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Abstract: Higher education institutions face growing pressure to demonstrate excellence and strategic alignment in quality assurance, particularly to meet international accreditation standards. This paper presents a case study of a business faculty that undertook a leadership-driven initiative to develop a comprehensive Quality Manual aimed at continuous improvement and accreditation readiness. The project was structured as a multi-phase, collaborative effort involving broad stakeholder engagement, benchmarking of best practices, and alignment with international accreditation frameworks and the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), as well as relevant national quality assurance requirements. The resulting Quality Manual provides a unified framework for quality assurance (QA) across all key areas—governance, academic programmes, research, student support, partnerships—linking institutional strategy to daily processes. Key outcomes of the case include clarified roles and procedures, integrated feedback loops, and enhanced readiness for accreditation. The development process highlighted the critical role of educational leadership in fostering a quality culture; by engaging faculty, staff, students, and external partners, the leadership built shared ownership of QA goals. The study is guided by two research questions: (1) How can collaborative and distributed leadership support the development of a strategically aligned Quality Manual at the faculty level? (2) How does the process of designing and implementing a Quality Manual contribute to strengthening internal QA and fostering a quality culture? The study discusses challenges and lessons learned in leading such change, emphasising the importance of stakeholder collaboration, strategic alignment, and change management. The findings contribute theoretically by illustrating how faculty-level leadership operationalizes QA frameworks into concrete institutional tools, and practically by offering a structured model for developing a strategic Quality Manual in higher education.
Keywords: educational leadership, quality assurance, strategic alignment, accreditation, higher education, quality culture, stakeholder engagement
Published in DKUM: 23.12.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: This study investigates artificial intelligence (AI) literacy among university students from Slovenia, Croatia, and India, focusing on variations in their understanding of AI concepts and applications across different educational systems. The sample comprised 471 students from the business studies programmes in Slovenia, Croatia and India. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire, and statistical analyses utilized descriptive statistics and independent samples proportions to identify significant differences in AI literacy levels across the three countries. The findings reveal substantial disparities in AI literacy. Croatian students demonstrated foundational and practical knowledge of AI, reflecting well-developed educational frameworks. Indian students excelled in interdisciplinary and applied aspects of AI, though their understanding of theoretical concepts revealed notable gaps. Slovenian students showed the greatest need for improvement, particularly in foundational knowledge, practical applications, and ethical considerations. The results also highlight universal challenges, such as gaps in understanding AI’s ethical and legal implications, underscoring the need for all educational systems to incorporate discussions on accountability and societal impacts into their curricula. These findings offer actionable recommendations for educational policy and curriculum design to enhance AI literacy globally and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of an AI-driven world. This study contributes to the literature by enhancing the understanding of how AI literacy manifests across diverse educational systems, providing comparative insights to support globally relevant curriculum development and digital skills advancement.
Keywords: AI literacy, students, higher education, artificial intelligence
Published in DKUM: 05.11.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
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Abstract: This study examines the use of digitalized educational solutions among students in higher education institutions (HEIs). Drawing upon theories of technology, digitalization, and education, we analyze the suitability of different digitalization solutions for students in HEIs. Educational organizations that apply different digitalized technologies provide customizable platforms for authoring and disseminating multimedia-rich e-education and smart education. However, pedagogical practices indicate several gaps between the level of HEI digitalization achieved and its suitability for HEI participants. Thus, we analyze the state of various digitalized technologies in HEIs and their suitability for meeting students’ expectations. The results of our research show that students most highly rate modern educational methods such as practical learning supported by access to digitized materials via websites, social networks, and smartphones while assigning a lower rating to the use of classic education, supported by digital textbooks and traditional technologies such as Skype, Zoom, podcasts, and online videos. This study has several theoretical implications, among which is the need to further develop highly digitized materials and purpose-designed digitized solutions for individual areas and specific educational purposes. The practical implications indicate the need to expand the use of website networks, smartphones, and smart table solutions in modern educational practices in HEIs.
Keywords: digitalization, education, educational technologies, higher education institutions, students
Published in DKUM: 29.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 11
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Abstract: Background/purpose: This study examines the relationship between students’ cybersecurity vulnerability behavior and e-learning obstacles. With the rapid growth of online education, ensuring the security and privacy of digital platforms has become crucial. In this background, the current study is a first-of-its-kind attempt to understand the relationship between these two variables in the background of higher educational institutions in Iraq. Methods: For this study, the researchers collected data during 2023 from students aged between 19 and 25 enrolled in the University of Karbala, Iraq, using a semi-structured research questionnaire, who were selected through a random sampling method. The questionnaire comprised questions pertaining to the dimensions of both the dependent and the independent variable. A total of 350 valid responses were considered for the analysis in which PLS-SEM was conducted. Results: The outcomes revealed that the professional and human obstacles have a high association with cybersecurity vulnerability behavior. The study also found that the overall obstacles have a significant effect on the cybersecurity vulnerability behavior. All hypotheses were verified and the outcomes confirm that there is an effective relationship between cybersecurity vulnerability behavior and e-learning obstacles Conclusion: Based on the study outcomes, the authors proposed a few recommendations for all the stakeholders of the e-learning process, such as ducational institutions, governments, faculty members, students, and their parents. Though the current study has been confined to a single university in Iraq, future researchers can focus on expanding the study to other higher educational institutions so that a nationwide policy-level initiative can be brought based on the research evidence.
Keywords: cybersecurity vulnerability behavior, e-learning obstacles, higher education, PLS-SEM, student motivation, learning behaviour
Published in DKUM: 06.08.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 3
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Abstract: The aim of our study was to explore the connection between improvisation and flow. Data were collected from 252 tertiary music students from Slovenia and Croatia (121 male and 131 female musicians), who filled in The Questionnaire on Attitudes to Music Improvisation, The Inventory on Feelings associated with Music Improvisation, and the Work-related Flow Inventory. The results show that the female students have significantly more negative feelings and attitudes toward improvisation, and they experience less flow while improvising. Differences were even more pronounced when comparing students who only played classical music with those who played other genres, as well. Regression analysis showed that we can explain 71% of the variance in flow with attitudes toward improvisation.
Keywords: attitudes, flow, higher music education, improvisation, music students
Published in DKUM: 25.07.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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