THESIS: Trends in Higher Education Systems in International Spheres
By THESIS Podcast
THESIS: Trends in Higher Education Systems in International SpheresJan 05, 2023
Defining “First-Generation Student” & Mapping Out the Research Space (USA)
To start off this season focusing on First Generation or First in Family Students, we sit down today with La'Tonya Rease Miles. LT has focused on the first generation student experience in the United States both as a researcher and as a practitioner, and advises universities around the United States on supporting first generation students. She is currently the Director of University Partnerships at Re-Up Education. In this episode we discuss the definition of "first generation student" and mention a couple other definitions used around the world, and LT highlights the trends in the research and practices around this group of students.
Empowering First Generation College Students (Facebook Group)
NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success: Annotated Bibliography
First Gen & Juice (Instagram profile)
Campus Service Workers Supporting First-Generation Students (Book edited by Georgina Guzmán, La’Tonya Rease Miles and Stephanie Youngblood)
How to Get in Contact:
Twitter: @drltmiles
La’Tonya Rease Miles (Website)
La’Tonya “LT” Rease Miles (LinkedIn profile)
Season 2 Trailer: First-Generation Students
We'll be speaking with researchers and practitioners about the history and context surrounding the first-generation student experience, different definitions used, the support networks of these students, the challenges they face and how they overcome these challenges, as well as the implications of policy focused on first-generation students.
This season is packed with fantastic guests from the USA, Germany, China, Chile, Australia and more. We can't wait to share these conversations with you!
THESIS Interlude: Organization of Climate & Development Research through Centres of Excellence in Africa
THESIS Interludes are episodes occurring in between seasons where we feature students in the process of developing their research projects in the field of higher education. Guests are asked what the research topic is, why they chose it, which methods they are using, what challenges they have faced, and what they have learned thus far in the process of their projects.
The podcast team is starting with featuring our very own masters theses.
Today's episode features Kelly Davis, who is conducting a case study on the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence for Climate and Development (ARUA-CD) to understand its organizational structure and how that structure might support the researchers involved in having impact with their climate and development research. The ARUA-CD is a collaborative effort between institutes at the University of Nairobi, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Ghana.
If you’d like to support our guest today in their research efforts, send us an email stating how you think you can help at thesishigheredpodcast@gmail.com.
Today’s THESIS episode does not take position on the issues discussed on the podcast. Opinions expressed on this episode are solely those of the guests or hosts. If you liked what you listened to today, please follow the podcast and feel free to leave us a rating or a comment.
This podcast is produced and edited by Ekaterina Kurinskaia, Ayla Rubenstein, Tracy Waldman, Kelly Davis, and Maria Angeles Hidalgo. Original music is produced by Petter Strom.
THESIS Interlude: Mobility Motivations for International Students Selecting Norwegian Masters Programs during COVID
THESIS Interludes are episodes occurring in between seasons where we feature students in the process of developing their research projects in the field of higher education. Guests are asked what the research topic is, why they chose it, which methods they are using, what challenges they have faced, and what they have learned thus far in the process of their projects.
The podcast team is starting with featuring our very own masters theses.
This week features Tracy Waldman, who is focusing her thesis on exploring the reasons why international students from outside of the European Union / European Economic Area chose masters programs in Norway during after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you’d like to support our guest today in their research efforts, send us an email stating how you think you can help at thesishigheredpodcast@gmail.com.
Today’s THESIS episode does not take position on the issues discussed on the podcast. Opinions expressed on this episode are solely those of the guests or hosts. If you liked what you listened to today, please follow the podcast and feel free to leave us a rating or a comment.
This podcast is produced and edited by Ekaterina Kurinskaia, Ayla Rubenstein, Tracy Waldman, Kelly Davis, and Maria Angeles Hidalgo. Original music is produced by Petter Strom.
THESIS Interlude: Exploring Language Policy in Practice at the University of Oslo
THESIS Interludes are episodes occurring in between seasons where we feature students in the process of developing their research projects in the field of higher education. Guests are asked what the research topic is, why they chose it, which methods they are using, what challenges they have faced, and what they have learned thus far in the process of their projects.
The podcast team is starting with featuring our very own masters theses.
This week features Ayla Rubenstein, who will share with us some of the details about her thesis focusing on language policy in Norwegian higher education and how policies requiring international academics to “master” the Norwegian language are put into practice.
If you’d like to support our guest today in their research efforts, send us an email stating how you think you can help at thesishigheredpodcast@gmail.com.
Today’s THESIS episode does not take position on the issues discussed on the podcast. Opinions expressed on this episode are solely those of the guests or hosts. If you liked what you listened to today, please follow the podcast and feel free to leave us a rating or a comment.
This podcast is produced and edited by Ekaterina Kurinskaia, Ayla Rubenstein, Tracy Waldman, Kelly Davis, and Maria Angeles Hidalgo. Original music is produced by Petter Strom.
THESIS Interlude: Discovering Discourses on Academic Sanctions in Norway
THESIS Interludes are episodes occurring in between seasons where we feature students in the process of developing their research projects in the field of higher education. Guests are asked what the research topic is, why they chose it, which methods they are using, what challenges they have faced, and what they have learned thus far in the process of their projects.
The podcast team is starting with featuring our very own masters theses.
This week features Ekaterina Kurinskaia, who will tell us about her thesis focusing on how Norwegian debate positions higher education institutions and academics when it comes to sanctioning higher education in Russia.
If you’d like to support our guest today in their research efforts, send us an email stating how you think you can help at thesishigheredpodcast@gmail.com.
Today’s THESIS episode does not take position on the issues discussed on the podcast. Opinions expressed on this episode are solely those of the guests or hosts. If you liked what you listened to today, please follow the podcast and feel free to leave us a rating or a comment.
This podcast is produced and edited by Ekaterina Kurinskaia, Ayla Rubenstein, Tracy Waldman, Kelly Davis, and Maria Angeles Hidalgo. Original music is produced by Petter Strom.
Funding as Soft Power: The Role of International Funding of Higher Education in Cambodia
Today we feature a conversation with Dr. Will Brehm, Associate Professor at the University College London and host of the FreshEd Podcast, about the role of international influence in the Cambodian higher education system. Dr. Brehm received his bachelor and master degrees from Lehigh University in the United States and completed his doctorate in International and Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong. He has worked for universities in Japan and consulted for a number of NGOs and the World Bank on education in the southeast asian region. He is author of the book, Cambodia for Sale: Everyday Privatization in Education and Beyond .
Other sources used by the THESIS producers for this episode:
Brehm, W. (2019). Chapter 12: Cambodian Higher Education Governance: The Politics of Global Summitry and Clientelism. In: D. S. L. Jarvis & K. H. Mok (Eds.) Transformations in Higher Education Governance in Asia: Policy, Politics and Progress (pp. 229-243). Hong Kong, China: Springer.
Edwards, D. B., Brehm, W. C., & Storen, I. (2018). The national politics of educational advocacy in the context of global governance: international funding and support for civil society engagement in Cambodia. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 48(2), 171-188.
Sen, Vicheth. (2019). Hybrid governmentality: higher education policymaking in post-conflict Cambodia. Studies in Higher Education, 44(3), 513-525. DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2017.1379985.
The State of Higher Education During Times of National Conflict: The case of Syria
Today we are speaking with Oudai Tozan, who is originally from Syria and moved to the United Kingdom in 2015 where he is now a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. The topic of our discussion today is the state of higher education in Syria before and after 2011 when the conflict started, which Oudai embeds in the context of Syrian higher education in the second half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century.
Oudai Tozan previously co-founded and managed the International Syrian Association for Education Development. He has taught courses on sociology, migration and mobility, and research methods. He recently launched the Syrian Researchers and Academics Network, UK, which aims to bring together Syrian researchers interested in working on topics related to Syria.
Show Notes:
Tozan, O. (2023). The impact of the Syrian conflict on the higher education sector in Syria: A systematic review of literature. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 4, 100221. Center for International Higher Education Webinar: The Role of Academic Diaspora in Times of Global Crisis (Youtube link) Milton, Sansom. (2019). Syrian higher education during conflict: Survival, protection, and regime security. International Journal of Educational Development, 64, 38-47. Buckner, Elizabeth. (2013). The seeds of discontent: examining youth perceptions of higher education in Syria. Comparative Education, 49(4), 440-463. DOI: 1080/03050068.2013.765643. Syrian Researchers and Academics Network - UK (SRAN-UK)Contact Information:
Oudai Tozan: Twitter SRAN-UK: TwitterDonation Resources: Aftermath of Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria:
List of resources from the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies Molham Team AHBAP Association
Internationalization in Post-Conflict Societies: Iraq and Tajikistan
Today’s episode features two guests, Dr. Hayfa Jafar and Dr. Emma Sabzalieva, who co-wrote a paper titled, “Faculty Experiences of Higher Education Internationalization in Post-conflict Iraq and Tajikistan.” Dr. Jafar is currently the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at the American University of Iraq - Sulaimani, and Dr. Sabzalieva is the Head of Research and Foresight at UNESCO’s International Institute for Higher Education. Both Dr. Jafar and Dr. Sabzalieva received their PhDs in Comparative and International Higher Education from the University of Toronto.
Show Notes:
UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC)
UNESCO IESALC’s podcast on Anchor - Perspectivas: Global talks on higher education
The Impacts of Corruption in Higher Education in Bosnia & Herzegovina
In this episode, our guest, Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, shares her perspective on the links between the conflicts of the 1990's in former Yugoslavia, the resulting political system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the impact of this political system and recent history on corruption in higher education.
Dr. Ambra Sabic-El-Rayess grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina and survived the war and genocide in the 1990's. She moved to the US in 1996 where she received her bachelors, masters, and doctorate, and she now teachers at Columbia University. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess's research focuses on the role of education in rebuilding societies. She serves as the Global Ambassador of the Congress of Bosniaks of North America. Her latest book, titled Three Summers: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing up on the Eve of the Bosnian Genocide, for middle-aged youth on her experiences growing up prior to the outbreak of the war, will be published in May, 2023.
Other books and articles by Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess:
The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
(2013). When Corruption Gets in the Way. Befriending Diaspora and EU-nionizing Bosnia’s Higher Education. European Education, 45 (2), 6-27.
(2014). Acting and Reacting: Youth’s Behavior in Corrupt Educational Settings. Peabody Journal of Education, 89 (1), 70-85.
Sources (a selection of) used to prepare for this episode:
Chapman, D. W. & Lindner, S. (2016). Degrees of integrity: the threat of corruption in higher education.
Guthrie, C., et al. (2022). Education systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Bosnia and Herzegovina. (See a diagram of the political system.)
Kreso, A. P. (2008). The War and Post-War Impact on the Educational System of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (See a diagram of the education system, p. 361.)
Global Corruption Barometer 2013. Transparency International.
Corruption Perceptions Index 2020. Transparency International.
Reading on discrimination in the Bosnian political and education systems:
Keil, S. (2021). “Equality and Inequality in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Hadžić, F. (2022). Educational segregation and discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina and critical peace: transgression of ethno-ideological utilization of youth.
Women's Empowerment in Changing Times in Saudi Arabian Higher Education
Today we are joined by Dr. Fawziah Al-bakr to discuss the changing rules, roles, and opportunities within and beyond higher education for women in Saudi Arabia, especially in light of the Saudi Vision 2030. The Vision has opened access for women to pursue degrees in different disciplines, and changes to gender segregation in the labor force mean significantly increased opportunities for women both with and without postsecondary degrees.
Dr. Fawziah Al-bakr is a professor of the Sociology of Education at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She achieved her bachelor and master degrees in Saudi Arabia and received her PhD from the University of London. Dr. Al-bakr has researched and written extensively on education and women and gender studies. In 2013, she was named as one of 125 Most Influential Women in the World by Newsweek.
Relevant Works by Dr. Albakr:
Al-bakr, F., Bruce, E. R., Davidson, P. M., Schlaffer, E., & Kropiunigg, U. (2017). Empowered but not Equal: Challenging the Traditional Gender Roles as Seen by University Students in Saudi Arabia. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 4(1), 52-66.
Wiseman, A. W. & Al-bakr, F. (2013). The elusiveness of teacher quality: A comparative analysis of teacher certification and student achievement in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. PROSPECTS, 43, 289-309.
Defining Academic Freedom in Governmental Policy in Québec, Canada
Our guest Today is Dr. Martin Maltais, professor of financing and education policies at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, where he used to be the head of the department of Education and of the School Manager's program. He is currently a member of 3 important groups of research in Québec : the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie, the Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de recherche sur l'enseignement supérieur and the Observatoire du numérique en éducation.
Proximity manager, Dr. Maltais is a key player in the development of higher education and digital policies in Québec (Canada). A member of the Québec Council on Science and Policy, he is the author of several papers and communications concerning education and higher education policies and funding as well as distance education. Over the last ten years, he was appointed at different moments in time as counsellor and/or chief of staff in the cabinet of four ministers, mainly with the responsibilities of Education, Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.
We will be discussing Bill 32, a bill that passed in Québec on June 3rd of 2022. This bill defines academic freedom for Québec universities and binds higher education institutions to protect academic freedom by the state. It is the first of its kind in Canada.
Student Movements, University Autonomy, and Neoliberal Reform
In today’s episode, we discuss the topic of university autonomy and student protests in past and present Nicaragua. Our discussion is focused on intense, at times emotional topics, and is information sensitive. We ask our listeners to be mindful of where they share this episode, and to avoid sharing it to social media platforms, for the sake of the safety of our guest.
Signs of Democratization? Online Student Protests in Uzbekistan
Today’s episode features a conversation about the development of Uzbekistan’s higher education system since a change in government in 2016, looking at the parallel trends of internationalization and democratization seen through the government’s response to student protests that occurred online in the summer of 2020.
Our guest and expert on these issues is Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva, who is originally from Uzbekistan and is currently a PhD candidate, Sessional Academic and a Learning Advisor at the Australian National University. Dilnoza is also a Fellow of UK Higher Education Academy.
Previously Dilnoza has worked as a Lecturer in Uzbekistan's higher education system. Her research focuses on internationalization in Uzbek higher education, as well as relationships between education, civil society, and democratization, topics which we’ll discuss today in the context of the question of how higher education impacts democratization, and vice versa.
She is originally from Uzbekistan, where she achieved a masters in English Linguistics from Uzbekistan State World Languages University, and later completed her second masters in International Studies at the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
UNESCO Data - Education Enrollment Rates in Uzbekistan
Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva. (2021). Student online protests in Uzbekistan: democratization of higher education as concomitant to the COVID-19 crisis? Central Asian Survey, 40(3), 382-399.
Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva. (2022). Ideological discourses in post-Soviet Uzbekistan: internationalisation of higher education as a threat. Journal of Political Ideologies, DOI: 10.1080/13569317.2022.2104996.
Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva. (2020). "Franchise" Branch Campuses in Uzbekistan: The Internationalisation of Higher Education as a Solution? Central Asian Affairs, 7 (2), 152-174.
Supporting Ukrainian Students in Norway
Today we discuss how higher education in Norway, particularly the University of Oslo, has responded to the invasion of Ukraine in terms of providing opportunities for Ukrainians to pursue higher education degrees in Norway.
Our guest is Dr. Bjørn Stensaker, who is currently the Vice-Rector at the University of Oslo, serving a 4-year term until 2025. Dr. Stensaker is also a professor of higher education organizaiton and governance, and has previously lead the Center for Learning, Innovation, and Academic Development, otherwise known as LINK.
The Impact of Conflict on Student Exchange in the Arctic Region
Today, we have two guests. First, you will hear from Runar Kliff Berg, who is working as the international student coordinator in the faculty of social sciences at Nord university in Bodø, Norway. He is offering study guidance for all students in the Nordic area, and additionally serves as a student counselor for the circumpolar studies program. Runar is set to complete his Masters of Social Sciences, majoring in International Relations, in 2023, when he is due to complete his thesis on how authoritarian regimes use hybrid warfare against liberal democracies.
Our second guest is THESIS’s very own Ekaterina Kurinskaia, known by her classmates as Katya. Katya has two bachelor degrees: one in circumpolar studies and the other in pedagogy, and a masters in European studies with an arctic focus. She is currently working on her second masters, studying higher education, at the University of Oslo.
Introduction Episode: Higher Education in Domestic and International Politics
This introductory episode sets the stage for the theme of the first season of THESIS: the role of higher education in domestic and international politics. Our guest is Dr. Peter Maassen, professor of Higher Education Studies at the University of Oslo in Norway and Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. In this first episode, Dr. Maassen provides an overview of higher education’s relationship with politics. Thanks for joining us in listening to THESIS.
THESIS Trailer
What is THESIS about, and who are the creators of THESIS? This short trailer informs the audience of the podcast's goals and aspirations, introduces the researchers and producers, and provides a brief description of the podcast's first season to be aired in the Fall of 2022.