Search results

1 – 10 of over 45000
Book part
Publication date: 1 January 2005

L. Adele Jinadu

It is useful to provide a context for the elaboration of this argument by referring to the historical and intellectual roots of Nigerian federalism, the nature of Nigeria's ethnic…

Abstract

It is useful to provide a context for the elaboration of this argument by referring to the historical and intellectual roots of Nigerian federalism, the nature of Nigeria's ethnic mosaic, and the influence or impact of ethnicity on the architecture of Nigerian federalism. The foundational or theoretical building block of Nigerian federalism was and continues to be ethnic, as opposed to geographical, diversity. The artisanal design and construction of this ethnicized federalism was informed by the imperative of elite accommodation initially between the departing British colonial administration and the emergent leadership of the inheritance elite and thereafter, at various times between 1960 and the present time, among the political leadership of the various fractions of the politically significant and mobilized ethnic groups (Jinadu, 1985, 2002).

Details

Higher Education in a Global Society: Achieving Diversity, Equity and Excellence
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-182-8

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2023

Lisiane Celia Palma, Lessandra Medeiros de Oliveira, Nilo Barcelos Alves and Paola Schmitt Figueiró

This study aims to analyze the extent to which sustainability and its related core aspects have been integrated in the curricula of Business Administration programs in Brazilian…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the extent to which sustainability and its related core aspects have been integrated in the curricula of Business Administration programs in Brazilian federal public universities over the past ten years.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal exploratory study, with a descriptive scope, was carried out to evaluate the changes that have occurred in the curricula between the years 2011 and 2021. The analysis focused on the Pedagogical Project of the Business Administration programs offered by the Brazilian federal universities identified in the e-Ministry of Education’s (MEC) database of higher educational institutions and course registration. From the total number of federal universities identified in the e-MEC, about 90% were considered for the research.

Findings

The number of courses related to sustainability in Business Administration programs increased considerably in ten years. However, these courses still represent a low percentage of hours in the overall curriculum. Moreover, almost a third of Business Administration programs may produce graduates who have never addressed sustainability during their studies.

Research limitations/implications

This research does not consider other aspects of the curriculum beyond courses, nor does it collect primary data that allows for inferences about the transversal nature of the theme.

Practical implications

This study contributes to monitoring the performance of Brazilian federal universities teaching sustainability and its related core aspects in Business Administration programs. This updated panorama may aid in the search for strategies to expand actions related to education for sustainability (EfS) in educational institutions (EIs).

Social implications

This study presents some of the impacts of implementing the national environmental education curriculum guidelines. This study encourages discussion about EfS in Business Administration programs and in public EIs, which are important actors for promoting sustainable development.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study that maps the courses related to sustainability in Business Administration programs at Brazilian federal public universities. This study offers the first responses to a broad and complex topic, of a region and disciplinary field, of which there are not many studies done, opening doors to subsequent investigations.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 February 2016

Irwin Feller

Since at least the 1970s, the American research university system has experienced episodic periods of austerity, frequently accompanied by expressions of concern about the threats…

Abstract

Since at least the 1970s, the American research university system has experienced episodic periods of austerity, frequently accompanied by expressions of concern about the threats that these conditions pose to U.S. scientific and technological leadership. In general, austerity has been tied to fluctuations in Federal Government funding of academic research and macroeconomic fluctuations that have shrunk state government budget revenues. Even amidst these episodes, the system has continued to expand and decentralize. The issue at present is whether this historic resiliency, of being a marvelous invalid, will overcome adverse contemporary trends in Federal and state government funding, as well as political trends that eat away at the societal bonds between universities and their broader publics. The paper juxtaposes examinations of the organizational and political influences that have given rise to the American research university system, trends in research revenues and research costs, and contemporary efforts by universities to balance the two. It singles out the secular decline in state government’s support of public universities as the principal reason why this period of contraction is different from those of the past. Rather though then these trends portending a market shakeout, as some at times have predicted, the projection here is that the academic research system will continue to be characterized by excess capacity and recurrent downward pressures on research costs. Because the adverse impacts are concentrated in the public university sector, they may also spill over into political threats to the current system of awarding academic research grants primarily via competitive, merit review arrangements.

Details

The University Under Pressure
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-831-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 July 2020

Promise Ifeoma Ilo, Victor N. Nwachukwu and Roland Izuagbe

The study examined library personnel awareness of the availability of emergency response plans, their forms and roles in safety routine preparedness and control in federal and…

Abstract

Purpose

The study examined library personnel awareness of the availability of emergency response plans, their forms and roles in safety routine preparedness and control in federal and state university libraries in Southwest Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey research design alongside a multi-stage sampling procedure comprising purposive, randomisation and total enumeration techniques guided the study. The population consisted of 327 library personnel drawn from 12 federal and state university libraries (i.e., six each). The questionnaire and structured interview methods were used for data gathering. Of the 327 copies of the questionnaire administered, 249 copies, representing 76.1%, were duly completed and found valid for analysis. Whereas the acceptance threshold of ≥90% response rate and a criterion mean of 2.50 were adopted for making judgements regarding the research questions, while the hypothesis was tested using chi-square statistics with cross-tabulation.

Findings

The state university libraries in the studied region are extremely lagging behind their federal counterpart in terms of emergency preparedness, judging by the availability of emergency response plan (ERPs). However, documenting the plans for routine emergency response is not widespread among the university libraries; thus, the extent of response preparedness is both simplistic and doubtful. Despite the seemingly proactive nature of the federal university libraries over their state counterpart, librarians in both settings do not perceive effectiveness and preference in either the written emergency response plan (WERP) or unwritten emergency response plan (UERP) as an emergency preparedness and control measure.

Originality/value

The research increases knowledge of emergency preparedness in university libraries beyond the mere availability of ERPs. Through a comparative empirical analysis, the desirability of the WERP as a measure of emergency response preparedness in university libraries has been strengthened.

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2008

R.A. Alani and Gboyega Ilusanya

In response to the challenges of enhancing quality, the agency of government which is responsible for coordinating university education in Nigeria, the National Universities

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Abstract

Purpose

In response to the challenges of enhancing quality, the agency of government which is responsible for coordinating university education in Nigeria, the National Universities Commission, evolved a system of academic programme accreditation in 1991 to ensure conformity with minimum standards and to promote quality. The purpose of this paper is to examine the outcomes of some of those accreditation exercises and how they have influenced the quality of and access to university education.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyses secondary source data from accreditation reports of 1999, mop up exercises and accreditation re‐visitation of 2000‐2005 and that of November 2005.

Findings

The mean percentage of programmes with full accreditation status was found to have increased from 12.6 in 1999 to 48.5 in 2005, that of programmes which got interim accreditation decreased from 72.66 in 1999 to 48.30 in 2005, while the one for programmes which were denied accreditation decreased from 17.9 in 1999 to 9.5 in 2005. Federal universities had more programmes with full accreditation and less programmes with denied accreditation status. State universities had less number of programmes with full accreditation and higher number with denied accreditation status. Generally, the results showed that accreditation status of most academic programmes improved in subsequent accreditation exercises, meaning that the deficiencies noticed were remedied. The programmes that were denied accreditation caused a reduction in the number of vacancies for student admission.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on federal and state universities only. Private universities are excluded.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that the universities in Nigeria should be closely monitored for their academic programmes to scale the accreditation hurdle.

Originality/value

The paper shows that accreditation of academic programmes helps to improve the quality of university education.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 April 2024

Anthony L. Wagner and Erich Dietrich

This chapter examines the internationalisation of public higher education in Brazil using the theoretical triptych of internationalisation as developed by leading scholars in the…

Abstract

This chapter examines the internationalisation of public higher education in Brazil using the theoretical triptych of internationalisation as developed by leading scholars in the field: internationalisation at home (IaH), internationalisation abroad (IA), and internationalisation at a distance (IaD). This framework – while rooted in knowledge, systems, and scholarship from researchers and institutions in the Global North – is a constructive tool for categorising and understanding internationalisation at Brazil’s higher education institutions (HEIs) when coupled with an exploration of the history, context, policy, and dynamics of internationalisation efforts. The chapter then summarises and underscores recent and important scholarship by Brazilian researchers and others in the Global South that describes the history of the nation’s internationalisation efforts. It also critiques the powerful influence that Global North-centred objectives and priorities for internationalisation have on the process at Brazilian HEIs. Following a discussion of the theoretical framework and relevant literature, the chapter provides a case study of internationalisation efforts and initiatives of an elite public university, the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Content analysis of UFMG’s website and publicly available reports and data demonstrates a high level of institutional internationalisation that has unfolded in recent years, stimulated by federal funding and guided by a strategic framework developed within the Ministry of Education. An analysis of UFMG’s mission, partnerships and programmes finds that the institution serves as an example of internationalisation in Brazil’s public higher education context, as its programmes and initiatives exemplify the overarching objectives of internationalisation in Brazilian higher education.

Details

Critical Reflections on the Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Global South
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-779-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2023

Gláucya Daú, Annibal Scavarda, Maria Teresa Rosa Alves, Ricardo Santa and Mario Ferrer

Population worldwide has experienced several challenges related to sustainable development, such as scarcity of natural resource, unsustainable consumption, poverty, injustice…

Abstract

Purpose

Population worldwide has experienced several challenges related to sustainable development, such as scarcity of natural resource, unsustainable consumption, poverty, injustice, violence, social inequality and natural disaster (including floods, tsunami and landslide). These issues interfere in sustainable development and target to achieve societal balance, structuring without compromising economic and environmental resources of future generations. The higher educational institutions are included in this context because they play a role in professional training and in education to promote sustainable practices. The higher educational institutions can assume a prominent position in the 2030 Agenda implementation for sustainable development of the United Nations, especially in the Goals 4 and 10, quality education and reduced inequalities, respectively. The purpose of this research study aims to develop a literature review and analyze the higher educational and sustainable themes, involving the Brazilian scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

This research study develops a literature review based on researches that involve higher educational and sustainable themes in the Brazilian scenario. Inclusion criteria are papers in English, with the search equations in their titles, and peer-reviewed papers. Paper publication year was not an exclusion criterion. This research aimed to understand opportunity and challenge processes in the Brazilian higher educational institutions and their actions, so that the Sustainable Development Goals are completely achieved and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development is fulfilled. For this, a research central question was established: What are the opportunities and the challenges to achieve the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in the Brazilian higher education?

Findings

A total of 636 papers were recovered. The “Higher Education AND Opportunities,” “Higher Education AND Challenge,” “Higher Education AND Challenges,” “Higher Education AND Opportunity,” “Brazilian AND Higher Education” and “Brazil AND Higher Education” search equations found, respectively, 165, 146, 131, 74, 62 and 25 papers, involving 94.8% of the total number of the papers found. The papers recovered enabled the vision of five clusters: policy; inclusion; culture; relationship; and environment, society and economy. The paper analyses found that innovation process, sustainable practical implementation and holistic look, involving professors and students, can allow the 2030 Agenda achievement.

Originality/value

The authors of this research study presented a framework based on the literature analyzed through five clusters: policy; inclusion; culture; relationship; and environment, society and economy, considered from opportunity and challenge perspectives. The authors introduced and discussed the Brazilian higher educations and their opportunities and challenges. The Brazilian panorama was linked with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, in specific, with the Goals 4 and 10. Implications of this research study are related to the higher educational opportunities and challenges in policy, inclusive, cultural, sustainable and relationship contexts, involving governmental and nongovernmental sectors, professors and students for the Brazilian educational improvement.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2018

Nathália de Souza Lara, Maísa Mancini Matioli de Sousa, Fernanda Paola de Pádua Gandra, Michel Cardoso de Angelis-Pereira, João de Deus Souza Carneiro and Rosemary Gualberto Fonseca Alvarenga Pereira

The purpose of this paper is to develop a cereal bar supplemented with coffee beverage that has health benefits.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a cereal bar supplemented with coffee beverage that has health benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

Six types of cereal bars containing raisins or prunes with different concentrations of coffee were developed. Acceptability tests and physicochemical characterizations were performed by analysis of moisture, ash, protein, lipids, fibres and carbohydrates. Moreover, the levels of phenolic compounds, the fatty acid profile and the in vitro antioxidant activity were evaluated by the DPPH free radical scavenging and iron-chelating activity methods. The bars were assessed using the check-all-that-apply (CATA) methodology. The phenolic compound and antioxidant activity data were evaluated by analysis of variance. Averages were compared by the Scott–Knott test. To verify the characteristics of the food bar per the attributes cited in CATA, main component analysis was performed using the SensoMaker software.

Findings

The concentration of coffee did not affect the centesimal composition values. The highest percentage of scavenging activity of free radicals was observed in the food bar containing raisins, with a maximum concentration of coffee beverage equivalent to 10 mL. These values were higher in cereal bars containing raisins than in bars containing prunes with the same concentrations of coffee. The acceptance sensory test showed good acceptability ratios, ranging from 74.33 to 85.22 among different food bar formulations.

Practical implications

The bar consisting raisins and 100 per cent coffee presented high values of protection against oxidative stress, phenolic content and satisfying acceptability, thereby making it a novel possible alternative as a differentiated product with possible health-beneficial effects.

Social implications

This paper provides a differentiated product, through healthy ingredients, with convenience of purchase, besides having added value and possible health beneficial effects.

Originality/value

The bar consisting of raisins and 100 per cent coffee presented high values of phenolic content and protection against oxidative stress, as well as satisfying acceptability, thereby making it a novel possible alternative as a differentiated product with possible health-beneficial effects.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 121 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2019

Promise Ifeoma Ilo, Margaret Ngwuchukwu, Happiness Chijioke Michael-Onuoha and Chidi Segun-Adeniran

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges affecting disaster training in federal and state university libraries in Southwest Nigeria with a view to finding ways of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges affecting disaster training in federal and state university libraries in Southwest Nigeria with a view to finding ways of overcoming them.

Design/methodology/approach

Having adopted the descriptive research design, 14 university libraries (seven each of federal and state) were selected from the Southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria. The total enumeration sampling technique was employed. Questionnaire and interview methods were used for data collection. The three research questions that guided the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and ranking. Judgments were drawn using real limit of numbers and 2.50 as criterion mean.

Findings

Results emanated from the study showed that university libraries in the studied region are more equipped to fight fire disaster than any other emergency which is why fire drills and exercises are the prevailing disaster training received by library staff. It was also found that inadequate disaster facilities and equipment as well as poor funding were the greatest challenges confronting disaster training. The provision of adequate disaster facilities and equipment with the constitution of disaster prevention and response team was found as the most potent strategy for addressing the identified challenges.

Originality/value

The study lends strong empirical evidence for the underlining factors affecting disaster training in federal and state university libraries as well as academic libraries in general. The strategies for addressing the identified challenges are of more significance.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2018

Ruslan Aleksandrovich Baryshev, Sergey Vladimirovich Verkhovets and Olga Ivanovna Babina

This paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of smart libraries, which began in the 2000s, alongside the development of computer technology, digital storage the internet and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of smart libraries, which began in the 2000s, alongside the development of computer technology, digital storage the internet and human–computer interactions. The smart library is a system of library and information services developed to support research and training activity. This paper describes the need to introduce innovative library and information services at universities through users’ personal accounts.

Design/methodology/approach

An analysis of more than 200 publications mainly written by foreign scientists was conducted, given the dearth of Russian literature on the smart library and its services. The analysis revealed that in Western countries, the term smart library represents a wide range of meanings – from the understanding that it is a typical type of networking to assumptions about the total services provided by libraries in an urban environment.

Findings

The paper presents a review of both classical library services and those that are focused on the needs of modern education and science.

Research limitations/implications

The research results may be the best limited to university libraries.

Practical implications

The research results have practical use in the Library and Publishing Complex of the Siberian Federal University. Consequently, a new library information environment has been developed and integrated into the university’s information space.

Social implications

The research results have social use in Siberian Federal University. The personal account can be regarded as a functioning system of interaction and information exchange among the automated systems of the Library and Publishing Complex, automated learning management system and integrated educational environment.

Originality/value

This paper presents a certain set of technical solutions and some services available through personal accounts.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

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