2. the Activities of Educating, Teaching Or Instructing

HE in FE pedagogy

Pedagogy may be defined as:

1. The profession of teaching

2. The activities of educating, teaching or instructing

3. The strategies of instruction

For the purposes of this research, 2 and 3 above are relevant.

FECs have been delivering higher education programmes for many years, and the staff teaching these programmes have in many cases been trained as teachers in further education and often teach both FE and HE courses.

There is currently a debate as to whether a distinctive pedagogy exists relating to teaching HE courses in FECs as opposed to FE courses, or HE courses in Universities. Is there a difference? Are teachers delivering programmes in a fundamentally different way or are they intuitively adapting to the circumstances and needs of their learners. Do students following HE in FECs need a different pedagogy? If so, what?

Whilst there is research on the distinctive differences between HE in FE, and HE in HEIs, there is relatively little looking at whether there is a distinctive pedagogy associated with this. In a review of research literature focussed on Foundation degrees for fdf (Harvey L. 20091) the same problem was encountered; in a chapter looking at programme design, development and pedagogy in Foundation degrees the author observed:

‘Although there are many accounts of programme design and curriculum development these have little research content. Sometimes Foundation degrees are just the site of pedagogical research.’

Much of the research is focussed more generally on pedagogy, be it in schools, colleges or universities. There is a huge volume of research relating to teaching and learning. There is also considerable research on subject pedagogy, particularly in the schools sector. There is also research by staff in FECs on pedagogy within their institutions, but this is not focussed on HE programmes per se. The HEA subject centres focus on delivering HE courses in particular subject areas, rather than on looking at HE in FECs, or HE in HEIs.

1 Harvey L.(2009) Review of research literature focussed on Foundation degrees fdf Lichfield accessed at http://www.fdf.ac.uk/downloads/195/20090907102408LeeHarveyLitReview.pdf on 12.7.11

1 Much of the literature is focussed on learning cultures and professional identities, student learning and motivation, rather than pedagogy. As a result it has been difficult to identity research relating to HE in FE pedagogy and evidence that it exists.

The research identified has therefore been selected to try to pick out where there are influences at play that may impact on the development of a pedagogic approach that relates to HE in FE.

The literature is organised in two parts:

Part A: this refers to research that looks at delivering HE in FE and its influence on pedagogy, or that which is very closely related to it, and summarises key points from the research.

Part B: this contains a list of publications that have relevance to pedagogy more widely, but not specifically related to teaching HE in FE. The publications may however be of use in the development of ideas of teaching and learning and pedagogy and have been selected because they may be transferable to the HE in FE context.

2 Part A: References for HE in FE pedagogy

Burkill, Sue , Dyer, Sue Rodway and Stone, Mark(2008) 'Lecturing in higher education in further education settings', Journal of Further and Higher Education, 32: 4, 321 — 331 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098770802392915

The research reported in this article involves teachers working in the University of Plymouth Colleges Faculty (UPC) delivering HE programmes to 9,500 students in 17 FE colleges in the south west. The researchers used a web based questionnaire which revealed how the teachers see themselves as teachers of HE in an FE setting.

This article looks at the extent to which the traditional lecture in the culture of academia might influence the approaches adopted by HE in FE teachers by asking:

1. What are the beliefs and intentions of teachers lecturing in HE in FE contexts?

2. Are there any distinctive approaches which characterise the nature of ‘the lecture’ in HE in FE contexts?

An online questionnaire was used to establish whether teaching approaches were teacher focused and/or student focused. The questionnaire was then distributed to a potential sample of around 1,000 lecturers; 106 responses were received. Most of the respondents to this survey were experienced teachers; 85% had taught for more than four years and the majority (62.3%) had taken a course in teaching and learning.

In response to the first question the results showed:

‘Teachers in this survey have a strong and consistent set of beliefs which are dominated by student-centred approaches. It was clear that respondents believe they have a responsibility to align teaching methods with module learning outcomes and that this leads to a wide variety of methods being used. The constraints caused by large student numbers, which are frequently cited by HE lecturers to justify the use of a narrow range of teaching methods, did not emerge at all in this survey. The importance of the range of disciplines taught in HE in FE should not be underestimated.

When teachers describe their intentions, knowledge transmission emerges as an established feature of teaching practice.

A further intriguing possibility is that in some way HE in FE staff are choosing to adapt their instinctive teaching approaches so that they give their students a ‘genuine HE experience’.

