tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca-fr/topics/uk-universities-16540/articlesUK universities – La Conversation2024-03-08T17:30:05Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209562024-03-08T17:30:05Z2024-03-08T17:30:05ZThe Turing scheme was supposed to help more disadvantaged UK students study abroad – but they may still be losing out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578679/original/file-20240228-8828-vvwi2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C25%2C2871%2C1888&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/youth-group-vacation-travel-city-329701265">Kichigin/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The loss of access for UK university students to the Erasmus+ scheme – a Europe-wide exchange programme that offers students the opportunity and funding to study or work abroad for up to a year – was a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/world/europe/brexit-erasmus-uk-eu.html">widely mourned</a> consequence of Brexit. </p>
<p>The UK government announced a replacement, the <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/">Turing scheme</a>, in December 2020. This scheme funds education or training placements outside the UK – in theory, anywhere in the world. Unlike Erasmus+, though, it is not a reciprocal exchange scheme. It does not fund overseas students coming to the UK. </p>
<p>The first students took part in the academic year 2021-22, and the government published <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/turing-scheme-evaluation-of-year-1">an evaluation</a> of the first year the scheme in January 2024. It shows that while most student participants reported a positive experience, both the length of placements and the timeline of the application process may have penalised students from less well-off backgrounds. </p>
<p>When the UK government launched the Turing scheme, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-023-00995-0">widening participation</a> – making study abroad accessible to a more diverse group of students – was a <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/berj.3844">key objective</a>. The scheme was compared directly to Erasmus+ in this regard: it was argued by the UK government when they <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-023-00995-0">launched the scheme</a> that Erasmus+ had largely failed to attract more disadvantaged students. </p>
<p>According to the report, around 39% of Turing participants were from disadvantaged backgrounds. Directly comparable figures for Erasmus+ are difficult to attain, although there is a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0958928719899339#body-ref-bibr6-0958928719899339">widely held consensus</a> that the uptake of Erasmus+ placements by more disadvantaged young people was low.</p>
<p>A report by the <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/turing-scheme-understanding-impacts-and-implications/">British Academy</a>, published in November 2023, notes that significantly more students participated in the Turing scheme in 2021-2022 than had taken Erasmus+ placements each year. This may suggest some success in meeting the government’s widening participation objectives. </p>
<p>However, this report also observed that those from disadvantaged backgrounds in 2021-2022 received less funding from the Turing scheme average monthly stipend than they would have under Erasmus+. </p>
<p>What’s more, the application timeframe for the Turing scheme may have limited the ability of students from poorer backgrounds to take part. </p>
<p>The government’s report shows that students did not hear back about whether their applications for the Turing scheme and its associated funding had been successful until July. Many overseas placements required students to be in place by August, for the start of their academic year – less than a month later. Even those students starting their placement in September needed confirmation of funding before July. </p>
<p>This affected students from less affluent backgrounds, whose participation was wholly dependent on Turing funding. Some who could not afford upfront costs without the funding, or could not take the risk that funding would not be granted, <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6583029523b70a0013234d29/Turing_Scheme_year_1_evaluation.pdf">dropped out</a> of the scheme. </p>
<h2>Shorter stays</h2>
<p>The government’s new evaluation provides a useful profile of participants on the scheme during its first year. It shows that 67% were studying, while 33% were on work placements. Europe and North America were the most common destinations. </p>
<p>The length of the placement varied considerably. University students’ Turing placements lasted 109 days, on average. Students at further education and vocational education colleges, and school students, were also eligible for the scheme, but their placements were much shorter: an average of 26 days for college students and only seven days for school pupils. </p>
<p>Students at further education and vocational institutions are likely to be <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-attainment-in-the-fe-and-adult-learning-sector/improving-attainment-among-disadvantaged-students-in-the-fe-and-adult-learning-sector-evidence-review-html#:%7E:text=Individuals%20from%20disadvantaged%20backgrounds%20are,to%20other%20post%2D16%20routes">less privileged</a> than those at universities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-07/widening-participation-in-uk-outward-student-mobility.pdf">Research has suggested</a> that disadvantaged students are more likely to take shorter trips than longer stays. But shorter placements may not be as <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/berj.3844">valuable to students</a> as longer ones. </p>
<p>Length of placement <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/berj.3844">has been linked</a> to a better quality and value of experience, meaning that further education and vocational students may be further disadvantaged by the shorter placements on offer to them. </p>
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<h2>Difficult process</h2>
<p>The government’s report on the first year of the scheme noted that 79% of universities had found the application process difficult, compared to the more straightforward Erasmus application. </p>
<p>They also reported that the timescale for submitting the application was too short. The short timeframe prevented institutions from thinking innovatively about international placements. </p>
<p>Most fell back on what one described as “business as usual”. This presumably indicates that universities, colleges and schools made use of pre-existing relationships with overseas institutions rather than seeking new ones. </p>
<p>Despite apparent difficulties with the application process, 86% of providers reapplied in the second year of the scheme.</p>
<p>These administrative issues may, over time, be ironed out with adjustments to the application process. However, more fundamentally, some universities expressed concerns about the lack of reciprocity under the Turing scheme. This may provoke questions about the sustainability of relationships with other institutions that are not reciprocal. </p>
<p>It also has potential <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/psp.2727">geopolitical ramifications</a>. The UK may appear insular, unwelcoming and uninterested in fostering two-way and meaningful international relationships through the scheme. </p>
<p>What’s more, making students wait for funding outcomes is likely to put off less privileged students. This means that the actual impact of the Turing scheme on social mobility in the longer term, remains uncertain.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220956/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Johanna L. Waters does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The application timeframe for the scheme may have limited the ability of students from poorer backgrounds to take part.Johanna L. Waters, Professor of Human Geography, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2228402024-02-21T17:44:12Z2024-02-21T17:44:12ZFuture graduates will pay more in student loan repayments – and the poorest will be worst affected<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575972/original/file-20240215-26-nsgaaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C12%2C8179%2C5444&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/frustrated-woman-shocked-by-bad-news-2391411187">IndianFaces/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lots of people are hoping to see a tax cut in their payslips after the British government announces its annual budget in March. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said he wants to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/07/rishi-sunak-says-he-wants-to-cut-workers-taxes-this-year-and-may-reduce-benefits">reduce the tax burden</a> on workers, at a time when the country is paying more of the money it makes to the Treasury than at any time since the second world war. </p>
<p>But in all the discussion about tax cuts, what’s rarely talked about is the fact that last year the government made a change to student loan conditions that means millions of future graduates will get less money in their pay packets – and pay much more to the government over their lifetimes. What’s more, this will affect mostly low and middle earners, while some of the highest earners will actually pay less.</p>
<p>In 2023, the <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/01/how-are-student-loans-changing-everything-you-need-to-know/">government introduced</a> the biggest reforms to the student loans system in England in over a decade, in order to increase the proportion of student loan debt that is eventually repaid.</p>
<p>Students starting university from August 2023 will have to make loan repayments for longer – 40 rather than 30 years. And they will start repaying when their salary reaches £25,000, rather than nearly £30,000 under the previous system. </p>
<p>How <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/01/how-are-student-loans-changing-everything-you-need-to-know/">interest is charged</a> has also changed. Previously, higher earners paid more interest, but now new borrowers will pay the same rate, which is linked to a measure of inflation (the rate at which prices go up). </p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
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<p><a href="https://ifs.org.uk/articles/student-loans-england-explained-and-options-reform">Research from</a> the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that 79% of new borrowers will repay their student loans in full, compared with just 49% of those who took out their loans before August 2023.</p>
<p>Good news for the government, which will get more money back. But some economists have described the reforms as “<a href="https://londoneconomics.co.uk/blog/publication/alternative-options-for-higher-education-fees-and-funding-for-england-may-2023/">deeply regressive</a>” for penalising poorer graduates. </p>
<p><a href="https://ifs.org.uk/publications/student-loans-reform-leap-unknown">One analysis</a> estimates that low-to-middle earners could end up repaying on average around £30,000 more over their lifetimes due to the extended repayment period. Meanwhile, high earners could repay £20,000 less due to the lower interest rate and their ability to pay off their loans quicker.</p>
<h2>Things are getting worse</h2>
<p><a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN01079/SN01079.pdf">Most students</a> in England borrow from the Student Loans Company to cover the cost of tuition fees and receive a maintenance loan to use towards their living costs. They later repay loans by having a certain amount taken out of their wages every month, meaning they experience repayments like a tax. </p>
<p>And, like tax, the amount they pay is calculated based on what they earn above a certain threshold. If they don’t earn enough, they don’t have to pay. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/previous-annual-repayment-thresholds">The threshold</a> at which repayments start used to rise every year in line with average earnings growth. But in 2021 it was frozen at £27,295. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I <a href="https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CLS-Working-Papers-2024-1-Sample-representativeness-and-data-quality-in-the-linked-Next-Steps-survey-and-Student-Loans-Company-administrative-data.pdf">have estimated</a> that the repayment threshold would have been £29,860 this year if the freeze had not been implemented. And so those with loans are paying a higher proportion of their income in repayments each month. </p>
<p>For students starting university from August 2023 things look even worse, because the repayment threshold has been reduced to £25,000 and frozen for at least the next three years. With the repayment period extended to 40 years, this means borrowers will be forced to repay even more of their income each year and could be repaying student loans <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/articles/student-loans-england-explained-and-options-reform">into their sixties</a>.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1058933/Higher_education_policy_statement_reform_consultation_-_Equality_analysis.pdf">government analysis</a> reported that those with lower lifetime earnings would be the most negatively affected, including more women and people from ethnic minority groups. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/CLS-Working-Papers-2024-1-Sample-representativeness-and-data-quality-in-the-linked-Next-Steps-survey-and-Student-Loans-Company-administrative-data.pdf">new research</a>, suggests that those who will have to make repayments under the new system who wouldn’t have before, are more likely to be from marginalised groups or in precarious work.</p>
<p>The study, which has not yet been reviewed by other academics but released as part of UCL’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies working paper series, used data from the <a href="https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/cls-studies/next-steps/">Next Steps</a> study which, since 2004, has followed the lives of over 16,000 people born in 1989-90 up to the present day. We focused on data collected in 2015-16, when participants were aged 25. </p>
<p>We found that compared with higher earners, those drawn in to making repayments under the new system were more likely to be from an ethnic minority or a more disadvantaged background, such as those previously eligible for free school meals. They were much more likely to work part time or have a temporary or zero-hours contract, and were also more likely to be in education while also working.</p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>Some researchers have proposed a <a href="https://londoneconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/London-Economics-Options-for-English-HE-fees-and-funding-03-05-2023.pdf">stepped repayment system</a>, similar to tax thresholds. Low and middle earners would repay a lower proportion of their income (for instance 3%-7%), while high earners would repay at the maximum rate of 9%. </p>
<p>However, they also recommend introducing a higher interest rate on student loans, in order to support the aim of increasing the proportion of student loan debt that is eventually repaid. This would slow down the rate at which high earners pay off their student loans, and could even fund the re-introduction of means-tested maintenance grants for students from poorer backgrounds attending university. </p>
<p>Another option would be to raise the income repayment threshold, at least in line with inflation. The threshold exists to protect borrowers with no or low income. But, especially given the recent rise in the cost of living, it is unclear whether the reformed threshold is serving this purpose. </p>
<p>As they currently stand, the recent reforms mean that new graduates will be losing a higher proportion of their income than before and will be paying back loans for much longer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222840/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charlotte Booth does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Forget tax cuts: students will pay more of their future income in loan repayments – and for up to a decade longer.Charlotte Booth, Research Fellow in Quantitative Social Science, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2230192024-02-08T17:16:27Z2024-02-08T17:16:27ZWhy international students are taking the ‘back door’ route into England’s top universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574357/original/file-20240208-22-fsok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C8%2C2986%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professor-giving-presentation-lecture-hall-university-225178372">Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In January, England’s university leaders had their weekend breakfasts disturbed by an undercover investigation in the Sunday Times. </p>
<p>Using secret film of recruitment agents, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cash-for-courses-the-foreign-students-with-low-grades-at-top-universities-pcskjb6xx">the newspaper reported</a> on a “back door” route which lets international students into <a href="https://russellgroup.ac.uk/about/our-universities/">Russell Group universities</a> with “far lower grades” than students from the UK. Like the Ivy League in USA and Australia’s Group of Eight, these universities figure highly in university rankings and have stringent academic entry requirements.</p>
<p>The “back door” enables international students to enter a year-long foundation course with lower entry grades, then apply for progression onto an undergraduate degree. </p>
<p>The government has responded by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/29/department-education-investigate-recruitment-international-students-uk-universities">commissioning its own investigation</a>. Robert Halfon, minister for higher education, has said he wants to make sure there is a “level playing field” for domestic students. </p>
<p>England’s universities now gain most of their income through tuition fees rather than government grant, and they can charge much higher fees to international students. This is leading to concerns that they are favouring international students through the foundation year route. There has never, though, been a “level playing field” for university entry due to the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/11881">influence of family background on school results</a>. </p>
<h2>Foundation years</h2>
<p>The Sunday Times story focused on bridging programmes, which are usually called <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/advice/what-foundation-year-uk">foundation years</a> in England. These are year-long courses taken after school but before starting an undergraduate degree. They help students improve their academic standing and prepare them for university. </p>
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<p>There are foundation years run by <a href="https://www.intoglobal.com/">independent companies</a> with partnerships and recognition from universities. Russell Group and other English universities also <a href="https://www.foundationyear.cam.ac.uk/">run foundation years themselves</a>, often linked to specific subjects such as <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2024/medicine/mb-chb-gateway-to-medicine/">medicine</a> and <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/fd/physical-sciences-foundation.aspx">physical sciences</a>. Foundation years are becoming increasingly popular, with the number of entrants <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/foundation-years-statistics/2021-22">increasing</a> from 8,000 to around 70,000 during the last decade.</p>
