Despite a growing body of literature on women in leadership, few studies have empirically investigated the leadership and management experiences of female academic heads of department. It is against this background that this study investigated the experiences of these women in universities in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The position of women in higher education in these countries, together with the status of their representation in senior positions in the academe and obstacles to their advancement into such positions was reviewed. The study was carried out within the framework of a cross-sectional survey research design employing both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) data collection methods. The study consisted of thirty two female participants who were either currently or previously heads of academic departments in universities. For the interview a separate group of nine female academic heads of department, from the same universities as the participants in the survey, were selected. Purposeful sampling was used to select all the participants. A structured, pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from one group of twenty three female participants with a minimum of two years' experience in the position. A video conference focus group interview was used to obtain in-depth (qualitative) information on a number of selected issues. The quantitative data was analysed using a relevant statistical package. Key-findings from both survey and interviews were then co-ordinated. The major findings indicated that, apart from lack of mentorship and formal preparation for the position, the women did not experience any major obstacles prior to becoming head of department. The women were confident about several skills related to managing an academic department. They were not certain, however, about stress management, delegation and entrepreneurial skills. Leadership style tended toward 'interactive leadership' which is considered appropriate for today's leadership in organisations. The findings suggested that institutional and other barriers to women's advancement still exist, and that the challenges and demands women experience may be a source of stress and tension for them. Recommendations, using these findings, were made for aspiring women managers, for institutions, for policy makers and for future research. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

"March 2002." / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-277). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Educational Administration) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Refer to the document

Despite a growing body of literature on women in leadership, few studies have empirically investigated the leadership and management experiences of female academic heads of department. It is against this background that this study investigated the experiences of these women in universities in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The position of women in higher education in these countries, together with the status of their representation in senior positions in the academe and obstacles to their advancement into such positions was reviewed. The study was carried out within the framework of a cross-sectional survey research design employing both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) data collection methods. The study consisted of thirty two female participants who were either currently or previously heads of academic departments in universities. For the interview a separate group of nine female academic heads of department, from the same universities as the participants in the survey, were selected. Purposeful sampling was used to select all the participants. A structured, pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from one group of twenty three female participants with a minimum of two years' experience in the position. A video conference focus group interview was used to obtain in-depth (qualitative) information on a number of selected issues. The quantitative data was analysed using a relevant statistical package. Key-findings from both survey and interviews were then co-ordinated. The major findings indicated that, apart from lack of mentorship and formal preparation for the position, the women did not experience any major obstacles prior to becoming head of department. The women were confident about several skills related to managing an academic department. They were not certain, however, about stress management, delegation and entrepreneurial skills. Leadership style tended toward 'interactive leadership' which is considered appropriate for today's leadership in organisations. The findings suggested that institutional and other barriers to women's advancement still exist, and that the challenges and demands women experience may be a source of stress and tension for them. Recommendations, using these findings, were made for aspiring women managers, for institutions, for policy makers and for future research. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master's Degree in Information and Communication Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Research has become one of the major activities of higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Increasingly important is research information that emanates from the published research as it has now become one of the major sources of funding especially within the South African higher education landscape. However, many HEIs are facing numerous problems managing research information to sustain and attract more funding. The lack of resources to build or acquire appropriate systems for managing research information has been identified as one of the major challenges in HEIs. However, recent studies show that advancements have been made in some countries to address the challenge. For instance, in South Africa, a proprietary research information management system (RIMS) has been implemented in some HEIs. Nevertheless, some HEIs still face problems regarding the use of RIMS. Studies further show that most proprietary systems do not adequately satisfy requirements as desired by the HEIs. This is mostly because proprietary systems are developed without fully understanding the user requirements of individual HEIs. Moreover, most proprietary systems are developed following ad hoc approaches which neglect the requirements specification stage in the development life cycle. Requirements specification is important as it brings developers and users to a common understanding about the requirements of the system before development. The initial lack of consensus about system requirements results in systems that have technical barriers which make users shun from using them. For instance, such systems do not adapt very well to devices with small screens such as mobile phones, and do not have attractive interfaces to make users want to use them. Proprietary systems are also costly to acquire and maintain. Moreover, HEIs may not be able to immediately implement the new desired features in the system because proprietary systems usually do not allow them access to the source code. This study develops a web-based research administration and management system (RAMS) as a proposed solution to the problems of using a proprietary system to manage research information at a South African higher education institution. The study emphasises the use of formal methods for requirements specification to build an optimal system. Consequently, the Zermelo-Fraenkel Z specification language was used to specify the requirements of the proposed system which was developed in close collaboration with the intended users who also assessed its usability. The system evaluation responses were made on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The overall results of the evaluation show that RAMS is usable and suitable for managing research information, nonetheless improvements are recommended. / M

This study describes and implements a necessary preliminary strategic planning procedure, the Internal Environmental Scanning (IES), and discusses its relevance to strategic planning and university-sponsored lifelong learning program model selection. Employing a qualitative research methodology, a proposed lifelong learning-centric IES process based on Bryson's (2004) strategic planning model was tested at a large public university in the American Southwest with the intention of both refining the IES process for general use in the field as well as providing a set of useable reference documents for strategic planners at that university. The prototype lifelong learning IES process as tested proved to be highly effective in identifying and categorizing previously unrecognized lifelong learning programming and organizational structures and, was reasonably efficient in process execution. Lessons learned from the application of the prototype lifelong learning IES procedure led to the development of a revised scanning procedure. This revised procedure is considered more reliable and can be accomplished by a single investigator in as little as 35 production hours, providing a detailed snapshot of the total university lifelong learning system and a point of departure for the larger strategic planning effort.

This dissertation explores the experiences of nineteen individuals assigned to six collaborative Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) development teams across four university sites. Based on an analysis of these semi-structured interviews and process artifacts, findings reveal that collaborative MOOC development teams are composed of members with cross-campus affiliations who possess distinct knowledge, skills, and attitudes that—when combined with specific resources—facilitate the interdependence needed to effectively collaborate on MOOC curriculum. This research suggests that process behaviors that cultivate empathy and expedite trust among members positively mediate states that emerge from the diversity of power and affiliations commonly found on MOOC teams. Further, these process behaviors and emergent states are found to have an impact beyond the MOOC itself, on faculty behaviors in the classroom, staff behaviors with regards to future curriculum collaborations, and institutional acceptance and promotion of cross-campus collaborations with regards to online learning and collaborative curriculum development. While existing MOOC research has focused on the historical, pedagogical, and technical aspects of MOOC curriculum development, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of how MOOC teams effectively collaborate to develop curriculum that leverages existing scholarship. This research therefore has implications for advancing scholarship on effective teams, collaborative curriculum design, online learning, and MOOCs, as well as informing practical recommendations for stakeholders engaged in strategically composing and working within collaborative curriculum development teams.

Leadership is a problematic topic at universities and it is therefore difficult to isolate a leadership theory that is applicable to Heads of Department (HODs). The manner in which HODs construe their leadership roles is the focus of this research project and the study is conducted from a constructivist perspective The university context in which HODs lead is explored in the literature overview. Definitions of leadership, general leadership theories and leadership issues in academe are investigated. The research findings are integrated into a leadership model for HODs, consisting of constructs (leadership behaviours, actions and values) and elements (leadership situations). The following contributions are made by the study: * The variety roles an HOD has to fulfil is confirmed by the study. However, this study indicates that leadership is interwoven with everything an HOD undertakes. * HODs construct their roles uniquely, but in general terms most HODs consider academic and scholarly work (own and that of the department) as part of the leadership role they fulfil. Leadership at HOD level at university incorporates both managerial and leadership ideas. * HODs consider their leadership environment to have qualities of the following known university environments: collegial, enterprise, bureaucratic and corporate. * This study identifies eight leadership themes with reference to the leadership role of an HOD at university; providing academic guidance, being a figurehead, determining the strategy and positioning the department, liaising with internal and external stakeholders, being a change agent, being a general manager, and being involved in student and staff relations. The following leadership themes can be added to the current body of literature: being a figurehead, own scholarly profile, as well as being involved in staff and student relations. Leadership at academic departments is at the heart of everything in which an HOD is involved. Leadership is thus becoming indispensable at academic departments at university. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology) / D. Com. (Consulting Psychology)

This study explores the strategic thinking and strategic planning efforts in a department, college and university in the southeastern United States. The goal of the study was to identify elements of strategic planning processes that meet the unique organizational features and complexities of a higher education institution. The study employed a holistic, multi-case study approach, wherein three single case studies were conducted with one unit of analysis. The findings in each case were then compared and contrasted to provide more evidence and confidence in the findings. The findings are framed by two constructs : strategic planning and strategic thinking. The conceptual framework for the study identified the distinction between the systematic nature of strategic planning and the more integrated perspective of strategic thinking. Traditional business based strategic planning model uses an analytical process, logic, linear thinking and a calculating process to develop a plan. Strategi c thinking places a premium on synthesis, systems thinking and a social cognitive process that results in an integrated perspective of the organization. The resluts of this study indicate that the use of the Strategic Thinking Protocolà is suitable for higher education organizations to create a learning environment, to implement creative and emergent strategies, that result in the organization's positioning and responses to a rapidly changing environment. The strategic thinking process in both the department and college cases were found to be effective in altering the attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors of the participants. The integration of the plan is an ongoing process with strong beginnings in both the department and college cases. / The traditional strategic planning process used in the university case was found not to be an effective model for higher education organizations. Finally, the inclusion of strategic thinking elements is an effective change model for higher education institutions. / by Deborah J. Robinson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

According to higher education preparation standards, students who complete master’s preparation programs in student affairs should not only be acquiring skills and knowledge, they should be socialized into the field of student affairs Master’s level preparation programs in college student personnel or higher education leadership are often coupled with a graduate assistantship so that students are able to obtain valuable theory-to-practice experience This additional experience becomes complementary to the work the graduate student is doing in the classroom and thus becomes a practical learning opportunity After completing a preparation program, a former master’s student will most likely move into an entry-level position in student affairs, such as residence hall director, student activities coordinator, judicial affairs coordinator, or a fraternity/sorority coordinator However, despite this common career pathway, there has been limited research regarding the role a student affairs graduate assistantship plays in assisting students in their socialization and transition into the field and how this prepares these new student affairs professionals for their first position post-master’s degree Thirteen new professionals in student affairs who graduated from two preparation programs in the southeastern region of the United States participated in this basic interpretive qualitative study The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine and describe the experience of new student affairs professionals who held a graduate assistantship in student affairs during their graduate preparation program and the role, if any, the graduate assistantship played in their perceptions of preparedness Based on the findings of this study, the graduate assistantship in student affairs indeed plays a role in the perceptions of preparedness of these new professionals The overarching themes that emerged using Schlossberg’s (1984) transition theory as the analytical lens were mentorship, hands-on experience, peer interactions, and financial enticement The findings from this study align with and expand upon the existing student affairs literature, and provide awareness to student affairs practitioners and higher education leadership faculty on how to best support new professionals as they transition into the field of student affairs / Includes bibliography / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection