Search results

Since conducting the literature review revealed that assessing quality in secondary schools has been an unexplored territory, and where most educational service quality research studies have mainly focussed on assessing quality from a student’s perspective in higher education, comes into play with a two-fold objective: first, to identify the quality dimensions most vital to students in a developing country such as Jordan, and then to develop a framework consisting of these dimensions; and second, to investigate the extent of satisfaction of students enrolled into international qualifications in Jordan by measuring the gap between expectations and perceptions. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A focus group meeting consisting of experts in the field of secondary school education, specifically in internationally recognized qualifications, was conducted. These expert’s objective input helped develop the framework for assessing quality in secondary schools.

A framework was developed specifically to suit private secondary schools in Jordan with reference to the SERVQUAL model. The resulting questionnaire is intended to be distributed to over 200 students enrolled in an international qualification program among private schools in Jordan.

The framework could be considered as a form of reality check for schools supplying school administrations in Jordan with a suitable tool to measure whether they are exceeding their students’ expectations. This framework might not be applicable to public schools in Jordan, since it was customized to be applied in schools who have adopted international qualification(s).

This study contributes to quality service research that addresses the context of high schools in a developing Middle-Eastern country.

This paper aims to analyze the impact of DARQ technologies (distributed ledger, artificial intelligence, extended reality, quantum computing) in the financial sector, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) applications in personalized banking, which consists of treating every customer as a segment of one. The research has two main goals. First, providing a complete and organic analysis of the DARQ technologies framework currently missing in the literature. Because this research focuses on the financial sector, more attention is dedicated to DARQ technologies in this industry. Second, studying applications of one of the DARQ technologies, AI, in personalized banking, where it appears to have a great potential impact.

The research analyses both the supply side, collecting secondary data from documentation, reports and research studies to study the major trends and results obtained by leading banks, and on the demand side, collecting primary data through a dedicated survey and elaborating opinions and preferences of potential customers. Using this information, a detailed go-to-market plan based on the framework elaborated by Bain and Co. in 2012 is developed, considering the hypothesis of a well-known universal bank, operating globally, with an established brand and access to modern AI technologies, which decides to invest in this field as a priority.

In addition to giving a detailed overview of DARQ technologies from a technical and a business perspective, the results related to the hypothetical case of the study help to understand which would be the most suitable target for the launch phase, which value proposition should be offered and how to deliver it, but also how to evolve the project to attract more customers and strengthen the relationship with the existing ones. Nevertheless, this research could be a starting point for future studies and updates, considering related evolutions, investigating more representative demand samples or analyzing how the combination of more DARQ technologies could be applied to the financial sector.

Some limitations affect this work. First, the topics studied are evolving rapidly and partially dependent on other innovations under development; therefore, they may become obsolete and less significant in the next years. As regard the data collection, the supply-side analysis involves strategical information kept private by companies; therefore, the collected data probably miss some useful details. As concerns primary data, the sample could have been larger and more heterogeneous and biases and misinterpretations could have affected the answers. A compromise has been found between the time and resources available and the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the sample.

This research could be a tool for financial companies interested in investing in AI for personalized banking, but it also provides useful insights about the whole DARQ framework, which could be interesting for all the financial and nonfinancial firms. Applying AI effectively and efficiently could offer great benefits, both economic and noneconomic, to financial firms but also to their customers, who could benefit from hyper-tailored services at a reasonable and affordable price, whereas in the past, they were reserved only for very important person clients. This win-win situation could lead the way to further investments and consequent innovations in the future.

Some issues still exist, mainly about data security and privacy, but also the social risk linked to the labor market due to the AI substitution for some tasks and the related shift in professionals required by employers, which could negatively affect the salary gap among workers with different levels of educations, tightening up existing inequality problems. An effort by public and private subjects will be required to make this transition inside the labor market smoother. Despite this, the research shows that AI applications in personalized m-banking could mutually benefit both the demand and the supply of the market.

Apart from the organic overview offered on DARQ technologies and their related business applications, currently missing in the literature, which could be useful for a better comprehension of the topic and could also give interesting insights to firms, this research presents an original and concrete roadmap to follow for financial companies interested in delivering a personalized mobile banking service leveraging on AI. Every step presented in the output of this work is based on an in-depth analysis of past, and present actions carried out and result obtained by competitive firms on the market and on needs and preferences observed among potential customers.

The 2020 pandemic disrupted traditional student mobility and forced a larger majority of transnational programmes to switch to a virtual or hybrid mode, including joint and double degree programmes. Therefore, this study aims to perceive the linkage between quality assurance (QA) and delivery modes of cross-border higher education (CBHE) in Asia before and during the pandemic.

Through an online survey and semi-structured interviews, the process by which top 200 ranked universities in the 2022 QS global ranking responded to QA and qualification issues of joint/dual degree programs in conjunction with delivery modes was explored.

The study has discovered that most respondents from universities, to some extent, tended to be positive about the effectiveness of hybrid delivery of the joint/dual degree programs, even if they still preferred the physical mode to alternatives. Either “divergence” or “responsiveness” QA modes were not applied appropriately in most joint/dual degree programs of the selected universities during the pandemic. Moreover, a fair, transparent and convergent quality and qualification system should be established to facilitate agility and responsiveness of CBHE.

The findings are of value for policymakers, QA agencies and universities to advocate the new QA model for CBHE as a systematic approach in response to changing higher education landscape in the post-pandemic era.

Given the ways in which the research pressures on university staff are becoming seemingly ever greater, an issue of the European Journal of Marketing that is given over to a survey of the kinds of research initiatives which are currently being carried out is timely. The study which provides the basis for this was conducted between December 1994 and February 1995, with questionnaires being sent to staff in universities throughout Europe. At the time the final selection was made, a total of 150 responses had been received from 18 countries.

The purpose of this paper is to review three international frameworks, including the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), in relation to one country’s higher professional and vocational education system.

The frameworks were examined in the context of English higher work-related education, and areas of mismatch identified. These were investigated to identify the extent to which they were due to weaknesses in the national system or to limiting assumptions contained in the frameworks.

Assumptions based on stages of education are problematic in the context of lifelong higher and professional education, while more open, lifelong-learning oriented assumptions can be too skeletal to aid comparisons between systems of initial vocational education and training. Particular problems are identified with assumptions contained in the ISCED that do not reflect the reality of professional education.

International frameworks need to take account of patterns of learning that take place outside of formal institutions and throughout life, but which lead to equivalent outcomes. Nevertheless, it is not adequate to substitute assumptions based only on the level of achievement.

The assumptions underpinning the ISCED in particular mean that equivalent achievements in different systems can be classified differently, leading to under-reporting of individual achievements, a lack of comparability in international statistics, and potential for policy distortion.

The paper builds on the work of Hippach-Schneider et al. by providing additional evidence, from a different national context, for issues relating to the ISCED in the context of higher professional and vocational education, and extends this analysis to the two major European frameworks.

This study aims to examine the rationales for and obstacles to developing a national qualifications framework (NQF) in Japan. From a research perspective, it attempts to propose a model of a qualifications framework in the national context to provoke further political discussion in developing the Japanese Qualifications Framework (JQF).

To propose a possible model of a qualifications framework in the Japanese context, this study employs a qualitative document analysis approach to known NQFs. Next, based on documents and the literature, including government data and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Tokyo Convention (2011a, b), this study analyzes the motives and challenges in developing the JQF.

Japanese motives to develop the JQF can be summarized in four conditions: (a) International expectations along with the Tokyo Convention and establishment of the National Information Center, (b) avoiding qualification holders’ disadvantages in mobility, (c) quality assurance of qualifications with a competence-based approach and (d) lifelong learning by promoting recognition of diverse learning. The challenges in developing the JQF are (a) fitness with the traditional employment system and (b) multiple stakeholders’ involvement. The current priority in developing an NQF in Japan is to make educational qualification information “visible” based on legal grounds, particularly entrance requirements, to facilitate mobility.

This study explores the possibility of the JQF by summarizing the background and roles of NQFs worldwide and clarifying the motives and challenges for developing the JQF. This study provides suggestions for the possible qualifications framework model in the Japanese context from academic and practical perspectives in Japan, where official discussions on establishing an NQF have not progressed. Ensuring the international compatibility of qualifications so that qualification holders can smoothly take the next step in their studies and employment is important.

Education to an international standard that can provide successful careers has arguably been the main drive of many parents to allocate scarce financial resources to the education of their progenies. Competition for high-calibre degrees has seen an explosion of opportunity in the private education sector. As many Global South countries do not have the equivalent control of standards provided in the United Kingdom (UK) by the Quality Assurance Agency, this can lead to dissatisfaction with the qualifications received in the Global South. This chapter aims to explore the factors influencing participation in higher education in the Global North versus the Global South, particularly where these relate to or vary by locality, and the relative influence these have on the propensity of the learners living in these areas to progress into higher education in local universities. The conceptual framework and methodology provided in this chapter show the differences between transnational education (TNE) as primarily a standalone or independent activity supported by a UK higher education institution (HEI)/provider versus being a collaborative effort between a UK host university and a South/Southeast Asian HEI university partner. The methodology provides a strategy for UK host institutions to best provide carefully aligned independent or collaborative partnerships with the partner country regulatory bodies. The chapter concludes with the author’s personal reflections and recommendations based on decades of collaborative and independent university provision of TNE. These reflections are focused on design-based courses in selected South/Southeast Asian HEI partnerships with the College of Architecture and Design at Birmingham City University.

Why evaluate quality in Library and Information Science (LIS) schools? From a historical perspective, quality assurance always has been considered a strategic issue by LIS schools for improvement of the teaching and learning experience and for accountability. Internationalization has added a new role to quality assurance in LIS. In terms of the context of the World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services (WTO-GATS), LIS is increasingly recognized as part of the knowledge sector. The WTO-GATS has approved a multilateral framework that sets out rules for the conduct of international trade in services, including educational services. The GATS includes both general rules—for example, those related to the transparency of trade-related regulations—and a framework for specific commitments under which countries choose whether, and under what conditions, to allow access to their markets for foreign suppliers. The provisions in the GATS related to trade regulations and ways countries choose to allow access to their markets are relevant to the recognition of international standards or qualifications for professionals. Although not mandatory, international standards are encouraged, both for quality assurance of LIS school offerings in general, and for recognition of a specific LIS school outside its home country. Additionally, in the context of an increasingly internationalized job market, employers need reliable information on how to evaluate specific higher education degrees and assess degrees recognized and granted in their domestic market. The goals are to facilitate the mobility of students and to increase employability. The need to reinforce the comparability of higher education internationally through quality assurance systems is now becoming more pressing.

This paper aims to describe the development and prospects of an Islamic finance professional programme structure (IFPPS).

This paper is conceptual in nature. It begins with a review of issues leading to the development of IFPPS by the Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA). The process of developing the IFPPS is then delineated, followed by discussions on its intended benefits, the challenges encountered, as well as ways the issues and challenges can be addressed.

The benefits of IFPPS to different stakeholders are highlighted, with consideration given to its strategic roles in addressing the issues and challenges put forth.

Because this paper focuses on the conceptual development of IFPPS, its actual application will further reinforce its value. The outcomes will be presented in the form of case studies in a subsequent publication to contribute to theory and practice.

Having a knowledgeable and skilled workforce through continuous learning and development is key to sustaining the growth of the Islamic financial services industry (IFSI). One possible way is through the adoption of a unified structure, such as the IFPPS which links quality learning to competencies of IFSI practitioners. In addition, the IFPPS possess characteristics which could potentially serve to facilitate the development of sectorial-based national qualifications framework for Islamic finance, making harmonisation in terms of the design, development, delivery and assessment of different learning programmes and qualifications possible.

A uniformed structure that guides learning and development of practitioner-based Islamic finance programmes is long overdue. With the rapid growth of the IFSI, coupled with the concomitant need for a competent workforce to meet business requirements, the time has come for the development of the IFPPS for the IFSI. The development of IFPPS represents the first of its kind for the IFSI. Once the professional qualifications standards are fully developed and implemented, it is expected to bring enormous benefits to different stakeholders involved in Islamic finance learning and practice.

Prior learning and prior knowledge are among the most dependable and consistent factors in predicting students’ success (Richardson et al., 2012). Although for UK Higher Education, the traditional A-level (advanced level qualification) remains the principal qualification students use to gain entry to University, there has been a small but significant rise in alternative qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and vocational qualifications such as that from the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC). The multidisciplinary nature of Psychology means students enter the degree program with a range of qualifications in differing topic areas. The current case study aimed to assess if science qualifications aided student success in the University of Liverpool’s Psychology course. Ordinal regression and correlations were used to examine the impact of prior qualifications on three first-year cohort module scores (Psychobiology, Social psychology, and Research Methods) and the overall degree mark across three cohorts of Psychology students (n = 1,072). University entry grades showed a significant overall and subject specific effect of scientific prior knowledge. However, the effects of previous qualifications were not cumulative and did not persist beyond the first year of study. These findings were strongest for Chemistry in the Psychobiology module suggesting that scientific literacy – the understanding of scientific concepts, phenomena, and processes, as well as an individual’s ability to apply such knowledge to new or non-scientific situations (Schleicher, 2019) – rather than domain-specific knowledge is driving such increase in grades. A negative relationship was seen for those holding BTEC qualifications, suggesting that vocational qualifications, specifically for this Psychology program, were of less use than academic ones, even if topic areas were similar – a finding which may also apply to other academic based courses, and warrants further study. Although the advantage of prior qualifications diminishes across the course of study, this small but distinct advantage suggests that making a science qualification a requirement for a place on a Psychology degree course would be a beneficial step for admissions tutors to consider.