependence on remits from theSwedish National Board of Education and schools’ research needs. Focusingmore on RUC as the region-boosting partner would mean oncemore uniting RUC’s role in teacher education with school developmentand research, but on the basis of ‘common needs’ within the frameworkof a distinct growth policy.

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Bhaskaran, Subhashini Sailesh. "An Investigation into the Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDDM) process to generate course taking pattern characterised by contextual factors of students in Higher Education Institution (HEI)." Thesis, Brunel University, 2017. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/15880.

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The Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDDM), a growing field of study argued to be very useful in discovering knowledge hidden in large datasets are slowly finding application in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). While literature shows that KDDM processes enable discovery of knowledge useful to improve performance of organisations, limitations surrounding them contradict this argument. While extending the usefulness of KDDM processes to support HEIs, challenges were encountered like the discovery of course taking patterns in educational datasets associated with contextual information. While literature argued that existing KDDM processes suffer from the limitations arising out of their inability to generate patterns associated with contextual information, this research tested this claim and developed an artefact that overcame the limitation. Design Science methodology was used to test and evaluate the KDDM artefact. The research used the CRISP-DM process model to test the educational dataset using attributes namely course taking pattern, course difficulty level, optimum CGPA and time-to-degree by applying clustering, association rule and classification techniques. The results showed that both clustering and association rules did not produce course taking patterns. Classification produced course taking patterns that were partially linked to CGPA and time-to-degree. But optimum CGPA and time-to-degree could not be linked with contextual information. Hence the CRISP-DM process was modified to include three new stages namely contextual data understanding, contextual data preparation and additional data preparation (merging) stage to see whether contextual dataset could be separately mined and associated with course taking pattern. The CRISP-DM model and the modified CRISP-DM model were tested as per the guidelines of Chapman et al. (2000). Process theory was used as basis for the modification of CRISP-DM process. Results showed that course taking pattern contextualised by course difficulty level pattern predicts optimum CGPA and time-to-degree. This research has contributed to knowledge by developing a new artefact (contextual factor mining in the CRISP-DM process) to predict optimum CGPA and optimum time-to-degree using course taking pattern and course difficulty level pattern. Contribution to theory was in extension of the application of a few theories to explain the development, testing and evaluation of the KDDM artefact. Enhancement of genetic algorithm (GA) to mine course difficulty level pattern along with course taking pattern is a contribution and a pseudocode to verify the presence of course difficulty level pattern. Contribution to practise was by demonstrating the usefulness of the modified CRISP-DM process for prediction and simulation of the course taking pattern to predict the optimum CGPA and time-to-degree thereby demonstrating that the artefact can be deployed in practise.

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Cannas, Neto Antonio. "INTERFACES ENTRE TECNOLOGIAS EDUCACIONAIS E GESTÃO DE INSTITUIÇÃO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR PRIVADA." Universidade Metodista de São Paulo, 2012. http://tede.metodista.br/jspui/handle/tede/32.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-02T21:42:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antonio Cannas Neto.pdf: 746599 bytes, checksum: 90355b343064f34bacdec88bbe9fea00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-11 The use of technological resources as facilitators of the teaching-learning process, at all levels of education, has been the subject of controversy among researchers of the subject. On the one hand those responsible for education - teachers often resist changes that occur every day in the modern world; on the other hand, the students, who claim for a learning environment with technologic tools they are used to and dominate. Finally, managers of educational institutions, which have a major challenge to provide the resources within the institutions, without allowing, however, that compromise the financial health of the institution. Nevertheless, in Brazil the competition between educational institutions has been fierce, especially in private institutions of higher education. Thus, institutions search a differential to attract your customers, to maintain its financial sustainability. This research sets out to bring the issues of management of higher education with the implementation of technology use represented by the tablet device, showing the results for the management of the institution of higher education before and after their deployment. The methodology of the case study - the institution where he was examined - showed that the implementation of technology has provided competitive advantages for management - through analysis of financial indicators and the development of student base. Technology alone does not prove the advantages desired, however, correlated with a project teaching models used and courseware that addresses the use of technology, logistics costs were reduced and increased the attraction of new students, promoting the competitive advantages of Education Institution. O uso de recursos tecnológicos como facilitadores do processo ensino-aprendizado em todos os níveis de ensino tem sido objeto de polêmica entre os pesquisadores do tema. Por um lado aqueles responsáveis pelo ensino os professores resistem às mudanças que a cada dia ocorrem no mundo moderno; por outro os estudantes solicitam um ambiente de aprendizagem que utilize as tecnologias as quais estão acostumados e dominam. Por fim, os gestores das instituições de ensino, que possuem um grande desafio de proporcionar os recursos no interior das instituições, sem permitir, contudo, que comprometam a saúde financeira da instituição. Não obstante, no Brasil a concorrência entre as instituições de ensino tem sido acirrada, principalmente nas instituições de ensino superior privadas. Assim, as instituições procuram um diferencial para atrair seus clientes, objetivando manter a sua sustentabilidade financeira. Esta pesquisa se dispõe a aproximar os temas de gestão do ensino superior com a implantação do uso da tecnologia representada pelo equipamento tablet, demonstrando os resultados para a gestão da instituição de ensino superior antes e depois de sua implantação. A metodologia do estudo de caso - na instituição onde foi analisada mostrou que a implantação da tecnologia proporcionou vantagens competitivas para a gestão - por meio da análise dos indicadores financeiros e a evolução da base de alunos. A tecnologia por si só não prova as vantagens desejadas, porém, com um projeto correlacionado ao modelo de ensino utilizado e material didático que contemple o uso da tecnologia, os custos logísticos foram reduzidos e aumentou a atração de novos alunos, promovendo as vantagens competitivas da Instituição de Ensino.

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Neves, Roberta Braga. "Geração de patente em instituição de ensino superior: uma abordagem integrada de auxílio multicritério à decisão e diagnóstico estratégico." Niterói, 2017. https://app.uff.br/riuff/handle/1/4071.

