Research into Higher Education

Research into the Higher Education Community revolves around two vital pillars: supporting practice research and sharing best practices. We encourage the application of evidence-informed practices within teaching activities, transforming classrooms into laboratories for innovation and growth. By providing the tools and support needed, we enable educators to make data-driven decisions and continually enhance the student learning experience.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing are at the core of our community. We serve as a dynamic hub for the exchange of ideas and insights among university teachers and educational professionals. This CoP collectively supports three PhD students and their research within the field of graduate employability, the well-being of academic staff and students, and the professionalization of online/blended/hybrid education.

PhD projects supported by TAG & CoP Research into Higher Education

TAG supports three PhD students, who are supervised by core members of the CoP Research into Higher Education. Bi-monthly, the students meet with the CoP to elaborate on their progress and challenges. Explore the three PhD pieces of research we support below.

Academic Practice and Labor Market Entry - Helena Barachino

Helena Barachino about her PhD project on Academic Practice and Labor Market Entry

"My project focuses on analyzing strategies employed by higher education institutions to enhance the labor market success of their graduates. To better understand the concept of graduate employability, we conducted an extensive literature review. The resulting paper presents a conceptual framework that demonstrates the dynamic nature of graduate employability, taking into account the factors that contribute to its evolution. Our articles explains that higher education alone has limited power in determining graduate employability. In addition, we conducted a systematic literature review on interventions in higher education aimed at enhancing graduate employability. Our findings highlight the significant impact of the dynamic nature of the graduate employability concept, as previously identified.

Moving forward, our next phase involves conducting a comprehensive analysis of student cohorts during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are investigating the effects of pandemic-related restrictions on both educational and labor market outcomes. By comparing various cohorts, we aim to evaluate the impact of the pandemic and the modified teaching methods implemented during lockdown periods."

Supervisors: Viktor Venhorst (FSS), Jouke van Dijk (FSS), Anneke Timmersmans (GION).

Well-being of students and staff - Piermarco Consiglio

Piermarco Consiglio about his PhD project on the well-being of students and staff:

"My project focuses on the well-being of academic staff and students. This year, I finished working on a validation of an instrument aimed at assessing burnout symptoms among international and Dutch students. I also clarified my ideas on what to investigate next. We decided to work on identifying different groups of students who differ in the configurations of burnout symptoms. This allows us to identify the profiles of students most at risk of experiencing burnout complaints, which is important because different groups of students may require different types of interventions depending on their risk of experiencing burnout symptoms.

After the summer holidays, I will start a second data collection to assess what is the most important thing the university could do to improve students' well-being and mental health. Our findings will be valuable for university administrators and academic educators to learn what students need in Dutch higher education to better support their well-being."

Supervisors: Joke Fleer (UMCG), Ellen Jansen (GION), Marion Fokkens (GION)

Professionalizing Online/Blended/Hybrid Education - Ha Nguyen

Ha Nguyen about her PhD project on professionalizing online/blended/hybrid education

"My project focuses on the well-being of academic staff and students. This year I finished working on a validation of an instrument aimed at assessing burnout symptoms among international and Dutch students. I also clarified my ideas on what to investigate next. We decided to work on identifying different groups of students who differ in the configurations of burnout symptoms. This allows us to identify the profiles of students most at risk of experiencing burnout complaints, which is important because different groups of students may require different types of interventions depending on their risk of experiencing burnout symptoms.

Supervisors: Hanke Korpershoek (GION), Jan-Willem Strijbos (GION, Jolien Mouw (GION), Angeliki Mali (FSE)

Join the community of PhD students researching higher education

Are you a PhD student at the UG/UMCG working on a topic related to higher education? Are you interested in sharing your experience with your peers?

You are welcome to join our meetings for extended community members. Twice a year, CoP Research into Higher Education hosts a gathering for interested PhD students from the whole UG. It is an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and seek advice from experienced colleagues.

If you are interested in joining, please email us at tag rug.nl.

Carole Fuller — **Prof. Dr. Hanke Korpershoek**

Chair of the CoP research into Higher Education: Prof. Dr. Hanke Korpershoek

Prof. Dr. Korpershoek is an Adjunct Professor of Educational Sciences, in particular educational innovation and school improvement.

She serves as a chair of the Onderwijswetenschappen research board at GION and a member/secretary of the VOR Division of Education & Society (including OOMO). She is a member of the Kennisbenuttingsraad NRO and the Advisory Committee for the R&D Program on Educational Disadvantage Policy.

More information & participation
Do you have a question or would you like to actively participate in this community? Please contact us at tag rug.nl

Last modified:

18 October 2023 5.34 p.m.

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