scholarly journals Exploring Scholarship and Scholarly Activity in College-based Higher Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine King ◽  
John Widdowson ◽  
Jane Davis ◽  
Carl Flint
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Scholarly Activity ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Mixed Economy ◽  
Strategic Emphasis ◽  
Research Scholarship ◽  
Further Education Colleges

During 2009, the Mixed Economy Group, commissioned by the Higher Education Academy, undertook research to investigate the nature and extent of scholarly activity in those further education colleges (FECs) which also offer higher education (HE). The study considered the way in which scholarly activity was defined within colleges, the suitability of definitions as adopted within the context and the measurement of impact on the student experience. Published findings of this early research included the need for more widespread political recognition of the value of vocational scholarly activity, the need for colleges to develop and evidence strategic engagement with wider definitions of scholarly activity and the need for wider sectoral support for communities of scholarly and vocational practice. This paper presents the findings of subsequent research undertaken on behalf of the Mixed Economy Group and commissioned by LSIS in 2013. The study sought to re-examine and extend the concepts highlighted in the earlier publication, establishing as its focus the role of research, scholarship, scholarly activity and CPD in supporting the delivery of College-based Higher Education (CBHE). The research activity comprised an initial literature review to bring forward areas for investigation and situate the empirical research within the more recent post-Browne evolution of CBHE. A questionnaire was circulated widely through the auspices of a range of sectoral organisations, resulting in 135 responses, of which 60 were valid and complete. Analysis of both survey data and that obtained through the coding of a set of twenty interviews has provided preliminary findings that suggest an association between size of provider, the degree of strategic emphasis on scholarly activity and an understanding of scholarly activity that is much closer to that of Boyer (1990) than was indicated in the previous research.

Overconfidence of vocational education students when entering higher education

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Bowden ◽  
Subhash Abhayawansa ◽  
John Bahtsevanoglou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.

Robbins and After

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Willetts
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Cultural Preservation ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Government Bonds ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The Many ◽  
The University ◽  
Further Education Colleges

The early 1960s saw the biggest transformation of English higher education of the past hundred years. It is only matched by the break-up of the Oxbridge monopoly and the early Victorian reforms. It will be forever associated with the name of Lionel Robbins, whose great report came out in November 1963: he is for universities what Beveridge is for social security. His report exuded such authority and was associated with such a surge in the number of universities and of students that Robbins has given his name to key decisions which had already been taken even before he put pen to paper. In the 1950s Britain’s twenty-five universities received their funding from fees, endowments (invested in Government bonds which had largely lost their value because of inflation since the First World War), and ‘deficit funding’ from the University Grants Committee, which was a polite name for subsidies covering their losses. The UGC had been established in 1919 and was the responsibility not of the Education Department but the Treasury, which was proud to fund these great national institutions directly. Like museums and art galleries, higher education was rarefied cultural preservation for a small elite. Public spending on higher education was less than the subsidy for the price of eggs. By 1962 there were 118,000 full-time university students together with 55,000 in teacher training and 43,000 in further education colleges. This total of 216,000 full-time higher education students broadly matches the number of academics now. Young men did not go off to university—they were conscripted into the army. The annual university intake of around 50,000 young people a year was substantially less than the 150,000 a year doing National Service. The last conscript left the army in the year Robbins was published. Reversing the balance between those two very different routes to adulthood was to change Britain. It is one of the many profound differences between the baby boomers and the generation that came before them. Just over half of students were ‘county scholars’ receiving scholarships for fees and living costs from their own local authority on terms decided by each council.

The experiences of students studying higher education on a part time basis in English further education colleges

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine King ◽  
Arti Saraswat ◽  
John Widdowson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Equal Weight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Time Basis ◽  
Further Education Colleges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report research carried out by the Mixed Economy Group of colleges into the student experience of part time (PT) higher education (HE) delivered in English further education (FE) colleges. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was completed by 352 PT students. Their responses, including free comments, formed the basis of the report. The authors provide a context for the work by referring to research carried out by other national agencies. Findings – The research illustrates the strengths of college-based HE, which largely derives from delivery by staff who are qualified teachers and, often, professionally active in their field of expertise. Whilst valuing this, students also seek recognition of the demands of work and family on their study time, as well as an identity as HE students within the greater FE environment. Social implications – PT HE can drive regional economic growth. By addressing the issues raised by students in the research, local colleges, partner universities, employers and national government can re-build local skill bases. Promoting PT HE develops a vocational ladder to HE, thus widening participation. Originality/value – Relatively little publically available research exists into the experiences of students pursuing PT HE in colleges. This primary research begins an evidence-based debate about how colleges can improve their offer but also reminds Government of the need to give equal weight to the needs of PT students in future changes to the delivery of HE.

Managing organisational culture and identity in a dual sector college

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41
Author(s):  
Arti Saraswat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Scholarly Activity ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Aspirations ◽  
City College ◽  
Management Project ◽  
Prior Experiences

Purpose – This paper is drawn from a doctoral study that was funded as part of Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Leadership, Governance and Management project. The college referred to as City College in this paper, was an higher education (HE) College and was formally part of the HE Sector. The college was one of the institutions that was studied as part of the research that aimed to identify issues in managing across the interface of further education (FE) and HE. Multiple sources of evidence, such as, interviews with staff and managers, documents such as, institutional strategic plan, reports on quality assessment and monitoring, and other institutional data have informed the findings of this paper. The college had roots in FE and had gradually evolved to become an HE institution. The institutional background in FE had vitally shaped the perceptions of the institutional managers on combining FE and HE within an institutional framework. Two sets of beliefs had emerged at the college, one that related to retaining the FE ethos of the college and another that supported a progressive diffusion of aspects of HE culture within the college. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a case study of an English dual sector college that delivered substantial levels of FE and HE. Findings – The paper presents the challenges associated with managing the college’s culture and identity as it continued to consolidate its position as an HE institution while remaining optimistic that it was not “drifting away” from its FE roots. The teachers and managers at the college had prior experiences of FE and their approach to work was influenced by FE practices. College was described to be “non-academic” and arguments were made to facilitate more “university-like” practices and arrangements for HE lecturers to help develop research and scholarly activity at the college. Practical implications – The paper also highlights issues and considerations related to enhancing internal progression of students from FE to HE, pressures for separate and distinctive buildings and spaces for HE to help raise student aspirations, and the perceptions of internal and external stakeholders that related to a “confused” institutional identity of the college. Whilst the college had aimed to maintain a strong presence in the FE markets, it had simultaneously “concealed” its FE identity in order to appeal more strongly to the HE students. Originality/value – In presenting the analysis of evolution of the college from an FEC to an HEI, this paper will be of interest to institutions that are considering or aspiring to strengthen their positioning as HE providers without compromising on their identity as FE colleges.

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