Workshop 1
The context of higher education
In this post, I will reflect on my first workshop and the themes around the context of higher education. I aim to discuss my emotions, fears, challenges – and key take aways from the sessions and reflect on how I can use the experience to inform my studies and teaching.
Approaching the first workshop around the context of higher education, there was a sense of anxiety and also perhaps dis-interest from myself. Lack of understanding of what to expect and a fear of not being smart enough was engulfing me.
Whilst discussions around readings and general practise didn’t necessarily engage me to the same levels as others, it was incredibly informative, educational and indeed fascinating to take part in an exercise around historical timelines within government/global actions that have affected and shaped uk higher education. As a cohort, we were challenged with placing these events in the decades we believed they happened. It was somewhat intriguing to learn that many of my fellow classmates were indeed much younger than myself and had not experienced very informative times such as the Blair years…
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Personally, I was drawn to 3 key milestones that have dictated everything in the past 20 years in my opinion, that has left us with an extremely lucrative and complex higher education system. I was amazed at how this simple exercise around timelines enabled me to understand the system I was operating in and how those key dates have effected my current classroom. The 3 significant time periods are discussed below where I reflect on their importance.
1990s – introduction of tuition fees. This is probably one of the most influential decisions that has been made in higher education in recent history. It can be argued that the good, the bad and ugly of our system has been created by this introduction. Tuition fees have provided the necessary cash injection to universities allowing for growth and improvements on a national scale. It is why we all have jobs in universities today. But there is no such thing as a free lunch….and when money changes hands, the customer comes into the equation. A student first system has been able to evolve and dictate as they are now the paying customer.
The 2000s – This led me onto the next introduction, which is of the NSS, which was introduced in 2005. Student voice and the NSS has become something like the beast of Ofsted is in secondary education. Social media has given a microphone to that voice, where students are able to share and comment the good and bad. As higher education practitioners, much of our teaching and unit shaping, is now dictated by the dangling fear of the NSS and working towards that higher scoring……sometimes at the expense of other areas.
2010s – Finally, this class activity enabled us all to reflect on Brexit – a hugely significant disrupter in the current higher education landscape. Cohorts, particularly in London and at UAL, are now rapidly changing. The days of diverse European voices in our classrooms has given way to the home students…. or the minimal super wealthy international. Our decline in international fees means university will face budget deficits as we frantically try to claw in the higher paying tuition fees…. but at what expense?
This was a fascinating exercise and probably the most rewarding from the workshops so far. It has motivated me to want to engage further with the course content and has provided me with confidence to talk with some authority about higher education and my role in it.
How can I apply this learning to my own practise? I feel this exercise has provided me with more context around to cohorts I am working with. It has allowed me to prepare in advance and perhaps adapt learning for future incoming cohorts. I need to be prepared for a different balance of home versus international students and will begin to look at how I can build teaching materials to reflect the ‘new classroom’. I also will continue to use the NSS as a key point in the academic teaching year for us to work towards. It is imperative that student experience and community begins early and is sustained. It is also vital that we are building confidence in our students, empowering them to have a voice and use these opportunities for the greater good.