Abdulai Abukari

Delivering higher education to meet local needs in a developing context: the quality dilemmas?

Purpose – Higher education is increasingly being scrutinised and discourse centred on its usefulness to stakeholders. In 1992, the University for Development Studies (UDS) was established in Northern Ghana with a mission to engage with local communities to develop the area. This paper aims to understand the quality perspective of the university within the contexts of the needs of its catchment community and quality requirements of other stakeholders guided by issues arising from the questions of who really should define quality, in what context, for whose benefit, and with whose resources.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a qualitative approach using semi‐structured interviews, documentary and artefacts to generate data from the UDS.Findings – Although donors play a crucial role in ensuring quality, the findings suggest that the basis for any effective quality should move beyond the traditional precepts to make it reflect local needs and realities within an international context guided by effe...

The impact of work-based research projects at postgraduate level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of work-based research projects at postgraduate level. The focus of this paper is to measure the impact of masters- and doctoral-level work-based projects which was the specific contribution of one group of researchers to the Nixon et al.’s (2008) study. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on data generated as part of a wider study that examines the impact of work-based learning projects across undergraduate through to doctoral level from the perspective of employers and from the employees perspective. The research study is based on a sample of alumni who had graduated from work-based masters and professional doctorate programmes and their corresponding employers in a UK higher education institution. Findings At masters and doctorate level the work-based project can often make an impact on the work context and also have a developmental effect on the employee who becomes a practitioner-researcher to undertake the project. Originality/va...

Education of Women in Islam: A Critical Islamic Interpretation of the Quran

Abstract In Islam, knowledge, its acquisition and application is a fundamental requirement for all Muslims to enable them to believe, think, and act according to the principles of the religion. However, differences in style of interpretation of the Qur’an have led to text being interpreted against its own fundamental worldview; an example is the recent attempted assassination of a Pakistani girl for advocating female education. Based on analysis of selected verses, this article argues that the worldview of the Qur’an places importance on gaining knowledge of different kinds to fulfill divine requirements as well as all forms of human endeavor.

Pedagogical beliefs in work-based learning: an analysis and implications of teachers’ belief orientations

This paper presents findings of a research project that aimed to critically examine the pedagogical beliefs of work-based learning teachers, and their potential implication on practice and expectations of learners and employers. Based on an online tool, qualitative and quantitative (descriptive) data were generated from a purposive sample of some 120 academics working in the sector across the United Kingdom. Two pedagogical belief orientations emerged: ‘pedagogical belief A’ – transfer of professional/working knowledge; and ‘pedagogical belief B’ – facilitating learning and developing reflective practice. The paper argues that the ability of work-based learning teachers to look beyond their own beliefs and understanding of teaching to more strategically blended and shared understanding would be important to ensure that while teaching and learning meet academic quality standards, student learning experiences would meet expectations at the workplace.