Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.8
2.5
Journals
Education Sciences
Special Issues
New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education
share announcement

New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Higher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 6804

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sandra T. Valadas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
2. Research Centre in Adult Education and Community Intervention (CEAD), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: approaches to learning and cognitive development of higher education students; transitions to the labor market; employability of traditional and non-traditional students; transitions to retirement; academic success

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently facing several changes in different dimensions of our lives. Higher education is not an exception, particularly due to the accelerating globalisation, technological development and modernisation. In fact, global tendencies related to social, economic and environmental aspects are already impacting individual lives. However, the fast enhancement of science and technology may broaden inequalities, intensify social fragmentation and accelerate resource weakening.

In this context, higher education can promote social and economic development by increasing the human and technical capacities of societies. Playing an important role in facilitating changes, higher education can provide high-level skills to address the labour market demand, but also the needed training for highly skilled individuals.

Research demonstrates that individuals must be equipped with agency, a sense of purpose and competencies, not only when we consider studying in higher education, but also when it comes to the process of transitioning to employment (the concept of employability must also be addressed in this context).

This Special Issue will address issues related to recent changes in higher education in the global context, including different perspectives that can provide insights for the future in what concerns research, but also policy makers, teachers, students and higher education institutions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Higher education systems in the European educational space;
  • Mass education and expansion;
  • Humanistic paradigm;
  • Globalisation and modernisation;
  • Transitions to employment;
  • Inequalities in higher education.

Proposals should correspond to full articles (4000 words minimum) and must correspond to either theoretical articles or scientific research.

Interested authors are expected to send full contributions using the word template available on the Instructions for Authors page.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sandra T. Valadas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • globalisation and massification
  • transitions to employment
  • inequalities in accessing higher education
  • the role of employability
  • the European educational space
  • educational paradigms

