By Rob Thompson - EvoLLLution. Having a culture of agility is particularly difficult in higher education. Many higher education institutions are large, have a strong sense of identity and have long histories that are steeped in tradition. More...
By Steven VandenAvond - EvoLLLution. As the size of high school graduating classes decreases in many parts of the country, the competition to attract non-traditional students has become increasingly intense. Although adult learning theory has advanced significantly and many colleges and universities understand how to advise, teach and retain adult students once they recruit them, attracting the attention of non-traditional students is much more of a challenge. More...
By David Stone - EvoLLLution. There is no shortage of criticism of higher education, including that it costs too much, teaches the wrong things, fails to prepare students for the real world, and no longer serves as the economic elevator it once was. Add to this that institutions are often criticized for being too slow and too conservative in innovating the solutions to the above-mentioned issues. We will all need to get better at innovation—innovating with degree programs, non-degree programs, technology, pedagogy and business models. More...
By David Stone - EvoLLLution. Higher education institutions are not immune to the pressures of a competitive and increasingly global marketplace for education. Stakeholders in the form of politicians, institution boards, alumni, students, and the public have called for changes to higher education. Rising tuition, regulatory requirements, as well as an influx of adult and non-traditional students has put pressure on institutions to adapt to this changing environment. More...
By Juliette Punchello - EvoLLLution. As any higher education leader can tell you, there are no guaranteed blueprints to ensure the successful launch of any new initiative, whether it’s a new program, product, department or anything else. More...
By Les Ebdon. I’m delighted that the Government has now published the national strategy for access and student success which OFFA and HEFCE developed at its behest. It’s an ambitious strategy that makes wide-ranging recommendations about what we and others need to do if we’re to tackle the persistent gaps that remain in the participation and success of disadvantaged students in higher education. More...
There are few issues in higher education as lively as widening access and there is a vast literature on it. BIS recently published Hefce and Offa’s National Strategy on Access and Student Success – on which Hepi had an exclusive blog by Les Ebdon, the Director for Fair Access.
The Higher Education Review, a peer-reviewed journal, has just published a paper of mine, entitled ‘The parallels between admissions to independent boarding schools and admissions to selective universities‘, on what I hope is a new angle on this old – but very important – topic. More...
Earlier this month, the NUS annual conference took place in Liverpool. Toni Pearce, the NUS’s formidable President, was comfortably re-elected.
It’s 15 years since I was a delegate at the NUS conference. It was in Blackpool, rather lively (£1,000 tuition fees had just been introduced) and a Robbie Williams impersonator was on hand to provide evening entertainment. More...
There is much speculation about the impact of MOOCS and their potential to transform global higher education. Some fear that they will largely replace traditional courses and programmes and that students will stop going to physical universities. Although mass market online learning is unlikely to replace the brand value of traditional universities or the employment opportunities they potentially offer, they could represent a threat to the markets in which some institutions operate. In addition, it seems highly probable that MOOCS will have an impact on more conventional higher education, but in ways that are as yet uncertain. What are the key issues facing universities as they meet the challenge to deliver 21st century learning? How can institutions develop an effective business model that combines the huge economies of scale with free access to courses? And what about accreditation – is it possible to develop rigorous methods of assessment for MOOCs as well as accreditation towards qualifications. More...
As the Australian Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, touches down in the UK on a fact-finding trip, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) publishes two new comparisons of the English and Australian higher education systems:
Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, said:
‘England and Australia have many things in common. That includes dealing with the costs of a mass higher education system via student loans. More...
/https%3A%2F%2Fprofilepics.canalblog.com%2Fprofilepics%2F1%2F0%2F1076071.jpg)
