Scoping the Duals: Structural Challenges of Combining Further and
Higher Education in Post-Secondary Institutions
Neil Garrod and Bruce Macfarlane, Thames Valley University
Abstract
Dual sector universities (or duals) are a growing international phenomenon that cut across
the divide that typically exists in post-secondary education. Duals combine ‘further’ and
‘higher’ education within a single institution providing enhanced opportunities for
student transition between post-secondary sectors. This paper reports the results of an
international survey of duals in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the
UK. The results indicate that duals operate divergent operational models in managing the
structural challenges of cross-sector education characterised as unitary and binary. Many
duals contend that state and provincial government regulation militates against the
integration of structures, processes and human resources within a dual sector context.
Link to Blackwell Publishing website to access full article in Higher Education Quarterly
Journal:
www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/HEQU