Prefiguring the Idea of the University: What Can Be Learned from Autonomous Learning Spaces That Have Experimented with No-Fee, Alternative Forms of Higher Education in the UK?

2019 ◽  
pp. 67-89
Author(s):  
Gary Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Idea Of The University

scholarly journals Room 101: A Movement towards Social Learning Spaces? A Survey of SAC Managers in UK Higher Education

2015 ◽  
pp. 124-137
Author(s):  
Michael Allhouse
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Physical Resources ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
Valuable Role

As more and more self-access facilities face up to the challenge of shrinking budgets and responding to the ubiquity of mobile devices for learning, Michael Allhouse’s column examining the movement towards social learning that has taken place at the University of Bradford reminds us that such centres have a valuable role beyond providing access to physical resources. In this final instalment of his three-part series, Allhouse examines the provision of self-access in UK Higher Education, in order to determine to what extent Room 101’s journey towards becoming a social learning space is reflected in other centres around the country. By widening the scope of his research to examine not only the attitudes of learners at his own centre, but also wider trends across the UK, he reveals a diverse picture of self-access, and one in which social learning plays a vital and growing role.

Web Accessibility of the Top Research-Intensive Universities in the UK

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110566
Author(s):  
Sophia Alim
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The Body ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Wcag 2.0 ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Text Content ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Technologies ◽  
The University

Although the web accessibility of universities around the world is well documented, much remains unknown about this aspect of higher education institutions in the UK. Using three automated web accessibility tools (TAW, WAVE and EIII Page Checker), this study explores the accessibility of the homepages of 66 research-intensive universities with respect to the WCAG 2.0 checkpoints. The results show that the most common checkpoint violations involve the provision of text alternatives for non-text content, contrast errors and the need to increase the computability of webpages with future technologies and tools. The results show that there are variations between UK universities, and there is some evidence of consistent compliance amongst the university homepages. However, when evaluated against results from similar studies of web accessibility in other countries, these web pages perform well. Overall, this study adds to the body of knowledge on web accessibility in higher education in the UK.

Enabling New Market Exploitation by SMEs

1996 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceris Burns
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Collaboration ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Medical Electronics ◽  
Small Companies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Way

This article provides a practical case example of the way in which international collaboration between government, higher education and business can lead to new commercial opportunities for small companies which would otherwise lack the necessary resources for the extensive market research required, and also to enhanced knowledge and understanding for all participants. The author summarizes the results of her market research in France, undertaken as part of a TCS programme of the University of Stirling and Albyn Medical, a small Scottish-based company in the medical electronics business. The six-week visit to France was the result of a TCS scholarship supported by institutions in both France and the UK.

scholarly journals Unwaged Posts in UK Universities: Controversies and Campaigns

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Forkert ◽  
Ana Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This article examines unwaged posts at UK universities, using recent examples of advertised job posts. While unpaid work is common in the UK higher education system, unwaged posts are not. The posts under scrutiny in this article differ from traditional honorary titles as they target early career academics, who are unlikely to have a paid position elsewhere, rather than established scholars. The article contextualizes the appearance of these posts in a climate of increasing marketization of higher education, entrenching managerialism in higher education institutions, and the casualization of academic work. We also discuss resistance to the posts, arguing that the controversy surrounding unpaid internships in the creative industries created a receptive environment for resisting unwaged posts in academia. We analyze the campaigns that were fought against the advertisement of the posts, mostly through social media and the University and College Union. We explore the tactics used and discuss the advantages and limitations of the use of social media, as well as the role of trade unions in the campaigns against these posts, and we reflect on what future campaigns can learn from these experiences.

scholarly journals Using Technology to Enhance the Student Experience in Large Cohort Settings: Evidence from a Journey of Innovation at the University of Manchester

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Middleditch ◽  
William Moindrot
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Large Cohort ◽  
Peer Instruction ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Manchester

The use of large cohorts in higher education poses significant challenges to institutions and lecturers required to convene in this setting. These challenges have been compounded by recent changes to higher education in the UK that have presented themselves in the form of a new fees structure, a push for student satisfaction and a technological tidal wave. This paper presents innovative approaches, from two large cohort economics courses running over three years at the University of Manchester, using methods of classroom interaction, peer instruction and social media to further engagement. We discuss data collected during this period of time through surveys and observations of how the students used these new learning tools. We have found that a move away from clickers toward utilisation of students’ own mobile devices, and in time the use of social media, meant that we were more able to adapt and evolve our teaching methods at a pace with the needs and interests of our students. We use this evidence to consider the implications and to provide advice to others teaching on large cohort courses whose ambition, like ours, is to make the large cohort class a more positive experience.

scholarly journals Reflections on the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nottingham

2021 ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
Cecilia Goria
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Emergency Measures

It is widely believed that digitally-driven changes are not welcomed amongst academic staff in higher education. However, when in March 2020, the University of Nottingham went online in response to the UK government’s COVID-19 lockdown, a different picture started to emerge. This contribution reflects on the initial steps taken to respond to the COVID-19 emergency measures, including the support required to implement these steps and ensuing staff feedback. It also reflects on the process of moving forward from a state of emergency to a more thought-through digital pedagogical approach. In this scenario, the ultimate goal of this reflection is to argue that, as a consequence of the educational turbulence caused by COVID-19, the portrait of academics prone to resisting digitally-driven changes needs to be replaced by one that emphasises the significance of making the pedagogical values of these changes meaningful to the staff who eventually implement them.

scholarly journals Adapting to a Dynamic Higher Education Environment – How the University of Glasgow Library Is Taking Up the Challenge

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Susan Ashworth
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Research Assessment ◽  
Institutional Repository ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Scholarly Communications ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

The University of Glasgow Library is continuously developing space and services to meet the need of students and researchers in an evolving higher education landscape. We are an evidence-based organisation and have used tools such as ethnography, surveys and focus groups to understand how users interact with the physical and virtual library. We have also introduced new roles and created new partnerships across the University, particularly in the context of the United Kingdom Government’s policy on open access and funder requirements for the management of research data. This paper will focus on how the University of Glasgow Library is adapting to both the dynamic scholarly communications environment and the demands of our national research exercise and evidence from users and changing student needs. Every six years in the UK, there is a national research assessment exercise called the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and measurement of the performance of research outputs is a key part of that exercise. From 1st April 2016, in order to be eligible for the next REF, the accepted final version of journal articles and conference proceedings must have been deposited into an institutional repository within three months of the date of acceptance and made open access. Many research funders, such as the Wellcome Trust, also have policies on open access. The Library, in close partnership with the University’s Research Office, has taken the lead in publicising these policies to ensure that researchers are aware of their responsibilities. It has also developed new functionality in Enlighten, our institutional repository service to support compliance. In 2015, the Library commissioned an in-depth ethnographic study to help us more readily understand the changing needs of students and how they use library space. An overview of the results of this work and our next steps will demonstrate how we are “enabling progress”.

scholarly journals The CLA HE Trial Scanning Licence - how we're using it.

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (98) ◽  
pp. 16-28
Author(s):  
Jenny Delasalle
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Innovation Unit

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Higher Education (HE) Trial Scanning Licence has been implemented to varying degrees across UK HE institutions. The UK HE community has sought to share expertise in the technical, practical and compliance issues associated with the licence since its introduction. The University of Warwick Research and Innovation Unit (RIU) conducted a survey of scanning practice which revealed different approaches and levels of scanning in evidence. This, taken with the CLA's own data about how the licence has been used, presents a picture of how UK HE Institutions are providing electronic extracts to their students. Issues such as who is using the licence, how much they are scanning, what the nature of that scanned content is and how they are creating scanned extracts, reveal much that can help those considering whether and how to use the CLA HE Trial Scanning Licence.

scholarly journals Making connections and building resilience: Developing workshops with undergraduates

2017 ◽  
pp. 404-418
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
Financial Pressure ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education

While defining resilience is recognised as complex with recent research highlighting the disparity of interpretations, there is however, a common appreciation of the wide range of contributory factors impacting on students’ resilience within the Higher Education sector. These can include but are not limited to, an increasingly competitive environment for graduate jobs, increased financial pressure from student tuition fees, alongside the more traditional concerns of moving away from home and transitioning towards greater independence. Building on previous research at the University of Surrey with high achieving students, this paper outlines the development and delivery of a student focused workshop designed to enable the participants to build their understanding of resilience using different but complementary pedagogic approaches: LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and Concept Mapping. The case study included within this paper demonstrates one student’s reflection of the workshop and previous experiences which have contributed to their own resilience. What has become apparent at the University of Surrey, and more broadly within the UK Higher Education sector, is that universities have a vital role to play in fostering positive mindsets amongst students and developing strong and resilient independent learners.

scholarly journals Social Identification, Widening Participation and Higher Education: Experiencing Similarity and Difference in an English Red Brick University

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-369
Author(s):  
Tom Clark ◽  
Rita Hordósy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Similarity And Difference ◽  
The University

In 2012, the UK government introduced the National Scholarship Programme – a scheme that aimed to ensure that young people from families with low household incomes would not be discouraged from entry into higher education by increases in tuition fees. Drawing on longitudinal evidence in the form of 80 semi-structured interviews conducted in an English Red Brick University over a 3-year period, this article uses Jenkins’ work on social identification to examine the processes by which these post-2012 undergraduates used and experienced the financial support made available to them as part of the Programme. The article explores how the initially categorical label associated with being a student in receipt of financial assistance was variously understood and experienced as they moved through their degree. Not only did the additional finance allow students to avoid excessive part-time work, recipients also felt increasingly valued by the institution when they began to recognise how their financial circumstances differed from their peers, and that the university had made this provision for them. It remains to be seen whether these, more intangible, benefits of non-repayable financial support will transfer to the system of ‘enhanced’ loans that have subsequently replaced maintenance grants and the National Scholarship Programme.

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