<p>These courses were initially intended to help two groups of students enter undergraduate degrees. First, English students from less-advantaged backgrounds. These students <a href="https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/annual-report-2023/">gain lower grades overall</a> and are more likely to have <a href="https://www.ucas.com/advisers/help-and-training/guides-resources-and-training/pre-application-support/entry-requirements-and-alternatives-levels#:%7E:text=Vocational%20qualifications%20are%20often%20welcomed,others%20will%20list%20accepted%20qualifications.">vocational qualifications</a> designed for progression into work, rather than academic studies. </p>
<p>And second, international students from educational systems with school-leaving qualifications that are not <a href="https://www.enic.org.uk/Qualifications/SOC/Default.aspx">comparable</a> to those in the UK. </p>
<p>For many years, different governments in England have encouraged recruitment of both groups of students. This has included setting targets for the recruitment of <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cameron-access-targets-major-factor-higher-education-green-paper">under-represented groups</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/apr/18/internationalstudents.politics">international students</a>, and making changes to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/nov/09/socialexclusion.politics">higher education</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49655719">immigration</a> regulations.</p>
<p>By helping less-advantaged students enter university, foundation years increase opportunities and improve the supply of highly skilled graduates. Their attraction of international students also generates tuition fee income for universities and creates connections for trade and diplomacy. These benefits are now being set against perceptions of unfairness, which relate to the use of foundation years by students who have not met the required grades.</p>
<h2>Student recruitment</h2>
<p>During the last decade, the most selective universities in England have <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7857/CBP-7857.pdf">increased their recruitment</a> of domestic students from all backgrounds as well as international students. But this is becoming increasingly difficult due to the level of tuition fees for domestic undergraduates. </p>
<p>The government has increased the maximum fee for domestic students only once in ten years, from £9,000 to £9,250 per year in 2017. In real terms, the fee for each student has <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/publications/annual-report-education-spending-england-2023">reduced by around one quarter</a> in this time. </p>
<p>In contrast, there is no cap on international student fees. These can be <a href="https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/moving-uk/cost-studying">over £30,000 per year</a>. There are, therefore, much stronger financial incentives to increase numbers of international rather than domestic students.</p>
<p>The “back door” identified by the Sunday Times involves not only foundation year provision for students with qualifications from other countries, but also international students who have gained UK qualifications through independent schools. These students achieve grades below the published entry requirements, then take a foundation year to meet the standard. Universities are recruiting more students through this route because they rely on them to fund domestic student places.</p>
<p>Is this unfair? Many UK families <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/engines-of-privilege-9781526601278/">pay for private schooling</a> and tutoring, and pay for students to re-sit examinations to meet selective university entry requirements. Those from private schools are over <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AccesstoAdvantage-2018.pdf">twice as likely</a> to enter Russell Group universities as students from the state sector.</p>
<p>And this route leads to influence. <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/sutton-trust-cabinet-analysis-2023/">Two-thirds of the current UK cabinet</a> attended fee-paying private schools, compared with 7% of the wider population. <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/elitist-britain-2019/">Research conducted</a> in 2019 found that 87% of cabinet members were Russell Group alumni.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-public-cost-of-private-schools-rising-fees-and-luxury-facilities-raise-questions-about-charitable-status-182060">The public cost of private schools: rising fees and luxury facilities raise questions about charitable status</a>
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<p>Notwithstanding this, the perception of unfairness highlighted by the report may be influential. The government wants universities to balance their pursuit of private income from international students with the interests of its own population.</p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://londoneconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LE-Nuffield-Foundation-HE-fees-and-Funding-in-England-FINAL.pdf">the government now funds</a> only £1,600 of the average £10,200 that English universities receive for each domestic student. This 15% contribution cannot adequately represent the level of public interest in the education of the nation’s young people. A new settlement must, then, be a priority for whichever government is in power by the end of 2024.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223019/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Millward is employed by the University of Birmingham, which is a member of the Russell Group. For four years prior to his appointment to the University of Birmingham in 2022, Chris was the Director for Fair Access and Participation on the executive and board of England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students. He has, therefore, been directly involved in the issues addressed by this article. </span></em></p>England’s universities get most of their income through tuition fees, and they can charge much higher fees to international students.Chris Millward, Professor of Practice in Education Policy, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209632024-01-23T13:59:14Z2024-01-23T13:59:14ZStudents with physical disabilities explain the challenges they face when they go to university<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570596/original/file-20240122-21-2f49o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=975%2C10%2C5734%2C4456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-disabled-student-wheelchair-choosing-books-1537798346">SeventyFour/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The number of UK students with a declared disability <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/25-01-2022/sb262-higher-education-student-statistics">rose by 46%</a> over the five years between 2016-17 and 2020-21. Students with disabilities now make up <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/whos-in-he">over 15% of students</a>.</p>
<p>These disabilities include learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.</p>
<p>Making the transition to university is not always easy for these students. They face pressure to choose the right course, adapt to an increasing expectation of independence, and socially integrate and thrive as university students. </p>
<p>And higher education is not always set up in a way that makes it <a href="https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/research/arriving-thriving-learning-disabled-students-ensure-access-all">easily accessible</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2018.1436041">students with disabilities</a>. Some have expressed concern that inclusive education in higher education is <a href="https://disabledstudents.co.uk/not-a-choice/">not prioritised</a>.</p>
<p>Using individual interviews, <a href="https://ijelt.dundee.ac.uk/articles/10.5334/ijelt.72#B39">our research</a> explored the experiences of seven students with a variety of physical needs as they started university. Our participants attended several different universities across the UK, with a few having experienced more than one institution. We asked them about how they decided where to go to university and about their personal experiences of being university students on their chosen course. </p>
<h2>Encountering barriers</h2>
<p>Before going to university, some of the students attended open days and found that their options for institutions – and so also for the academic courses offered by those institutions – were constrained because they felt some were not set up to accommodate their physical needs. One student claimed that a university “didn’t want to know me” because they used a wheelchair. They said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ve been on quite a few campuses that are not disabled friendly. The disabled access has been pretty poor.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The students also experienced challenges at the universities they chose to attend. These included poor wheelchair access in living spaces, inaccessible lecture theatres and consistently broken lifts. There were issues with both accommodation and learning spaces, affecting both their educational and social experiences. Telling us about their on-campus accommodation, one student said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I could barely get through the door [in my wheelchair] and then it was literally like… the bed and then a desk, and then that was it. And I was like, I can’t… I couldn’t even turn around. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some of the students we talked to praised their university’s central student services team for the dedicated time they were given when they first arrived at university. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman in wheelchair in casual meeting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570598/original/file-20240122-17-kt4zcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The students praised their university’s central support services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businesswoman-wheelchair-having-business-meeting-team-2234404489">dotshock/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The students were given opportunities to discuss their individual needs and offered a range of reasonable adjustments that were formally documented on their individual support plan. This is a summary document which details the relevant support and adjustments which have been agreed to meet a student’s needs. It is prepared by the university’s disability advisor in collaboration with the student. </p>
<h2>Not involved</h2>
<p>However, on the courses they were studying, some of the students found they had to repeatedly tell lecturers about their disabilities and ask for adjustments as the lecturing team were unaware of their disability or had not prepared for their needs. </p>
<p>As a result, some students faced limitations in accessing specific optional modules, which constrained their curriculum choices. Some were excluded from participating in practical activities or excursions. One student said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>They didn’t make any effort to get me involved. I was sat there for an hour and a half just waiting for it to be over. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The students we interviewed were keen to identify practical solutions. One was for universities to offer open days specifically for disabled students. This would provide students with the confidence to fully explore the campus and identify potential issues, as well as provide a potential opportunity to meet and build connections with their peers. </p>
<p>In addition, the students thought that universities should consult with disabled students when assessing the accessibility of both the campus environment and the courses offered. One said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think a lot of the issue is [that] a lot of … the systems have been created by able-bodied people, and so no one actually thinks to consult with us about what is actually helpful. So, there’s a lot of things in place that are useless, and there’s a lot of things that need to be in place that aren’t. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Giving students with disabilities a voice here would allow them to play a crucial decision-making role in areas that directly affect them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Issues included poor wheelchair access in living spaces, inaccessible lecture theatres and broken lifts.Rhiannon Packer, Senior Lecturer in Additional Learning Needs, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityEmily Abbinett, Senior Lecturer, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityPaul Smith, Principal Lecturer, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2198852023-12-22T12:05:26Z2023-12-22T12:05:26ZPay gaps and less chance of a top degree: the unequal experience of ethnic minority staff and students at English universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566365/original/file-20231218-28-13kywf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=597%2C8%2C4865%2C3628&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/focused-young-indian-girl-black-guy-1470546233">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-08/tackling-racial-harassment-in-higher-education.pdf">2020 report</a> on racial harassment published by industry body Universities UK drew attention to the “institutional racism and systemic issues that pervade the entire higher education sector”. In the same year, the Black Lives Matter movement drew attention to inequality faced by Black people across society. UK universities <a href="https://halpinpartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/halpin-report-uk-universities-response-to-black-lives-matter.pdf">pledged to do more</a> to root out racism. </p>
<p>In 2022, I co-authored the <a href="https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/375735/ERI_Ethnic-Representation-Index.pdf">sector-first</a> Ethnic Representation Index to measure progress made by universities in England. We looked at differences in the positions of academic staff, executives and governors. We also examined gaps in student outcomes, such as degree awards, degree completion and student experience, between white students and Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students. </p>
<p>In 2023, we published a <a href="https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/410212/ERI-Ethnic-Representation-Index-2023-PDF-1.2MB.pdf">second, more detailed</a>, iteration of the index. Its findings show that universities need to go further and faster in tackling inequality. </p>
<h2>Confronting the problem</h2>
<p>The latest iteration of the index looks at the proportion of BAME students at an institution and compares that to the proportion of BAME staff, as well as detailing the ethnicity pay gap per university. It also includes information on anti-racism initiatives as well as data on student experience and academic performance. </p>
<p>We know from <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-07/bame-student-attainment.pdf">work conducted</a> by the National Union of Students that an academic staff with an ethnic make-up that reflects the student body is important to help foster a stronger sense of belonging for BAME students. </p>
<p>But the findings of this year’s report show that while BAME students make up, on average, 32.9% of undergraduates in England, the proportion of BAME students and staff declines at every stage of progression through academia from undergraduate to board level. For instance, 18.5% of academics, 14.3% of professors, and just 7.7% of executives are BAME, and that includes non-UK nationals. We call this phenomenon the “leaky pipeline” effect.</p>
<p><strong>Declining proportion of BAME students and staff at job level through academia</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image showing a progressively smaller pipeline" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566849/original/file-20231220-23-r5l3cf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘leaky pipeline’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Mba</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is also a difference in degree results for white and BAME undergraduates. BAME students are 12.3% less likely to receive a 2.1 or above. This is known as the awarding gap. At some English universities, the BAME awarding gap is over 20%. </p>
<p>Improving the representation of staff across all academic and executive levels will need a concerted effort to take it beyond the <a href="https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/age-groups/latest/#white-ethnic-groups-age-profile">current ethnic profile</a> of the population. </p>
<h2>Focus on Black students and staff</h2>
<p>Because the situation is worse for Black students and staff we have devised a separate Black Index alongside the BAME Index. In England, 9.5% of undergraduates are Black – but just 1.1% of professors. </p>
<p>The awarding gap is even greater for Black students, at 19.3%. More than a tenth of universities in England report Black awarding gaps of over 30%, while 35% of universities have a gap of over 20%.</p>
<p>The figure below also shows that Black students are 3.1% less likely to continue studying on their undergraduate course, and 4.9% less likely to complete their degree.</p>
<p><strong>Differences in experience and outcomes between Black and white students</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Figure showing outlines of figures and percentages" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566850/original/file-20231220-15-p2w5np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gaps in experience and outcomes between Black students and white students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Mba</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While disparities in representation harm BAME and Black students, they also affect staff. There is an average pay gap between white and BAME staff of 5.2%, though in some cases we found gaps as high as 20%.</p>
<p>Across each metric, we awarded universities a red, amber or green flag and ranked them in a <a href="https://public.tableau.com/views/ERI2023Published/ERIDashboard?:language=en-US&:display_count=n&:origin=viz_share_link&publish=yes&%3AshowVizHome=no#1">league table</a>.</p>
<p>Amid these disappointing findings, there are glimmers of hope. We found that 58% of the universities included in the index have a decolonisation initiative. Around 35% have an anti-racism strategy, and 78 universities have signed up to Advance HE’s <a href="https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/race-equality-charter">Race Equality Charter</a> (REC), which offers awards based on a university’s work to identify and address the barriers facing BAME staff and students.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in Scotland, the ethnic make-up of professors and academic staff tends to reflect the BAME student population. The proportion of BAME students also tends to increase at taught postgraduate and postgraduate research level. Even so, half of Scottish universities report an awarding gap of over 10%. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, a university taking part in these initiatives does not necessarily translate to a better experience for their students and staff. One university rated “Silver” for its latest REC submission has a Black awarding gap of 25.4%.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate, too, that the index, though comprehensive, remains incomplete. Not all universities published the relevant data needed (my own university included). Freedom of Information requests were required to populate some of the index. The publishing of transparent data would reflect a commitment on the part of universities to make progress, and would help win the confidence of BAME students and staff. I urge all universities to share data in the spirit of progress, as mine will be doing next year.</p>
<p>While further progress may come in time, that cannot be taken for granted and will only be achieved through painstaking collective effort. </p>
<p>For the many thousands of BAME students and staff at British universities, and for those with aspirations to study and work there, the time that this action needs to be taken is now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Mba works for Birmingham City University.
Acknowledgments: the latest ERI report was co-authored by Chris Lloyd-Bardsley, Adam Weigel and Sandra Longville, all at the University of Arts London (UAL)</span></em></p>People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds make up, on average, 32.9% of undergraduates in England – but only 14.3% of professors.David Mba, Vice-Chancellor, Birmingham City UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2160512023-12-22T12:05:24Z2023-12-22T12:05:24ZHow universities can address the lack of Black scholars in academia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566868/original/file-20231220-17-u1d2j2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=65%2C8%2C4996%2C3432&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-american-female-professor-assisting-her-2060352932">Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the UK, out of 164 university vice-chancellors, only <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSBAAcademia/status/1681419068551712771">two are Black</a>. Professor David Mba was recently appointed as the first Black vice-chancellor at <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-67028237">Birmingham City University</a>. </p>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/17-01-2023/higher-education-staff-statistics-uk-202122-released#:%7E:text=233%2C930%20academic%20staff%20were%20employed,rising%20by%209%25%20to%2036%2C115.">165 Black professors</a> in the UK – out of 23,515. The disparity becomes even more alarming when examining the representation of Black female professors. Only 61 UK professors <a href="https://www.whenequality.org/100">are Black women</a>. </p>
<p>As the adage goes, you can’t be what you cannot see. Given that <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/8633/BME-doctoral-students-perceptions-of-an-academic-career/pdf/JA_BME_doc_students_report_Jun17.pdf">research has highlighted</a> how important having a BAME mentor can be to BAME students, it’s likely that the lack of representation in both professorial roles and senior university management could adversely affect the aspirations of young Black scholars. </p>
<p>In the three academic years from 2016-17 to 2018-19, UK research councils granted 19,868 funded PhD studentships – but <a href="https://leadingroutes.org/the-broken-pipeline">only 245 were allocated</a> to students of Black and mixed-Black heritage. </p>
<h2>Taking action</h2>
<p>From 2021, I have been the lead for the the Accomplished Study Programme in Research Excellence (ASPIRE) project, which works to address the underrepresentation of Black students at PhD level. The project is a collaborative effort between Sheffield Hallam University, Manchester Metropolitan University and charity Advance HE. </p>
<p>The programme offers classes and workshops on topics such as academic writing and research skills to scholars of Black and mixed Black heritage, and provides each student with a Black academic mentor. We have recently <a href="https://extra.shu.ac.uk/ppp-online/towards-widening-participation-in-post-graduate-research-the-aspire-programme/">published an article</a> on the project’s impact. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Group of people standing on stairs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555575/original/file-20231024-17-7ikny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Photo from an Aspire inspirational speaker event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ifedapo Francis Awolowo</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The project has provided mentorship to 46 scholars so far, as part of two cohorts of students. Six have already started PhDs, and a further four have been accepted for PhD study. Overall, we found that the project increased the confidence of students who, at the beginning of the programme, rated their skills as lower than their peers. One student said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have received an unconditional offer to pursue a PhD at Leeds University and all thanks to Aspire. I know for certain this would not be the case had I not joined the programme last year. The immense support we received, the talks, the community was just what I needed to believe in myself, that I am capable of achieving my goals. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The project was also beneficial to the academic staff who took part as mentors. One said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I now have a deeper understanding of the unconscious constraints that tends to limit Black and mixed-Black heritage students’ academic engagement. With this understanding, my zest for a more inclusive and culturally tolerant interaction has been rewarded with higher attendance and participation in classroom activities by my students. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Aspire is not the only project working to encourage Black students to consider academia. Others include the <a href="https://www.ntu.ac.uk/c/equity-in-doctoral-education-through-partnership-and-innovation">Equity in Doctoral Education through Innovation and Partnership</a> project. This works to improve the representation of minoritised groups in PhD study at at Nottingham Trent University, Sheffield Hallam University and Liverpool John Moores University. </p>
<p>Likewise, the <a href="https://ycede.ac.uk/">Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education</a> is focused on improved access to PhD study for students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Both programmes promote equality in access to research degrees and in university admissions. </p>
<p>We’re also witnessing a positive trend towards more ring-fenced scholarships <a href="https://www.granduniondtp.ac.uk/studentships-black-british-students">targeted specifically</a> for Black students to undertake PhD studies in our universities. </p>
<h2>Forward momentum</h2>
<p>But while these scholarships represent a positive step forward, they are not sufficient. It’s crucial for the sector to embrace an <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/8633/BME-doctoral-students-perceptions-of-an-academic-career/pdf/JA_BME_doc_students_report_Jun17.pdf">anti-racist stance</a> through both words and actions to lead to the change in representation and experience needed. </p>
<p>Universities can make this happen by promoting successful Black academics who have already met the requirements for becoming professors. There should also be a clear blueprint for professorial promotions, with consistent criteria for all academics.</p>
<p>Additionally, it’s important to enhance diversity in university leadership teams by appointing more Black academics to senior positions within universities. The increased presence of Black senior leaders within academia and Black professors will serve as an inspiring beacon for aspiring Black scholars.</p>
<p>A multiracial leadership team is essential for addressing the unique challenges of a diverse student body. We must take decisive steps to dismantle systemic barriers hindering Black people in academia. </p>
<p>By doing so, we can create a more racially inclusive, equitable and intellectually vibrant higher education sector that benefits all members of our society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ifedapo Francis Awolowo receives funding from the Office for Students (OFS) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). </span></em></p>You can’t be what you cannot see.Ifedapo Francis Awolowo, Senior Lecturer in Accounting, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2186522023-12-18T12:08:43Z2023-12-18T12:08:43ZRishi Sunak wants more maths at school – but finding the teachers will be hard when university departments are closing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565256/original/file-20231212-29-i8mtw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6359%2C5774&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-female-student-writing-equation-on-1131701174">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Oxford Brookes University recently <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/music-and-maths-courses-close-part-oxford-brookes-cuts">announced</a> it will no longer be offering mathematics degrees. This follows reported <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/120416/pdf/">reductions or proposed cuts</a> at other universities. </p>
<p>This is a problem for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s vision for improved maths skills across the nation. Sunak has laid out a vision for young people to study <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-outlines-his-vision-for-maths-to-18">maths to age 18</a>. The goal is to ensure that “every young person has the maths skills they need to succeed”.</p>
<p>This focus on maths was also evident in chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s 2023 autumn statement. This included funding for a <a href="https://rss.org.uk/news-publication/news-publications/2023/general-news/government-funding-announced-for-an-academy-for-ma/">national academy of mathematical sciences</a> to build links between mathematicians in education, academia, industry and government.</p>
<p>But the success of the prime minister’s vision, and the health of mathematics education more generally, rests largely on specialist maths teachers with a mathematics degree. These teachers are needed to educate young people in maths up to the age of 18. They teach the maths skills young people need to go on to study the subject further and use it in their future jobs. </p>
<p>But there is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/apr/17/shortage-of-teachers-will-be-a-big-maths-problem-for-rishi-sunak">chronic shortage</a> of specialist mathematics teachers in schools – and the university maths education that trains these teachers is under threat. </p>
<h2>University maths under threat</h2>
<p>The cuts in maths teaching at universities has resulted in a new phenomenon: <a href="https://www.protectpuremaths.uk/news/broken-promise-on-maths-puts-science-plans-in-peril">maths deserts</a>. The closing of maths departments at universities that often serve their local population means that many, not just aspiring maths teachers, can no longer study mathematics beyond A-level in their local region. </p>
<p>Students with lower A-level results or from low-income families who are more likely to be living at home while studying at their local university, are disproportionately affected by maths deserts. And it creates a negative feedback loop that sees diminishing numbers going into maths teaching. This further erodes secondary schools’ ability to provide high-quality mathematics education.</p>
<p>Past president of the London Mathematical Society Ulrike Tillmann <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/uk-cannot-afford-cut-m-stem">warned that maths deserts</a> will turn post A-level mathematics education into “an almost exclusively high-tariff, big-city degree” essentially concentrated at large Russell Group universities. Moreover, graduates with degrees like this are less likely to pursue <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-graduates-shunning-teaching-pay-but-not-bonuses-could-be-the-answer-216963">teaching as a career</a>. </p>
<h2>Protecting the discipline of mathematics</h2>
<p>The importance of mathematics cannot be overstated, both now and for the future. Mathematics underpins almost all technological development in society, from cryptography and information security through to artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. </p>
<p>There is a <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/fight-save-pure-maths-only-24697612">trend for universities</a> across the world to offer degrees in data science and AI. But a rigorous grounding in mathematics is required to ensure graduates are best equipped to meet future challenges in areas such as quantum computing or AI. This means that mathematics still needs to be taught as a discipline on its own, rather than being subsumed into seemingly more “job-ready” disciplines.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Workbook showing equations to solve" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565266/original/file-20231212-15-deb5vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Good teaching of maths at school needs specialist maths teachers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/handwriting-mathematics-quadratic-equation-on-examination-2154251415">Mehaniq/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The same point applies to training future maths teachers. There is a world of difference between having a specialist teacher who loves the discipline of mathematics and is passionate about communicating it to their students, and one simply teaching out of a textbook. The former is crucial in ensuring a new generation of students go on to become excellent maths teachers and inspire future generations.</p>
<p>We need to equip our young people to manage the challenges of a rapidly shifting world. If we are to tackle challenges ranging from climate change to the explosion of AI in society and environmental resource management, then a rigorous education in mathematics – the subject <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/11/pure-folly-turing-family-join-fight-to-save-blue-skies-maths-from-neglect">Alan Turing considered</a> a combination of intuition and ingenuity – is essential.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218652/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neil Saunders does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>University maths departments are shrinking or closing.Neil Saunders, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of GreenwichLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2182792023-11-21T16:55:05Z2023-11-21T16:55:05ZProfessor Sir Eric Thomas played a critical role in establishing The Conversation in the UK<p>It was with great sadness that staff, trustees and others across The Conversation community learned of the recent death of one of our UK patrons, Professor Sir Eric Thomas. </p>
<p>Professor Sir Eric, a former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, was instrumental in helping The Conversation become established in the UK, not only pledging the support of his institution, but encouraging other university leaders to do likewise. He had a keen sense of the value this project could deliver to researchers and institutions, and continued to voice his enthusiasm for this form of public engagement long after we launched in the UK in 2013.</p>
<p>Nishan Canagarajah, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Conversation UK and the current current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, knew Professor Sir Eric well and at a meeting of trustees last week paid tribute to his contribution and commitment to this project and to the UK higher education sector more widely. He added: “I’ve been in touch with his family. The Board of Trustees thanks Eric for his commitment to The Conversation.” Nishan was previously a pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol.</p>
<p>Fellow Patron and former President of City, University of London, Professor Sir Paul Curran, also played a key role in developing higher education sector support for The Conversation UK, and was its founding Chair. In an email to me, he wrote: “The Conversation was made possible by a handful of Vice-Chancellors who were acutely aware that little of the phenomenal research output of our universities reached the very public who had contributed to its production. Eric was one of those Vice-Chancellors, and it was his stalwart support and enthusiastic advocacy, as President of Universities UK, that enabled us collect 20 universities as our Founding Partners. </p>
<p>"We first worked together as Deans [at Southampton] in the 1990s and as VCs in the years that followed and I will remember him as a truly influential figure in UK higher education, as a joint Patron of The Conversation and of course, as a friend.”</p>
<p>Among those who worked closely with Professor Sir Eric ahead of the launch of The Conversation UK, were Andrew Jaspan, creator and founder of The Conversation, and Jonathan Hyams, the first Chief Executive of the project in the UK. With Professor Sir Eric and Professor Sir Paul they built much of the early support base among UK university leaders.</p>
<p>By email, from his home in Melbourne, Australia, Andrew wrote: “Eric was instrumental in helping get The Conversation UK launched while VC at Bristol University. He provided me with advice, introductions to other Russell Group VCs, and also provided seed funding to allow the launch in 2013. Through his presidency of Universities UK, he also helped raise the profile and network of The Conversation.</p>
<p>"He remained a friend and Patron of The Conversation. He also had a warm and wicked sense of humour, and was very a generous and engaging friend.”</p>
<p>Speaking by telephone from Bristol, Jonathan said: “Eric was tremendously generous with his time, and passionately backed the idea of The Conversation.</p>
<p>"Not only did he convincingly make the case to other sector leaders that this would be a great opportunity for them to showcase their universities’ research knowledge, he lent practical support as well. He made office space available where we could conduct interviews and do other preparatory work. I was terribly sorry to hear of his passing.”</p>
<p>All of us at The Conversation internationally send our deepest sympathies to Professor Sir Eric’s family.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Professor Sir Eric Thomas was a former VC of the University of Bristol and a patron and key supporter of The Conversation UK.Stephen Khan, Global Executive Editor, The ConversationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2121572023-09-22T13:15:49Z2023-09-22T13:15:49ZWhat happens if a university goes bust?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549397/original/file-20230920-29-l14zqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C6%2C4507%2C2998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shot-graduation-hats-during-commencement-success-735270478">fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Governments face difficult choices when industries fail. They can stand by while private businesses collapse and see the resulting loss of jobs and revenue. Or they can step in and use public money to prop up these firms. </p>
<p>The Scottish government intervened in 2019 to rescue <a href="https://www.gov.scot/collections/ferguson-marine-documents/">Ferguson Marine</a>, the last shipbuilding firm on the river Clyde, but faces <a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23580317.scotgov-in-dock-130m-illegal-state-aid-ferguson-marine/">ongoing controversy</a> on whether it broke state aid rules in doing so. And, of course, the global financial crisis of 2008 saw the UK government intervening to rescue banks <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/royal-bank-of-scotland-bailout-10-years-and-counting/">such as RBS</a> that were seen as “too big to fail”.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0aca64a4-5ddc-43f8-9bba-fc5d5aa9311d">similar financial crisis</a> may be looming in <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/university-finances-generally-in-good-shape-but-risks-include-over-reliance-on-international-recruitment">higher education</a>, a sector worth <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/what-is-the-true-economic-value-of-uk-higher-education-and-why-does-it-matter/">billions</a> each year to the UK economy and a source of great national pride. </p>
<p>The UK boasts the second-largest collection of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_by_country">Nobel laureates</a> and four of the world’s <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2023/world-ranking">top-20 universities</a>. But all is not well in higher education. </p>
<h2>Financial woes</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/finances/kfi">most recent data</a> from the Higher Education Statistics Agency for the financial year ending in 2022 shows that (excluding pension adjustments, which can skew accounts for particular years) 24% of UK universities reported a deficit. </p>
<p><a href="https://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/comment-on-uk-student-numbers-at-russell-group-universities/">The Russell Group</a>, which represents an elite group of research-intensive universities, claims it faces an average shortfall of £2,500 on every home undergraduate taught, and that this could grow to £5,000 by 2029-2030. </p>
<p>The outgoing vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, Sir Chris Husbands, recently suggested that calls to increase fee levels could be perceived as being <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/chris-husbands-english-sector-calls-fee-rise-are-tone-deaf?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial-weekly&spMailingID=27126918&spUserID=MTAyODg5ODQwNjIyNAS2&spJobID=2310466527&spReportId=MjMxMDQ2NjUyNwS2">tone deaf</a>. Faced with their core undergraduate activities being unprofitable, universities have diversified their income by recruiting more international students, despite UK immigration policy limiting their ability to do so.</p>
<p>With no immediate prospect of increased funding either from government or through increased fee levels for domestic students, such restrictions on <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230524154709338">international recruitment</a> together with damaging rhetoric from the government about so-called <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-university-degrees">“rip-off degrees”</a> means it is no longer unthinkable that a UK university might fail. </p>
<p>To consider what might happen if a university went out of business, we can look at what transpires when other businesses – such as banks – go bust. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students in coffee shop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549403/original/file-20230920-27-iggf97.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Universities play a significant role in local economies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/couple-working-on-laptop-cafe-1241581108">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of the brand names that collapsed during the 2008 global financial crisis, few will remember the <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmtreasy/416/416.pdf">Heritable Bank</a>. It held 22,000 accounts, making it comparable to the number of students at a mid-size university.</p>
