Promoting Equity in Higher Education

Eastwood Hall

27th January 2010.

The contribution of flexible and lifelong learning to widening

participation

• Dr Muir Houston, DACE, University of Glasgow

• Prof. Mike Osborne, DACE, University of Glasgow

• Dr Velda McCune, LTC, University of Glasgow

Brief Biographies

• Velda McCune: students' perspectives on their learning in higher education; students' development as learners within higher education; and university teaching-learning environments.

McCune, V. (2009). Final year biosciences students' willingness to engage: Teaching-learning environments, authentic learning experiences and identities. Studies in Higher Education

Christie, H, Tett, L., Cree, V. E., Hounsell, J. & McCune, V.(2008). ' A real rollercoaster of confidence and emotions': Learning to be a university student. Studies in Higher Education 33(5), 567-581.

Hounsell, J., Christie, H., Cree, V. E., McCune, V. and Tett, L. (2008). Talking and sharing: the role of peer support and retention in Higher Education. Journal of Access, Policy and Practice 6(1), 35-51.

Biographies (cont.)

• Mike Osborne: Professor of Adult and Lifelong Learning He is Director of the Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning and Co-director of the PASCAL Observatory

Morgan-Klein, B, and Osborne M. (2007) The Concepts and Practice of Lifelong Learning. London: Routledge

Osborne, M, Sankey, K and Wilson, B. (Eds) (2007) Social Capital, Lifelong Learning and the Management of Place: An international perspective. London: Routledge

Osborne, M, Houston, M and Toman, N. (Eds,) (2007) The Pedagogy of Lifelong Learning: Understanding effective teaching and learning in diverse contexts. London: Routledge

Biographies (cont.)

• Muir Houston: Lecturer and product of a flexible route into higher education as a mature student.

• Left school @ 16• Apprentice Mechanic – four years day-

release for City and Guilds• Returned to College to do an HNC Social

Science aged 30. Followed by BA(Hons.), MPhil., and PhD.

Research synthesis

• The available performance indicators suggest that there have been modest improvements in widening participation for students from lower SES but marked inequality remains, particularly in relation to certain types of institution and career paths.

• Question: is there a unofficial divide developing between institutions and/or subjects?

Research synthesis

• There is some limited evidence of flexible learning contributing to widening participation for students from lower SES but much remains to be done by way of evaluating the impact of such initiatives. Action is needed to ensure that flexible provision which meets the needs of students from lower SES becomes a more mainstream activity and is available more equally across different types of institutions.

• Question: how best can identified good practice be disseminated and implemented?

Research synthesis

• The performance indicators suggest that the percentage of disabled students in HE has increased but there is insufficient evidence to fully evaluate the impact of flexible learning on widening participation for disabled students and further research is needed in this area.

• Question: To what extent and in what ways does improving provision for disabled students help all students?

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Higher Managerial & Professional

22.5 21.5 21.4 19.6 19.9 20.0 18.0

Lower Managerial & Professional

28.2 27.7 28.0 26.4 26.0 26.0 24.3

Intermediate Occupation

12.5 12.0 12.1 11.5 11.2 11.0 11.1

Small employers and own account.

6.7 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.6 6.6 6.2

Lower supervisory & technical

4.3 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.1 4.1 3.7

Semi-routine 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.5 9.6 11.7

Routine 4.6 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.9

Unknown 12.0 13.8 13.5 17.9 18.4 18.3 20.2

Cause for concern?

• The availability and use of data to track relevant groups of under-represented students is not ideal.

• This is especially problematic in relation to non-continuation

• Considerable variation both between and within HEIs in all aspects of flexibility, access, WP and progression.

Flexibility - general

• What is it?

• In what areas does it operate?

• In what forms does it manifest itself?

• Is it effective in widening participation?

Flexibility - specific

• Flexibility in admissions procedures and processes.

• Flexibility in mode (of attendance and of delivery)

• Flexibility in location/environment

• Flexibility in teaching and learning

Some examples of flexibility reviewed

• Flexibility in admissions criteria – the entry of those with VET qualifications

• Widens participation of target groups• However, they seem to have lower

performance and higher rates of non-continuation

• Lack of staff awareness and lack of consistency across and often within institutions

FE in HE, or HE in FE

• The delivery either of FE provision in Higher education environment, or, perhaps more often, the provision of HE programmes in an FE environment.

• Issues of consistency, access to specific institutions, transition from one environment to another, staff awareness of student pathways.

Flexibility in teaching and learning for disabled students

• Provision varies both across and within institutions.

• What are reasonable adjustments?

• Issues for students in declaring disability

• The use of blended learning

• Improvements in provision for disabled students benefit all students

Part-time

• Disparity in funding arrangements criticised - what should be done?

• Should the part-time/full-time dichotomy be removed?

• What would that look like for intuitions and students?

Non-partcipants

• Why do those that are ‘recruitable’ not wish to participate?

• What can we do to convince them of the worth/benefits of participation?

• Without them can we meet the targets in the Leitch review?

The removal of funding for ELQs• What will the effect of this be on flexibility and

widening participation?The Government’s development of policies for

upskilling is not integrated with a similarly well-developed and equally necessary suite of policies for re-skilling in order to meet the challenges of the Leitch Review.

• The proposals risk destabilizing part-time higher education in general.

• They impact most on many of the institutions and departments that have been at the forefront of educational innovation, widening access and participation.

• Implementation of the proposals may have a disproportionate and unintended effect on particular groups of adult learners. (NIACE)

The demise of extramural provision

• Can Open Courseware take the place largely vacated by the extramural movement in providing academic course and programmes aimed at personal interest and developing individual potential?

• Open University – Open Learn

• MIT Opencourseware

Funding in an economic downturn/recession

• Mandelson – promised to slash public spending on higher education by £950 million over the next three years

• Lammy – universities should not rely on an ongoing review of tuition fees leading to a "large-scale increase" in income. …. it would be a “good few years” before universities could expect to see any significant rise in funding from the public purse.

Funding (or lack of it) cont.

• Mr Lammy said more students would be expected to enrol on part-time courses, study at home and take part in work-based training as an alternative to traditional three-year degrees. How?

• Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, Durham, Essex and Edinburgh will cut or freeze the number of places open to British undergraduates

Does this help WP and flexibility

• Research funding should be channelled to Britain’s top 30 universities to halt a “progression to mediocrity” in higher education. Arthur, Russell Group

• Research money needs to go to the places that can get best value from it. And that is the top 20-30 universities where you have a real critical mass. In my view, those are the only universities where PhDs should be educated, because you need a critical mass of people from different disciplines to give the best and brightest people in this country the right education for them." Higgins, Durham, 1994 Group

The way forward

• How can we maintain and increase the modest achievements in WP?

• How and should we implement consistency in the sector in relation to flexible provision of WP?

• Should a vocational or liberal conception of education be the focus, or should elements of both be considered as important in programme design?