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Submitted by Secretaria Pós de Produção (tpp@vm.uff.br) on 2017-07-27T18:37:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 D2014 - Roberta Braga Neves.pdf: 4743527 bytes, checksum: caa5fccbd161f89db27e21cfa1d76477 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-27T18:37:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 D2014 - Roberta Braga Neves.pdf: 4743527 bytes, checksum: caa5fccbd161f89db27e21cfa1d76477 (MD5) Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior Objetivo Este estudo tem o objetivo de propor uma modelagem para identificar a postura estratégica a ser adotada por uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES), considerando a geração de patente, através da integração do ELECTRE TRI original e variações (ELECTRE TRI ME e CPP-TRI), métodos de Auxílio Multicritério à Decisão (AMD), à Análise SWOT, ferramenta de Diagnóstico Estratégico. Metodologia/Abordagem A visão macro da metodologia de pesquisa divide-a em quatro momentos. Primeiro, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura, concentrada em quatro eixos: métodos de AMD aplicados a patente; ferramentas de Diagnóstico Estratégico aplicadas a patente; integração de métodos de AMD e ferramentas de Diagnóstico Estratégico; e fatores influenciadores na geração de patente na Universidade. Em seguida, com base no levantamento na literatura dos fatores influenciadores na produção de patente; na aplicação de questionário e pesquisa com docentes da Escola de Engenharia da Universidade Federal Fluminense; e na análise do conteúdo textual dos fatores relacionados, por meio da aplicação das ferramentas Many Eyes e Wordle, foi proposto o conjunto de 24 critérios para avaliação. Em um terceiro momento foi elaborado o questionário para a coleta da percepções dos dirigentes da Escola. Por fim, foi efetuada a aplicação da modelagem proposta e, consequentemente, identificada a postura estratégica a ser adotada pela Instituição. Resultados O método ELECTRE TRI ME demonstrou-se o mais adequado, uma vez que foi desenvolvido para ser utilizado em problemas de decisão envolvendo múltiplos avaliadores e por permitir atribuir a cada avaliador, para cada critério, um peso próprio. A análise dos resultados indicou que, para quaisquer planos de corte λ ϵ [0,5; 1,0], o decisor deverá optar pelo procedimento menos exigente ou mais exigente. Na aplicação do método ELECTRE TRI original, para realizar uma única classificação, fez-se necessária a utilização da frequência dos resultados, não demonstrando ser eficiente, uma vez que, ao se realizar a análise de sensibilidade com a variação do plano de corte, evidenciou-se o problema de redistribuição desproporcional para outras classes. O método CPP-TRI demonstrou-se robusto e estável ao se variar o plano de corte, indicando, para todos os planos de corte analisados e para ambos os procedimentos de classificação, que a Instituição deverá adotar estratégias de Crescimento. A pesquisa também permitiu identificar os critérios mais favoráveis e menos favoráveis para a geração de patente na IES avaliada. Assim sendo, considerando as variáveis internas, para os procedimentos benevolente e exigente, foram identificados como pontos fracos: Cultura de patente , Infraestrutura , Normas institucionais , Disciplina na grade curricular e/ou divulgação (palestras) e Progressão na carreira . Já para as variáveis externas, em ambos os procedimentos de classificação, os critérios Sistema de avaliação de pós-graduação , Área de atividade de pesquisa , Premiação , Reconhecimento profissional , Bolsa de pesquisa , Financiamento pela indústria , Financiamento por agências de fomento à pesquisa , Mercado de Consultoria , Desenvolvimento colaborativo de projetos de P&D e Retorno sobre o investimento foram considerados oportunidades. Limitações da Pesquisa O estudo não considera a percepção de grupos da Escola de Engenharia como: alunos, corpo docente, ex-alunos e profissionais da indústria. Contribuições Práticas Espera-se que a pesquisa seja aplicada em outras IES e auxilie os gestores na tomada de decisão. Originalidade A originalidade da pesquisa está pautada no exercício sistematizado para construção do conjunto inédito de critérios para avaliação de IES; na ausência, constatada pela revisão da literatura, de publicações que abordem a integração de métodos da família ELECTRE à Análise SWOT; e na lacuna de estudos que realizem aplicação de métodos de AMD ou ferramentas de Diagnóstico Estratégico ao tema patente no âmbito de IES. Purpose This study aims to propose a model to identify the strategic posture to be adopted by an Higher Education Institution (HEI), considering the generation of patent, by integrating the original ELECTRE TRI and variations (ELECTRE TRI ME and CPP - TRI) , methods of Multicriteria Decision Aid (MCDA) , the SWOT Analysis, Strategic Diagnostic tool. Methodology/Approach The macro view of research methodology is divided into four stages. First, a literature review focused on four areas has been implemented: MCDA methods applied to patent; Strategic Diagnostic tools applied to patent; Integration MCDA methods and Strategic Diagnostic tools; and influencers factors in generating patent in the University. After, based on the literature survey of influencers factors in the production of patent; a questionnaire and interview with teachers from the Escola de Engenharia of the Universidade Federal Fluminense, and the analysis of textual content of the related factors, through the application of tools Many Eyes and Wordle, a set of 24 evaluation criteria was proposed. In a third step, the questionnaire to collect the perceptions of Escola leaders was prepared. Finally, the application of the proposed modeling was effected and, consequently, identified the strategic posture to be adopted by the institution. Findings The ELECTRE TRI ME method proved to be the most appropriate, since it was developed to be used in decision problems involving multiple evaluators and it permits assign each appraiser, for each criterion, a weight. The analysis of the results indicated that, for any cutting plane λ ϵ [0,5; 1,0], the decision maker must choose the pessimistic or optimistic procedure. In the application of original ELECTRE TRI method, to achieve a single classification, it was necessary to use the frequency of results, which proved not to be efficient, since, when achievement sensitivity analysis by varying the cutting plane, became evident the problem of disproportionate redistribution to other classes. The CPP - TRI method has proven to be robust and stable when varying the cutting plane. Therefore, for all cutting planes analyzed and for both classification procedures, the Institution should adopt improvement strategies. The research identified the most favorable and least favorable evaluation criteria for the generation of patent in HEI. So, given the internal variables for the pessimistic procedure, were identified as weaknesses: "Patent culture ", "Infrastructure", "Institutional norms", "Discipline in the curriculum and/or disclosure (lectures)" and "Career Progression". For the external variables in both classification procedures, the criteria "Evaluation System Graduate", "Award", "Professional recognition", "Search grant", "Funding by industry", "Funding by agencies fostering research", "Consulting market", "Collaborative development of projects in R&D" and "Return on investment" were considered opportunities. Research Limitations - The study does not consider the perception of groups as alumni, teachers, graduates and industry professionals. Practical Implications It is expected that research is applied in other HEI and aid managers in decision making. Originality The originality of the research is guided in the systematic exercise of construction of the unprecedented set of evaluation criteria of HEI; in the absence, evidenced by the literature review of publications that address the integration of ELECTRE methods to the SWOT Analysis, and the gap of studies which realize application of MCDA methods or of Strategic Diagnostic tools to the patent topic within HEI.

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Madden, Heather. "Designing change in a higher education institution." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/9930.

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The silo effect in higher education institutions refers to the rigid reporting structures and decentralisation, which have become barriers to providing staff and students with essential information and services. Changing the processes and procedures that support the delivery of student services in higher education would result in improving the experience for everyone, for example, reducing the time spent transferring their calls or making them visit several campus buildings to resolve a query. Connecting cross-functional teams to define problems and design solutions, has proved challenging because of the time-restricted academic calendar and its cycles of demanding administrative processing. This thesis joins a minimal but vibrant conversation on the use of Service Design tools and techniques, to improve the student and staff experience at a higher education institution in Cork, Ireland. Service Design can help to conquer the political and cultural divides in higher education institutions and reshape a traditional organisation, into an innovative, proactive, efficient and user-centred one. This research began in March 2013, using a practice-based action research approach to deliver organisational change. Seven action research cycles, implemented over four years, assessed how a Design Thinking methodology could be used to analyse and improve services at each stage of the Student Lifecycle and embed this approach as a long-term sustainable change enabler. Each cycle of action improved some practice, implemented prototypes and adopted new ideas. The combination of knowledge generated from all cycle’s, presents important questions and delivers valuable lessons, on how to introduce Design Thinking into a higher education institution. Although Service Design can help organisations to design and implement new kinds of value across many sectors, the transition to using its tools and approaches can be difficult. Removing the initial barriers by reducing unfamiliar terminology and using an appropriate toolset, allows Service Design to be placed in the context of the organisation. Involvement of staff at all levels, from management to front-line, ensures that the service is understood in its entirety, and the support is there to xv implement true change, in a collaborative way. In the short term, quick-wins provide incentives to continue on the change journey, while long term evaluation provides feedback on improvements, highlighting those service elements that still require change.

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Keegan, Thomas Anthony. "Student integration in a new Higher Education Institution." Thesis, Open University, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.525841.

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Al-Darraji, Zainab, and Tarik Almohtasib. "International Students’ Choice of Swedish Higher Education Institution." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-54415.

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How does the services marketing mix, push-pull factors, and brand reputation influence international student’s choice of a Swedish university? This study aims to examine the relationship between international student’s choice of a Swedish university and the factors such as services marketing mix, push-pull factors, and brand reputation. The purpose of this paper is to understand how these factors influence international student choices in selecting a Swedish higher education institution. The primary data collected for this study was gathered through qualitative virtual interviews with open-ended questions through quota and snowball sampling. This paper found that the three theories are very interconnected regarding the relation between services marketing mix with push-pull aspects, factors such as price, who influence students' decision, and the physical location mentioned in both theories. In regards to the relation between brand reputation and push-pull aspects, the reputation factor was mentioned in both as not being the main contributing impact on students' final choice.

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Esteves, Paulo Sérgio Filipe Mena. "Social CRM adoption in a higher education institution." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/10395.

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Mestrado em Gestão de Sistemas de Informação Neste estudo foi adoptada a definição proposta por Choy, et al. (2003) e Shaw (1999) onde o Customer Relationship Management é definido como o processo pelo qual uma empresa envereda por uma estratégia de procura de maximização da informação sobre os seus clientes num esforço para aumentar a sua lealdade e pronlogar a relação comercial. A Web 2.0 é o termo geralmente usado para descrever a chamada segunda geração da World Wide Web e está intimamente relacionado com o fenómeno da interacção e partilha de informação online (Barsky & Purdon, 2006). Com a evolução das tecnologias e da Web 2.0 começaram a haver mudanças no comportamento dos consumidores e na sua adopção a estas novas tecnologias tais como redes sociais, foruns, wikis, blogs, entre outros, tendo a Internet como base. Isto é importante, pois permite ás empresas juntar os seus dados sociais, ás informações já existentes nos seus sistemas de CRM, a isto chama-se CRM Social. Define-se como uma filosofia e uma estratégia de negócio, suportada por uma plataforma tecnológica, regras de negócio e caracteristicas sociais, desenhada de forma a empreender conversas colaborativas com os seus clientes (Greenberg, 2010). Neste estudo discute-se a adopção de uma instituição de ensino superior ao CRM Social. Para desenvolver este estudo foi efectuado um método de case study para perceber quais os grandes objectivos inerentes à sua adopção, e se estão de acordo com o estudado por (Greenberg, 2010). In this study, we adopted the definition proposed by Choy, et al (2003) and Shaw (1999) where Customer Relationship Management is defined has the process which a company decides to invest in a strategy to maximize the information search about their customers in order to increase customer loyalty and to prolong their commercial relationship. Web 2.0 is the term generally used to describe the second generation from the World Wide Web and it is related to the phenomenon of interacting and sharing information online (Barsky & Purdon, 2006). With the evolution of technologies and the Web 2.0, there were changes in customer behavior and people?s adoption to these new technologies, such as social networks, forums, wikis, blogs and others having the internet as its base. This is important for companies to understand in order to add their social information to their CRM information, this is called Social CRM. It is defined as a philosophy and a business strategy, supported by technology platform, business rules, processes and social characteristics, designed to engage customers in collaborative conversations (Greenberg, 2010). This study discusses the adoption of a higher education institution to Social CRM. To develop this study, a case study method was adopted to investigate what were the main objectives behind this adoption and if they are aligned with the definitions studied by (Greenberg, 2010).

