Evaluating lifelong learning networks

The focus of this short article is on the interim evaluation of Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) that the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information of The Open University was commissioned to undertake by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) during 2007 (HEFCE, 2008). It is not the intention to go into the detail of that evaluation, but instead to do two main things: to discuss the main challenges that the project team experienced in undertaking the evaluation, and to explore some of the challenges that LLNs are likely to experience as they reach the end of their HEFCE funding periods

Collecting and using student feedback Date: A guide to good practice

The purpose of this Guide is to help higher education institutions make the best use of their student feedback. This guide is based on a HEFCE funded project undertaken by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI). The purpose of this Guide is to help higher education institutions make the best use of their student feedback. All institutions collect feedback from their students and in many different forms. They use it to improve the quality of the education they provide. In recent years, there has been a shift in the balance between informal and formal types of student feedback with a greater emphasis on the latter. Now, new devolved forms of national quality assurance promise to give an important role to students and there is also an expectation that information from student feedback will be used to inform the choices of students when applying to higher education. Thus, as the importance attached to student feedback increases, ensuring that feedback is collected effectively and used wisely becomes an increasing priority for higher education institutions. This Guide draws on the experiences of the sector to highlight some of the good practices that exist as well as some of the problems that institutions are experiencing in using student feedback. Its focus is upon the use of student feedback for the purpose of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. Other purposes are acknowledged but are not the main emphasis of this publication

The English degree and graduate careers

This report provides English departments with information about the employment patterns and prospects of their graduates and suggests ways in which these might be enhanced. The report uses data gathered on English graduates three to four years after graduating. It shows that English graduates do take about four years to ‘find their feet’ on the career ladder, and that they do well in finding a job relevant to their qualification level compared to graduates in English-related fields or History. The report also examines how the skills of the English graduate are profiled by departments, by the English Benchmarking Statement, and by graduates themselves. These are compared to other disciplines to give some indication of the ‘strengths’ and ‘weaknesses’ of the English graduate

Engagement in course development by employers not traditionally involved in Higher Education: student and employer perceptions of its impact

The aim of the research was to improving understanding of employers' engagement in Higher Education and identify its impact. In particular, the review looked at engagement by employers that have not traditionally been involved in Higher Education. The research involved a systematic review that identified research in the UK and synthesised the eight most robust research studies

The role of higher education in social and cultural transformation

This paper forms one of the contributions to CHERI's research report 'Higher education and society'. It reports on one of the centre's ESRC-funded research projects - Higher Education and Regional Transformation

Higher education policy initiatives and their implementation - the case of Lifelong Learning Networks in England

This article is about Lifelong Learning Networks in England that are groups of higher education institutions and further education colleges covering a city, area or region. These networks have been established through funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and their policy objective is to improve the coherence, clarity and certainty of progression opportunities for vocational learners into and through higher education. In this article we consider the likelihood of LLNs delivering this policy objective. In doing so, we focus our discussion on the clarity of LLN policy and the wider policy landscape, and the compatibility and relevance of LLN policy with the values, interests and core activities of the institutions that make up the networks

Accreditation and related regulatory matters in the UK

About the book: This volume presents a rich account of the development of accreditation and evaluation in 20 European countries. The authors are leaders in the field and they have cooperated in this effort by writing richly different, often deep and insightful analyses of the situation in their country. The two editors have added a synopsis detailing the main trends, and sketching commonalities as well as contrasts in the developments across Europe. The book shows how accreditation is becoming a main mechanism in the steering of higher education all over Europe. The book is unique in its analysis of forces driving towards the spread of different models of accreditation in the emerging European Higher Education area. Readers will obtain an up-to-date picture of the state of affairs of accreditation in the framework of evaluation activities in Europe. They will gain an understanding of why accreditation and evaluation systems have evolved the way they have, and subsequently, they will obtain more realistic views on potentialities for European comparability and cooperation in this area. This volume is of interest to researchers and policy-making staff in higher education, especially those involved at the level of national systems for quality assurance, accreditation, internationalization and the Bologna process. It is also of interest to Master/PhD students in (higher) education management

Novel work-based learning courses in analytical sciences

The Open University (OU) is well known for the delivery of world class distance education. From 2010, the OU offers a new Foundation Degree in Analytical Sciences, developed to enhance the skills base of the workforce in analytical laboratories. It allows students to earn and learn simultaneously without taking time off. Students are sponsored by their employer and supported by an OU tutor throughout the four years of part-time study. 25 per cent of the degree comprises two work-based learning modules where the students learn in their laboratory setting and additional support is provided by a work-based mentor. The degree is interdisciplinary in approach with opportunities for specialisation in chemistry or biology. The first work-based module Analytical Sciences in Practice is central to the Foundation Degree and it is delivered primarily over the web with supporting text material. This course has been developed in consultation with the UK water industry and the Drinking Water Inspectorate that regulates public water supplies in England and Wales, and also consultants from the pharma and petrochemical industries. The course develops practical skills and understanding of the science underpinning analytical work. Students will learn information technology skills necessary to operate effectively in the modern workplace, and the numerical skills to carry out the calculations required in their job with accuracy and confidence. The module explains the regulations and science for safe working, enabling students to become safer practitioners. Considerable emphasis is given to understanding the importance of producing ‘fit for purpose’ analytical data and appreciating the need for quality assurance. Basic laboratory operations and techniques are developed using video clips and interactive assessment. Effective teamwork and communication are vital in an analytical laboratory and the course will help improve an individual’s proficiency in these areas. Finally, problem-solving skills are developed, alongside learning how to make evidence-based decisions. The second work-based learning module Developing your Analytical Science Practice is currently being developed along similar lines to the first module. Responsibility for learning is shared between the employer and the OU. The OU provides study materials and on-line tutorial support and manages the assessment procedures. The employer substantially manages the work-based learning on the programme and is responsible for assessing student’s competence to practice. The employer must guarantee to provide students with an appropriate physical environment in which to undertake their studies and a named workplace mentor. There are one-to-one meetings between student, OU tutor and workplace mentor and also OU tutors and mentors have informal contact throughout the course. The OU is also able to offer support in training staff identified as practice assessors in the workplace. The student remains in employment while they study

An investigation of vocational progression pathways for young people and adults in building crafts and hospitality CoVEs: A London case study

This report was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Development Agency's (LSDA–s) strategic programme of research and development, funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The principal aim of this project is to explore how vocational pathways have been developed and enhanced in these two occupational areas among 14–19 year olds and employed adults in London. The project identifies how well the selected CoVEs have performed against various factors

Interim evaluation of lifelong learning networks

The Open University's Centre for Higher Education Research and Information was commissioned in June 2007 to undertake a formative evaluation of Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs). Research to inform the interim evaluation has been two-fold: desk research of LLN documentation and visits to and interviews with personnel involved in eight LLNs. The report's main conclusion was that LLNs are making progress in terms of encouraging institutions to offer curricula and put in place procedures that, in the fullness of time, could make a significant difference to the coherence, clarity and certainty of progression opportunities for vocational learners. However, it went on to say that it is too soon to be able to make substantive and well-evidenced statements about LLNs' overall progress on meeting this overarching objective of the LLN initiative