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The chapter focuses on humanizing higher education by infusing ethical leadership in the curriculum to improve the public service. Its design is qualitative in nature and literature reviews and document analysis were employed in compiling the chapter. It followed an interpretive paradigm and used Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory as a lens in understanding humanizing education in higher education. Nowadays ethical leadership is of paramount importance in higher education and in the public service. Ethical leadership should be based on the moral person and on the moral manager. The moral person component focuses on desirable personal qualities of leaders such as being perceived as honest, fair and trustworthy. The moral manager focuses on the leader and uses transactional efforts such as rewards and punishments to reinforce desired behaviors. Soft skills are very important in higher education and should be transferred through coursework. Students need to be supported in all aspects of education including the academic, emotional and social demands in higher education.

This chapter explores the relationship between higher education leadership and humanizing pedagogy. It is premised on the assumption that higher education leadership, as a social construct, is both a philosophical problem and policy imperative. Yet, the fourth industrial revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) imperatives have far-reaching implications for the “dominant” higher education leadership theory and practice. With this in mind, this chapter advocates for a broader and culturally inclusive understanding of higher education leadership perspectives. Among others, this thesis is that in a developing country context such as South Africa, for example, the dominant approach of higher education leadership should be guided by the Ubuntu principles and humanizing pedagogy. The author argue that the humanizing pedagogy and Ubuntu principles, in a culturally diverse setting of the fourth industrial revolution era and AI, have the prospects of changing the current unacceptable levels of performance and bring change in a larger scale in higher education institutions.

Students from the new generation who enter a university belong to the so-called net generation and are digital natives (Selwyn, 2009). They are equipped with new technologies and expect that technology becomes a part of their education. The most concerning thing in our society is not about economic or social crisis but a spiritual emptiness and a feeling of hopelessness which are permeating the young learners of our society. There is a need for a rational value system that is based on humanistic values that need to be inculcated into the curriculum (Danica & Sazhko, 2013). With concepts like globalization and internationalization taking precedence, there is a need for advancement of knowledge, skills and competencies based on humanistic education (Blessinger, 2019). Humanistic education developed several decades ago as a reaction to unhealthy environments and exposure to detrimental conditions in education (Patterson, 1987). This book has authors from across the globe writing about theories concerning humanizing of pedagogy, exploring the impact of service-learning among undergraduates and emphasizing the development of responsibility to self and others, as well as the promotion of critical thinking, through pedagogically appropriate interventions. The intention of this book is to better understand the educational shift that is occurring in our society toward creating humanizing conditions though pedagogy.

Connectedness is essential for student success in online learning. By projecting themselves as real people through video, instructors support connectedness. In this chapter, researchers apply the theory of social presence (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) to case studies from two public higher education institutions: a four-year university and a large research university. Analysis identifies video as a humanizing element of online courses. Findings suggest video could be used in a variety of ways (e.g., video lectures, synchronous office hours, weekly overview videos), and no single use of video was perceived to be more or less effective in developing social presence and humanizing the learning experience. However, participants especially perceived connectedness when video was used in a variety of ways. Students from the second case study validated a perception of connectedness to the instructor that faculty in our first case study hoped to achieve. However, one instructor’s perception of disconnect illustrates that video is just one of several pedagogical practices necessary to create a satisfying learning experience for both students and instructors. While video is not the only way to establish social presence, findings suggest video is an effective practice toward creating a humanized and connected online learning community.

Education needs to be viewed in a holistic manner; it does not end when one simply acquires a degree or a job. Education creates human beings, shapes them into what they are and influences their behavior and attitude toward life. It contributes to creating a long-lasting effect on people’s mind and attitude. Developing a curriculum is not an easy task as it involves various dimensions of life, and one of them is to inculcate the idea of inclusivity and multiculturalism in the minds of young learners and help them to become effective leaders in the future. The process of teaching, delivery of lessons, assessment, evaluation and various pedagogical approaches needs to be aligned to deliver multicultural education. Society’s values, beliefs and goals should be translated into a curriculum that is relevant and connects students to society. Humanizing education to instill values that supports inclusivity and equality should be built around the cultural context synthesizing opinions and facts derived from the work of researchers and academics. This book aims to review research work conducted by academics across the world. Authors argue how social justice education and inclusion should be an inherent part of the curriculum. Strategies and tools are suggested that can strengthen the learning abilities of students and create an attitude of appreciation toward inclusivity. Case studies and interventions that have been effective are cited from Africa to the USA and UK, which can help create an intentional design of a classroom environment supporting multiculturalism. The book illustrates the importance of appropriate curriculum development involving all stakeholders and the integration of multicultural education in the curriculum. Concepts such as Ubuntu and academic freedom toward leadership development have also been stressed in this book.

Communicating in English brings about a number of challenges for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Such challenges remain unaddressed and unresolved within the traditional classroom settings, which are often dominated by intense guidance and instructions. The aim of this chapter is to address, discuss, and research project-based learning (PBL) as an effective pedagogical approach capable of prompting higher education students’ EFL capabilities – particularly English writing skills – in an engaging, student-centered manner that connects to their real-life experiences and develops a range of their generic skills. The PBL approach was designed, integrated, and implemented within the curriculum of the intensive English course (ENGL 101) delivered at Phoenicia University. Over a semester, 120 students across all four sections actively engaged, in groups, in PBL tasks, where they were required to identify problems in their community, propose solutions to these problems, and develop action plans to ensure that such solutions are sustainable. A mixed method approach that comprised a questionnaire (pre- and post-test) and semi-structured interviews was implemented. This chapter found that the adopted PBL method was very effective in promoting students’ engagement, ownership, and confidence in EFL. Additionally, this chapter showcased the power of PBL as a pedagogical device in humanizing EFL students’ experiences and education and provoking them to build their citizenship and agency in tackling problems and issues of relevance to them and their communities rather than being passive sufferers or observers of such problems and issues.

The world’s educational space is facing critical issues from globalization, accessibility and effort to integrate both technology and learner-centered knowledge. Educational practitioners, scholars and influencers are enthusiastic about infusing technology in their pedagogy and teaching–learning practices. There is a growing concern among policy-makers about the learning benefits of inducing technology into education, the psychological impact using technology and the safety of the information in learning environments. However, radical changes have taken place in the socio-political world, and education has become more democratized and humanized. Students are made aware the value of knowledge in a hyperconnected world and the need to continually learn throughout all stages of life. Successful inculcation of knowledge cannot happen only by improving the curriculum but also by achieving through an all-round development that allows the students the freedom to choose and participate in independent activities that result in social welfare and community well-being. The debate as to how to maximize the use of technology in education continues. This book aims to address the humaneness that surrounds the world of technology in education. It highlights the use of emerging technologies in pedagogy and case studies are cited to address the ongoing debate that technology brings a positive effect on education and mankind. The demand for technology continues as mankind faces unprecedented challenges where classroom education may not be possible. Technology continues to fulfill the challenges of creating a more democratic educational environment.

Educational pedagogy is concerned about student-centered learning that engages students and involves them in a meaningful manner to enhance critical thinking and creativity. Creative teaching and learning methods are a catalyst that can improve the learning experiences of students. Good teaching and the experience associated with it helps to connect students, faculty and the subject that is being taught to the students (Palmer, 2007). Many subjects till today are taught with a purely fact-based approach, and such traditional methods overlook the need to bring the subject to life and to make learning meaningful. Multi-dimensional methods are used to encourage students and convert them to successful learners with the ability to think creatively. The issue of student’s disconnectedness is a matter of much academic pursuit and using non-traditional methods such as plays, narratives and even humor are on the rise and have gained popularity due to their success in classroom teaching (Dunn, 2000). This book will help to highlight various case studies and interventions that have used innovative ways to improve the teaching-learning methods and engage students in the classroom. Academicians, through the chapters in this volume, have argued that education does not only mean teaching, learning and research but also the emotional connection and commitment that involves a dialogical process between the faculty and students. It is the responsibility of the faculty members to ultimately create an environment that provides the students with tools that are socially engaging, interactive and meaningful (Dunn, 2000).

With the widespread use of technology, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has recently gained a vital momentum as it improves communication competence in an authentic, real-life learning environment. Therefore, the current chapter presents a discussion of the humanization of English language teaching (ELT) by using CALL tools in a higher education institution. Sixteen Turkish students who were studying in the preparatory class in a Turkish state university were included in the study. The research was designed focusing on a qualitative research method. Joint interviewing was conducted at the beginning and end of the academic year, 2018–2019. The interview questions were asked about their perceptions of learning via CALL in the classroom. The findings from the first and second interviews were compared and analyzed according to what they thought and how they were affected. The empirical data presented in this chapter explicated students’ views on the humanization of ELT through CALL in Turkish tertiary English preparatory classes. Ultimately, this chapter sets the grounds for students, teachers, higher education institutions and designers to consider the possible effects of CALL to enhance the humanization of ELT.

In this chapter, the author builds from foundational scholarship which suggests that service-learning yields positive outcomes for students, faculty, and community partners. The author first suggests that service-learning can be a vehicle for humanizing community partners as well as students, faculty, and course content, then describes a program evaluation context wherein community partners would benefit from a humanizing service-learning experience. The author then introduces the field of program evaluation and the foundational documents espoused by the American Evaluation Association, and looks at the organizational structure of the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, which houses the Evaluation Studies specialization. Next, the author presents a foundational program evaluation course, discussing its emphasis on service-learning and on humanizing the students, community partners, and course content, and introducing the textbooks, readings, and activities used to bring the experience to life. The author concludes by looking at opportunities and challenges to integrating program evaluation into a departmental core at other universities.