The article presents results of an Erasmus+ project that aimed at suggesting a comprehensive performance indicator set for learning and teaching. Based on a benchlearning exercise among the six project universities, the article presents findings of an exploratory research on the assessment of the developed indicator set by members of four…

In recent years, Portuguese universities have diversified their strategies for the promotion of entrepreneurial education among (under/post) graduates, both through formal education and non-formal and informal activities. Indeed, Higher Education Institutions can provide entrepreneurial learning opportunities for students, stimulating new…

This article explains an action research response to the need for knowledge democracy in research projects between academics in global North and global South countries. It argues that if unspoken assumptions about knowledge creation are left unexamined, such collaborations can replicate forms of 'epistemic injustice'. The paper is premised on the…

Higher education helps learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to lead productive working lives, and it sparks the innovation that fosters economic growth and social progress. However, creating higher education systems that operate at a high level of research and teaching quality, with responsiveness to social and labour market…

This research examines the barriers and facilitators to employers' engagement with higher education institutions. The data were collected through interviews with a set of employers (n = 19) in the Northern region of Portugal, V.N.de Famalicão, in 2019. We begin by exploring employers' engagement activities as a potential solution to address…

This paper investigates the evolving landscape of European doctoral education and its impact on the doctorate's identity and value. It conducts a comprehensive analysis, drawing from both extensive literature review and empirical data from the Portuguese context. This examination reveals intricate changes in doctoral education, driven by a…

Purpose: Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study aims to determine the influence of personality traits on the acceptance and usage of Web portals in Portuguese universities. Design/methodology/approach: To this end, a quantitative study was conducted using structural equation modelling and a structured questionnaire, directed to…

In Europe and beyond, managerialism triggered the rise of "boardism" as a distinctive governance praxis in higher education, involving both normative assumptions and technical and practical elements. In this paper, we examine to what extent strategizing processes in Portuguese higher education institutions reflect the reconfiguration of…

This article explores which measures are perceived by European key stakeholders (students, employers and academics) as crucial for the development of curricula that provide graduates with working-life competences and key skills that may increase their employability. It also seeks to identify measures that may strengthen cooperation between…

Recent shifts in university governance have relied on increased autonomy. Within this context, the enhanced role attributed to governance boards at the expense of academic bodies and the role of external stakeholders has gained momentum. With the aim of understanding the extent of the influence of external stakeholders at the institutional level,…

This chapter summarises the rationales and impacts of the national reforms of the six countries selected (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Portugal) and complements it with a literature review on reforms in these and other EU countries. The reforms emerge as having been inspired by endogenous processes -- with or without a…

In the last decades, European higher education systems have been experiencing an unprecedented expansion, which created significant financial and political challenges. At the same time, we have seen a shift in attitudes towards public higher education that has promoted new ways of funding this sector. This context has led to major changes in the…

Internationalization is a key contemporary debate within Higher Education (HE). Many universities worldwide proclaim their "international" status, citing quantitative indicators, particularly international student and staff recruitment and outbound student mobility data to illustrate this. In this paper, we focus on the non-mobile…

The governance of higher education has been changing across Europe, most notably in response to the reform agenda that has been pervading many higher education systems. This wave of reforms has given enhanced visibility to external stakeholders, which has been often received with contrasting views. Some regarded it as a factor that would undermine…

This article aims to discuss stakeholders' influence on higher education institutions' (HEIs) internationalization, through an analysis of the relationships established between stakeholders' importance and the institutions' rationales for internationalization, the strategies developed for internationalization, and the benefits from…