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Greiner, Isabell. "Parental Influence on Higher Education Attainment : Evidence from Sweden." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Economics, Finance and Statistics, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-18503.

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Knowledge has long been acknowledged to be crucial for economic growth and in today’s market economies this is true to an even greater extent. In the past it used to be the parent’s duty to pass on this knowledge to their children, nowadays schools and higher education institutions take this responsibility. Nevertheless, parents still have a significant influence on an individual’s educational attainment. The aim of this study is to investigate and demonstrate this parental influence on the level of education as well as the subject of higher education degree. This thesis shows that individuals whose parents have at least a bachelor’s degree and above are more likely to attain one themselves. Moreover, individuals are more likely to choose a subject for that degree that is similar to their parents’ occupation.

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13

Ragadu, Suzette C., and Suzette C. Minnaar. "Transformation in higher education : receptions of female academics at a distance education institution of higher education." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2809.

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Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. Females in academia remain concentrated in lower level positions, with limited and often no decision-making power. However, this is not only a South African phenomenon but it is also evident in the position of female academics in the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand. Within the South African context, higher education institutions are in a process of transformation and change in order to integrate with social transformation and change. Therefore, the Department of Education mandated certain higher education institutions to transform and merge, with implications for their human resource management. Universities are regarded as complex organisations and this complicates the management and leadership of such institutions. Moreover, South Africa has passed legislation (e.g. the Higher Education Act) that impacts its human resource management and the manner in which higher education institutions are transformed and managed. Higher education institutions employ the principles of corporate management and therefore the distinction between management and leadership is highlighted. Communication is discussed as a tool thereof and the differences of males and females in this regard are emphasised. The status of female academics in South Africa is discussed and the perceptions of female academics with regard to the dimensions used in the empirical inquiry are highlighted. The empirical inquiry gauged how females occupying academic positions at a South African distance education university perceived the management process of institutional transformation. The perceptions of female academics with regard to five dimensions: management and leadership; communication; diversity and employment equity; and transformation and change were gauged and compared to the perceptions of male academics and that of female professional/administrative personnel. It was found that female and male academics were relatively positive with only one significant difference: their perceptions of communication at the institution. There were also significant differences in the perceptions of white and of black female academics. Furthermore, when female academics were compared to female professional/administrative personnel, there were significant differences: female academics held generally more positive perceptions than those of female professional/administrative personnel. In addition, there was evidence of an ageing workforce.

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Sturm, Pamela S. "Knowing when a higher education institution is in trouble." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2005. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=583.

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Pillay, Paliga. "The utilisation of formative and summative electronic assessments in historically disadvantaged institutions (HDI) in the Western Cape." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_5571_1183428889.

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In this thesis, I explore the benefit of electronic formative assessment on learner achievement. Studies had revealed the connection between throughput and assessment. There is great discrepancy between the throughput rate of Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDI) and Historically Advantaged Institutions (HAI), according to the National Plan for Higher Education. Previously, assessment was used primarily for summative and certification purposes. Now, with the introduction of Outcomes Based Education (OBE), a number of alternative forms of assessment can be used. In this study I establish the importance and necessity of frequent, electronic, formative assessments which would thereby improve learners&rsquo achievement in the classroom. The white paper on e-education (DOE: 2003) states that e-education must be transformed so that information and communication technology (ICT) can be successfully integrated to &ldquo ensure that all learners will be equipped for full participation in the knowledge society&rdquo . Recent research has reported significant increases in learner achievement through educational technology with the use of learning management systems (LMS) software (Stephens, 2001, Buchanan, 2000, DeKock, 1994). This study was built upon this body of research on educational technology and how it can be effectively integrated into classrooms. This research would impact on learner achievement through the use of formative assessment to assist under-prepared learners to improve their summative scores. In particular, the effect of formative electronic assessment on learner achievement in the subject Business Information Systems, for first year accounting learners, in the Business Faculty at Peninsula Technikon was investigated. This quantitative study utilized the use of questionnaires and the control group design. The control group design, which consisted of the control and experimental groups was used on a group of learners who had been exposed to the treatment. The treatment for the experimental group comprised of using a formative on-line learning assessment. Independent variables included the treatment condition, race, gender and home language. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used on assessment. Analysis firstly revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between achievement in the practical component between the experimental and the control group. The Kruskal-Wallis tests showed that there were no significant differences between genders. The control group performed better than the experimental group in the theory test. Secondly, analysis revealed statistically significant mean achievement differences between Coloured female with no prior computer usage (M= 78) and Black female with no computer usage (M=44). Based on these findings, implications of the results of this study, future avenues of research and implementation suggestions are offered.

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Howat, Edward G. "Factors Influencing Student-athlete Choice of Institution." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1999. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2923.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influenced prospective student-athletes to attend East Tennessee State University. Using a qualitative research design, interviews were conducted with 36 freshman scholarship student-athletes. Participants represented student-athletes from each sport. A literature review covered the history of intercollegiate athletics, the history of recruiting student-athletes, the process of recruiting student-athletes, and the decline of public perception towards intercollegiate athletics. Results from the interviews were analyzed using inductive analysis. Patterns, themes, and categories of analysis emerged from the data. The data from the interviews were then unitized and categorized. The categorized units were used to formulate grounded theory. The computer software package QSR NUD.IST 4.0 was used for analyzing the data. Results showed that the ETSU campus personnel were the most influential to prospective student-athletes in deciding to attend East Tennessee State University. The coaching staff at ETSU was mentioned by 27 (75%) of the interviewees. Other ETSU campus personnel were mentioned by 18 (50%) of the interviewees. Finally, current team members were mentioned by 16 (44%) of the interviewees. Facilities located at ETSU were also influential to prospective student-athletes. The dormitories were mentioned by 16 (44%) interviewees. The recently renovated athletics weight room was mentioned by 12 (33%) interviewees. Finally, the Memorial Center was mentioned by 10 (28%) of the interviewees as being influential in the decision-making process. Lastly, 15 (42%) of the interviewees mentioned their academic interests were best served by attending East Tennessee State University. The Quillen College of Medicine was a big factor to several interviewees. The reputation of the College of Business was important to a couple of prospective student-athletes. Also, many interviewees mentioned that the size of the university was influential to them academically. There were eight recommendations that emerged from the study. The first is that the ETSU coaching staff should continue to be heavily involved in the recruiting process. Secondly, the coaching staff should recognize that prospective student-athletes find the people at ETSU very helpful and friendly. Prospects should meet as many people on campus as possible. The third involves the information sent to prospects in the form of letters. A series of letters should be developed to highlight the strengths of ETSU, to include: the academic strengths of ETSU, the dormitories, the coaching staff, the athletic facilities, the newly constructed library, the Trip-Cities area, the Southern Conference, the recent success of the individual athletic programs, and the strength of schedule. The fourth is scheduling official visits during times the current team members are on campus. The fifth includes scheduling tours of the athletics facilities, to include a visit to the weight room. The sixth is athletic programs that have experienced recent success should highlight this success as much as possible to prospective student-athletes. The seventh is for the coaching staffs to determine the academic interests of the prospects early in the recruiting process. The last recommendation is that all female prospects tour Luntsford Apartments during the official visits.

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Sete, Lerato Virginia. "Staff retention at an institution of higher learning." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6564.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate staff retention at an institution of higher learning. The University of South Africa (UNISA) was the institution under scrutiny in this study. The reason for conducting the study was that employees at UNISA, and especially those at the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) with scarce skills, were difficult to attract and retain in their positions. It is thought that this scenario could create an increased workload and lead to stress and job dissatisfaction among remaining staff members in the college. This could resultantly influence the quality of education rendered to students. It was therefore important to identify the reasons behind staff turnover and to consider possible retention strategies that could be employed to retain employees at UNISA. The theoretical study focused on two main facets: factors that influence an employee’s decision to either leave or stay in an organisation; and on retention strategies used by the institution. In addition, interviews were conducted with a senior executive in the Human Resource Department and a senior academic manager in CSET at UNISA, to gain their views on how scarce skills were defined, the reasons for staff turnover and the utilisation of retention strategies to retain employees. A qualitative analysis was applied to the interview responses. In addition, a survey consisting of a self-administered questionnaire was conducted amongst academic staff at CSET and 64 responses were received, which represented a response rate of 30%. The questionnaire focused mainly on turnover intention, factors influencing turnover and retention strategies. The information gathered from the questionnaire was statistically analysed and interpreted. The respondents provided mostly positive responses to personal, job and organisational factors which influence retention compared with market factors, indicating that these factors played a significant role in retention. The results revealed that factors such as: remuneration and packages; recognising academic staff for their contribution; providing a satisfying and stimulating work environment; valuing and engaging employees and empowering supervision could be used to retain employees with scarce skills. The respondents agreed that UNISA could be perceived as an employer of choice and was actively seeking ways to retain employees, but were uncertain of the extent to which a fair compensation system, an attractive value proposition and care for employees with scarce skills were evident. No significant differences were found in terms of length of service, gender or race.

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Curran, Michael J. "Institution-related, instructor-related, and student-related factors that influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution." Thesis, Robert Morris University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3557824.

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Faculty satisfaction has consistently been considered an important component of any successful educational program. With the emergence of online education, which has been spearheaded primarily by for-profit institutions, faculty satisfaction remains a critical element in the overall success of these business enterprises. Understanding which factors influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution is a significant area of study for these organizations. This study used a survey to explore the student-related, instructor-related, and institution-related factors that influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution. The methodology included using a survey instrument, an adapted version of the Online Faculty Satisfaction Survey (OFSS) on a sample population of online faculty at a for-profit institution. Analysis revealed that all three factors on the survey contributed to overall satisfaction, with student-related factors being the most significant. Overall, faculty were moderately satisfied with online teaching, with 71% either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement, 'I look forward to teaching my next online class'. The most important demographic factor was the degree to which faculty in the study worked exclusively at the for-profit institution. Both full and part time faculty that worked exclusively at the institution studied had higher incidences of satisfaction among all dimensions.

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19

Adams, Nasheeta. "Emotional intelligence amongst undergraduate students at a higher education institution." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7446_1319114087.

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One hundred and fifty senior students (comprising of second and third year undergraduate students) completed a biographical questionnaire and the BarOn Emotional Quotient-Inventory questionnaire. The results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in total EQ based on gender and age, although there were no statistically significant differences based on race. Conclusions are drawn about the importance of emotional intelligence in students and recommendations for future research are provided.

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Garnett, Andrea. "Creativity barriers in South African higher education institution / Andrea Garnett." Thesis, North-West University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/2365.

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Mostert, Frans Frederick. "Occupational stress in a higher education institution / Frans Frederick Mostert." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1397.

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22

Karousou, Regina. "Investigating undergraduate students' transitions within one institution of higher education." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2010. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11873/.

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The thesis explores the potentially problematic nature of transitions and the implications for the way students engage with (and disengage from) the process of learning. Although studies in the field of student experience, learning approaches and transitions have examined the relation between learning and contextual factors, there has not been an in-depth examination of the ways students cope with the changes at personal and academic level they are confronted with at university. This study draws initially upon the theories of Lave & Wenger to develop a theoretical model for conceptualising students' experiences of learning at university. The study is therefore able to provide additional insights into the way individual identity; institutional communities and the interaction between the personal and the social elements can play a role in students' experiences of their transitions to and in university. This is developed with a very specific focus on transitions from first to second year study at university. In order to explore the nature and range of transitions that students experience, the methodological design of the study is based upon a qualitative methodology including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews of nine undergraduate students along with non-participant observation of two modules within one pre-1992 HE institution. The data are analysed to explore the research participants' perceptions, meanings and practices as these are negotiated and enacted in the various communities before and after their transition to and within university. The research findings suggest that the process of transitions involves a rich interplay between roles, relationships and participation. As students strive to develop higher order skills and become part of their communities, they seem to be confronted with changes in perceptions, positions and attitudes. These changes can be seen as deriving from the interactions between students and their institutional and wider communities. In essence, therefore, the thesis offers a model for understanding students' transitions to and within university. This model suggests that underpinning students' experiences at university are a range of transitions within various communities that influence the way identities, knowledge, and practices are constructed.

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23

Kaliika, Michael. "Perceptions of commerce graduates from a selected higher education institution." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004358.

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The role of higher education in developing human capital and contributing to economic growth, competitive advantage and societal progress of any country is well documented. The direct link between the economic performance of a country and the level of education of its citizens cannot be repudiated. Furthermore, the demands of a growing economy, governmental pressure and the competitive international business environment have put pressure on South African businesses. This is aggravated by a “skills crisis” and the need to deliver more goods and services to increasingly more diverse customers. There is consensus amongst experts that the shortage of skills and high-level managerial human resources in South Africa constitute a major threat to the country’s future economic development and productivity growth. As the business world becomes increasingly sophisticated and challenging, so does the need to continuously review and assess the business qualifications that equip managers to cope with the challenges facing them. The competencies that come with a Commerce degree are relevant in every corner of society from managing successful private companies, public organisations, for governments to be able to contribute to the greatest good of society, to socially effective not- for- profit organisations. Despite the importance of a degree in Commerce there are some criticisms about the degree and Commerce graduates. The problem statement of this study is therefore vested in the continuum of praise and criticisms of Commerce graduates and the Commerce curriculum and, the reported imbalances between higher education institutions and the needs of the labour market. The question is whether such praise and criticisms are justified and whether higher education institutions specifically meet the requirements and expectations of both the graduates themselves and of business practice. The primary research objective of this study was, therefore, to obtain the opinions of Commerce graduates and Commerce graduate employers on the overall perception of Commerce graduates produced by a prominent HEI in the Eastern Cape Province in South iv Africa. To achieve this objective and based on in-depth analysis of secondary sources, two independent empirical surveys, aimed at two population strata were conducted, namely: • The Commerce graduates with known email addresses (N = 1 870) were extracted from the HEI’s alumni database. A total of 231 usable questionnaires were received from these Commerce graduates. • The employers with known addresses (N = 85) were extracted from the selected HEIs Career Centre database. A total of 47 usable questionnaires were received from the employers of the Commerce graduates. The main findings in this research pertain to aspects concerning core courses in the Commerce curriculum offered by the selected HEI, management skills and traits as required in the work environment, commerce curriculum outcomes and perceived experience as a student in the Faculty of Commerce at the selected HEI and Employer perceptions on the profile of the Commerce graduate. In this regard, the main findings are therefore summarised below: • Both graduates and employers assigned high relative importance scores to seventeen of the 19 core courses, supporting the multi-functionary interdisciplinary approach to the Commerce curriculum. Concerns were expressed by the Commerce graduates with the quality of tuition they had received in most of the core courses. Likewise, employers were not always satisfied with the Commerce graduates’ proficiency in some of the core courses, relative to the importance of core courses for running a business. • The Commerce graduates and employers strongly endorsed and supported the importance of the 43 management skills and traits in the work environment. Commerce graduates expressed concerns about the extent to which their management skills and traits had been developed through tuition. Concerns about the proficiency of the Commerce graduates in all the management skills and traits, relative to the importance in the work place, were conveyed by the employers. • On average the perceptions on the outcome of studies in the Faculty of Commerce were very highly regarded by the Commerce graduates. The highest mean score was for the item “Studying in the Faculty of Commerce contributed to an increase in my knowledge and abilities.”• The perceived experience of Commerce graduates as students in the Faculty of Commerce at the selected HEI was very highly regarded, implying that the selected HEI was meeting the expectations of its Commerce graduates. • Employer perceptions of what would constitute an ideal Commerce graduate were not fully met by the profile of the actual Commerce graduate from the selected HEI.

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Naidoo, Anban. "Student funding at a South African institution of higher education." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52272.

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Higher education is linked to economic mobility, but demand to fund access to university exceeds supply in South Africa, and elsewhere in the world. Thus, universities are pressed to ensure that in a situation of limited funds, funding is allocated in a strategic and prudent manner. However, little work has been undertaken in this field, and, as such, this study represents an attempt to fill the gap. The purpose of this research was to explore the current student funding model, to gain an understanding the current funding challenges and attempt to find ways in which funding decisions can be improved. The study is limited to one institution of higher education in South Africa, and, as such the results may not be generalizable. A mixed methods approach was used. The qualitative portion focused on establishing what were (1) the current model, (2) the criteria used, (3) the challenges encountered, (4) funding s ability to aid epistemological success and (5) stakeholder management. Interviews were conducted with senior staff involved in a range of student support directorates including Finance, Client Services, Recruitment and Information Technology. The quantitative portion focused on exploring the links between (1) the current criteria and success, (2) student funding and success, and (3) residence placement and success. This sample included all (8099) undergraduates for the 2011 cohort year and tracked them over a period of three years. Results of the study show that student funding is complex and challenging. In terms of academic criteria, the Grade Point Average was found to be the best predictor of success. However, the presence and value of funding does not guarantee success or even improve student performance, whereas the placement of a student in residence generates a statistically significant improvement in performance. Thus, student funding cannot be simply directed at individuals, as a portion must be allocated to student support initiatives such as residence; tutoring; cultural integration; mentorship and early warning systems. Mini-disseration (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. nk2016 Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) MBA Unrestricted

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25

Americanos, Marios. "Development of policies and procedures in a higher education institution." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2008. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/6529/.

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The purpose of the research project was to investigate which faculty policies and procedures of a higher education institution based in Cyprus needed improving/revising, which ones needed to be made redundant, and for which faculty issues the institution lacked policies and procedures. The aim of the research was to formulate model faculty policies and procedures that would achieve the institution's strategic objectives. This was done by a thorough review of the relevant literature, by interviewing the institution's staff (mainly faculty) members and by conducting focus groups in which faculty members of the institution participated. The research was conducted by employing an action research approach. The initial findings confirmed that a number of the institution's original policies and procedures needed in-depth revisions (e.g. were out of date and needed to be written more clearly and concisely) and suggested the kind of revisions that needed to be made. In addition, they pointed out that the institution lacked policies and procedures on many faculty issues and identified these issues. Finally, they stressed the need to have online policies and procedures. The analysis of the data and findings of the literature review, interviews and focus groups led to the development of model faculty policies and procedures on a number of issues. These policies and procedures are the outcome of this research project. Following the development of the policies and procedures, their content and structure was found to be satisfactory and acceptable. In addition, it was found that they created a framework based on which, staff members of the institution could take informed actions and decisions. They fostered stability, continuity, uniformity, consistency, simplicity and accountability. They were better organised, clear and more user-friendly. The research project concluded that the policies and procedures developed achieved the institution's strategic objectives and informed the institution's faculty members on the issues for which the policies and procedures were developed. The model policies and procedures helped the institution to operate more efficiently and productively. In addition, they had a positive impact on faculty members' work-related behaviour (greater motivation, lower employee turnover, greater employee commitment, more research accomplishments. greater accountability and development). Additionally, the online policies and procedures proved extremely beneficial due to their timely updating, their ease of access, reduction of printing costs and their ability to respond to the institutions changing needs immediately. The policies and procedures developed led to their increased usage since they could be more easily understood and be accessed easily online. Moreover, they led to the professional development of the staff members and the researcher. Finally, this research report emphasises the importance of developing policies and procedures and provides a number of recommendations to the institution, higher education institutions, other organisations and the Cyprus Council for Educational Evaluation-Accreditation for utilising this report and for further research and development in this area.

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Ronnie, Linda. "Transforming habitus? : experiences of mature students in a higher education institution." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8223.

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Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-245). This study explores the experiences of mature adults returning to study at a higher education institution. The aims of the research focus on the complicated and complex ways in which dispositions of class, embodied in the habitus, shape opportunities, choices and experiences of a group of mature students enrolled at a school of management studies within a higher education institution. The study focuses on the reasons these mature adults returned to study, the strategies they employed to cope with the academic demands and related expectations during their year of study, and the effects and consequences of the higher education experience on their relationships with significant others in their lives. The study foregrounds class and its role in mediating the choices, actions and experiences of mature students through drawing on Bourdieuâ€™s conceptual toolkit of habitus, capital and field.

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Edwards, Maria Margaretha. "A higher education association as pathway to teacher resilience in high risk rural schools." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60942.

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The purpose of this study was to contribute to knowledge on teacher resilience in terms of protective resources and risk factors in rural schools by exploring the significance of higher education institutions (HEI) with rural school teachers. In the comparative case study, following a constructivist meta-theory and Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) methodology, I used Place-based Social Mobility System theory as lens to compare teacher experiences of purposively sampled teachers (n = 6) in conveniently sampled rural schools (n = 2) with a long-term university-association to those of teachers (n = 12, male = 5, female = 7) in rural schools ( n = 4) in the same school-district without a long-term university-association. Data sources included PRA-interview data and face to face semi-structured teacher-interviews as well as observation data of the rural school context. Following inductive in-case and cross-case thematic analysis, informed by a constructivist grounded theory, it was apparent that, irrespective of a university-association, teachers shared similar experiences of protective resources and risk factors when teaching in a rural context. Feedback from the HEI members rather than parental and student feedback was valued and a lack of knowledge regarding obtaining sponsors and funds to sustain a HE intervention was identified as a constraint. A finding which merits further investigation is that the expectation from teachers in schools without a HEI association to potentially gain from a future association serves as protective resource of hope to promote teacher resilience. In contrast to other studies I found that using instructional resources available in a resource-constrained school setting, a lower student-teacher ratio, low community crime, financial compensation and informal teacher development activities as conducive to teacher resilience. Teachers were silent on the role that teacher illness and personal difficulties play in the development of teacher resilience; how teachers utilise student relationships as a protective resource; the role of hobbies and extracurricular activities in teacher resilience; and, lastly, how the effect of the unstable education system and policy demands on rural education advances/not teacher resilience. Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. Educational Psychology PhD Unrestricted

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Guiffrida, Douglas A. "African American college students perceptions of success at a predominantly White institution." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/syr/main.

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Cekic, Osman. "Responsibility center management and cultural change at a public higher education institution." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3330774.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2008. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 20, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-10, Section: A, page: 3875. Adviser: Douglas M. Priest.

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Jacques, Kevin. "Professional values in a UK higher education institution : a thematic evaluation." Thesis, University of Hull, 2015. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:13624.

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This thesis explores the perceptions of academic staff in one department of a UK university to establish the extent to which professional values are compatible with current pressures. Drawing on contemporary literature, the meanings of professionalism in an HE context are described. An evaluation of the global, national and institutional contexts under which academics operate are presented through literature review and by evaluation of key policy documents in the institution. Together these provide the context of external and internal pressures on academic engagement. Interviews were conducted to present an understanding of the perceptions of academic staff. These interviews were analysed using thematic analysis by an inductive, data-driven approach which through codification of themes provide a framework for the presentation of the professional values of staff. The final analysis presents a cross-referencing of individual professional values against the espoused values of the institution in which the individuals operate. The results of the literature reviews demonstrate that academics operate in a culture of social and financial accountability driven by New Public Management policies which have significantly increased the marketization of higher education and promoted the commodification and consumerisation of HE. The evidence further suggests that the institution under consideration operates by utilising predominantly competitive evaluative mechanisms to influence practice that is largely directed to enhancing reputation and marketability as espoused by various university league tables. The final evaluation suggests significant areas of conflict between professional values and the current pressures on academic engagement and concludes that academic staff have reshaped their values through engagement in increasingly competitive activity that they use to provide personal utility in preference to institutional utility. The results conclude that performativity mechanisms used by the institution to measure departments and individuals have come to be seen as an opportunistic means for the sometimes deceptive demonstration of excellence and competence.

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31

O'Reilly, Allison. "Towards a framework for performance management in a higher education institution." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/2567.

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The increased emphasis on improving performance and accountability in higher education has seen the introduction of league tables, the development of key performance indicators and the requirement to make explicit in HR strategies action to tackle poor performance. At the same time, the need to attract, recruit, develop and retain the right calibre of employees is now widely recognised as a source of competitive advantage. It is through their staff, that universities are able to respond to the challenges of the changing HE environment and the effective management of performance at organisational, school/unit and individual level is therefore critical to success. A literature review on performance management (with a particular emphasis on HR policies underpinning the Employee Life Cycle) culminated in the development of a unified theoretical model. This action research investigated managers’ perspectives of performance management in a post-92 HEI. It sought to establish current performance management practices and identify areas of congruence and dissonance between three different management groups. Research methods included a case study of the university’s journey towards improving performance, one-to-one interviews with 21 executive and senior managers and an on-line survey questionnaire returned by 44 academic and support middle managers. The research revealed that the holistic, complex and multidisciplinary phenomenon of performance management was not fully understood amongst managers and whilst many good practices were evidenced, opportunities for setting out performance expectations and planning, supporting and reviewing performance were sometimes under-developed or not sufficiently deployed. All management groups experienced difficulties when managing individual performance, exacerbated by a general dislike of having to tackle issues of poor performance. The study concludes that compliance is a major issue that threatens the performance of the institution. A performance management framework to assist managers in optimising the right performance management tools and opportunities is proffered as a solution.

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Crafford, S. "A curriculum framework for consumer learning at a higher education institution." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/3173.