<p>The cost to UK taxpayers of rescuing the Heritable Bank <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmtreasy/416/416.pdf">was £500m</a>. The government, via <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05748/SN05748.pdf">the Financial Services Compensation Scheme</a>, paid compensation to Heritable’s customers and, while some of these monies were recouped, the upfront costs were significant and the endgame did not see all of the cost recovered.</p>
<p>Part of the solution when Heritable failed was that another provider, ING, took on its customers. Were a university to become insolvent, thousands of students would find themselves marooned part-way through a degree programme, with no obvious route to complete it. There is no guarantee that another university would want to absorb a collection of “new” students, especially at fee levels that are already acknowledged to be below the break-even point. </p>
<h2>Consequences for students</h2>
<p>Even if a neighbouring university was given incentives to step in by the government, there would be practical issues to consider. Despite a potential merger under consideration in <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/global/2023/07/14/australian-universities-consider-mergers">Australia</a>, there is little history of mergers between universities in the UK.</p>
<p>The government could step in to avert a crisis. However, compared with the crisis in financial services in 2008, there is no equivalent compensation scheme in place and the public finances are in poorer health. In combination, this means there is no certainty of a government rescue package – and there may be a real reluctance to interfere in the market.</p>
<p>Almost inevitably, a series of messy class action lawsuits would result, with students seeking recompense for fees paid, perhaps over multiple years, that did not result in the qualification advertised. Worse, the shockwaves felt in one university could easily rock confidence in others. Future students might become more interested in the annual financial reports of a prospective university than its traditional prospectus.</p>
<h2>Pulling down communities</h2>
<p>Beyond the students, there would be significant economic consequences for the region, town or city concerned. Universities are typically large employers, sometimes the biggest in the area, and often refer to themselves as “anchor institutions” – central to the local economic ecosystem in the same way that a household-name retailer might be key to the viability of a shopping mall. </p>
<p>Yet anchors can also drag. In the case of a university failure, the potential for large numbers of high-skilled roles to disappear would be matched by a set of economic ripples that would be felt more widely. </p>
<p>This could range from housing, hospitality and retail being starved of income, to these and many other sectors suffering a shortage of a part-time, flexible workers. There are 142 members of <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/about-us/our-members">Universities UK</a>, and the 130 universities operating in <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-09/UUK%20Economic%20Footprint%20of%20HE%20Sector%20Summary.pdf">England</a> are estimated to contribute £95bn to the economy each year. Somewhere between £0.5bn and £1bn is a reasonable estimate of the amount attributable to any one university. </p>
<p>Finally, there would be political consequences. Electorates, of course, comprise many current, past and future students. Accusations would follow that jobs, qualifications and potential futures had been squandered. </p>
<p>The university sector is not immune to the kind of industrial or technological revolutions that have swept through other industries. But neither is it a purely commercial sector. Some of our policymakers and regulators might regard a university failure as an indication that the market is working. If so, they should be careful what they wish for.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212157/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert MacIntosh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Universities face growing costs but no prospect of increased funding.Robert MacIntosh, Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law, Northumbria University, NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2106592023-09-05T17:03:24Z2023-09-05T17:03:24ZUniversities and their students are vulnerable to money laundering – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542976/original/file-20230816-21-towf59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C0%2C5184%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students are at risk of being exploited by financial and organised criminals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/back-view-man-presenting-students-lecture-478521652">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Money laundering jeopardises the security of UK citizens and the integrity of its economy. Money launderers often target financial institutions, but they are also increasingly <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945411/NRA_2020_v1.2_FOR_PUBLICATION.pdf">targeting</a> lesser regulated or unregulated sectors, such as universities. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160289/">research</a> has focused on how universities apply anti-money laundering legislation, as well as their response to identified threats. We have found that universities, their employees and students are vulnerable to threats from money launderers because universities are not explicitly included within the UK’s money laundering, terrorist financing and transfer of funds <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/692/contents/made">regulations</a>.</p>
<p>The government’s anti-money laundering laws and regulations focus on preventing the crime by requiring organisations to submit suspicious activity reports to the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) <a href="https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/money-laundering-and-illicit-finance/ukfiu">Financial Intelligence Unit</a>. These are reports of financial transactions that may be linked to money laundering.</p>
<p>In the UK, <a href="https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/480-sars-annual-report-2020/file">more than 90%</a> of suspicious activity reports submitted to the NCA are from financial or credit institutions. However, money launderers have adapted their techniques to exploit the weaker controls and regulations in the university sector. </p>
<p>UK universities, in some cases, <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Page_AfricaUK_Corruption_1.pdf">attract</a> the family members of convicted criminals and corrupt politically exposed persons. These are people who hold prominent positions in government, business or other organisations. Their status makes them <a href="https://www.fatf-gafi.org/content/fatf-gafi/en/publications/Fatfrecommendations/Peps-r12-r22.html">vulnerable</a> to corruption and involvement in money laundering schemes.</p>
<p>The NCA <a href="https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/nsa2020">revealed</a> in 2020 that increasing numbers of students are having their bank accounts used by organised criminals. Young people can be used or exploited as “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45797603">money mules</a>” by crime gangs for laundering money. In 2018, students Abdi Mohamed and Nyanjura Biseko were <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-46196850">found guilty</a> of laundering more than £10,000 through their bank accounts, part of a £37,986 fraud.</p>
<p>There have also been instances where people have used their student loans to finance terrorism. For example, Yahya Rashid was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/18/yahya-rashid-used-student-loan-join-isis-syria-youth-custody">jailed</a> for five years in 2015 after using his student loan to pay for himself and four friends to go to Syria to join the terror group, Islamic State.</p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>We sent freedom of information requests to 120 universities across the UK to discover how anti-money laundering legislation is being applied. Nine out of ten institutions responded to our requests, and while some universities provided a full response to every question we asked, others declined to answer some or all questions. Overall, <a href="https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160289/">we found</a> there is a disparity among universities regarding the implementation of anti-money laundering legislation. </p>
<p>A significant minority of universities are failing to provide staff and students with guidance on money laundering and terrorism financing risks. We found that 20% of respondents do not provide any internal anti-money laundering training for staff. While 24% of respondents do not provide any guidance to their students on the risks posed to them by financial and organised criminals. </p>
<p>Some universities are failing to recognise the money laundering risks inherent in large cash payments, with more than 21% of respondents willing to accept cash payments. For example, three universities received more than £1 million in cash between 2019 and 2020, for tuition fees and accommodation. This is concerning, particularly given that some universities do not impose any limits on cash payments. </p>
<p>Also, universities are seemingly failing to recognise the value of the financial intelligence created by submitting suspicious activity reports. This is despite the fact that university employees are bound by the obligation to submit these reports under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/contents">Terrorism Act 2000</a> and the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/29/contents">Proceeds of Crime Act 2002</a>. </p>
<p>In fact, we found that most universities do not submit any suspicious activity reports at all to the NCA. Most suspicious activity reports are submitted by a small number of universities. </p>
<p>This means that while universities are not explicitly included within the regulations, the current disparity of its application by the sector will continue. It means that universities and their employees are at risk of criminal and civil liability for committing money laundering and terrorism financing offences, or for failing to establish preventative measures. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students wearing black gowns throw their mortar board hats in the air." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545238/original/file-20230829-15-tf55pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students can be exploited as ‘money mules’ by organised criminals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portsmouth-july-20-graduation-ceremony-university-298907810">Enrico Della Pietra/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To reduce the risks to which universities and their students are exposed, the UK’s money laundering, terrorist financing and transfer of funds <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/692/contents/made">regulations</a> should be explicitly applied to the higher education sector. This should include providing guidance to staff and students on terrorism financing and money laundering risks. And allowing cash payments for accommodation and tuition fees should be prohibited, or at least severely restricted.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210659/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Higher education institutions are not explicitly included within the UK’s anti-money laundering regulations.Nicholas Ryder, Professor of Law, Cardiff UniversityHenry Hillman, Lecturer in Law, University of ReadingSam Bourton, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of the West of EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2116282023-08-16T15:04:22Z2023-08-16T15:04:22ZA-level results 2023: what to do if your grades aren’t what you hoped<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543015/original/file-20230816-27-r0c5o2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5176%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/side-view-close-young-woman-wearing-629040722">macondo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s likely that the <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/the-great-2023-grade-deflation-7-things-you-need-to-know/">proportion of top A-level grades</a> awarded in England this year will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/07/a-level-grades-results-students-england-uk">go down</a> this year. The government wants to combat “grade inflation” and align results with those handed out in 2019, before the pandemic. </p>
<p>COVID-19 disruption, cancelled exams and teacher assessment meant that more high grades were given out in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, fewer top grades were awarded than in the two previous years, but still <a href="https://schoolsweek.co.uk/the-great-2023-grade-deflation-7-things-you-need-to-know/">significantly more</a> than in 2019. </p>
<p>All this means that if you are a student receiving your results the grades you get may be not be what you hoped. Perhaps they are lower than the offer you received from a university. Perhaps you don’t feel they reflect the hard work you’ve put in. So – what should you do?</p>
<p>You’ve probably be advised to stay calm and not panic. But back when I was in a similar situation I can recall how difficult it was to feel anything positive about the future, so my first piece of advice is this: allow yourself to be upset. </p>
<p>Not getting the results you want is disappointing and you should feel free to express that fury, sadness and frustration. Have a shout, cry, write down how you feel, whatever works for you. If you feel that you can’t cope, <a href="https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/coping-with-life/exam-stress/#Gethelpnow">please ask for help</a>. </p>
<h2>What to do</h2>
<p>Once you’ve had a chance to vent, get ready to act – because you have options. </p>
<p><strong>Talk to your teachers:</strong> Go into school or college and ask for a meeting with them. Your teachers know you better than you think and they certainly understand you as a learner. They know what you are capable of and they can give you objective advice that you can trust. This might include looking for a university course <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/26/what-is-clearing-and-when-does-it-open-in-2023/">through clearing</a>. </p>
<p><strong>Talk to your prospective university:</strong> If you held a conditional offer for a university place and didn’t get the required grades, give the admissions office a call. They may still be able to accept you on to the course, or offer you a place on another course. </p>
<p><strong>Get your grades checked:</strong> If you really think that one or more of your grades are wrong, you can ask for your scripts to be checked. Firstly, talk to your school - you will have an examinations officer who can advise you on how to go about checking your results. If you (or your parents) want to know more, you can contact the exam boards - all of the contact details you need are <a href="https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Post-Results-Service_June23_FINAL.pdf">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Avoid doom scrolling:</strong> Remember that social media is not reality. Scrolling to see groups of students literally jumping for joy, posts about getting in to university, or celebrities promising that they failed everything and still did alright, is <a href="https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/final-choice/results-day-stress-and-mental-health">unlikely to be positive</a> for your mental health. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Group of friends seen from behind in park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543022/original/file-20230816-25-wzrt55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Look to friends, family and teachers for support.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-young-friends-park-sunset-hugging-1680442021">loreanto/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ask yourself - “how will this help me today?” If you can, stay off social media on results day and seek solace with family and friends who know you and can support you in genuine ways. </p>
<h2>Looking forward</h2>
<p>You might have been focused on a dream course at a dream university, and feel that if you can’t go there, everything is ruined. Well, there are other dream courses and universities, and your grades today might point you in a direction that you have never considered before. </p>
<p>What’s more – you don’t have to go to university right now. The truth is that challenges and failures also provide opportunities in life. Maybe it’s the time to take stock, give yourself a year out, get some <a href="https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/">careers advice</a>, volunteer, or try some different types of employment. </p>
<p>And, if you are still interested after a year (or two), it’s important to know that universities are also interested in students with some life events beyond school under their belts, as well as those with top grades. Trust me, this was my experience. </p>
<p>You are not the grades you received this year. You never have been and you never will be, because those grades only represent a tiny point in time relating to the creative, brilliant, thinking, knowing and complex individuals we all are at different points in our lives. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-level-and-gcse-cancellation-a-missed-opportunity-to-rethink-assessment-152846">A-level and GCSE cancellation: a missed opportunity to rethink assessment</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The focus on qualifications has reduced that rich experience of school education into a means of dividing young people into spurious groups which can never fully define you. </p>
<p>Take your courage in both hands and try to see it like this: not better or worse, just different.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211628/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mary Richardson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>You are not the grades you received this year.Mary Richardson, Professor of Educational Assessment, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2100172023-08-08T16:52:05Z2023-08-08T16:52:05ZHow 25 years of education policy led us to believe we can only succeed in life with a degree<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540734/original/file-20230802-29-94osov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C10%2C3517%2C1782&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The number of students going to university has increased significantly over the past 25 years. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/speaker-giving-talk-on-corporate-business-481869205">Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is putting measures in place to restrict student numbers on what he has termed “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-university-degrees">rip-off degrees</a>”: university courses that have high drop-out rates and are unlikely to lead to <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/setting-numerical-thresholds-for-condition-b3/">highly skilled jobs</a>. </p>
<p>Instead, the government is <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunak-favours-apprenticeships-over-rip-off-university-degrees-w2cnsc8j0#">promoting apprenticeships</a>, through which young people train for a specific career while in employment. Ucas, the universities admissions service, is making it easier for applicants to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/apprenticeships-boosted-under-plans-to-broaden-ucas">compare degree options with apprenticeships</a>. </p>
<p>But attempts to encourage people to take vocational routes as an alternative to studying for a degree are unlikely to work. </p>
<h2>The value of a degree</h2>
<p>A degree is a widely recognised mark of achievement, and its value does not look likely to diminish. Young people and their families aspire towards degrees. They also know that having a degree is likely to lead to a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/graduates-enjoy-100k-earnings-bonus-over-lifetime">higher salary</a>.</p>
<p>Degrees now incorporate elements of vocational training that might traditionally have been associated with work-based training, and a degree has become an entry requirement for many careers. Even when people choose apprenticeships, they are increasingly taking up higher level courses that <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06113/">can lead to a degree</a>. </p>
<p>The current pattern of increasing higher education participation started with Tony Blair’s New Labour government. Blair <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/460009.stm">set a target</a> in 1999 for 50% of young people to enter higher education, which was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-49841620">ultimately achieved</a> 20 years later. </p>
<p>But Labour’s expansion of student numbers was originally part of a wider plan to boost learning throughout life. This would be achieved by combining vocational and academic learning, rather than positioning them as alternatives. The plan was outlined in a consultation paper published in 1998 and titled <a href="https://education-uk.org/documents/pdfs/1998-the-learning-age.pdf">The Learning Age</a>. </p>
<p>The paper expected that more people progressing to higher levels of learning would benefit both individuals and the economy. It also claimed that “a culture of learning will help to build a united society”. </p>