In response to the second question on distinctive approaches to teaching HE in FE the researchers found a variety of teaching methods and resources are being deliberately employed to provide a student-focused approach.

3 ‘This is achieved through the use of a wide range of learning experiences made possible by small group sizes and relatively generous contact hours (although these are sometimes perceived as being constrained by the environment in which HE in FE teachers are working). In this context the boundary between the lecture as traditionally conceived in HE and other teaching activities becomes blurred. HE in FE teachers operate in a context which, despite some external constraints, gives them considerable flexibility in the choice of teaching approaches even when these are defined as lectures.’

An intriguing finding in this research is the difference between the statistical analyses of the survey and the qualitative responses. The quantitative analysis suggested imparting information (the traditional role of a lecture) is widely used by teachers in the survey. However, most of the respondents resisted being drawn into a discussion about their lecturing approaches and argued that they adopt flexible and student- centred approaches when ‘lecturing’:

‘....these teachers believe that they distance themselves from the lecturing methods that are traditionally associated with HE. Reasons for this include the national and institutional contexts in which they are working and the beliefs and intentions they bring to their work.’

Research elsewhere has found a high degree of conformity in the basic structure and function of the lecture and a belief that the lecture was (and is) the prime method of teaching in HE. The researchers suggest that for teachers of HE in FE:

‘The opportunities afforded by teaching small groups and the influence of FE teaching cultures may well explain the differences between these results. It may be that experiences teachers have of working with FE classes on vocational courses may influence their approach to lecturing......

HE in FE teachers operate in a context which, despite some external constraints, gives them considerable flexibility in the choice of teaching approaches even when these are defined as lectures’.

The researchers conclude that

‘....this study reveals a wide range of teaching approaches which are well articulated by teachers and which makes aspects of the HE in FE experience distinctive. In particular, the view of what constitutes a lecture is broader and less constrained than is typical in traditional HE environments.

These teachers have clear strategies for supporting the types of students they attract; these strategies are interactive and student focused. Interestingly, they are strategies that researchers in HE argue are most effective for all HE students’.

Eland, Jenny (2008) ‘Research? When I don’t know who I am or what I am! A question of Identity for HE in FE tutors’ The Teaching-Research Interface:

4 Implications for Practice in HE and FE Selection of conference papers presented on 29th - 30th April 2008 at the University of Stirling pp 85-90 http://escalate.ac.uk/5008

This paper was presented at the Escalate conference in September 2008 and looks at research with ten childcare tutors in a further education college considering the barriers to a more successful partnership with an HEI. The original aim of the research was to examine how far there is a shared language between HE and FE and how a consensus of meaning could be developed to progress staff development in carrying out research. However the results of the study suggest that there are deeper issues involved and that to move forward it is necessary to address questions of confidence and identity.

The research survey was in two parts. The participants were asked to provide their own definition of four terms that regularly appear in HE texts and discussions, including pedagogic research. They were then asked the following

• How do you keep “up-to-date” in your subject area?

• Do you keep up to date with learning and teaching strategies?

• If yes, how do you do this?

• Do you feel both areas are of equal importance?

• What does research mean to you?

The results were as follows:

‘In defining pedagogic research 30% were not sure as to any meaning for this. One of the respondents knew the dictionary definition of pedagogy and put this into her reply research into the science of teaching; 20% said research into teaching and learning; a further 20% mentioned researching teaching with the aim of improving skills; 10% felt it was personal research into good practice; and, 10% that it was concerned with research into particular academic standards. Taken overall, only 30% of the respondents had a clear view of the meaning of pedagogic research. Although the others provided a definition it is difficult to fully establish the degree to which this is understood.’

The responses to the questions suggest that the FE staff carry out the actions and activities required by HE but within their own boundaries and territories. For example all the respondents ensured that in some ways they kept up-to-date (maintained currency) in their subject (research informed practice) and the majority felt that knowing about learning and teaching strategies was important (pedagogic research) what they didn’t have was the language.’

Although the research is reporting findings of 10 tutors it does highlight the issues of differences in terminology and focus between HE and FE.

5 Greenbank, Paul (2007) ‘From foundation to honours degree: the student experience’, Education + Training, Vol. 49, 2, pp. 91 – 102 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1597743&show=abstract

This research looks at how students from foundation degrees (FDs) at further education colleges coped when they transferred to a final year honours degree at a university. It is based on the experience of FD graduates who joined the final year of a full-time BSc (Hons) in Business and Management. The study used questionnaires and focus groups with the FD graduates. It also involved interviews with the lecturers at the university and the programme managers of the foundation degrees.

The research found that the transition from foundation to honours degree created considerable levels of stress for the students. This largely arose because of the different approaches to teaching and learning adopted in further and higher education. The university adopted a more academic approach; there was less support and there a greater emphasis on independent learning.

The research identified the need for more support for students making the transition from foundation to honours degrees. The paper discusses different options for improving the transition process and highlights issues requiring further research and debate.

Guile, David and Evans, Karen (2010) ‘Putting Knowledge to Work: re- contextualising knowledge through the design and implementation of work- based learning at higher education levels’ fdf Lichfield http://www.fdf.ac.uk/downloads/304/20101108143603Putting%20knowledge%20to %20work.pdf

This report for fdf focuses specifically on what constitutes good work based learning in Foundation degrees. Whilst not discussing HE in FE pedagogy per se it does consider the transfer of knowledge from the curriculum to the work place and the problems of contextualising the theory into practice. The research describes the process of ‘recontextualisation’ involving the following approaches:

 curriculum designers moving disciplinary knowledge from its disciplinary origins and workplace knowledge from its professional and/or vocational context and putting both of them to work as part of a curriculum.

 choosing pedagogic strategies, such as ‘real life’ case studies etc., to assist learners to understand the meaning of concepts and heuristics and to prepare them to put those concepts to work in professional and/or vocational activity;

 engaging pro-actively with conceptual and theoretical knowledges and identifying their relevance to workplace activity.

6  making sense of the above recontextualisation processes discursively and practically.

The research focuses on the issues of transferring pedagogy from the classroom to the workplace. The report provides some guidelines and practical examples that can be used by programme designers and practitioners to consider how to use knowledge more effectively in the workplace.

Halx, Mark D. (2010) 'Re-conceptualizing college and university teaching through the lens of adult education: regarding undergraduates as adults', Teaching in Higher Education, 15: 5, 519 — 530 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13562517.2010.491909

This research looks at pedagogy in HEIs in the US and suggests that today’s pedagogy is old fashioned and that much can be learnt from delivery of adult education programmes for the delivery of HE. The author argues that today’s students are more mature and that they require a different type of pedagogy to that traditionally offered by HEIs.

‘Most institutions of higher education are still educating undergraduates as they did 40 years ago, notwithstanding the fact that the undergraduate students of today are not the same as they were 40, or even 20, years ago. Traditional pedagogy, while valuable and effective in many ways, does not address thoroughly the learning needs of the older or more experientially mature students that populate current-day institutions.’

These current-day undergraduate students should be educated with this consideration in mind by integrating adult teaching techniques into the traditional pedagogy of undergraduate education. Generally regarding undergraduates as adults would more equitably serve the ever-increasing age range and maturity level of today’s undergraduate students.

In the paper, the author contends

‘that contemporary undergraduates are in fact at an advanced level of maturity as compared to the undergraduates of the past’.

The author reports on the situation on the US, but it could equally well be applied to the current UK circumstances

‘What is wrong with traditional pedagogy?

...... retention rates at the majority of our public colleges and universities are at an all time low; literacy of college graduates has declined, and an entirely unacceptable number of college graduates ‘enter the workforce without the skills employers say they need’ . Employers report that many new college graduates are ‘lacking the critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills needed in today’s workplaces’. Even Harvard University, our

7 nation’s oldest institution, has recently initiated the process of transforming its undergraduate curriculum with a focus on re-emphasizing teaching.

The need for a revised pedagogy seems clear. Employers, government commissions, and even the institutions of higher education themselves all recognize the status quo must change. Traditional pedagogy has not kept pace with the times.

The main tenet of the author’s argument is that

‘Integrating adult education teaching techniques into traditional pedagogy will update undergraduate teaching to more appropriately serve contemporary undergraduate students and the society of which they will become a part after graduation.’

As has been noted in other articles (see Jones, N. and Lau, A (2010), resistance to change comes from the institutions themselves:

‘The first major hurdle to surpass in the attempt to begin to apply adult teaching techniques in traditional undergraduate institutions is the resistance of the undergraduate institutions themselves. Colleges and universities may not welcome the addition of adult education teaching techniques to their classrooms because most of these institutions, and their faculties, have not yet recognized that many of their students are adults.’

