Centre for the Study of Higher Education
Higher Education in the Globalised Age
A One Day Research Conference
Friday 14 February 2014
Professor Roger King
Title: Models and power in global higher education networks
Abstract:
The talk will examine the role of standards and models in global higher education, including their
function in both coordinating systems and structuring power relations between actors
Paper Presentations
Matthew Montebello
Title: Investigating crowdsourcing in higher education
Abstract:
With the proliferation of the World-Wide Web, upsurge in eLearning popularity, and the explosion in
the use of the Internet as a communication medium, novel and promising possibilities transpire for
higher education. Crowdsourcing is a concept whereby multiple independent sources contribute
information towards a common goal. Collective online information has been successfully employed to
numerous domains with the added value of reusing expertise that is freely available. In this paper I will
be investigating the potential of applying crowdsourcing to higher education by tapping into the
collective intelligence of online educational resources and expertise to academically assist students
anywhere and at any time. The challenges and issue related to such an endeavour will be investigated
to analyse the rationale, ethics, and feasibility of this innovative higher educational methodology.
Sandrine Soubes
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Title: Conceptualising researcher development: from policy discourse to local practice
Abstract:
The proliferation of policies in the UK related to “transferable skills” training and professional
development for researchers has not been followed by critical scholarly engagement (Evans, 2011) and
empirical research concerned with the meanings of 'researcher development' or with postdoctoral
researchers’ experiences of professional development. The trend towards a globalized market for the
recruitment and employment of postdoctoral researchers relies heavily on the use of short term
research contracts, making research careers temporary and unstable modes of employment. This paper
will present preliminary findings from a qualitative study (ethnographic and interview data) exploring
the conceptions of researcher development held by postdoctoral researchers in scientific disciplines and
by the academics employing them. The analysis will use Archer’s theoretical framework on structure and
agency to our understanding of conceptions of researcher development.
Jackie Gresham
Title: Perceptions of role and identity among higher education learning support staff
Abstract:
In an age of globalised higher education, the changing identity of academic staff has been extensively
researched and commented on. In contrast, there has been comparatively little consideration of the
changing roles and identity of professional services staff engaged in the support of learning and
teaching, despite the fact that there has been a considerable impact on their work from national and
global agendas. The paper presents some of the findings from research carried out as a single–
institution case study relating to the perceptions this group of staff have of their role and identity and
some of the factors which have shaped these perceptions, and some of the factors relating to how
these constructs have been formed. In particular, it considers whether or not there is any evidence of
traditional boundaries between academic and professional services staff being crossed and whether new
spaces are emerging which allow for more collaborative working.
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Philip Chan
Title: Micro-economics of undergraduate medical education in the NHS
Abstract:
The service increment for teaching (SIFT) is a budget line in the UK Department of Health which is
specifically marked for funding related to the teaching of medical undergraduates in National Health
Service (NHS) facilities. It replaced a haphazard, individually negotiated funding system in 1974, and has
undergone one substantial modification in 1996. Variants of SIFT exist in the devolved governments of
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The total budget for SIFT is very considerable (£728million in
2005), and can typically translate into over £20million per year income for a central teaching hospital
Trust, or roughly 4-7% of total income. For the numbers of medical students, this is remarkably
generous, and contributes to the perception that it costs the UK taxpayer £200000 to train a doctor.
These are large amounts of money in higher education terms. The place of SIFT, both in the educational
setting and in the running of a teaching
hospital Trust, is examined through a series of interviews with teachers, directors of teaching, financial
officers of the Trust and Directors of teaching in the University in two separate locations. The
mechanisms of implementation of this financial policy are closely examined, using documentary
evidence in the public domain: where the money goes; what it is spent on; and to what extent it is
accounted for, and by whom. Strengths and weaknesses of this system are highlighted. The
Department of Health has been engaged in reform of SIFT for some time, and this has finally been
implemented in 2013-4 This paper could inform the rebasing process both by tracing the historical
development of this policy and by highlighting the benefits and the unintended effects of systematic
characteristics in the funding of undergraduate medical education in the NHS.
Laura Lane
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Title: Access, participation, mobility and their representation in higher education policy in England
Abstract:
The concepts of access, participation and (social) mobility feature extensively in higher education
debates in England but how are they represented in official policy texts during the period of mass
expansion? This paper provides an overview of a current EdD thesis exploring these issues through a
critical policy analysis of the higher education White Papers published in England between 1987 and
2012.
Markita Mulvey
Title: A new further education and training sector for Ireland
Abstract:
For the first time in its history, responsibilities for further education and for vocational training in Ireland
are to be brought together under one government department. A new sector of further education and
training will be administered by the Department for Education and Skills. The nature, development and
governance of these previously separate areas have been little understood, especially their shifting
boundaries and changing relationships. Based on an analysis of a range of documentary sources, the
research will examine the reasons for this long history of separation and the factors informing a
government decision to establish a single sector.
Billy Bennett
Title: Towards technological universities in Ireland
Abstract:
This paper maps the proposed development of Technological Universities in Ireland to similar change
processes in other countries. The paper explores the case for reform of higher education in Ireland and
possible redesignation of Institutes of Technology as Technological Universities.
Aidan Tolland
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Title: Diversity in higher and further education: two approaches compared
Abstract:
This paper presents the approach used by Malcolm Tight in his 2007 paper reporting on institutional
diversity in the English higher education system. It explores the similarities between Tight's approach
and that of my own in studying institutional diversity in the English further education system. It
identifies the lessons that can be learnt from Tight's approach and the similarities and differences
between the available data for English further education and higher education. Finally it explores
the theoretical approach taken by Tight and demonstrates how it differs from my own.
Brian Gormley
Title: On-campus versus commuter student: does place of residence have an impact on student
success in Ireland
Abstract:
Whereas numerous studies in the US have shown that students living on campus are more “successful”
on a variety of scales and measures (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005) the limited amount of research
from Ireland has produced some conflicting results (Mathews et al, 2004, Blaney et al, 2008). Using
secondary data analysis, two major national student surveys in Ireland have been analysed to identify
differences between students in four different living arrangements: Living at home with parents; Living
in private rented accommodation; Living in student halls (on- or off-campus); and Living in their own
home. This paper will examine if it is possible to draw any conclusions on the effect of place of
residence on student success."
Bill Esmond
Title: Knowing your place? Student conceptualisations of higher education in local spaces
Abstract:
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Whilst globalisation is widely associated with the movement of people into new spaces, contemporary
social forces have also served to limit social and geographical mobility for many. These (im)mobilities
are often associated with knowledge and skills which may be acquired through different educational
experiences. Thus, the stratification of higher education that has accompanied its expansion is also
associated with differential patterns of mobility. Whilst a global elite of applicants make their choices
from an international menu of selective, ‘world-class’ institutions, institutions which formerly had local
associations, such as the ‘civic’ universities in England, also seek international recognition and
accreditation. Conversely, marginal institutions retain local associations: these can be linked to social
immobility, yet may also entail transformative potential. In a qualitative study of adult participants in
English college higher education, patterns of spatial mobility, diverse even within a small sample,
illustrate the contradictory meanings of ‘local’ higher education in the context of class and gender
differences. Whilst participants’ student identities drew on their study in an institution defined by its
locality, questions of location also affected their apprehension of their future identities. The potential to
move between different locations – along with the limitations to such mobility - implies the potential to
move beyond the locations to which people are assigned by social structure. The data illustrated the
discursive frameworks through which such mobility was contemplated and, at times, denied. Whilst the
transgression of geographical, social and educational boundaries is at all ages framed by institutional
discourses that problematise diverse voices – and whilst their diversity is often critically associated with
educational disadvantage – these accounts may at the same time indicate possibilities of transformative
potential.
Sylvie Lomer
Title: Mapping UK policy on international higher education students, 1999-2013
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to set out the policies on international students, from 1999 to 2013, and
describe the main content, through documentary analysis of primary sources associated with national
government policy. Although there is a wide research base on teaching and learning, and experiences
of international students, much of this is institutionally based (Pelletier, 2003) and not focused on policy.
There is, therefore, scant literature on UK national level policy, with the recent exception of Walker
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(2013). Preliminary readings suggest that policy on international students in England can be broadly
grouped into three phrases. Tony Blair’s Prime Minister’s Initiative, ran from 1999-2004 in its first
iteration, and was succeeded by the second phase, the PMI2, from 2006-2011. The most recent phase is
most clearly codified in the Coalition Government’s International Education Strategy, published in 2013.
Although there is a considerable degree of continuity between the Coalition IES and the New Labour
PMI, these policies are characterised by different rationales for international student recruitment, and
different representations of international students.
Ibtissam Al-Farah
Title: Women, education and agricultural development: the example of Yemen
Abstract:
According to a Human Index Report in 2013, Yemen ranked among the least developed countries. On a
Global Gender Equality Scale published in 2012, Yemen was ranked last out of 135 countries. High levels
of illiteracy and poverty among rural women are acute in a society with gender specific roles, early
marriages and segregated schooling. Among a number of poverty reduction projects launched by
international development organisation are those targeted at agriculture. However, there is a dearth of
information on the work of these bodies and the impact of their activities. The research is focused on
programmes sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and will examine the
scale, scope and influence of these interventions.
