This paper synthesizes the characteristics of university rankings that cause pressure or ‘harassment’ on universities and analyses possible strategies for action that can be carried out in the real context of the three main university rankings (QS, THE, ARWU), suggesting the consequences for the so-called world-class universities and others (which represent 95% of the total). Although there is controversy over the criteria of the university ranking systems, many universities are establishing strategies aimed at adapting to these criteria and indicators and improving their positions. This study concludes that international university rankings should not be a relevant source of information to consider the quality of universities because this can have a negative impact on the development of medium- and long-term policies in higher education and the universities themselves. Universities should concentrate on their mission and must provide valid and reliable information to all stakeholders about the level of achievement of their goals.

RESUMEN: El presente estudio se enmarca en el ámbito educativo, concretamente, en el área de la educación inclusiva, profundizando en el Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA). El DUA se concibe como un enfoque teórico y práctico que actúa como una herramienta eficaz para alcanzar una educación de calidad y equidad dentro del movimiento de la inclusión educativa. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la presencia de los fundamentos del DUA (derecho de la educación; diversidad; Diseño Universal; currículo flexible; igualdad de oportunidades; neurociencia y tecnologías de la información y la comunicación) en los documentos publicados por los organismos internacionales con competencia en materia educativa y de repercusión mundial. La metodología de la investigación es de corte cualitativo utilizando el análisis documental. Las categorías de análisis corresponden a los siete fundamentos del DUA. Las fuentes documentales para el estudio han sido fundamentalmente las páginas web de los organismos internacionales y la base de datos UNESDOC, obteniéndose una muestra definitiva de once documentos pertenecientes a la literatura gris. Tras la revisión documental, los resultados han evidenciado que no todos los documentos objeto de estudio contemplan en su contenido las categorías de análisis. En suma, se observan carencias en cuanto a la presencia de los siete fundamentos del DUA en los documentos publicados analizados, por lo que se requiere de un nuevo tratamiento a nivel internacional del DUA con el fin de promover una educación de calidad e inclusiva, que atiende y respeta a las diferencias individuales dentro del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.

The educational transition between early childhood education and primary education is a complex moment of change with repercussions throughout the academic life of the students. For this reason, it is important to seek continuity between both educational stages. A successful transition produces for the social, cognitive and emotional well-being of the student. The aim of this study is to find out how transition-related factors apply in ten European Union (EU) countries. The factors analyzed are the age of onset of transition, the teacher–student ratio, types of clustering, financing of the stage, responsibility, and both initial and in-service teacher training. The methodology followed in this study is documentary analysis and the main source of data search has been the European Commission's Eurydice portal. The results show differences in stage change within each country, especially in the explicit consideration of a transition period. The main conclusion is that there is a great difference between the northern and southern countries. The main differences between countries in the transitions from early childhood education to primary education in the EU are in the years of compulsory education, the teacher/student/unit ratio, the initial teacher training, and the decentralization of education.

Emotional intelligence is an element that affects people’s daily lives, so it is necessary to know what factors influence the development of emotional intelligence. This systematic review both analyses the main characteristics of scientific articles on the factors that influence the emotional intelligence of university students and identifies the factors that influence the development of emotional intelligence at the university level, at an international level. This systematic review identified and compiled scientific articles published in English in the last 10 years that discussed the relationship between emotional intelligence and the academic performance of university students. The Web of Science and Scopus databases were consulted. The final sample consisted of 74 articles. The main characteristics of these 74 scientific articles were analysed. After this analysis, a progression in the frequency of publications on this topic was observed, increasing in the most recent years (2021 and 2022). Different factors that influence emotional intelligence were also identified, both academic and non-academic factors, with the following factors being the most frequently mentioned in the articles analysed: stress, motivation, social skills, and gender. With regard to added value, different factors were identified that are related to emotional intelligence, both academic and non-academic, as well as the different aspects that affect individuals and their environments. The practical implications of this study’s findings can be applied within the field of education, given that the factors related to emotional intelligence can be considered in order to favour the development of emotional intelligence in university students.

The national strategy for higher education of the Albanian government (2008–2013) stated the urgent need for universities to increase their role in the social and economic development of the local and regional environment. In order to achieve this goal, the main action proposed by the strategy was the setting up of regional development centres by public higher education institutions. With this purpose, the Tempus project Developing Third Mission activities in Albanian Universities (U3M-AL) has promoted third mission activities in most of the public universities by training university staff, establishing the regional development centres and creating an Albanian network for promoting third mission. These initiatives are contributing to the external visibility of universities as valuable partners for cooperation. In this paper, we describe the activities developed by this project, the outcomes and the expected impact on Albanian society.

The transition from early childhood to primary education is a process of changes that students undergo. Recent studies indicate that it is necessary to involve all actors in research: teachers, families, and students. Nevertheless, some researchers point to an “adult-centred” view, justified by the lack of linguistic communication among 5–7-year-olds. This study aims to describe the methods used in research on the transition from Early Childhood Education to Primary Education and to evaluate which methods support the participation of all actors involved. We conducted a systematic review of empirical studies between 2016 and 2021. The data show, on the one hand, that students of such a young age are not usually included in these studies. However, there has been an increase in studies that rely on students’ opinions and perceptions. On the other hand, studies that include all actors involved in the transition are a minority. Students of such a young age are not usually included in these studies. When they are included, adapted information collection tools are used. Only by having the students and triangulating the information among all participants is it possible to provide complete information on the process. In addition, there is a lack of action research designs to offer comprehensive and practical improvement actions.