Digital Commons Network^™

Strengthening Communities With Extension's People Empowering People Program, Stacey F. Stearns, Faye Griffiths-Smith

Journal of Extension

Programs that encourage personal growth, community connections, and civic engagement are even more essential as digital technology and virtual platforms disconnect residents from communities. The University of Connecticut People Empowering People (UConn PEP) program is one option. It strengthens individuals and communities through a 10-week facilitated program, hosted by the community, and taught by UConn-trained facilitators. UConn PEP has expanded to other states, was translated to Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese, and three other countries expressed interest in offering the PEP curriculum. Programs such as this are an area for continuous expansion as Extension adapts to the changing needs of audiences.

Higher Education Pathways For Native American Students In Nevada, David Damore, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Policy Briefs and Reports

This policy brief examines educational performance and outcomes for Native American learners in Nevada using data from the Nevada P-20 to Workforce Research Data System provided by the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada System of Higher Education. Based upon analysis of these data and information collected from state and national sources, we propose public policy interventions to support Native American students in Nevada. The brief also evaluates the significant measurement and data challenges that limit researchers’ ability to evaluate Native American educational pathways and the implications this has for policy decisions.

Afterword: Reimagining Higher Education Internationalization As A Practice Of Racial Justice, Louise Michelle Vital, Jing Yu, Benjamin Denga

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This afterword reflects on the two-part special issue, “Examining Race, Racism, and Racialization in the Internationalization of Higher Education from Global Perspectives,” published in the Summer 2026 edition of the Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education. Bringing together twenty-nine contributions, the issue centers race as foundational to how higher education internationalization is imagined, organized, practiced, and contested across global contexts. The afterword synthesizes key insights across both volumes, showing how internationalization is shaped by colonial histories, geopolitical inequalities, market logics, legal regimes, linguistic hierarchies, and racialized structures of belonging. Contributors challenge celebratory and neutral accounts of global engagement …

Selected Others In A Non-Western Host: Racialized Governance Of Southeast Asian Students In Taiwan’S Technical And Vocational Higher Education Under The New Southbound Policy, Chia-Ming Hsueh

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This article examines how Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy constructs and governs Southeast Asian students within higher education internationalization. Drawing on critical discourse and policy analysis of public policy documents, institutional materials, recruitment discourse, and related media sources from 2016 to 2024, the study argues that Southeast Asian students are positioned as “selected others”: welcomed as regional partners and future talent while also subject to differentiated forms of linguistic, administrative, and labor-oriented governance. Focusing particularly on Taiwan’s technical and vocational higher education sector, the analysis identifies three interrelated dynamics: selective inclusion by nationality and educational track, Mandarin as a technology of …

Advancing Equity Through Mentorship: Supporting Racialized Immigrant And International Students In Canadian Higher Education, Cecilia Bukutu Phd, Viola Manokore Dr, Michael Safo Ofori

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Mentorship initiatives have increasingly supported racialized students in Canada, yet gaps remain in addressing their intersectional needs. This study examines the experiences of Black postsecondary immigrant, refugee, and international students in the Mentorship and Resilience Project (MRP), a racially concordant mentorship initiative. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, data were drawn from interviews, focus groups, and post-workshop surveys. Guided by Anti-Black Racism and Intersectionality frameworks, the study explores how institutional diversity discourses may operate as non-performative practices that obscure structural inequities. Findings show students faced intersecting challenges related to migration status, race, and gender, marked by tensions between invisibility and hypervisibility. …

‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’: Refugee Students And Internationalization Practices In Canadian Higher Education Institutions, Zuhra Abawi, Nidhi Menon

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

As of 2024, over 123 million people have been forcibly displaced due to war, persecution, climate catastrophe, and geopolitical instability. Among them, young people constitute a significant portion, many of whom aspire to rebuild their lives through higher education. Canada, a top destination for refugee resettlement, remains deeply inequitable for refugee access to postsecondary education. Although lauded for its commitments to diversity and inclusion, Canadian settler-colonial hierarchies and racialized politics of belonging continue to shape which displaced bodies are seen as deserving of education, opportunity, and protection. These dynamics underscore how forced migration, race, and higher education intersect within the …

Lost In Translation: How Higher Education Studies Conflates Latinx And International Latin American Experiences Through Misplaced Racialization, Eduardo Santander

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This autoethnographic study examines how higher education studies conflates international Latin American and domestic Latinx student experiences through what I term “misplaced racialization”, namely, the imposition of domestic racial categories onto international students that fundamentally misrecognizes their distinct positioning as temporary residents, adult-onset racialization subjects, and transnational knowledge holders. Colonial logics are not merely structural; they breathe through the field’s racial grammars. Drawing on Fricker’s (2007) hermeneutical injustice, I argue that higher education’s epistemological boundedness, its lack of native theory and reliance on borrowed American frameworks, does not merely contain colonial logics but is constituted by them, rendering those logics …

Seeing Through Indigenous Eyes: Language, Humility, And The Possibilities Of International Research, Janine E. Metallic

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This essay critically examines the internationalization of higher education through Indigenous epistemologies, asking: What might international research look like if guided by Indigenous values such as language, humility, and relationality? Drawing on Indigenous research methodologies and autoethnographic reflection, the essay explores how global academic norms, rooted in colonial legacies, often marginalize Indigenous ways of knowing. Theoretical constructs from Wilson (2008), Kovach (2021), and Smith (2021) inform the analysis, emphasizing relational accountability and ethical engagement. The discussion highlights that Indigenous language situates knowledge in place, humility resists prestige-driven scholarship, and relationality redefines research as reciprocal and community-centered. These insights challenge dominant …

Centering Positionality In Pursuit Of Combating Anti-Blackness In Study Abroad Via Intentional Pedagogical Design, Reka C. Barton, Taylor Woodman

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

In an attempt to address historical legacies entrenched in global learning, this case study (Yin, 2009) disrupts the white-centered norm of study abroad through intentional design and diversity of student participation. This study explores the question, In what ways did these design elements interrogate and/or disrupt occurrences of anti-Blackness? To answer this question, our case study site utilizes a long-standing graduate student study abroad fieldwork program in Cuba that explicitly discusses elements of race, identity, and nationality, with an emphasis on the unique and complex histories of manifestations of race in Cuba and the United States. This project interrogated how …

Mashin’ Up Stratified Blackness: Unpacking The Communal Responsibility Of Black International/Immigrant Academics To Black American Academics, Candice Peters, Abigail Smith

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Our duoethnographic inquiry, grounded in Intersectionality, addresses the following questions: How do intersectionality and internationalization complicate Black diasporic dynamics within the United States? What communal responsibilities do Black international/immigrant people hold toward Black American people within the U.S. academy? Through critical engagement with three previously published poems, we foreground the communal responsibility that arises at the hands of internationalization and unpack the intertwined realities of anti-Blackness, racialized hierarchies, and diasporic dynamics. Our findings unmask three themes: (1) evolving understandings of race across transnational contexts, (2) Black intraracial stratification, and (3) taking up responsibility. We conclude by urging a (re)commitment to …

The Myth Of Familiarity: Racialization & Intra-Faith Marginalization In Malaysian Islamic Higher Education, Rangga T. Nugraha

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This article examines how intra-faith marginalization operates within South–South international student mobility, challenging the assumption that shared religion and linguistic proximity facilitate belonging. Drawing on an autoethnographic study of an Indonesian Muslim scholarship student in Malaysian Islamic higher education, the analysis introduces the myth of familiarity as a critical conceptual framing, describing how shared religious or cultural identity may produce more granular hierarchies of legitimacy, thereby contradicting the belief that similarity guarantees inclusion. Using neo-racism and symbolic violence, three narrative vignettes illustrate how hierarchies of piety, nationality, and class are enacted and normalized within a shared Islamic context. The findings …

Settler-Colonial Entanglements: Using Par/Des(I) To Understand Black And Racialized International Student Experiences In Canada, Abu Arif

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This scholarly paper discusses the complex positioning of Black and Racialized international students (BRIS) in Canada, both as marginalized bodies and complicit in perpetuating settler colonialism. It delves into the paradoxical role these students play within the framework of Canadian higher education, which is deeply entwined with the country's colonial history and contemporary policy shifts aimed at managing the influx of international students. The Par/Des(i) decolonial research framework offers a pathway for understanding how BRIS are entangled within settler colonial structures, free from the limitations of the western gaze. The framework guides scholars toward recognizing hybridized ways of being and …

Critical Race Theory And Refugeecrit: A Reflective Account On Understanding The Structural Racism And Power Asymmetries Faced By Afghan Refugee Students In Universities In Delhi, Akanksha Dochania Dr

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Using Critical Race Theory and RefugeeCrit, this study examines structural racism and power asymmetries facing Afghan refugee students in Delhi universities. Drawing on eighteen in-depth interviews, analysis reveals four interconnected themes: (1) invisibility/hypervisibility paradoxes—students are academically voiceless yet constantly surveilled; (2) epistemic inequality—their trauma is extracted while intellectual contributions are dismissed; (3) pedagogical microaggressions—deficit assumptions erode confidence; and (4) institutional gatekeeping—documentation barriers perpetuate marginalization. Findings show that access-oriented policies are insufficient, as neutral-sounding rules reinforce systemic hierarchies. Reflexive thematic analysis underscores researcher positionality in meaning-making. The study expands CRT and RefugeeCrit within the Indian context, urging faculty training, curricular inclusion …

Principles For An Antiracist And Decolonial Internationalization Based On "Pedagogy In Process: The Letters To Guinea-Bissau" By Paulo Freire, Bruno Pereira De Souza Andrade, Alexandre José Cadilhe

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This paper critically reflects on possible paths toward an antiracist and decolonial internationalization of higher education, grounded in the ethical, political, and pedagogical principles of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy in Process: The Letters to Guinea-Bissau. Theoretically and reflectively oriented, it combines an analytical reading of Freire’s work with a narrative synthesis of critical and decolonial studies on internationalization. The analysis is structured around three axes: (i) Decolonizing to internationalize; (ii) Internationalization as a practice of freedom; and (iii) Challenges and pathways for antiracist institutional practices. Given the commonly market-oriented character of internationalization, which perpetuates colonial legacies, Freire’s work provides a powerful …

Rules, Risk, And Racialization: Chinese International Students’ Experiences With Compliance And Care Through Non-Academic Misconduct Policies In U.S. Higher Education, Haishan Yang

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This qualitative study examines how first-year Chinese international students (CIS) understand misconduct policies and procedures, and how those experiences relate to belonging. Drawing on interviews with 14 Chinese international undergraduates at a private research university, the study applies AsianCrit and IntlCrit to analyze how race, foreignness, and noncitizen status shape students’ encounters with institutional policy. Findings show students often learned misconduct policies through a hidden curriculum of compliance without clear institutional teaching. Participants described uncertainty and fear about the adjudication process and racialized experiences of hierarchy, otherness, and visa-related risk. Policies were accepted as necessary but rarely associated with trust …

Implementing Anti-Racism Pedagogies In Internationalized Higher Education: Instructor Perspectives From A Community College, Benjamin Denga, Wanda Chell, Caylee R. Kreller

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This study examines how instructors in internationalized community college programs engage with a co‑developed Anti‑Racism Curriculum & Pedagogy Toolkit designed to support anti‑racist teaching in highly diverse learning environments. The internationalization of higher education often foregrounds mobility, intercultural competence, and institutional prestige while underexamining racialized power relations and obscuring the racialized hierarchies and colonial legacies that shape knowledge production, pedagogy, and the daily experiences of students and instructors. Drawing on a convergent mixed‑methods design, the study integrates survey data (n=42), interviews (n=15), and focus groups to assess the toolkit’s perceived relevance, pedagogical impact, and institutional conditions shaping its uptake. Findings …

Introduction To Special Issue 18(5), Louise Michelle Vital, Jing Yu, Benjamin Denga

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This special issue centers race as an analytical lens in the internationalization of higher education from global perspectives. Contributors investigate how internationalization is structured through legal regimes, institutional practices, and epistemic norms that differentially position students and scholars across contexts. The articles are organized around five interconnected themes that collectively advance a critical, equity-oriented vision of internationalization: (1) Indigenous perspectives and decolonial knowledge systems, (2) legal status and institutional regulation, (3) differentiated identities and belonging in internationalization, (4) refugee student inclusion and invisibility, and (5) pedagogical and epistemic interventions.

Across diverse geographic and methodological approaches, the contributions from scholars, professors, …

Introduction To Jcihe 18(5) 2026 Issue Summer 2026 Special Issue Part 2 Special Issue 18(5) Introduction, Rosalind L. Raby

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Pdf Full Issue, Rosalind L. Raby

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Expanding Ai Literacy: The 5cs Of News Literacy In The Era Of Generative Ai, Seth Ashley, Adam Maksl, Paul Cook

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This article adapts the 5Cs framework of news literacy—context, creation, content, circulation, and consumption—to media environments shaped by generative artificial intelligence. We argue that prevailing discussions of AI literacy overemphasize technical or functional competencies while underemphasizing the social, cultural, political, and communicative systems in which AI operates. Drawing on previous research, we define AI literacy as knowledge of the technical, social, and ethical dimensions of AI-mediated content production, distribution, and consumption, along with the critical capacities needed to exercise agency within those processes. We show how the 5Cs can be reinterpreted for generative AI environments and integrate pedagogical implications for …

The Utilization Of Holographic Simulation For Specialized Patient Populations: A Feasibility Study, Laurie Neely, Jennifer E. Tucker, Amardeep Singh, Taylor Mort, Jeremy Fleischmann, Patrick Pabian

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique set of challenges for health care education programs to prepare students to care for specialized patient populations. Lab experiences that incorporated real patients were restricted due to risk of infection. The use of simulation-based learning increased as an alternative to prepare students for the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ perception of holographic simulation (HS) and confidence in clinical observation skills of motor milestones in children in preparation for clinical practice before and after use of HS in the classroom

Methods: Subjects included 36 second year Doctor …

Striking A Balance With Social Media Use On An Uneven Playing Field, Stacey F. Stearns, Jennifer E. Cushman

Journal of Extension

Social media is now an integral part of Extension's communications and marketing strategies; however, it is an uneven playing field. While social media allows greater access to audiences and introduces Extension programs to new audiences, the social media companies also control the platforms and algorithms. The challenge is balancing the need to engage our audiences where they are with the lack of control Extension professionals have over the platform and how audiences access and use our content. This commentary includes a case study of an Extension Facebook page that Meta inadvertently deleted, and the repercussions the organization faced in rebuilding.

