Overcoming Fieldwork Challenges in Social Science and Higher Education Research


Book Description

Conducting social science and education research studies that require involvement in fieldwork is not an easy task. Many graduate students and novice researchers face difficulties efficiently and effectively conducting the practical aspects of their research in fieldwork. One reason for this difficulty may be due to the lack of finding and/or accessing authentic and realistic descriptions of previously conducted fieldwork experiences and processes in a variety of fields. This could be the case whether the research is going to be on a virtual platform or in a real and actual context. Thus, it is critical to shed light on the successes and pitfalls of the personal experiences of fieldwork. Overcoming Fieldwork Challenges in Social Science and Higher Education Research is an essential reference book that draws on the experience of conducting fieldwork in different contexts and world regions that are relevant to social science and education studies. The diverse experiences in research processes and contexts that this book offers provide readers with an authentic and realistic description of how research data is collected, the tools needed to envision some of the challenges that they might face, and how to effectively solve them. Highlighting topics such as methodology, data collection, and fieldwork partnerships in fields that include counseling, psychology, language studies, and teacher education, this book is ideal for social science and education studies professors who have research as a mandatory part of their curriculum, administrators and policymakers, independent and novice researchers, and graduate students planning to conduct their research studies with humans in different contexts.




Higher Education in Emergencies


Book Description

Championing tangible action and its measurable impacts, this book provides a critical toolkit for preparing universities for the next pandemic, earthquake, or civil conflict.




Handbook of Research on the Changing Role of College and University Leadership


Book Description

Higher education has changed significantly over the past 50 years, and the individuals who provide leadership for these institutions has similarly changed. The pathway to the college presidency, once the domain of academic administration, has diversified as an increasing number of development officers, student affairs and enrollment management professionals, and even politicians have become common in the role. It is important to understand who the presidents are in the current environment and the challenges they face. Challenges such as dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment shortfalls, Title IX, and athletic scandals have risen to the forefront and have contributed to the issues and role of college and university leadership. The Handbook of Research on the Changing Role of College and University Leadership provides important research on the topic of college and university leadership, especially focusing on the changing role of the college president. The chapters discuss college leadership as it is now and how it will evolve into the future. Topics included are the role of the president at various types of universities, their involvement within university functions and activities, and the duties they must carry out and challenges they face. This book is ideal for professionals and researchers working in higher education, including faculty members who specialize in education, public administration, the social sciences, and management, along with teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in college and university leadership and how this role is transforming.




University-Industry Collaboration Strategies in the Digital Era


Book Description

Competitive strategies and higher education-industry collaboration policies are playing a vital role in fostering the reputation and international rankings of higher education institutions. The positive impact of these policies may best be observed in the economic and social outputs of many countries such as the USA, Singapore, South Korea, and European Union (EU) countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. However, the number of academic publications that specifically concentrate on the impact of these policies on higher education institutions and authorities remains relatively limited. University-Industry Collaboration Strategies in the Digital Era is an essential research publication that provides comprehensive research on competitive strategies for higher education institutions that will allow them to forge beneficial partnerships with industries that will have a significant impact on their success. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as human resource management, network planning, and institutional structure, this book is ideal for administrators, education professionals, academicians, researchers, policymakers, and students.




Leadership Wellness and Mental Health Concerns in Higher Education


Book Description

Wellbeing is foundational to citizens’ individual and collective ability to acknowledge, address, and alleviate ongoing struggles, shared risks, and the unprecedented challenges of our time. A holistic focus on wellness across campus communities is timely and important, given that national and global justice movements are calling upon post-secondary institutions to address the ways in which education systems have been reproducing dominant narratives, reinforcing systemic discrimination, and retaliating against education leaders who work to disrupt structural inequalities. Leadership Wellness and Mental Health Concerns in Higher Education offers diverse perspectives about whether and how campus leaders around the world are sustaining and advancing health and wellness in unprecedented times and amplifies diverse voices in the exploration of how to advance individual and collective wellbeing in higher education. Covering a wide range of topics such as stress management and burnout, this reference work is ideal for academicians, scholars, researchers, administrators, practitioners, instructors, and students.




Enhancing Higher Education Accessibility Through Open Education and Prior Learning


Book Description

Institutions of higher learning are providing access to free and low-cost open resources to support students with prior college-level learning during every step of their educational journey. This unconventional approach to education removes traditional barriers to college credit by placing learners in an open environment, which encourages accessibility to higher education and fosters independent and critical thinking. By providing learners with free resources, more learners have the resources needed to be successful in college. Prior learning assessment is an excellent way for students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course of their lives. By developing a portfolio of artifacts that support prior learning outside of the classroom, learners reduce the time and money needed to complete a degree. Open educational resources, prior learning assessment, and competency-based learning offer the potential to provide access to higher education to those who may not have the opportunity to earn a college degree. As the costs of higher education continue to rise, these flexible, open approaches to learning can bridge the equity gap and provide more opportunity to earn a college degree. Enhancing Higher Education Accessibility Through Open Education and Prior Learning provides a comprehensive resource book on open resources and prior learning in order to provide access and equity to higher education. The chapters pull together resources and case studies that exemplify alternative means to higher education. Highlighted topics within this book include remote e-learning, online fundraising, smart learning and assessments, effective learning, and faculty mentorship. This book is essential for curriculum designers; administrators; policymakers; government executives; professors and instructors in higher education; students; researchers in adult education, competency-based education, social justice, and open educational resources; and practitioners interested in open educational resources and accessibility in higher education.




Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices


Book Description

Teachers in their first few years of their teaching career require high quality, structured support to begin the journey towards becoming experts. Establishing research-based best practices and working habits set up early career teachers for a fulfilling and successful career. The requirements of teachers are constantly changing, and teachers need to continually adapt their knowledge and practices to fit schools’ changing demographics. Having a toolbox of research-based best practices to draw upon can support early career teachers as they move from theory to practical application when the learning curve is the steepest. Strengthening the system of support includes increasing teachers’ influence over their day-to-day work and developing positive and supportive cultures of learning. Supporting Early Career Teachers With Research-Based Practices presents both theoretical and practical research to support the conceptual understanding of educational praxis for common areas with which early career educators may require additional expertise or support. This book is intended to be a valuable contribution to the body of literature in the field of education by supplying research-based teaching practices for modern education. Primary topics covered include professional learning, classroom management, student-teacher relationships, teaching diverse students and inclusive educational practices, and teacher self-care strategies. This book is a valuable reference tool for early career teachers of all subject areas and grade levels, school administrators, teacher mentors and guides, education faculty in higher education, educational researchers, curriculum developers, instructional facilitators, practicing teachers, pre-service teachers, professional development coordinators, teacher educators, researchers, academicians, and students interested in teaching practices and support for the early career teacher.




Cultivating Entrepreneurial Changemakers Through Digital Media Education


Book Description

The role of the journalist has been significantly altered and is far beyond that of being just a “reporter” of news in modern times. Social entrepreneurship is rooted in a venture that seeks to create revenue while being anchored in providing social value to the communities the enterprise serves. Combining these creates the concept of a social newspreneur, which takes elements of the old business model and creates new opportunities. In this way, media can be reformed by everyday people who have a vision for restoring trust and facilitating alternative activities to inspire civic engagement in new and unique ways. As such, journalism program administrators have realized that the time has come to alter and provide innovative educational opportunities that prepare students for careers outside of traditional employment. Entrepreneurship education across the disciplines is quickly becoming the status quo on today's college campuses. However, in making these curricular changes, faculty must engage in significant assessment of these new approaches to ensure that students are obtaining a return on their investment in the college education and degree that they seek. Cultivating Entrepreneurial Changemakers Through Digital Media Education is a crucial reference book that cultivates timely and relevant practices in the development of improved teaching methods, assessments, information delivery, and technological tools that are used to facilitate and support the social entrepreneurship and digital journalism education space. It explores the role of media innovation and how the landscape is ripe for the influx of social entrepreneurs, or the rise of the "social newspreneur." The chapters cover areas such as methods used in journalism programs, social entrepreneurship in course design, educational technologies, student learning outcomes, and how these programs foster civic engagement. This book is a valuable reference tool for university faculty, university administrators, news organization leaders, journalists, reporters, broadcasting agencies, professors, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students.




Improving Scientific Communication for Lifelong Learners


Book Description

Scientific communication (Sci-Com) is a part of information science and the sociology of science that studies researchers' use of formal and informal information channels as well as their communicative roles. It also covers the utilization of the formal publication system and similar issues. Within the scientific community, much attention has focused on improving communications between scientists, policymakers, and the public. Sci-Com is an important area of research in meeting these needs. The use of communication methods to portray information clearly, concisely, and effectively, whether that be through presentations, writing, or other approaches, is an essential area of interest within the community. Improving Scientific Communication for Lifelong Learners seeks to improve scientific writing and speaking skills for lifelong learning researchers by developing an adaptive and responsive open and distance application according to universal design principles. The book will focus on the efforts that are centered on improving the content, substantiality, accessibility, and delivery of scientific communications, and to convey clear information to an audience, so its members can understand, use, and build on the information portrayed. The chapters highlight specific areas such as design thinking, distance learning, educational technologies, student success and motivation, and the design of educational environments and learning communities. This book is a valuable reference tool for teachers, academics, communication specialists, students, researchers, developers, and R&D professionals from various fields such as distance learning, online learning, accreditation, qualitative and quantitative research, transhumanism and learning, computer engineering, sociology, and more.




Ensuring Adult and Non-Traditional Learners’ Success With Technology, Design, and Structure


Book Description

With the increasing share of adult and non-traditional students in the higher education student body, higher education faculty and administrators must ensure that the design of programs, courses, and student services support the success of all students. The needs and wants of these adult and non-traditional learners will differ, and it is important that research helps advance the understanding of these students to increase their success, acclimation, and experience in institutions. Ensuring Adult and Non-Traditional Learners’ Success With Technology, Design, and Structure is designed to provide higher education professionals with current research and research-based best practices for ensuring student success for adult learners and non-traditional students. The research presented in this book will help ensure that programs, courses, and student services are designed and implemented in a manner that supports student success for all learners in the institution. Chapters include research on student motivation, program design, educational technology, student engagement, and more. This book is intended for post-secondary administrators, faculty, teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in relevant educational services for adult learners and non-traditional students.