British Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

To be or not to be ‘a disabled student’ in higher education: the case of a postgraduate ‘non-declaring’ (disabled) student

This paper draws on data from a research project that was funded by the UK's Higher Education Academy. The project focused on the experiences of disabled students in one English higher education institution, and a key feature of the project was to attempt to access the perspectives of 'non-declaring' disabled students. This paper draws on the experiences of one of the 'non-declaring' respondents, Anna, a postgraduate student. In the UK, some students declare their disabled status on entry to a higher education institution, some do so once at the institution and some never let the institution know of their impairment. It is the perspectives of this latter group that are particularly difficult to access. Anna's experiences as a postgraduate student provide some insight into what may affect decisions about declaration of impairment. Drawing on a social-relational understanding of disability, factors that influenced her decision not to 'declare' and the consequent effect on her experience of higher education are explored. 2010 nasen

‘Distance learning’ or ‘learning at a distance’? Case study of an education initiative to deliver an in‐service bachelors degree in Zambia

In 1998, as part of what was then Zambia's Department of Technical Education and Vocational Training's (DTEVT) human resources capacity building initiative, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MSTVT), donor funding was secured to provide degree‐level training for key teachers and managers within the technical education and vocational education and training (TEVET) system. However, the lack of degree‐level courses designed for TEVET personnel at both of Zambia's universities prevented progress. This situation has disadvantaged TEVET staff and for years has limited their professional development. To address this, a pilot project involving a British Higher Education Institution delivering a degree programme, in‐country and in‐service (part‐time), was proposed by senior DTEVT staff. Some seven years after the commencement of this programme and with three cohorts having successfully been completed, this paper examines some of the key issues in delivery of the programme over the years and reflects on significant events that have influenced the programme's development and are likely to continue to impact on its future direction.

Is the feedback in higher education assessment worth the paper it is written on? Teachers' reflections on their practices

Perceptions of the role and efficacy of written feedback in teaching and learning among teaching staff in British higher education institutions have not been extensively researched. In the present study 48 lecturers in one university and from a cross-section of disciplinary backgrounds were interviewed with respect to their lived experiences with writing assessment feedback. Like most universities, theirs has a stated commitment to academic excellence by, among other things, ensuring timely and useful feedback on assignments. The findings suggest, however, that institutional policies and departmental practices related to formative assessment in this respect are not having the intended effect. Teachers have varied perceptions and beliefs about the purposes of written feedback, and are uncertain about what it achieves and what use students make of it. Far from enhancing written feedback, innovative practices and procedures have created new problems for teachers. There is a clear need for continuing research in this area.

Still looking for leadership – Who is responsible for student nurses’ learning in practice?

The study on which this paper reports examined how the widespread changes in the NHS workforce and in higher education which have transformed nurse education in recent decades have impacted on responsibility for the leadership of student nurse learning in clinical practice. Findings from this mixed methods case study carried out at four English higher education institutions between 2006 and 2007 suggest that link lecturers' presence in clinical areas is diminishing, and that practice nurses' involvement with pre-registration students' learning may be limited. Ward managers lead learning at ward level but changes to their role limit their presence on the wards, so that mentors lead student learning on a day to day basis, which they must balance with caring for patients. Changes to the nurse's role mean that modelling bedside care often falls to health care assistants. This deficit of leadership for learning may be understood as a manifestation of the 'uncoupling' of education and practice following the move of nurse education into higher education and subsequent changes to nursing roles. Strengthening leadership for learning is likely to be associated with recoupling practice and education and indicators to assess the quality of leadership for learning in clinical practice are suggested.

Healthy universities--time for action: a qualitative research study exploring the potential for a national programme

Despite the absence of national or international steers, there is within England growing interest in the Healthy University approach. This article introduces Healthy Universities; reports on a qualitative study exploring the potential for a national programme contributing to health, well-being and sustainable development; and concludes with reflections and recommendations. The study used questionnaires and interviews with key informants from English higher education institutions and national stakeholder organizations. The findings confirmed that higher education offers significant potential to impact positively on the health and well-being of students, staff and wider communities through education, research, knowledge exchange and institutional practice. There was strong support for extending the healthy settings approach beyond schools and further education, through a National Healthy Higher Education Programme that provides a whole system Healthy University Framework. Informants argued that although there are important public health drivers, it will also be necessary to show how a Healthy Universities can help achieve core business objectives and contribute to related agendas such as sustainability. Two models were discussed: an accreditation scheme with externally assessed standardized achievement criteria; and a flexible and light-touch framework focusing on change-related processes and utilizing self-assessment. While highlighting the appeal of league tables, many informants feared that a top-down approach could backfire, generating resistance and resulting in minimal compliance. In contrast, the majority felt that a process-focused aspirational model would be more likely to win hearts and minds and facilitate system-level change. Key recommendations relate to national programme development, research and evaluation and international collaboration and networking.

‘Hanging on a Little Thin Line’: Barriers to Progression and Retention in Social Work Education

Identifying the reasons why students leave higher education without completing their studies has become an increasingly important issue in higher education in the United Kingdom. This paper reports on a series of interviews held with social work students, social work educators, and higher education staff with responsibilities for recruitment and retention in four English higher education institutions (HEIs). The interviews aimed to identify some of the reasons why students might consider leaving before achieving a social work qualification and some of the initiatives the HEIs had set in place to reduce this risk. The findings suggest that some of the widening participation initiatives established in many HEIs are aimed at students at the beginning of their studies but that social work students might benefit from additional support at other periods, for example, both during and on their return from practice placements. Furthermore, the changing profile of social work students may have implications for cohort dynamics and social work educators need to be alert to these developments.

Active citizenship: a preliminary study into student teacher understandings

Background: The last two decades have witnessed an increase in interest in education for citizenship in a number of westernised democracies. In England, citizenship education has been a statutory subject within the secondary National Curriculum since August 2002. As a relatively new subject within the curriculum, practice in citizenship education is in a developmental stage. A number of terms and concepts within citizenship education are therefore being defined and re-defined both through practice and research, including the central concept of active citizenship. To support the introduction of citizenship education, initial teacher education programmes have been established in a number of higher education institutions across England to train specialist teachers of citizenship education. Research has highlighted the positive contribution that specialist citizenship teachers are playing in establishing and developing citizenship education in schools (OfSTED 2006, Towards consensus? Citizenship in secondary schools, Report HMI 2666, London: OfSTED; Kerr et al. 2007, Vision versus pragmatism: citizenship in the secondary school curriculum in England, available from http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR845.pdf), yet little research has been undertaken that explores how these new specialists understand central aspects of the subject. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the understandings of active citizenship held by student teachers undertaking specialist pre-service Post Graduate Certificates of Education programmes in England. The student teachers were training to teach citizenship education to pupils in the 11–16 or 11–18 age range. In view of the relatively small population from which the sample was drawn, the research was intended as an exploratory study of the present situation, the findings from which can inform further research within the field. Sample: In the final synthesis, the sample comprised 149 student teachers from 12 higher education institutions (HEIs) in England. This represented well over half of the total population of secondary citizenship PGCE students in English HEIs for the academic year in which our data were collected (2006/07) (Training and Development Agency for Schools 2005, Secondary ITT place allocations for 2006/07 and 2007/08. Annex B, 6; London). Design and methods: A closed response questionnaire was administered to the student teachers. Specific questions were formulated in relation to issues relevant to student teachers' understanding of active citizenship, in terms of its nature and application. A three- and five-point Likert scale was employed as a reliable and effective means of enabling respondents to answer the questions. However, the questionnaire was not intended to establish an overall scale. Because there were multiple questions being investigated within individual questions, with non-random allocation to groups, significance testing was considered inappropriate in this exploratory study. However, as an approximate guide, all associations mentioned in the text produced a significance at the 5% level in the Kruskal–Wallis test, where association is employed as a means of explaining some of the variation between responses to questions. Results: Analysis showed that 47% of student teachers strongly agreed or agreed that ‘active citizenship is a coherent concept, the meaning of which is shared by citizenship educators’, whereas 35% strongly disagreed or disagreed with this statement. Furthermore, there was a clear spread of student teacher responses across the higher education institutions and the reactions to this statement were indicative of an association between response and HEI attended – i.e. student teacher views may have been influenced by the HEI attended. Whether the student teachers did or did not perceive active citizenship to be a coherent concept did not seem to have impacted on nor influenced their responses to the other questions in the questionnaire. Conclusions: Results from this exploratory study suggest that citizenship student teachers perceive active citizenship to play an important part in providing active learning activities for pupils within community, whole-school and classroom settings. However, the research raises a number of questions that deserve the attention of citizenship teacher educators. If ‘active citizenship’ has, indeed, become part of the new vocabulary of citizenship education, then it is essential that the specialists, who will forge the curriculum in our schools, are aware of wider debates and issues surrounding the subject, its role and its meaning.

