Phone
06 830 1270
Areas of Teaching
Sustainable organisations, global strategies in business, research methods, international markets
Qualifications
PhD (Politics and International Relations) (University of Auckland, 2016); Master of Social Sciences) (University of Helsinki, 2004); NZCertAdT&T (Open Polytechnic, 2018)
Profile
Experience
Pii-Tuulia is an internationally recognised researcher and innovative educator with extensive industry, teaching and research experience in the fields of management, policy, sustainability and higher education. Pii-Tuulia teaches courses in sustainable organisations, global strategies and research methods and supervises under- and postgraduate level students. She also has extensive experience in course and curriculum design and programme and course coordination roles. Before her academic career, Pii-Tuulia worked as an entrepreneur and held different leadership roles within the international student recruitment sector. Pii-Tuulia is a co-founder of Climate Action Network for International Educators (www.canie.org).
Courses Taught
- Sustainable organisations
- Global strategies in business
- Academic inquiry
- Applied research methods
- Research methods
- Supervision (under- and postgraduate)
Research Areas
- Education agents in international student recruitment
- Organisational sustainability and climate mitigation
- Higher education funding and inequalities
- International student acculturation
- Innovative technology in teaching
Current Research
Pii-Tuulia’s current research interests include international education policy and management and organisational decarbonisation/climate action. She has published in national and international journals, including leading academic journals within her field. She has also co-edited two books, Sustainability in Education Abroad and Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education. Pii-Tuulia has received funding, acknowledgment and awards for her research work, such as the EIT Research Excellence Award in 2019. Her expertise in the fields of international education management/policy and climate mitigation is recognised globally which has resulted in regular invitations to speak at academic and professional events and my research being featured in both New Zealand and overseas media multiple times. Pii-Tuulia is the Chair of the School of Business and School of Computing Research Committee and serves as an editorial board member for Higher Education Quarterly and as an associate editor for Higher Education Research and Development. She is a member of CANIE’s academic advisory board.
Research Outputs
For Pii-Tuulia’s pre-2017 research outputs please see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pii_Tuulia_Nikula
Research outputs 2022
Nikula, P.-T. (2022). Beyond compliance—Voluntary climate mitigation by New Zealand firms. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(5), 1456-1464. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2283
Nikula, P.-T., Fusek, A., & van Gaalen, A. (2022). Internationalisation of higher education and climate change: A cognitive dissonance perspective. Journal of Studies in International Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153221145082
Gaalen van, A., & Nikula, P. T. (2022, Spring). Achieving our climate goals: A strategic approach. EAIE Forum, 42-44.
Nikula, P.-T., & van Gaalen, A. (2022). Balancing international education and its carbon footprint. Critical Internationalization Studies Review, 1(1), 12-14. https://doi.org/10.32674/cisr.v1i1.4873
Nikula, P. (2022, February 8-10). Decarbonising Aotearoa—Insights from climate proactive firms [Paper presentation]. New Zealand Political Studies Association Online Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
Nikula, P. T., Fusek, A., & Shields, R. (2022, September). Climate conscious international education—Exploring opportunities and tensions [Paper presentation] 34 Annual CHER Conference, Finland (Online).
Nikula, P. T., & Moore, A. (2022, August 15-19). International education and climate change [Paper presentation]. New Zealand International Education Conference 2022, online.
Nikula, P. T. (2022, May 18). Agency problems in agent-based international student recruitment [Oral presentation]. Centre for Higher Education Studies, University College, London. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2022/may/agency-problems-agent-based-international-student-recruitment
Nikula, P. T. (2022, September 14-15). Green skills & Green TVET [Oral presentation]. APAC Technical and Vocational Education Forum, virtual.
McBride, K., & Nikula, P. T. (2022, April 5). Advancing sustainability: A shared responsibility for international education [Oral presentation]. The Forum on Education Abroad, online webinar.
Climate Action Network for International Educators*. (2022). The CANIE COP26 Glasgow paper: A response from the international education sector to the climate emergency. https://canie.org/the-canie-accord/canie-accord-documents/glasgow-paper-web-version
(* P. Nikula contributor)
Fusek, A., Nikula, P. T., & Lamont, A. (2022, April 27). Climate accord helps universities turn goals into action. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220419110314194
Research outputs 2021
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, September 8-10). Decarbonisation and climate activism by New Zealand firms. [Paper presentation]. International Social Innovation Research Conference, Milan, Italy.