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 3, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Buffeted By Change, Researchers Seek Continuity And Investment: Results From The Ithaka S+R Us Researcher Survey, Chelsea Mccracken, Dylan Ruediger, Ruby Macdougall

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Executive summary

The research enterprise in the United States, established after the second world war, is experiencing massive disruption. US colleges and universities are grappling with federal and state disinvestment and intervention at a time when AI and other technologies are reshaping how research is conducted and its findings are communicated. As a result, researchers at US higher education institutions are operating in an unstable environment. Against this backdrop, the findings from our survey of 4,003 researchers, fielded in late 2025, demonstrate that they remain committed to carrying out essential work and that they are doing so in innovative ways—through …

Spectrum, Volume 57, Issue 4,, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include: Writing History: Students Earn Journalism Awards -- Flossing into Fall 2028! -- Floods of Families -- It's Sweater Weather! -- Nobody Walks Alone -- Bump, Set, Spike: Women’s Volleyball Starts Strong -- What the Cornell Case asks of Catholic Students

Does Farm Size Matter In Agricultural Extension Programs? Insights From Us Agriculture Census Data, Pilja Vitale, Joshua Campbell, Jeffrey Vitale, Michael Patrick, John Garlisch

Journal of Extension

This commentary examines how farm size influences agricultural Extension programs in the United States, highlighting disparities between large and small farms. While large farms dominate production through advanced technologies and economies of scale, small farms are vital for food security, community well-being, and cultural preservation. Key differences include water use, labor, machinery, marketing, financial management, and food safety practices. Extension programs address these disparities through tailored initiatives such as financial literacy training for small farms and technology adoption workshops for large ones. This analysis emphasizes the need for targeted and inclusive Extension programming to enhance sustainability and equity across farm …

Education For Social Change: Cultivating A Pedagogy Of Empowerment, Katie Goldey

Justice Festival at Morehead State University

A PowerPoint presentation, titled "Education for Social Change: Cultivating a Pedagogy of Empowerment," given by  at the Justice Festival held on the campus of Morehead State University on October 6, 2026.

Navigating Text-To-Speech (Tts): Ethical Leadership In The Use Of Generative Ai For Extension, Xue A Dong, Paul A Hill

Journal of Extension

Text-to-speech (TTS) AI technology transforms written content into natural-sounding speech, offering a useful tool to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in Extension work. This article examines the role of TTS AI in bridging communication gaps, particularly for diverse and multilingual communities, and demonstrates the importance of ethical leadership in its adoption. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, Extension professionals can leverage TTS AI to foster greater connection and engagement. Practical applications and examples are provided to guide the integration of TTS AI into programs. The article also offers recommendations for experimenting with innovative technologies to improve educational outcomes and increase the …

The Evolving Wildfire Crisis: The Need To Adapt Statewide Extension Efforts To Address Diverse Challenges, Alison L. Deak, Kathryn E. Low, Luca Carmignani, Ryan E. Tompkins, Barbara Satink Wolfson

Journal of Extension

There are many factors that contribute to wildfire preparedness in California. Although effective wildfire preparedness requires tailored regional approaches, it is crucial to understand how statewide Extension programs can address shared challenges while augmenting region-specific strategies. For the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network to meet the growing demands for fire-related Extension programming, a team of advisors surveyed California residents to refine the goals of our Extension programs. Survey results highlight key gaps in fire-related Extension education that residents in California and beyond need to reduce their wildfire risk.

Impact Of A 3d Virtual Dissection Tool On Written And Laboratory Exam Performance In Dpt Gross Anatomy, Jorge Eduardo Sarmiento, Heather Disney

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: Higher education institutions are incorporating 3D technology, such as the Anatomage Table, to supplement cadaveric dissection in gross anatomy courses. However, research on its impact on student learning outcomes remains limited.

Methods: This quantitative study examined differences in written and laboratory exam scores among Doctor of Physical Therapy students who used the Anatomage Table versus those who received traditional instruction. Guided by the adaptable learning theory framework for technology-enhanced learning, the study analyzed archival data from a five-campus U.S. university using the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s rho.

Results: Findings revealed a statistically significant difference in written exam …