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Erasmus mobility has become an important feature of higher education in Europe and beyond, with the potential to generate significant changes at individual, institutional and systemic levels. More than three decades after the foundation of this successful program, evaluations reveal that, despite notable progress, several aspects of the Erasmus student experience can be further improved. Based on the lived experiences of Erasmus alumni, in this article, we explore recurrent challenges that emerge in educational mobility and how they could be better addressed. Three key dimensions are identified in the qualitative accounts of former Erasmus students and analyzed in light of previous research: mobility preparation, institutional support for integration, and recognition of study abroad.

Post-secondary institutions are required to complete a variety of quality assurance activities including external program review, a process of inviting external reviewers from outside the institution to provide constructive feedback on all aspects of an academic program. While external program reviews have been completed for decades, there has been little work to ensure that meaningful change occurs as a result. Assessment of outcomes at the department level are limited and research specifically considering external academic program review as a primary quality assurance activity is scant. Each of these limitations is even more significant when considered at the institutional level. From our experience, there is minimal consideration in research or practice to ensure that external review recommendations have an impact on educational planning at the institutional level. To help address this concern, in this paper we describe an approach involving secondary research and thematic document analysis that can be leveraged to enhance institutional decision-making processes by uncovering institutional themes evident across external reviews. We suggest that our approach may be helpful for other higher education institutions striving to make sense of program review recommendations from an institutional perspective.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps in institutions' ability to maintain education under crisis conditions, which is now commonly referred to as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). A critical analysis of the literature reveals that ERT is a label that does not differentiate adequately between the different ways ERT manifested worldwide and over time. In this conceptual paper, we analyze empirical research on remote teaching conducted over single, double, and three+ learning terms. Our analysis shows not only multiple possible phases of remote education but also different stages, scopes, and pathways between them. The proposed model in this paper can be used to analyze current literature, ground future research, and serve as a foundation for developing protocols and practices to proactively maintain education when exigent circumstances demand remote teaching over the short-, mid-, and long-term.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are critical points of intervention for children impacted by trauma. Intervention Mapping was utilised to develop an initiative for trauma-informed organisational change in ECEC. This paper describes how the research team understood the need and opportunity for the program using Intervention Mapping Step 1. This included: (i) convening a planning group, (ii) conducting needs assessment, (iii) describing the context for intervention, and (iv) establishing program goals. Benefits, challenges, and recommendations on using Intervention Mapping for program development in ECEC settings are discussed.

This article responds to the rise of the micro-credential movement. It evidences the heightened attention politicians, policy-makers and educational leaders are giving to micro-credentials by framing the discussion in several recent high-level policy developments, an exponential growth in the number of academic publications and the increasing level of interest shown by popular media. It follows that micro-credentials appear to be high on the change agenda for many higher education institutions (HEIs), especially in the post-COVID-19 environment. However, the emergence of the micro-credential raises several crucial questions for educational leaders, set against fear of missing out. Importantly, the paper identifies a significant gap in the literature regarding leadership and strategic institutional responses to micro-credentials. Indeed, there is a dearth of literature. Leadership is crucial to the success of any educational change or innovation, so five key questions are presented for institutional leaders. They challenge institutions to make strategic decisions around how they engage with and position micro-credentials. If micro-credentials are part of an HEI's change agenda, then serious consideration needs to be given to the type of leadership and internal structures required to develop and execute a successful micro-credential strategy. Consideration must also be given to fit-for-purpose business models and how to mitigate potential risks. We hope to bring these strategic questions to the table as institutions plan, envision and develop their micro-credential strategies.

The ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on society affected several facets including formal education. Significantly, the indefinite closure of schools was introduced to control the spread and related fatality of the pandemic making the decision to reopen schools for all learners in January 2021 after several months of closure a preparedness concern. Using a national school-based survey informed by Event Systems and Chaos theories, the paper explores the preparedness of schools to re-open post-COVID-19 school closure. From the findings, it became evident that schools in Ghana were generally prepared to re-open per schedule. However, there existed unique disparities in some school system sub-levels informed by the location of the school. Consequently, we recommend: (1) the need to take advantage of the confidence the school system had regarding reopening for undertaking build-back efforts in future pandemics, and (2) policy and research response, especially for the vulnerable in resilience building post-emergency recovery in schools.