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, February 4-5). The government’s toolkit for managing risks in agent-based international student recruitment [Paper presentation]. Australasian Public Policy Network Conference, Melbourne, Australia (Virtual stream).
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, November 25-26). Voluntary carbon certification and New Zealand firms [Paper presentation]. National ITP Research Symposium 2021, Porirua, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T., & Stokes, B. (2021, November 29-December 1). Country promotion by international student recruitment agents. [Paper presentation]. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC 2021), Melbourne, Australia.
Addington, L., Nikula, P. T., & West, E. (2021, February 15-17). The art and science of working with education agents: Quality assurance and partnership strategies [Paper presentation]. Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) Virtual Annual Conference.
Lamont, A., Nikula, P.-T., & Cargill, F. (2021, October 5-8). International education climate action showcase [Paper presentation]. Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) Online.
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, October 28). Moving towards a zero-carbon future in New Zealand—Organisational solutions and challenges [Oral presentation]. New Zealand Sustainable Development Research Symposium (Online).
Raychaudhur, U., Nikula, P.-T., McLaughlin, J., & Blair, S. (2021, February 15-17). The role and intersections of sustainability with international education [Paper presentation]. Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) Virtual Annual Conference.
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, May). Ilmastovastuu kansainvälisessä korkeakoulutuksessa (Climate consciousness in international education) [Video presentation]. Kv-kevätpäivät 2021 (Finnish International Education Spring Forum) (Online).
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, October). New Zealand higher education policy and its coordination [Oral presentation]. Tampere University (Online).
Nikula, P.-T. (2021, April). Springing into climate action [Oral presentation]. European Association for International Education (EAIE) Community Moments webcast.
Nikula, P.-T., & van Gaalen, A. (2021, April). Practice and research of climate action in international education [Oral presentation]. Critical Internationalization Studies Network. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nDGk3Cu2nE
Nikula, P.-T., & Gaalen van, A. (2021, May 13). Balancing international education and its carbon footprint. Critical Voices, 1(4). Critical Internationalization Studies Network. https://criticalinternationalization.net/2021/05/13/balancing-international-education-and-its-carbon-footprint/
West, E., Raimo, V., Nikula, P.-T., & Huang, I. (2021, May 29). International recruitment agents can build back better. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20210526083309797
Research outputs 2020
Nikula, P.-T. (2020). Education agent standards in Australia and New Zealand—Government’s role in agent-based international student recruitment. Studies in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1811219
Nikula, P.-T., & Sibley, J. (2020). Supporting international students’ academic acculturation and sense of academic self-efficacy. Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration, 4(2), 137-149. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1386/tjtm_00018_1
Nikula, P.-T. (2020). Beyond compliance—New Zealand firms and climate action [Abstract]. In A. Lye (Ed.), Resilience And Innovation: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Applied Business Forum; Hosted by Northtec, Whangarei, November 19, 2020 (p. 60). NZABEF.
Nikula, P.-T., Roy, R., Stokes, B., & Weihana, C. (2020). Staff and student panel: Online simulations in teaching and learning [Abstract]. In M. Rudoff, D. Skelton, & D. Stewart (Eds.), Te Pae Tawhiti 2020: Conference booklet; 17-18 September 2020, Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier (p. 20). Eastern Institute of Technology. https://www.eit.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Te-Pae-Tawhiti-2020-Conference-Booklet.pdf
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, August). Kansainvälisten tutkinto-opiskelijoiden akateeminen minäpystyvyys Uudessa-Seelannissa [Academic self-efficacy of international students in New Zealand] [Paper presentation]. Pedaforum 2020, Oulu, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, August). Simulaatiopelin käytön hyödyt korkeakouluopetuksessa [The benefits of simulation games in higher education teaching] [Paper presentation]. Pedaforum 2020, Oulu, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, December). Kolmekymmentä vuotta lukukausimaksujen ja -maksuttomuuden politiikkaa Suomessa ja Uudessa-Seelannissa [30 years of politics of tuition fees and zero-fees in Finland New Zealand] [Paper presentation]. XIV Symposium of Higher Education.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, Decenber). Korkeakoulutuksen tasa-arvon painotukset ja edistäminen Suomessa ja Uudessa-Seelannissa [Higher education equality and its advancement in Finland and New Zealand] [Paper presentation]. Kasvatustieteen Päivät [FERA Conference on Education], Helsinki, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, December). Koulutusviennin motiivit, eettiset kysymykset ja poliittinen ohjaus [Export education and its motives, ethical questions and political coordination] [Paper presentation]. XIV Symposium of Higher Education.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, December). Koulutusviennin näkökulmia Australiasta ja Uudesta-Seelannista [Export education perspectives from Australia and New Zealand] [Paper presentation]. Kasvatustieteen Päivät [FERA Conference on Education], Helsinki, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, September). International students’ academic self-efficacy [Conference workshop]. Te Pae Tawhiti 2020, Napier, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, January 30). Climate action & international education. Education New Zealand Pan sector group on sustainability [Online].