Ronan O’Beirne
Title: Open access and open research: what are the issues?
Abstract:
Governments believe that a vibrant and productive research community underpins a successful
knowledge economy yet the rapid changes to research brought about by technology, globalization, ‘big
data’ and an agenda of open access present a range of new challenges for researchers. Specifically,
shifts towards open data and digital scholarship are having a significant impact on the research lifecycle.
On the one hand the “openness” agenda can be seen to undermine the established ‘business’ or
competition model of the research community notably publishers. On the other hand the power of
computing is allowing huge datasets to be generated and manipulated in new ways; on ensuring open
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data, big data and open science, mandated through funding councils, are seen as important factors for
economic success. Moreover the channels of research and scholarly communication are changing
rapidly with the rise of open access journals. While this can be seen to challenge the traditional peerreview mechanisms undermining the stranglehold publishers have had on the research dissemination
process there are contentious issues surround Gold Access and Green access within universities. The
changes to the process of research - its collaborative nature and its greater use of large datasets - has
meant that the skills traditionally associated with research have expanded to include for example data
management in a digital networked environment. This presentation looks at these challenges as part of
the initial findings from a larger body of work (EdD Thesis) that uses a theoretically-informed Delphibased study to examine the changing relationship between the academic library and modes of
knowledge production.
Rhiannon Birch
Title: A nearly forgotten inquiry: did the report and recommendations of the Dearing committee
(1996-97) amount to a codification of a newly unified higher education system?
Abstract:
The Dearing inquiry was established with support from the main political parties in May 1996 in
response to a financial crisis and in order to exclude higher education as a policy question in the run up
to the 1997 General Election. Although its remit was clear and wide-ranging, the differences between
the terms of reference and the final report indicate a broader agenda at work than is generally
acknowledged. By revisiting the evidence in the Dearing archive (which comprises of evidence
submissions, committee minutes and administrative documentation), my research examines the extent
to which the inquiry marked a turning point, between the idea of a system promoted by the Robbins
inquiry and the emerging competitive market later defined by the Browne review. Alongside its headline
recommendations on student fees, renewed growth and widening participation, did the Dearing inquiry
also represent a major exercise in codification: the establishment of principles, protocols and
frameworks for the operation of a post-binary system of publicly-funded higher education?
Eileen Kelly-Blakeney
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Title: Student experiences of widening participation in initial teacher education: a Bourdieusian
analysis
Abstract:
This paper provides an overview of how Bourdieu’s three-level approach to studying a field was
employed in a recent Irish study to examine the experiences of students who entered full-time
undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programmes via widening participation (WP) routes. In the
study, ITE is conceptualised as a ‘dual field, sub-field’ and a mapping of the field highlights how WP has
impacted on ITE. In seeking to understand the habituses of non-standard entry-route students in ITE,
interviews were conducted with nine students from two higher education institutions. Their narratives
illustrate the heterogeneous nature of students’ experience of the dual-field of ITE. Derived from the
narratives, a schematic representation of orientations within the field finds students positioned as either
‘Adjusting’ or ‘Belonging’, with positions being independent of entry-route. The implications of the
findings for policy and practice are outlined.
Helen Perkins
Title: Listening to old wives tales: small stories as the stuff of professional learning
Abstract:
Drawing on the methods and outcomes of a project funded by the Higher Education Academy, the
study takes up the challenge posed by Nutbrown (2011) to ‘push out from the safe(er) boundaries of
established methodologies’. The project explored auto-ethnographic investigative approaches to
pedagogy. Through the telling of small stories, what Lyotard called ‘petit recits’, it placed autoethnography at the centre of teaching about research processes.
Keynote address
Professor Gill Valentine
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Title: Learning encounters: in an era of globalisation
Abstract:
Drawing on original empirical research from a European Research Council project, the talk will examine
how students and staff narrate their experiences of cross-cultural contact on a British university campus.
The sociologist Stuart Hall has argued that in the context of supermobility and superdiversity how we
develop the capacity to live with difference is the critical question of the 21st century. Universities are
often imagined as cosmopolitan or progressive spaces. In theory, the campus environment therefore
offers opportunities for more intense and prolonged forms of contact with 'difference' than the
ephemeral micro-scale forms of interaction that have dominated much of the academic literature about
encounter as means of reducing prejudice. In practice, however, the material presented in this overview
suggests that many respondents tend to self-segregate, or in some instances are prevented from mixing
with ‘others’ through institutional arrangements. Moreover, the pressures posed by commercial forces
on campus also orientate certain students towards lifestyle choices and expectations which exclude
others. The conclusion reflects on what can be learnt from this research and potential ways of
promoting more inclusive campus environments in an era of globalisation.
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