Promising lines of scholarship have emerged on how International Organisations (IO's) deploy anticipatory techniques aimed at colonising the future as a means of governing in the absence of sovereignty. It follows that securing hegemony over a vision of the future is important strategic work for IOs, and a source of legitimacy derived from authority beyond procedure and performance. This is called promissory legitimacy. Yet what happens when this promised future arrives and is problematic? How does an IO creatively strategise this shortfall? In this paper, we identify five strategies deployed by the OECD in its "Future of Education and Skills 2030" programme aimed to re-negotiate a failed present and anticipate a new future. We also reflect on the ideational underpinnings of the OECD's new futures programme, and argue it is being mobilised to, on the one hand, get beyond the limitations of data governance, and on the other to help selectively shape a new cognitariat subjectivity engaged with immaterial labour in emerging post-industrial capitalism.

Purpose: This paper aims to help higher education institutions (HEIs) develop a better understanding of student support and services needs, thereby enabling them to allocate limited resources for initiatives that effectively improve student experience. Design/methodology/approach: An assessment framework following the Kano analysis is developed to categorize student service features based on customer satisfaction and need fulfillment. The framework is used at a local university, using 23 service features listed as minimum requirements by the national regulatory body for education. Analysis of the satisfaction survey results and prioritization are based on quality indices derived from a factor of importance and the satisfaction gap. A survey was conducted for two academic years to generate a comparison of results. Findings: Of the list mandated as minimum requirements for HEIs, the study revealed that no features were regarded as "must-be," eight as performing, 14 as attractive and one as indifferent by the students. As these results were disaggregated per year level, the natural decay of delight as in the Kano theory was exhibited as there were less attractive features for students who have been in the university longest. After a full-year academic cycle, results compared to the baseline figures seemed to reveal of impact of the achievement of performance targets by the units rendering specific activities on client satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: Further rounds of the study are needed to build up more data sets on the relationship between objective performance and satisfaction level for performing features, mindful that this categorization is also bound to change along the way. Practical implications: As HEIs in the Philippines journey towards the establishment of their own respective internal quality assurance systems, this study provides a practical approach for institutions to transform a mere list of student services for compliance into a strategic tool to enhance the student experience. Originality/value: In the context of continuous quality improvement, the study presents how the qualitative Kano model, along with simple quantitative tools in the methodology, can be utilized not only in the planning stage of service design but also in closing the planning, doing, checking and acting (PDCA) cycle and opening the quality improvement spiral.

The last 25 years have witnessed the emergence of the International Branch Campus (IBC) as a means of providing Transnational Higher Education (TNE). The growth in the number of IBCs has not been without examples of failure and in some cases controversy, necessitating informed decision-making on the part of university leaders contemplating such a venture. Based on a systematic review of literature concerning the motivations for establishing IBCs; the drivers of sustainability and longevity; and case studies of successful and unsuccessful ventures by UK universities, this paper identifies key characteristics of successful IBCs. It proposes a framework -- combining strategic, leadership, academic, financial and operational factors -- for use by decision-makers in determining whether to establish and how to manage an IBC.

Purpose: Education for sustainable development (ESD) has gained significant attention, but integrating ESD into existing education systems is challenging. The study aims to explore the challenges of ESD experienced by school leaders, focusing on the context of Malaysian schools. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a qualitative approach with a single-case study design. Eight school leaders involved in the Johor sustainable education action plan (JSEAP) were interviewed and analyzed. The study uses thematic analysis to identify the challenges and other causes associated with the implementation of ESD. Findings: This study revealed that the school leaders perceived the ESD challenges at three levels. First, restriction to the standardized curriculum (systemic); second, resistance to change (organization) and third, awareness and readiness (individual). These themes stemmed from seven primary codes that school leaders encountered throughout the JSEAP program. Research limitations/implications: This paper is limited to a case study of the chosen schools and cannot be extrapolated to a larger population. Practical implications: The study benefits school leaders and educators concerned about ESD and its role in their schools and other academics interested in ESD. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate ESD challenges in Malaysia. The novel discovery of the three levels of ESD challenges helps readers better understand the recent phenomenon of ESD implementation and compare it to other settings.

This paper draws on coupling and systems frameworks to investigate the relationships between two English Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and their member schools in how decisions are made around budgeting, recruitment processes, and curriculum and assessment. Findings demonstrate when and under what conditions executive leaders and specifically CEOs, as primary agents of coupling, created greater consistency across schools either through centralization or deliberate alignment of school improvement planning, while operating within their complex institutional environments. Implications for practice, policy, and research on system-wide reform are discussed.

Born in the digital world, children cannot imagine life without mobile devices and technologies, which contributes to the transformation of the education system. Mobile devices allow getting information on the Internet anywhere and at any time, the methodology of teaching subjects changes accordingly, the educational process becomes interactive. Mobile technologies and devices have an effective didactic and methodological potential, which requires targeted training of future teachers for their use in teaching activities. The purpose of the paper is to theoretically substantiate and develop a model for forming the readiness of a future mathematics teacher to organise mobile learning for schoolchildren. To create a model of future teachers' readiness for mobile education of schoolchildren, system-activity, personality-oriented and analytical approaches were applied. Analysis and generalisation of the research results of domestic and foreign scientists on this problem are the main research methods, as well as conceptual and terminological analysis and pedagogical modelling. The paper substantiates the relevance and necessity of purposeful preparation of future mathematics teachers to organise mobile education of schoolchildren. The concept of mobile learning of schoolchildren is clarified, its main features are determined. The readiness of future mathematics teachers to organise mobile learning of schoolchildren is considered as a set of motivational, personal, theoretical, activity and reflexive components, which allowed us to systematise and model the process of training teachers for this activity. The model presented by the author, the main components of which are conceptual, content, activity and reflexive blocks, reflects the peculiarities of a future mathematics teacher's readiness for mobile learning of schoolchildren. The developed model will allow us to reach a higher level of training of mathematics teachers, providing personal and professional development of students.

This paper is concerned with long term strategic planning in higher education and focuses on Ontario's strategic mandate agreement (SMA) sector planning framework. In 2012, the province initiated its new SMA planning process by requiring all higher education institutions to propose their own strategies for their academic visions, missions, and objectives. The proposals submitted by Ontario's universities furnish the empirical content of this paper: a historically unique, comprehensive and comparable set of documents capturing institutions' self-understanding and plans for their respective futures. Using concepts from organizational theory, content analysis of universities' SMA proposals reveals divergent strategies, both in terms of institutional administrative responsiveness to the SMA process as well as the academic (i.e., education and scholarship) content of the submissions. In addition, two further sub-themes are analysed: proposals for experiential learning and so-called town-gown connections. Both themes also reveal very different visions amongst institutions. In general, the proposals appear to be independent of institution type and community size/location. Setting the stage for future research, the paper concludes with policy discussion of: (1) the possibilities for institutional diversity in the context of policy discourses on institutional differentiation; and (2) implications for system planning given the structure and process of Ontario's ongoing SMA framework.

This paper argues for effective sequencing of mathematics content to aid transition from junior (Year 7 to Year 10) to senior mathematics (Year 11 to Year 12) curriculum in Queensland, Australia and provides a tool for sequencing the mathematics content. Planning templates and samples are available to schools; however, it is imperative for teachers to understand the processes that underpin planning. This paper provides a step-by-step systematic sequencing of mathematics concepts. The premise is that depending on the level of assumed prior knowledge and skills students recall and apply, teachers can start teaching from any level. The study draws from constructivism to develop a planning tool that can be adapted to all mathematics subjects and levels, help identify conceptual relationships and skills from lower to upper levels and provide students with the opportunity to build their mathematical knowledge.

Following lockdowns in 2020 owing to COVID-19, schools needed to find a way to ensure the education of their pupils. In order to do this, they engaged in digital learning, to varying extents. Innovations emanated from all school staff including, for example, teachers, leaders and teaching assistants. Some were already innovating in this area and brought forward and implemented digital strategies, while others engaged with digital learning for the first time. While research is emerging about the effects of the pandemic restrictions on pupils and staff in relation to key issues such as mental health and educational attainment, very little is known about the impact on school leaders' strategic planning processes. To address this gap, this paper draws on a UK Research and Innovation funded study adopting a strategy as learning approach to report on 50 qualitative interviews with school leaders to examine digital strategy in English secondary schools, before, during and after July 2021, when restrictions were lifted in England. It draws on strategy as learning literature to evaluate if schools have changed their strategic planning for digital learning, as a direct response to having learned and innovated during the pandemic. The paper concludes that there is evidence that digital innovations during the pandemic have changed the ways in which leaders think about their digital strategy, thus supporting a strategy as learning approach. However it also concludes that although there is ample evidence that the pandemic has changed the way many schools view digital learning, for some schools, there remain persistent barriers to digital integration and planning. These emanate both from material and cultural considerations, as well as leader vision and belief in digital learning.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the design of choreographies or learning environments which the students participating in "Ocean i"[superscript 3] pass through during their participation in the project, which requires constant review and interpretation, in times of COVID-19. To this end, it is proposed to: define the institutional teaching choreographies to create authentic and meaningful environments for the active learning of university students; interpret the transversal competences for the sustainability developed in "Ocean i"[superscript 3] within the framework of institutional teaching choreographies; and value the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching choreographies implemented for the development of transversal competences for sustainability in a situation of health-care crisis. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory method with an interpretative approach has been selected that enables us to address living and evolving scenarios, didactic choreographies and the development of competences for sustainability. Findings: The perception of students and teachers reveals that it is the use of a multilingual linguistic repertoire (multilingualism) that is most enhanced in "Ocean i"[superscript 3], although the global and integrative vision of problems and the integration and management of knowledge through contributions from different disciplines and the social context (transdisciplinarity) are also highlighted. Originality/value: This paper describes how face-to-face institutional teaching choreographies for an innovation project have been transformed into synchronous online choreographies encouraging the development of competences for sustainability.

This paper begins a quarter of a century ago with the first visit to the UK of the Reggio Emilia exhibition 'The Hundred Languages of Children' and initial interest by some of the early education community in 'doing Reggio'. Within the same period, the move to introduce a formal curriculum for young children in England and Wales began, initially with the Desirable Outcomes documents in 1996 (SCAA) and more recently with the latest incarnation of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This paper first explores key aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach before turning to the development of the curriculum for young children within England, making visible key differences between these two ways of working. Drawing on Foucauldian discourses, I aim to demonstrate that curricula models are underpinned by socially constructed discourses and that as the discourse of 'school readiness' has tightened its stranglehold on early years policy within England, the likelihood of 'doing Reggio' has been eroded significantly.

As Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW), a regional public university in northeast Indiana, completed the spring 2020 semester fully remote due to COVID-19, university leadership had to determine if there was a path to safely reopening campus and maintaining a low-risk environment for in-person instruction and work for the 2020-21 academic year. To make this determination, PFW engaged in a three-week scenario planning process in which we assembled 22 task forces composed of 140 faculty and staff, approximately 13.5% of the university's full-time employees, to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with eight scenarios for how the 2020-21 academic year could play out. Reports and recommendations from the scenario planning process have informed all aspects of the university's COVID-19 planning, implementation, and communication. This paper examines how a highly collaborative planning process, informed by PFW's recently completed strategic planning process, created broad engagement with and awareness of the university's planning efforts, demonstrated the value placed on faculty and staff expertise and input, and helped to build long-term buy-in and trust. This approach also informed PFW's planning processes for the 2021-22 academic year, which emphasized leveraging our COVID-19 experiences to build a better normal for the university.

This article explores issues that had to be confronted over a three-year period in terms of two New York State funded grants for which I was the evaluator. Major, critical challenges are presented, described, and discussed. Specifically, the paper addresses issues related to lack of planning at the grant design stage that resulted in challenges and problems with conducting targeted and meaningful assessments to complete evaluations. This article promotes the concept that evaluators have expertise and competencies that are valuable to grant design and that if an evaluator is involved at the planning/ design stage, many challenges confronted throughout evaluation processes might be prevented or mitigated. The inquiries that were conducted as part of these grants can be regarded as case studies. In the example of one investigation, it was a single-case study of an intervention in a Long Island, New York, district; in the case of the other, it was a multiple-case study wherein a Charter School disseminated an intervention to three New York City schools. Mixed methods were used for data collection. Following my work with these two funded grants, with lessons learned from my experiences with these two grants, I embarked on another journey with another agency where lessons learned from the two previous grants informed my approach to evaluating school programs. Thus, while I was not part of the original design team, we were able to discuss relevant evaluation issues early in the process. My latest experiences will also be briefly discussed at the end of the article in a Postscript.

This translational scoping study investigates how ethics learning is assessed in engineering education worldwide and interprets concepts and practices for relevance to educational planners at the postsecondary level. It provides insights on how engineering education has achieved a level of standardization globally, a calibration process that has facilitated infusion of prioritized abilities across engineering graduates broadly. The engineering education system is designed and maintained through a series of multi-jurisdictional accords that seek to prepare engineering graduates for a global marketplace of engineered products, goods, and services. This paper synthesizes existing literature (research and policy) related to engineering ethics education (EEE), providing a useful introduction to planners regarding ethics, understood to incorporate global responsibility and sustainability. Conclusions provide a foundation for a further systematic investigation of EEE at a global level, highlighting implications of this scoping study for teaching, research, and planning.

This paper reports on research conducted with staff employed in the Australian higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector has been significantly impacted, particularly those institutions heavily reliant on revenue from international student enrolments. Universities moved swiftly to introduce cost-savings measures such as, deferring capital works spending and reducing non-salary expenditure, scaling back casual and fixed term staff and cuts to executive staff salaries, followed by rounds of redundancies, early retirement offers and termination of staff, often framed as organisational restructuring. However, financial data for the 2021-22 period indicate that some institutions have actioned disproportionate staff cuts related to net income, often badging this downsizing as organisational restructure. This information is discussed in terms of the potential implications for the higher education sector in planning for, and meeting workforce needs, as it seeks to regenerate a sustainable business model post-pandemic.

The purpose of this paper is to recognize the special features of the flipped classroom and to explore the aspects of opportunities that the flipping concept can be applied to educational planning. The essential elements of the flipping concept are identified. A brief review of the key studies on flipped classrooms at both the college and high school levels was presented. Analysis is made on the basic flipping concept as it applies to educational planning meetings. Then, the flipping concept is incorporated with the stages of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation System (PPBES) to perceive how the flipping concept can help with strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning system. The authors conclude by confirming the key elements of the flipping concept, "increased interaction" and "practical application," as clear benefits to the educational planning process.

This paper investigates the challenges experienced by some Australian school educators in implementing differentiated instruction (DI) at a large secondary school. A small-scale study was conducted using individual, semi-structured interviews with teachers and school leaders. Using thematic analysis, three major themes were identified, namely: teachers' barriers to implementing DI, school leaders' constraints to implementing DI, and pre-service to in-service exchanges and sharing about DI. Findings from teachers revealed limited school resources, student behaviour issues and inadequate time for planning and implementation. School leaders also identified time as an impeding factor but also reticence by experienced teachers to use DI. Teacher education courses are not clear about DI as a comprehensive teaching framework suitable for all students. Results highlight the need for further research at the teacher educator, teacher and school leader level to remove existing barriers, constraints, and misunderstandings about DI to ensure maximum learning opportunities for all students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left significant consequences at every level of education, including adult education. In order to adapt to the restriction caused by the pandemic, adult education institutions all around the world were forced to transform the way how the educational process was being organized. By introducing various web-related technologies, the physical place of teaching and learning processes has become a less significant factor, thereby, potentially, contributing to the inclusiveness of education and, as a result, to sustainable development. The paper aims to analyze how the recent transformation of adult education caused by the pandemic between 2020 and 2022 contributed to the sustainable development of Latvia. To achieve the aim, the following research methods are used: a scientific literature review to investigate the concepts of sustainable development and online adult education as well as their potential correlation, a survey of adult education institutions in Latvia, as well as statistical data analysis of adult education indicators. The main findings of the article: during the pandemic when the in-person teaching process was restricted, the Latvian adult education sector experienced unprecedented digital transformation. The transformation positively contributed to the improvement of not only the digital skills of teachers and learners but also to the sustainable development of Latvia by facilitating access to potential learners living in rural areas and regions.

This conceptual and descriptive study examines the critical issues, challenges and priorities for European higher education (HE) leaders, drawing upon the theory, practice and experience of leaders inside and outside the open and distance learning (ODL) field. Focussing on the emerging vantage points of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), global trends and the post-pandemic HE landscape, the article discusses their impact on organisational architecture and the emerging leadership roles for driving organisational values, change and sustainability. The authors argue that to maintain institutional stability and agility, leaders must interpret the current zeitgeist to set priorities, build decision-action packages and embrace a new organisational architecture: one characterised by flexible structures, a clear vision of the desired future, a culture of trust and openness, a comprehensive and deep understanding and optimum application of employee skill and talent, and the effective implementation of digital tools and curriculum structures in pedagogically meaningful ways. Leaders must be adaptable, agile and innovative, with the capacity to understand, identify and support the forms of leadership appropriate to their strategic objectives and institutional culture. The paper concludes by targeting critical priorities and actions that leaders must navigate to create innovative and dynamic futures for their institutions.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that online teaching in higher education became the default. Educators were, and often now continue to be, required to pivot to online teaching, necessitating them to adapt their teaching delivery, effectively engage students online, and apply existing skills to new and unfamiliar pedagogical contexts. This paper presents a small international case study, investigating the experiences of a diverse group of educators who wanted to learn about engaging students because their higher education institutions were pivoting to online teaching. Following the educators' involvement in professional learning about a particular online engagement framework, the educators used their learning in their planning and online teaching. Data extracted from a deductive coding exercise augmented by qualitative data gleaned from semi-structured interviews was used to explore how the educators enhanced the engagement strategies they implemented in their courses. The findings indicate the types of learning processes used by the educators and how they applied their learning to online teaching. The deductive analysis suggests that the strategies the participants revealed worked well in their online practice correspond with the strategies delineated in the framework.

Purpose: In this paper we report on the outcomes of a scenario planning project in Melbourne's (Australia) inner northern suburbs, which was undertaken in the context of an extended lockdown during Melbourne's second wave of COVID-19 infections. In this project, the researchers sought to identify the ways in which young people and youth service providers understood the challenges that the pandemic was creating for young people and the provision of youth services, and through the 5 years up to 2025. Design/methodology/approach: The project was shaped by a scenario planning methodology that produced three research informed scenarios of possible futures for young people in Melbourne's inner north in 2025. The project conducted a series of structured video interviews with young people, and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders that asked participants to reflect on the context of the pandemic, and what the future might hold in relation to young people's pathways and health and well-being, and the futures of their communities and the planet. Findings: The scenario planning methodology revealed many concerns, uncertainties and anxieties that were shared, but which also varied between young people and stakeholders--both about the immediacy of the pandemic, and its aftermaths and intersection with future crises. Originality/value: The scenario planning approach offers sociologies of education and youth a means to do the future-oriented, "hopeful" work that multiple crises for young people demand. Scenario planning is an "affirmative" exercise in hope by which sociologies can "stay with the trouble" that we find ourselves in, and that the pandemic has amplified.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the major challenges faced and lessons learned during the unplanned transition to online examinations (OE) at a traditional university following the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This exploratory study involved two distinct samples (110 students and 30 instructors) drawn from a large public university and triangulated the qualitative and quantitative data to analyze how the university navigated the unplanned transition to OE. Findings: The university faced several challenges related to a lack of proper institutional infrastructure, non-familiarity of the stakeholders with OE, lack of effective communication, limited student access to technology resources because of socio-economic impediments and academic integrity issues. Practical implications: Short- and medium-term recommendations are proposed to enable continuity of teaching and learning in future emergency situations, including the establishment of technology-enabled exam centers, as well as strategies to assure instructor readiness for OE, academic integrity among students and the validity of the evaluation procedure for future OE. Originality/value: This study shows how the unplanned transition to OE in a public university exposed new challenges for conducting OE, particularly in resource challenged emerging countries, where full integration of OE was a new experience and prior knowledge of potential issues was lacking.

Sustainable development has become a momentous global concern since the end of the twentieth century. The 2015 adoption of the SDGs represents a significant challenge for higher education globally as it compels widescale consideration of how the sector will address the SDGs and contribute to the 2030 Agenda. Seven years after the adoption of the SDGs, therefore, it is important to investigate the extent of engagement and clarify opportunities for growth. This paper reports research into university engagement with and contributions to the SDGs, what has happened and been documented so far, and what plans university leaders have for future engagement. From the analysis of multi-source evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that contributions vary across and are fragmented within universities, not resourced or reported in systematic ways. It calls for a much broader research agenda in this area that focuses not just on specific substantive issues but looks broadly across a suite of countries, universities, evidence, and issues and articulates a comprehensive view on what has been achieved as well as areas for development.

Purpose: Internationalization is viewed as an important strategy in the context of a country in transition from central planning to market orientation. Efforts to internationalize universities are being carried out at both national and institutional levels. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there has been no study to investigate how individual institutions approach internationalization and what they gain from that process. This paper aims to investigate the enhancement of teachers' and students' knowledge and skills using internationalization in Vietnam universities as a strategy. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews with leaders from 12 universities were conducted to investigate their perceptions, strategies and perceived outcomes of the internationalization process of their universities. Data analysis involved coding the transcripts of interviews into themes. Findings: Results show that current approaches to internationalized activities in Vietnamese universities are "ad hoc" in nature, while resources and language incompetence of staff and students are limited. In line with other previous studies, limited resources and lack of English competence among educators and students were found to be the key obstacles and challenges for internationalized activities. The authors also note an issue that apparently has not been raised elsewhere in the relevant research literature, which is the challenge for the sustainability of knowledge production via research and publications. Originality/value: Findings from this study not only contribute to Vietnamese universities but also to other developing institutions which do not have strong international exchange programs or have not experienced strong benefits from international exchange programs.

Pedagogical contingency policy planning in open distance and e-learning plays a critical role in achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim to stem poverty, protect the planet, foster gender equality, defend and promote cultures and cultural understanding, and ensure prosperity for all. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe criticalities of flexibility and agility in pedagogical contingency policy planning designs in open, distance and e-learning in developing states like South Africa. Furthermore, it examines epistemologies of diverse students' pedagogic inclusion in line with social justice and equal rights during strategic planning and management. The legal rational paradigm is underpinned by a qualitative narrative research design to analyse available theories and epistemologies of flexibility and agility in pedagogical contingency policy planning theories in open distance and e-learning. Using the theory of justice by Rawls, the paper recommends that flexibility and agility in pedagogical contingency policy planning in open, distance and e-learning ecosystems must ensure that students from diverse backgrounds are catered for in line with social justice and equal rights values and principles. This is critical for a country like South Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Although designing and developing courses curricula are often the primary foci for online learning, instructional considerations are just one part of an educational ecosystem contributing to the online educational quality and success for online learners. In this paper, we explore systemic planning for online learning organized around the idea of an educational ecosystem. Just as in-person learners benefit from an educational system, online learners similarly benefit from carefully planned educational systems. We draw on systemic theories and frameworks with examples from successful programs, discussing features from each of these that inform the design of online learning ecosystems, arguing that rather than an either-or approach to online and face-to-face learning, institutions adopt a both-and approach that fosters robust learning ecosystems. The paper concludes with institutional resilience and how careful systemic planning that strategically integrates online planning is key to the success of online programs essential for institutions' future resilience.