<p>It stated that people should be able to access different types of learning more easily and at more stages in their lives. This would begin with a new qualification combining academic and vocational learning at age 16-18, which would replace A-levels. Then learning would expand through the growth of further and higher education together. </p>
<p>The proposals also expected that, as more people entered higher levels of education, it should increasingly be financed by learners contributing to the cost of their studies. </p>
<p>Only this last part has survived the 25 years since. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman wearing hijab in classroom" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540739/original/file-20230802-23-rhni23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Learning Age consultation paper expected significant numbers of mature students to enter higher education.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/muslim-woman-wearing-hijab-sitting-table-2160229043">Pressmaster/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1998, Labour introduced tuition fees of £1,000 per year. Under different governments and through re-payable loans, this fee <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8151/">then increased</a>: to £3,000 from 2006, £9,000 from 2012, and £9,250 from 2017. </p>
<p>But rather than a united culture of education – integrating all kinds of learning – policies increasingly encouraged direct entry to degrees as the starting point for a career. </p>
<p>Even though Labour increased tuition fees in 2006, the government was still also <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20040117012057/http://www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hestrategy/exec.shtml">providing funding to universities</a> for teaching students. This included funding for collaborations between further education colleges and universities, with the aim of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/feb/01/highereducation.uk1">enabling learners to progress</a> from vocational courses to degrees throughout life. But the idea for a single qualification combining A-levels with vocational qualifications in schools <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4299151.stm">was abandoned</a>. </p>
<p>A Conservative-led coalition elected in 2010 replaced most of the university teaching grant with tuition fee loans from 2012, then removed caps on student numbers for degree courses from 2015. This allowed even greater numbers of young people to go to university. It also placed reliance on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/higher-education-white-paper-students-at-the-heart-of-the-system">student choice and competition</a> to shape the pattern of courses offered by universities. </p>
<h2>The higher education market</h2>
<p>This more competitive system made the educational vision presented in the Learning Age paper – learning for people throughout their lives and in all parts of the country – more distant. Universities <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/02/universities-spending-millions-on-marketing-to-attract-students">focused on</a> bringing young students to study full-time on their own campuses. </p>
<p>The proportion of undergraduates studying part-time, which is favoured by older students who are not entering directly from school, <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7966/CBP-7966.pdf">halved</a> across the decade until 2019. </p>
<p>The pathway from school to university and then into a graduate career became the definition of success for many students, parents and teachers. As a result, recent attempts to divert young people towards vocational routes have met with limited success. Since 2017, funding for apprenticeships in England has been boosted by a <a href="https://theapprenticeacademy.co.uk/the-apprenticeship-levy">levy paid by employers</a>, but apprenticeship numbers are <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06113">going down</a> among school leavers. </p>
<p>The government is also <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee/news/196242/education-committee-blasts-disappointing-govt-response-to-t-levels-report/">experiencing difficulties</a> implementing its new vocational T-level qualifications, which have been promoted as an alternative to the A-level path towards degrees. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1685943556580466688"}"></div></p>
<p>The caps on certain courses being introduced by Sunak seem likely to encourage young people to move between degrees, rather than take other routes. A better option would be to accept the value of a degree, and make it easier for people to progress to them through vocational learning. </p>
<p>The growth of <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/06/02/degree-apprenticeships-how-you-could-get-a-degree-for-free/">degree-level apprenticeships</a>, which allow people to study for a degree during their apprenticeship, and a new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/lifelong-loan-entitlement">lifelong loan entitlement</a> provide opportunities for this. But it is still much harder to move to a degree from a vocational course in a further education college than directly from school. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21582041.2023.2219664">Better incentives</a> are needed for universities to create pathways for learners from further education colleges, rather than competing with them. </p>
<p>By encouraging diverse paths towards university degrees, the government can both meet the needs of employers and respect the interests of learners. The way to build a more unified society is to bring people together through the education system, not divide them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210017/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Millward is Professor of Practice in Education Policy at the University of Birmingham. He previously worked as Director of Policy at the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Director of Fair Access and Participation at its higher education regulator, the Office for Students. Chris is a trustee of the Society for Research in Higher Education, a Marshall Scholarships Commissioner and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Global Higher Education. </span></em></p>The government in England is promoting apprenticeships rather than “rip-off” university degrees.Chris Millward, Professor of Practice in Education Policy, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2100732023-07-26T10:57:52Z2023-07-26T10:57:52ZFoundation year courses are about to become cheaper – but this could make it harder for disadvantaged students to go to university<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539284/original/file-20230725-19-vq90xv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C7%2C5104%2C2866&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/classroom-multi-ethnic-students-listening-lecturer-1077839501">Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK government <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170673/Higher_education_policy_statement_and_reform_-_government_consultation_response.pdf">has announced</a> that the maximum tuition fee for foundation years in English universities will be cut from £9,250 to £5,760. The reduction will apply to all classroom-based courses, such as business and social sciences, and will be likely to come into effect for the 2025-26 academic year. </p>
<p>Foundation years are offered by universities as a preparatory year of study for students who may not have the necessary qualifications, skills, and subject-specific knowledge to go straight into an undergraduate degree course. </p>
<p>Enter requirements vary, and previous work experience and academic background will often be considered. After finishing the foundation year, students are expected to progress into the university’s degree course for the same subject.</p>
<p>The government’s decision to cut fees <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805127/Review_of_post_18_education_and_funding.pdf">stems from concerns</a> that foundation years are <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-university-degrees">poor value for money</a> for taxpayers and students and may not be necessary for some students. </p>
<p>Reducing the fees will likely lead to universities offering fewer of these courses – a change that will disproportionately affect students from underrepresented backgrounds. </p>
<h2>A pathway in</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2021/05/20/the-case-for-putting-foundation-years-on-more-stable-ground/#:%7E:text=Across%20our%20ten%20institutions%2C%20students,likely%20to%20have%20a%20disability">Evidence</a> gathered from ten universities shows that foundation year students are more likely to be both male and from an underrepresented background. They are more likely to be from an ethnic minority, to be from a poorer background or to have a disability than the general student population. </p>
<p>Foundation years also provide an access route to university for many <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/f3450e04-2d2b-4b33-932f-41140d57c41e/ofs2019_20.pdf">mature students</a> from poorer backgrounds.</p>
<p>Between 2012-13 and 2017-18, foundation year entrants <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/f3450e04-2d2b-4b33-932f-41140d57c41e/ofs2019_20.pdf">tripled</a>. Meanwhile, the number of students taking alternative, cheaper Access to Higher Education Diplomas declined by 18%. These access diplomas are taught at further education colleges. </p>
<p>Foundation years do not result in a qualification or certificate. However, they allow a student to start at university. The course fees are higher but students also have access to maintenance loans and university bursaries for underrepresented groups, which may not be possible for those taking access diplomas.</p>
<p>I carried out <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1762171">research</a> with colleagues to investigate students’ experience of their foundation year. We asked students to create digital stories – short videos which included text, images and animation – about their experience. </p>
<p>We found that the students saw the foundation year as a key part of their personal journey. “I’ve understood how to be myself,” one narrated. </p>
<p>Some students saw the year as a step backwards, a requirement they had to fulfil after not meeting the entrance requirements for an undergraduate course. Others saw it as a way to test out university life. </p>
<p>Being on campus and accessing the facilities it had to offer was important to the students, as was the style of teaching. “It’s a lot different to college, in a good way,” one student said. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black female student choosing a book in university library." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539286/original/file-20230725-21-dio99v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foundation year students value experiencing university life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/waist-portrait-female-africaamerican-student-choosing-2026190900">SeventyFour/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I have been exploring the value students place on their foundation year study further in <a href="https://shura.shu.ac.uk/30966/">ongoing research</a>. In interviews with undergraduates who took a foundation year, I have seen that students find it valuable to be able to go straight from a foundation year to a degree course at the same university. And again, experiencing university life – rather than delaying it by going to college – was also important to them.</p>
<p>What’s more, the cost of the foundation year did not discourage the students I spoke to. One said that the fee should be lower than the yearly cost of a degree course, not because the experience was poor value but because it did not contribute to their degree qualification. </p>
<h2>The debt premium</h2>
<p>Students from poorer backgrounds face a “debt premium” – they <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/909623/Impact_of_the_student_finance_system_on_disadvantaged_young_people.pdf">borrow more money</a> to afford to study. </p>
<p>The foundation year adds to this premium, even though this route allows students to overcome structural barriers or poor educational experiences. But government actions that may limit the availability of these courses do not reflect the value of foundation year students and their unique contribution to the higher education sector.</p>
<p>In order to be able to to charge the maximum fee for courses, universities have to <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/access-and-participation-plans/">demonstrate</a> how they increase access opportunities for underrepresented groups. Foundation years are crucial to many university’s plans for doing this. </p>
<p>But given the <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-call-for-a-tuition-fee-rise-heres-what-that-would-mean-for-students-and-taxpayers-189423">financial challenges</a> facing higher education, universities will have difficult decisions about the financial viability of delivering foundation years. </p>
<p>It is worth bearing in mind that while delivering a foundation year <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170788/Understanding_the_costs_of_foundation_years_study_research_report.pdf">costs a university</a> around the same as the first year of an undergraduate course, a foundation year requires more pastoral support and contact time with staff, because of the tailored approach needed for a more diverse student body.</p>
<p>Many universities will continue to provide classroom-based foundation years. But some will not, cutting off opportunities for many.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210073/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathaniel Pickering does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Foundation year students are more likely to be from an underrepresented background.Nathaniel Pickering, Lecturer in Research Evaluation and Student Engagement, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2094632023-07-24T14:47:05Z2023-07-24T14:47:05ZThe climate crisis leaves students feeling helpless – what universities can do to empower them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537315/original/file-20230713-25-io9jjr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C208%2C7320%2C4440&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/meeting-talking-discussion-brainstorming-communication-concept-300370760">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Universities have <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-could-help-whole-communities-tackle-climate-change-202302">the resources</a> to help combat the climate crisis. What’s more, they have a responsibility to their students – who want to take action, but may lack the support they need to do so. </p>
<p>One way universities can do this is to help students use their skills to contribute to university- and community-wide projects. This can create real change, as well as teaching students how to take collaborative action. </p>
<p>In 2019, we started a research project with colleagues at York St John University to find out what students felt about the climate crisis. To begin, we held <a href="https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/6358/">focus groups with 23 students</a> who had responded to a call for participation posted on social media and around the campus. </p>
<h2>Eco-anxiety</h2>
<p>We discovered that climate catastrophe was a pressing, even overwhelming concern – and that many felt daunted by its scale and severity.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think that for me, it massively affects like my health and my wellbeing just purely from like worrying about it. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In particular, we found that the students were frustrated by the limits of individual action. They felt that any contribution they could make as individuals was far too small to have any meaningful impact – and that they were unlikely to ever have the power to initiate more widespread change. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unless for example you’re a billionaire or something, with something backing you, you’re not really going to make a difference […] Everything is just too big now. Any, any small thing to do won’t make a difference. A big initiative might make a small difference, but the majority don’t care enough to make a difference.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This theme emerged frequently. The students talked about the actions they themselves were taking, but lamented that it would never be enough. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m part of a Change group and in that moment when you tie yourself to the
tree, which I’ve done, it’s really empowering. At that moment, but then you
realise afterwards that this is a really tiny area that you’ve sort of protected for now. But in the grand scheme of things you probably haven’t made that much of a difference and it’s really irritating.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Their experiences meant that the students were not optimistic about their ability to create change in their future lives. They anticipated having no influence, as employees, on their employers’ working practices. </p>
<p>But this is where universities can make a difference. By offering students opportunities to take part in collaborative climate action, they can help students combat the eco-anxiety they may find suffocating and, crucially, show them that trying to make a difference on a larger scale than the individual is not a futile task. One student said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If they were actively showing me and […] making me actively get involved and the changes I could make it wouldn’t seem so overwhelming.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One way universities can help students contribute to climate action is by establishing “living labs” where staff, students and other community members can collaborate. These are physical or virtual places where <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652618339830?via%3Dihub">people work together</a> to solve community problems, quickly coming up with ideas and trying them out.</p>
<h2>Living labs</h2>
<p>At the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343515000573">University of Manchester</a>, students can <a href="https://www.universitylivinglab.org/">sign up</a> to take part in projects on subjects ranging from green space in the city to sustainable transport and fuel poverty. </p>
<p>At Plymouth University, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2019-0103/full/html">living labs have connected the university</a> with the local community <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/green-minds-living-lab">in the city</a>, and students are able to help <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/students-and-family/sustainability/sustainability-education/students-as-partners">lead sustainability education</a> at the university. </p>
<p>We wanted to try to create opportunities for students to get involved with climate projects on campus at York St John University. In early 2022, we created our first “<a href="https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/research/institute-for-social-justice/research-themes/ecological-justice/living-lab/">living lab</a>”. In our living lab work, students bring their subject knowledge and skills to help <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618339830">solve real problems</a> on campus or in the local area.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students planting plants" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538048/original/file-20230718-17-l9g8im.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students at York St John University working on a Living Lab project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Vicki Pugh</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first project focused on <a href="https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/research/institute-for-social-justice/research-themes/ecological-justice/living-lab/learning-at-the-junction/">air quality</a>, and saw students from ten subject areas write dramatic and literary pieces, produce campaign posters, make music and explore the urban linguistic landscape, all based around one particular <a href="https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/media/content-assets/research/institute-for-social-justice/29399-YSJ-Living-Lab-Report-ART-digital.pdf">highly polluted junction</a> close the university.</p>
<p>A second, larger project focused on food on <a href="https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/research/institute-for-social-justice/research-themes/ecological-justice/living-lab/feeding-the-campus/">campus</a>. Roughly 800 undergraduate students worked together to redesign the campus food system. </p>
<p>Business students researched the ethics and environmental performance of the university’s own food suppliers and advocated for improvements in a public panel with supplier representatives. Education students developed lesson plans and workshops for local teachers based around the city’s community food growing spaces. Literature students worked as bloggers publicising the work and volunteering requirements of local social enterprises.</p>
