scholarly journals Reconceptualising fair access to highly academically selective universities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikki Boliver ◽  
Pallavi Banerjee ◽  
Stephen Gorard ◽  
Mandy Powell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Procedural Fairness ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Distributive Fairness ◽  
Selective Universities ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time ◽  
Fair Access

AbstractThe higher education regulator for England has set challenging new widening access targets requiring universities to rethink how merit is judged in admissions. Universities are being encouraged to move away from the traditional meritocratic equality of opportunity model of fair access, which holds that university places should go to the most highly qualified candidates irrespective of social background, in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness. Instead, they are being asked to move towards what we term the meritocratic equity of opportunity model, which holds that prospective students’ qualifications should be judged in light of the socioeconomic circumstances in which these were obtained to enhance distributive fairness, a practice known in the UK as contextualised admissions. In this paper, we critically discuss the theoretical underpinnings of these two competing perspectives on fair access and review the existing empirical evidence base, drawing together for the first time insights from our ESRC and Nuffield Foundation funded studies of fair access to highly academically selective universities in England. We argue that reconceptualising fair access in terms of distributive fairness rather than procedural fairness offers a more socially just set of principles on which to allocate valuable but scarce places at the most academically selective universities in England, unless or until such time as the vertical stratification of higher education institutions is reduced or eliminated entirely.

scholarly journals Managing chronic, nonhealing wounds stalled in the inflammatory phase: a case series using a novel matrix therapy, CACIPLIQ20

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (Sup9) ◽  
pp. S33-S37
Author(s):  
Sally Irving
Keyword(s):  
Heparan Sulphate ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Conventional Care ◽  
Inflammatory Phase ◽  
Healing Wounds ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time

One of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare providers is the treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds. This paper reports for the first time in the UK the results of five case studies in which a novel regenerating matrix-based therapy, CACIPLIQ20, was used. CACIPLIQ20 is a heparan sulphate mimetic designed to replace the destroyed heparan sulphate in the extracellular matrix of wound cells. All five patients in this case series had chronic, non-healing ulcers that had not improved with conventional care. Treatment included two applications of CACIPLIQ20 per week, for a maximum of 12 weeks. Three of the five wounds healed completely, and the remaining two showed significant improvements in size and quality. The treatment was well tolerated by the patients and also led to a significant reduction in pain. Moreover, CACIPLIQ20 treatment was found to be highly cost-effective when compared to conventional care, with the potential to save healthcare systems significant resources. Further studies are needed to build a strong evidence base on the use of this product, but these preliminary findings are certainly promising.

scholarly journals The extent and uptake of mathematics support in higher education: results from the 2018 survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-104
Author(s):  
Michael Grove ◽  
Tony Croft ◽  
Duncan Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
First Time ◽  
Mathematics Problem ◽  
Current Provision

Abstract In response to the well-documented challenges associated with the ‘mathematics problem’ in UK higher education, many institutions have implemented a programme of mathematics support. Previous surveys within the UK, undertaken in 2001, 2004 and, most recently, 2012, have shown growth in the number of institutions offering such support and indicate that the dominant form of provision is through a drop-in model. Here we report on a 2018 survey of higher education providers in England and Wales undertaken to establish not only the extent of current provision but also understand the scale of its delivery. We find that overall the proportion of higher education institutions offering mathematics support remains broadly the same, but there is considerable variation in how this support is delivered within institutions. While the drop-in model remains most common, we see evidence that the methods used to provide mathematics support are expanding and that the range of levels and subjects studied of targeted student cohorts is widening. For the first time we are able to report on the volume of use of mathematics support by students across England and Wales, and although dependent upon the institutional context, we see clear evidence of the extensive use being made of it by learners.

scholarly journals Accounting for unequal access to higher education: The role of social identity factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlon Nieuwenhuis ◽  
Antony S. R. Manstead ◽  
Matthew J. Easterbrook
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Disadvantaged Students ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Selective Universities ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Fitting In

Western societies stress the potential for anyone, irrespective of social background, to improve their position within society. However, disadvantaged students face barriers in gaining a good education. Two studies in secondary schools show how perceptions of identity compatibility and anticipated fit influence students’ university choices. It was found that relatively disadvantaged students scored lower on identity compatibility, and that low scores on identity compatibility were associated with lower anticipated fit at a local selective (Study 1) or highly selective (Study 2) university. Anticipated fit, in turn, predicted the type of university to which participants wanted to apply; those who anticipated fitting in more at selective universities were more likely to apply to higher status universities. These relations were significant while controlling for academic achievement. Together, these studies suggest that social identity factors play a relevant role in explaining higher education choices among low-status group members.

scholarly journals International Students: The United Kingdom Drops the Ball

2014 ◽  
pp. 9-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Marginson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
International Education ◽  
South Asia ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
First Time

The number of non-EU students entering UK higher education has fallen for the first time for many year, especially students from South Asia. The UK government is under pressure from the neo-nationalist UK independence Party to reduce all forms of migration and international education has been caught by this.

scholarly journals Reflections on the role of a workplace mediator

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 552-559
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time

This article is a reflection on my time as an internal mediator and, I hope also, a guide for readers who are considering introducing or taking up the role. To that end, the discussion covers my early expectations, the first time in the role, different approaches to the role I have encountered both as a practicing mediator and also as a researcher and closes with some reflection on the future. This article is an adaptation of an original paper for the UK Professional Mediation Association conference 2014. To that end, I have sought to develop some of the themes based more specifically on my and colleagues’ research on mediation across a number of sectors in the UK, in particular within higher education.

scholarly journals The construction of under-representation in UK and Swedish higher education: Implications for disabled students

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet Weedon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Disabled Students ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Uk

This article examines the inclusion of disabled students in the UK and Swedish higher education systems. In the United Kingdom, performance indicators focus on the participation rate of disabled students in comparison with those of non-disabled students, while in Sweden there are no specific performance indicators relating to disabled students. The article notes that in both countries there is a dearth of intersectional data, recognising the heterogeneity of the disabled student population. It is argued that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are also disabled may suffer a double disadvantage in accessing university and progressing through their studies. UK data show that disabled students are more likely to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, although this is due to the preponderance of dyslexic students who are disproportionately drawn from middle class backgrounds. The data also show that disabled students have lower progression rates than non-disabled students and that labour market outcomes differ in relation to type of impairment. The article advocates a greater focus on intersectional analysis in relation to ensuring effective support for all irrespective of impairment and social background.

scholarly journals Motivations And Barriers In Undergraduate Students Decisions To Enroll In Placement Courses In The UK

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elisavet Balta ◽  
Jane-Lisa Coughlan ◽  
Peter Hobson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Key Performance Indicator ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Work Placement ◽  
The Uk

Due to recent changes in higher education and the increased demand for highly qualified candidates in the labor market, the employability of U.K. graduates has become a key performance indicator for universities. Institutions of higher education attempt to address employability by delivering a skilled workforce that will ensure the U.K.s competitiveness in a global context. Placements are a proven mechanism for developing employability and, as such, this study aims to investigate the reasons behind students decisions to take a placement or non-placement course. Based on a self-administered, online questionnaire completed by 71 placement and 117 non-placement students from three schools, the study explores the reasons why students take or do not take a placement course. Finally, recommendations are made for ways to overcome potential work placement barriers and to promote placements to students, parents, and academic tutors as well as to advertise the benefits of work-based learning for employability.

Is Mass Higher Education Working? Evidence from the Labour Market Experiences of Recent Graduates

2004 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elias ◽  
Kate Purcell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Occupational Structure ◽  
Mass Higher Education ◽  
Graduate Employment ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
The Uk

This paper uses a variety of recent sources of information to explore the labour market experiences of those who gained a degree in the 1980s and 1990s. Specifically, we address the issue of ‘overeducation’ — the view that the expansion of higher education in the 1990s created a situation in which increasing numbers of graduates were unable to access employment that required and valued graduate skills and knowledge. Two complementary approaches to this issue are adopted. We review available evidence on the graduate earnings premium and change in the UK occupational structure, and we conduct a detailed examination of the earnings and characteristics of jobs done by a large sample of 1995 graduates seven years after graduation.We conclude that, while there may have been a decline from the high premium enjoyed by older graduates, for those who graduated in 1995 the average premium was holding up well, despite the expansion. Although we found differences between established graduate occupations and the newer areas of graduate employment, our evidence suggests that the development of new technical and managerial specialisms and occupational restructuring within organisations has been commensurate with the availability of an increased supply of highly qualified people.

scholarly journals Poverty and child health in the UK: using evidence for action

2016 ◽  
Vol 101 (8) ◽  
pp. 759-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Wickham ◽  
Elspeth Anwar ◽  
Ben Barr ◽  
Catherine Law ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

There are currently high levels of child poverty in the UK, and for the first time in almost two decades child poverty has started to rise in absolute terms. Child poverty is associated with a wide range of health-damaging impacts, negative educational outcomes and adverse long-term social and psychological outcomes. The poor health associated with child poverty limits children's potential and development, leading to poor health and life chances in adulthood. This article outlines some key definitions with regard to child poverty, reviews the links between child poverty and a range of health, developmental, behavioural and social outcomes for children, describes gaps in the evidence base and provides an overview of current policies relevant to child poverty in the UK. Finally, the article outlines how child health professionals can take action by (1) supporting policies to reduce child poverty, (2) providing services that reduce the health consequences of child poverty and (3) measuring and understanding the problem and assessing the impact of action.

scholarly journals Employability: aligning the message, the medium and academic values

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mantz Yorke
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Academic Values ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Uk

For a long time, links have been made between higher education and economic activity. The relatively recent emphases on employability (in the UK) and graduate attributes (largely in Australia) can be construed as contemporary variations. This article describes some of the developmental work that has taken place in the UK but which has obvious relevance to other higher educational systems. Reticence to embrace employability in curricula may in part be due to the failure to present a convincing evidence-base: two initiatives in England have attempted with some success to rectify the weakness. The article concludes by outlining some of the challenges that face both institutions and the higher education sector if employability is to be taken seriously.

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