Clearly, there will be resistance to bringing adult education methods into traditional undergraduate college and university settings; however, as noted above, the time has come to adjust traditional undergraduate pedagogy to accommodate the current undergraduate student. The rapid pace of change in today’s world will no longer permit the outdated, sometimes quaint, monastic cultures of colleges and universities of the past ‘

Harwood, June and Harwood, David (2004) 'Higher education in further education: delivering higher education in a further education context—a study of five South West colleges', Journal of Further and Higher Education, 28: 2, 153 — 164 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877042000206723

The research study was carried out with six colleges across the South West peninsula. It comprises a comprehensive study of college management and teaching staff attitudes together with teaching practices, pedagogy and research. Questionnaires and interviews were carried out with staff teaching HE in a FE in six partner colleges of the University of Plymouth where a substantial amount of HE teaching was delivered.

Staff were asked about their role, scholarly activity, research, teaching, subject updating, contracts and pedagogy. Staff teaching both FE and HE were asked whether their pedagogical methodology for HE differed from the remainder of their teaching. They were also asked whether their delivery differed from one HE level to another.

8 The researchers found that the respondents were vague when asked how the teaching of HE was different to that of FE and no clear evidence emerged to what was actually different, although clearly all the teachers perceived it to be so:

‘91% reported that their pedagogical delivery for HE differed from FE. It was, however, difficult to get a clear picture of any differences from the responses.

‘Of the 53% who did reply to the question, quantitative data were seldom given, suggesting that any strategies used were at best informal and possibly rather vague, although there were some general references to increasing the level of independent learning through HE Levels 1–3. It was not clear how increasing learner autonomy was achieved, either through a change in teaching style or in increasing recommended private study time for learners. Even when quantitative data were given, there was considerable diversity within a college. This may be a reflection of variance in departmental policy, but it may equally suggest that these issues are addressed on an individual teacher basis. One respondent felt it should be a management issue.... A substantial number of responses actually articulated that no differences were made between levels of HE, which has implications in terms of learner development.’

This research highlights the issue of perception of teaching HE in FE with a distinctive pedagogy but lack of specific evidence to back the assertions.

Jones, Norah and Lau, Alice Man Sze (2010) 'Blending learning: widening participation in higher education', Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47: 4, 405 — 416 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14703297.2010.518424

The focus of this paper is a case study in Wales which reports on a European Funded project and its innovative approaches in changing teaching, learning, assessment and student support in response to the widening participation agenda and how a university has responded by rethinking teaching and learning through blended learning. The collaboration between HE and FE played an important role in the project; the ECW (Enterprise College Wales) project was the first time six FECs worked with the University of Glamorgan in the provision of HE courses outside a franchised model.

The paper reports that one of the successes of the project was that it:

‘..... led to the development of innovative student support, teaching and learning. The shift from the traditional face to face teacher-centred approach to a strong student-centred blended approach gave a clear message for the need to change the current HE structure and culture to better support non-traditional students. ‘

The main challenge to developing a new pedagogy is the persistence of traditional teaching and learning practices:

‘The traditional HE and FE culture and practices were highly resistant to change and this proved challenging. A good example of this was the assessment process for HE courses.

9 As the courses ECW offered focused on entrepreneurial skills, continuous assessment and work-based assessment were suggested as the key assessment methods. Examination was not seen as the best approach to assess this knowledge and skills and many of the non-traditional students feared exams. Due to validation procedures and external examiner’s recommendations, the ECW project was unable to remove exams as a form of assessment for their students.’

They concluded that

‘This experience from ECW proved that HEIs not only need to change their teaching and learning practices, but also need to change the administration in order to accommodate the needs of non-traditional learners, if HEIs are determined to make widening participation a crucial agenda in their strategies’

Mason, Maureen C, Mann, Judith, Bardsley, Janet R. & Turner, Rebecca (2010) College lecturers experiences of scholarly activity and research in an FE College. The Practice and Evidence of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 5 (2) 115-136. http://www.pestlhe.org.uk/index.php/pestlhe/article/view/90/205

This research recounts the experience of 9 college lecturers who undertook research into aspects of their teaching practice through an initiative introduced by the Higher Education Learning Partnerships (HELP) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).It examines the impact of their projects and experiences as researchers on their practice, and on the learning experiences they provided for their students.

The paper looks at the context of delivering HE within FE, and the lessons that can be learned from undertaking practitioner-led research in this environment. As the college lecturers demonstrate, their research was found to enhance their practice, and was highlighted as validating their profession identities as HE in FE professionals. They also considered the tensions and challenges present within an FE college where research activities are not necessarily seen a part of the teaching role. Based on the experiences of these college lecturers this paper argues for a more pro-active approach to scholarly activity in an HE in FE context.

The research found that the scholarly activities of the lecturer/award holders were able to have a direct impact on their practice, enabling them to enhance teaching methods and the curriculum of their programmes. In one case the teacher was led to rethink the whole delivery of a foundation degree programme.

The research highlights the following findings:

These changes had not been anticipated by the college lecturers and in at least one case, this came as a surprise. As a result of this research Practitioner 2 explored what at this time was considered as a novel innovation in work based module, which led to the whole department revising their provision of work based learning and strengthening relationships

10 with local employers. Assessments were also re-examined, and made more relevant to the workplace, including, in one instance, team work tasks along the lines of the television series The Apprentice. A lecturer who focused on blended learning found that students preferred in-class tutorials and personal contact, which had important implications for a new programme. Another practitioner made minor changes to the programme they were managing when they discovered how significant networking was for their students in terms of identifying, and even creating, employment opportunities. This practitioner introduced this element into the professional development module, focusing on the skills required and resources in the area.

And most importantly

The college lecturers’ scholarly activities clearly had multiple benefits to their practice. Adopting a scholarly approach to their teaching provided them with much-needed time for reflection and innovation. It enabled them to both deepen their own understanding of pedagogy and to enhance their provision for students. Equally, unlike research they may have traditionally associated with universities (i.e. centred on blue skies research/knowledge generation), they were responsible for undertaking scholarly activity that had applicability to the situation in which they were working.

Interestingly, all participants felt that involvement in scholarly activities gave them more credibility as teachers of HE with their students, particularly for those who had progressed internally from FE to HE.

The researchers conclude that:

In contrast to a university setting, we do not feel the relationship between teaching and research is so separate. The lecturers we interviewed evidenced numerous examples of how they had participated in scholarship in their subject disciplines (scholarship in teaching) and their teaching (scholarship of teaching). There was also evidence of their work as practitioner- researchers contributing to their professional development in terms understood by the college. Rather than being a distraction from the main business of teaching, it became integral to aspects of their task and associated with ongoing development within the organisation.

The wider value of research by HE in FE lecturers was identified:

Although students and their experiences of their practitioners’ research were not the focus of this investigation, all the college lecturers were able to highlight qualitative changes in their classroom teaching and students’ learning experiences.

The learning was networked to a wider community and a dynamic developed between the research ideas and the delivery to the students, resulting in active changes to the modes and styles of teaching.

This study indicates the value to lecturers in FE colleges of carrying out scholarly activities, both in terms of enhancing their practice, with consequent likely benefits to students, and also in terms of their professional identities. It contributes to the concept of an overlap

11 between teaching and research, rather than a divide, and one where research gives authority to, but is secondary to, teaching.

Orr, K (2010) ‘Cultures and Colleges: the creation and transmission of ideas about teaching in further education’ Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Warwick, 1-4 September 2010 http://www.beraconference.co.uk/2010/downloads/abstracts/pdf/BERA2010_0299.pd f

This article is not primarily about pedagogy but does looks at the environment in which FE teachers are working and the influences that are brought to bear on their teaching. It sets out to

‘…consider the relationship between cultures and work-based learning (WBL) by analysing the cultural influences on serving teachers and trainee teachers on placement in the English further education (FE) sector.’

The qualitative data on which this paper draws were collected from serving teachers as well as trainee teachers on placement at a large urban FE college and involved teachers and trainees who came from a wide range of subject and vocational areas. The research focussed on the influences brought to bear on the teachers and concludes

‘The unequal structures of society and its related cultural influences were pre-eminent among the factors that shape the development of teachers in FE.’

Simmons, Jonathan (2003), ‘Developing an ‘HE culture’ in FE‘presented at 7th Annual LSRN Conference 2003 http://theresearchcentre.co.uk/files/docs/publications/he0011.pdf

The research looked what factors need to be addressed, and how they need to be addressed, in developing an HE culture in FE through an action research approach with 14 HE programmes in one case study FE College. In doing so it raises questions about the meaning of an ‘HE culture’ in a non-HE setting.

The author states that

‘It's significant that at precisely the time that the boundary between the FE and HE sectors is blurring, there is talk of developing an HE culture in FE since this assumes a clear distinction between the two sectors. The earliest literature on HE in FE tended to focus on partnerships between HEIs and FECs and particularly the quality assurance issues involved in franchising agreements. Very little of subsequent research has focused on staff teaching HE in FE (Young 2002) and where it has been an aspect of other institutional reports it has been constructed within a deficit model of FE.’

12 With respect to HE in FE pedagogy the author notes the following attributes:

 the smaller size and greater intimacy of teaching and learning groups, but for some this represented a lack of sufficient challenge

 a more student-centred delivery with a greater variety of teaching styles,

 more time and attention given to individual students,

 different profile of students typified as ‘widening participation students’

Within the case study college the staff raised what they considered to be a number of features of the differences between in the focus of teaching HE and FE including:

1. Increased self-reliance: overcoming familiarity; developing your own independence

2. Increased self-knowledge: build on feedback on strengths and weaknesses; develop your own goals and targets

3. Increased analysis: working to given criteria; working at a higher level

4. Increased critical independence: evaluating within the subject; refer outwards to a social and ethical context

5. Differences in breadth & depth of teaching: cover some previous subjects at greater depth; cover some new subjects

6. Differences in assessment: research techniques; referencing; meeting deadlines; seminars

7. Vocational and academic: practical thinking; thoughtful practice

Spurway, Ben (2009) ‘Investigating professional practice and experiential learning in the HE curriculum’ in Cornwall College Scholarship Report 2008/09 pp 84-85 http://www.cornwall.ac.uk/cc/index.php? page=_University_Courses&subpage=_Research&id=1513

The research is reported in Cornwall College’s Scholarship Report 2008/09. The purpose and outcomes of the research are summarised from the abstract as follows:

‘The purpose of this work was to enhance the author‘s professional practice through critically investigating the practical implications of integrating effective experiential learning into the HE curricula, and sharing this knowledge with colleagues and local organisations.

The author employed an action research methodology to investigate the teaching and learning across a range of higher education modules, many of which include practical outdoor elements. The intention of these practical sessions is to enable the learner to make connections between theory and practise. However, this experience is dependent upon the individual‘s mental construction and interpretation of a specific event.

13 It became evident to the author during his teaching practice that the learners were formulating varying responses to these experiences. It was felt that by investigating these experiences in more detail a better understanding of potential interventions could be developed and was therefore worthy of due consideration.

Utilising an action research methodology, the researcher was able to focus upon his own teaching practice using The Institute for Learning‘s (IFL) six step process.

The process began with consideration of the dual professional requirements of a teacher‘s professional identity: ‘your subject specialism and your teaching’ whilst reflecting upon any external and internal drivers that might determine a focus for any development activities. .

The author was appointed to develop the ShelterBox International Academy for Disaster Relief. His responsibilities included the design and delivery of a range of outdoor learning and emergency management programmes, including innovative higher education for disaster response volunteers. This role is enabling the author to develop both subject specialism and teaching practice.

Turner, Rebecca, McKenzie, Liz and Stone, Mark (2009) 'Square peg - round hole': the emerging professional identities of HE in FE lecturers working in a partner college network in south-west England', Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 14: 4, 355 — 368 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13596740903360919

This article presents the results of a series of semi-structured interviews undertaken with a small sample of college lecturers working within a partner college network in south-west England. It particularly focuses on the role of the FE lecturer in delivering HE programmes and how their professional identity becomes ‘confused’ by the dual nature of their teaching. It is a fascinating insight into how teachers in FE perceive their role as HE teachers compared to those of lecturer in HEIs.

It does not discuss pedagogy directly but deals with the perception of how HE courses are and should be taught.

Semi structured interviews were conducted with lecturers working in colleges in the UPC network in order to explore the emerging professional identities of lecturers teaching HE in FE College. 12 lecturers from four colleges were selected. A few of the participants in the research entered lecturing shortly after graduation, the rest moving into teaching after they had spent time in another profession. As with their entry into FE teaching, the majority of the interviewees did not necessarily plan to become an FE or HE lecturer, or even aspire to become HE lecturers. Instead it evolved as part of their natural career development, as they had been successful in teaching a variety of FE level courses and the next step was into HE.

Of the lecturers interviewed, half had experience of teaching FE and Higher National Diplomas/Certificates. For those lecturers who joined their college after foundation

14 degrees had become part of their college’s provision, teaching on HE courses was an accepted part of their role. Three taught solely HE and the rest taught on a combination of HE and FE courses.

The research showed:

‘The perceptions of the role of an HE lecturer working within a university varied. They all had HE qualifications obtained at different times in their lives, albeit through a variety of routes, and therefore they had an appreciation of the role performed by an HE lecturer working within a university. However, considerable time had passed since they had completed studies, therefore, they were concerned how much the ‘student experience’ and role of the lecturer had moved on since they were at university.’

The perception of the role of lecturers in HEIs was markedly different to that of HE teachers on FECs:

‘The college lecturers viewed research as central to the role of a university lecturer and that their role as a researcher would be of primary importance over their role as a teacher. They viewed research as contributing to university lecturers’ teaching and resulted in them having current subject knowledge.’

‘In terms of university lecturers’ commitment to teaching and their students, this was perceived as limited. They felt the relationship students had with lecturers would be anonymous. Students would be taught in large groups and there would be limited one-to- one contact. This does not mean they felt that university lecturers do not support their students; instead they felt university lecturers would encourage students to function as independent learners:’

When asked to consider the role of a teacher of HE in FE the respondents were clear about the differences, as they perceived them:

‘In contrast to the perception they conveyed of the distance between university and college lecturers from their students, the college lecturers emphasised the central role students play in their working lives..... Owing to the socio-economic profiles of students attending FE colleges they viewed their approach to teaching HE as being holistic; not only did they deliver the subject matter relevant to the course, but also had to consider the specific learning needs of their students.

In relation to university lecturers, the college lecturers felt that their role involved a greater commitment to teaching and, subsequently, to their students. Generally HE in FE student cohorts are smaller, which the college lecturers felt enabled them to develop a personal and supportive relationship with their students...... with a focus on the process of learning rather than the outcomes of learning

The majority of the lecturers felt that they delivered the same subject matter in their HE and FE teaching, but that it was differentiated through their expectations of their students

15 and the assessment strategies they employed with their HE students to promote learner autonomy.’

There was also a clear feeling that because of smaller group sizes the course was delivered differently to that in a university setting:

‘The college lecturers also felt that the smaller student cohorts meant that HE in colleges was delivered in a different way to universities. They thought it was not appropriate to use lecturing with small class sizes and, therefore, an emphasis was often placed on group work.’

With regard to their teaching of HE courses there was clearly a perception of a difference emerging:

They also discussed employing different styles of teaching with their HE students that would not necessarily be suited to their FE students or an accepted mode of FE teaching, particularly in relation to FE quality systems’

The teachers delivering HE also felt a sense of empowerment and freedom to develop programmes:

‘As well as promoting the autonomy of the learner, the college lecturers felt that the expansion of HE in their colleges had promoted their own autonomy as practitioners, which they had acknowledged as being a key aspect of the role of a university lecturer. Several individuals made reference to the sense of freedom or liberty in relation to their HE teaching. This reflected the opportunities they had been afforded to design courses, direct their students’ development and collaborate with employers:’

The college lecturers all identified aspects of their HE role/practice which differed to the role they felt they, or their colleagues, carried out as FE lecturers. Therefore, within their colleges the lecturers felt that they were performing a unique role in relation to their university and FE colleagues. They felt their role as HE in FE lecturers relied upon them drawing on their expertise in supporting FE learners and integrating this with their perceptions of the role an HE lecturer should perform.’

By contrast there was a concern that colleges did not recognise or appreciate the difference in teaching HE level as opposed to FE, and the need to carry out research and scholarly activity. They also perceived this as being of a different type to that in universities

‘ ..... lack of support gave the impression that there was a lack of recognition from the institution of the wider implications of being an HE lecturer.... Within an FE context the college lecturers felt that it was essential for their HE teaching to have current subject knowledge and, therefore, they emphasised the need for HE lecturers to undertake scholarly activities such as conference attendance, professional updating and to be widely read.’

The research finally analyses the issue of professional identities for these teaching HE in FE and concludes:

16 ‘While their perceptions of the role of a university lecturer may be considered idealised or outdated, the role they viewed an HE lecturer in a university performing contrasted significantly with the role they carried out as HE lecturers working in FE colleges.’