TOPIC A: GENDER INEQUALITY IN ACADEMIA
Morley (2013) in Women and Higher education leadership absences and aspirations
1. encourage more women to enter leadership positions in universities.
2. reviews international and diverse theoretical frameworks to examine factors that may drive or
depress women’s aspirations and career orientations: gendered divisions of labour, gender bias
and misrecognition, management and masculinity, greedy organisations, and work/life balance
challenges.
3. Gender and generation also need to be considered as there is evidence that substantial
generational differences between older and younger women confidence in seizing
opportunities
4. Two measures to address gender inequality in higher education:
 Mentoring and sponsorship: mentorship is useful because women are less likely to have
mentors who advance and promote them (self-confidence). Sponsorship makes sure
their mentees get visibility and are considered for future opportunities.
 Positive actions: flexible cascade model to recruitment; financial incentives for hiring
women; gender specific competitions; as well as gender specific positions.
 Change stereotype (social and cultural patterns of behaviour of woman and man): to
eliminate prejudices, customs and all other practices based on stereotypes roles.
O’Connor, M. M., (2018) in Gender equality taskforce action plan 2018 – 2020
1. Believe that gender inequality exists because of systemic and cultural barriers which have
solidified over time.
2. Support positive actions: could be utilised in an Irish higher education context to achieve rapid
and sustainable change, should be seriously considered.
3. Support through additional funding program
Monroe, K. et al. (2008) in Gender Equality in Academia: Bad News from the Trenches, and Some
Possible Solutions
1. Gender discrimination still exist in differences in employment status (called devaluation
process)
2. Inequality based on traditional, linear male model, unbalance between work and life
3. Three measures:
 Changing stereotype of male. The concept of professional success needs to be redefined
 Specific policies (tenure and allow maternity and family leave time)
 Institute career partner-hiring policies. Higher education partner is also professor
 Comprehensive and reconceptualized mentoring program to relieve stress, unbalance
work/life
TOPIC B: ONLINE EDUCATION
Dodgson, M. et al. (2017) in Artificial intelligence will transform universities
1. Believe AI is a new scientific infrastructure for research and learning that universities will need
to embrace and lead, otherwise they will become increasingly irrelevant and eventually
redundant.
2. Universities are drivers of disruptive technological change, their duty to reflect on their broader
social role and create opportunities that will make society resilient the disruption through:
3. Negative impact of online education:
 distract students’ attention they may use their laptop, iPad or any electronic equipment
to play games or chat with others. (bad at self-control)
 lack the opportunities to play and communicate with their classmates and teachers. It is
not good for them to cultivate their interpersonal skills. (Isolation students and
teachers)
 Internet speed, communication equipment and other limitations. It would be very
unfair to the party that lacks the equipment to develop online education in a big way.
 Easily feel tired after a long virtual conference and it is not good for their health
 Not able to create social network, soft skills when graduates
4. Education is only one reason why students decide to attend a university. Other reasons include
socializing (think of the things that you did in your freshman year, and spend your subsequent
years trying to forget), gaining life experiences, and building a professional network. These
functions are unlikely to be taken over by online distance learning providers
Kaplan, A and M. Haenlein (2016) in Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs,
social media, and the Cookie Monster
1. Cannot replace by online education. Look at the music industry, for example. Although mp3s
have largely replaced the traditional CD, live concerts are still important, potentially even more
than they used to be. Watching a star such as Britney Spears (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2012) live on
stage will always be better than seeing her on YouTube–—and the same will be true for online
distance learning
2. Using AI in marking scores, giving basic recommendations but not for complex emotional tests
like writing. EX: USA universities AI programme feedback tutor, online work group, lectures,
tutorial...
TOPIC C: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Levi, L. and Bo, R. (2018) in universities must lead on sustainable development goals
1. Believes that students can be encouraged to be willing to volunteer to dedicate to sustainability
2. Universities achieve these SDGs through research, teaching, community engagement…
 encourage cars in universities to change into electrical cars and reduce the use of fossil
fuel to contribute to the carbon neutral university.
 encourage the agriculture students to help the local or indigent place people to
contribute to eliminate the famine.
 encourage students to think about problems from different aspects about sustainability
not only efficiency
SDG Accord report (2018)
1. play a unique role in producing new knowledge and innovation to address global challenges
and providing evidence for informed public policy.
2. Universities develop generations of new leaders and skilled professionals who will drive social
and economic development.
3. Universities work with a rich variety of stakeholders including governments, the private sector
and civil society, to contribute towards local, national, and global impact
Filho et. al (2019) in Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling
behind or getting ahead of the pack?
1. Believe benefits of universities engaging with SDGs are in large measure, related to the impact
that this will have on global society
2. Universities have a moral duty to contribute to the society with benefits to the institution, staff,
and students.
3. If universities play a leading educative role in this agenda, then SDGs are more likely to be
achieved, particularly as higher education underpins the development targets
4. Ways to promote in universities:
 Include SDGs into all undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as graduate research
training.
 Deliver training on SDGs to all curriculum developers, course coordinators and
professors.
 Offer executive education and capacity building courses for external stakeholders
based on SDGs.
 Defend the implementation of national and public education policies that support
education for SDGs.
 Involve students in the co-creation of learning environments that sustain learning on
SDGs.
 Develop courses directed to real-world collaborative projects for change.