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Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 June 2023) | Viewed by 29206

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dian-Fu Chang

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Guest Editor

Department of Education and Futures Design, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan
Interests: higher education; global mobility; student engagement; innovative quantitative methods; sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yen-Ling Lin

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Guest Editor

Department of Economics, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan
Interests: student engagement; labor economics; microeconometrics; policy impact

Dr. Shu-Jing Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Education Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China
Interests: student engagement; learning development; learning analytics; flipped learning; global mobility; sustainable higher education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of higher education throughout the world has become a major topic of discussion over the last few decades. During the COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately, lockdowns severely affected regular campus activities. Various studies focused on the emerging issues related to higher education, for example, innovative learning technology [1–2], specific learning challenges [3-4], and issues impacting international students [5-7]. Higher education has been viewed to play a central role in training the next generation to meet the demand for skills necessary for social, economic, and environmental development. It is time to reconsider the challenges and opportunities of higher education in the post-COVID-19 world.

The Special Issue invites the papers addressing what strategies and measures (teaching tools and research practices) are being applied to invent sustainable higher education in the post-COVID-19 world. We welcome researchers engaged in higher education practices to share and exchange their research experiences, including innovative methods, pedagogical approaches, and sustainable initiatives that they are practicing in the post-pandemic era. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited, to the following:

Exploring the critical factors that impart related policy or management practices in higher education affected by the pandemic or that might impact in the post-pandemic era;
New opportunities for innovative approaches for higher education access, teaching, learning, and retaining students in the post-pandemic environment;
Challenges of higher education for sustainable development in the post-pandemic era;
The new directions of pedagogical approaches, tools, strategies, evaluation, and assessment methods for pandemic-affected higher education;
Challenges and opportunities of global mobility in higher education learning settings;
Higher education best practices for delivering top-quality education in a post-COVID-19 world.

We encourage interdisciplinary empirical and conceptual contributions that open up new lines of inquiry in the field. “Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development” will be an opportunity to share knowledge for building the post-COVID-19 educational world.

References:

Abdelsalam, M.M.; Ebitisam, K.E.; Shadi, A.; Hasan, R.; Hadeel, A. The COVID-19 pandemic and E-learning: Challenges and opportunities from the perspective of students and instructors. J. Comput. High. Educ. 2021, 3, 1–18.
Fakari, F.R.; Hajian, S. COVID-19-opportunity for online education: Do not forget the ethical considerations in teaching learners. J. Educ. Health Promot. 2021, 10, 162.
Liu, Y.; Shen, W. Perching birds or scattered streams: A study of how trust affects civic engagement among university students in contemporary China. High. Educ. 2021, 81, 421–436.
Evans, B.J.; Marsicano, C.R.; Lennartz, C.J. Cracks in the bedrock of American democracy: Differences in civic engagement across institutions of higher education. Educ. Res. 2019, 48, 31–44.
Mok, K.H.; Xiong, W.; Ke, G.; Cheung, J.O.W. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on international higher education and student mobility: Student perspectives from mainland China and Hong Kong. Int. J. Educ. Res. 2021, 105, 101718.
Wu, S.-J.; Chang, D.-F.; Sun, F.-R. Exploring college students’ perspectives on global mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Educ. Sci. 2020, 10, 218.
Chang, D.F.; Chou, W.C. Detecting the institutional mediation of push–pull factors on international students’ satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability 2021, 13, 11405.

Prof. Dr. Dian-Fu Chang
Prof. Dr. Yen-Ling Lin
Dr. Shu-Jing Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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 single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

higher education
sustainable education
sustainability strategy
sustainability
challenges of post-COVID-19 world
online teaching and learning
working conditions in higher education
student mobility
21st century skills

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 505 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Sustainability Communication among UAE’s Higher Education Students: The Relationship between Sustainable Living Knowledge and Intention to Live Sustainably

by Samar Ben Romdhane, Sang Lee and Salem Al-Shaebi

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11892; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511892 - 02 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 906

Abstract

This study investigates the association between sustainable living knowledge and the intention to live sustainably among university students in the UAE. Using a survey method, the research examines students’ perceptions, attitudes, and intentions. The results indicate a positive correlation between sustainable living knowledge and the intention to live sustainably. Specifically, higher levels of sustainable living knowledge are correlated with a strong inclination towards engaging in sustainable behaviors. Additionally, the data analysis supports a proposed serial mediation model, suggesting that sustainable living knowledge influences the intention to live sustainably through perceived benefits and attitudes. These findings emphasize the significance of providing education on sustainable living practices to university students, as it can foster environmentally conscious behaviors and contribute to community development. This research enhances our understanding of the factors influencing individuals’ inclination towards adopting sustainable behaviors, offering valuable insights for designing interventions and educational programs targeted at promoting sustainable living among UAE students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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18 pages, 1666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Person–Organization Fit Impacts Work Performance: Evidence from Researchers in Ten Countries during the COVID-19

by Xiao Liu and Cathy Ping Xie

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9866; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139866 - 21 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1186

Abstract

It is important to provide researchers with the support they need to improve the Person–Organization (PO) fit in order to manage the negative impact of COVID-19 on work performance. Underpinned by the PO fit theory, drawing upon the survey data of 2321 researchers from ten countries initiated by Nature in 2021, this paper discusses how the independent variables of person–organization fit and organizational resources impact work performance, a dependent variable, moderated by career stages via a factor and path analysis. The results show that organizational resources and PO fit have significantly assisted researchers in managing the negative impacts of COVID-19 on work performance. In terms of national heterogeneity, for developing countries, it is more important to provide more organizational support to researchers than PO fit. However, for developed countries, personal demands would be focused on improving PO fit, which would be helpful for researchers’ work performance more effectively than providing organizational support blindly. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of organizational support, those that fit less but had more helpful aspects should be increased appropriately, while those that fit more but were less helpful should be reduced accordingly. It implies that it would be significant to emphasize differentiated and career-stage-sensitive support to researchers in different countries to improve researchers’ wellbeing and organizational performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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19 pages, 7202 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality Technology to Teaching and Research in Construction and Its Graphic Expression

by Adela Rueda Márquez de la Plata, Pablo Alejandro Cruz Franco and Jorge Alberto Ramos Sánchez

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9628; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129628 - 15 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

Immersive virtual reality (VR) technology is constantly evolving and is used in various fields of work in our daily lives. However, traditional methodologies are still mostly used in education. There is a disconnect between education and the world of work, and future professionals need to be updated to new working methods in order to be able to compete in the labour market. The main objective of this study is based on testing the effectiveness of digital didactic resources in the teaching–learning process, as well as providing students with the digital competences to use these tools. The methodology generated by the research team in the development of architectural projects has been applied in teaching workshops with experimental and motivating strategies for students using accessible digital teaching resources that allow autonomous learning. With this we have proven the effectiveness of the method and the opportunities it offers us in education. The results obtained have been twofold: on the one hand we have increased the interest and motivation of the students by making them participants in their own training, and on the other hand we have started a fruitful path in the generation of repositories with virtual didactic content that allows us to provide greater accessibility to knowledge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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16 pages, 1109 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technological Devices and Digital Competences: A Look into the Digital Divides for University Continuity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Elmis Jonatan García Zare, Segundo Eloy Soto Abanto, Noelia Patricia Rodriguez Paredes, Teresita del Rosario Merino Salazar, Sandra Elizabeth Pagador Flores, Jorge Luis Baldárrago Baldárrago, Jorge Adrian Salas-Ruiz and Patricia Isabel Mejía Pardo

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8494; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118494 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2432

Abstract

Virtual education has gained great relevance in recent years, due to the pandemic. The access to electronic devices and services represents an urgent necessity and thus the concern for acquiring digital competences, which allow a proper interaction within the teaching–learning process. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of having digital resources and the adaptability of their use from the university students’ homes during the pandemic crisis. This research intends to identify the relevant challenges regarding the accessibility to technological devices and digital competences that university students had to face to obtain suitable learning during the lockdown, due to the pandemic. The sample information consisted of 9326 Peruvian university students. The data was obtained from the National Homes Survey from the Statistics and Information National Institute, and it was distributed in twenty-five regions (in groups of five macro-regions) over a period of three years (2019–2021). The results showed significant differences in the number of students with internet access from home: between 40% and 60% access classes with a desktop or laptop, and digital competences have improved in the last year. This is evidence that digital divides set limits on the opportunities for a quality education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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24 pages, 2700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Online or Traditional Learning at the Near End of the Pandemic: Assessment of Students’ Intentions to Pursue Online Learning in the Philippines

by Maria Kathryne A. Illescas, Ardvin Kester S. Ong and Josephine D. German

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6611; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086611 - 13 Apr 2023

Viewed by 8877

Abstract

Online learning has been utilized due to the sudden shift taken among educational institutions to continue students’ learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years into the pandemic, universities now offer different modalities of education due to the establishment of online and modular learning modalities. Hence, the intention of students to adapt to online learning despite the availability of traditional learning is underexplored. With the limited availability of face-to-face learning at the near end of the epidemic in the Philippines, this study sought to analyze the factors that influenced behavioral intentions towards continuing online learning modalities. Five hundred students from different universities in the Philippines participated and answered 42 adapted questions in an online survey via Google Forms. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in this study, with factors such as an affective latent variable, attitude towards behavior, autonomy, relatedness, competency, expectation, confirmation, satisfaction, and behavioral intention. The study found that attitude towards behavior has the highest positive direct effect on students’ intentions to pursue online learning, followed by expectation and confirmation, satisfaction and behavioral intention, competence and behavioral intention, and the affective variable and satisfaction. The effect of expectations on satisfaction and the affective variable on behavioral intentions was seen to have no significance regarding students’ intentions. This also study integrated expectation–confirmation theory, the theory of planned behavior, and self-determination theory to holistically evaluate students’ intentions to pursue online learning despite the availability of traditional learning. The educational sector can utilize these findings to consider pursuing and offering online learning. Additionally, the study can help future researchers evaluate students’ behavioral intentions concerning online learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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20 pages, 819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mediating Effects of Innovativeness and System Usability on Students’ Personality Differences: Recommendations for E-Learning Platforms in the Post-Pandemic Era

by Mei-Hui Peng and Bireswar Dutta

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5867; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075867 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1446

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to adopt e-learning systems to ensure continuous teaching and learning; however, this paradigm shift challenged students’ learning processes and is considered unsuitable for continuous use. Thus, a model was developed and experimentally verified in the current study to determine the factors that influence students’ uptaking of e-learning in the post-pandemic era. The Delphi method was employed to conceptualize the research framework, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore personality traits. The research model was then empirically tested by using data from 438 valid responses. The results showed that all personality traits, except for conscientiousness, significantly influenced the adoption of e-learning. The most decisive influencing trait was found to be extroversion (r = 0.756), whereas the trait that was found to have the most negligible impact was agreeableness (r = 0.305). Personal innovativeness and system usability were both found to highly correlate with a willingness to adopt e-learning. Except for the indirect effect of conscientiousness on the adoption of e-learning through system usability, all other personality traits were found to significantly mediate the adoption of e-learning through personal innovativeness and system usability. The results of this study could inspire stakeholders in the field of education, particularly e-learning platform designers, to consider students’ personality traits and individual differences in the design of e-learning platforms, with the goal of increasing students’ willingness and ability to adapt to these systems. The current study provides a contemporary perspective on the actions of e-learning users in the post-pandemic era. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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24 pages, 1000 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Transformation and Technological Innovation on Higher Education Post-COVID-19

by Angel Deroncele-Acosta, Madeleine Lourdes Palacios-Núñez and Alexander Toribio-López

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2466; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032466 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4566

Abstract

The university is an important pillar in sustainable development; however, COVID-19 imposed new dynamics that called for rethinking university praxis to achieve this mission, and although the systematization of good practices is a powerful mechanism for understanding educational success, this perspective of positive change has been little developed. Hence, the present study aimed to identify positive cores of faculty in their successful post-COVID-19 performance. A qualitative methodological approach was deployed, with the Netnography method, complemented with elements of positive psychology, appreciative inquiry, and management of formative potentialities. The online community consisted of 1238 university teachers from 10 Latin American countries, who participated for two months in an appreciative interview as an asynchronous journey of constructive proposals, for the active co-construction of post-COVID-19 success factors. The findings reveal multiple affirmative topics grouped into nine positive cores, identifying two target categories: digital transformation and technological innovation, as well as the processes directly associated with their dynamization. Finally, the epistemic implications of the findings in theory and practice, and their relevance in the creation of a formative agenda of positive change for Latin American Higher Education, are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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22 pages, 5568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Concurrent Relationships between Economic Factors and Student Mobility in Expanding Higher Education Achieving 2030

by Yu-Hsin Lo, Dian-Fu Chang and Angel Chang

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14612; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114612 - 07 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1604

Abstract

Student mobility is one of the most important indicators to reflect institutional internationalization in a sustainable higher education system. Student mobility issues have been addressed in previous studies, and the phenomenon was discussed in association with related factors persistently. Since higher education sustainable development has received much scholarly attention, monitoring student mobility flows to adjust international strategies is necessary. This study explored practical approaches to detect student mobility flows in the process of higher education expansion. Targeting Taiwan’s higher education system as an example, we addressed the topic of system expansion and the core issues of student mobility. Target series data were collected from 1950 to 2021, including the economic growth ratio, GDP per capita, higher education enrollment, gross enrollment ratio (GER), and the number of inbound and outbound students. The data were transformed with index formats, for example, the economic growth ratio, enrollment increasing ratio (IR), and net flow ratio. The cross-correlation function (CCF) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) were used to determine the correlations of the series data and their future trends. The findings suggested that the system expansion, with GER and IR, might reflect fluctuated student mobility in economic growth. This study confirmed that the time series approaches work well in detecting the phenomena of higher education expansion and their effects on student mobility flow in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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30 pages, 1447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing Global Competences via University Internationalization Activities—A Comparative Analysis of Business Students’ Opinions before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

by Lavinia Cornelia Butum, Luminița Nicolescu and Sergiu Octavian Stan

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14581; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114581 - 06 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1290

Abstract

For the last two years the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the main activities in higher education institutions (HEIs), including teaching activities and internationalization activities, activities that are directly involved in the development of student graduates’ competences. The present study analyzes the perceptions of students on the results of a university’s internationalization activities, in terms of competences they develop at two different moments in time: before the pandemic and during the pandemic. The research started in 2019, before the pandemic, having as objective to identify how various types of competences are associated with HEIs’ internationalization activities. Once the pandemic started and given the changes in the activities of HEIs, it was of interest to see what the perceptions of students were of the contribution of different HEIs’ internationalization activities to the development of their competences in the new conditions. Therefore, the present research has the purpose of investigating if the perceptions of students on the types of competences the university develops through its internationalization activities before the pandemic are different from their perceptions on the development of the same competences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the conditions of modified international activities. This can help universities to decide on possible changes needed in their activities (given the fast-changing environment) in order to support the development of competences for their students. Two quantitative studies were organized in Romania. The first was conducted in 2019 with 148 students in the terminal year of bachelor studies at a particular business faculty in Bucharest. In order to see if there were shifts in the opinions of students about how the university contributes to the development of their competences in the new COVID-19 context and the new forms in which higher education took place, the research was replicated at the beginning of 2022 with 179 students in the terminal year at the same business faculty. The results show both different and common opinions of the two analyzed groups of students (before and during the pandemic) regarding the role of the business university’s activities in providing specific, generic and global competencies that are demanded in the national and international labor markets. The paper contributes theoretically by extending the HE literature on the developments of skills and competences for students and graduates and also by extending the literature on changes determined in HE by the COVID-19 crisis. The research also has practical implications for universities willing to offer sustainable education by better adapting their strategies for the development of various competences for their students in the continuously changing environment and uncertain situations determined by the COVID-19 crisis, for example, the need for universities to offer special course content, new courses and events focused on the most recent international events in all spheres of activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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15 pages, 2183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring International Faculty’s Perspectives on Their Campus Life by PLS-SEM

by Chia-Chi Chen and Dian-Fu Chang

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9340; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159340 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1287

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of international faculty members on their life in higher education institutions (HEIs). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted not only most citizens’ lives but also the international faculty members’ lives during this period. Since building sustainable campuses has become a priority for various HEIs, attracting and maintaining international faculty have become the focus of various internationalized campuses. However, the issue of international faculty’s satisfaction is still neglected in higher education. Using a self-compiled online survey, we collected 80 international faculty members of HEIs in Taiwan to investigate this issue. About 31.25% of the responses were collected by the online survey technique. The survey covered the career and professional status, teaching and research status, and demographics of the faculty. This study proposed a novel conceptual framework for addressing international faculty’s campus life, the design of which examined the relationships among working conditions, views of institutions, views of government measures, and levels of satisfaction through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The demographic profile of the participants revealed that (a) most international faculty are employed full-time as lecturers or assistant professors in most public universities and (b) most international faculty members earned their first degree outside of Taiwan; however, 66% of them earned their post-doctoral degrees in Taiwan. The result of the PLS-SEM confirms that the international faculty’s perspective of government, through their current work satisfaction, impacts overall satisfaction. This study found a mediation effect in the testing model. The design of the study can be extended to other higher education settings to tackle similar issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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16 pages, 3297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Educational-Instructional Process of the Students from Technical Faculties

by Elisabeta Spunei, Nătălița-Mihaela Frumușanu, Roxana Muntean and Gabriela Mărginean

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8586; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148586 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1593

Abstract

Even though we live in a period when the word digitization is prevalent in many social areas, the COVID-19 pandemic has divided mankind into two main categories: some people have seen this crisis as an opportunity to move the activities online and, furthermore, to accelerate digitization in as many areas as possible, while others have been reluctant, keeping their preferences for face-to-face activities. The current work presents the results of an analysis on 249 students from 11 engineering faculties. The study aims to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ educational experiences when switching from face-to-face to online education during a public health emergency or COVID-19-related state of alert. The overall conclusion was that, although the pandemic has brought adverse consequences on the health and life quality of many people, the challenges that humankind has been subjected to have led to personal and professional development and have opened up new perspectives for carrying out the everyday activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education in a Post-COVID-19 World: Headed for Sustainable Development)

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