The European Universities Initiative (EUI), launched in 2019, fosters the development of networks of universities across Europe with the aim of enabling students to obtain a degree by combining studies in several countries and strengthening collaboration in both teaching and research, and by extension, the international competitiveness of European…

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme is a global initiative for higher education institutions around the world. Participants are expected to uphold the values of UNESCO and contribute to the development of a broader society, often beyond national boundaries. Despite the lack of financial incentives, more than 1,300 higher education institutions…

The developments of joint study programmes and their quality practice in the European Higher Education Area are studied. Such programmes are subject to the environment of institutional complexity. Guided by a multi-level approach and the institutional work framework of analysis, the research demonstrates how a particular quality practice is…

This article reports on the first results of the educational model piloted in EUTOPIA, a transnational university alliance established under the European University initiative. We discuss the theoretical underpinnings and core principles of our model which seeks to enable students, academics and societal partners to form Connected Learning…

Eco-Schools is the largest global sustainability school program, with over 59,000 schools that engage 20 million students and 1.4 million teachers across 93 countries. The program was developed in response to the needs identified at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also known as the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in…

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…

While demands on academic leadership in higher education have been increasing, there has been a lack of empirical studies exploring the effectiveness and impacts of leadership development interventions. In addition, recent studies suggest a model of leadership development based on an international approach. Unfortunately, the evaluation of those…

There are a handful of programmes in higher education that offer students a "joint" international study programme and research shows that students have certain levels of anxiety when starting studying in such graduate programmes. This study aimed to explore levels of student anxiety and investigates the prerequisite skills in order to…

This note seeks to look back at the development and implementation process of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET). It takes stock of its main achievements and how they are taken forward in the 2020 Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness…

The European Forum for Enhanced Collaboration in Teaching (EFFECT) project explored how pedagogical staff development and learning and teaching developments in general could be enhanced and supported through European-level action. EFFECT is an Erasmus+ KA3-funded project (2015-2019). It was developed by a diverse consortium of 12 partners,…

Case studies are a useful means of capturing and sharing experiential knowledge by allowing researchers to explore the social, organisational and political contexts of a specific case. Although accounts of action learning are often reported using a case study approach, it is not common to see individual case studies being used as a learning…

Webster University is classified as a large masters granting private not-for-profit university. The institution has a home or a central hub campus in the Midwestern United States and enrolls approximately 9,700 students. The university exists on four continents with actual campus locations as well as affiliated partner campuses. Students attend…

Almost two years into the pandemic, its widespread impact continues to deepen, increasing poverty and entrenching inequality. While some countries are recovering and rebuilding in a 'new normal', for too many, COVID-19 remains a catastrophe. The unequal rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is putting entire communities at risk. And as new variants…

This paper examines digital inclusion and equity in international higher education with particular focus on Global South-North Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Practice examples, bringing together students and academics in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK, are used to consider how COIL is being integrated into higher education…

This volume includes four sections of the 2023 NORDSCI international conference proceedings: (1) Business and Management; (2) Education and Educational Research; (3) Political Science; and (4) Sociology and Healthcare. Business and Management includes 6 papers covering business, including management and organizational studies, business law, and…