The IJHE provides an important platform for the development of theory, the addressing of policy questions, and the dissemination of innovative practice in the field of tertiary education, specifically widening participation and lifelong learning. A strength of the IJHE journal is its global reach featuring 17 research articles in this issue from Iraq, Qatar, Canada, Palestine, South Africa, Kuwait, Zimbabwe, China, the USA and Thailand. The articles cover a range of themes including distance learning tools and strategies adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, features of management structures, and effective teaching and learning processes.