Navigating New Horizons: Inaugural Words from the Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

<p>In our second issue of 2023, we are delighted to showcase eight articles that bring together diverse multidisciplinary perspectives on education. In the first article, Maunumäki Maunula and Harju-Luukkainen investigate the role of summative assessment feedback in shaping the agency of higher education students, addressing a research gap in understanding how students perceive their agency within teacher-centred feedback practices. Minna, Minna and Harju-Luukkainen, in the second article, explore the significance of online assessment from the perspective of academic adult students and examine how they interpret various assessment feedback. Looking more broadly at issues relating to curriculum, Mishra explores teachers' perceptions and conceptual understanding of the local curriculum, its importance, and the development process in the context of school education in Nepal. With a focus on international students’ intercultural adjustments during the period of the pandemic, Veliz and Marandi explore the lived multilingual and multicultural experiences of two international students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The study, conducted over two years using ethnographic research methods, critically examines how the students navigated intercultural encounters and sought to enhance their intercultural awareness and competence despite the limitations imposed by lockdowns and social-distancing measures. Looking also at the centrality of individuals’ lived experiences, Tallef, Espinoza and Ollive present a case study that delves into the lived experiences of three faculty members, each from different disciplines, who participated in an experiential viiundergraduate nursing study abroad (SA) course. The study aims to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the personal and professional transformative effects of multidisciplinary faculty involvement in SA. In the article ‘Emotional Difficulties: Racial Representation in Swiss International Higher Education’, Hernandez showcased the influence of emotions related to racial representation, highlighting emotional challenges associated with depictions of diversity. Miller and Nadler stress on the role of student governments in shaping democratic habits among students, particularly through the act of voting. The study references a 2012 study conducted in the United States that highlighted the low voter turnout in student government elections. The last article in this issue is by Toquero whose main tenet in the study revolves around the underrepresentation and unequal treatment of women in the scientific community, attributing it to a rigid research culture and insufficient academic support.</p>