We analyze innovation in university strategic plans to assess whether innovation is a stated priority, to what end innovation is sought, and whether innovation is a comprehensive strategy or more carefully bounded, excluding innovation opportunities. Our analysis utilized Atlas.ti software to quantify word usage and to extract and classify…

Digital transformation (DT) is a global trend in higher education. This study set out to examine the way DT is conceptualized in the 14th five-year development plans (2021-2025) of 56 top Chinese universities. Findings from the study show that Chinese universities have embarked on the DT journey with goals mostly similar to those pursued by their…

Educational leaders are responsible for educational change, and many scholars have argued that academic developers (ADs) have expertise with the potential to influence educational change. We argue, however, that ADs' influence depends on how educational leaders perceive educational change and position ADs' roles and responsibilities in relation to…

One of the goals of China's 'Double First-class' initiative is to boost the top-notch disciplines in those next-to-top universities and allow their differentiated paths towards development. This study investigates Chinese universities' policy interpretations and strategic responses to this national initiative through a social network analysis of…

Universities can sharpen their commitment to democracy through institutional change. This might be resisted by a traditional understanding of universities. The question arises whether universities have defining purposes that demarcate possible university policy, strategic planning, and priority setting. These are significant questions because…

Neoliberalism has been the hegemonic ideology that has fundamentally transformed planning over the last four decades. Neoliberalism has significantly restructured pre-existing organisations, such as universities that were initially expanded during the period of industrial capitalism. From Foucault's perspective, universities work as components of…

This article sets out a methodology for integrating a focus on the student voice in deliberations about the future of teaching and learning in the Arts and Humanities. Qualitative data gleaned from JISC's 20/21 Student Digital Experience Insights Survey and feedback collected from students studying on undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of…

In every university's endeavor to promote internationalization, pedagogy is vital and there is a need to research internationalization at different pedagogical levels within different learning approaches (Katsara & De Witte, 2020). This paper discusses the value of implementing culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) within the teaching context…

There is currently renewed interest in transnational education (TNE) amongst UK universities as a means of taking education to the 98% of tertiary students worldwide who are geographically immobile. In this discourse, the home universities are characterised as the dominant players, seeking strategic opportunities to commercially expand into…

Responding to calls for partnership among students and teachers in feedback and assessment, this study explores the question: "What do students and teaching staff talk about when they talk together about feedback and assessment?" We used reflexive thematic analysis to interpret 15 hours of conversation involving 14 students and 22 staff…

The purpose of the article was to present the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the didactic process and to start a discussion on what can universities do at this specific time to meet the requirements of the Polish Qualifications Framework and also how should the didactic staff communicate with the use of virtual space to achieve the expected…

The administrative systems of universities attest to a shift towards more managerial forms of leadership. This article outlines how strategic management was introduced in Finland in the 2000s and how this led to a significant de-democratisation of the university organisations, despite academic communities' resistance and explicit preference for…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption to business as usual across all industries, including education, and there is a growing consensus that the higher education (HE) sector may never go back to 'business as usual'. While universities are now developing strategies for 2030, several management consultancies are projecting a very…

The 1970s witnessed the deepening of marketization because of the introduction of reform and opening up in China. Profound changes were observed in the ties among Chinese industry-featured universities, government competent authorities and the market. Faced with ever-evolving environment, China University of Geosciences (CUG) managed to transform…

This article highlights the challenges, triumphs, and setbacks experienced by a mid-sized, public institution in Eastern Canada that is now more than two years into the SEM process. It shares how a team built a sense of urgency in an institution with historically-low retention rates and developed a variety of strategies and structures to improve…