What was your central research question or main focus in your contribution?

We were keen to know what the research literature identifies about advancing the social role of college-based higher education (CBHE). Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review, searching potential CBHE journal articles from three databases Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Empirical evidence from the 58 included articles revealed insights into not only the social role of CBHE, but also the characteristics of CBHE colleges, students, and lecturers.

How does your work contribute to understanding the social role of colleges?

We found that the social role of CBHE includes widening higher education participation, responding to local employment needs for work-ready graduates and community development, and supporting social justice. This is because CBHE colleges offer cost effective courses, supportive learning environments and courses that are industry aligned. CBHE lecturers are student and teaching focused to support CBHE students who are predominantly non-traditional, preferring to study locally and who maybe in need of some academic or emotional support for higher education study. However, serving a social role for disadvantaged students also means that CBHE colleges are viewed as having a lower status than universities. Colleges may also struggle to maintain a higher education culture within a further education environment and many experience funding pressures to sustain their higher education provision. Similarly, CBHE lecturers face challenges such as having a heavy workload, that is teaching rather than research focused, and consequently, these lecturers have a lower status than university lecturers.

Were there any key insights or unexpected findings in your research?

The review indicated a growing research interest in CBHE and an increase in the geographical spread of such research as the provision has grown. Although there are differences in the organisation of CBHE across education systems, we found overwhelming agreement that CBHE provision is designed to respond to two policy concerns. These are policies to increase economic competitiveness and productivity by providing learning that is industry aligned and cost effective, and policies to promote social justice and equity by providing supportive learning environments for a distinct group of students who otherwise would not access higher education.

What practical implications does your research have for educational institutions or policymakers?

We believe that the social role of colleges balancing skills development with widening participation is sustained because the provision is operating within policy frameworks that regard education as a primarily public, rather than a private good. In countries such as India, evidence showed that socially excluded equity groups were under-represented in a private technical education provider in Kerala, compared to the situation in other South Indian states and the national average. Therefore, our paper calls for vigilant policy to sustain the double role of CBHE and to avoid the prioritisation of education for the market.

What challenges did you encounter while conducting your research on the social role of colleges?

What challenged us was that the terminology used to describe the educational provision and the institutions in which this is located have changed over time and vary between jurisdictions and models of tertiary education. For example, the provision is often named according to the sector in which it is

based, such as ‘non-university higher education’, the ‘second sector’ and ‘alternative higher education’, and these terms denote provision that is subordinate to university higher education. In some countries the level or content of study is central to the terminology used, as in ‘“short cycle” higher education, “vocational higher education”, “higher technical education” and “professional higher education”. The terminology used to identify the field of education covered by this systematic review has been varied and inconsistent, and reflects national and regional specific institutional policy developments. Consequently, the scope of the review has underplayed the activities of CBHE in north America, and our focus on publications in English has also limited our reach.

What personally motivated you to explore this topic?

We are interested in equity in higher education and how to support students from lower socio-economic status families to thrive in education and life. We focused on the social role of colleges on communities and their regions through their activities as providers of higher education qualifications. This is because the social contribution of CBHE is less well understood compared to the contribution of university education to social inclusion and the social, economic, and cultural development of communities and regions.

What was your central research question or main focus in your contribution?

The findings that informed this contribution came from a larger study that involved interviewing vocational educators on how they decolonise their practices (what they are doing), how they conceptualise what it means to decolonise their practices (what they are thinking), and lastly, what the institutional factors are that contribute to or prevent their sustained ability to decolonise their practices. The research question that was the focus of this contribution specifically looked at what are the institutional factors that prevented the sustained development of decolonising practices for vocational educators?

How does your work contribute to understanding the social role of colleges?

By examining the social role vocational education colleges have within the institutional framework of society as a mechanism for decentering settler-colonialism. This includes highlighting some of the institutional factors that are preventing colleges from addressing systemic intersectionality issues like racism, classism, and gender-related oppressions within their administration and programming, particularly where these institutions have publicly stated their alignment with decolonisation recommendations but fail to operationalise their decision-making through their institutional mandates. My research spotlights the missed opportunity of engaging with vocational instructors as vital resources that can support the advancement of reconciliation actions across programs and policies.

Were there any key insights or unexpected findings in your research?

One of the key insights from this study was how often and how quickly vocational educators and their institutions align decolonisation practices solely within the context of, rather than alongside, indigenisation frameworks. When the terms decolonisation and indigenisation were conflated to mean the same thing, settlers would move towards settler innocence in justifying why they were not linking their practices with the institutional mandate to decolonise. Another key insight was how much the institutional and colleague resistance impacted decolonisation efforts. Faced with such obstructions, vocational educators often spent additional time and effort navigating around these barriers, time that could have been better utilised advancing decolonization frameworks. Highlighting these factors provides key insights into why decolonisation efforts may be lacking despite institutional policies that seemingly advance these frameworks.

What practical implications does your research have for educational institutions or policymakers?

Notwithstanding the identification of missed opportunities for leadership and administration to leverage the rich and meaningful contributions vocational educators can make within the organisation, four interrelated strategies resulted from the findings related to this research question that policymakers can turn to when evaluating how well they are meeting their own institutional mandates. These strategies focused on actionable ways administrative leadership can authentically align their decision-making to the reconciliation mandates; mandates intended to frame and inform the why of the organisation. These strategies include sharing the connected history of settler-colonialism with vocational education to provide nuanced context of where systemic issues were derived from; defining decolonisation within the institution as it relates to race, class, and gender-related oppressions to engage settler responsibility; encouraging institutional leaders to examine their own positionality, reflectively acknowledging and addressing their own biases and how these ideologies align to reinforce power dynamics; and lastly, redressing colonial limitations on time, resources, and opportunities for vocational educators to develop decolonising practices.

Are there any open questions or future research topics that you consider particularly relevant?

This study has only skimmed the top of these issues in vocational education colleges and teaching universities. Given the minute scholarship that focuses directly on vocational education instructors, programs, and their institutions within Canada, I intend to continue to explore more deeply how the different factors contribute to or prevent the sustained development of decolonising practices within this area of education. I am currently writing a post-doctoral fellowship application for the Social Sciences and Research Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC), that if successful, will provide research funding for further study related to this topic.

From your perspective: How does the social role of colleges differ across countries or educational systems?

Given the differing social, economic, and political climates globally, the social role of colleges will differ from area to area based on the perception held of those institutions within those communities. For example, in British Columbia, Canada, colleges hold a different status than say, a college in the United States, namely because of the governance models that enact them, along with the types of programs and credentialling that can be offered. From the social perspective, the specific community needs that derive from the geographical area will command a certain social responsibility of the local college, whether the focus is on graduating students quickly into trades and administrative roles to get them out and working, or with preparatory courses towards university programs. The value the community places on the social role of the collegeitself can be an indicator of the value the same community places on the students who find themselves in one type of college or another.

What personally motivated you to explore this topic?

As a vocational worker, from a white working-class family, I found myself in a position to instruct a vocational program in a teaching university with virtually no instructor education or teaching experience to speak of. Yet there I was, thrust right into the deep end and I spent hours and hours educating myself and taking courses on educational theory and pedagogy. When my teaching university aligned its institutional mandates with the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 report and the included 94 Calls to Action two years later, I again found myself in uncertain territory, but this time I had tools from a provincial instructor diploma that I parlayed into researching and learning more about reconciliation actions. Over the next nine years, two graduate programs, and through extensive mentorship in social justice education from my doctoral supervisor, Dr. Özlem Sensoy, I was able to connect settler-colonialism and the intersectionality of race, class, and gender-related oppressions with the history of vocational education.

These connections were the impetus for learning more about how vocational educators were conceptualising what it means to decolonise their practices and to learn where gaps exist that were preventing authentic implementation of anti-oppressive and decolonising frameworks amongst my colleagues. Aside from these scholarly reasons, as a white woman living and working in today’s political and social environments, I am more aware than ever of how important it is to address systemic racism and oppressions and look for opportunities to educate rather than persecute when enacting knowledge mobilization in the institutional systems that make up our everyday lives.

What was your central research question or main focus in your contribution?

My central research question focused on the social role of tertiary education institutions in post-Soviet single-industry towns, where local development is closely tied to specific industries. I explored how education-industry cooperation is perceived and how students navigate their educational trajectories in single-industry towns. My study is based on data collected during a field trip to five single-industry towns of the Ural region; the data comprise interviews with tertiary education institutions faculty, industry representatives, and students.

How does your work contribute to understanding the social role of colleges?

I show how tertiary education organizations train qualified personnel for local industries by directly preparing students for their future professional activities and providing them with signals of reliability and employment prospects. Attractive learning environments and job prospects help deter out-migration. So, the role of tertiary education is to maintain the single-industry town. Tertiary education also plays a crucial role in developing professional fields and preserving multifaceted local, professional, and family identities. Finally, the social role of tertiary education extends to fostering urban culture through cultural events and promoting a culture of behaviour as education institutions also impart soft skills.

Were there any key insights or unexpected findings in your research?

Three main tertiary education models were identified: a multi-campus university, a private engineering university, and an educational centre at an industrial company. Such institutions offer vocational and higher education and professional development programmes, while industry makes a crucial contribution to their strategical management, curriculum, and infrastructure. Students explained their educational trajectories by the cultural narratives of ‘reliability and care’, ‘organised leisure’, ‘family legacy’, and ‘duty and predestination’. Tertiary education in these towns supports local development by supplying skilled labour and retaining young people, but it can also limit their opportunities and blur the boundaries between vocational and higher education. The vocationalisation of tertiary education in single-industry towns is part of an international vocational turn and the trend of stratification in higher education with the problems of unsustainable narrow specialisation among graduates and the threat to academic knowledge.

Are there any open questions or future research topics that you consider particularly relevant?

A potential direction for further analysis is a comparative study of the interactions among tertiary education institutions, local industries, and local governments in industrial towns from an international perspective, with a particular focus on state regulation in regions where businesses play a dominant role. In such towns, industry, education, and the city form a closely intertwined entity that functions as a parental figure, offering both support and control. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the inherent contradiction between the modern educational goal of fostering independence and agency and the persistent paternalism of businesses and the state, which remains a defining feature of single-industry towns.

What personally motivated you to explore this topic?

I have always been sensitive to issues surrounding educational and professional trajectories, as well as inequalities in education. The experience of field research and traveling through single-industry towns was particularly moving and impactful. I was especially interested in how tertiary education institutions navigate their dual role—both supporting local industries and shaping students' aspirations. I was struck by the strong sense of tradition and attachment to place, alongside the tensions between stability and limited opportunities. This study reinforced the importance of studying how education influences not only careers but also identities and life choices in such unique socio-economic contexts.

What was your central research question or main focus in your contribution?

The article examines the transformation of Norwegian district colleges into universities and how this shift has altered their original mission. Norway’s significant investment in expanding higher education has been closely tied to the development of its welfare state and its institutions. We explore how these historical changes have reshaped the institutional framework for practical professions, leading to increasing academisation. This process has prioritised research output and global rankings, often at the expense of the colleges' traditional role in providing regionally embedded, practice-oriented education.

How does your work contribute to understanding the social role of colleges?

The history of colleges in Norway illustrates how, despite efforts to provide relevant and practice-oriented higher education, broader structural transformations have gradually overshadowed their original community-focused mission. Our work highlights how the academisation of colleges has deprioritised vocational and regional training, contributing to the marginalisation of higher vocational education. Positioned between the upper secondary system and higher education as defined by the Bologna Process, Higher VET now occupies a precarious space with limited institutional recognition. Norway serves as a compelling case for examining how higher education reforms can both expand access and simultaneously constrain the role of vocationally oriented institutions.

What challenges did you encounter while conducting your research on the social role of colleges?

One of the main challenges was the lack of a systematic overview of how mergers over the past 30 years have absorbed specialised and regional colleges into the large university structures we see today. To create this historical mapping, we had to conduct substantial mapping, tracing institutional developments and their integration into increasingly centralised higher education institutions. As far as we know, our study provides the first comprehensive systematisation of these trends. Surprisingly, even the Norwegian government had not compiled this data, despite having ownership of the institutions involved.

Can you share any specific examples or case studies from your research that illustrate the social importance of colleges?

One of the most illustrative cases from our research is the transformation of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which has absorbed several regional colleges through successive mergers. Historically, these colleges played a crucial role in providing decentralised access to higher education, offering practical and profession-oriented programs. However, as these colleges were integrated into NTNU, their missions gradually shifted towards a more research-oriented, university-like structure. This shift has posed challenges for maintaining their original role in providing vocationally relevant education. The case of NTNU exemplifies how the drive for institutional prestige and global competitiveness can sometimes overshadow the social mission of colleges—namely, providing accessible education, fostering local community development, and supplying skilled professionals to key sectors such as education and healthcare.

Our findings highlight that while mergers have strengthened research capacity, they have also led to a reduced emphasis on the practical functions that were once central to colleges.

How could policy or institutional frameworks be improved to strengthen the social role of colleges?

As a researcher in VET in Norway, it is evident that higher VET has been largely overlooked in policy development. While political interest in vocational education has increased, there are still too few pathways for further studies for those with a VET background. Strengthening the social role of colleges requires a deeper understanding of how the historical expansion of higher education has contributed to regional development and social mobility. It is also crucial to identify which aspects of the former college system should be revitalised to support the development of higher VET programs that build upon the skills and expertise cultivated in vocational education. Currently, about half of Norwegian youth enrol in vocational study programs, yet their opportunities for continued education within their trades remain limited. To ensure more equitable access to lifelong learning, higher education must provide relevant and practice-oriented pathways for VET graduates. I am particularly committed to showcasing the strengths of Norwegian VET as valuable educational tracks in their own right. Given current trends, I anticipate an expansion of vocational colleges in the coming years, which could help bridge this gap and reinforce their role in the educational system.

What personally motivated you to explore this topic?

I have a strong academic and personal interest in both vocational and higher education in Norway, particularly in understanding how historical developments shape the present and future of the system. Norway presents an intriguing case for an international audience, as it must balance the goals of the welfare state with the needs of employers and the labour market. This tension has profoundly influenced the role of colleges and the broader educational landscape.

The special issue on the social role of colleges provided a valuable opportunity for my colleague Johannes Karl Schmees and me to explore these trends in greater depth. Our research sheds light on how structural changes have affected regional education, vocational pathways, and institutional missions. I hope to continue working in this field for many years, with a particular focus on comparative research that situates Norwegian developments within a broader international context.