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Thesis (PhD (Education)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. 287 leaves printed as single pages, preliminary pages i-xxii and numbered pages 1-253. Includes bibliography and appendixes. Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR), using a Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is aimed at developing a curriculum framework for consumer learning at a higher education institution, using a case study design. To determine the need for consumer learning at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology - the "bounded context" of the study - a situation analysis was conducted as the first phase of curriculum development. Methods to triangulate data included the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods, together with a thorough literature study. The two sets of empirical data were obtained from two research instruments, namely self-administered survey questionnaires and semistructured interviews with learning facilitators (lecturers) at the institution. The survey amongst first-year students was used to assist in the needs assessment for curriculum development at the CPUT and to determine the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes of first-year respondents regarding consumer rights and responsibilities, as well as other consumer-related issues. This not only provided data to analyse the situation, but also assisted in the planning and development of a curriculum framework for consumer learning. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to determine the views and perceptions of learning facilitators regarding the importance of consumer learning, and to gauge the need for such learning at the institution. Aspects relating to the contents, teaching strategies, level of introduction, potential for critical crossfield outcomes development, benefits and major obstacles in the implementation and/or integration into the curriculum were also investigated. The two-tiered situation analysis indicated that students expressed a clear need for consumer learning at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, especially regarding the areas of consumer rights and responsibilities. The importance of consumer learning and the "readiness climate" from the perspective of the learning facilitators was also clearly established. The study culminated in the development of a curriculum framework for consumer learning that is compatible with the requirements of the South African Qualifications Authority and the Higher Education Qualifications Framework in South Africa. Key findings reported in the form of a curriculum framework could serve as a guideline for the planning and implementation of a consumer learning programme at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is onderneem met die doel om 'n kurrikulumraamwerk vir verbruikersleer aan 'n hoëronderwysinstelling te ontwikkel. 'n Gevallestudiebenadering is gebruik om die sosiale verskynsel van verbruikersleer te ondersoek. Om die behoefte aan verbruikersleer aan die Kaapse Skiereilandse Universiteit van Tegnologie - die konteks van die studie - te bepaal, is 'n situasie-analise onderneem as die eerste fase van kurrikulumontwikkeling. Metodes van triangulasie in hierdie navorsing sluit die benutting van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe gegewens in, asook 'n literatuurstudie. Die twee stelle empiriese gegewens is verkry vanuit 'n selfgeadministreerde opnamevraelys aan studente en onderhoude met leerfasiliteerders (dosente) aan die instelling. Die doel van die opnamevraelys was om te help met die behoeftebepaling vir kurrikulumontwikkeling aan die Kaapse Skiereilandse Universiteit van Tegnologie, en veral om die kennis, vaardighede, waardes en houdings van eerstejaarrespondente met betrekking tot verbruikersregte en -verantwoordelikhede te bepaal. Dit het nie alleen insig in die situasie-ontleding gegee nie, maar het ook gehelp met die beplanning en ontwikkeling van 'n kurrikulumraamwerk vir verbruikersleer. Die doel met die gebruik van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude in hierdie studie was om die navorser in staat te stel om die sienswyse en persepsies van leerfasiliteerders met betrekking tot die belangrikheid van verbruikersleer, asook die behoefte daarvoor by die instelling te bepaal. Aspekte wat verband hou met die inhoud, onderrigstrategieë, vlak van bekendstelling, potensiaal vir kritieke uitkomsontwikkeling, voordele en vernaamste struikelblokke in die implementering en/of integrasie van die kurrikulum is ook getoets. Die situasie-analise dui daarop dat studente aan die Kaapse Skiereilandse Universiteit van Tegnologie 'n behoefte het aan verbruikersleer, veral met betrekking tot die bevordering van verbruikersregte en -verantwoordelikhede. Die belangrikheid van verbruikersleer en die "gereedheidsklimaat" daarvoor vanuit die perspektief van die leerfasiliteerders is ook bevestig. Die resultaat van die navorsing het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van 'n kurrikulumraamwerk vir verbruikersleer wat versoenbaar is met die vereistes van die Suid-Afrikaanse Kwalifikasie-Owerheid en die van die Hoëronderwys Kwalifikasieraamwerk in Suid-Afrika. Sleutelbevindings in verband met verbruikersleer is ook in die raamwerk opgeneem. Hierdie bevindings kan as 'n riglyn dien vir die beplanning en implementering van 'n verbruikersleerprogram aan die Kaapse Skiereilandse Universiteit van Tegnologie.

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Barkhuizen, Emmerentia Nicolene. "Burnout of academic staff in a higher education institution / Nicolene Barkhuizen." Thesis, North-West University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/260.

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Universities worldwide are developing a disturbing imbalance with their environments. In recent years, academic working conditions in South African universities have changed dramatically as a result of the country's post-apartheid policies and the accelerating globalisation of knowledge. Academic staff are continually confronted with an overload of job demands without corresponding increases in job resources. These prolonged job stressors that academic staff are subjected to over lengthy periods of time coupled with inadequate job resources can lead to the development of a pathogenically defined construct, namely burnout. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationships between burnout, strain, job characteristics and dispositional optimism in universities in the North-West Province. A cross-sectional design was used. The study population (N = 279) consisted of academic staff of universities in the North-West Province. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS), The Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R), Job Characteristics Scale (JCS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQI9) were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, standard deviations and kurtosis) were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to confirm the structure of the measuring instruments and to test theoretical models. The results showed that the stressors of overload was associated with high levels of exhaustion and low professional efficacy. Job resources (i.e. social support, task characteristics) were related to low levels of exhaustion and cynicism and higher levels of professional efficacy. Exhaustion and low professional efficacy were significantly related to physical and psychological health problems. Exhaustion and cynicism were negatively related to optimism, whereas professional efficacy were positively related to the latter. Optimism moderated the effects of a lack of resources on exhaustion and the effects of job resources on professional efficacy. Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

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Hodson, Peter. "Implementing an innovation in a higher education institution : evidence of institutionalisation?" Thesis, University of Bristol, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.288309.

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Walker, Susan K. "Retention Strategies for Reducing Voluntary Turnover in a Higher Education Institution." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4111.

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Employees who choose to leave employment cause significant challenges for organizations. Compounded challenges exist when employee retention strategies are not effective, affecting job satisfaction and personnel replacement costs as the organization continues to lose qualified and valuable staff. This single case study, built on a psychological contract theory framework, was focused on effective employee retention strategies to reduce voluntary turnover in a for-profit, higher education institution located in the Midwestern United States. The population consisted of 12 employees, 6 Student Success employees and 6 Student Success managers, who shared their unique perspectives. Methodological triangulation was achieved through semistructured interviews with the 12 participants, review of the institution's archival data, and examination of the institution's mission statement. The data analysis process consisted of a manual and systematic coding procedure for the 3 sources of inquiry. Three strategies emerged in the findings: relationship management, work environment, and career development. Moreover, participants agreed that the employee-employer relationship was critically important to job satisfaction and developing effective retention strategies. The study has implications for positive social change, in that higher educational institutions may apply the findings to create a more enjoyable work environment and retain happier employees, thereby promoting financial, economic, and social improvements for communities.

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Thomas, Mary. "Perceptions of bullying in a higher education institution : A case study." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.523188.

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Muller, Anton. "Promoting a research culture and scholarship at a higher education institution." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 3, Issue 1: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/470.

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Published Article This article offers a glance at strategies related to the creation of a research culture at higher education institutions that desire to reposition academic staff to commit to scholarly work and research outputs. The departure is that these institutions need to focus on a multidimensional and holistic approach to create a research culture in which a sustainable research environment can be established for academia to contribute significantly to research. The dimensions of a research culture and ethos, focussing on the coordination of goals, regular communication and professional rewards, is proposed as a tool with the potential to contribute towards the promotion of a research culture. In this article strategies employed by the previous Technikon Witwatersrand (now merged into the newly formed University of Johannesburg) will be discussed, especially with reference to promoting a research culture and ethos and scholarship. It is suggested that a research culture, although multifaceted, needs to be created to promote scholarship in higher education institutions.

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MATHIS, DAVID. "Image, institution and leadership : Philip Lindsley and the modern university presidency 1825-1850." W&M ScholarWorks, 1985. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618588.

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Colleges and universities have historically found that their projected image, character, prestige, and reputation is highly significant to success, even though these illusive indicators of quality may be little more than emotional responses to what people believe, rather than reality. These over-simplifications are based on filtered messages and perceptions, and when they occur, a Gestalt view results that relates to the institution as a whole. One avenue often utilized by institutions of higher education to achieve this institutional image or character is through the president or major spokesman.;One important historic case of the spokesman's role in higher education is that of Philip B. Lindsley, educator and Presbyterian clergyman, who served as president of the University of Nashville from 1825 to 1850. He is, in effect, the nineteenth century precursor of the twentieth century university president. While involved in all aspects of his small and struggling institution, he devoted much of his time and energy addressing the external affairs of the university. He solicited monetary support both from individual citizens of Nashville and from the State of Tennessee for his private nonsectarian institution. He was keenly aware of the power of the press in influencing public policy just as he understood that higher education is not an isolated entity, but instead, one that must fit within the overall needs of society--economically, socially, educationally (at all levels of lower public education), and morally.;The Lindsley of nineteenth century Nashville stood in dramatic relief to most college presidents of the time. But his legacy was not to be in his own university, which closed shortly after his resignation in 1850. Instead, the significance of Philip Lindsley would be in the themes he addressed, through public speeches and published papers, regarding the direction of higher education in Tennessee and beyond.;In this frontier environment, where the impossible was thought only slightly less attainable than the difficult, Philip Lindsley confused the visionary with the real and turned his dreams into illusions. Herein lies his importance as a "type" and "role" for the American college president.;His professional inscription stands separate from the University of Nashville. He became a symbol of educational leadership through the celebration of his philosophies and creeds. After a while and with his repeated oratory, Philip Lindsley's reputation gained increased acceptance merely because of his recognition. Image and institution ceased to be one.

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Hoffmann, Kori T. "Impact of freshman-year alcohol violations on retention at a regional, Midwestern, 4-year, public higher education institution." Thesis, University of Missouri - Columbia, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10182607.

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This quantitative study examined over 7,000 freshmen at a regional, Midwestern, 4-year, public higher education institution. The participants were separated as either having a freshman-year alcohol violation or not having a freshman-year alcohol violation and then analyzed. The results of the study found that there was not a significant difference in retention for those with a freshman-year alcohol violation compared to those without a freshman-year violation. However, when looking only at those participants with a freshman-year alcohol violation, a logistic regression analysis showed that high school GPA, minority racial status, amount of financial aid disbursed, not receiving loans, and not being Pell-eligible were all significant factors indicating a participant was more likely to return to school. However, this model only accounted for 18% of the variance in retention and future studies will need to include more variables to account for more variance in retention.

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Fenwick, Stephanie. "Exploring Faculty Members’ Multicultural Competence at a Faith-Based Institution." ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/480.

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This study explored challenges related to issues of diversity for faculty members teaching in nontraditional adult degree completion programs. The problem addressed was an increasing expectation that faculty members facilitate learning to help increase the cultural proficiency of their students without having prior training or needed experience. A critical appreciative inquiry (CAI) case study methodology with a transformative conceptual framework was used to explore the intersection of effective adult learning paradigms and multicultural competence. The primary research question addressed the cultural competence challenges that faculty members confront when teaching in the adult classroom. A purposeful sample of 188 faculty members was selected to take a self-reflective survey. Ten participants then self-selected to participate in follow-up focus groups and interviews. Qualitative data analysis was conducted through line-by-line analysis resulting in emergent themes, both in the self-reflective survey and in the focus groups and interviews, and then filtered through the change process phases of CAI. Findings revealed a need for further knowledge about diversity scholarship and identity formation, particularly related to sociocultural power differentials that may impact student learning engagement. The resulting project was a training module with opportunities for follow-up faculty learning communities to deepen learning about inclusive practice. Positive implications for social change included, but were not limited to, increased critical consciousness for faculty members and the successful use of CAI as a methodology for facilitating nondefensive dialogue in faith-based institutions of higher learning.

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Randolph, Laura. "Understanding Black Undergraduate Females' Sense of Belonging at a Predominantly White Institution." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2017. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/442767.

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Educational Leadership Ed.D. As college and university continue to recruit and enroll more diverse student populations and maintain institutional priorities of diversity and inclusion, it is imperative we understand the distinct experiences of our minority populations. This research will specifically focus on the experiences of Black undergraduate females. To ensure the success of our Black females students, it is imperative we understand their need for a sense of belonging on a predominantly White campus in order to achieve higher-level opportunities of classroom and campus success. Sense of belonging is defined as the ability to connect, feel validated, accepted, and matter. This understanding is key to Black undergraduate females’ ability to successfully integrate academically and socially in their college environment. Existing research provides insight into the Black male experience, not limited to the challenges Black males face, as well as variables needed to enable Black males’ educational success. However, there is a general lack of awareness and attention to the nuanced experiences of our Black female students on predominantly White campuses. What challenges do Black females face and what factors can enable their educational success? This missed opportunity of understanding of their experiences limits faculty, staff, and administrators from creating an environment where Black females can succeed both inside and outside the classroom. This research gives voice to the experiences of this seemingly silent minority and challenges campus environments to address their operating norm of campus rituals and culture. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the experiences of nine Black undergraduate females at one predominantly White urban institution located in the North East. Through the use semi-structured interviews, this study seeks to understand in what ways Black female students’ understanding of self, relationship development, and engagement with their campus environment aids in the creation of their sense of belonging to their institution. Findings from this study demonstrate key components of belonging are rooted in understanding of self, and self in relation to others; the impact of participating in institutional programs; and the ability to navigate rules of engagement, both in the classroom and social environments. Participants demonstrate varying levels of belonging but provide key insight for higher education administrators to reflect upon their institutional programs, services, and opportunities to provide intentional space and place of support and ultimately find a place where they matter; their place of belonging. Temple University--Theses

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Iuspa, Flavia Eleonora. "Assessing the Effectiveness of the Internationalization Process in Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of Florida International University." FIU Digital Commons, 2010. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/316.

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The purpose of this study was to examine a Higher Education Institution’s (HEI) process of internationalization. The theoretical model developed by Van Dijk and Miejer (1997) was used to review Florida International University (FIU)’s policy, support, and implementation dimensions and determine its position on the Internationalization Cube, and assess how FIU’s international activities fit into its different organizational processes. In addition, the study sought to shed light on student and faculty attitudes toward internationalization. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from examining organizational documents, interviews, descriptive data on FIU’s international activities using the International Dimension Index, and the Student and Faculty Survey on Internationalization. FIU’s international activities results were analyzed in relation to a panel of experts’ item relevancy index. The Likert-type survey scales’ frequencies and percentages were calculated as well as Spearman Rho correlations between the survey’s three scales and demographic and experiences variables. The study found that FIU is located on position six of a possible eight positions on the Van Dijk and Meijer Internationalization Cube with the following characteristics: Priority Policy, One-Sided Support, and Structured Implementation toward internationalization. The analysis of FIU’s results on international activities showed that FIU exhibits all the activities considered to be strong indicators of internationalization but for position seven placement special attention is needed in the areas of foreign language study, international students, study abroad, faculty movement and involvement in international projects. The survey indicated students and faculty rated the Benefits of Internationalization highly but didn’t perceive strong institutional Support for Internationalization. Faculty age and offshore programs participation; student gender, race/ethnicity and class status; and for both, study abroad and knowledge of students travel grant had significant positive correlations with student and faculty attitudes. The study concluded that an association exists between FIU’s position on the Internationalization Cube and its international activities. Recommendations for policy, implementation, and future studies were made. It was concluded that advancing FIU’s position on the Cube will require adjustments in FIU’s policy, support and implementation dimensions. Differences in student and faculty views toward internationalization should be taken into account when planning internationalization efforts.

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McGhie, Venicia F. "Factors impacting on first-year students' academic progress at a South African university." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20090.

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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research project explored the learning experiences of two groups of first-year students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Western Cape during the course of 2009/2010. The aim was to obtain insight into the learning challenges that these students encountered and the reasons why some of them were less successful in the learning process, while others were successful. The perspective of this study was therefore student centred. The project was undertaken against the backdrop of a higher education institution that caters mainly for so-called ‗disadvantaged‘ and ‗underprepared‘ students. Such students come predominantly from marginalised and poorly resourced education environments and socio-economic backgrounds, which suggests that they would find higher learning challenging and, as a result, would most likely experience failure in the learning process. The objective of the research project was two-fold: firstly, to identify and determine which factors have an impact on failure or successful completion of the first year of study in this faculty; and secondly, to derive from the data a socially situated, supportive and holistic learning approach that could assist more students to be successful in the learning process. The argument in the study was that learning is socially situated and constructed. To realise the objective, Vygotsky‘s social cultural theory and Bandura‘s social cognitive theory were used as theoretical orientation of the study. This qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterised by multiple data collection methods. Qualitative data concerning the perceptions of the participants were generated via written reflective pieces, a questionnaire and individual interviews and content analysis. In addition, quantitative data were collected and this further contributed to the triangulation of rich, in-depth data. An ‗open coding‘ strategy for the content analysis was used, but the approach for the analysis was not purely inductive. A student-centred analytical framework based in part on theories and findings of five studies conducted on student learning, failures and dropouts, and the context of UWC as HBU served as a framework for the analysis but new sub-themes also emerged from the data collected. The results of these two Case studies revealed that some of the students experienced multiple learning challenges simultaneously which increased in severity during the course of the academic year, and that, in Case 1, these challenges became too overwhelming and severe for the students and that was why they were less successful; while in Case 2, the students managed to overcome and deal with these challenges successfully. The findings of this project, while specific to the context in which it was undertaken, contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of higher education and in the identification of enabling factors that could assist more students to be successful in their first year of study at a higher education institution. The findings provide guidelines for a socially situated, supportive and holistic learning approach that could help higher education institutions to mitigate the cumulative effects of learning on students‘ personal, academic and social lives. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek ondersoek twee groepe eerstejaarstudente se leerervaring gedurende 2009/2010 in die Fakulteit Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe aan die UWK. Die doel was om insig te verkry in die leeruitdagings waarvoor hierdie studente te staan gekom het en die redes hoekom party van hulle min sukses in die leerproses behaal het, terwyl ander suksesvol was. Die perspektief in die projek was daarom gerig op die studente en hoe hulle the leerproses ondervind. Die projek is onderneem teen die agtergrond van ‘n instelling van hoër onderwys wat hoofsaaklik vir sogenaamd ‗benadeelde‘ en ‗swak voorbereide‘ studente voorsien. Sulke studente kom meestal uit ‘n gemarginaliseerde opvoedkundige en sosio-ekonomiese agtergrond met gebrekkige bronne, wat daarop dui dat hoër onderwys vir hulle ‘n uitdagings sal wees en dat hulle gevolglik heelwaarskynlik in die leerproses sal misluk. Die doelwit van die navorsingsprojek was tweevoudig: eerstens, om te bepaal watter faktore ‘n invloed het op die mislukking of geslaagde voltooiing van die eerste studiejaar aan hierdie fakulteit; tweedens, om uit die inligting ‘n sosiale gestruktureerde, ondersteunende en holistiese leerbenadering af te lei wat meer studente kan help om in die leerproses sukses te behaal. Die projek berus op die uitgangspunt dat die leerproses ‗n sosiaal gebaseerde en gestuktureerde proses is. Die teoritiese raamwerk was daarom gebaseer op Vygotsky se sosiale kulturele teorie en Bandura se sosiale kognitiewe teorie. Hierdie kwalitatiewe, vertolkende ondersoek word deur veelvoudige metodes van inligtinginsameling gekenmerk. Kwalitatiewe inligting oor die deelnemers se waarnemings is verkry deur middel van nadenkende skryfwerk, ‘n vraelys en individuele onderhoude, en die ontleding van die inhoud daarvan. Ook kwantitatiewe inligting is ingesamel, wat tot die triangulering van ryk, diepgaande inligting bygedra het. Daar is ‘n ‗oopkode‘-strategie vir die ontleding van die inhoud gebruik, maar die ontledingsbenadering was nie suiwer induktief nie. Ontleding het plaasgevind binne ‘n studente gebaseerde ontledingsraamwerk wat gegrond is op teorieë en bevindings uit vyf studies oor leer, mislukking en uitsakking onder studente asook die konteks van die UWK as historiese Swart inrigting. Unieke temas het ook uit die inligting in hierdie studie na vore gekom het. Die resultate van hierdie twee gevallestudies het getoon dat studente veelvoudige leeruitdagings tegelykertyd ervaar het wat al hoe meer geword het deur die loop van die jaar en dat hierdie uitdagings in die een geval te oorweldigend en straf vir die studente geraak het, sodat hulle min sukses behaal het. In die ander geval het die studente daarin geslaag om hierdie uitdagings te hanteer en dit suksesvol te oorkom. Hoewel die bevindings van hierdie projek gekoppel is aan die konteks waarin dit onderneem is, dra dit nietemin by tot die groeiende kennisbasis oor die terrein van hoër onderwys en oor die bepaling van bemagtigende faktore wat meer studente sou kon help om in hulle eerste studiejaar aan ‘n instelling van hoër onderwys sukses te behaal. Die bevindings bied riglyne vir ‘n sosiale ondersteunende holistiese leerbenadering vir akademiese steun wat instellings van hoër onderwys moontlik sal help om die kumulatiewe effek op die studente se persoonlike, akademiese en sosiale lewens in die leerproses te help verlig.

