This is the February 2010 eBulletin from FACE (the Forum for Access and Continuing Education), offered to practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and others with an interest in access, widening participation and lifelong learning. The eBulletin is sent to colleagues in the sector, members and non-members alike. If you would prefer not to receive it, please contact James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk and your details will be removed from the circulation list.
This Month's Contents
FACE conference 2010 - Details now online; Bookings now available
FACE conference 2010 - Call for Papers
FACE / EARN seminar, April 2010
Questionnaire for research study into "Learner Potential for HE"
Widening Access and Retention Premium - Scotland
Guest Editor of the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education
The FACE website gets a makeover (is there a TV series in this?)
What else is in the News? – other sources of education news online
FACE Conference 2010
"Which Way Now For Widening Participation? Lifelong Learning, Economy & Society"
Wednesday 30th June – Friday 2nd July 2010
This year the annual conference will be hosted by Southampton Solent University. The FACE conference is the premier networking event of the year for anyone concerned or involved in widening participation, HE access or lifelong learning. If you haven't been to a FACE conference before, then this is one not to be missed. If you have attended before, then you won't need any more encouragement than that!
The key themes of the conference this year are the future of widening participation across the education sectors and recognising best practice in lifelong learning during a period of rapid social and economic change. This is a vital time for the widening participation agenda so join us at the 2010 FACE conference and be part of the debate.
Full details of the conference are now online.
Please go to the Online Registration Page to book your place.
FACE 2010 Call for Papers
FACE is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for its 2010 annual conference, "Which Way Now For Widening Participation? Lifelong Learning, Economy & Society".
The recent HEFCE report ‘Trends in young participation in higher education’ has clearly shown the significant progress that has been made in widening participation for 18 & 19 year olds in England since the mid-1990s. This provides an encouraging validation of the work undertaken across the sectors, but also highlights the scale of the challenge that remains. The conference will seek to address both these aspects of celebration and challenge. Delegates will have ample opportunities to share best practice in widening participation HE access and lifelong learning, what works and why, turning to how we move forward to build on the positive gains made so far in a very different economic and social context.
Abstracts of 300 words for papers and posters relating to these broad themes should be submitted by Friday 23rd April 2010.
If you would like to discuss potential submissions, please contact Dr Steve Lake stephen.lake@solent.ac.uk
FACE / EARN Seminar, April 2010
"At what cost? The impact of Finance on Access to Higher Education"
Thursday 29th April 2010
University of Westminster (Regents Campus), London
Download details of speakers and further information
This is a day long seminar hosted by the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) and the Educational Access Research Network (EARN).
This timely event will look at the actual evidence concerning the impact of cost on the attitudes of young people regarding progression to higher education. In the midst of the crucial review of Higher Education Finance and student support arrangements in England this event will focus on a number of pieces of recent research looking at the role of cost in progression and be an opportunity for debate and discussion on this issue. Delegates will also receive a summary document including information on the research presented at the event.
For more information, please contact Graeme Atherton at athertg@wmin.ac.uk
Research Study into "Learner Potential for HE"
In our December 2009 eBulletin we had a Speakers Corner item from Steve Furness addressing the question of how colleagues understand and identify learner potential when applying the widening participation criterion of having the "potential to benefit from HE" or the "potential to progress to HE" or the "potential to succeed at HE" etc. This item garnered much interest from readers.
A research study is currently being undertaken by Aimhigher West on this very issue and they would like to request that any readers of this eBulletin who have a professional role which involves identifying learner potential (e.g. school Aimhigher co-ordinator, Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator, teacher, FE lecturer, progression to HE officer, etc.) to take a moment to fill out an online questionnaire to contribute to this research.
You can go directly to the online questionnaire (which should only take 5 to 10 minutes to complete) using this link Surveymonkey Questionnaire
or go via the link on this web page Aimhigher West Questionnaire
Thank you.
Widening Access and Retention Premium - Scotland
A circular (22nd January 2010) announcing a review of the Scottish Funding Council’s Widening Access and Retention Premium (WARP) for HEIs in 2010 is available online from the SFC website. The purpose of the review will be to assess the impact of the WARP and to consider the case for retaining it, amending it, or replacing it.
http://www.sfc.ac.uk/news_events_circulars/Circulars/2010/SFC0410.aspx
Thanks to John Blicharski at the University of Dundee for drawing this to the attention of colleagues.
Guest Editor of the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education
Darlene Clover from the University of Victoria, Canada is the guest editor of a special edition of the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education to be published in Autumn 2010 by the new publishers of JACE, Manchester University Press.
The broad theme of this special issue is ‘lifelong learning, culture and creativity’. Papers will focus on, but are not limited to:
1) The engagement role of universities in cultural/creative matters;
2) The role of libraries, museums and/or galleries in strengthening culture and enhancing adult learning and creativity;
3) Theorizations around the concepts of creativity and imagination in society today;
4) Lifelong learning in heritage or natural heritage sites; 5) The role of the arts in fostering human creativity and cultural and social change.
Papers can be theory, research or policy development based. All will be double blind peer reviewed.
If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a brief 200 word abstract to Darlene Clover by February 25, 2010 (clover@uvic.ca)
You will be notified no later than March 5, 2010 of acceptance.
Articles will need to be submitted by 30 April for external peer review. They will be between 6000 and 8000 words in length, using the Harvard style of referencing, and may be submitted as an email attachment in Word.
We cannot guarantee acceptance by peer reviewers but all accepted articles will be published in due course (in subsequent editions if necessary).
Articles may be research or policy-based and in both cases scholarly, and should be between 6 and 8000 words in length, using the Harvard style of referencing, and may be submitted as an email attachment in Word.
Mike Osborne, Editor of JACE, University of Glasgow
FACE website gets a makeover
As the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed already, the FACE website has been made-over. The main reason reason for this is to further improve the accessibility of the site. Previously the site has been accessible to the W3C "A" standard but it is now in the process of being improved to "AA" standard. Most of the many changes that this has required will not be noticeable to those of you who use a conventional web browser. However, there are some changes that you will notice to the appearance of the site.
The most common feedback receieved from FACE members over the years has been a desire for ever greater simplicity and plain design. Consequently the new website is a very simple page with three types of link to navigate the site. These are:
Blue button as main menu links for page to page navigation around the site.
Pale blue button for page links to move down the page being viewed/read.
Grey button for additional links (e.g. some links to external websites).
Plain text links for additional links (e.g. downloads; some links to external websites).
Any helpful comments or further suggestions regarding the website should be sent to Jim at James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk
What else is in the News?
For the latest UK Education headlines and stories go to the FACE News Feeds page where you'll find the online news feeds of several of the sources listed below gathered together on one page for easy access.
The Guardian http://education.guardian.co.uk
The Independent http://news.independent.co.uk/education
The BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/default.stm
The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education
The Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
DCSF News Centre http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/newslist.cgi
LSC News http://www.lsc.gov.uk/News
If you wish to respond to anything in this eBulletin or contribute to the March 2010 issue, please email Jim at James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk