Scholarly activity in higher education delivered in further education: a study by the Mixed Economy Group of colleges Madeleine King and John Widdowson December 2009 Table of contents Page no. Foreword ………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Scholarly activity in HE delivered in FE ………………………………………………….. 4 1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………............ 4 2. Background to the project ………………………………………………………............5 3. Desk research ………………………………………………………………………….. 5 4. The college picture: results of the staff survey ……………………………………… 8 5. Student survey undertaken by National Union of Students …………………………14 6. Case studies ……………………………………………………………………………..17 7. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………….. 17 8. Recommendations …………………………………………………………………….. 19 Appendix 1 1. Participating colleges ………………………………………………………………….. 21 2. Other participants ………………………………………………………………………..22 Appendix 2 (Case studies) Bournemouth and Poole College ………………………………………………………… 24 Hartpury College …………………………………………………………………………… 27 Kingston Maurward ………………………………………………………………………… 30 Newcastle College …………………………………………………………………………. 32 Weston College …………………………………………………………………………….. 34 Worcester College of Technology ………………………………………………………... 36 Appendix 3 The College survey questionnaire ………………………………………………………. 39 Appendix 4 Focus group outline by the National Union of Students ………………………………. 45 2 Foreword The role of research, scholarship and scholarly activity has been a recurrent theme in the development and delivery of higher education in further education (HE in FE). The emphasis placed on new industries and higher level skills in the recent Government publications, “Higher Ambitions” and “Skills for Growth” underlines the need for more dynamic and inclusive definitions which support the needs of an increasingly skills- and knowledge-based economy. This report argues that there is an emerging need for a new dimension to both our definition and our approach to what constitutes appropriate activity by teachers in supporting the delivery of high quality, vocational skills-based HE. FE colleges have a clear role to play in this, building on the vocational further education courses they provide and the close links they enjoy with local employers. Rather than focus on presumed deficiencies in current approaches, we argue that recognition must be given to a form of scholarly activity which is more associated with professional currency and the application of research than the creation of new knowledge. While this latter is rightly located in a traditional university setting, the technical skills required under the “New Industries, New Jobs” agenda are more likely to be stimulated and developed in an HE in FE setting. Our report looks at how this can be achieved over the coming year. We are grateful to all of the college staff who took the time to complete our survey and thus provide a starting point from which to begin this process. Our thanks also go to Kat Fletcher and Kate Green in the 157 Group for their support in the development of the project, as well as to Gemma Painter and her colleagues within the National Union of Students for their work in setting up focus groups to test out student perceptions of scholarly activity. The Association of Colleges publicised our electronic survey and Geeta Patel in particular is to be thanked for her work in helping us to analyse the resulting information. This document would not have been possible without the funding and on-going mentoring provided by the Higher Education Academy. We greatly appreciated the support provided by Colin Rainey and his colleagues and also by Becky Turner from the HELP CETL at the University of Plymouth. Finally, we are indebted to Maggie Greenwood, who acted as our independent reader and who kept us on the straight and narrow in terms of our interpretation of the available data. John Widdowson Chair, Mixed Economy Group of Colleges 3 Scholarly activity in HE delivered in FE: a study undertaken by the Mixed Economy Group of colleges 1. Introduction This piece of work was initiated and funded by the Higher Education Academy (’the Academy’) in 2009 in order to investigate the nature and extent of scholarly activity in those further education colleges (FECs) which also offer higher education (HE). “Research”, “scholarship” and “scholarly activity” are all terms which are linked to the concept of the delivery of HE: the project set out to see how this distinctive feature of higher level work was undertaken in an FE setting. It began as a study that was based around four questions: • How is scholarly activity defined in HE? • Are existing definitions of scholarly activity fit for purpose in the developing HE landscape, including HE delivered in the context of the FE college? • Do they need to be redefined or supplemented to apply to vocational HE delivered in FE? • How can we measure the impact of such activity upon teaching, learning and the student experience? The research was carried out to explore the need for a new definition of scholarly activity that was appropriate to an HE in FE setting and which would be recognised as such by higher education institutions (HEIs), Government and funding councils. In addition, we wanted to capture the views of those who experienced HE in FE, particularly if they were also able to make a personal comparison with their own earlier experience of HE in a university setting or to do so as a result of comparing their experience of HE in FE with that of family members or close friends currently studying at a university. The project involved a number of discussions with full-time and part-time HE students enrolled at four FE colleges. (This particular aspect of the work will be further developed through a larger study focusing on the expectations of students who choose to pursue their HE in FE.) The study took the form of desk research to assess “scholarly activity” in its broadest sense within HE in FE and a survey of directors of higher education in HE in FE colleges. (These individuals were selected as best placed to comment on both strategic and operational aspects of the project.) In the event, the survey captured the views of 47 FE colleges and our conclusions therefore are representative of only 16% of the 285 FECs which deliver HE. Details of participants are listed in Appendix 1. A number of case studies have been produced which illustrate a range of approaches to scholarly activity. Some are drawn from colleges with relatively small amounts of HE provision, some from those with over 1,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The case studies can be found in Appendix 2. 4 2. Background to the project It is useful to set this piece of work in context. At the time of the project (Autumn 2009), England had entered arguably the greatest recession since the 1920s. Demand for HE was at its highest for 20 years due to a peak in the numbers of 18 year-olds, a shortage of employment opportunities for school leavers, and an increased demand from those already in work but anxious to gain new skills in order to ride out the recession. In order to manage a shortfall in funding, numbers of available HE places in 2009 had been capped by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Within the FE sector a funding crisis had drawn a sudden halt to the college building programme but demand from 16-18 year-olds was running at a peak. The recession meant that there would, realistically, be no real expansion in the amount of public funding available for either HE or FE in the short-term, yet demand for both was at record levels. The DIUS Select Committee had issued its report “Students and Universities1” which was critical of many aspects of HE provided in universities and of the funding regime for part-time students. This was followed by several speeches by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Peter Mandelson, setting out the need for a different approach to HE – one that was more flexible and more related to the needs of the economy. An HE Framework was subsequently unveiled in November2 which reinforced the links between business and HE and emphasised the role of the student as a customer who should have access to a range of information about course content and future employment options. With a general election due in 2010, significant policy developments were unlikely but there was great interest by all political parties in finding a way to balance future demand for HE with a reduced public contribution – and an on-going need to increase the proportion of the workforce with higher level skills. Much of the HE delivered in FE focuses on vocational courses delivered on a part-time basis to adult learners. As we enter a difficult funding period, this project is therefore pertinent not only to any future discussions about the nature of HE in FE and the student experience but also to the wider landscape and discussions about the role of higher education providers. Our survey reflects achievements in the development of HE in FE, and raises questions about how these advances can be maintained in what will inevitably be more constrained circumstances in the next few academic years. 3. Desk research In writing this report the authors acknowledge the work which has been done over the last decade to promote the development of scholarly activity (SA) in HE in FE. Three agencies in particular have contributed to this, namely the HEFCE-funded Higher Education Learning Partnerships Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (HELP CETL) at the University of Plymouth, the Higher Education Academy and HEFCE itself. 1 Students and Universities. House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee. HC170-1 August 2009. 2 Higher Ambitions: The future of universities in a knowledge economy. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. November 2009. 5 A concise description of the setting typical of those delivering HE in FE is found in the work of Turner et al3. A key passage from this article, referring to the experiences of FE staff who are part of the CETL’s Award Holder Scheme within the University of Plymouth Colleges network, notes that: HE in FE is operating in a very different arena to HE delivered in universities.