Boundary‐Spanning and Sustainability in the Digital Higher Education Space
A Case Study of Anadolu University
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21592639 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Metin Özdemir (0000-0003-2041-211X, Department of Educational Sciences Anadolu University Eskişehir Türkiye), Fatma Kesik (0000-0003-2267-8368, Department of Educational Sciences İstanbul University‐Cerrahpaşa İstanbul Türkiye), Baris Uslu (0000-0001-5941-1507, Department of Educational Sciences Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Çanakkale Türkiye), Ahmet Aypay (0000-0003-0568-8409, Graduate School of Education Nazarbayev University Astana Kazakhstan, corresponding author), Alper Çalıkoğlu (0000-0002-7526-3740, Graduate School of Education Nazarbayev University Astana Kazakhstan) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Higher Education Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5224 • E-ISSN: 1468-2273 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/hequ.12588 |
| OpenAlex | W4404578795 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 45 |
This research explores how boundary‐spanning efforts in higher education can be expanded through the digital space and contribute to sustainability in higher education. By employing a qualitative case study design, we examine the journey of a Turkish public university's open education faculty, focusing on how the university has leveraged its open education mission and the developments in digital space to span boundaries and contribute to societal development constantly. Alongside reviewing institutional documents, we interviewed with 12 faculty members at the case institution. Benefitting from an inductive descriptive thematic analysis approach, we categorised related strategies and experiences into three themes: key agents, drivers and challenges and sustainability. The findings reveal that universities can better position themselves in the digital education space if the leadership embraces a clear vision regarding digital evolvement. Also, national regulations influence the digital development of universities and lead them to push boundaries in generating new teaching‐learning, research and service platforms. Our research demonstrates that by enhancing digital environments and online technologies, universities can extend their collaboration with different stakeholders and maintain boundary‐spanning efforts to improve their societal contribution. Further discussions and recommendations are made on the role of digital space in boundary spanning and sustainability in higher education
Boundary spanning · Higher education · Knowledge management · Political science · Sociology · Sustainability · Computer Science · Higher Education Governance and Development · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Mathematics · University-Industry-Government Innovation Models
Structuring Organizations
Reconceptualising relatedness in education in ‘Distanced’ Times
Blurring boundaries between humans and technology
Boundary spanning as identity work in university business engagement roles
The participating government
ICT-enabled boundary spanning arrangements in collaborative sustainability governance
Academics’ Societal Engagement in Cross-country Perspective
Sustainability” in higher education
Rapid Expansion of Higher Education in Turkey
On being all things to all people
Community Engagement and Boundary-Spanning Roles at Research Universities
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Boundary Crossing and Boundary Objects
Boundary spanning in higher education leadership
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |