Higher Education Project

Literature Review

Tangela Jones

Walden University

Synthesize what two or more articles have to say about your problem

Duarte et al. (2016) have focused on the need to promote change in the higher education sector with the main aim of easing the management of institutions. The benefit of promoting change has been associated with quality control. A change affects the perceptions of people and their engagements in the activities and affairs of an institution. When there is no change, defiance is promoted, and it, therefore, becomes a problem to pass any strategy that has positive effects on the institution. Students play a paramount role in an institution, and therefore, they are an essential component in an institution. When an institution implements changes that favor the students, it gets the support that it needs from the students.

The need to implement change in the higher education sector is dictated by the environment. The same people who leave institutions as graduates are the same people who become employees, employers, leaders, and innovators. It, therefore, means that there is a dire need to equip them with the skills and knowledge that are relevant to the real modern world. The fast changing environment demands the continuous implementation of changes in the higher education sector to make sure that the students who are released by the specific sector are helpful in the world of business. Institutions are also makers of some of the brightest minds in society. They should not wait for external pressure to implement change, but instead, they should usher in changes that they feel should be implemented.

Figueiró and Raufflet (2015) have looked at the topic of higher education changes from a sustainability perspective. There is a relationship between sustainability and change, and this is because when changes are made, they affect sustainability positively. Sustainability is the programs that an institution offers cannot be promoted if there are no changes. It is paramount to look into the needs of the potential students with the aim of implementing change that would favor them. The world is changing, and some of the fields that were not taken seriously a decade ago are starting to have a lot of interested professionals. The need to come up with changes that will embrace the news fields and skill is vital. By implementing the change, sustainability within higher education is promoted because the programs are changed into a way that they start embracing the diversified needs of the students.

Compare and contrast what various articles have to say about your problem

Shields (2017) has associated changes in higher education with the leadership style that is used by the leaders in place. Transformational leadership style is the style that has been identified to promote change. Transformational leadership emphasizes the need for leaders to make sure that they do not get stuck in one position for a long time. The institutions or organizations that they lead must initiate programs or strategies that help them to grow from one stage to another. Growth cannot be promoted without some changes taking place. Therefore, it means that if an organization uses a transformational leadership style, implementing change is mandatory.

Fitzgerald, Bruns, Sonka, Furco, and Swanson (2016) have also looked at the issue of change from the same perspective as Shields (2017). The authors have stated that the best implementers or ushers of change are management. Irrespective of the pressure from the students, the management has the final decision. In this respect, the management ought to make sure that changes are implemented. However, the case gets worse when the management is a promoter of the status quo.

Critically evaluate the findings from one or more articles about your problem

Neumann (2018) has concluded that there is a need to make sure that some of the diverse needs of the students are met. The author has emphasized the need to promote sustainability in the higher education sector. The best way to promote sustainability is by implementing changes in the programs that are offered. Cooking has been used as an example of a course that is taught in some universities, and the way teaching the program affects higher education positively. Embracing new programs such as cooking is promoting sustainability in the higher education sector. Hospitality is an industry that is growing rapidly, and it is playing host to customers from different parts of the world. When the higher education sector embraces programs that help to produce the best cooks and chefs in the hospitality industry, higher education promotes sustainability.

Discuss any issues relevant to your problem that have not been addressed by the research you found

The articles have focused on different areas of changes, but they have not focused on the involvement of students in making changes. Students are stakeholders in the education sector, and they should be involved in the decision making process of an institution. When they are involved, they help to advise on some of the changes that have a great impact on their studies.

References

Duarte, R., Lacerda-Nobre, Â., Ramos-Pires, A., Duarte, J., & Ribeiro, J. S. (2016). Promoting change and easing quality management into higher education institutions. VII Encontro de Investigadores da Qualidade.

Figueiró, P. S., & Raufflet, E. (2015). Sustainability in higher education: a systematic review with focus on management education. Journal of cleaner production, 106, 22-33.

Fitzgerald, H. E., Bruns, K., Sonka, S. T., Furco, A., & Swanson, L. (2016). The centrality of engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education outreach and engagement, 20(1), 223-244.

Johnson, L., Becker, S. A., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Hall, C. (2016). NMC horizon report: 2016 higher education edition (pp. 1-50). The New Media Consortium.

Lynch, K. (2015). Control by numbers: New managerialism and ranking in higher education. Critical Studies in Education, 56(2), 190-207.

Neumann, U. (2018). Cooking Courses in Higher Education: A Method to Foster Education for Sustainable Development and Promoting Sustainable Development Goals. In Handbook of Sustainability Science and Research (pp. 827-848). Springer, Cham.

Shields, C. M. (2017). Transformative leadership in education: Equitable and socially just change in an uncertain and complex world. Routledge.

Singh, N., & Saharan, T. (2018). Panoramic difference of academicians in promoting sustainable change. International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management, 6(1), 17-37.

Thompson, J. L. (2018). Adult education for a change. Routledge.

Yough, M., Herron, M., Richards, K. A., & Ware, J. A. (2015). Working with what is brought: promoting conceptual change in a course on learning. College Student Journal, 49(3), 355-368.