Higher Education Teaching and Learning Innovations in Developing Asia: Improving Equity and Enhancing Quality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 16874

Special Issue Editors

Department of Curriculum and Instruction, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: higher education innovations; education equity, quality, and efficiency; blended and online learning; education policies and practices in developing countries
Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Interests: education policies and practices; higher education goverance and innovations; life long education
Center for International Higher Education, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Interests: international and comparative higher education; higher education internationalization; education quality and equity; higher education in developing countries; digital technology and higher education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The higher education landscape has changed significantly over the last decade due to digital, economic, and societal transformations; the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these transformations with online and remote learning becoming the dominant mode of higher education programme and course delivery due to university closures. Although universities have attempted to respond to these changes with curriculum and assessment reforms, professional development of their staff and leaders, local and international partnerships, and infrastructure and hardware investment, many universities in developing Asian countries lack the capacity to work out a robust and coherent set of responses to these changes. The lack of capacity may hinder the access of their students to quality higher education.

This Special Issue examines how universities in developing Asian countries adopt teaching and learning innovations to improve the equity and enhance the quality of higher education. The papers in this Special Issue will be within the scope of the following topics set in the higher education context of developing Asian countries to improve equity and enhance quality:

  • Curriculum reforms and leadership;
  • Pedagogical innovations (digital or non-digital);
  • Alternative assessment and digital assessment;
  • Emerging technologies and their affordances for teaching, learning, and assessment;
  • Online and remote teaching and learning;
  • Institutional policies and planning to drive and support teaching and learning innovations;
  • Digital competencies of the higher education workforce and students;
  • Professional development of the higher education workforce;
  • Quality assurance and enhancement of teaching and learning innovations;
  • University–industry partnerships.

Prof. Dr. Cher Ping LIM
Dr. RA Sungsup
Ms. Bingran Zeng
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • higher education
  • equity
  • quality
  • teaching and learning
  • innovations
  • online and remote learning

