Trends High. Educ., Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2026) – 32 articles

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has intensified concerns about academic integrity, yet little is known about discrepancies between students’ self-reported frequencies in AI-assisted academic cheating and the frequencies they attribute to their peers. Using an anonymous cross-sectional survey, this study collected responses from 863 undergraduates at a science and technology university in Vietnam. Participants rated ten AI-assisted academic cheating behaviors from two perspectives: the frequency they attributed such behaviors to their classmates, referred to as perceived peer cheating (PPC), and the frequency they reported such behaviors for themselves, referred to as self-reported cheating (SRC). Split-plot ANOVAs were conducted to compare PPC and SRC ratings and to examine whether the magnitude of the discrepancy varied by gender and student seniority. The results show that PPC ratings were significantly higher than SRC ratings for all ten behaviors, with partial eta-squared values ranging from 0.060 to 0.196. Cheating perspective × gender interactions and cheating perspective × student seniority interactions were each significant for three behaviors; however, all interaction effects were small (ηp² ≤ 0.025). Overall, the study reveals a consistent discrepancy between self-reported and peer-attributed frequencies of AI-assisted academic cheating. This discrepancy highlights the limitations of using either direct self-reports or peer-attributed frequencies alone to estimate the actual prevalence of AI-assisted academic cheating. Full article

First-year students in STEM programs face significant academic and personal challenges that can undermine retention and success, particularly for those navigating new institutional environments without prior college experience. While self- regulated learning (SRL) theory offers a well-established framework for understanding how students plan and reflect, less attention has been paid to the performance phase, the stage where students must translate plans into action amid real academic and social demands. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 15 first-year life science students across three institution types, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a predominantly white institution, and a liberal arts college, to investigate what plans students formed at the end of their first semester and what factors facilitated or hindered implementation during their second semester. Using thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, three major plan themes emerged: help-seeking, internal academic adjustments, and managing social and emotional well-being. Facilitating factors for these plans included small class sizes, anonymized participation tools, approachable instructors, peer and family support, counseling services, and structured planning tools, while hindering factors included fear of judgment, high instructor-student ratios, scheduling conflicts, academic burnout, and unsupportive living environments. The findings reveal that plan implementation depended on the interplay of intersecting psychological, social, and structural factors, which created unique conditions that influenced whether students were able to enact their plans. Importantly, the findings reveal that plan implementation unfolded not as a linear process but through nested micro-cycles of forethought, performance, and reflection within the performance phase, triggered by specific events throughout the semester. These findings have implications for how institutions design learner-centered support for STEM students not only at key transition points, but also throughout the semester, to address the conditions that influence whether students are able to successfully implement, adapt, or abandon their regulatory efforts. Full article

Emerging technologies provide promising opportunities to improve learning in construction and engineering education. In the current study, the interaction between students and AI-enhanced educational podcasts in undergraduate and postgraduate modules offered by two South African universities is analysed. Using a quantitative research design, the study noted a considerable increase in class average scores at the postgraduate level. However, the undergraduate class average scores remained at baseline, indicating no apparent improvement; therefore, no causation can be established based on these results. Furthermore, guided by the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), student perceptions were assessed across learning effectiveness and engagement, accessibility and satisfaction, and motivation and intent to continue using podcasts. Rankings showed high satisfaction across all dimensions. Although access challenges were infrequent, PLS-SEM revealed a significant negative relationship between technical barriers and motivation and willingness to expand podcast use, highlighting human–technology interaction constraints. Findings underscore the importance of seamless access and curriculum alignment and conclude with strategies to strengthen adoption, engagement, and learning outcomes in AI-assisted podcast-based education. Full article

Students at creative higher education (CHE) institutions frequently report boundary violations and other forms of misconduct, while prevention efforts have been described as insufficient. Drawing on a capabilities-informed perspective attentive to the environmental and institutional conditions of flourishing, we examine what structural and cultural conditions stakeholders consider necessary for misconduct prevention in CHE. Using a complementary multimethod qualitative design, we report two studies: 16 interviews with stakeholder groups analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis, and 228 open-ended responses from a national student survey analyzed through structured tabular thematic analysis. Interview participants identified three interconnected areas of transformation: community, institutions, and knowledge and norms. Seven themes generated from the survey responses were classified as confirmatory, and one theme as expanding, foregrounding material stability and students’ aspirations for cultural and institutional reform, a dimension addressed only implicitly in the interviews. Two themes had no direct counterpart, foregrounding students’ skepticism about the possibility of change and the societal recognition of artists. Across both studies, participants described prevention efforts as often reactive and insufficient, and called for systemic approaches in which institutions recognize their societal role and prioritize students’ flourishing. Our findings identify participant-informed starting points for developing and evaluating prevention strategies. Full article

Motivation is a key predictor of success in second language (L2) acquisition, yet how culture and identity shape it among Latin American learners remains under-examined. This study used a quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control and experimental groups (n = 100) to test the effect of an eight-week culturally responsive pedagogical intervention on the motivation of intermediate-level English-as-a-second-language learners at a public university in Ecuador, measured with the validated Spanish version of Gardner’s Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). An independent-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in post-intervention motivation scores between the experimental group (M = 156.1, SD = 31.2) and the control group (M = 134.5, SD = 28.4), t(98) = 3.91, p = 0.002, Cohen’s d = 0.72. The intervention was associated with a medium-to-large increase in motivation, consistent with sociocultural theory, the socio-educational model, the L2 Motivational Self System, and identity-investment theory; because the control group did not receive an equally novel activity, this finding should be read as preliminary evidence for the cultural/identity component specifically. Implications for culturally sensitive language teaching in diverse Hispanic contexts are derived. Full article

This study investigates the educational potential of instructor-designed Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs) in a university-level Japanese course, drawing on self-determination theory (SDT) and the noticing hypothesis. Using a mixed-methods design, we examined how the continuous use of an instructor-developed Artificial Intelligence tutoring system (basic Japanese GPTs) relates to learners’ psychological needs satisfaction, cognitive noticing, and perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted learning among 74 undergraduate students at a South Korean university. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation; qualitative data from open-ended items and reflective writing underwent systematic content analysis. The findings revealed three key patterns. First, learners reported relatively high levels of satisfaction across all three SDT needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—particularly in relation to self-directed reviews and affective safety. Second, qualitative analysis identified three distinct noticing experiences: AI-supported clarification of linguistic form, noticing through intentional error generation and AI feedback, and metacognitive regulation of learning strategies. Third, the learners perceived the instructor-designed GPTs not merely as a convenience tool but as a structured learning environment that supported output-oriented, interaction-based practice. These findings suggest that the educational effectiveness of generative AI in foreign language education is not determined by frequency of use alone but also by the quality of pedagogical design underlying its deployment. This study contributes a practice-based model for AI integration in general education language courses while acknowledging limitations related to its single-course scope and reliance on self-reported data. Full article

Bioinformatics courses are widely available at US institutions of higher learning. These courses meet the high demand for experiential learning and provide training in relevant job skills for biology students. However, courses based on the biology of genomes, the findings of high-throughput approaches and the potential for future discovery have not been studied separately from informatics. Because of the pervasiveness of genomic research in science, medicine, and multiple other fields, the lack of genome biology courses could represent a significant barrier to the future success of the nation’s biology majors. We therefore performed an audit of genome biology courses provided at 297 US colleges and universities offering at least one bachelor’s degree in biology. Four researchers independently searched course catalogs and department websites of each institution for descriptions of courses focused on genome biology. The results showed that there are significant disparities in genome biology course offerings across the US. Specifically, highly funded institutions are most likely to offer such courses, whereas less-funded, minority-serving, and historically black institutions offer far fewer such opportunities. Full article