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, May 7). Agents and Covid-19: Current challenges and post-covid-19 scenarios [Oral presentation]. Education New Zealand [Online webinar].
Nikula, P.-T., Koutaniemi, M., & Salmi, A. (2020, September 26). Yliopistojen kansainvälisyys ja hiilijalanjälki [International education and carbon footprint] [Oral presentation]. UNIFI (Universities Finland) Annual Sustainability Forum [Virtual workshop].
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, September 30). New Zealand higher education policy & coordination [Oral presentation]. Centre for Higher Education, Tampere University [Online webinar].
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, November 18). Education agent regulation in Australia and New Zealand [Oral presentation]. In The secret life of international recruitment agents [Webinar]. Centre for Global Higher Education webinar, Oxford University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXTxVVg-S3o
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, January 30). Removing the mystery from the education agent industry. International Education Association of Australia. https://www.ieaa.org.au/blog/removing-the-mystery-from-the-education-agent-industry.
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, June 15). Working in partnership with education agents during and after COVID-19. AgentBee. https://agentbee.net/education-agents-covid/
Nikula, P.-T. (2020, June 29). Will tertiary fee changes in Australia increase Trans-Tasman study? Briefing Papers. https://briefingpapers.co.nz/will-tertiary-fee-changes-in-australia-increase-trans-tasman-study/
Research Outputs 2019
Nikula, P.-T., & Kivistö, J. (2019). Monitoring of education agents engaged in international student recruitment: Perspectives from the agency theory. Journal of Studies in International Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315318825338
Nikula, P. T. (2019, Winter). Towards carbon-neutral international education. EAIE Forum, 12-13. https://www.eaie.org/our-resources/library/publication/Forum-Magazine/2019-winter-forum.html
Nikula, P. T. (2019). Consumer protection in export education marketing. In J. E. Richard & D. Kadirov (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference ANZMAC 2019: Winds Of Change, 2nd – 4th December 2019, Wellington, New Zealand (pp. 717-721). Retrieved from https://confer.nz/anzmac2019/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ANZMAC-2019-Final-Proceedings-01.12.19.pdf
Nikula, P. T. (2019). Student perceived pedagogical value of online simulations. In J. E. Richard & D. Kadirov (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference ANZMAC 2019: Winds Of Change, 2nd – 4th December 2019, Wellington, New Zealand (pp. 949). Retrieved from https://confer.nz/anzmac2019/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ANZMAC-2019-Final-Proceedings-01.12.19.pdf
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, April). The impact of the zero-fee policy – Benefiting local communities by widening access to tertiary education? Paper presented at the 2019 ITP Research Symposium, Napier, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, September). Environmental sustainability – Faculty policies and practices. Paper presented at the European Association for International Education Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T., Galloway, A., & Smidt, D. (2019, August). Effective monitoring of education agents: Best approaches and potential benefits. Panel session presented at the New Zealand International Education Conference (NZIEC 2019), Auckland, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T., & Lamont, A. (2019, August). Climate change: Your opportunity to act! Paper presented at the New Zealand International Education Conference (NZIEC 2019), Auckland, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T., Weimer, L., & Van Donselaar, F. (2019, September). National codes: Safeguarding international students’ rights and well-being. Paper presented at the European Association for International Education Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
Weimer, L., & Nikula, P.-T. (2019, September). Influencing key stakeholders: Designing a compelling case for internationalisation. Paper presented at the European Association for International Education Conference, Helsinki, Finland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, April). Sustainability of the international education industry – Status quo and challenges. Poster session presented at the 2019 ITP Research Symposium, Napier, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, March 28). Towards more ethical international student recruitment – Reducing information asymmetry in education provider-agent relationships. Brown Bag Research Lunchtime Seminar presented at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, July 3). Glocal sustainability action. Invited public presentation at the Sustainable Futures Discussion Forum, Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier, New Zealand.
