Higher education (HE) is increasingly finding itself the object of research conducted by quite a wide range of actors, inside and outside of higher education, reflecting different interests and backgrounds. However, this field remains marginal in most schools of education in the UK, is often poorly institutionalised and tends to lack the visibility required for research to be able to inform and engage critically with the policy sphere.
For all these reasons, a number of researchers sharing interest, experience and expertise in higher education policy and practice have decided to get together as a research group within the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. Initially composed of academics and research students from EDU, the group intends to open up to colleagues with similar research interests from outside the school. The group has also started to liaise with individuals beyond UEA towards possible institutional collaborations in research and teaching.
Themes:
Deriving from a general focus on the implications of policy changes and societal transformations on HE landscapes in the UK and beyond, the following research areas have been identified as reflecting the current expertise and interests of the group.
The academic profession: Issues of initial training and professional development, The internationalisation of the academic workforce in the UK, trends in the international circulation of academics and consequences on national HE systems, as well as the implications of changing student identities and experience on academic practice.
The transformative impact of technology: Technology and pedagogical practice, the digital student experience on and off campus, issues of quality, access and equity in distance and open learning.
Globalisation and internationalisation of higher education: Forms of cooperation and dependencies in post colonial higher education. Trends in international student mobility and implications for pedagogy. A controlled expansion? Regulatory frameworks and funding mechanisms at local, national and international levels. The "Bologna process" in Europe and beyond.
Higher education in society: Discourses and practice of community engagement. Universities in the local economy, issues related to the studentification of cities. Comparative perspectives on barriers to, participation in, and access routes to higher education. The public roles of higher education: universities and their constituencies in contexts of conflicts and transitions.
Student identities and learning cultures: Subject identities in mass higher education, HE funding and impacts on student experience and engagement. Learning environments and learning processes.
Activities:
Drawing on the existing networks of it founding members, the group is already developing collaborative research projects and dissemination events. The resulting increase in visibility of this research strength of EDU should have an impact on our recruitment of research students, on our relations with researchers in other schools (HE research is by nature an interdisciplinary field attracting interest from throughout the social and management sciences), and on our capacity to work collaboratively with similar groups outside UEA.
Current/recently completed research and capacity building projects of group members
Research & Development bids (on going and submitted)
Selected publications of group members
Membership of journal boards, networks and professional associations
