The voice of students from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Joan Simons ◽  
Silice Patrice Belton
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
White Students ◽  
Large Distance ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Open University ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Minority Ethnic

The Open University is a large, distance-learning university, serving all four nations of the United Kingdom (UK) and provides education for most of its students through open entry, meaning that no prior qualifications are necessary. At the OU, we have a low percentage of students who come from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background, ranging from 4% to 13% depending on their programme of study. However, due to the high student population at the Open University, that low percentage amounts to thousands of students. We were keen to hear from our BAME students, as we are aware of a challenging awarding gap between these students and white students. We ran three focus groups with a total of ten students from a BAME background, and asked about issues such as being valued, inclusion, a sense of belonging and feeling represented. This was the first time that BAME students had been asked about their views in this way. We found that although there were positive insights, students were uncomfortable engaging in forums, lacked a sense of belonging and did not feel represented in the curriculum. By encouraging these students to give voice to their concerns, we heard, for the first time, some of the issues they are dealing with that need to be addressed.

scholarly journals New Ways of Mediating Learning: Investigating the implications of adopting open educational resources for tertiary education at an institution in the United Kingdom as compared to one in South Africa

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Wilson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Open University ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Entry Requirements

Access to education is not freely available to all. Open Educational Resources (OERs) have the potential to change the playing field in terms of an individual’s right to education. The Open University in the United Kingdom was founded almost forty years ago on the principle of ‘open’ access with no entry requirements necessary. The University develops innovative high quality multiple media distance-learning courses. In a new venture called OpenLearn, The Open University is making its course materials freely available worldwide on the Web as OERs ( see http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn). How might other institutions make use of these distance-learning materials? The paper starts by discussing the different contexts wherein two institutions operate and the inequalities that exist between them. One institution is a university based in South Africa and the other is a college located in the United Kingdom. Both institutions, however, deliver distance-learning courses. The second part of the paper discusses preliminary findings when OERs are considered for tertiary education at these two institutions. The findings emphasise some of the opportunities and challenges that exist if these two institutions adopt OERs.

Barriers to the Use of Dental Services by Individuals from Minority Ethnic Communities Living in the United Kingdom: Findings from Focus Groups

2001 ◽  
Vol os8 (4) ◽  
pp. 157-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon T Newton ◽  
Nicky Thorogood ◽  
Vanita Bhavnani ◽  
Jill Pitt ◽  
David E Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Ethnic Communities ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Dental Services ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Minority Ethnic Groups ◽  
First Time ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Objective To describe the barriers identified by individuals from minority ethnic communities resident in the United Kingdom to their use of dental services. Method Focus group discussions were held with individuals from minority ethnic groups. Data were analysed using the technique of content analysis on the basis of categories defined by the researchers. Findings Barriers to regular attendance identified by participants included: language, a mistrust of dentists, cost, anxiety, cultural misunderstandings, concern about standards of hygiene. The type of barrier identified differed between ethnic groups, though mistrust of dentists was common to all groups. Conclusions The findings confirm previous research identifying barriers to the use of dental services. However, for the first time in the United Kingdom, it has been suggested that the nature of the perceived barriers varies across ethnic groups. These findings have implications for attempts to increase use of dental services among individuals from minority ethnic communities.

The duties of impartiality, disclosure, and confidentiality: lessons from a London-seated arbitration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Yee Ching Leung ◽  
Alex Chun Hei Chan
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Important Case ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
International Arbitration ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
First Time

Abstract Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd (formerly known as Ace Bermuda Insurance Ltd [2020] UKSC 48 is an important case not only to the UK but also to the international arbitration community for several reasons: first, it examines indispensable duties in international arbitration and for the first time recognises and explicates upon the duty of disclosure at the highest court of the United Kingdom; secondly, it addresses and clarifies key concepts in international arbitration; thirdly, it confirms the objective nature of the test of justifiable doubts which has wider implications for other arbitral forums; fourthly, it illustrates how the duties of impartiality, disclosure, and confidentiality interact with and affect each other and how the key concepts should be applied to this interaction; and finally, it lays down useful guidance for arbitrators. For these reasons, this case deserves close and careful examination. This article aims to explain the significance of the aforesaid and suggests that, in addition to what has been addressed, further judicial explanations are warranted in what other aspects.