Morris Matthews, K., & Nikula, P.-T. (2019, March 15). One size doesn’t fit all: Stakeholders’ views sidelined in overhaul of vocational education system. Hawke’s Bay Today, p. 11.
Nikula, P.-T. (2019, April 18). The climate clock is ticking loud – is the international education sector listening? The PIE Blog. https://blog.thepienews.com/2019/04/the-climate-clock-is-ticking-loud-is-the-international-education-sector-listening/.
Nikula, P.-T., & Kivistö, J. (2019, May 11). How can we monitor education agents more effectively? University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190508081728122
Nikula, P.-T., & Lamont, A. (2019, June 28). Let’s lead on climate: International education’s response to climate emergency. https://www.ieaa.org.au/blog/lets-lead-on-climate-international-educations-response-to-climate-emergency
Research Outputs 2018
Nikula, P-T. & Matthews, K. M. (2018). Zero-fee policy: making tertiary education accessible and affordable for all? New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 23, 5-19
Nikula, P.-T. & Kivistö, J. (2018). Hiring Education Agents for International Student Recruitment: Perspectives from Agency Theory. Higher Education Policy,31(4), 535-557. DOI: 10.1057/s41307-017-0070-8
Nikula, P.-T. (2018) Socioeconomic inequalities in higher education: a meta-method analysis of twenty-first century studies in Finland and New Zealand, Studies in Higher Education, 43(12), 2305-2320, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2017.1326024
Nikula, P-T. & Kivistö, J. (2018). Controlling third-party recruiter behaviour in Australian and New Zealand export education industries. Paper presented at ANZAM Conference, Auckland, 6 December.
Nikula, P-T. & Sibley, J. (2018). It is a two-way street: Supporting international students’ academic acculturation. Paper presented at the ISANA NZ Symposium, Wellington, 8 November.
Nikula, P-T. (2018). The New Zealand Pastoral Care Policy – Protecting International Students’ Rights and Well-being? Paper presented at the ISANA NZ Symposium, Wellington, 8 November.
Nikula, P.-T., Gao, X., & Sibley, J. (2018, January). Online simulations as a way to increase collaboration, engagement, and real-life problem solving? International student perspectives. Paper presented at the Centre for Research in International Education Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
Nikula, P.-T. (2018). Inside the mind of an education agent: how to improve our communication and training. Workshop seminar conducted at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Nikula, P-T. (2018). Regulating education agent behaviour: New Zealand versus Australian national codes. Paper presented at the Australian International Education Conference, Sydney, 10 – 12 October 2018
Nikula, P.-T., & Yang, W. (2018, October 25). The future of international education in Hawke’s Bay. Policy think-tank session conducted at Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
Nikula, P-T. (2018). Increasing international students’ choice in summative assessments: use of video presentations in demonstrating learning. Paper presented at the Centre for Research in International Education Conference, Auckland, 15-16 January 2018.
Nikula, P-T., Gao, X. & Sibley, J. (2018). Online simulations as a way to increase collaboration, engagement, and real-life problem solving? International student perspectives. Paper presented at the Centre for Research in International Education Conference, Auckland, 15-16 January.
Nikula, P.-T. (2018, September 27). Enhancing learning through educational simulations. In Brown Bag Research Lunchtime Seminar conducted at Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
Nikula, P-T. (2018, February 8). Innovation in assessments. School of Humanities (EIT) Professional Development Day, Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Nikula, P-T. (2018). Recruiting international students with the help of third-party representatives: the issues in incentivising and monitoring education agents. Paper presented at the Centre for Research in International Education Conference, Auckland, 15-16 January 2018.
Nikula, P-T. (2018). Go Digital to Engage. Paper presented at the Eastern Institute of Technology Teaching and Learning Conference, 20-21 September 2018
Nikula, P-T. (2018, March 23). Zero fees – what could be better? Policy Think Tank session conducted at Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay New Zealand
Nikula, P-T. (2018, May 23). Labour’s zero-fees policy: making tertiary education accessible for all New Zealanders? Conducted at the Department of Social Sciences research seminar at AUT, Auckland, New Zealand
Nikula, P-T. (2018, May 22). Labour’s new zero-fee policy. Conducted at the Tertiary Education Policy. Fees, funding, and rankings -panel. Public Policy Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Nikula, P.-T. (2018, Feb 27). Food for Thought – Free of charge school lunches. The Policy Observatory Briefing Papers. Retrieved from http://briefingpapers.co.nz/food-for-thought-free-of-charge-school-lunches/
Nikula, P.-T. (2018, Feb 09). Let’s look to Finland and adopt universal free school lunches. NZ Herald. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/101305452/lets-look-to-finland-and-adopt-universal-free-school-lunches
Research Outputs 2017
Sibley, J., Nikula, P.-T., & Dinwoodie, R. (2017). Accelerating academic acculturation and the development of self-directed learning capability through online simulation. In E. Erturk, K. MacCallum & D. Skelton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th Annual Conference of Computing and Information Technology Education and Research in New Zealand incorporating the 30th Annual Conference of the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications Napier, New Zealand, 2nd–4th October 2017 (pp. 44–49). Retrieved from http://www.citrenz.ac.nz/conferences/2017/pdf/2017CITRENZ_1_Sibley_Simulation.pdf
Nikula, P., Kivisto, J. (2017). Hiring Education Agents for International Student Recruitment: Perspectives from Agency Theory. Journal of Higher Education Policy. Advance Online Publication. DOI 10.1057/s41307-017-0070-8
Nikula, P. (2017). Socioeconomic inequalities in higher education: a meta-method analysis of twenty-first century studies in Finland and New Zealand. Studies in Higher Education. Advance Online Publication. DOI 10.1080/03075079.2017.1326024
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, December). Increased flexibility in summative assessments – incorporating student choice in assessment style. In E. Heinrich, C. Mariskind, & I. Fuller (Eds.), Proceedings of the 13th Tertiary Education Research in New Zealand Conference, Napier, Palmerston North, 30 November – 1 December 2017 (pp. 74-76). Retrieved from http://www.herdsa.org.nz/ternz/2017/pdfs/TERNZ_2017_Proceedings.pdf
Nikula, P.-T., Kivisto, J. (2017, November 16). Opiskelijoiden rekrytointiin tarvitaan yhteiset säännöt {The International Education Industry Needs a National Code of Conduct Policy} . Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved from https://www.hs.fi/paivanlehti/16112017/art-2000005450233.html
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, October 3). Grand Coalitions: Finland and New Zealand. The Policy Observatory Briefing Papers. Retrieved from http://briefingpapers.co.nz/grand-coalitions-finland-and-new-zealand
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, October 27). Students will suffer if Australia and New Zealand change tertiary fee agreement. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/students-will-suffer-if-australia-and-new-zealand-change-tertiary-fee-agreement-86391
Nikula, P.-T., & Smith, N. R. (2017, September 27). New Zealand’s first-past-the-post ‘hangover’ could limit coalition options. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/new-zealands-first-past-the-post-hangover-could-limit-coalition-options-84685
Sibley, J., Nikula, P.-T., & Dinwoodie, R. (2017). Accelerating academic acculturation and the development of self-directed learning capability through online simulation. In E. Erturk, K. MacCallum & D. Skelton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th Annual Conference of Computing and Information Technology Education and Research in New Zealand incorporating the 30th Annual Conference of the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications Napier, New Zealand, 2nd-4th October 2017 (pp. 44-49). Retrieved from http://www.citrenz.ac.nz/conferences/2017/pdf/2017CITRENZ_1_Sibley_Simulation.pdf
Nikula, P. (2017, August). Partnering with Education Agents: Tips and Techniques to Manage Agent Relationships. Presentation in the New Zealand International Education Conference, Auckland.
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, July 26). Introducing a Universal Basic Income in New Zealand – Insights from the Finnish trial? The Policy Observatory Briefing Papers. Retrieved from http://briefingpapers.co.nz/introducing-a-universal-basic-income-in-new-zealand-insights-from-the-finnish-trial/
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, March 28). Zero-fee tertiary. The Policy Observatory Briefing Papers. Retrieved from http://briefingpapers.co.nz/zero-fee-tertiary/
Nikula, P.-T. (2017, January 31). The digital classroom revolution. The Policy Observatory Briefing Papers. Retrieved from http://briefingpapers.co.nz/the-digital-classroom-revolution/