This paper highlights action research into the practices of environmental learning through two interconnected stories focusing respectively on educational policy and the details of classroom instruction. Together these illustrate how a framework guides teachers in educational planning and supports the implementation of a curriculum for environmental learning in diverse subjects. Teacher inquiry, focus groups and interviews informed a collaborative writing process involving teachers and academics. The framework offers a conceptual view for environmental learning in all settings providing principles of teaching and learning to guide teachers in activities in a variety of learning contexts. The broader study sets the scene and the context for imbedded teacher inquiry. This study provides a personal perspective on how environmentally focused lessons were developed and researched by teachers. It highlights the story of a Grade 2/3 teacher (Ms. P) as she embarks on a program of action research about outdoor learning exemplary of other elements of the imbedded action research in the broader study. Multiple, overlapping themes emerge as she documents her reflections and students' interactions with local environments. This paper and its narratives together relate how the concepts of environmental learning and teacher experience empower us to guide learning in new, exciting ways.

This paper aims to explore the challenges that pre-service early childhood teachers (PECTs) face in the processes of planning and implementing STEM education-based activities and their solutions about these challenges. A total of 39 third-year pre-service teachers in Istanbul, Turkey, participated in the study, which lasted 14 weeks. The data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire and focus group interviews. The data were analyzed via qualitative approaches and codes and themes were determined. As a result of the analysis, five themes related to the planning of STEM education-based activities emerged: identifying the problem, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, children's development level, material selection, and STEM integration. Regarding the challenges the PECTs faced during the implementation process of STEM education-based activities, six themes emerged: expressing the problem, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, targeted instruction and implementations, children's development level, time management, and classroom management. The analysis revealed 8 themes regarding the pre-service teachers' solutions about successful planning and implementation of STEM education-based activities: materials to be used, group works conducted by the pre-service teachers, classroom arrangement and management, time management, appropriateness to children's level, identifying and expressing the problem, activity planning and implementation, and implementing STEM education. This study is important because it will contribute to the implementation of STEM-based activities more in early childhood classes, as it identifies the challenges faced in the process of designing and implementing STEM-based activities as well as providing suggestions for the solution of these problems.

Coordination among stakeholders has been considered as a significant influential factor in providing teachers with quality Professional Development (PD) opportunities. The importance of coordination intensifies when a variety of PD providers work on the capacity building of teachers in the same region such as in some rural areas of Pakistan. The current research explored the nature of coordination among various stakeholders while designing and implementing PD programs for teachers in rural Pakistan. To achieve this aim, qualitative case study approach was used and data were generated through focused group interviews from PD providers, education managers, school leaders, and teachers. The results indicated a limited coordination among the stakeholders leading to a variety of issues such as overlapping programs, conflicting expectations from teachers, and selection of irrelevant teachers for PD. Drawing on the experience of the stakeholders who participated in this research, the paper suggests a model of coordination which the educational reformers, especially the PD providers and education managers, should consider while designing and implementing the capacity building programs for teachers.

The study detailed in this paper examines the role of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in the transnational policy-making landscape in relation to African fragile and conflict-affected states. Data collection was based on content analysis of a corpus of documents -- Education Sector Plans (ESPs)/Transitional Sector Plans -- examining to what extent the main categories identified in the literature concerning global education policy and international development, emerge from the documents. We conclude that certain terms and constructs that emerge from global education discourses recur frequently in the ESPs. The article argues that there is a depoliticisation strategy in the development of the ESPs, making it possible to identify a façade of precision, a façade of rationality and a façade of universality.

This paper aims to contribute to the literature relating to the way in which numerical data in IT systems were and are used to govern the development of primary education as data provide the government with the opportunity to 'see' the system of education in a new way. Economic growth in the Western world after World War II was linked to education. New IT-based forms of technology with numerical data could help planning as there was great confidence in numerical data as objective phenomena. The article shows how the Danish Ministry of Education established a number of IT systems during the 1960s and 1970s. Data within the systems provided the Ministry with an opportunity to 'see' the system of education in a new way and thereby change the system. On a wider scale, this article contributes to the present debate on how numerical data is used to govern citizens.