Private higher education in the UK: a contribution to an analysis of the commodification of knowledge in the information society

The UK higher education sector is currently undergoing changes that will impact on the way students learn in the future. National, European and global education policy discourses underline the importance of higher education to the development of an active citizenry and as a way of sustaining economic growth. Corresponding to the rise of higher education on the political agenda there have been huge increases in the numbers of students going on to university education in the UK and further afield. These two aspects have placed a brighter spotlight on the problems the sector faces and change is stated to be necessary and desirable in order for higher education to fulfil its role in society. The growing political will to devise clear linkages between those individuals who benefit from a university education and those who pay for it, advances in information communication technologies, and the related requirements of the knowledge society, form the receptive landscape for moves towards private higher education in the UK. This thesis focuses on the particular phenomenon of corporate or private enterprise providing higher education in competition with government funding-dependent, so called public universities. The activities of private higher education, or independently-funded, non-state dependent higher education providers in the UK suggest that as the relationship between state and the academy goes through significant changes, these providers have become a sensitive issue. Different parties view the activities of private providers in very different ways; however they are viewed, the activities of these providers are a hot topic in higher education at present. Despite this interest, there are only small amounts of information available about this subsector of HE provision, or about the experiences of staff and students working at these companies. This thesis attempts to address this point by offering an overview of the current situation, referring to quantitative data and with a qualitative investigation. Whilst the concept of private versus public in the higher education sector in the UK is increasingly complex, and the context of a speeding up in the transformation of the sector means it is difficult to paint an accurate picture of such a fast moving object of enquiry, the thesis will attempt to shed some light on the activities of corporations in the higher education sector in the UK within the global context

Of vapor beneath the evening star

The things we see are but shadows of reality. We are in a cave, but if we tum around we can see the fire that casts the shadows we call reality. We can take the difficult journey to see the beauty and magic that is our true world. Stories such as this, Plato\u27s allegory of the cave in The Republic, have taught for centuries that there is more to our world than we initially know. Allegory and metaphor can help us begin to understand the shadows for what they are. II is in our hearts and our imaginations that we find our reality. In my mind I walk on a path deep in the woods. The forest is so dense and large that one could easily become lost. It is a place of mystery where the unknown awaits discovery. Myth and history seem to hang in the wind. Finding my way through the trees I stumble upon an object. Finding this artifact, I begin to tell myself a story of its life. Is this all that remains of a long forgotten palace? Perhaps here was an ancient place of worship and this was once a ritual object. Was some human-made object abandoned and then reclaimed by nature? If I walk closer, will it come alive? No matter the explanation, the object holds a certain power. My finds are gates to the unknown, paths found to mysterious destinations, protection against negative forces, and reflections of my heart. II is a place where I feel the unseen forces around me and anything is possible - a place of changes in perception. Here, time holds very little meaning. I imagine the history of my finds , but the past, present, and future of the place and the thing all exist simultaneously within the object as in a dream. Like the forests of folk and fairy tales, spiritual and religious teachings, legends and myths across cultures, what I find in the woods and translate into objects are m etaphors for real experience. My work springs from this vision of the woods as an attempt to bring the intangible into visual space. My touch transforms the clay, the dirt, the earth, into the object of my imagination. Manipulated natural imagery is the language I use sculpturally to convey meaning and reconnect with both the actual woods and the m etaphorical woods of inner self. Within each piece is a fantasy realm rooted in the magical realities all around us. It is a visual tale, a myth view ers must discover for themselves from the object before them. It holds an expanded view of reality, conveying a sense of wonder and possibility

Leadership programmes as gendered professional projects: empowering women in Swedish and UK Higher Education

Leadership programmes as gendered professional projects: empowering women in Swedish and UK Higher Educatio

Coming out and staying in industry: How sexual orientation and gender identity matters in construction employment

Over the last three years the New Civil Engineer, Architects’ Journal and Construction News have conducted a survey investigating the experiences of LGBT workers in the sector. The surveys reveal that homophobia is commonplace in the construction industry, with many gay men and women encountering homophobic comments in the workplace and few feeling that they could be open about their sexuality in the workplace (Ramchurn, 2015a; 2015b). Furthermore, respondents had little faith that their managers would handle such issues effectively. In this literature review paper we explore the theoretical and empirical explanations for the apparent institutionally homophobic situation of the sector. A key concern is what are the experiences of LGBT people and in what ways does gender/sexual identity present challenges in working lives? The results reveal the importance of sexuality in the reproduction of social relations in construction, the nature of sexualised banter and physical harassment of LGBT workers and the effects that this has on equality of opportunity. The cultural landscape represents a toxic environment for those who do not conform to the white, male, heterosexual stereotype of the construction worker and the homosocial relations that surround it. Furthermore, the review highlights how research has evolved to now present a critical perspective on how gender and sexualities are performed in organizational contexts (Rumens, 2013). The results presented set the agenda for empirical explorations of the experiences of workers. The main contribution of the paper is that it begins to unpack the institutional landscape that sustains the status quo and which must be challenged if more inclusive practices are to take hold within the sector

What minimum wage? Why enforcement of EU migrants’ employment rights matters

EU migrants nominally enjoy the same employment rights as Britons. Yet (left to right) Catherine Barnard, Amy Ludlow and Sarah Fraser Butlin of the EU Migrant Worker Project found that they are often ignorant of the minimum wage and the Working Time Directive and do not pursue claims in Employment Tribunals. In this they are sometimes aided and abetted by exploitative employers who are willing to use them to undercut the wages of UK staff. They also found that enforcement of employment rights in the UK is, at best, patchy