<p>Living labs offer students opportunities to experience collaborative, social learning processes with tangible outcomes. And they prompt universities to turn their resources and expertise towards tackling local and regional issues – and consider the purpose they will serve in helping society and individuals prepare for future climate crisis.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209463/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Getting involved in collaborative projects can help students feel they can make a difference.Clare Cunningham, Associate Professor in English Language and Linguistics, York St John UniversityCatherine Heinemeyer, Senior Research Associate in Ecological Justice and Lecturer in Drama, York St John UniversityJude Parks, Senior Lecturer in Geography, York St John UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099172023-07-20T11:35:26Z2023-07-20T11:35:26ZStudent number caps on ‘rip-off degrees’ overlook their potential benefits for social mobility<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538063/original/file-20230718-27-atlaun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C29%2C6085%2C4469&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/graduation-achievement-student-school-college-concept-502693336">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-university-degrees">government has promised</a> to crack down on “rip-off degrees” in England. It will place a cap on student numbers for courses that deliver “poor outcomes” for students – because they have high drop-out rates or do not lead to well-paying jobs. </p>
<p>The intention of the government intervention is to ensure that students get appropriate value from their courses. It also intends to make sure taxpayers aren’t left to foot the bill when students don’t earn enough to repay all of their student loans. </p>
<p>But capping student numbers on these courses may well penalise students from disadvantaged backgrounds.</p>
<p>The courses which face capped numbers are likely to be ones <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/which-university-courses-could-be-deemed-low-quality-by-new-government-policy-according-to-the-augar-review-12922241">offered by universities</a> that are more accessible to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2019/dec/disadvantaged-students-less-likely-attend-more-selective-university-courses">more likely to attend</a> less selective universities local to them. But less-selective universities – and the courses they offer – play a significant role in driving social mobility and supporting the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-can-support-local-businesses-and-communities-155520">local economy</a>.</p>
<p>Educational charity the Sutton Trust has produced <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/universities-and-social-mobility-data-explorer-rankings/">rankings</a> that measure universities’ impact on social mobility, looking at the degree choices and earnings aged 30 of people born between 1985 and 1988.</p>
<p>Universities are ranked by comparing the proportion of disadvantaged students who attended with the proportion of those students who went on to achieve high earnings. This ranking places newer, less selective universities, such as the University of Westminster and the University of Greenwich, in the top five. </p>
<p>What’s more, <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/publications/which-university-degrees-are-best-intergenerational-mobility">research carried out</a> by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Sutton Trust and the Department for Education looked at the social mobility impact of particular university courses. </p>
<p>Because the outcomes for particular universities or courses are affected by the characteristics of the students taking those courses – their academic ability, for instance – this research controlled for factors such as GCSE results. It found that courses that might be considered to have low outcomes <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Universities-and-social-mobility-final-summary.pdf">actually contributed</a> strongly to social mobility, because of the lower previous achievements of students taking those subjects. </p>
<p>Highly ranked institutions – such as Oxford, Cambridge and the most selective Russell Group universities – are generally <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/universities-and-social-mobility/">less accessible</a> to those from <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/universities-pledge-to-reduce-equality-gaps-dramatically-within-five-years/">disadvantaged backgrounds</a>. </p>
<p>These institutions admit <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/participation-gap-remains-poorer-pupils-despite-steady-improvement">higher proportions</a> of students from more privileged backgrounds, who are more likely to have the social capital, financial resources and professional experience to help them both graduate from their course and go on to a well-paid job. This might be one reason for their very good performance on measures of quality such as those used in the regulatory framework. </p>
<p>Overall, a student from a low-income background is <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/universities-and-social-mobility/#:%7E:text=%E2%80%A2%20Higher%20education%20is%20a%20key%20driver%20of,disadvantaged%20backgrounds%20and%20their%20peers%20compared%20to%20non-graduates.">four times</a> more likely to be socially mobile if they attend university. </p>
<h2>Student outcomes</h2>
<p>Universities are already regulated based on their student outcomes. In 2022, England’s university regulator, the <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/">Office for Students</a> (OfS), introduced a new <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/securing-student-success-regulatory-framework-for-higher-education-in-england/">regulatory framework</a>, which assesses how many students go on from their first to their second year, graduate, and go into a professional job or further study within 15 months.</p>
<p>The OfS <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-outcomes-data-dashboard/data-dashboard/">publishes data</a> on these student outcomes. It can intervene when universities do not meet minimum expectations, and has the power to impose a range of penalties. These range from additional monitoring or fines to de-registration as a provider of higher education. The cap on student numbers for particular courses now planned by the government is an additional penalty.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1680868430629466112"}"></div></p>
<p>The government is moving quickly in introducing additional sanctions. There has been little time to assess whether the penalties introduced in 2022 have led to improvements in higher education.</p>
<p>The government’s own <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170749/Higher_education_policy_statement_and_reform_-_government_consultation_response_-_equality_analysis.pdf">equality analysis</a> on the proposed changes suggests that the context of the provider and the characteristics of its students will need to be taken into account when imposing number controls.</p>
<p>Going to university can be transformative for young people. It provides a window of opportunity that leads to employment, earnings and life success. What’s more, students enter universities with very different backgrounds, prior experiences and academic interests. They graduate with their own notions of success and with different ambitions for their lives and careers.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that the highest earners subsidise those who do not fully repay their student loans, we end up with a workforce that is rich and varied in background and skills and diverse in its make up. The value a degree course has to provide opportunity is perhaps its greatest benefit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209917/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Aldrich has previously received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helena Gillespie receives funding from the European Union and has previously been funded by Wellcome, AdvanceHE and HEFCE. </span></em></p>A better measure of success could be to judge the impact a university has to change the course of a student’s life.Matthew Aldrich, Associate Professor in Microeconomics, University of East AngliaHelena Gillespie, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2020782023-05-04T11:54:40Z2023-05-04T11:54:40ZUK students are abandoning language learning, so we’re looking for a more creative approach<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519052/original/file-20230403-16-youwpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=64%2C0%2C7200%2C4796&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/learning-languages-online-audiobooks-concept-books-339642275">Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a storm brewing for modern language education in the UK. The uptake in higher education has <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1764/BAR35-04-Kenny-Barnes.pdf">more than halved</a> in the past 15 years. And in the same period, ten modern language university departments have closed, while a further nine have been significantly downsized. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, language provision in schools is patchy. There are substantial regional differences, and only <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/08/millions-of-pupils-in-england-had-no-language-teaching-in-lockdowns-survey">half</a> of pupils in England learn a language at GCSE level. Together, these issues have created an <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/4437/Languages-learning-in-higher-education-November_2022_vf.pdf">overall problem</a> with access to language learning.</p>
<p>Given these challenges, as language lecturers we believe the way we teach and assess modern languages in our universities needs a <a href="https://theconversation.com/only-one-in-65-new-students-chooses-a-modern-language-degree-we-need-a-rethink-37768">rethink</a>. That’s why we want to explore how more creativity in the subject could help to make language learning more attractive and sustainable in the future. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/english-is-not-enough-british-children-face-major-disadvantage-when-it-comes-to-language-skills-110386">English is not enough – British children face major disadvantage when it comes to language skills</a>
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<p>Despite numbers that suggest an overall sector decline, <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language-trends-2019.pdf">current trends</a> indicate that it is mostly single honours studies with one language and traditional language choices such as German, French, Italian and Spanish that are affected by dwindling numbers. Combination degrees, especially with non-European languages, appear to be <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/4437/Languages-learning-in-higher-education-November_2022_vf.pdf">relatively stable</a>.</p>
<p>So, departments offering single language degree combinations and more traditional languages could see these trends as an opportunity to reevaluate their approach.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman wearing a pink top stands with arms crossed in front of a chalkboard, which features a range of words in different languages which mean " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Should making podcasts, art installations and clowning be considered as part of language learning degrees?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/learning-foreign-languages-142539865">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In higher education, traditional language teaching and assessment methods involve continuous assessment in four typical language learning areas: grammar, translation, listening and oral. On top of that, there is presentation and essay work, as well as oral and written exams. </p>
<p>Traditional language testing relies on memorisation of vocabulary or grammar to measure student performance. In contrast, feedback-based assessment in the form of written language tasks or translation can have a positive effect that goes beyond a person’s limited ability to use the language in pre-defined contexts. But it is also very <a href="https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39858.pdf">subjective and time-consuming</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, artificial intelligence software such as <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt">ChatGPT</a>, which generates detailed written answers to questions, or <a href="https://www.deepl.com/en/translator">Deep L</a>, which can translate texts with high accuracy, make take-home written assignments <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/13/end-of-the-essay-uk-lecturers-assessments-chatgpt-concerns-ai">vulnerable to cheating, plagiarism</a> and superficial learning. </p>
<p>Neither memorisation or feedback-based testing encourages students to apply their language learning to real-life situations. Language is more <a href="https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/creativity-modern-foreign-languages-teaching-and-learning">complex</a> than simple memorisation, translation tasks or essay writing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People wearing headphones sit in booths, each looking at a screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How a typical language laboratory would have looked decades ago.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/3989339979/">Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>An alternative approach that is rarely used in language learning would be to include more creativity in assessment. Creative assessment in modern languages can be any artistically-inspired exercise aimed at measuring a student’s performance. </p>
<p>Examples of artistic research and creative assessment could include blog writing, podcasts, animation and art installations, creating graphic novels, writing poetry, painting, photography and even clowning. </p>
<p>If a student were to write and direct a <a href="https://creativemodernlanguages.uk/2022/11/25/womens-writing-in-latin-america-short-films/">short film based on women’s writing in Latin America</a>, it could provide lecturers with endless opportunities for creative, task-specific and more individualised feedback that is less repetitive. It would also provide a productive opening for more student group work, for critical reflection that goes beyond simple essay questions and could add valuable skills to a student’s CV.</p>
<p>Currently, creative assessments are mostly limited to theatre and art schools or to creative writing departments. We argue that ignoring such an approach in our subject area diminishes the potential <a href="https://www.cscjes.org.uk/articles/cbca5ccb-3272-4274-830c-66b5355d02d8">cultural, subjective and creative value of modern languages</a> because it neglects opportunities for intercultural, social and artistic exploration. </p>
<p>We already know that <a href="https://innovateinstructionignitelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GajdaKarwowskiBeghetto-metaGPAvscreativity.pdf">being more creative improves learning</a> in general. Plenty of research has been done looking at how creativity improves academic outcomes across age ranges and topics, including <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-need-to-engage-students%E2%80%99-creative-thinking-in-Smare/dd9037fb1cf52e9f766933a91a0380e0c7cae91a">language learning</a>. </p>
<p>We think such <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Engaging-students%E2%80%99-imaginations-in-second-language-Judson-Egan/2ed8f9873be3a74e08bd6d7faa68caeb28fb538f">findings</a> should be applied practically to language learning to encourage students to approach their studies in different, more interesting ways. And this could ultimately inspire more students to study modern languages at university. Given the significant decline language teaching is facing, it’s vital that we look for and test such approaches.</p>
<h2>Creativity</h2>
<p>As a start, we’ve launched the <a href="https://creativemodernlanguages.uk">Creative Modern Languages project</a>. It’s an initiative that provides university researchers, students and teachers with an open-access modern languages hub. We are hoping that it will help to identify the best examples of creativity in language learning and act as a catalyst for more creative types of teaching, assessment and research.</p>
<p>There are some caveats, however. We acknowledge that implementing such changes may be met with fears and restrictions. Some colleagues say they are worried about time constraints and the administrative burden that may come with introducing creative assessment. They have also expressed concerns about not <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2017.1360061">feeling creative enough</a>, a lack of funding and increased workload. </p>
<p>But it is clear to us that implementing more creative forms of research and assessment in modern languages is necessary for attracting students in the future and countering the potential negative effects of AI technology. </p>
<p>What we are hoping to do is to encourage an ongoing discussion about more creative types of research and assessment in modern languages. Ultimately, it could help to introduce more students to the joys of other languages, people and cultures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Mangold received funding from the British Academy for the research mentioned in this article (Talent Development Award 2021). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Pogoda received funding from the British Academy for the research mentioned in this article (Talent Development Award 2021).</span></em></p>The number of students studying languages in UK universities has plummeted in recent years but some creative thinking may help to reverse that trend.Alex Mangold, Lecturer in German, Aberystwyth UniversitySarah Pogoda, Senior Lecturer in German, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2021792023-04-03T18:57:51Z2023-04-03T18:57:51Z‘Drinking isn’t an option, it’s more of a requirement’: the reasons for high alcohol consumption among some student athletes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518298/original/file-20230329-14-otx13b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5619%2C3020&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-woman-cheering-plastic-cup-beer-2281216105">AstroStar/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Binge drinking is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/49/6/604/2888151">commonplace</a> in university sport. Students who play sport drink more heavily and frequently than other students. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2012.727508">Research</a> that surveyed students in England found that 62% of student sportspeople reported drinking at least twice per week, compared with 43% of those who didn’t play sport. </p>
<p>The research also found that 54% who play sport reported drinking heavily – more than six units on one occasion – at least once a week. For the students who didn’t play sport, this figure was 34%.</p>
<p>Alcohol use is even greater for those who play team sports. The <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2012.727508">same research</a> found that 58% of team sport players were drinking heavily at least once a week, compared to 47% for individual sport players. </p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159676X.2023.2185281">recent research</a>, conducted with colleagues, was interested in finding out what was influencing the drinking habits of students who play sports. Over the course of a year, I spent time with a student rugby club and was given permission to be part of the group. </p>
<p>I attended matches, away games and social gatherings, and carried out interviews with players, coaching staff, committee members, supporters and senior student union staff. I gained a detailed understanding of the pressures sportspeople faced to drink alcohol. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159676X.2023.2185281">research</a> found that student sportspeople face numerous pressures to drink heavily and often. Some of these pressures come from inside the sporting environment – from traditions, expectations and teammates. What’s more, alcohol was easily available and promoted to the athletes. </p>
<h2>Under pressure</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2159676X.2023.2185281">research</a> found heavy alcohol consumption was a tradition embedded within university rugby. Players were expected to drink alcohol following matches, and attending social events was obligatory. Those who didn’t drink as expected were punished with humiliating challenges and a lower social status. Ben, a student athlete, said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You always feel under pressure to go out for a drink. After rugby or after you’ve played a game. It’s more intimidating drinking with the rugby team than with anybody else and that’s just a fact. I have never been as scared as I was at the first rugby social here.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These players faced negative pressures to drink heavily, with the fear of embarrassing challenges looming over them. </p>
<p>However, there were also benefits to be gained from drinking heavily and behaving notoriously. The athletes reported that those who stood out from the group were praised and rewarded with higher status within the group’s social hierarchy. One student athlete said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is commonplace, normal to go to have a few post-match. You’ve also got award ceremonies and Christmas, Halloween parties… end of season parties. Usually you have to have a dirty pint [a beer with a mix of alcoholic drinks added] if you’ve scored a hat-trick or a try, or you are man of the match. It’s everyone trying to out-do each other and impress each other. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>There was an expectation among many of the players that to play rugby they also had to drink alcohol. This expectation was reinforced by several external pressures they faced. </p>
<h2>Culture of alcohol</h2>
<p>Alcohol was easily accessible, cheap and heavily promoted to athletes. Students told me that a nightclub provided funding to sports clubs on the condition that they held social events in the student union – with the expectation that student sportspeople would attend the nightclub afterwards.</p>
