scholarly journals An examination of the factors influencing students' decisions to study higher education courses in further education colleges in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-24
Author(s):  
Glynn Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Barriers To Participation ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
Education College ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Further Education Colleges ◽  
Education Courses ◽  
Insight Into

Although there has been much research into why young people choose whether to participate in higher education (HE), there has been far less insight into why they may choose perceived lower status institutions, even though approximately 10% of students attend HE courses in further education (FE) colleges in UK. Students from backgrounds not traditionally associated with HE participation are much more likely to attend such institutions. Explanations for this pattern of participation look to 'barriers to participation' such as academic ability, costs or identity which problematise the students' attitudes to debt and HE. This research is based on interviews with 15 students who were studying HE qualifications at a further education college in England. It finds that although the barriers to participation have an effect, many students are making strategic and even rational decisions to attend the perceived lower status institutions. Their decisions suggest that there needs to be greater recognition of the differing role that HE plays in individual life plans and greater variety in what is on offer.

scholarly journals Examining the UK higher education sector through the network of institutional accounts on Twitter

First Monday ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Network Metrics ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Gaining Insight

Web link mining has been previously used as a way of gaining insight into how the Internet may be replicating or reshaping connections between institutions within the higher education sector. Institutions are increasingly active on social media platforms, and these connections have not been studied. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of the network of UK higher education institutional accounts on Twitter. All U.K. institutions have a presence. Standing in recent university rankings is found to be a significant predictor of several network metrics. In examining the communities present within the network, a combination of ranking and geolocation play a role. Analysis of a sample of tweets which mention more than one U.K. higher education institution provides an indication of why the topics of tweets would reinforce prestige and location in the network structure.

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.

Computer Mediated Communication in Universities and Further Education Establishments

2011 ◽  
pp. 296-308
Author(s):  
Elayne Coakes ◽  
Dianne Willis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Large Percentage ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Universities And Colleges ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
The Uk

This paper investigates the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) in colleges of further and higher education in the UK. Analysis is carried out by institutional type as preliminary investigation shows there are considerable differences between universities and colleges in terms of email usage. A total of 30 institutions replied to the survey: 14 Universities and 16 Colleges, some by email, others by post. This percentage is approximately 6.5% of all universities in the UK and 7% of all colleges. Whilst not a large percentage in total the results were so consistent across the sectors’ replies that they can be considered sufficiently representative of their sector. The study focuses on the use of email in support of the communication process and offers insights into the range of practice involved.

Educational Futures for the Construction Industry

1991 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek J. Croome
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Education ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Double Degree ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Educational Futures ◽  
Education Courses ◽  
And Training

This article sets the UK construction industry in its European context and presents a series of proposals for unifying higher education courses and hence for developing a less fragmented profession. The education and status of engineers, architects and other professions involved in the industry are examined on an international basis. Current and recent developments in the reform of the UK industry are outlined and three main proposals are presented: the formation of a Council for Construction Education and Training; the formation of a network of Centres for the Built Environment; and a double degree combining the training of professionals involved in the industry.

An analysis of the role and responsibilities of chairs of further education college and sixth-form college governing bodies in England

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Hill ◽  
Chris James
Keyword(s):  
Training And Development ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Governing Body ◽  
College Governance ◽  
Education College ◽  
High Level ◽  
Further Education Colleges ◽  
The Chairs ◽  
Sixth Form

This article reports research into the role and responsibilities of the chairs of governing bodies of further education colleges and sixth-form colleges in England. Further education colleges and sixth-form colleges represent a significant part of post-16 educational provision in England. Every college in the sector has a governing body, which has a chair elected from and by the governing body’s membership. Sixteen chairs from further education and sixth-form colleges in England were interviewed and data themes identified: the chair’s role and responsibilities reflect those of chairs in non-further education/sixth-form college settings; a range of expertise is required, but detailed educational knowledge is not a priority in the requisite skill-set; chairs consider they bring a range of high level values and commitments to the role; chairs’ participation in role-specific training and development was not a strong theme; the responsibility of being the chair is substantial and complex; high-quality chair–principal relationships are crucial and complex; the governing body clerk has a significant role in relation to the chair, the principal and college governance generally; and the role and the responsibilities of chairs and the way they are specified locally by their governing bodies have significant implications for further education and sixth-form governance.

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.

scholarly journals Financial Support of Higher Education Development in Ukraine and the UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-52
Author(s):  
Tetiana Zorochkina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Teacher Salary ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Higher Education Development ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe article deals with the financial support of higher education development in Ukraine and the UK. It presents the expenditure of the consolidated budget on education between 2007 and 2017 in Ukraine and the expenditure on education services per student in the UK. It highlights the funding of research in higher education in Ukraine. It describes the personnel potential of higher education institutions in Ukraine. It specifies the existing problems in the research sector of higher education in Ukraine. It indicates that research activities of the UK universities are at a high level since about one-third of research done by the UK universities is regarded as leading in the context of the world’s research community. The article also considers the salaries of teachers and lecturers in different regions of the UK. Based on theoretical analysis of scientific and pedagogical sources one can conclude that teacher salary in the UK is quite high and differentiated. In addition, they employ other ways to differentiate teacher salary there. Indeed, teachers receive praise for their own professional growth and practice through a dialogue with their leader. It is found that the UK universities receive financial support from the funds administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) (except for colleges of further education). The expenditure on higher education per student in the UK is significantly higher than that in Ukraine. Due to the fact that salary differentiation stimulates teacher work, this important indicator must be implemented in Ukraine.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document