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 5052 KiB  
Article
Table Games as a Tool to Learn about Material Science in Engineering and Architecture Studies
by Ainhoa Riquelme, Javier de Prado, María Victoria Bonache, Joaquín Rams, María Sánchez, Belén Torres, María Dolores Escalera Rodriguez, Pilar Rodrigo and Bianca Karelia Muñoz
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 1054; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101054 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 496
Abstract
The project involved applying gamification methodology in the teaching of engineering and materials science through the creation of a board game. This game facilitated the active study of the subject, encouraged self-assessment, and developed general competencies such as teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration, as [...] Read more.
The project involved applying gamification methodology in the teaching of engineering and materials science through the creation of a board game. This game facilitated the active study of the subject, encouraged self-assessment, and developed general competencies such as teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as specific competencies in the structure, description, and characterization of materials and manufacturing processes. During the course, students created questions and tests for the game, which were reviewed by the faculty and used to print and manufacture the game. Students utilized the game to study actively, interact with their peers, and reflect on the course topics. There are plans to extend the project to more specialized subjects within the Materials Engineering degree program. The creation of these contents promotes active student learning, reinforces their knowledge, enhances information retention, and motivates students through gamification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1256 KiB  
Article
A Mixed Study of Beliefs about Critical Thinking in a Sample of Trainee Teachers in Argentina and Spain
by Francisco Jose Garcia-Moro, Walter Federico Gadea-Aiello, Javier Augusto Nicoletti and Diego Gomez-Baya
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020142 - 30 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1424
Abstract
Critical thinking is a competence that is recommended to be learned with increasing emphasis from different national and international organizations in the fields of education and employability. The aim of this study was to analyze and describe the beliefs that Argentine and Spanish [...] Read more.
Critical thinking is a competence that is recommended to be learned with increasing emphasis from different national and international organizations in the fields of education and employability. The aim of this study was to analyze and describe the beliefs that Argentine and Spanish teachers who have received training in socioeducational intervention have about critical competence. A mixed-methods research study was developed by administering questionnaires and conducting focus group sessions in a sample of 153 trainee secondary school teachers holding different degrees. The results indicated that the sample subjects unanimously considered critical thinking to be essential for their professional development, but few teachers considered these skills to have been sufficiently developed. There were no significant differences between nationalities or between genders except for some variables linked to the role of universities. As a practical implication of these results, the importance of developing specific teaching–learning programs about critical competence in universities must be emphasized, especially in the degree programs whose ultimate aim is to educate individuals and groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Social Commitment at Higher Education Institutions: Analysis of Their Strategic Plans
by Adela García-Aracil, Rosa Isusi-Fagoaga, Sílvia Monteiro and Leandro Almeida
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13121185 - 25 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1459
Abstract
The social contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) tends to be constrained as a description of HEI activities in terms of outcomes, but no examination of how HEIs face societal problems through collaborative activities has been addressed. One way to explore social strategy [...] Read more.
The social contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) tends to be constrained as a description of HEI activities in terms of outcomes, but no examination of how HEIs face societal problems through collaborative activities has been addressed. One way to explore social strategy pursued by HEIs is through the analysis of their strategic plans. We analyze the strategic plans of public HEIs in Portugal and Spain due to their similarities after the 2008 international financial crisis, which led to a major recession and gave rise to social actions to address societal problems. In doing so, we propose a framework that could guide future research in providing empirical evidence on the formulation, articulation, and implementation of social issues in institutional strategic plans. We interviewed HEI representatives to confirm some of our findings, highlighting several factors that enhance or suppress the attainment of social issues. Our research shows that HEI responses to social commitment differ according to each institution’s regulations and social circumstances. We aspire to encourage management scholars to engage in tackling social strategy through their collaborative activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education)
17 pages, 252 KiB  
Article
Supporting the Transition to Higher Education: Finnish Principals’ Views on Opportunities and Challenges of Institutional Cooperation
by Topias Ikävalko, Johannes Pernaa and Maija Aksela
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(7), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070686 - 5 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1413
Abstract
The transition from upper secondary school to higher education is a major change in students’ lives. Supporting students to make informed decisions based on a realistic view of higher education is one of the key elements to ensuring their motivation in future studies. [...] Read more.
The transition from upper secondary school to higher education is a major change in students’ lives. Supporting students to make informed decisions based on a realistic view of higher education is one of the key elements to ensuring their motivation in future studies. Cooperation between upper secondary and higher education is one model for providing students with realistic views. However, little research has been produced from this cooperation. Therefore, the aim of this paper, based on mixed-method research, is to produce new insights into the opportunities provided by institutional cooperation by analyzing the views of Finnish upper secondary school principals (N = 94). The data were gathered using an online survey and analyzed via qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. The results indicate that principals consider cooperation with higher education institutions to be beneficial but there are some challenges in its implementation, such as the different structures of upper secondary schools and universities and inadequate information about possible opportunities. There are also great differences in upper secondary schools’ levels of participation. Distance to the nearest higher education institution and the size of the upper secondary school affected the participation models. There is a need to support cooperation between institutions to ensure equal possibilities for students, such as common structures, better information, as well as a multitude of different opportunities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education)

Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 1289 KiB  
Review
Transitioning towards Tomorrow’s Workforce: Education 5.0 in the Landscape of Society 5.0: A Systematic Literature Review
by Sharareh Shahidi Hamedani, Sarfraz Aslam, Bha Aldan Mundher Oraibi, Yap Bee Wah and Shervin Shahidi Hamedani
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101041 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1053
Abstract
Globalization and technology are presently impacting every aspect of life, with digital technologies helping to set the trend. Human-centricity and the ethical use of technology are integral components of Society 5.0, which emphasizes quality of life, productivity, social responsibility, and sustainability. The purpose [...] Read more.
Globalization and technology are presently impacting every aspect of life, with digital technologies helping to set the trend. Human-centricity and the ethical use of technology are integral components of Society 5.0, which emphasizes quality of life, productivity, social responsibility, and sustainability. The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of how Higher Education 5.0 empowers the future workforce in the landscape of Society 5.0. A systematic literature review was conducted using 18 full-text research papers from the Scopus database. It shows that the number of studies in this area is limited. The results revealed the critical role of education in cultivating the digital skills necessary for upcoming professionals. In order to transition from higher education to the workplace, fresh graduates need academic and practical readiness to meet the demands of a future-ready workforce. The contribution of the future workforce will also be crucial in building a harmonious human-centric society that will use technology to improve the quality of life towards sustainable living as envisioned by the United Nations’ SDGs. Additionally, we identify the current gaps in the research on Education 5.0 in the landscape of Society 5.0 and subsequently provide recommendations for the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on Modern Higher Education)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop