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October 2010

Contents

bullet point FACE Forum website to be launched in 2011

bullet point The FACE quick 10 point guide to the Browne Report

bullet point Responses to the Browne Report

bullet point How should FACE respond to the Browne Review?

bullet point Learning Practice Seminar, Glasgow

bullet point What else is in the News? Other sources of education news online

 

 

FACE Forum website to be launched in 2011

In keeping with our name, the Forum for Access and Continuing Education, a new service to FACE members is in development which we hope will take the practice of being a forum one stage further. In early 2011 all FACE members will be invited to join an online FACE Forum to promote interactive engagement amongst the whole membership. All members will be able to start discussion threads on contemporary topics of concern and interest in education and, of course, they can respond to any discussion threads created by other members.

The direct involvement of the membership will be crucial to the success of this venture so comments and suggestions are welcome. Please email the FACE secretary Mike Hill at R.Hill@kingston.ac.uk

 

The FACE Quick 10 Point Guide to the Browne Report

With the long awaited publication of the Browne Report which recommends sweeping changes to the university funding system, what are the key points and issues for FACE members?

  1. Universities no longer provide a minimum bursary for students on full grants.

  2. Repayments of fees threshold to begin at £21,000.

  3. Access and Success Fund to be set up to help universities recruit and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

  4. OFFA to be abolished as well as QAA, OIA and HEFCE. All to be replaced by the Higher Education Council (HEC).

  5. HEC, as one of its five areas of responsibility, is to make sure that individual institutions and the sector as a whole make measurable progress in admitting qualified students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

  6. HEC to target funding to improve access and completion rates for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

  7. Existing HEFCE funding streams for widening participation and retention to be combined into a single Access and Success Fund.

  8. Current widening participation strategic assessments and access agreements will be replaced by a single Access Commitment agreed between HEC and each HEI with an annual update.

  9. Higher level of scrutiny by HEC of Access Commitments from HEIs that charge £7,000 or more per year.

  10. Improved performance indicators on access to support Access Commitments.

 

FACE Quick Guide tip to Browne: Section 6.4 is the one to look at.

Download the Browne Report "Securing a sustainable future for Higher Education in England" at http://hereview.independent.gov.uk/hereview/report

 

Responses to the Browne Review

Government response from BIS at http://www.bis.gov.uk/browne

Response from HEFCE at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2010/browne.htm

Response from the UCU http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5058&from=1676

Response from the NUT http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12048

Response from the National Union of Students

Response from the Russell Group

Response from the Association of Colleges

Response from Universities UK

Times HIgher Education round up of quotes and comments in reponse

 

How should FACE respond to the Browne Review?

Many organisations and institutions have offered their responses to the Browne Report (see previous item) and have made their judgements in accordance with their own organisational remit. But FACE is a broad church with members from a wide diversity of institutions and organisations across the sectors - how then should FACE respond?

FACE will be consulting members, inviting their comments and views, which will then be collated into a coherent FACE position that can be put forward into the broader consultation that will take place with stakeholder groups announced by David Willetts at the HEFCE Annual conference on the 21st October. It is particularly important for FACE to give a considered response in respect of a number of specfic proposals included within Browne where much more detail is required. For example, regarding what the report has to say about access and social mobility. FACE intends to participate in, and contribute to, the further work that is needed and therefore will actively seek to influnce this work through the expertise and collective knowledge of its members and institutions.

John Storan, FACE Chair, says “This report, in a number of respects, represents changes for learners and universities just as profound and significant as those contained in both the Robbins report and the Dearing report. I understand the need for a report and a set of recommendations on the financing of higher education coming at this time. I particularly welcome the central commitment to addressing the following observation made in the report:

'The higher education system in this country does not meet the aspirations of many people who wish to enter higher education.There are not enough places for those who want to study full time and there is insufficient support for those who want to study part time. Fair acces has not been achieved.'

Much more detail is need on many of the recommendations which I think will be of particular interest to FACE members and therefore we will be looking to feed actively into the consultation on Browne and ensure that the views and concerns of our members will be heard.”

How should FACE respond?

If you are a FACE member and wish to influence any contribution FACE makes to the consultation on the Browne Report, please email the FACE Chair, John Storan at J.Storan@uel.ac.uk with your views by Monday 15th November 2011. FACE will offer its considered response following this member consultation.

 

Learning Practice Seminar, Glasgow

The CR & DALL Seminar Series

"Learning to Do: Learning Practice"

Professor Peter Jarvis, University of Surrey
2pm-4pm, 11th November 2010
Room 227A, St Andrew's Building, University of Glasgow

Most theories of learning focus primarily on the cognitive dimension but recognise that the action one is significant.  If we accept Husserl’s claim that we live in our acts – then the ‘doing’ dimension should actually receive at least equal emphasis to the cognitive. This seminar starts with my own work on learning and then explores a theory of learning by doing.  Thereafter it focuses on professional practice and offers a theory of learning practice which could impinge on our understanding of learning in the workplace.

Questions and discussion are encouraged as part of the Seminar. The CR&DALL (Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning) seminar series is free and open to all. You are asked to register in advance by email to cradall@educ.gla.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 Department of Education news page http://www.education.gov.uk/news

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 Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk

 

This is the October 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.

If you wish to respond to anything in this eBulletin or contribute to the November 2010 issue, please email Jim at James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk