Trends High. Educ., Volume 3, Issue 1 (March 2024) – 10 articles

Although there are multiple efforts to increase gender equality in the forest sector, women are still underrepresented in the forest sector workforce, even more so in top leadership of forest sector companies. This underrepresentation is also found in higher education, and many forestry undergraduate programs still struggle to matriculate and graduate women. A way to attract and retain women is through mentoring and networking. Utilizing interviews, we found that it is quite challenging to find a woman mentor/role model in the forest sector because women are still underrepresented. To find a good mentor, young women are encouraged to be proactive in utilizing different channels, both formal and informal. When it comes to gender, our respondents emphasize the different benefits of having a woman vs. man as a mentor. In a men-dominated field such as the forest sector, women mentors enhance social belonging, confidence, and motivation in relatively alienating environments due to “been there-done that” experiences. Same-gender role models might also protect women from negative stereotypes and show how women can advance despite existing gendered barriers. Full article

This study presents research on the development process of GPT-based educational chatbots. A case study methodology was employed to address the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating a prototype that functioned as a personal tutor for the Sociology of Education course in the Primary Education Teaching Degree. The objective is to provide valuable insights into the processes, challenges, and outcomes of this technology and to determine its potential and limitations as an educational personal tutor. The chatbot underwent laboratory tests, which included real exams from previous courses and other specific assessments. After an iterative refinement process, a final product with optimal results was achieved. This study offers a robust model for the development of GPTs, as well as an analysis of the current possibilities and limitations of this technology for education. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuous innovation and research in the use of emerging technologies like chatbots in education, highlighting their potential to transform traditional teaching methods. Full article

The purpose of this paper is to raise important issues in engineering education in the face of contemporary challenges and demands through the voices of different stakeholders in engineering curricula and in the practice of professional engineering. Several challenges and future perspectives are based on important skills, like soft skills, which are required by employers and include communication, decision-making, problem-solving, leadership and emotional intelligence, as well as the ability to work with people of different backgrounds and apply technical knowledge. A qualitative data analysis of interviews with students, alumni, teachers and employers revealed the demand for more balanced qualified curricula for higher education institutions in the field of engineering. This includes the promotion of collaborative learning spaces, authentic learning experiences based on engaging students in real situations, project-based learning, industrial visits, guest lectures and problem-solving methodologies that are perceived by these stakeholders as essential in the construction of a curriculum, in line with the specific technical competences of each area. Full article

In the past two decades, students have been more willing to disclose their disability status when entering higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK). Concurrently, higher education institutions (HEIs) have adopted disability policies and service teams for enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion in the UK. The purpose of this integrative review is to understand the basis of these trends. The article suggests that there have been three major key paradigm shifts that underpin this cultural change. (1) There was a paradigm shift in terms of changing the dominant models for conceptualising disability from a medical model of disability to a social model of disability and to an affirmative model of disability, together with a debate and policy development demonstrating a concern for greater social inclusion and exclusion; (2) with a massive increase in students entering HE and the rising importance of league tables and ranking systems, universities experienced a paradigm shift from teacher-centred learning (TCL) to inclusive student-centred learning and teaching (SCLT); and (3) the increase in autism disclosure in HE signifies a shift in a conceptualisation of autism from a disorder to a disability and an example of neurodiversity. Full article

This research explores the barriers, concerns, and obstacles undergraduate STEM educators face when implementing high-impact teaching practices (HIPs), the application of which may improve student learning outcomes. Because our study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, our results also shed light on the unique challenges of utilizing HIPs in asynchronous online-learning environments. Thirteen undergraduate instructors were interviewed about their current teaching practices in order to identify barriers to or support for adopting HIPs. Data collected through semi-structured interviews revealed administrative and financial restraints as barriers to effective teaching which have been found in previous research. A number of new and unique obstacles emerged out of teaching remotely or online during the pandemic, including a heightened concern over the instructor’s ability to connect with students and engage in the best teaching practices. This research extends our current understanding of barriers and concerns about adopting HIPs in undergraduate STEM courses because of the unique perceived threats that emerged during the pandemic. We identify strategies to equip faculty with the support they need to provide equitable learning experiences, including access to consultants who support curriculum development and implementation in the classroom, ongoing educational coaching, and increased access to professional-development opportunities and a community of inquiry to discuss teaching strategies. Full article

Understanding the present landscape of students’ perceptions and the representation of diversity and inclusion within engineering textbooks is paramount for the effective development and execution of diversity and inclusion initiatives. This case study, conducted in the College of Engineering at the University of South Alabama, aims to assess the current perceptions of diversity among its engineering students. The study encompasses three fundamental elements: textbook evaluations, comprehensive student surveys comprising 30 questions that explore various facets of the engineering curriculum, student organizations, and the workforce, along with in-person interviews. The summarized findings provide invaluable insights for faculty, instructors, and administrators, facilitating informed decision making and program enhancement in the realm of diversity and inclusion. Full article

High college dropout rates are not a desired outcome for university management. Efforts have been made to increase student retention via understanding dropouts and building support mechanisms. With the emergence of Big Data, educational process mining came into existence, allowing for new methods of structuring and visualizing data. Previous studies have established an approach to generate process maps from the course sequences students take. This study improves this method by focusing on visualizing students’ pathways through a study program dependent on their status as a “dropout” or “graduate” and on the level of every degree program. An interactive framework in a web application dedicated to curriculum designers was created. The data of 53,839 students in 78,495 studies at the University of Graz (Austria) between 2012/13 and 2022/23 were used for process mining. The generated process maps provide information on the exam sequence of students. They have been implemented in discussion forums with stakeholder groups and are part of the curriculum (re)design processes. The maps provide the benefit of being able to compare and monitor successful and non-successful students’ maps using real-time data. Despite their use for curriculum development, they are limited in their size and the number of exams that can be displayed, making them a good fit for early dropout evaluation. Full article

Many post-secondary institutions have implemented anti-poverty programs to address students’ basic needs insecurities. This study examined the provision of 17 types of basic needs programs at Texas Hispanic-serving institutions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to identify changes in the number and types of programs offered as well as factors that may influence the presence of specific types of basic needs programs on campus. While the average number of basic needs programs per institution varied little over time, the specific types of programs that were offered changed. Institution type as a 2-year or 4-year institution was associated with providing on-campus mental health services, on-campus physical health services, and after-school care for students’ children at pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic time points and employing students and free food or meal vouchers at the pre-pandemic time point. The percentage of students receiving Pell Grants was associated with basic needs programs to assist students applying for public services and referrals to off-campus health services pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic. The presence of an on-campus free food pantry was associated with the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants at the anticipated post-pandemic time point only. Over the course of the pandemic, there were changes to the types of basic needs programs offered. Some types of basic needs programs were associated with institutional and/or student characteristics. Given the continued presence of basic needs programs through the course of the pandemic and into the post-pandemic period, the use of these kinds of programs and services to support students, while influenced by external factors such as the pandemic, appears institutionally established as a way to facilitate going to college for students in need. Full article

Decolonising the curriculum (DtC) is an emerging concept that continues to challenge higher education institutions globally, with educators and scholars increasingly recognising how traditional curricular structures, content, and pedagogical practices can reinforce colonial biases and marginalise certain student groups. DtC can be seen as a process rather than a phenomenon, one which is ongoing and multiplexed, consisting of elements that aim to dismantle the hierarchy between staff and students and question the ways in which knowledge is produced, valued, and disseminated. The expected outcome is to provide students with an education which is equitable, inclusive, and relevant to their personal lives and experiences. Efforts in DtC have continued to gain traction, but assessment practices remain overlooked as a crucial component, with most decolonising efforts focussed towards content and pedagogy. As such, this review aims to contribute to the conversation by exploring the roots and impacts of colonisation on higher education, particularly within the context of assessment in STEM subjects. We examine various elements of decolonised assessment methods and ultimately suggest project-based learning (PBL) as a comprehensive approach that brings together the aforementioned decolonial elements, illustrating this concept through the examination of a PBL assessment mode study conducted at the University of Sussex. Full article

Although it would seem that we are currently in a more inclusive society, the reality is quite different, since discriminatory models continue to be perpetuated based on the level of functional performance of each person. In this sense, the purpose of this study is to find out the degree of discrimination that people with low functional performance have in relation to the rest of the population on the basis of sex and level of studies. To this end, through a thorough investigation based on the scientific method and articulated via statistical analysis (the modelling of categorical data), this study reveals the situations of inequality to which people with low functional performance are subjected in terms of higher education. This study used the survey on Employment of People with Disabilities (EPD), carried out by the National Statistics Institute (INE), and conducted annually with a sample size of 60,000 households, equivalent to some 200,000 people. The statistical analysis was carried out using R software and the main techniques used were contingency table modelling, log-linear models, and logistic models. Finally, some recommendations are offered to contribute to social awareness, for which the role of teachers is a crucial element for educational equity and their training is of vital importance, as teachers are a key element in adapting contents to different abilities, especially for people with lower functional performance. The quality of the initial training they receive will depend on their achievement. Full article