Tuning Journal for Higher Education

Editorial

Mary Gobbi — 2020-11-26

Since the last edition of the Journal, six months ago, the world has experienced not only the first wave of COVID 19, but for many countries they are now in the grip of the second wave. Universities in both hemispheres have returned to new semesters, with students experiencing more ‘online’ learning, outbreaks of COVID in university or local residences. The psychological and mental health consequences of no longer being able to live life in ‘close proximity’ means that our students have missed social events that formerly were an integral part of university enculturation. The acceleration of distance, virtual and other forms of ‘remote’ learning has provided an overnight transformation of the academy, with Faculty staff learning new skills and a new vocabulary as the curricula are reformed and reframed out of necessity.

Introduction

Mary Gobbi — 2020-11-26

Papers in this edition have considered the role of existing or new Tuning competences in aspects of governance. We must now question the extent to which the multi -faceted nature of the evolving trends in contemporary governance and self -governance are sufficiently included in our Tuning competences. Indeed, will it be timely post COVID to reappraise the very concepts of Governance itself? How can ‘evaluative’ governance occur in times of crisis when finding the time for analytical reflection is itself the challenge? Indeed, is there something to be learnt from models of ‘realistic/ pragmatic evaluation’?

Understanding the governance dynamics of a supranational university: The African pioneering model

Lazarus Nabaho — 2020-11-26

Since the 1990s, university governance has attracted the attention of scholars. However, most of the extant studies focus on the governance of national-level universities and use national regulatory frameworks. Therefore, there is a dearth of studies that hinge on the governance of supranational higher education institutions, such as the Pan African University (PAU), with the aid of regional regulatory frameworks. Consequently, little is known about the governance architecture of supranational universities, which are a post-2010 phenomenon. In view of the above, the article answers the following question: How is the Pan African University governed within a multi-layer environment? Using an interpretive lens, data was collected from the Revised Statute of the Pan African University, 2016. Content analysis was used to analyse the resultant data. The findings revealed that observance of the values of higher education, adoption of the steering-at-a-distance university governance model by the African Union Commission and of the shared governance arrangement, and merit-based selection of staff are the hallmarks of the PAU governance architecture. The governance model of the PAU resonates with the governance architecture of country-level universities in form rather than in substance. The notable variations in the substance include the partial adoption of the philosophy of ‘letting the managers manage’, the existence of multi-governance layers, lay domination of the University Senate, the presence of ‘universities’ in PAU governance arrangement, the existence of a ‘quasi-governance’ organ with external representation at the level of the Institute, and the continental outlook of the PAU Council. Therefore, it can be concluded that the missions of the universities and their context shape universities’ governance architecture.

Received: 04 May 2020
Accepted: 29 July 2020

Using the Internationally Recognized Frameworks of Nursing Competences to address the challenges of nurse refugees without documentation

Maria Cassar — 2020-11-26

Individuals seeking refuge in host countries is a global reality. Some of these individuals are qualified nurses. If, and when, the documents pertaining to a nurse qualification are not presented to the respective authorities of a host country, the challenges for these qualified nurses to secure registration and employment as nurses are numerous and often unsurmountable. Access to higher education opportunities is similarly compromised in the absence of relevant documents. This is happening against the backdrop of a widely reported global shortage of qualified nurses, and an extensive effort and investment to address this shortage in many countries. This paper explores the feasibility and appropriateness of applying internationally recognized frameworks of competences of nurses, to processes which seek to evaluate and verify the nurse training and qualification claimed by refugee nurses. The author seeks to determine whether such frameworks of nurse competences may effectively and efficiently contribute towards initiatives which are geared towards addressing the gap in (qualification) document availability, traceability, verification and reproduction of nurse refugees. A critical consideration of a few existent initiatives is presented in view of exploring, the identification of a tool which may enable a homogenous transnational approach which is consistent across salient parameters.

Received: 16 April 2020
Accepted: 31 August 2020

Meta-profile and competencies for harmonisation of higher education in sector-specific technology areas: A case study of Renewable Energy in Southern Africa

Wilfried Zörner — 2020-11-26

The aim of this study was to develop the profile and competencies of a harmonised curriculum for a multi-country regional sector-specific higher education programme. The study, which was based on a case study of Renewable Energy involving six countries in Southern Africa, was based on established methodologies proposed by previous studies on harmonisation and profiling of higher education programmes. The study uses a general curriculum development approach leading to the definition of generic and specific competencies and feeding into a learning taxonomy to create alignment with specific learning outcomes at the intended qualification level. However, the approach extends the harmonisation concept to include industrialisation potential, which is crucial in the developing-country context. This allows for the exploitation of shared resources in sector-specific technology areas and supports the development of regional standards on technology and practice, as part of developing a sustainable regional economic sector. Twentytwo competencies, encompassing both generic and specific competencies, were defined. These competencies were grouped into six key competence areas, and later transformed into four clusters of competencies: core competencies, hard skills, soft skills and attitudes. These four clusters were then placed on a planetary system to represent the meta-profile for the qualification, which forms the framework for the future design of learning materials for the qualification.

Received: 24 June 2019
Accepted: 5 October 2020

Evaluation of the teaching practice course carried out with the Lesson Study Model

Şeyma Şahin — 2020-11-26

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the teaching practice process carried out with the lesson study model. In this research “action research” approach was adopted. The study group of the research consisted of four Turkish Language and Literature pre-service teachers. Lesson study was carried out in nine weeks of the teaching practice course. Qualitative data collection techniques such as observation, unstructured focus group interview, and document review were used as data collection techniques. Pre-service teacher course observation forms obtained before the lesson study process, course plans, reflective diary forms, peer observation forms and student opinion forms obtained during the lesson study application process were analyzed with descriptive analysis method. At the end of the lesson study process, focus group interview data and letters written by pre-service teachers were analyzed by content analysis method. At the end of the research, it was seen that pre-service teachers’ perception of teaching profession changed in line with student-centered understanding. It has been determined that pre-service teachers personally develop in terms of multi-faceted thinking, problem solving, self-confidence and patience and also improve professionally on issues such as coping with students, preparing plans, and producing activities.

Received: 14 April 2020
Accepted: 22 October 2020

The effect of Self-Directed Learning on the relationship between Self-Leadership and Online Learning among university students in Turkey

Mehmet Durnali — 2020-11-26

More and more people across the world seek a university education. Therefore, universities offer full or partial distance undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to meet that demand. Distance education has become more widespread with advances in the Internet and computer technologies and online learning and teaching software (e.g., Learning Management Systems). The spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which broke out in early 2020, has also played a significant role in the increased popularity of distance education. Therefore, investigating and reporting upon university students’ self-leadership (SL) behaviors, self-directed learning (SDL) skills, and online learning (OL) attitudes in such learning environments is both timely and critical. This empirical study used a relational survey model to investigate SL, SDL, and OL among university students. The sample consisted of 835 students in Turkey. Data were collected using the “Self-Directed Learning Scale (SDLS),” “Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire (RSLQ),” and “Online Learning Attitude Scale (OLAS).” Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). SL was moderately and positively correlated with SDL and OL. SDL was moderately and positively correlated with OL. SDL played a fully mediating role in the relationship between SL and OL. SL predicted OL in both the indirect and total effect model. This study addressed university students’ perceptions and tested a model to provide empirical evidence for the relationships and predictions of SL, SDL, and OL. Therefore, it is believed that the results will help advance the constructs of SDL, SL, and OL paradigms.

Received: 07 March 2020
Accepted: 17 November 2020

Editors’ Acknowledgments

Editorial Team TJHE — 2020-11-26