This book examines practice in the field as institutions struggled to face the worst global pandemic in the last century. The presents various perspectives from educators around the world to illustrate the struggles and triumphs of those facing new challenges and implementing new ideas to empower the educational process.

This book focuses on the complex relationship between education and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights how important context is for both critiquing and achieving the Goals though education, given the critical role teachers, schools and curriculum play in young people’s lives. Readers will find examples of thinking and practice across the spectrum of education and training sectors, both formal and informal. The book adds to the increasing body of literature that recognises that education is, and must be, in its praxis, at the heart of all the SDGs. As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, we have a clear understanding of the wicked and complex crises regarding the health of life on our planet, and we cannot ignore the high levels of anxiety our young people are experiencing about their future. Continuing in the direction of unsustainable exploitation of people and nature is no longer an option if life is to have a flourishing future.

We are currently witnessing a significant transformation in the development of education on all levels and especially in post-secondary education. To face these challenges, higher education must find innovative and effective ways to respond in a proper way. The pandemic period left us with profound changes in the way we teach and learn, including the massive use of new means of communication, such as videoconferencing and other technological tools. Moreover, the current explosion of artificial intelligence tools, mainly used by students, is challenging teaching practices maintained for centuries. Scientifically based statements as well as excellent best practice examples are absolutely necessary.The 26th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL2023), which will take place in Madrid, Spain, between 26th and 30th September 2023, will be the perfect place where to present and discuss current trends in Higher Education.

Creating, Sustaining, and Enhancing Purposeful School-University Partnerships: Building Connections Across Diverse Educational Settings explores third space school-university partnerships that are connected to initial and ongoing teacher education, adding to an important literature base with a focus on how these partnerships can be created, sustained, and enhanced, why they are important, and who they can benefit. Emeritus Professor Kenneth M. Zeichner, author of a seminal work on the third space in teacher education, provides a preface for this edited book that brings together examples of purposeful school-university partnerships authored by academics and practitioners in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, the United States of America, Nepal, and Bhutan. This international cohort of contributing authors explores the life cycles and phases of school-university partnerships, the factors that enable and constrain them, and the effects they have on those involved through case studies, narrative vignettes, action research, and longitudinal research. The accounts shared throughout this book are thoughtful contributions to an expanding body of knowledge delving into the significance and importance of meaningful collaborations that build connections across all aspects of education.

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic. The Handbook focuses on a comprehensive set of central areas of study in higher education that encompasses the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international higher education community. Each annual volume contains chapters on current important issues pertaining to college students and faculty, organization and administration, curriculum and instruction, policy, diversity issues, economics and finance, history and philosophy, community colleges, advances in research methodology and other key aspects of higher education administration. The series is fortunate to have attracted annual contributions from distinguished scholars throughout the world.

This book assists research students, supervisors, practitioners, and associated others to successfully navigate their research journey by highlighting research student experiences leading to student success. It reveals the research journey through an auto-ethnographic study based on the research student’s narratives accompanied by digital artifacts. It also includes commentary from the perspective of a researcher development specialist who assisted this researcher throughout this journey. This book provides insights into research journeys through layered accounts and meanings, which include the first author’s life events spanning almost two decades alongside higher education pursuits. It presents the perspective of a K-12 teacher-researcher moving into higher education in her local university, who is a Southeast Asian female international student embarking on her second-chance degree in a predominantly Australian learning environment/culture. Accompanying this is the perspective of a research training and development professional who has also undertaken higher degree by research studies.