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The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-national comparative examination of two graduate-level initial licensure teacher preparation programs at Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai in Romania and North Dakota State University in the United States of America, both considered research-intensive institutions in their respective countries. Furthermore, the study sought to examine how lessons drawn from this unique comparison of highly specific graduate teacher education programs may inform future revisions of both programs.

The study relied on a mixed-methods approach, collecting quantitative data via a survey instrument and qualitative data via follow-up individual email interviews. A content analysis of curriculum documents from both institutions was also conducted.

Findings indicate that the two programs reflect the institutional and contextual traditions of their respective national education systems. Notably, one program places greater emphasis on theoretical preparation than the other. The results also offer insight into graduate-level teacher preparation for initial licensure and provide guidance on areas within these programs that could be strengthened or improved.

Given this study’s limited sample size, further comparative longitudinal studies with an expanded sample of programs from multiple national settings and a larger sample population are needed.

This comparative analysis revealed convergences and divergences that could be instrumental in further reforming the two programs.

This research provides novel, in-depth insight into the multifaceted aspects of graduate teacher education in Romania, which, along with its undergraduate counterpart, has been subjected to frequent reform initiatives by successive Romanian governments. It also provides a unique look into NDSU’s graduate-level initial teacher licensure program, which has been in existence longer than its Romanian counterpart but has not yet been examined either on its own or in a comparative perspective as part of an empirical research project.

The application of Earth Observation (EO) science to sustainable development has become increasingly accessible. This is partly due to an open science movement concurrent with increased popularity of both higher education partnerships and the concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The confluence of these movements presents a unique capacity building opportunity: to provide emerging professionals with the ability to capitalize on open EO data and software, leveraging them for sustainable development across various thematic areas. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework and case study illustrating how academic partnerships can catalyze the integration of ESD on a small scale in postsecondary education.

This paper presents a novel capacity building approach via the co-development of higher education curriculum by SERVIR and ITC. SERVIR is a U.S. government initiative of NASA. ITC is the University of Twente’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and EO. This paper integrated SERVIR’s open-source EO tools into courses at ITC, building the capacity of students to apply such tools to address real-world environmental challenges.

This paper provides a case study indicating that educational partnerships can strengthen the ESD approach of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) by providing local environmental challenges and open-source tools to combat those challenges, while simultaneously strengthening the capacity building strategies of both institutions.

While educational partnerships have pursued curriculum development initiatives, the literature is limited in approaches that supplement existing courses with curriculum materials co-developed with an external partner. This paper provides a framework and case study of this smaller-scale collaboration for HEIs wishing to leverage external partners to use ESD in the higher education classroom.

The study aims to uncover the relationship between rising temperatures, increased greenhouse gas emissions and the prevalence of lethal violence, encompassing suicides and homicides. It also sought to identify how climate change affects different economic strata in countries, notably in high and middle-income nations, and across Asia and Africa.

This study rigorously explored the link between global climate change and lethal violence across 201 countries from 1970 to 2020. Climate change was measured using annual surface temperature fluctuations and greenhouse gas emissions, while lethal violence was estimated using data on suicides and homicides.

The analysis revealed significant positive associations between escalating temperatures, heightened greenhouse gas emissions and lethal violence. These connections were evident across different economic levels and geographic regions in Asia and Africa.

This study emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to combat human-induced climate change and mitigate its extensive negative impacts on society, particularly its association with increased violent behavior.