scholarly journals The Hybridisation of Conventional Higher Education: UK Perspective

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Open Learning ◽  
Tertiary Sector ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Radical Approach

Before the creation of the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) - its Charter was given in 1969 and the first students were admitted in 1971 - the full-time residential model of higher education was pervasive, with part-time and distance modes of study seen as separate and inferior. The UKOU demonstrated the effectiveness of distance learning but also, because of its success, in some ways inhibited change in the mainstream tertiary sector. As social and political pressures on the sector grew, higher education providers were forced to innovate and models of “open learning” offered ways forward. As a result, the distinction between “distance” and “face-to-face” delivery rapidly eroded during the 1990s. However, barriers still remain to a more radical approach to provision as a whole.

scholarly journals Distance education in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom: A comparative study: التعليم عن بعد في المملكة العربية السعودية والمملكة المتحدة: دراسة مقارنة

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (29) ◽  
pp. 128-143
Author(s):  
Mohammed Noah Alkhiri, Talal Aqeel Alkhiri Mohammed Noah Alkhiri, Talal Aqeel Alkhiri
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
International Data ◽  
Shed Light

This paper aims to shed light on distance education in the United Kingdom and comparing it to distance education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the extent of its use in improving the processes of distance learning and education, and ways to overcome the problems facing distance education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study relied on reports and analysis of international data conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Among the most important findings of the study: It is possible to benefit from the experience of the United Kingdom in distance learning, and there are significant differences in distance learning between the two countries, and there are few similarities. Among the most important recommendations of the study: To benefit from the experiences of British universities and institutions in distance education, and to simulate the platforms and applications used in distance education in the United Kingdom and how to benefit from them, and to benefit from the experience of the United Kingdom in responding to economic growth and bridging the digital divide by using the Internet in schools to teach academic subjects.

Ignorance is Bliss: Memorialising Indigenous History in the United Kingdom

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Fung
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
North American ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Final Project ◽  
Indigenous History ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Final Design ◽  
First Time

As Britain strives to take more pride in its history and promote ‘British’ values in its schools, its role in North American Indigenous history has been left off the curriculum, resulting in an education that lacks any awareness of the societies whose land it colonised. After four months of studying Indigenous history and culture for the first time, this final project sought to find a way to memorialise Indigenous people and their culture in one of the countries that was most responsible for their suffering – a country that is now so able to turn a blind eye to events that didn’t occur within its shores. In doing this, this project considered the implications of memorialising events that occurred an ocean away, and the wilful or naïve ignorance of the British public. After considering various forms of memorials, this project focused on designing a memorial garden, serving partly to increase the visibility of Indigenous people to British citizens, and partly to begin educating on aspects of their culture. This resulted in research on plants, wildlife, and symbols important to Indigenous societies, and careful consideration of all features of the garden, proposing a way for Indigenous stories to be told. The final design emphasises the importance of water, nature, and community, and is proposed as a way to begin eroding the ignorance of the British public to events that should be considered part of their history, and the cultures they affected through them.

scholarly journals Obituary for Gordon C. Lee

1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-302
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Liberal Education ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Technical Discipline ◽  
The Voice

The voice of Gordon Lee (1916–1973) is still. It was always a quiet voice in an age of stridency. For Gordy, despite his ever youthful exuberance, retained certain old fashioned commitments to reason and—if the phrase dare now be uttered—to good manners. Somehow he continued to hold an increasingly unpopular view of liberal education. He believed human beings could and should use symbols and ideas with care, justice, logical rigor, and elegance. The study of Education, he insisted, should be liberating, not simply a technical discipline. As a teacher in many universities—Columbia, Claremont, Washington, Texas, et. al—and as chairman of a department at Claremont and Dean of Colleges in Washington and Texas, he sought so to shape the discipline. His first book, The Struggle for Federal A id (1949), was so sharply organized that one scarcely realized a trained intelligence had imposed order on a chaotic universe; his last book, Education and a Democratic Age (1965), showed the same tidiness of mind with an added touch of wisdom. Despite prematurely failing health he kept on the move, serving not only across the states but also in the United Kingdom and in Afghanistan. He moved too fast and left too soon; those who knew him will regret the yet unfinished conversations.

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