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 435 KiB  
Article
Predicting Learners’ Agility and Readiness for Future Learning Ecosystem
by Habibah Ab Jalil, Ismi Arif Ismail, Aini Marina Ma’rof, Chee Leong Lim, Nurhanim Hassan and Nur Raihan Che Nawi
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 680; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12100680 - 06 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2078
Abstract
Agility and future readiness are fundamental 21st-century skills that could guide university students globally to thriving and benefiting from a VUCA—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—world. The ability to respond flexibly, make informed decisions, and adapt to rapid change reflects future-readiness capabilities. However, little [...] Read more.
Agility and future readiness are fundamental 21st-century skills that could guide university students globally to thriving and benefiting from a VUCA—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—world. The ability to respond flexibly, make informed decisions, and adapt to rapid change reflects future-readiness capabilities. However, little is known about the empirical role of the university curriculum, learning ecosystem, and learning experience as perceived by university students in developing these skills. Therefore, we analysed data collected from 209 Malaysian university students from 16 universities to assess whether these three pertinent factors impact the students’ learning agility and determine how well learning agility predicts learners’ future readiness. The present study empirically assessed a theoretical model using a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The analysis supported all the hypotheses proposed in this study, which implies that the extended model could effectively predict learners’ agility and future readiness. The results revealed that the university learning experience, ecosystem, and curriculum positively, directly, and significantly affected learning agility and future readiness. Furthermore, the findings showed that student agility significantly mediated the relationships between the student learning experience, university learning ecosystem, and curriculum and student future readiness. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of a future-ready education nurtured by a vibrant learning ecosystem that delivers lasting values and experiences for students and communities to appreciate the opportunities for a challenging yet exciting future offered by a VUCA environment. The established empirical model describing the empirical interplays between these correlates could, in turn, aid better evidence-based policy making in higher education. Full article
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11 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
Supporting Inclusive Online Higher Education in Developing Countries: Lessons Learnt from Sri Lanka’s University Closure
by Danlin Yang, Yuen Man Tang, Ryotaro Hayashi, Sungsup Ra and Cher Ping Lim
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 494; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12070494 - 18 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
Online higher education teaching and learning has become a new normal in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the support for online learning seems inadequate to address students’ diverse online learning needs and may impede the inclusiveness in higher education. Therefore, [...] Read more.
Online higher education teaching and learning has become a new normal in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the support for online learning seems inadequate to address students’ diverse online learning needs and may impede the inclusiveness in higher education. Therefore, based on a questionnaire administered to higher education students in Sri Lanka, this paper examines the support or lack of support students have experienced during the university closure that may enable or hinder inclusive online learning. It draws on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical lens to analyse and make sense of these enablers for and barriers to inclusive online higher education. The key findings suggest that students first need autonomy support to access stable and affordable internet and devices, and quality online learning resources. They also need competence support for monitoring and managing their own learning through feedback and scaffolding as they engage in their learning online. Finally, they need relatedness support for reducing their anxiety and having a sense of connectedness by interacting and communicating with teachers and students. Full article
17 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Learners’ Online Self-Regulated Learning Skills in Indonesia Open University: Implications for Policies and Practice
by Harry B. Santoso, Rahayu Dwi Riyanti, Trini Prastati, FA. Triatmoko H. S., Arie Susanty and Min Yang
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 469; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12070469 - 06 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2334
Abstract
To succeed in online distance learning where students are physically separated from teachers and peers, students must develop self-regulated learning skills to effectively manage their learning process. This study examined how students with different demographic backgrounds adopt or fail to adopt self-regulated learning [...] Read more.
To succeed in online distance learning where students are physically separated from teachers and peers, students must develop self-regulated learning skills to effectively manage their learning process. This study examined how students with different demographic backgrounds adopt or fail to adopt self-regulated learning to engage in online distance learning. Survey data were collected from 295 students at Indonesia Open University. Although students’ online learning self-efficacy and online self-regulated learning were above average, they reported low levels of confidence and abilities to seek help, develop task strategies, and allocate time for online learning. Their online self-regulated learning and online learning self-efficacy were significantly correlated. However, there were no significant relationships between online self-regulated learning and learning performance, and between online learning self-efficacy and learning performance. Furthermore, female and/or older students reported lower learning performance than male and younger students. Qualitative data from open-ended questions were analyzed to interpret the quantitative results. Recommendations for stakeholders of open universities were made to assist in students’ improvement of self-regulated learning skills and to address equity issues in Indonesian online distance learning and similar contexts. Full article
16 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Measuring and Promoting Self-Regulation for Equity and Quality of Online Learning: New Evidence from a Multi-Institutional Survey during COVID-19
by Jiao Guo, Ronnel B. King, Qinnan Ding and Miaomiao Fan
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 465; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12070465 - 04 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2057
Abstract
Self-regulation is a core concept to understand the metacognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning. The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in large numbers of courses being shifted online, thus providing a large-scale setting to collect new empirical evidence to shed light on the [...] Read more.
Self-regulation is a core concept to understand the metacognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning. The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in large numbers of courses being shifted online, thus providing a large-scale setting to collect new empirical evidence to shed light on the specific challenges that different learner subgroups struggle with in the authentic online learning environment and then to provide practical implications to improve the learning outcomes by promoting learners’ online self-regulation. Based on a survey of 64,949 participants enrolled at 39 universities in a metropolitan city of China during the pandemic, we developed the Undergraduate Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (UOSL), tested the reliability and construct validity of the UOSL items, and then built regression models to estimate the associations between online self-regulation and mastery of eight skills across different subgroups in a diverse student body. Disadvantaged subgroups such as rural, first-generation college students reported significantly lower UOSL scores as well as lower skill mastery in online learning. After controlling self-regulation in the regression model, these gaps related to student demographics have shrunk substantially and some become statistically insignificant (e.g., the gender gap in online skill mastery). The findings highlight the critical role of the targeted interventions of self-regulation to promote equity and enhance quality in the online teaching design and learning support. Full article
21 pages, 4856 KiB  
Article
An Exploratory Study of Online Job Portal Data of the ICT Sector in Bangladesh: Analysis, Recommendations and Preliminary Implications for ICT Curriculum Reform
by Sheikh Saifur Rahman Jony, Tsuyoshi Kano, Ryotaro Hayashi, Norihiko Matsuda and M. Sohel Rahman
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 423; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12070423 - 21 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2811
Abstract
Many countries wish to achieve digital transformation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital skills demand is changing fast. The time-series online job portal data for the ICT industry in Bangladesh provides an opportunity to analyze high demand job titles and skills over [...] Read more.
Many countries wish to achieve digital transformation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital skills demand is changing fast. The time-series online job portal data for the ICT industry in Bangladesh provides an opportunity to analyze high demand job titles and skills over time. These time-series data address the question of the speed of changes in job titles and skills and responsiveness of computer science and engineering (CSE) curricula. This study gathers online job portal data of the ICT industry in Bangladesh from 2016 to 2021. Natural language processing is used to group similar skills and job titles following the O*NET Online taxonomy. In addition to the descriptive statistics, the statistical significance test and correlation analysis are conducted. The analysis could identify high demand ICT job titles (Software Developers, Computer System Engineers/Architects, Web Developers, Project Management Specialists) and skills (API, Database, JavaScript) but Computer System Engineer/Architect job titles and API skills are increasing fast. The shift from networking to JavaScript and UI Design is also noteworthy after COVID-19. The preliminary curricula analysis suggests the responsiveness of the CSE program, but online job portal data analysis might provide opportunities for developing unique CSE specialization, courses and curricula. Full article
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18 pages, 10095 KiB  
Article
Promoting Equity and Assuring Teaching and Learning Quality: Magisterial Lectures in a Philippine University during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo and Estelle Marie Macuja Ladrido
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 146; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12020146 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4273
Abstract
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students’ variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo [...] Read more.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students’ variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo de Manila University’s response to this challenge is the production of the Magisterial Lectures, an Open Educational Resource (OER) series of video lectures by some of the University’s most respected faculty members. The goals of this paper are to describe how the production of the lectures was guided by the principles of quality and equity; to discuss the use and reach of the lectures based on YouTube analytics and a survey of Ateneo students and teachers; and to measure the impact of the lectures on students’ learning experience. We enact quality in terms of curricular alignment and high production value. Equity was achieved by making the resource available publicly, free of charge. We found that the videos reached over 350,000 viewers in 37 countries. A survey of Ateneo students and teachers, the primary beneficiaries, shows that these materials were effective educational tools. Their effectiveness is attributable to the grounding of the production in quality and equity; the teachers’ careful integration of the recordings in their lessons; and the students’ engagement with the lectures following their own learning preferences and strategies. Full article
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