This book explores successful transition strategies to, within and from university for students from around the globe, with Macquarie University, a large Australian university, studied in depth. It addresses the meaning of success taking a variety of perspectives, including student, staff and employer views. The chapters present a series of initiatives that have proven to be successful in assisting students in developing their academic potential throughout university and beyond. The authors of the chapters use a variety of methodologies and approaches reflecting the diverse local contexts and requirements. These international perspectives demonstrate a triumph of practice that has led to the empowerment of individuals and groups. The approaches from twelve universities located in eight different countries stem directly from the coalface and provide many valuable lessons and tools that colleagues in the sector will be able to consider and adapt in their own contexts. Small interventions matter, from a mentor of a nervous student who goes on to achieve greatness, to the use of a curriculum design model that hooks a whole group of students into learning and achievement. This book covers both the small, individual victories and the larger scale strategies that support success. Contributions emanate from Australia, Bangladesh, India, China, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Uruguay and South Africa.

This book draws together international research to assess the quality of successful efforts to retain students. The editors and contributors unite diverse global research from countries who have led student retention and success projects at national, institutional, faculty or program level with positive outcomes. The book is underpinned by the philosophy that a more diverse student population requires higher education institutions to fundamentally change, in order to facilitate the success of all students. All of humanity, its economies and societies, are being pummelled by waves of pandemic-induced crises in tandem with globalisation and demographic shifts. Ultimately, this book acts as a clarion to higher education institutions to better support and retain their students, in order to create a more stable learning environment.

This is an open access book.It is a common cause globally that the abrupt emergence of Covid-19 wreaked havoc in all sectors, including the higher education system. The sudden closure of campuses as a social distancing measure to prevent community transmission has shifted face-to-face classes to online teaching and learning, a transformative experiment for academics and students in most institutions. This has thrown the focus on utilising Learning Management Systems (LMS), eLearning tools and platforms for effective student engagement, which may have limitations of accessibility and affordability for many students. The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the current higher education system and the need for more training of academics and practitioners in digital technology to adapt to the rapidly changing educational climate. In the post-pandemic situation, eLearning and virtual education may become an integral part of the higher education system, hence the question of re-inventing higher education. The higher education institutions and universities need to plan the post-pandemic education and research strategies to ensure student learning outcomes and standards of educational quality. With the move to online teaching and learning, subsequently, traditional assessments followed and were adapted and adopted for online assessment. Assessments lie at the heart of the teaching process. It shapes students’ understanding of the curriculum and determines their ability to progress. Reflections on assessments during Covid-19 abounded with the challenges that both academics and students faced regarding online assessments, including cheating and quality assurance issues. The focus on quality extended to the quality of teaching and learning in general. Moreover, the pandemic brought about the question of staff and student health and psychosocial support also became important. For academics, the abrupt shift to adapt to working from home and implementing online learning has led to over-work, low work-life balance and compromised mental health. With a view on constructive and futuristic discourse, the sub-themes of the 2022 Focus conference encapsulate the current realities in the higher education sector and beyond. It further provides opportunities for an in-depth analysis based on the benefit of hindsight and foresight. The Organising Committee specifically coined the theme, Re-inventing higher education: Insights, trends and lessons learnt from, specifically for the conference to reflect on and address the matters mentioned earlier. Academics, scholars, and practitioners in the higher education sector are called upon to share their research and express their perspectives on the reinvention of higher education.

Transition and change are part of everyone’s life. In the context of higher education, there are multiple points where students will undergo transition. This includes the move from secondary and further education or elsewhere into higher education, where students move from school or college to university. As students near the completion of their studies, they must make decisions about career or further study options, which again necessitates transition. In addition, different cohorts of students such as those from a low socio-economic background, international students, and students facing additional barriers due to gender, ethnicity, or disability will face further transitions. Many students look forward to moving on and progressing with their studies and careers; however, transitions can be challenging, and enhanced support can ensure continued success for all. Perspectives on Enhancing Student Transition Into Higher Education and Beyond supports the various transitions that students entering higher education face throughout the entire learner journey. This book brings together best practice examples of how institutions have enhanced the support offered to address the transition challenges that students face throughout the learner journey before, through, and beyond the university environment. Covering topics such as collaborative teamwork, postgraduate education, and student engagement, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for faculty, administrators, professors, educational leaders, academic advisors, researchers, academicians, and more.

Across the world, higher education is witnessing exponential growth in both student participation and types of educational providers. One key phenomenon of this growth is an increase in student diversity: governments are widening access to higher education for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. However, this raises questions about whether this rapid growth may in face compromise academic quality. This book presents case studies of how higher education institutions in diverse countries are maintaining academic excellence while increasing the access and participation of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Including case studies spanning four continents, the authors and editors examine whether increasing widening participation positively impacts upon academic quality. This volume will be of interest and value to students and scholars of global higher education, representation and participation in education, and quality in higher education.

Rising costs and increasing global competition press institutions to do more with less. At the same time, deep budget cuts and a general social and political impatience have revived calls for reform in educational affordability, curriculum, and outcome measurement. Yet within this environment, a myriad of success stories are being forged among educational institutions, supporting industries, and educational consortia that are embracing innovative approaches to all aspects of the higher education system. This book spotlights those fresh approaches and aims to bring higher education professionals together, as part of a broad, national movement to motivate reflection and encourage similar dynamic efforts. The editors and expert contributors focus in particular on areas such as measures of academic quality, benchmarking, faculty development, retention, curriculum development, technology, and facilities. In each case, this book illustrates successful pilot programs and documents tools that have proven to maximize efficiencies crucial to the continued success of the entire higher learning community.

This cutting-edge Research Handbook presents a comprehensive overview of key developments in the field of student engagement, with particular reference to equity and diversity issues. Promoting a more holistic and inclusive understanding of engagement, it highlights key empirical findings alongside practical case studies, presenting valuable recommendations for the field. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.

The goal of this book is to help the reader gain knowledge on ethical and legal issues in the field of student affairs and develop competency to follow the profession’s principles and standards of conduct. The significance of the book is due to its focus on the practical value of ethics and legal issues and its aim to address the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of student affairs educators to develop and maintain integrity in their life and work as described by the ACPA/NASPA. The text offers readers a number of major unique features: It offers multiple ethical decision-making models to guide student affairs educators in their ethical decision-making process. It proposes that ethics is not an individual but an organizational responsibility. It offers that ethical decision making is a professional skill that can be practiced and applied in student affairs educators’ day-to-day practice. It presents the reader with the most current legal issues in student affairs and higher education. Finally, it reflects three themes: integration of ACPA/NASPA competency areas; development of professional identity; and application of knowledge and theory to practice. The book is critical and timely. A book that focuses on ethical and legal issues in student affairs is needed for faculty in preparation programs, new professionals navigating their identity as student affairs educators, and a resource for mid- and senior-level professionals facilitating ongoing professional development. The book begins to address what it means to have a professional identity, which is ground in the shared ethical and legal values espoused within the profession and academia. Each chapter uniquely contributes to the complexity embedded in the study of ethics and how that is applied to practice. Additionally, the volume is a balance of procedural knowledge, case illustrations, and guided practice exercises to facilitate the reader’s ability to translate the theory and research discussed into professional decision making and application.