The rapid institutionalization of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education has created an urgent need for empirical evidence on how structured course-level integration relates to student engagement and perceptions of learning. This study examines a usefulness-centered conceptual framework combining elements of the Technology Acceptance Model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (TAM/UTAUT) with the digital competence perspective of DigComp 2.2. A structured pedagogical pilot intervention requiring all students to use generative AI tools was implemented in an undergraduate Public Service Management course (n = 76). Students completed AI-supported group assignments and an immediate post-intervention questionnaire comprising 19 Likert-scale items, four demographic questions, and four optional open-ended questions that are not analyzed in the present paper. Because most variables were non-normally distributed, non-parametric statistical methods were applied, including Spearman’s rank correlations, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Perceived learning usefulness was strongly and positively associated with both frequency of AI use and satisfaction with the learning process. Ethical attitudes were also positive, but more weakly associated with frequency of use. Demographic group differences were observed mainly in specific usage patterns rather than in general attitudes towards AI-supported learning. These exploratory findings suggest that perceived learning usefulness remains relevant in mandatory AI-integration contexts. Pedagogical scaffolding—including prompt literacy, verification practices, and reflective documentation—provides a structured framework for guided and responsible use of generative AI tools in higher education. Full article

This article proposes a practice-informed institutional design framework for embedding transdisciplinarity (TD) as an operational orientation in higher education. Building on the Reflexive and Situated Model for Institutionalizing Transdisciplinarity, the study examines how TD can be progressively developed from an abstract principle into an institutional capability through a phased process of conceptual framing, normative interpretation, contextual adaptation, and strategic embedding. The framework is articulated through the analysis of institutional processes and governance arrangements associated with the activation of Transdisciplinary Strategic Areas, through which the institutional architecture is translated into operational practice. The study identifies a reflexive metastructure that connects strategic leadership, academic practice, and emerging TD initiatives through participatory mechanisms and communicative governance processes. Core elements of the model (phased meaning-making, a mediating governance layer, selective investment, permeable resource logics, and reflexive monitoring) highlight a set of organizational design principles for institutionalizing TD. The article contributes an analytically grounded framework for supporting institutional leaders in embedding TD while balancing strategic coherence with openness, reflexivity, and contextual responsiveness. Full article

Within postcolonial African higher education institutions (HEIs), structural inequalities often persist beneath official discourses of diversity and inclusion. This study examines how academics’ ethnic-tribal identities shape the professional development, institutional inclusion, and career advancement at a Cameroonian university. Drawing on critical race theory (CRT) and intersectionality as complementary analytical frameworks, and situated within a postcolonial perspective on higher education, a qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted with 11 purposively selected academics. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed thematically. Findings indicate three interconnected dynamics: ethnic-tribal marginalisation as a basis for structural exclusion from leadership and mentorship channels; patronage networks that systematically erode meritocratic principles in promotion and appointment processes; and conditional inclusion that compels identity suppression as the price of institutional belonging. These findings suggest that diversity within the study context appears to be largely performative, present in composition but absent in equity. The study contributes to postcolonial higher education scholarship by providing empirical evidence of how descent-based identity operates as a structural barrier to academic career advancement and offers implications for higher education leadership, institutional reform, and the decolonisation of university cultures in Africa.: Full article

Swimming offers unique physiological and psychological benefits that may enhance academic performance in higher education students. However, empirical evidence specifically linking swimming activity to academic outcomes remains limited. A primary, cross-sectional, quantitative correlative study was conducted with 250 higher education students (mean age 20.0 years, SD = 2.21; 53.2% female) in Greece. Swimming activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Academic performance was assessed via the Academic Achievement Questionnaire (AAQ), comprising three factors: Study Performance, Handling Study Demands, and Social Adaptation. Data were analysed using Spearman correlations, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and multiple linear regression. Students reported swimming 1.94 days per week (SD = 1.83) for 0.98 h per session (SD = 0.82). Mean swimming intensity was 1446.53 MET·min/week (SD = 1569.65). Swimming activity varied significantly by monthly family income (H(3) = 31.37, p < 0.001) and parental education level (H(4) = 14.22, p = 0.007). However, swimming activity did not emerge as a significant independent predictor of academic performance in multivariate models when controlling for health and commitment covariates. While swimming activity demonstrates socioeconomic patterning among higher education students, its direct association with academic performance is concurrently associated with other factors including lifestyle and commitment. Interventions promoting swimming should address accessibility barriers to maximise potential academic benefits. Full article

The high rate of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is changing how teachers teach, how they are trained, and how institutions are managed. While many studies explore the use of AI in teaching and learning, there is a lack of research on how it supports capacity building for special education pre-service teachers in rural South African universities. This review examines existing studies on how AI can develop skills and knowledge in pre-service teacher education for inclusive teaching. Using the AI-Capacity-Content Interaction Model and a structured scoping review method, relevant peer-reviewed studies were selected from major academic databases. The findings reveal that AI supports capacity building through improved teaching methods, the use of data for decision-making, hands-on learning, and collaboration. It also helps teachers address diverse learner needs. However, the study also identifies key challenges in rural universities, such as limited infrastructure, lack of resources, weak policy support, digital inequality, and insufficient training for lecturers. These barriers limit the effective use of AI in teacher education. The study highlights the need for better digital infrastructure, ongoing professional development for pre-service teachers, and policies that consider local contexts. These steps are important for ensuring fair access to AI and improving teacher education in rural areas. Full article

Reflection can contribute to learning, helping students actively and constructively recall material and connect it with other aspects of their lives, as described by the interactive–constructive–active–passive (ICAP) framework. For engineering students in particular, reflection may support the lifelong learning required throughout one’s professional career. This study focused on weekly reflection journals implemented in two junior-level and senior-level civil and environmental engineering courses, investigating (i) how engagement with this activity impacted student learning and (ii) students’ views on reflection. Students offered perspectives using optional pre- and post-surveys, while course grades and direct assessment of journal engagement provided insight into impacts on learning. In both courses, students who engaged more consistently with the journal activity saw a small but positive impact on their learning independent of previous academic performance, while those in the senior-level course whose entries exhibited more constructive levels of engagement also saw a positive impact. In post-surveys, students stated journals helped them to review, identify areas of confusion, and ask questions. Most survey respondents highly rated the journal’s impact on learning, although some found greater value in other, more structured activities. Accordingly, the reflection journal may function effectively as one of multiple options for conceptual engagement. Full article

This study investigates the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) in architectural design education, focusing on its potential benefits, challenges, and implications across the different stages of the architectural design process. This study employed a mixed-method approach including a questionnaire survey of practicing architects and structured interviews with architecture faculty. The findings highlighted a growing acceptance of GenAI’s role in architectural design education, with more preference given to the conceptual design phase. However, this faces multiple challenges including the lack of technical knowledge and training as the most pressing issue, followed by the absence of clear guidelines, resistance to change, and the high cost of the required infrastructure. This study proposed a framework that summarizes the required actions concluded from the collected data to ensure responsible integration of GenAI into architectural design education. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impacts of GenAI on students’ manual skills and critical design thinking. Full article

Critical thinking is a stated priority of higher education reform in China, yet its enactment in everyday teaching remains uneven. This study investigated how lecturers of ideological and political theory courses (IPTCs) understand and value critical thinking, and how they report teaching it. To our knowledge, few studies have modelled lecturers’ conceptions, attitudes, reported practices and contextual constraints jointly within these courses. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. A validated questionnaire was completed by 362 IPTC lecturers across 20 universities in Anhui Province, and semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with 34 lecturers. The survey data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple and moderated regression, whereas the interview data were examined thematically. Although lecturers endorsed critical thinking strongly as a general educational aim, they rated its place within IPTCs considerably lower, and they conceptualised it predominantly in terms of logic and reasoning. Reported classroom enactment fell below the scale midpoint. Conceptions did not predict practice; attitudes predicted it only weakly (standardised β = 0.13), and contextual constraints did not moderate the attitude–practice relationship. The regression models accounted for almost none of the variance in reported practice. These findings indicate a broad belief–practice gap that is shaped by structural conditions rather than by individual beliefs. The single-province, self-report design constrains wider generalisation. The findings direct reform attention towards assessment design and sustained, practice-based professional learning, since belief change alone appears unlikely to alter classroom practice. Full article

Immersive technologies offer new possibilities for chemistry higher education. The field benefits from secondary education study visits that enable decision making for future careers. However, access to authentic laboratory visits is often limited by geographical constraints. Synchronous 360° videos provide an immersive virtual alternative, but the educational value of this technology remains unclear. Using a design-based research approach, this study explored the opportunities and challenges of immersive 360° video in virtual chemistry study visits, developed a synchronous 360° learning environment through co-design, and generated a pedagogical model for its implementation. The resulting design solution was examined through a qualitative case study. The data (n = 7) were gathered via semi-structured interviews and observations and analyzed through theory-driven content analysis. This study suggests that 360° videos may enhance accessibility, support learning, and improve the visual representation and perceived relevance of chemistry. Participants perceived immersive visits as engaging and reported an increased sense of presence and improved focus. Challenges include technical constraints, limited authenticity of interaction, resource demands, and certain limitations of virtuality for experimental work. These findings extend previous research on immersive environments by suggesting that synchronous 360° video may promote focus and presence. Also, the study generated a theory-informed framework and practical guidelines for designing immersive chemistry learning environments. The framework offers a starting point for future research and supports the integration of modern technology into higher education. Full article

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has created a practical problem for virtual higher education: universities must distinguish legitimate AI-supported learning from undisclosed delegation of academic work, while maintaining valid, fair, and privacy-sensitive assessment. This study compared student and faculty perceptions of AI use and academic integrity at the Technical University of Machala, Ecuador. A descriptive-comparative cross-sectional survey was administered to 1660 students and 34 faculty members during the second academic semester of 2024. The student questionnaire examined AI-use frequency, perceived academic benefit, readiness for non-assisted assessment, observation of dishonest online practices, perceived efficacy of virtual assessment, and attitudes toward proctoring. The faculty questionnaire examined suspected AI-generated submissions, responses to suspected use, perceived assessment efficacy, training, control tools, ethical judgments and proctoring. Findings indicate a transitional integrity landscape: students view AI mainly as a useful academic support, whereas faculty interpret it primarily through authorship, evidence and assessment-security concerns. Both groups report limitations in current virtual assessment, suggesting the need for AI-resilient assessment design, explicit disclosure rules, faculty development, student AI literacy, and proportional use of proctoring. The article argues against both blanket prohibition and permissive ambiguity, proposing a governance model grounded in transparent policy, authentic assessment, due process and human-centered AI literacy. Full article

Diagnostic competence is central to primary mathematics teacher education but existing approaches tend to depend on individual personnel and module structures, limiting their sustainability. This study combines a research-informed design approach with quasi-experimental intervention cycles: a fully asynchronous, video-based Moodle self-study module was developed to foster diagnostic competence in early arithmetic, consistently grounded in an empirically validated cognitive-developmental model. The module was implemented and iteratively refined across four phases—an in-service teacher workshop, a module pilot, and two quasi-experimental intervention cycles with pre-service primary teachers, including matched control groups. Across phases, the most consistent finding was a significant pre–post improvement in diagnostic accuracy for a below-average-performing pupil profile in the intervention group, while effects for average- and above-average profiles were less uniform. Log-data analyses showed that actual engagement with video vignettes, rather than structural completion, was the active ingredient of learning gains. Three design principles are proposed: model-based mathematical design, vertical connection of in-service and pre-service contexts, and guided asynchronous self-study with structured feedback. The study provides promising, context-bound evidence that a theoretically grounded, personnel-independent digital module can be integrated sustainably into primary teacher education and can foster diagnostic accuracy under the institutional and sample conditions investigated, while yielding initial design knowledge for comparable development efforts. Full article

Higher education plays a crucial role in equipping citizens to tackle contemporary socio-ecological challenges. However, little research has examined how different generations of university students understand socioecological transitions, or the implications of these differences for sustainability education. This study compares the perceptions of older learners (aged 55–70) enrolled in the ‘Classrooms of Experience’ programme with those of undergraduate students (aged 18–28) from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Qualitative data were collected from approximately 250 participants during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The data were analysed using the Grid Elaboration Method and the IRaMuTeQ (Version 0.8 Alpha 7) text analysis tool to identify semantic structures, symbolic associations and patterns of meaning across the two age groups. The findings reveal significant generational differences in understanding socioecological transitions. Older learners tend to frame transitions as regulated processes linked to institutional action, public policy, welfare, and quality of life. In contrast, younger students interpret socioecological transitions as responses to interconnected ecological and social crises, emphasising socioecological justice, responsibility, sustainability, and technological innovation as key drivers of transformation. These results suggest the coexistence of complementary yet distinct socioecological imaginaries within the university context. The study highlights the pedagogical value of intergenerational dialogue and learning in higher education. By bringing together diverse perspectives on sustainability, universities can promote more critical, reflective, and transformative educational processes that are capable of addressing the complex challenges of contemporary socioecological transitions. Full article

In Ireland, most school-aged students are required to take Gaeilge (the Irish language) as a compulsory subject. For some, this is not a favourable experience. This study was designed and structured to help support student teachers who wish to deliver secondary school science through Gaeilge. Specifically, this study used a dynamic and iterative instructional coaching intervention that was designed to be relevant, useful, and meaningful in applying culturally responsive and sustaining teaching practice. Over the course of one university semester, eleven student teachers voluntarily agreed to attend Gaeilge workshops in how to use their Gaeilge in their teaching practice. These ten workshops focused on collaboration between peers using effective pedagogy in meaningful contexts. This research suggests that these student teachers found instructional coaching based on culturally responsive and sustaining teaching practice to be effective. Specifically, it was these student teachers working in collaborative relationships both student teacher to coach and student teacher to student teacher, which improved their confidence and willingness to use Gaeilge. There has been no research into how instructional coaching is able to support Irish student teachers in using Gaeilge in teaching secondary science. This study addresses this gap in the research literature concerning Gaeilge-speaking teachers in secondary science. Full article

Active citizenship is a key goal of higher education. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how learning management approaches support legal literacy and citizen participation among university students. This research lacuna was addressed by examining whether a legal literacy enhancement program, incorporating creativity-based learning and gamification, was related to changes in legal literacy and active citizenship using a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design with follow-up assessment. The sample comprised 40 undergraduate students, obtained by purposive sampling. The classroom was divided into the experimental group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 20) based on their timetables and the lecturer’s readiness. The experimental group received activities as scheduled for four weeks. The program was designed to enhance their experience-based learning, problem-solving, and enthusiastic participation through creative learning activities and gamification elements. Legal literacy forms and a self-assessment form on active citizenship were used to collect the data with mixed-design ANOVA used for data analysis. The results revealed that legal literacy and active citizenship in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. There was a significant coeffect between group and time (Group × Time interaction effect) on legal literacy, was well as on active citizenship. Changes were observed in the post-test and follow-up phases. This provided preliminary evidence that the program was associated with increased legal literacy and active citizenship during the short-term follow-up period. The experimental group also showed a higher awareness of civic responsibility and participation in social issues. Full article

This article develops a local theory for characterizing metric thinking in the measurement of spatial properties from a multilevel curricular perspective, understood as an analytic lens for scaling measurement processes across curricular complexity rather than as empirical evidence from all educational levels. The study adopts a qualitative, explanatory approach and articulates grounded theory with educational design research. The methodological process was organized into four broad moments, operationalized in five phases: an initial literature-based characterization; the design of learning activities involving length, area, volume, center of mass, and angular measure; implementation with engineering students enrolled in integral calculus; analysis of projected and emergent abilities through grounded performance levels; and refinement of the characterization. The findings propose a robust characterization of metric thinking composed of five cognitive processes: perceiving, recognizing, and distinguishing measurable properties; selecting, using comprehensively, and refining measurement instruments; formulating, operationalizing, and optimizing measurement strategies; applying measurement; and developing a critical perspective on measurement. These processes are interpreted as cyclic and mutually connected rather than hierarchical or linear. Within the university engineering tasks analyzed, they also show how measurement can mediate connections between advanced mathematical domains and STEM-related problem contexts. The article concludes by offering a definition of metric thinking that may guide research, curriculum design, and instruction while requiring further validation beyond the university context examined in this study. Full article

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

Positive Leadership in Higher Education is a key process; however, its connection to the mental health and quality of life of women in leadership roles at universities has been explored only to a limited extent. This study aimed to analyze the structural relationships between positive leadership, positive mental health, and quality of life in women university leaders, and to explore the lived experiences and coping strategies that explain these associations. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design (QUAN → qual) was employed. 45 women holding senior administrative positions in Peruvian universities completed three standardized scales. The quantitative results reveal that positive leadership significantly predicted positive mental health, which in turn strongly explained quality of life, confirming a partial mediation model. The qualitative results highlighted persistent psychosocial and structural challenges—gender bias, the glass ceiling, role overload, institutional pressure, impostor syndrome, and isolation—alongside coping strategies focused on self-care, emotional regulation, purpose-driven leadership, empowerment, sorority, and organizational transformation with a gender perspective. Positive leadership emerges as a key organizational resource that enhances women’s mental health and quality of life. Institutional cultures grounded in inclusion, care, and relational leadership are essential for sustainable and transformative women’s leadership in higher education. The WISE: Women Integrated for Sustainable Empowerment is presented as a practical action guide for positive female leadership. Full article

This article examines the Integrevise^TM platform through a repeated cross-sectional, multi-cycle pilot case study of viva-based verification in AI-mediated assessment environments. Integrevise^TM pairs a submitted written artifact with a short adaptive viva in which students explain their work, reasoning, and application in their own words. Rather than functioning as an AI detector or automated grading system, the platform operates as a diagnostic assessment layer intended to surface comprehension, authorship confidence, and disengagement risk before final grades become the only available signal. The pilot was conducted across Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 at a private liberal arts college in the Midwest; these phases involved different student groups and are therefore treated as iterative implementation cycles rather than a longitudinal cohort. Results should be interpreted as preliminary pilot evidence. In Spring 2026, 52 vivas were completed, but formal student survey data were limited to seven respondents and showed mixed perceptions: only 14.3% agreed that the oral assessment helped them think more deeply about the assignment, whereas 57.1% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Platform feedback was also incomplete, with 20 of 52 vivas (38.5%) producing no student feedback record. Qualitative feedback, tutor observations, and implementation notes nevertheless suggest that viva-based verification may help identify some comprehension gaps and implementation barriers that written artifacts alone may not reveal. The findings, therefore, support continued investigation of Integrevise^TM as a process-rich assessment intervention, but not broad claims of efficacy or scalability without larger, more systematic validation. Full article

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly reshaping higher education, prompting institutions to reconsider how students demonstrate capability in an environment where text can be generated, refined, and summarised with ease. Previous research shows that students use GenAI to improve efficiency, reduce workload, and support comprehension, yet continue to seek clearer guidance on acceptable use. This gap between widespread adoption and limited pedagogical direction underscores the need for structured approaches that help students understand how, when and why GenAI can be used. Within postgraduate health leadership education, cultivating digital literacy, critical reasoning, and ethical judgement are important, as future leaders must model responsible technology use within their organisations. This mixed-methods, cross-sectional, online survey pilot study examined whether embedding ethical GenAI use within assessment tasks reduced the likelihood of students engaging in additional unethical GenAI practices. The study also explored students’ motivations for using GenAI, perceived barriers to ethical engagement, acceptance or rejection of GenAI outputs, and the transferability of GenAI skills to professional practice. Thirty-nine responses from previous students provide early insight into how structured, ethical integration of GenAI within assessment design may influence student behaviour and support the development of responsible, critically informed GenAI use in postgraduate health leadership programs. Full article

Graduate STEM education in the U.S. has experienced continued growth in enrollment, due to its strong international reputation. Yet, attrition rates among students remain high. Mentoring is frequently identified as a critical factor for supporting graduate student success; however, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the most effective mentoring practices for graduate STEM students. The Mentoring Experiences of Graduate Students Survey (MEGSS) was developed and validated with data from 280 graduate STEM students enrolled in a large, public, research-intensive university in the Eastern U.S. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the survey’s reliability and construct validity. A five-factor, 38-item model was developed, consisting of the following subscales: psychosocial support, program completion, research and writing support, career expectations, and career support. The findings show statistically significant differences in students’ perceptions of mentoring experiences and anticipated outcomes based on gender, citizenship, and stage in the program. Recommendations are offered for faculty mentors and institutions to strengthen mentoring practices, particularly in psychosocial areas, research and writing, and career support. Extending the distribution of MEGSS to other graduate research programs (including non-STEM) could identify mentoring gaps and inform evidence-based strategies to strengthen graduate student development. Full article

This qualitative study explores perceptions of gender equity and leadership in three higher education institutions in Eswatini. The research involved nine senior management members—deans, registrars, and bursars—and eighteen lecturers (nine women and nine men). Employing narrative inquiry, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, capturing rich individual stories and social dynamics. The study explores how gender influences access to leadership roles, the barriers faced, and potential strategies for fostering inclusive environments. Guided by social role theory, the analysis was deductive, examining how cultural norms and stereotypes shape perceptions of leadership and reinforce gender disparities. Women occupy only 22% of senior management roles, while among lecturers, women constitute 50% of the workforce but only 30% of leadership positions, illustrating persistent under-representation. Findings reveal that despite existing policies, cultural norms rooted in hegemonic masculinity continue to impede gender equity, with organisational biases and societal stereotypes maintaining male dominance in leadership. Participants emphasised that policies must be actively enforced, and cultural change initiatives are essential to challenge stereotypes and reshape societal narratives about gender roles. The study underscores the importance of institutional support, mentorship programmes, and visibility initiatives to empower women and promote gender-inclusive leadership. Engaging men as allies is also critical in transforming organisational culture. These findings contribute to advancing understanding of gender dynamics in Eswatini’s higher education sector and highlight the need for comprehensive, context-specific interventions. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts involving policy enforcement, cultural transformation, capacity building, and ongoing evaluation to ensure sustainable progress toward gender equality in academic leadership. Full article

In an era where entertainment media increasingly functions as public pedagogy, higher education instructors must navigate how these platforms shape students’ perceptions of social and political issues. This study explores the possibilities of integrating the sitcom Abbott Elementary into an undergraduate interdisciplinary Honors seminar to challenge deficit-based perspectives on urban education and shift student focus toward systemic policy analysis. Using a qualitative exploratory design, this localized course design inquiry analyzed Initial and Final Reflections from 24 students with diverse academic backgrounds. The curriculum employed a multiperspectival analysis, pairing television episodes with scholarly research and authentic community voices. Findings reveal a qualitative thematic shift in student discourse: participants moved from articulating hegemonic, deficit-oriented views toward more humanizing and complex conceptualizations of critical issues shaping urban education. Students increasingly identified policy-driven factors over individual community “failures”. These results suggest that leveraging contemporary popular culture as a primary academic text provides a useful framework for fostering critical thinking and policy literacy. Consequently, interdisciplinary media-based pedagogy serves as an engaging tool for involving diverse student populations in educational equity discourse. Full article

The transition to university is a critical period of academic, social, and emotional adjustment. Social media plays a central yet complex role, offering opportunities for connection while also posing risks to wellbeing, productivity, and social integration. This study explores how first-year undergraduates experience and interprets their social media use during this transition. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, nine focus groups were conducted with 40 first-year students at a UK university. Analysis generated a model conceptualising social media as a ‘double-edged sword’ within the broader social transition. Five interrelated themes were identified: social transition, polarised attitudes, quality of social connection, wellbeing support, and quantity and form of use. Social media supported early connection-building, maintaining peer ties, and accessing support, yet excessive or passive use intensified social comparison, fear of missing out, and academic distraction. Students recognised problematic use themselves, often prompting peer intervention to restore balance. Form, purpose, and perceived impact shaped experiences more than time spent. Findings highlight the importance of student agency, peer networks, and institutional support, offering implications for promoting healthy social media practices, wellbeing, and smoother transitions to university life. Full article