Enhancing skills of academic researchers: The development of a participatory threefold peer learning model

In this article, we introduce a threefold peer learning model developed during the design and implementation of an innovative researcher-led digital skills training programme for early career researchers. The programme brought together researchers from three UK universities and facilitated the personal and professional development of: (1) the researchers who organised the programme; (2) the researchers who designed and delivered content; (3) the researchers who attended and participated in the digital skills workshops. This article outlines and reflects on its participatory approach to collaborative learning, which responded to the changing needs of UK higher education researchers who increasingly find themselves in interdisciplinary and digitally mediated research contexts. Finally, we propose the transferability of the approach to other fields of knowledge, student/staff learning and professional development

Researching cultures in science, engineering and technology: an analysis of current and past literature. Research Report Series for UKRC No.7

This report is a literature review of published research on the cultures of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) and the impact they have on women professionals employed in the sector. The report focuses primarily on the UK perspective, with reference to other Western countries where relevant

Effects of Dietary Fish-oil Supplement and Acute Eccentric Exercise on Inflammatory Markers during Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle

Fish-oil supplementation may play a positive role in inflammation. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important in controlling tumor growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Several tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) are known to regulate the activity of specific MMPs. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of dietary fish-oil supplementation and acute eccentric exercise on MMP-1, -2, -9, and -10 and TIMP-1, -2, -3, and -4 during two different phases of menstrual cycle. METHODS: As a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled design, 22 college-aged women (age= 20.86 ± 1.39 years) were randomly assigned to either a fish oil (FOG, N=11) or a placebo group (PG, N=11). Participants in the FOG ingested 6 capsules of fish oil per day (total 6.0g, containing 2.4g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.8g docosahexaenoic acid), while the PG took 6 capsules of safflower oil per day for 3 weeks. Participants in each group performed an acute bout of eccentric single-leg exercise (10 sets of 10 repetitions with a 3-min rest between sets at an isokinetic speed of 30⁰/second) during the mid-follicular (MF) and mid-luteal (ML) phases. The leg exercised for the MF phase was randomly selected and the opposing leg exercised during the ML phase. Overnight blood samples were collected at baseline, 6-hr post-exercise (6hr-PE), and 24-hr PE during the MF and ML phases. Data were analyzed by a separate 2 x 2 x 3 ANOVA with repeated measures along with an appropriate post-hoc test for any significant interactions (p \u3c 0.05). RESULTS: A significant interaction effect (p=0.005) in MMP-1 indicated that MMP-1 in the FOG (193.71±21.72 pg/mL) was higher than that of the placebo group (120.79±21.72 pg/mL) during the MF phase. Both TIMP-1 and -3 were significantly higher (p=.043 and p=.037, respectively) in the FOG (68674.71±2238.56 and 3827.12±193.67 pg/mL, respectively) than the placebo group (62119.26±2178.86 and 3238.94±186.73 pg/mL, respectively). CONCLUSION: Acute eccentric exercise did not affect MMPs and TIMPs in healthy, young females. MMP-1 was the only proteinase affected by the menstrual cycle and a decrease in MMP-1 during the ML phase might be related to elevated estradiol levels. Elevated TIMP-1 and -3 following the 3-weeks of fish-oil supplementation suggested a potential anti-inflammatory effect of the fish-oil supplementation by inhibiting activation of MMPs. It is recommended that an extended period of fish oil supplementation be implemented to further examine its anti-inflammatory effect on other inflammatory biomarkers in different sample groups including both pre- and post-menopausal women

The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: observations from a European project

The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: observations from a European projec

The challenge of contesting structures that reproduce gender inequalities: the dual power of new managerialism and masculine norms in academic settings

Despite attempts to broaden access to higher education in the UK through widening participation policies from the 1990s onwards and more recent national and local prioritising of gender equality in institutional strategic planning via initiatives such as the Athena SWAN charter, radical gender change in numerical and cultural terms is allusive. This paper proposes that universities, in the context of accelerated change, remain ‘conservative’ organisations with regards to working norms and career progression. Increasingly research and higher education institutions have multiple demands laid on them – demands for scientific excellence, demands for organisational innovation, the need to respond to student needs – and gender equality is but one amongst many competing demands that require action and reflection. It is important to understand how multiple demands can reinforce or undermine each other in terms of organisational activities and change. Drawing on empirical and action research in a UK higher education institution, this paper explores managerialism and concepts of excellence and meritocracy through a gender-lens. Excellence can be defined as: high mobility; excellent networks; high citations and; high levels of research funding. The quantitative measurement of performance through instruments like the Research Excellence Framework (REF) recognise and foreground particular kinds of activities at the expense of others. In addition to these aspects, the highly competitive environment in academia may exacerbate inequality as research shows that women are less likely to put themselves forward in competitive contexts and are less likely than men to consider themselves as ‘excellent’. Masculine norms of career and working thrive in the environment of increasing competition and recurring research, teaching and administrative performance indicator measurements: women who adhere to masculine norms can succeed, but real change is sidestepped. The lack of meaningful structural change acts as a barrier to gender equality in the academy. The paper concludes by offering some examples and recommendations on how this issue can be addressed