Beyond frontiers: comparing the efficiency of higher education decision‐making units across more than one country

We employ Data Envelopment Analysis to compute the technical efficiency of Italian and English higher education institutions. Our results show that, in relation to the country‐specific frontier, institutions in both countries are typically very efficient. However, institutions in England are more efficient than those in Italy when we compare jointly their performances. We also look at the evolution of technical efficiency scores over a four‐year period, and find that, in line with an error‐correction hypothesis, Italian universities are improving their technical efficiency while English universities are obtaining stable scores. Policy implications are addressed.

Conceptual and Pedagogical Approaches to the Global Dimension of Youth Work in British Higher Education Institutions

Global youth work (GYW) may be considered as encompassing forms of education with young people which are variously referred to as development education, global citizenship, education for sustainable development, and humanitarian education amongst others. This article reports on primary research in relation to how GYW is conceptualised and addressed in those Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that deliver youth and community work qualifications across the UK. The research reports specifically on perceived issues of pedagogy, and asks what skills, knowledge and resources are required to deliver an effective curriculum. The article further explores to what extent HEIs are meeting the needs of the field in regards to addressing a global dimension. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with 43 programme/module leaders in HEIs across Britain, 28 recent youth and community development (YCD) graduates and a focus group comprised of 11 representatives of leading international nongovernmental organisations, HEIs and statutory organisations involved in the delivery of GYW. The research concludes that the conceptualisation of and importance attached to global youth work varies greatly both between and within HEIs. The extent to which current YCD students are enabled to 'think globally and act locally' may be subject to the vagaries of particular tutors' interests. In addition, there is no definitive agreement as to whether lecturers need additional skills to deliver effective GYW training. There is agreement, however, that there is a need for the development of suitable GYW curricula and appropriate learning resources within HEIs delivering youth and community work courses.

Preparing newly qualified teachers in England to teach pupils who have English as an additional language

The present study explores the perspectives of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England entering the profession in 2005 and 2006 about their training and induction to meet the needs of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). Findings from a survey and from interviews revealed that the greatest concerns of NQTs related to the teaching of literacy and the assessment of EAL pupils' language skills. Perspectives on initial teacher training offered by English higher education institutions were mixed, with greatest importance given to the quality of school placements offered by training providers. Collaborative support was reported to be available in the induction year, by the third term of which confidence levels had risen. NQTs had found ways to develop their skills in teaching and assessing pupils with EAL. Nevertheless, while encouraging, the reported levels were not yet such that either teachers or the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the body responsible for teacher training in England, could feel satisfied with this aspect of teacher development.

Mapping Educational Tourists' Experience in the UK: understanding international students

Provision of higher education for international students has become an important source of income for Western universities and these students have attracted research attention. Based on an evaluation of international students as tourists, by conceptualising the international student experience in relation to different tourist experiences theorised in the existing tourism literature, this paper considers the experience of international students from developing countries at one British higher education institution. It reports the results gained from an empirical survey. The research indicates a high level of student satisfaction, although there is still much scope for improvement of particular facets; for example, language concerns and the mixing of UK-domiciled students with those from overseas. The conclusion focuses on the potential and implications for British universities to use the research results to highlight positive experiences and encourage good practice, and also provides some suggestions to international students on how to study and live in the UK.

Computer-based materials: A study of learner autonomy and strategies

This paper reports on a study which examines the extent to which specified cognitive, social, and metacognitive strategies, are used by language students when working with computer-based materials (CBMs), in self-study contexts outside of the language classroom; particularly in a self-access centre (SAC). Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews and snap-shot observations from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students enrolled on a summer course at a British Higher Education Institution (HEI). The data identify the frequency with which students use a SAC and the value they attach to computers for language learning. The data then examine the types of strategies students use and the extent to which learner autonomy is being fostered. The vast majority of participants were found to have positive attitudes towards computer-based material (CBMs) and language learning despite frequent use of L1, furthermore they were found to use cognitive strategies and to apply metacognitive awareness in their use of such CBMs. Students believed CBMs assisted with learning and demonstrated conscious applications of a range of strategies while learning in an electronic environment. However, the study also found that less than half the students used social strategies in the target language and this raises a number of issues.

A Challenging But Worthwhile Learning Experience! - Asian International Students' Perspective of Undertaking a Dissertation in the UK

Over the past decade international student enrolment at British higher education institutions has grown significantly. The majority of international students that study for a British qualification originate from Asia and especially from China. In Britain a dissertation is a significant form of assessment in the postgraduate curriculum. This paper aims to explore the international students’ perspective of undertaking dissertations in tourism and hospitality management in the UK. Through personal interviews with 40 international students from Asian countries from April to May 2005, the experience of undertaking a dissertation was examined. Microanalysis was adopted to understand their experience. Empirical results indicated that there were three main reasons for choosing a research topic. For the students the positive experiences gained from writing their dissertations were generated from learning useful information and peer support. Their negative experiences were related to difficulties in meeting the demands of writing critically, the relationships with their supervisors because of cultural barriers, and also access to data.

Challenges of Complex Information Technology Projects

Although painstaking planning usually precedes all large IT development efforts, 80% of new systems are delivered late (if ever) and over budget, frequently with functionality falling short of contract. This case study provides a detailed account of an ill-fated initiative to centrally plan and procure, with the aim to homogenize requirements, an integrated applications suite for a number of British higher education institutions. It is argued that because systems are so deeply embedded in operations and organization and, as you cannot possibly foresee and therefore plan for environmental discontinuities, high-risk, ‘big-bang’ approaches to information systems planning and development must be avoided. In this context the case illustrates the level of complexity that unpredictable change can bring to an information technology project that aims to establish the ‘organizationally generic’ and the destabilizing effects it has on the network of the project’s stakeholders.

Embedding quality: the challenges for higher education

This paper reviews recent research, literature and the views of a small sample of senior managers and academics in English higher education institutions on the challenges associated with embedding quality. When implemented by a university, quality enhancement models such as total quality management and the European Foundation for Quality Management need to be fitted in sympathetically with the organisation's culture and structures. If embedding is to occur, there needs to be a careful consideration of the opportunity costs of the various options that could bring about the necessary transformative change. The importance of transformative leadership and the creation of a conducive organisational culture are also explored, as are the major indicators of success. Senior managers and other change agents face major challenges but, by achieving the goal of embedding quality, students would receive greatly improved higher education and, as a consequence, their country's economy and society would also prosper.

What employers may learn from English higher education institutions: A fortigenic approach to occupational stress

Whilst there is no denying that levels of occupational stress in staff working in universities and colleges are increasing, academic staff, in particular, continue to maintain a level of satisfaction from their jobs. A stratified random sample of staff working in 14 higher education institutions in England was used. The results showed that, whilst commitment was lower and levels of occupational stress were significantly higher with regard to work relationships, control and resources and communication, compared to the normative data, staff reported significantly lower levels of stress relating to work-life balance, overload, and job dissatisfaction. Compared to normative data, participants reported significantly lower levels of physical ill-health and psychological outcomes of stress. The results support previous findings identifying a protective effect of job satisfaction against the negative consequences of workplace stress. Opsomming Terwyl dit nie ontken word dat die vlak van werkstres van personeel wat in universiteite en kolleges werk, verhoog nie, ervaar akademiese personeel steeds tevredenheid met hul werk. ’n Gestratifiseerde ewekansige steekproef van personeel wat by 14 hoër opvoedkundige instellings in Engeland werk, is geneem. Die resultate het aangetoon dat hoewel verbondenheid laer en werkstres beduidend hoër was ten opsigte van werksverhoudinge, kontrole en bronne en kommunikasie vergeleke met normatiewe data, personeel beduidend laer vlakke van stres ten opsigte van werklewe balans, oorlading en werkstevredenheid getoon het. Deelnemers het ook beduidend laer vlakke van fisieke ongesondheid en psigologiese uitkomstes van stres gerapporteer. Die resultate ondersteun vorige bevindings wat ’n beskermende effek van werkstevredenheid teen die negatiewe uitkomstes van stres identifiseer.

Encouraging Cream-Skimming and Dreg-Siphoning? Increasing Competition between English HEIs

We examine the impact of recent policy on the nature of competition within English higher education (HE) for students. Revisions made to the method of allocating Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) teaching funds and the introduction of performance monitoring and targeted recruitment premiums have changed the incentives facing higher education institutions (HEI)s when designing recruitment strategies. We consider the extent to which the experience of similar market-based reforms on the English secondary schooling system is being replicated in HE. Promoting increased competition by comparison was advocated as a means of stimulating greater allocative, technical and dynamic efficiency in both schools and universities. Similarly, relaxing institutions’ capacity constraints and introducing targeted financial incentives have been touted as effective mech-anisms to assist the attainment of policy objectives. However, the experience of market-based reforms of state secondary schooling indicates that dysfunctional responses occur and that the overall impact on market behaviour is more complex than anticipated. We consider whether similar processes are evolving in HE.

Auditing as the eternal present: organisational transformation in british higher education

This article examines organisational transformation within higher education in Britain. In the prcess, it highlights the focus upon the ‘how’ rather than the ‘why’ of organisational existence that guides these changes. Drawing on recent experiences of auditing of subject provision within universities, it is argued that the new discourse of managerialism that is reflected in the drive for ‘quality assurance’ constitutes the triumph of method over purpose. Interal to the thinking motivating these transformations is an uncritical attachment to putatively universal forms of market-oriented practice. This, in tum, involves a process of historical forgetting vis-à-vis the academy's longer-standing practices that have been rooted in bodies of organisational knowledge developed out of a distinct ethos. The resulting sense of an ‘eteral present’ constructs points of diference from newly dominant discourses of organisational practice as merely ‘old-fashioned’ customs to be overcome. A denial of the possibility of diference with regard to local practices and forms of knowledge has particular consequences for the possibility of mounting any form of critique. It is assumed that ideas of ‘best practice’ are generic and transcend specific forms of organisational knowledge evolved at the front line of educational service delivery. Knowledge developed through practice (phronesis) is sidelined in favour of the imposition of a supposed technically neutral knowledge, assisted by the growing army of those now charged with ‘quality assurance’. Little space is then left for the practicaly reasonable decision-making that must always be a matter of judgement, leared in contexts that are subject to change. It is on this basis that we examine the idea of the ‘eteral present’ that now characterises the ascendancy of method over purpose in British higher education institutions.

Variety is the spice of life: student use of CMC in the context of campus based study

At present, courses within British higher education institutions offer a somewhat haphazard patchwork of IT-based learning resources. Through university intranets it is now possible for many students to follow at least parts of their courses online. However, the provision available is highly dependent on local resources and individual tutors. This paper focuses on student discussion supported via computer mediated communication, but not in the context of distance learning. Rather the focus is upon campus-based study, where students are working with one another in a sustained mode over a period of time. In the context of an ESRC 'Virtual Society?' research project we have been using the online dialogues together with interviews and questionnaires to examine two third year level psychology courses at different universities. In both cases tutors used web resources to facilitate computer-mediated communication as an integral part of the course. Different contexts for learning were created by the differing stances of the tutors. One tutor took an active, participatory role whereas the other tutor remained a non-participant. Both, however, wanted to create wide-ranging discussion amongst the learners. The differing roles of tutors were associated with a marked difference in communication styles and perceived learning outcomes.

Building bridges to Europe: languages for students of other disciplines

British Higher Education institutions have for some time now been promoting Europeanisation policies, offering languages and foreign exchanges as part of their undergraduate programmes. However, the organisation of such programmes and the question of how integrated languages should and can be remain problematic, and the commitment to such programmes varies considerably from institution to institution. This paper argues the case for vocationally relevant language courses for students of other disciplines — focussing on architecture as an example — to enable them to compete successfully as future employees of the Single European Market. It also describes the process involved in developing a vocational or subject-specific language course.