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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the research obstacles facing Zarqa University (ZU) faculty members, and the ways of overcoming them according to their points of view.

The study attempted to investigate the research obstacles facing ZU faculty members and how to overcome them according to the points of view among the staff. This was carried out through answering four key research questions: What are the research obstacles facing ZU faculty members according to their points of view?; Are there any statistical differences between the trends among ZU faculty members regarding research obstacles attributed to the type of faculty (scientific or humanity), gender and academic rank?; What are the ways of overcoming research obstacles facing ZU faculty members, from their points of view?; and Are there any statistical differences between the points of view among ZU faculty members regarding the ways of overcoming research obstacles attributed to the type of faculty (scientific or humanity), gender and academic ranks? The principal research tool used was a questionnaire, designed and developed by the researcher and based on his personal academic experience, intuitive hints gathered from discussions with ZU faculty members, related literature, and consultation with academic referees specialising in library and information science. The questionnaire was modified where necessary. The final version included a set of questions on the research obstacles facing ZU faculty members and the ways of overcoming research obstacles according to their points of view. In order to verify the reliability of the study, the initial questionnaire was reviewed by four referees to solicit their opinions on clarity and the extent to which each phrase met the study objectives: two university professors and two university associate professors. The researcher also applied Cronbach alpha (α) to the responses using a statistical package (SPSS), and the stability coefficient of the tool was 0.631, acceptable for the educational purposes of the study.

The study revealed that the means of the respondents' trends towards the ways of overcoming research obstacles were higher than the means of the trends towards research obstacles. The means of the responses towards the ways of overcoming research obstacles ranged from 2.91 to 4.49, while the means of the responses towards research obstacles ranged from 1.79 to 4.01. It also revealed that in spite of ZU faculty members having good motivation as well as research and statistical skills, as demonstrated in their responses, the financial and moral support required were the main problems. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the trends among faculty members towards research obstacles and the ways of overcoming them attributed to dependent variables, such as type of faculty (scientific or humanity), academic ranks and gender.

The study limitation was the trends among ZU faculty members, who were in the first semester of the academic year 2008/2009.

The importance of the study comes from its results by finding out the trends among ZU faculty members towards the research obstacles at the university and ways of overcoming them. It is an important tool to inform ZU's administrators of the study results in order to try to avoid research obstacles and support the ways of overcoming them whilst encouraging faculty members to perform more research in different fields.

Legislators continue to label Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other race-based concepts as divisive. Nevertheless, CRT, at its core, is committed to radical transformation and addressing issues of race and racism to understand how People of Color are oppressed. Through rhetoric and legislative bans, this current anti-CRT movement uses race-neutral policies and practices to limit and eliminate CRT scholars, especially faculty members, from teaching and researching critical pedagogies and other race-based topics.

Through semi-structured interviews using Critical Race Methodology (CRM), the authors sought to understand how 40 faculty members challenged the dominant narratives presented by administrators through their responses to CRT bans. Additionally, this work aimed to examine how administrators’ responses complicate how faculty make sense of CRT bans.

Findings describe three major themes: (1) how administrators failed to respond to CRT bans, which to faculty indicated their desire to present a neutral stance as the middle ground between faculty and legislators; (2) the type of rhetoric administrators engaged in exemplified authoritarian approaches that upheld status quo narratives about diversity, exposing their inability to stand against oppressive dominant narratives; and (3) institutional leaders’ refusal to address the true threats that faculty members faced reinforced the racialized harm that individuals engaging in CRT work must navigate individually.

This study is one of the few that provide empirical data on this current anti-CRT movement, including problematizing the CRT bans, and how it affects campus constituents such as faculty members.

The study aimed at identifying the degree of professional competence of faculty members from the students’ perspective at Kuwait and Palestine Technical University Kadoorie, and identifying the effect of the variables of gender and academic year.

The researchers developed a 24-item questionnaire and administered it to 115 students each from Kuwait (male: 57, female: 58) and Palestine Technical University Kadoorie (male: 21, female: 94). The study used a descriptive approach to analyze the collected data.

According to the students' perspective, the average professional competence of faculty members at Kuwait University is 2.74 for the teaching competencies, 2.29 for the technology competencies, 2.65 for the evaluation competencies and 2.71 for the human competencies. Similarly, at Palestine Technical University Kadoorie, the mean of the professional competencies of faculty members from the students' perspective is 2.31 for the teaching competencies, 1.96 for the technology competencies, 2.24 for the evaluation competencies and 2.34 for the human competencies. There were significant differences in the degree of professional competence at Kuwait and Palestine Technical University Kadoorie due to the gender of all domains in favor of females. There were significant differences in the degree of professional competence in Kuwait due to the academic year of the technology domain between the first year and second year, in favor of the second year. There were significant differences due to the variable of the academic year of the human domain between the first year and the third year, in favor of the third year. There were significant differences in the degree of professional competence at Palestine Technical University Kadoorie due to the academic year of the technology domain (second, third, fourth year and more) and second year, in favor of (the second year). There were significant differences due to the academic year of the human domain between the first and second year, in favor of second year.

The authors hope that their findings will inspire further research in this area and help universities to better support their faculty members and improve student outcomes.

This chapter explores the ever-growing problem of uncivil electronic discourse directed by students at faculty in higher education. After providing a definition of uncivil discourse, the authors explore potential influences on the rapid increase in uncivil digital communication, among them the nature of technology, different definitions of politeness, and the nature of higher education. The chapter next surveys the various factors (e.g., age, familiarity with technology, gender, mental state, personality, and professorial teaching style) that add to the likelihood that students may engage in uncivil electronic discourse before detailing the many effects of such communication, including stress, cynicism, lower standards, student suffering, and physical violence. The chapter concludes with possible remedies: proactive problem-focused coping strategies for faculty and administrators (e.g., detailed syllabi, published campus standards for student and employee behavior, and training for faculty, students, and staff on issues of incivility); reactive problem-focused coping strategies for faculty; and emotion-based coping strategies for faculty.

This research study investigated the relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior by considering the moderating role of power distance orientation of individuals. Grounded in the approach-inhibition theory of power, the authors proposed that participative decision-making could mitigate perceived power gap and motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative work behavior.

Survey data were collected from 243 faculty members from 2 universities located at Dhaka, Bangladesh. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.

The results from the model estimation showed that the positive relationship between participative decision-making and innovative work behavior was stronger among faculty members with high power distance orientation than those with low power distance orientation. The simple slope analysis also clarified the fact that faculty members with high power distance orientation could increase their innovative work behavior to be at the same level as that of faculty members with low power distance orientation when the members were involved highly in participative decision-making.

Participative decision-making is a management practice that should be implemented in order to motivate faculty members to actively engage in innovative work behavior. Particularly for faculty members who are sensitive towards the power status of other members in the workplace, this management practice is highly recommended to lessen the perceived social barrier that discourages these faculty members from engaging in innovative work behavior.

The authors' research advanced knowledge from prior studies by offering new theoretical insight into the role of empowerment practice that could motivate individuals with high power distance orientation to engage more in innovative practices.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teaching staff cooperated with librarians in collection development, specifically in relation to electronic resources, and to identify barriers they encountered while performing collection development activities.

A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. Quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection and analysis were used to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research topic. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire and interviews. A total of 149 faculty members completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 51.2%, while 16 library staff members were interviewed to obtain qualitative data.

The majority of the teaching staff who participated in the study affirmed that they had cooperated with subject librarians in collection development. A high percentage (62.4%) of the faculty members had collaborated with subject librarians in collection development activities. Only 37.6% of the faculty members had not participated in collection development activities with subject librarians to acquire library electronic resources. According to faculty members, some of the main challenges affecting collection development at the University of Namibia were a lack of catalogues for electronic resources and a lack of lists of titles from vendors. Moreover, librarians were not always available to assist faculty members. It is recommended that faculty members be part of the process of selecting materials and that a good relationship be fostered between librarians and faculty members to bring value to collection development activities.

Collection development in respect of electronic resources is a complex process to be undertaken by a single entity and, therefore, requires the collaboration of all stakeholders involved. In the case of institutions of higher learning, these stakeholders include faculty, librarians and vendors. The emergence of a variety of e-resources demands a meticulous strategy on the part of libraries to ensure they can offer a wide range of up-to-date and accurate resources that meet the evolving needs of their users. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, studies that are similar to this one have not been conducted in Namibia before. This case study presents useful findings and lessons on faculty–librarian cooperation for effective collection development, not only at the University of Namibia library but also at other academic libraries in economies with similar characteristics.

This research aims to combine and extend the literature on the self-monitoring approach used by faculty members in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model. The study also highlights the challenges faced by faculty members in online teaching.

Based on a mixed methodology approach, the primary data was obtained from the faculty members of the post-graduate business schools. This data enabled the measurement of self-monitoring adopted by the faculty members and the relationship of the factors by using the TAM model. Multivariate regression was adopted to study the relationships between the elements in the TAM model and faculty members’ self-monitoring. Secondly, a few exploratory questions were asked to the respondents about the challenges faced by them during online teaching.

The quantitative analysis conducted using multiple regression directed that the faculty’s contentment with any digital platform influenced their engagement, attention and participation while taking an online class as a part of the self-monitoring process. The perception of the technology platforms used for online teaching affected the faculty members’ self-monitoring dimensions: attention, participation and engagement. Based on the qualitative approach, the thematic analysis pointed out five major challenges for faculty members in conducting online classes: I.T. support, hesitation, interaction with peers and students, proficiency with an online platform and evaluation challenges.

This study was conducted during the complete lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic; many faculty members were initially trained to get familiarized with the online teaching platforms and educate students. Hence, this study enriches the literature on online teaching during pandemic times.

To ensure that the faculty impacts quality online education and the students obtain the knowledge and skills required, faculty need to alter their pedagogy based on the technology they use to focus on their students’ teaching, learning and needs.

This study measures self-monitoring and its dimensions for faculty members, which is unique in nature. This was the first time the faculty members were imposed with the responsibility of online teaching and ensuring that the learning-teaching process was fruitful. This study has both-theoretical and practical implications as the paper focuses on various insights which can make online teaching-learning more effective.

The purpose of this paper is to present the fact that electronic resources are a significant part of library collections. A large amount is invested in the development and management of e‐resources in the libraries. The study aims to identify the acceptance of e‐resources in the National Social Science Documentation Centre (NASSDOC) library in New Delhi, India and determine their usage, performance, degree of user satisfaction, and barriers faced in the access of e‐resources. It also attempts to find out the users' views about computer literacy among the social scientists.

The study focuses on the impact and use of e‐resources by social scientists pursuing research in the NASSDOC library. The data were collected from the entire population of social scientists at NASSDOC through a questionnaire accompanied by personal interview. This was further analysed using statistical techniques and percentages to arrive at qualitative and quantitative results.

The major findings of the study indicate that respondents are aware of the e‐resources (such as e‐books, e‐journals, e‐encyclopedias, e‐theses, CD‐ROM databases, e‐mail, internet and the OPAC). Large numbers of research scholars and faculty members are using these e‐resources for their research work. Many faculty members strongly agreed with the necessity for computer and internet literacy to access information. A majority of users were satisfied with the e‐resources available at the NASSDOC library.

This is one of the first surveys conducted to identify the need and importance of e‐resources in a specific Indian library (NASSDOC) as well as the requirement for information literacy to enhance the use of available resources in the social sciences. It should pave the way to showing the value of such e‐resources for scholarly research in India.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the barriers and challenges to international interactions of the faculty members in Iran.

To achieve the purpose, a qualitative phenomenological approach was used. The research population was all experts in the field of higher education in Iran, it included 17 experts who were selected through purposeful sampling by snowball method and based on theoretical saturation. To collect the data, a semi-structured interview was used and for the data analysis, an inductive content analysis was applied.

The findings showed that the barriers and challenges to faculty members’ international interactions can be defined through three main barriers: inside university barriers, outside university barriers, and individual barriers.

This research identified the barriers and challenges of faculty members’ international interactions in Iran. The method of this study can be applied in other applied fields as well.

This study adds to the authors’ knowledge about international interactions of the faculty members and also the barriers and challenges of these interactions, so to have more interactions of faculty members at the international level, universities should make an effort to identify barriers and eliminate them, more than ever.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and encapsulate the enablers that can facilitate agility in faculty members of engineering institutions. The paper also aims to conduct a prelim qualitative validation of the enablers and analyze the interplay between them using the total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach.

The study adopted the TISM approach to comprehend the interactions and transitivity between the enablers. Cross-impact multiplication matrix (MICMAC) analysis was applied to rank the enablers and classify them on the basis of the driving and dependence power into dependent, autonomous, independent and linkage enablers.

Extensive literature review and expert opinion helped identify 16 enablers that can promote workforce agility. The results indicate “management support” as the most crucial enabler. Rewards and recognition and employee empowerment were among the other enablers that have a high driving force. New capabilities, learning and innovation and the expanding role of faculty members were found to have high dependence power, which makes the enablers dependent on other enablers for activation.

The results of this study would assist the management of engineering colleges and universities to design, adopt and implement policies and practices that would facilitate agility in faculty members. Faculty members shoulder the responsibility of molding the future generation, and hence, it is important that they are competent enough to impart quality education. The policymakers should focus on policies and practices that leverage human resource potential and support an innovative climate that nurtures entrepreneurial activities in engineering institutions.

So far research on workforce agility has predominantly focused on the manufacturing sector. Despite the workforce (refers to faculty members here) being crucial in contributing to the progress of universities and colleges, very little work is done on how faculty members can be made agile. Application of the TISM method in identifying the variables that can facilitate faculty members' agility in engineering institutions in India is a new and original contribution to the literature on workforce agility.