Chipindi, Ferdinand M

Thomas M.A., Serenje J., Chipindi F.M.

Chipindi F.M., Johnson A.T., Mbah M.F.

Ndhlovu Z.B., Nkhata B., Chipindi F.M., Kalinde B., Kaluba C., Malama E., Mambwe R., Bwalya K., Lufungulo E.S., Chipande H.

The Ministry of General Education (Zambia) introduced subject specialisation at primary school. However, researchers have not yet sufficiently interrogated the concepts and modalities of subject specialisation at the primary school level to build a basis for an informed position and implementation. The paper aimed to review the literature and international practice relevant to subject specialisation at the primary school level. Interpretive techniques were applied while conducting secondary data analyses. The review established that there were different models of specialisation in education. There were also mixed experiences of subject specialisation in teaching and learning at primary school levels from the countries accessed. Nonetheless, intentional narrowed practice tended to contribute to the competent delivery of service in education. The paper, thus, welcomed differentiated types of specialisation based on school circumstances, learner grade level, staff numbers and teaching and learning facilities. Therefore, the authors proposed a study to explore the assertions and proposals.

Mbah M., Johnson A.T., Chipindi F.M.

• The engaged university can become more relevant to regional realities via the legitimisation of Indigenous knowledge systems. • Universities can institutionalise Indigenous knowledge for sustainable development through a context and culture driven mechanism. • In order to avoid impoverishing research and engagement outcomes in Africa, Indigenous conceptions and contexts should not be ignored. Universities have an integral role in the development of communities. This is underpinned by the notion that universities possess a social responsibility to be agents of change in relation to society’s socio-economic, political, and environmental issues. In Africa, the quest for sustainable development necessarily engages a consideration of the different forms of knowledge available. This is as a result of the rich and varied patterns of beliefs, behaviour, and values that permeate the continent and have persisted despite colonialism. In this paper, we assert that there is much to be gained from engaging Indigenous knowledge through scholarship and public responsibility. Through a qualitative case study design based on relational dialogues with academic researchers and university managers, we emphasize the attributes associated with constructing and acting upon Indigenous knowledge at one university in Zambia and the ways in which Indigenous knowledge can contribute to sustainable development through a community engagement remit. This work also seeks to centre African research and researchers in the discourse on higher education in Africa.

Yuan T., Carroll G.

Mbah M., Ezegwu C.

The extant literature is rich with references to co-creation in research and knowledge initiatives. However, there is a pressing need for clarity regarding the definition of knowledge co-creation and its application in sustainable development research. To fill these gaps, we conducted a systematic review of 42 articles that met the selection criteria. The findings revealed the disciplinarity in the studies, geographical collaboration patterns, and varying interpretations of knowledge co-creation. This study also identified key engagement methods and stages essential for the knowledge co-creation process in the context of sustainable development. The implications for practice highlight the importance for researchers, and possibly policy-makers, to consider not only the various definitions of knowledge co-creation attempted—often lacking consensus—but also guiding principles. Strengthening knowledge co-creation in transdisciplinary studies, fostering robust global partnerships, ensuring equitable regional representation, facilitating the active participation of diverse stakeholders, and maintaining balanced power dynamics rooted in trust and relationality are crucial for achieving positive sustainable development outcomes via knowledge co-creation in research. The intersection of research, knowledge co-creation, sustainable development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), along with the elements proposed for future consideration, which has not been extensively explored in previous studies, underscores the originality of this study, which carries significant theoretical, methodological, and global policy implications.

Singh W., Bhagwan R., Singh M.

Purpose With increasing demands placed on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to engage with the Sustainable Development (SD) needs of its local communities, Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL) has emerged as a valuable tool to help HEIs cater to such demands. This study aims to explore and examine CETL practices at HEIs across the globe, particularly in relation to its role in furthering the SD agenda. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an extensive review of academic literature as an investigative tool to probe different CETL approaches being practiced by HEIs, especially the ones aligned with sustainability. Findings The study revealed discernible findings on four aspects: (i) curricular strategies and pedagogical interventions adopted under the ambit of CETL for advancing the SD agenda, (ii) engagement and sustainability linked competencies and learning outcomes derived in the process, (iii) challenges constraining CETL practices at HEIs, and (iv) strategies for strengthening the same and ensuring its impactful implementation. Originality/value This study accrues value in illuminating the practice, role, impact and implications of SD oriented CETL practices, given that there are limited studies on the subject. It also contributes to the global call for HEIs to catalyze sustainable social development by making their teaching and learning functions more community-engaged and socially relevant.

Bang H.N.

With their livelihoods intricately linked to nature, local/rural communities have always been vulnerable to environmental risks. They have used Indigenous and Local Knowledge (hereafter referred to as IK) garnered over generations to cope with, adapt and respond to natural/environmental hazards. Although Indigenous/Local communities have internalised IK of disaster risk management (DRM), the nexus has not been well established, albeit having the potential to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper argues that IK is an esteemed model of endurance, resilience and resistance in the history of DRM that is invaluable in achieving the SDGs. Joined action between IK and DRM would have more significant and mutually reinforcing development impacts. Underpinned by the double/triple nexus conceptual framework, this paper utilises a qualitative, exploratory, and analytical methodological approach to argue for integrating IK, DRM and the SDGs. Insights from the findings reveal that stakeholder application of the interlinkages would expedite achieving more significant sustainable development outcomes in a complementary, supportive way. The connections will enhance knowledge and understanding of approaches that combine multiple development themes and sectors and advance the literature on nexus approaches, particularly in DRM and sustainable development. Developing and resource-constrained countries with minimal application of scientific knowledge in their DRM frameworks will benefit most from the interlinkages.

Maharjan B., Pant B.P., Manandhar N.K., Sunar P.K.

Mittal P., Bansal R.

This book chapter explores the dynamic relationship between digital education and community engagement in higher education. It explores the transformative potential of digital platforms to foster meaningful connections between educational institutions and their communities. Beginning with an overview of community engagement in higher education, the chapter discusses the evolving landscape of digital education and its role in fostering community collaboration and knowledge exchange. It explores the theoretical frameworks that underpin effective community engagement in the context of digital education and identifies key strategies to maximize the impact of digital platforms in facilitating community engagement. In addition, the chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities inherent in digital community participation, including accessibility, digital literacy and ethical considerations. Based on case studies and best practices, successful examples of how digital education has been used to promote community engagement and solve social problems are presented. Ultimately, it provides a roadmap for harnessing the transformative power of digital technology to foster collaborative partnerships and promote positive social change in colleges and their surrounding communities.

Mncube S.

Mbah M.F., Ezegwu C.

This study examines key considerations for the decolonisation of climate change and environmental education (CCEE) in Africa. It draws on insights into epistemic inclusivity to systematically assess journal articles that drew on primary studies and were published between 2015 and 2022. The findings of the review depict that there are persistent epistemic exclusion and alienation of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in CCEE. This lack of recognition of ILK contributes to negatively affecting the quality of what is learnt in educational centres across Africa as learners’ lived experiences in their socio-cultural environments are not contextualised to enhance the relatability of the subjects of their learning. Decolonisation efforts must address exclusion and alienation and promote inclusion and epistemic agency. This paper captures various strategies to achieve these in the continent, as well as some opportunities and challenges. It maintains that multidimensional approaches to decolonisation are required to promote African-centred climate change and environment education. This includes the interrogation of existing theories and depictions of subjugation of ILK, as well as seeking ways to halt or mitigate the prevalence of ongoing epistemic exclusion in different educational contexts and locations. It also requires policymakers and education managers to commit to developing epistemically inclusive education policies, curricula, and learning frameworks that highlight the significance of place-based knowledge.

Eichberg E.T., Charles A.

Facing rising financial pressure due to economic stagnation and lacklustre engagement from policy-makers, higher education institutions (HEIs) and local communities are placing increasing emphasis on cooperative efforts between universities and communities to co-create positive societal change in the face of the triple planetary crisis. Based on the PRISMA method, this systematic literature review seeks to contribute to the academic knowledge on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) governance at the local level by unpacking the contribution of HEI-community cooperative approaches to transformative learning and action for sustainability. In order to successfully incorporate communities’ priorities in the local-level integration of the SDGs, it is crucial that these new collaborative initiatives foster transformative learning approaches to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in an equitable, intersubjective, and inductive manner. The findings present the various strategies used to build long-term, impactful, and resilient learning skills for sustainable development for all ESD stakeholders at the local level, including communities, HEIs, and city authorities. This review proposes these interventions as tools for better local governance towards the integration of the SDGs into HEIs and communities, specifically through SDG4 Quality Education.

Johnson A.T., Mbah M.F.

AbstractIn this work, we sought to uncover the key strategies and challenges to the integration of Indigenous knowledge as knowledge management practices at a public university in The Gambia. It is often axiomatic in the literature that the incorporation of diverse epistemologies is a key resource for sustainable development; therefore, activities associated with the management of knowledge, particularly in higher education, are worthy of elucidation. We discovered that knowledge management activities at a university in The Gambia were often informal and required the invisible work of faculty. It was through the implicit use of tacit knowledge and epistemic disobedience that faculty were able to build upon a colonized curriculum that denied the presence of other knowledge. However, in the end, faculty were dependent on the power of referents within and without the institution to formalize their knowledge management practices. This work fills an essential gap in the extant literature on how the work of university faculty and managers, when situated within a knowledge management perspective, can contribute to decolonization and foster sustainable development.

Intsiful E., Beasy K.

Higher education institutions are recognised as a key agent because they play a significant role in society through their contributions to generating new knowledge and training. In Universities’ quests to contribute to SDG 4 (specifically target 4.7), a flagship University in Ghana has employed excellence discourse in its strategic mission. This chapter explores how management and academic staff interpret excellence discourse in the context of SDG 4 and what actions are being taken to realise it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among five university management staff and five academics, and Foucauldian critical discourse analysis was used as an analytic frame to understand how excellence discourse was constructed and strategic actions were implemented. The findings reveal actors’ understandings of excellence discourse relating to the SDG focused on global and international benchmarks of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, generating quality research in solving problems, creating an inclusive, equitable and affordable access to higher education and preparing/training quality manpower relevant for both national and global citizenship. In addition, the study reveals that standardised models for restructuring of academic programs/curriculum and establishment of technology transfer centres are some of the actions that are being taken to promote SDG 4. Furthermore, the findings show a broad intersection of SDG 4 and SDGs 8, 10 and 11. The study recommends that university stakeholders in developing countries critically consider operationalizing SDGs within their local context. The study contributes to a critical and ongoing engagement among higher education actors concerning how universities serve as a fulcrum to achieve SDGs in enhancing social justice and transformation.

Alam M.S., Asmawi A.

AbstractThe scarcity of teachers worldwide has led to educators teaching multiple subjects outside their area of expertise. This challenge of teaching out‐of‐field or multi‐subject instruction raises the need for (re)constructing the identity of multi‐subject generalist teachers (M‐SGTs). However, the matter has received little attention in current literature. This study aimed to explore the process by which M‐SGTs develop a salient identity as EFL teachers and how this identity impacts their practices in teaching EFL. To achieve this, a case‐study approach was employed, and six M‐SGTs from three private kindergarten schools in rural Bangladesh were selected using convenient sampling. Data were gathered from observation protocols, semi‐structured interviews, and documents. The interviews and observation protocols were transcribed and coded, while the documents were reviewed thematically and categorically in line with Kvale's recommendations. The results of this investigation highlight the complex and multifaceted nature of the development of salient identity as EFL teachers among M‐SGTs. The study reveals that M‐SGTs develop a strong identity as EFL teachers through negotiation, adaptation, subject selection, confidence, language acquisition experience, pre‐service pedagogical skills, social support, positive feedback and endorsement by principals. The study also finds that M‐SGTs' salient identity is reflected in their teaching practices that involve being role models, adapting English language instruction, employing interactivity, differentiation in pedagogy, comprehensive feedback, whole‐class teaching and the use of supplementary materials. This paper ends with an important implication.

Leal Filho W., Dibbern T., Viera Trevisan L., Coggo Cristofoletti E., Dinis M.A., Matandirotya N., Sierra J., Shulla K., Buttriss G., L’Espoir Decosta P., Mbah M.F., Sanni M.

The establishment of partnerships between universities and communities can significantly support the implementation of initiatives related to sustainability as a whole and help to realize some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Despite the usefulness of mapping of partnerships, there is a perceived necessity for studies, which may shed some light on these interactions, and the many advantages they offer. Against this background, this paper reports on a study which has assessed the extent to which partnerships between universities and communities may assist in achieving the SDGs. Methodologically, by means of a bibliometric analysis and the use of a set of enlightening case studies, the paper introduces some of the partnerships being implemented today and draws the lessons learned, which may be helpful in future initiatives. A total of eight initiatives are presented and discussed during the paper. The results suggest that more joint efforts are needed, as part of efforts to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs at the university level, including a list of measures that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) could apply to address those goals. Overall, this research contributes to the sustainability area by providing empirical evidence, insights, and recommendations for fostering partnerships between universities and communities. It adds to the existing body of knowledge and understanding of how collaborative efforts can contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs.

Balbín A.M., Caetano N.S., Conde M.Á., Costa P., Felgueiras C., Fidalgo-Blanco Á., Fonseca D., Gamazo A., García-Holgado A., García-Peñalvo F.J., Gonçalves J., Hernández-García Á., Lima J., Nistor N., O’Hara J., et. al.

The 10th edition of the Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM 2022) brings together researchers and postgraduate students interested in combining different aspects of the technology applied to knowledge society development, with particular attention to educational and learning issues. This volume includes contributions related to communication, educational assessment, sustainable development, educational innovation, mechatronics, and learning analytics. Besides, the doctoral consortium papers close the proceedings book from a transversal perspective.

Azizzadeh F.

Knowledge and KM have been rigorously considered by organisations. HE is an institution that has to deal with the issue of knowledge. Research and development are key factors in HE. Due to the relationship between these factors, this chapter seeks to identify the knowledge and science system, features of science and knowledge system, KM in HE, KM infrastructure in HEIs, knowledge and research documentation, exploitation of research, steps of knowledge exploitation, knowledge business in HE, problems of HE in research, and conclusion. In this chapter, in the introduction, the authors introduce knowledge and KM. They discuss the knowledge and science management system and its features. KM in HE and its infrastructures are explained. They also discuss how to document research in HE institutions and research institutes. Knowledge exploitation and commercializing it as an important issue in this field of KM are discussed. HE and research problems and challenges are discussed in the conclusion.

Thomas M.A.

Thomas M.A., Lefebvre E.E.

Background/Context Teachers enrolled in alternative training and licensure programs may have experiences that lie outside what is considered typical for both preservice teachers and in-service teachers. This article explores the experiences of a growing cadre of “synchronous-service teachers”—including, but not limited to, Teach For America (TFA) corps members— who are teaching full time while also completing coursework in teacher preparation programs. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of the Study This study considers how synchronous-service teachers perceived the education and training they received while enrolled in traditional teacher education coursework, as well as how they interpreted their broader interactions with the teaching profession and teacher education writ large. Research Setting and Participants This research was conducted in the Midwestern United States in a major metropolitan area with a TFA regional presence. Thirty-six corps members who completed coursework at a traditional teacher education institution opted to participate in this study. They were primarily White and female, and most entered TFA immediately following completion of their undergraduate degrees. The majority had little previous exposure to the education discipline. Research Design The thirty-six corps members were interviewed about their experiences while participating in TFA, teaching at their schools, and, especially pertinent to this article, learning at a partner university where TFA corps members in the region completed teacher education coursework. Findings/Results The findings suggest that corps members held primarily negative views about the teacher education coursework they experienced. They complained that the teacher education programming failed to provide immediately applicable insights and lacked rigor and relevance. Yet they also maintained paradoxical expectations about what teacher education, particularly for synchronous-service teachers, should or should not entail. Conclusions/Recommendations The article concludes by suggesting the potential utility of synchronous-service teachers as a conceptual category, noting that these teachers should be considered distinct from others. As such, providing synchronous-service teachers with teacher education programming designed for either preservice or in-service teachers may lead to missed opportunities in terms of professional learning and exacerbate negative sentiments about teacher education. The experiences and opinions of synchronous-service teachers can have considerable significance, particularly when these teachers go on to affect education leadership and policy. In sum, teacher education institutions are at a critical crossroads concerning how and whether to proceed with similar partnerships, especially as alternative recruitment and training programs continue to grow in the United States and beyond.

Thomas M.A., Serenje-Chipindi J., Mwaka Chipindi F.

Thomas M.A., Talbot D.

This study utilised institutional ethnography to inquire into the lived experiences of 15 Australian pre-service teachers (PSTs) who completed an international professional experience in Indonesia....

Mbah M., Fonchingong C.

Higher education continues to play an integral role in fostering regional development and this is underpinned by the concept that universities possess a social responsibility as proponents of progress in relation to society’s socio-economic, political and environmental challenges. Different approaches have been articulated but none seems to provide a useful framework to support African universities’ contribution to development in their regions. This paper interrogates the idea of the ecological university and moves on to posit the possibility for a socio-ecological premise to meet environmental and societal needs, based on a symbiotic relationship between indigenous practices and a university’s capacity to engender sustainable development. Findings from an in-depth analysis of participants’ transcripts drawn from qualitative responses depict indigenous knowledge and practices which can galvanise environmental and societal sustainability, and bring to the fore the idea of the socio-ecologically-minded university.

Chipindi F.M., Vavrus F.K.

This paper examines the implications of the neoliberal reforms of higher education in Zambia for the professional lives faculty at the University of Zambia (UNZA). It draws on interviews with junior faculty

Bamattre R.

Connell R.

Mbah M.

Against the backdrop of Africa's quest for development, there have been emerging demands for its universities to do more in contributing to development drives beyond their immediate sphere of opera...

Ndofirepi A.P., Gwaravanda E.T.

From a theoretical standpoint, the paper challenges the existing unfair representation of knowledge systems in the African university. We argue that the continued domination of Eurocentric epistemo...

Weisser C.R.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the diverse definitions of sustainability in higher education, focusing on the rhetorical uses of the term among various institutions within the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Design/methodology/approach The paper begins with an overview of the term sustainability in political and public discourse, using that as a gateway to understanding the rhetorical uses of the term. Through this framework, the paper begins a vital discussion about university texts and what they reveal about sustainability in US higher education. Findings The author finds that university definitions of sustainability reveal a similar malleability and fluidity as definitions in political and public discourse, while at the same time revealing particular trends in the ways in which concepts of interconnection, technological problem-solving and temporality persist in definitions of the term in higher education. Research limitations/implications This analysis is limited to definitions of sustainability used by several representative institutions within AASHE. Further studies should provide a more comprehensive analysis of a larger sampling of AASHE institutions as well as universities not affiliated with AASHE. Practical implications Administrators and educators at institutes of higher education must account for the ways in which definitions of sustainability are tied to an institution’s goals, agendas and material circumstances. Developing a better understanding of how such definitions emerge can provide greater clarity in enacting change. Originality/value This paper melds together rhetorical theories on sustainability with broader research on the use of the term in higher education. As such, it offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on rhetoric, sustainability and higher education.

Magni G.

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community committed to address a great number of challenges. Among those emphasised by the SDGs, some are highly relevant for indigenous groups. Education, poverty, access to justice and climate change are only a few of the issues affecting indigenous people's lives. Yet, indigenous groups are not passive actors. Despite being at the mercy of climate hazards and misleading political decisions, the knowledge system they have developed throughout the centuries has helped them to successfully respond to ecological and development challenges. By exploring indigenous cultures and their knowledge systems in greater depth, this article aims to understand how the sustainable development agenda can benefit from these different forms of traditional knowledge. More particularly, it will attempt to explain the main notions in which traditional knowledge is rooted and analyse means of knowledge maintenance and transmission. It will then explore the relationship between indigenous knowledge, sustainable practices and land and resource management, as well as climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies. These ideas will be supported by a discussion on the need to guarantee indigenous people full access to land and justice in order for them to fully realise their rights. The conclusion reflects on the importance of fostering an integrated system of knowledge in which indigenous groups are involved in knowledge sharing practices and decision making processes.

Veer Ramjeawon P., Rowley J.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to contribute to research on knowledge management in higher education institutions (HEIs), by studying the enablers and barriers to knowledge management in a country with a developing higher education sector, Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior staff in the main public and private HEIs in Mauritius. Questions focused on knowledge management, including relevant barriers and enabling factors to knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Findings Although participants were able to discuss knowledge management, none of the universities had a knowledge management strategy. Moreover, more barriers than enablers to knowledge management were identified. Barriers included: a lack of policies and reward mechanisms, resources, data, funding and time for research, coupled with frequent leadership changes, a lack of a knowledge-sharing culture and research repositories and weak industry–academia linkages. Enablers were perceived to be: qualified and experienced academic staff in public HEIs, information technology (IT) infrastructure and library/digital library and some incentives for knowledge creation and transfer. Originality/value Previous research on knowledge management in universities has focused on countries with a relatively well-developed higher education sector. This research contributes by focusing on the perceived barriers and enablers to knowledge management in a country with a small and developing higher education sector.

Bhagwan P.R.

As attention to community engagement grows, it is critical that academics, students and community collaborators understand how it is conceptualised. This paper presents findings from a qualitative inquiry with academics and community engagement administrators nationally with regard to how they conceptualise community engagement. Six universities were included in the sample that was selected purposefully from the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum (SAHECEF) list. Four major themes emerged from the data and focussed on context, process, mutual beneficial relationship and knowledge production. The data reflected a diverse array of conceptualisations on a continuum that ranged from the university-community dyad to that of the co-production of knowledge.

Mtawa N.N., Fongwa S.N., Wangenge-Ouma G.

Albeit with different conceptualisations, the engagement between universities and external communities continues to gain significant currency. While the emphasis has been on more socio-economic relevance in a period of significant financial constraints and a changing clientele, a more significant area of engagement has been on promoting the scholarship of engagement towards regional/local development. The praxis and outcomes of community engagement continues to be surrounded by strong debate on issue such as its impact on the core functions of the university, teaching and research. This article sheds light on the community engagement practices from a case-study university in Africa. Using Ernest Boyer's proposed scholarship of engagement model as a framework, findings provide evidence that, different contextual specificities affect the way university-community engagement practices evolve. The methodology involved an analysis of primary and secondary data collected through interviews with policy and academic staff. The article concludes with an argument that the success of university-community engagement in fostering social and economic development significantly relates to how much the practices of engagement is foregrounded in the universities’ core policy and practice. But also on how much academic scholarship draws on engagement activities. The challenge lies in ensuring this balance.