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Biela, Runel. "The acculturation process in hostels of a higher education institution / Runel Biela." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1384.

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Lourens, Guinevere Margaretha Attilla. "TB and HIV community-outreach training project in a higher education institution." Thesis, [S.l. : s.n.], 2009. http://dk.cput.ac.za/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=td_cput.

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Lightfoot, Nicola Jane. "Interpretations and practice of widening participation within an institution of higher education." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2007. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20837/.

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The interpretations and practices of widening participation are explored using a case study of an academic School within a post-1992 University. The research is based upon the assumption that there are no shared understandings of the agenda and that policy may be reinterpreted by stakeholders. Consequently individuals' interpretations and practice of widening participation were explored. Semi structured interviews with apposite staff were used to uncover their understandings of the agenda. The individuals held a range of posts, as it was believed important to explore differing perspectives of the agenda, but all were identified with the decision making process attached to widening participation. The research uncovers the multiple and complex factors which affect the interpretation and practice of widening participation. The role of government is important to that practice as it is argued that the University and School engage with it in a reactive manner. The impact of government policy is complex, and is seen to operate in both a direct and indirect manner upon the Institution. What is evident is that the relationship of government and the higher education institution is contested and that the practice of widening participation within the Institution is in part an outcome of this. Through the data the role of the university and academics was identified as important to the interpretation and practice of widening participation, as was the binary divide. However for both academics and Institution there were more pressing and important priorities which side-lined the agenda. In particular widening participation appeared to challenge perceived academic roles and purposes. The agenda was not seen as being a defining function of that role and hence was not owned by academics; a consequence of this is the way that it was interpreted and practiced. The implication for practice is that government needs to acknowledge the culture of higher education during policy construction, in order for it to be owned. In addition there is a need for academics to reflect upon their own practice and to reject instrumental constructions of the agenda. Rather, they need to engage in a redevelopment of their role which affords the learner an opportunity to contribute to the meaning of higher education. It is at this level, it is concluded, that the agenda can become transformative and move beyond quantitative definitions.

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Foy, Tommy J. "Managing Workplace Stress for Increased Performance in an Irish Higher Education Institution." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1534.

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Workplace stress costs -£3.7 billion per annum in the United Kingdom and in excess of $300 billion per annum in the United States. However, little research exists on the relationships between perceptions of social support, work-life conflict, job performance, and workplace stress. The purpose of this correlational study was to provide educational leaders with the information they need to examine the existence, strength, and direction of relationships between perceptions of social support, work-life conflict, job performance, and workplace stress in an Irish higher education institution. The theoretical framework for this study consisted of a combination of reward imbalance theory, expectancy theory, and equity theory. The study included an organizational stress screening survey instrument to survey the population (N = 1,420) of academic, research, and support staff. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between the independent variables (social support, work-life conflict, job performance), the covariates (staff category, direct reports, age, gender), and the dependent variable (workplace stress). The results showed a negative correlation between social support and workplace stress, a positive correlation between work-life conflict and workplace stress, and a negative correlation between job performance and workplace stress (p < .05). The results also revealed significant relationships between the covariates direct reports and gender and the dependent variable workplace stress. By reviewing the findings of this study, educational leaders can enable social change by developing and implementing social support, work-life strategies, and potential pathways to reduce levels of workplace stress and improve quality of life for employees and their families.

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Malatji, Mapula Martha. "Telematic tuition in a South African higher education institution : a case study." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2079.

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Scheepers, Hannelie. "Mentoring academic staff at a higher education institution : a whole brain approach." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/40392.

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As the Head of Department, Department of Tourism at Centurion Academy, I identified an innovative idea to transform my mentoring practice. The Advanced Diploma in Tourism Management is offered at two campuses – the main campus in Centurion and the campus situated in Klerksdorp. I was based on the main campus and served as a peer mentor for my mentee, who was based on the Klerksdorp campus. The concept of blended mentoring that focuses on face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring was opted for, due to the distance between my mentee and me. The purpose of the mentoring was to facilitate my mentee’s professional development by adapting a whole brain® approach. My mentee, on the other hand, transformed her teaching practice by means of facilitating whole brain® learning in the Accounting module. We were both responsible for presenting the Accounting module – I was the examiner and followed a whole brain® approach (derived from previous study) and it was my mentee’s second year of lecturing Accounting. Adapting a whole brain® approach empowered us to transform our respective practices. Whole brain® learning focuses on the theoretical framework of the metaphorical Herrmann whole brain® model. The Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI®), which quantifies the degree of an individual’s preference for specific thinking modes, was used to assess my mentee, my mentee’s students who were enrolled for the Accounting module and my own thinking style preference. The data derived from the HBDI® served as baseline data for the study. An action research design was followed by both my mentee and me. We both followed our own action research spiral, which overlapped. My action research cycle commenced with a face-to-face mentoring session in Pretoria with my mentee. The study included two visits by me to the Klerksdorp campus. During these visits I observed learning opportunities presented by my mentee. Quantitative and qualitative data, a part from the HBDI®, was gathered during the study. Quantitative data included a feedback questionnaire that my mentee’s students had to complete after the completion of each Accounting theme and included the students’ marks. Qualitative data that was gathered included interviews with my mentee and her students, field notes from observations, audio-visual material from my mentee’s learning opportunities and personal documents. The findings indicate that a whole brain® approach to mentoring and a whole brain® approach to facilitating learning in a teaching practice contributed to my and my mentee’s professional development. Other additional aspects that can be incorporated in a mentoring and teaching practice to ensure lifelong learning and a continuous transformation of one’s practice were identified during the final reflection on the action research cycle that was recorded. Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. gm2014 Humanities Education unrestricted

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Grobler, Elaine Maria. "Retention strategies for gold-collar employees in an institution of higher education." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6126.

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Gold-collar employees are defined as key employees who have a discernible influence on the realisation of an organisation’s strategic goals and vision. These employees’ competitive advantage lies in their conceptual skills and specifically in their knowledge and creativity. However, because of their unique competencies, they are high in demand and it is more difficult for organisations to attract and retain them. The main research problem in this study was to investigate the concept of a gold-collar employee, the needs and expectations of these employees, as well as retention strategies that can be used to retain them, with specific focus on academics in an institution of higher education. To address the main and identified sub-problems, a literature study was conducted on gold-collar employees, the dilemma of retaining these employees, their needs and expectations and retention strategies. Interviews were conducted with selected senior level employees from various disciplines that had extensive experience in research, teaching and academic management, to establish how they perceived a gold-collar employee in the context of the university and what in their experience they considered as factors that enhanced the retention of these employees. An HTML survey questionnaire was administered to a target group of academics ranging from associate lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer and associate professor to professor, including academic managers. The survey focused on their level of teaching and research experience, needs and expectations and their perceptions of the retention strategies used at the university. The results from the empirical study revealed that respondents were experienced in teaching development and practices, but not recognised on an internal, national and international level. Flexible working conditions were regarded as most important along with opportunities for self-fulfilment. Employees with more experience in teaching had a greater need and expectation for empowerment while those with more research experience needed and expected more remuneration, rewards and recognition. The respondents also deemed being located in a city or town that allowed for a high quality of living as important. Retention of highly skilled employees is important especially in a knowledge environment as they contribute strategically to the vision and competitive advantage of the organisation. Their skills and knowledge are costly and not easy to replace. Therefore it is important to put strategies in place to retain these gold-collar employees.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Higher education institution (HEI)'

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