What are the values and policies which are driving the development of Further Education institutions? The rapid expansion and development of the post-compulsory sector of education means that further education institutions have to cope with ever-evolving government policies. This book comprehensively examines the current trends in further education by means of both policy analysis and research in the field. It offers an insightful evaluation of FE colleges today, set against the background of New Labour Lifelong Learning initiatives and, in particular, the links between college and community. This timely investigation of FE and New Labour policy, takes a unique community education perspective to determine whether the social objectives of current policy can be achieved by policy-makers, managers, staff and students in FE institutions. For students, lecturers and educators in the post-compulsory sector, in addition to policy-makers and managers, this is an invaluable source of information on a subject which is still largely under-researched.
The incorporation of the further education sector in 1993 was followed by a period of extreme turbulence. Colleges plunged into the complex task of managing huge organizations while under pressure from cuts in funding and a steady expansion in the number and range of students. While financial scandals may have attracted attention, the success of the further education sector in continuing to provide a vital educational service for millions of people has been less recognized. Despite the significant contribution of the sector to education and training, practitioners struggle to find adequate research evidence on which to base reflection and practice. They need material relevant to the specific situation of managers working w
Vocationalism in Further and Higher Education presents a collection of research-based papers on the ‘English model’ of vocationalism and higher education. It argues that negative societal and political perceptions have hindered the debate about the significance and relevance of vocational education and training provision to learning, work and the economy. In this book, the writers offer unique solutions to the difficult questions that have emerged from their investigations into vocationalism in England. This edited collection brings together a group of academic experts to report and discuss their findings from many years of evidence-based research on vocationalism at three levels: macro (national and policy-making), meso (programmes and organization), and micro (individual learning and teaching). Chapters explore the key issues relating to the topic, such as policies, curriculum, learning and teaching, and work contexts. The book reflects on the diversity of related programmes, and discusses the applicability and relevance of the term ‘vocationalism’ in the light of current developments relating to higher vocational education, including occupation, employability and professionalism. This book is a timely contribution to the debate on the ‘English model’ of vocational education and will be an essential resource for researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students in the fields of vocational education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), work-based learning, politics and policy of education, teaching and learning, higher education, and curriculum and pedagogy.
In recent years, Further Education has reached a crossroads, with questions being asked about its function, aims and focus, as well as querying the role of the FE teacher, the key aspects of the curriculum and which values should inform FE pedagogy. Identity and Resistance in Further Education explores these questions and effectively conveys the sense of uncertainty that those in the field are experiencing today. Connecting Higher Education and FE practitioners and researchers, the book gathers a collection of essays covering a range of topics, including: the journey from student to teacher, critical reflective practice as a way of organising identity, values-based teacher education and policy critique. In keeping with the themes of resistance and creativity, the chapters draw on a wide range of theoretical, as well as literary, perspectives to offer answers. Problematising relationships between the teacher and the institution and the teacher and government, the book argues that the profound challenge to teachers’ values and identities finds its response in a critical collegiality. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of further education, educational policy and teacher education. It should also be essential reading for practitioners and policymakers.
As the number of higher education (HE) courses offered in further education (FE) settings increases, so does the need for teachers and trainee teachers to develop their teaching skills. This text is written for all teachers and trainee teachers in FE. It considers what it means to teach HE in FE and how an HE environment can be created in an FE setting. The text covers day-to-day aspects of teaching including planning and assessment, giving guidance on the unique needs of HE students. Chapters on research and quality assurance support the reader in developing some advanced teaching skills. This is a practical guide for FE teachers and trainee teachers as the sector adapts to the needs of education today.
In 2001, the newly established Learning and Skills Council (the Council) took over a programme of capital works in the further education sector, to renew an estate that was too large, with much of it in poor condition and no longer fit for modern educational purposes. By March 2008, a total of £4.2 billion of projects had been approved 'in detail', including grant support from the Council of £1.7 billion, and about half of the estate had been renewed. Since April 2008, there has been a very serious failure in the management of the programme. It approved 'in principle' 79 colleges' projects, which required nearly £2.7 billion of Council funding more than it could afford. Before the current problems arose, the programme had achieved some successes, enabling the estate to be reduced in size, and the buildings are generally of good quality and are contributing to increased learner participation. The economic downturn could affect colleges' ability to fund projects by restricting their access to loan finance or their ability to sell surplus assets. The indebtedness of the sector is rising. The Council needs to monitor closely the financial health of some colleges, particularly those that have borrowings that exceed 40 per cent of their annual income. In 2010, the Council is expected to be dissolved and its functions taken over by the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People's Learning Agency. There needs to be clarity about responsibilities for the capital programme, and additional administrative burdens on colleges must be avoided.
After more than a century of being undervalued, further education has been thrust into the limelight. How have the colleges fared? How have they been shaped by the new arrangements for funding, governance, inspection and the new qualifications framework? What do those running the colleges and working in them make of the changes? What are their prospects for the new millennium? Further Education Reformed is the definitive account of where further education has got to and where it might be heading. Containing specifically commissioned papers by some of the most respected academics currently working in the field of further education, this book draws the situation as it is now and looks forward to the developments of the coming years. It will be vital reading for anyone concerned with further education in particular, and education in general, whether as a policy-maker, governor, manager, teacher, employer or student.
Multiple scholars and practitioners provide models and theories to understand the inter-organizational relationships between businesses and higher education. This work illuminates the complexities, expectations and long-term impact of such relationships.
Teaching and Learning in Further Education is established as an authoritative, wide-ranging introductory text for those training to work in the further education, post-compulsory education and lifelong learning sectors. It offers an easy to read picture of the practitioner’s everyday working life, a thorough historical account of the FE context and excellent advice on how to improve practice and enhance professional development. Essential topics covered include: Key theorists Teaching strategies Assessment issues The diverse curriculum The nature of the student body Blended learning and virtual learning E-assessment and personal records of achievement The fourth edition will be significantly updated in light of the latest research into teaching and learning, as well as extensive changes in the field including: Revision to the professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector; increased provision of HE in FE; the introduction of functional skills and the 14-19 Diploma and the shifting nature of vocational qualifications. Illustrated throughout by case studies and vignettes, and supported by reflective actitities and references to well respected research and literature, Teaching and Learning in Further Education is an essential text to be used throughout an FE tutor’s journey from trainee to qualified lecturer.
As a result of the world class university rankings, many governments adopt public incentives and sanctions to push universities to excel. Above all, the better faculty research publication in SSCI and SCI journals, the more resources and social prestige universities will obtain. This timely book attempts to relate these dilemmas in Taiwan to many non-English speaking counterparts which also struggle with the worldwide SSCI syndrome. As Taiwan’s higher education system, similar to that of some other countries, has been recently devastated by the SSCI-based quantitative evaluations of academic performance in terms of its adverse impacts on the balances between teaching vs. research; qualitative vs. quantitative evaluations; globally oriented, English vs. locally oriented, non-English publications; and publications in academic journals vs. books, The SSCI Syndrome in Higher Education is a long overdue study that offers a systematic, comprehensive coverage of the above-mentioned SSCI syndrome on the dynamics of Taiwan’s academe. This book definitely helps fill an important gap in the literature on Taiwan’s higher education system. Tsung Chi Professor of Politics, Occidental College, USA Prudence Chou’s book addresses an academy on crisis caused by the ceaseless hype over university rankings. It further confirms that who comes out on top depends on who is doing the ranking. To save the heart and soul out of the Taiwanese academy, this book makes a cogent argument for culturally-responsive research in the social sciences and humanities. Gerard A. Postiglione Professor and Head, Division of Policy, Administration and Social Sciences Director, Wah Ching Center of Research on Education in China, The University of Hong Kong A spectre is haunting almost all universities in the world, including Taiwan — the spectre of “indexization.” Academics, particularly social scientists are panting from the pressure of globally spread neoliberal ideology and market-based principles. Collegiality on campus in the good old days has declined, and managerialism gained power instead. Competitive funding and university rankings are excessively emphasized, and research results are required to be internationalized, i.e., published in English. Although this book is a case study of so-called SSCI syndrome in Taiwan, the problems and challenges as well as prescription contained here are common to all academics, especially those in the non-English speaking countries positioned as “peripheral.” Yutaka Otsuka Professor of Hiroshima University, President of Japan Comparative Education Society The danger with SSCI syndrome is that it encourages social studies in nonwestern societies to dissociate themselves from local contexts, reflecting a particular view of what is claimed to be ‘universal’ that is informed only by the Western (especially English-speaking) world. It raises the question of what counts as ‘scholarship’ and defines what knowledge is and who may claim competence in it. This volume serves us well as a timely reminder of such a great danger. Rui Yang Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong
