Higher education policies and interdisciplinarity in Germany

Universities have increasingly been subjected to policy- and industry demands to produce multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge. This paper explores the extent to which different higher education policy instruments are used to promote interdisciplinarity in teaching and research at universities in the German higher education system comparing them across different federal states. Based on a manifest content analysis of higher education laws and performance agreements with universities in the 16 German states, we were able to distinguish between three types of states: Those a) with a general use of policy instruments aimed at all universities in a state, whereas considerable differences could be observed with regard to the degree of coercion (enabling versus prescriptive provisions) and scope (teaching or research), b) a directed use of policy instrument, targeting specific universities, and c) a hybrid use of policy instruments using both general and directed elements. This paper provides a novel mapping of the promotion of interdisciplinarity in German higher education policies through a variety of policy instruments and hereby contributes to the extant literature on interdisciplinarity in higher education

Nuo kolegialumo link vadybiškumo Lietuvos aukštajame moksle

In this paper we focus on the development and academics’ perceptions of managerialism in Lithuanian higher education (HE). We systematically investigate historical changes in HE governance and policies in Lithuania and conduct an analysis of data collected through the APIKS Lithuania project survey of academics at Lithuanian public universities (N=389). We find that Lithuanian HE policies shifted to a rather market-oriented paradigm. The survey results reveal that the majority of respondents perceive their university as highly managerial, which points out to high managerialism in practice in line with the policies. Based on our key findings, we discuss theoretical and practical implications.Straipsnyje nagrinėjama vadybiškumo raida Lietuvos aukštajame moksle (AM) ir suvokimas akademinėje bendruomenėje. Sistemiškai aptariami istoriniai Lietuvos AM valdymo ir politikos pokyčiai bei atlikta APIKS projekto įgyvendinimo Lietuvoje metu vykusios valstybinių universitetų akademinės bendruomenės apklausos (N = 389) duomenų analizė. Tyrimas atskleidė Lietuvos AM politikos slinktį link į rinką orientuotos paradigmos. Apklausos rezultatai parodė, kad dauguma respondentų mano universitetą esant labai orientuotą į vadybą, taigi aukštas vadybiškumo lygis praktiniu lygmeniu atitinka vykdomą AM politiką. Straipsnyje aptariami reikšmingiausi teoriniai ir praktiniai tyrimo rezultatai

Samhällets stöd i föräldraskapet : en studie utifrån föräldrautbildningar inom socialtjänsten

The aim of the present study was to investigate the kind of support society offer parents, by illuminating some of the parent education programs which are arranged by social services. By interviewing some of those who are involved in these education programs, we tried to figure out what society would like to mediate as good parenting. Our main questions was: * Why are parental education needed in society of today? * What are the purpose of the education? * For whose sake are these educations arranged, for the childrens, the parents or in public interest. * This model which you are using, what would it like to mediate as most important in good parenting. We found that the respondents all agreed that the main purpose of these educations was to improve the relationship between parents and children. However they all pointed out the fact that there are great gains in public finances to do as well

Digital ethical reflection in long-term care: Leaders’ expectations

Background - Healthcare leader support and facilitation for ethics work are of great importance for healthcare professionals’ handling of ethical issues, moral distress, and quality care provision. A digital tool for ethical reflection in long-term care was developed in response to the demand for appropriate tools. Research aim - This study aimed to explore healthcare leaders’ expectations of using a digital tool for ethical reflection among their home nursing care staff. Research design - A qualitative research design with vignettes and focus group interviews was used. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants and Research Context - The sample comprised ten healthcare leaders from municipal long-term care in Norway. Ethical Considerations - Participation was voluntary and based on informed consent. The Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research approved this study. Findings - The analysis resulted in the development of three themes representing leaders’ expectations of the tool: (i) giving staff a voice, (ii) revealing ethics in practice, and (iii) keeping the pot boiling. Discussion - Leaders must be informed about the ethical issues experienced to engage in supportive measures for their staff. Digital channels can increase the democratization, safety, and efficiency of communication between employees and leaders and increase awareness of ethical aspects in daily care work. The leaders had positive expectations of employees’ activities and benefits from using the tool for ethical reflection. However, they admitted that realizing the tool’s potential to ensure continuity in ethics work requires considerable organizational and leader involvement. Conclusions - This study shows that healthcare leaders are open to digital solutions for managing ethics work in home nursing care. Both opportunities and important prerequisites for successfully implementing the digital tool were identified

Developing and Testing Digital Ethical Reflection in Long-Term Care: Nurses’ Experiences

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Who Counts in Crises? The New Geopolitics of International Migration and Refugee Governance

Recent migration ‘crises’ raise important geopolitical questions. Who is ‘the migrant’ that contemporary politics are fixated on? How are answers to ‘who counts as a migrant’ changing? Who gets to do that counting, and under what circumstances? This forum responds to, as well as questions, the current saliency of migration by examining how categories of migration hold geopolitical significance—not only in how they are constructed and by whom, but also in how they are challenged and subverted. Furthermore, by examining how the very concepts of ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’ are used in different contexts, and for a variety of purposes, it opens up critical questions about mobility, citizenship and the nation state. Collectively, these contributions aim to demonstrate how problematising migration and its categorisation can be a tool of enquiry into other phenomena and processes

Experiences of patients undergoing chemotherapy - a qualitative study of adults attending Uganda Cancer Institute

Background: Cancer is a global public health challenge and how patients in countries with poor healthcare infrastructure experience cancer treatment is largely unknown. Purpose: The objective of this study was to describe adult Ugandan cancer patients\u2019 experiences of undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Methodology: Using a qualitative descriptive design, seven in-patients with varying cancer diagnoses at the Uganda Cancer Institute were interviewed about their experiences of undergoing chemotherapy treatment; the interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically. Results: The analysis resulted in nine subthemes, which were categorized under three main themes: \u2018experiences related to the body\u2019, with the subthemes dry and sensitive skin, changes in eating and bowel habits, fever and feelings of abnormal body sensation; \u2018thoughts and feelings\u2019, with four subthemes reflecting the psychosocial impact of chemotherapy; and \u2018actively dealing with discomfort\u2019, with three subthemes describing how patients dealt with side effects, such as by sticking to a diet. Conclusion: Receiving chemotherapy treatment is difficult, and the side effects negatively influenced patients\u2019 bodies and moods. Dealing actively with discomfort and accepting negative impacts in hope of a cure helped the participants manage the acute complications related to the treatment. We recommend the development of interventions to ease discomfort due to chemotherapy