<p>Coaches accepted that the team drank heavily, and to some extent reinforced it – for instance by rewarding players with alcohol. This gives athletes <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sport-and-Alcohol-An-ethical-perspective/Jones/p/book/9781138558724">mixed messages</a>. They are expected to behave responsibly but are also praised and rewarded with alcohol.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rugby players on field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518302/original/file-20230329-2310-6ln8w5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There should be other ways to promote team cohesion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rugby-375907813">makieni/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coaches could act as role models by encouraging, praising and rewarding more moderate drinking behaviours. Methods to build team cohesion and help athletes bond with each other which aren’t centred around heavy drinking would also help – such as team-building exercises, sports days, alcohol-free socials, quizzes and alcohol-free dinners. A coach said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I see alcohol, as one form, of a huge array of different things that you can use to generate a team culture.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Senior athletes have a high level of influence over novices. Allowing those who support a more moderate drinking environment to have a leadership role could help support a more measured approach to alcohol over time. </p>
<p>To support sportspeople to drink less, the way alcohol is marketed and promoted to these groups needs to be challenged. Universities have a duty of care over students and using alcohol for commercial gain could be jeopardising this.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc Harris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Students who play sport drink more heavily and frequently than other students.Marc Harris, Senior Researcher, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950732022-11-22T17:20:58Z2022-11-22T17:20:58ZWhy UK universities are going on strike<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496812/original/file-20221122-18-r2or16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5982%2C3368&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">University staff on strike in 2019. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/durham-county-uk-11252019-university-staff-1570237234">Lee Iveson/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Universities in the UK are striking on 24, 25 and 30 November 2022, with action short of a strike beginning on 23 November. Around 70,000 university staff across 150 universities are taking industrial action, following a series of smaller strikes in recent years. These strikes may be the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/nov/08/university-staff-to-strike-across-uk-in-pay-and-conditions-dispute">largest ever in the higher education sector</a>, after members of the University and College Union backed a national ballot in favour of industrial action. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12581/University-staff-vote-for-UK-wide-strike-action-in-historic-ballot">UCU is now the only union</a> in the education sector to secure a national mandate for strike action since the <a href="https://www.ier.org.uk/resources/trade-union-act-2016-what-says-what-it-means">2016 Trade Union Act</a> restricted unions’ ability to call a strike. The entire higher education sector could be brought to a standstill.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/strikes-how-do-they-work-194598">Strikes: how do they work?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When staff in higher education went on strike in 2019, the dispute was mainly around pensions. There was also growing unrest in the sector around pay and working conditions. At the time, <a href="https://theconversation.com/university-strikes-why-theyre-happening-and-what-you-need-to-know-126706">I argued</a> that this unrest intensified following the introduction of higher student fees in 2010. </p>
<p>Since 2019, issues around pay and working conditions have now surpassed pensions and become the main driver for the strikes. </p>
<p>The UCU’s demands include a pay rise in recognition of the cost of living crisis, after a <a href="https://universitybusiness.co.uk/finance-legal-hr/employers-make-final-pay-offer-for-2022-23/">3% increase</a> in 2022, and an end to insecure contracts. On pensions, UCU wants employers to reverse the cuts imposed in 2022, which it claims will see the average member lose about 35% from their future retirement income.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12469/FAQs">The detailed demands</a> in the pay and working conditions dispute also include action to close gender, ethnic and disability pay gaps, action on excessive workloads and unpaid work, and a standard weekly full-time contract of 35 hours.</p>
<h2>The road to the strikes</h2>
<p>A wide range of factors within higher education in the UK, as well as in the union, have contributed to the decision to take industrial action. Beyond the ongoing pensions dispute, university staff have faced the effects of the increased marketisation of education, including a rise in precarious, short-term working contracts. </p>
<p>In parallel, the UCU has gained a more politicised and confrontational union leadership, as well as making a push towards workplace organising combined with a strong social media campaign and presence.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/rising">In a press conference</a> giving the results of the ballots, UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, confirmed the union’s confrontational approach with three messages. The first was to employers: “The game has changed … now we will take you on as a collective.” Second was a message to politicians, that the sector should not be a “punch bag for cuts, right-wing attacks and political point scoring”. The third went to representatives and members: “I am UCU and proud, and I really hope you are too.”</p>
<p>The chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), Raj Jethwa, said there was “<a href="https://www.ucea.ac.uk/news-releases/8nov22/">disappointment</a>” across the sector at the decision to strike, taken despite discussions on bringing forward the 2023-24 pay negotiations in response to cost of living concerns. </p>
<p>A successful strike depends on whether arguments to take collective action resonate with workers – and the wider public. These arguments need to be circulated both internally within trade unions and externally to society as a whole. Internally, the union needs to create a collective identity. Externally, it needs to communicate effectively with journalists, politicians and the wider public. </p>
<p>Not all workers have decided to join the strike, and this might be because arguments do not resonate: they may not be subject to the same pay and working conditions issues as the majority of the sector. It is also worth saying that workers may not be participating because of pressure by their employers or for financial reasons. Taking strike action is a “<a href="https://theconversation.com/strikes-how-do-they-work-194598">last resort</a>” for most workers and these decisions are not taken lightly.</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ntwe.12205">Trade unions have been criticised</a> for being slow to fully exploit newer technologies like social media. The use of social media – combined with relentless campaigning and local meetings – has been a key mobilising tactic in the UCU dispute. This approach <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ntwe.12205">has the potential</a> to revitalise the political influence of trade unions. </p>
<p>The UCU has also tried to bring the needs of students into the frame, particularly by using the phrase “students know our working conditions are their learning conditions”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1584879758189670401"}"></div></p>
<p>Gaining public support for a strike, though, requires winning the moral argument – especially problematic in a time of economic crisis where workers more generally are suffering from low pay and poor working conditions. This is difficult in higher education. The working conditions and workload of academics lack visibility: people wonder “what academics actually do”. The UCU will need to effectively explain the squeeze academics are facing, from increased teaching loads and pressure to meet student expectations to the need to secure funding and publish research.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195073/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Connolly currently works on an ESRC-funded research project.</span></em></p>University staff to walk out for three days in what may be the largest ever in the higher education sector.Heather Connolly, Associate Professor of Employment Relations, Grenoble École de Management (GEM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1894232022-09-02T07:50:13Z2022-09-02T07:50:13ZUniversities call for a tuition fee rise – here’s what that would mean for students and taxpayers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482269/original/file-20220901-25-6xvy33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C11%2C3754%2C2514&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/person-delivering-speech-725472163">Bizi88/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>University vice-chancellors in England and Wales <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11131489/University-bosses-call-tuition-fees-raised-40-13-000-year.html">have recently called</a> for an increase in tuition fees. </p>
<p>There are a number of reasons for this demand. In the face of a decade-long <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/12528/HE-unions-claim-2022-23/pdf/TUJNCHESclaim202223FINAL.pdf">decline in real pay</a> for university staff, pressure from unions for a higher wage deal is increasing. Energy costs are hitting unprecedented highs.</p>
<p>The current tuition fee cap of £9,250 in England has been in place since 2017 and the government plans for it to remain frozen until 2025. With inflation <a href="https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/knowledgebank/will-inflation-in-the-uk-keep-rising">now hitting 10%</a>, this means that by 2025 there will effectively have been a long-term cut to university per student incomes by around a third.</p>
<p>A substantial rise in tuition fees in the near future towards £12,000 or £13,000 a year, as suggested by the founder of the University of Buckingham medical school <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11131489/University-bosses-call-tuition-fees-raised-40-13-000-year.html">Karol Sikora</a>, looks increasingly inevitable. </p>
<p>This is despite the government <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-funding-shake-up-what-it-means-for-students-and-universities-177778">setting out its current plans</a> for the future funding of higher education only in February this year. The government’s plans are for a lower salary threshold for student loan repayment, a longer term of repayment (40 years instead of 30), and the fee freeze. </p>
<p>So what would higher fees actually mean for students, and for taxpayers who ultimately subsidise higher education?</p>
<h2>More cost to the taxpayer</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01079/">average student loan</a> in 2021/22 was £46,000, consisting of approximately three years of full tuition fees at £9,250 a year and three years of maintenance loans at £6,000 a year. </p>
<p>Under <a href="https://www.student-loan-calculator.co.uk/">the current system</a>, a student earning a starting salary of £40,000 a year with annual pay rises of 2.5% would not pay off this loan. They would pay a total of £84,000 over 30 years, of which £54,000 was interest, and leave nearly £16,000 unpaid. </p>
<p>An increase in fees to a hypothetical figure of £13,000 a year would result in the same £84,000 worth of repayments over 30 years, but almost all of it would be the interest on the initial debt. £56,000 worth of debt would remain unpaid after 30 years, with the taxpayer footing the bill. Even with the repayment term extended to 40 years, £12,000 would remain unpaid and written off.</p>
<p>Of course, this assumes that maintenance loans (which cover students’ living costs) are not affected, which seems unreasonable in the current economic environment. The final debt figure and amount left unpaid is likely to be higher still. </p>
<p>However, loan repayments are notoriously difficult to estimate far into the future. Inflation, interest rates, increasing annual incomes and work and life expectancy changes all affect repayment calculations. </p>
<p>Under current loan repayment schedules only about <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01079/">20% of students</a> are expected to fully repay their student loan. This effectively morphs tuition fees and their associated loans into a graduate tax for everyone else. </p>
<p>The government’s planned changes to repayment schedules from 2023/24 would increase this to just over half of graduates fully repaying their debt, but this proportion would likely drop again if fees rise. </p>
<p>So increasing the nominal fee level would mean about half of graduates would pay more and over a longer time. But the other half would not actually be affected as they won’t fully pay off their debt even at the current fee level. Instead, it would shift more of the cost of higher education onto the taxpayer. </p>
<h2>Doubts about university</h2>
<p>Perhaps the greatest danger of increased fees would be that the higher debt and potentially higher lifetime repayments will put off talented young people from less advantaged backgrounds from going to university at all. We know that aversion to debt is stronger among those with <a href="https://www.llakes.ac.uk/publication/callender-c-and-mason-g-2017-does-student-loan-debt-deter-higher-education-participation-new-evidence-from-england-annals-of-american-political-and-social-science-vol-671-doi-org-10-1177/">lower family incomes</a>, and so there is a real danger for social mobility should fees be seen to be prohibitively high. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Graduates in robes throwing mortarboards in the air" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/482271/original/file-20220901-12-tq61jc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Increased fees might put poorer students off going to university.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-happy-graduates-throwing-graduation-hats-172074803">michaeljung/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the other hand, allowing the amount of income per student that universities receive to be eroded away by inflation, amid all the other increasing costs they face, is likely to lead to some universities having to cut back on places, cut courses, merge with other institutions or, in extreme cases, close their doors permanently. </p>
<p>These cutbacks would also be damaging for social mobility. If there are fewer universities and university places, the spots that remain are likely to disproportionately go to better-off students. </p>
<h2>Is it worth it?</h2>
<p>The question that is missing from popular discussion around tuition fees is: are degrees worth it? The answer to this question is key. It can change the perception of student debt immensely. </p>
<p>The short answer is yes. Even though students feel that the current cost of university is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/aug/31/england-and-wales-university-fees-bad-value-for-money-survey">poor value for money</a>, <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/924353/The_impact_of_undergraduate_degrees_on_early-career_earnings.pdf">graduating from university</a> continues to be beneficial. By age 29, men earn 8% more then their contemporaries who do not go to university. Women earn 28% more. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/uploads/R167-The-impact-of-undergraduate-degrees-on-lifetime-earnings.pdf">Institute for Fiscal Studies</a> estimated that even after taking higher taxes paid by graduates and loan repayments into account, the average financial return over a lifetime of doing a degree is £130,000 for men and £100,000 for women. These are substantial returns, and would dwarf the impact of a small increase in tuition fee costs, so lifetime returns are likely to remain high whatever happens to fees in the next few years. </p>
<p>This comes of course with the caveat that not all degrees will lead to the same return in earnings. Studying maths, medicine or economics is likely to result in significantly different earnings when compared to studying creative arts or social care. </p>
<p>The number of 18-year olds in the UK is estimated to <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/z1zippedpopulationprojectionsdatafilesuk">increase by 24 percent</a> between 2020 and 2030. This demographic boom will fuel increasing demand for higher education, and with the myriad cost pressures facing universities, something will have to give.</p>
<p>Given the returns still available, a rise in fees to support universities right now is perhaps the way to go rather than risking the financial collapse of a number of institutions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189423/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Franz Buscha has previously received funding for research from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department for Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matt Dickson currently receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Nuffield Foundation and in the past has received funding from the Department for Education, the European Union and the Low Pay Commission.</span></em></p>Higher fees might well be the best option.Franz Buscha, Professor of Economics and Quantitative Methods, University of WestminsterMatt Dickson, Reader in Public Policy, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888712022-08-31T10:23:13Z2022-08-31T10:23:13ZDisadvantaged students starting courses in 2022 are worse off as a result of COVID – universities must support them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480833/original/file-20220824-3918-l86cnx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5742%2C3828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/frustrated-female-student-sitting-desk-huge-268459619">GaudiLab/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The A-level results received by students in 2022 should be celebrated as an example of resilience and hard work. The achievements of this cohort have been made despite a global pandemic which affected both their GCSEs and A-levels. They have faced government <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/17/a-levels-gcse-results-england-based-teacher-assessments-government-u-turn">U-turns</a> over assessment, and knowledge gaps in their learning. </p>
<p>What’s more, a <a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/record-applications-disadvantaged-students-higher-education">record number</a> of applications to university in 2022 have come from students from disadvantaged backgrounds. </p>
<p>However, this welcome development should not hide the fact that the pandemic has had a <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/leavingnoonebehindareviewofwhohasbeenmostaffectedbythecoronaviruspandemicintheuk/december2021">disproportionate impact</a> on people from deprived areas and has widened educational inequalities. </p>
<p>Universities must recognise that the disadvantaged students in the 2022 cohort will have had very different educational journeys to their wealthier peers, and that many will face additional challenges as the cost-of-living crisis bites. They must plan accordingly in order to help their students transition into higher education.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uk-education-system-preserves-inequality-new-report-188761">Educational inequalities</a> which affect students on their way to university are far from new. Institutional <a href="https://assets.website-files.com/61488f992b58e687f1108c7c/61bcc0cc2a023368396c03d4_Runnymede%20Secondary%20Schools%20report%20FINAL.pdf">racism</a> in education, including in curriculum content, affects how young people experience school. Working-class students face <a href="https://assets.website-files.com/61488f992b58e687f1108c7c/61d5b811550f8d76dca7c777_LeftBehindWhitePupilsEducationSelectCommittee.pdf">barriers to education</a>. These are all issues that universities already recognise, but meaningful change is slow in how they support these students.</p>
<h2>Barriers to education</h2>
<p>Now, the pandemic has reversed progress made in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jun/04/covid-has-eradicated-disadvantaged-pupils-progress-finds-study">closing disadvantage gaps</a> and has made a bleak situation worse.</p>
<p>The gap between the proportion of young people from areas which historically have a high level of attendance at university and those from areas with a low attendance rate <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion/all-news-opinion/the-sutton-trust-comment-on-a-level-results-day/">is larger</a> than it was before the pandemic. Thinktank the <a href="https://epi.org.uk/">Education Policy Institute</a> <a href="https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/EPI-Disadvantage_Gaps_in_England_2022.pdf">has found</a> that rising levels of persistent poverty among disadvantaged pupils have contributed to little progress being made in closing the education gap between poorer and more wealthy students. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learning-during-the-pandemic/learning-during-the-pandemic-quantifying-lost-time">a significant number of teaching days were lost</a> during the pandemic due to school closures and illness. Many young people feel that they have <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/a-levels-and-university-access-2022/">fallen behind</a> in their studies. Universities have been advised by <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/a-levels-and-university-access-2022/">The Sutton Trust</a> to identify gaps in their students’ knowledge at an early stage in the academic year and provide support – though this may be additional work for an already stretched university teaching staff. </p>
<h2>Cost of living</h2>
<p>What’s more, not only have this cohort faced an impact on their learning over the past few years, this will now be coupled with a <a href="https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/cost-living-crisis">cost-of-living crisis</a> felt by many. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Photo of hands over calculator and documents" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480848/original/file-20220824-4113-9yxehw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Costs are going up – and students will feel the impact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-african-american-man-calculating-using-1575538951">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Universities can expect to witness a significant number of students struggling financially over the coming year. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/dec/10/uk-students-pay-60-more-for-halls-of-residence-than-decade-ago">cost of student accommodation</a> has been steadily rising, and the cost of food and energy is going up. </p>
<p>Students living away from their parents outside London in 2022/23 are eligible for a maximum annual maintenance loan of <a href="https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/products/full-time-undergraduate-education/full-time-maintenance-loan/whats-available/">£9,706</a>, up from £9,488 in 2021/22 – an increase of 2%. By contrast, prices in August 2022 are <a href="https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/knowledgebank/will-inflation-in-the-uk-keep-rising">up 10.1%</a> from August 2021. </p>
<p>There are things universities can do to <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/here-is-how-universities-can-support-the-forgotten-covid-cohort/">reduce some costs and support students</a>. They could make use of more set texts that are available online, and increase the number of laptops for loan. But the wider societal problem remains. </p>
<p>More students may need to have part-time jobs to cope with the increased cost of living. The need to access employment is a challenge faced by <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/s41304-016-0071-x.pdf">students from poorer groups</a>. </p>
<p>The need to work will have an impact on learning, which may clash with teaching timetables and disrupt additional course activities. <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/s41304-016-0071-x.pdf">Students with caring responsibilities</a>, who face challenges in juggling their studies with home life, may be particularly affected. </p>
<p>Students hoping to defer a year, to work and save or wait out the cost-of-living crisis, will be met with a lowering of the repayment threshold for student loans. This means that graduates will start paying back their student loans once they start earning £25,000, rather than the current threshold of £27,295. This could see applicants who start in 2023 <a href="https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/08/reapplying-for-uni-in-2023-could-cost-students-thousands/">repaying back more</a> in the long run for a longer period of time. </p>
<p>While educators are faced with immediate concerns regarding the students beginning university in autumn 2022, there may also be a ripple effect, possibly stunting equality, diversity and inclusivity initiatives across the sector. The absence of diverse voices within the classroom will impact the <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781785523113/Political-Science-in-Europe-Achievements-Challenges-Prospects">knowledge</a> and opinions shared at universities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188871/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shardia Briscoe-Palmer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Universities must help this cohort of students transition into higher education.Shardia Briscoe-Palmer, Assistant Professor in Sociology , University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1864992022-07-15T09:27:22Z2022-07-15T09:27:22ZFour major challenges facing Britain’s education system after the pandemic<p>The UK goverment’s Department for Education has some new ministers in charge following the political turmoil surrounding Boris Johnson’s resignation. After resigning only two days into the job of education secretary, <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/michelle-donelan-quits-cabinet-force-hand-of-boris-johnson-1728424">Michelle Donelan</a> has been replaced by <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/people/james-cleverly">James Cleverly</a>, MP for Braintree. </p>
<p>Donelan’s former role overseeing higher education has been filled by Andrea Jenkyns, MP for Morley and Outwood, who has been named <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/andrea-jenkyns-named-skills-further-and-higher-education-minister/">skills, further and higher education minister</a>. Jenkyns’ credentials as an educational leader were called somewhat into question when she was photographed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/11/teaching-unions-slam-education-minister-over-obscene-gesture">making a gesture</a> to the public gathered outside Downing Street that would certainly have landed her in detention.</p>
<p>While these appointments can be considered, to some extent, to be caretaker roles pending the appointment of the new prime minister in early September, the new ministers still face significant challenges as they oversee schools, colleges and universities. Here are four issues facing them as they get to work. </p>
<h2>Getting exams back to normal</h2>
<p>The first hurdle comes next month with the annual round of GCSE and A-level exam results. This will be the first cohort since 2019 to have formally sat their exams. The Department of Education will be hoping that the exam results, which have already been taken and marked, will not cause such headline grabbing disruption this summer as in the two previous years. </p>
<p>In 2020, the first year that exams were cancelled due to the pandemic, results <a href="https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2020/12/18/further-evaluation-of-summer-2020-awarding/">were overturned</a> after it became clear that the algorithm used by the government to standardise grades was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-53807730">penalising students</a> from disadvantaged backgrounds. Pupils could choose to use teacher assessments to decide grades instead.</p>
<p>In 2021, the government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/how-qualifications-will-be-awarded-in-2021">again elected</a> to use teacher assessment to decide results, but the approach resulted in many more top grades. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infographic-a-level-results-2021/infographics-for-a-level-results-2021-accessible">The jump in A grades</a> at A-level, from 38% to 44%, meant that there were not enough places at top universities to go around – and universities had to offer prospective students packages of support to persuade them to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-58270387">defer to a 2022 start</a>.</p>
<p>However, it is likely that the return to exams will mean a <a href="https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2022/07/06/exam-results-2022-10-things-to-know-about-gcse-as-and-a-level-grades/">drop in grades</a> from 2021, and there may be many disappointed students and parents. Weathering grade fluctuations in future years while also closing gaps in attainment for students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be a difficult trick to pull off.</p>
<h2>Addressing inequality</h2>
<p>In November 2020, the Department of Education launched its flagship initiative to address pandemic learning loss in England, the <a href="https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/">National Tutoring Programme</a> – which pairs schools with tutors who work with individual students or small groups to help them catch up in core subjects. </p>
<p>However, the House of Commons Education Committee recently reported that the National Tutoring Programme is <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1667/the-governments-catchup-programme/publications/">failing to make an impact</a> in the schools in deprived areas where children are most behind with their education.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-governments-academic-catch-up-strategy-is-failing-children-in-england-179227">The government's academic catch-up strategy is failing children in England</a>
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<p>Problems with the catch-up strategy are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to endemic inequalities in education in the UK. School buildings in many areas are facing pressure from growing class sizes and wear and tear. A <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf">2021 report</a> by the Department for Education put the backlog of school maintenance in England at a cost of £11.4 billion, an eye watering sum at a time of economic crisis. </p>
<p>It is difficult to see how schools can level up for their pupils in buildings that are falling down. The education secretary must hope for sympathy and support around the new cabinet table to access the funds needed. </p>
<h2>Provide support for teachers</h2>
<p>The pandemic has had a serious impact on children and young people’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-governments-academic-catch-up-strategy-is-failing-children-in-england-179227">mental health and wellbeing</a> and the problem remains acute. One of the short-term impacts of this is growing pressures on teachers in classrooms. For this reason as well as the rise in the cost of living, teachers are asking for a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jun/23/english-schools-warn-of-acute-teacher-shortages-without-inflation-plus-pay-deal">substantial pay increase</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Teacher with puppet talking to class" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473837/original/file-20220713-2711-vcp5da.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Schools and teachers are under pressure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kindergarten-students-sitting-on-floor-listening-709805509">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>It seems unlikely that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jul/01/teaching-unions-warn-of-strikes-in-england-despite-reports-of-improved-pay-offer">current proposals</a> for pay rises in schools, which sit below the rate of inflation, will stop a ballot on strike action or address teacher shortages caused by so many leaving the profession. If the new minister is to be able to deliver meaningful educational recovery, schools are going to need to be better staffed and better supported by other sector agencies. Achieving this looks both difficult and expensive. </p>
<h2>Free speech in higher education</h2>
<p>On 27 June 2022, before her promotion to education secretary and subsequent resignation, Michelle Donelan <a href="https://wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/michelle-donelan-fires-a-big-new-shot-at-the-sector-in-the-culture-wars/">had written</a> to university vice chancellors advising them to consider whether their membership of certain diversity schemes was appropriate given their responsibility to uphold free speech. This was regarded with concern by many in the education sector as a move that <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/equality-scheme-letter-crossed-line-universities-tell-donelan">blurred the lines</a> between appropriate regulation and university autonomy. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/holocaust-denial-universities-michele-donelan-b1846924.html">the controversial</a> Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which seeks to ensure that free speech is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-to-comply-with-free-speech-duties-or-face-sanctions">protected on campus</a> by limiting the “no-platforming” of speakers, is currently passing through the House of Lords. However, a <a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2022/06/23/you-cant-say-that-new-polling-shows-students-want-more-controls-on-free-expression/">recent survey</a> has found that 61% of students think that universities should prioritise protecting students from discrimination rather than permitting unlimited free speech.</p>
<p>The new Department for Education team has much to do to ensure that good decisions are made on behalf of the UK’s children and young people. </p>
<p><em>This article was amended on July 19 2022 to reflect that the National Tutoring Programme and Condition of School Buildings Survey refer to England.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186499/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helena Gillespie's research is funded by Erasmus+ and has previously been funded by Advance HE and HEFCE. She is a school governor, multi academy trust member and director of Norfolk Cricket Board. </span></em></p>The reshuffled Department for Education is already facing controversy.Helena Gillespie, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1868492022-07-13T17:03:03Z2022-07-13T17:03:03ZBotanists are disappearing – just when the world needs them most<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473904/original/file-20220713-2711-s6f3ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4368%2C2909&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Annika Geijer-Simpson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Can you recall any of the plants you saw today? </p>
<p>Probably not. As a species, we are not programmed to recognise and register everything we see within our field of vision. This would be an overwhelming amount of information for our brains to process. </p>
<p>You can however, with a little time and practise, be trained to read the plants around you: to recognise which species they belong to and their names, their relationships with other organisms and what they are telling you about the environment they live in. This is to develop what some call a natural literacy.</p>
<p>Most people suffer from what is commonly known as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/plant-blindness-is-obscuring-the-extinction-crisis-for-non-animal-species-118208">plant blindness</a>”, a term coined by US botanists Elisabeth Schussler and James Wandersee. They described it as “the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment”. Unless taught, people don’t tend to see plants – despite the fact that at any given moment, there is likely to be a plant – or something made by plants – nearby. </p>
<p>In our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.9019">latest study</a>, my fellow researchers and I found that people are not only less aware of plants through a lack of exposure and a loss of knowledge, but demand for an education in botany and opportunities to study it in the UK have diminished too. </p>
<h2>The extinction of botanical education</h2>
<p>Botany, once a compulsory component of many biology degrees and school programmes, is disappearing fast. It has been over a decade since a student was enrolled in a botany degree in the UK. We believe there has been a gradual erosion of knowledge about plants among biology graduates and the general public as a result.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students in gowns stand in rows for a university graduation ceremony." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473891/original/file-20220713-20-5vnaux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Botany graduates are now few and far between.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/university-students-attending-graduation-ceremony-uk-1103646821">Juraj Micka/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>We examined the number of UK students graduating across a variety of biological science programmes from 2007 to 2019 and found that students studying plant science were outnumbered almost one to 200 by those studying general biology. When we scrutinised the modules offered to students on plant science courses at UK universities, we were surprised to find that only 14% focused solely on plants. Only 1% of modules in plant science and biological science programmes offered any form of training in identifying plant species.</p>
<p>Students are not introduced to the diversity of plant forms and functions at UK universities and are certainly not engaged with how fascinating and dynamic the floral world is. The result is a growing skills gap, with a looming shortage of professionals capable of effectively managing environmental projects. Well-meaning but careless management is not just ineffective, it can add to environmental degradation. </p>
<p>For example, planting thirsty species of tree in the name of capturing carbon from the air can deprive <a href="https://theconversation.com/peat-bogs-restoring-them-could-slow-climate-change-and-revive-a-forgotten-world-139182">precious bog plants</a> of much needed water. Recklessly cutting and strimming grasslands can wipe out populations of rare orchids.</p>
<p>Harnessed properly, there is no doubt that plants and the services they provide can help solve looming climate and ecological crises. Restoring flood meadows and riverside habitats can reduce flooding from the extreme downpours which are likely to become more common in some areas as the Earth warms.</p>
<p>Less teaching about plants and the ensuing disconnection from the natural world will, if not reversed, have irreparable and disastrous consequences. How many generations of botanists remain before we no longer have the expertise to understand when ecosystems are on the brink of irreparable loss and damage?</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-based-jobs-and-skills-action-plan-2021-2022">Scottish government</a> has highlighted the lack of a skilled workforce to implement nature-based solutions and argues that “nature literacy” must become a core skill for various professionals, from planners, engineers, architects and educators to farmers, foresters and fishers.</p>
<p>The problem is vast. Various other studies have documented falling plant literacy <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2103683118">worldwide</a>. While other studies have identified that plant content is often neglected in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00219266.2021.1920301?journalCode=rjbe20">textbooks</a> and students who are unable to recognise even <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/2/85">local plant species</a>. Our study revealed that the UK curriculum neglects plant ecology and how to identify species, with most of this education taking place at a rudimentary level in primary schools.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A student compares a plant's leaves with images in a textbook." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473894/original/file-20220713-9696-79saak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The UK education system is failing to equip students with the knowledge to identify plant species.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/identifying-leaves-research-japan-1505111552">Cassandra Lord/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reversing the decline in plant knowledge</h2>
<p>Reviving botanical education is possible by presenting students and the public with evidence of how plants can combat the challenges of the 21st century. An invested and knowledgeable public is one well-equipped to demand environmental policy reform. </p>
<p>Botanists can support this ambition, but ultimately, change needs to come from those who decide policy. This is why botanists must agitate to bring botany back into the classroom and beyond. </p>
<p>One thing we couldn’t fully convey in our paper is just how fascinating and exciting the plant kingdom is. In my experience as an educator, there is no student who cannot be reached. Stories about plants are woven into every society’s history, politics and culture. Plants are relevant to every person on the planet – most just don’t know it yet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186849/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sebastian Stroud receives funding from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). </span></em></p>Botany is disappearing from university modules in the UK.Sebastian Stroud, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Botany, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1803732022-04-19T10:43:53Z2022-04-19T10:43:53ZStudents with caring responsibilities face significant challenges – but universities are hindering rather than helping them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458158/original/file-20220414-14-u14lyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=37%2C0%2C6193%2C3502&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-woman-student-businesswoman-work-late-1458454520">BUNDITINAY/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Roughly 6% of the UK population <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2020-to-2021/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2020-to-2021">provide informal unpaid care</a>, and <a href="https://www.carersuk.org/images/Facts_about_Carers_2019.pdf">60% of people</a> in the UK will be carers at some point in their lives. This includes a number of people who are carers while <a href="https://carers.org/resources/all-resources/13-supporting-higher-education-students-with-caring-responsibilities">studying at university</a>.</p>
<p>Informal carers are those who have a commitment to providing unpaid support to someone who could not manage without their care. This could include preparing meals, personal care, giving medicine, helping with finances, and physical help.
The exact number of student carers in higher education <a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/the-doctoral-college/early-researcher-award-scheme-eras/eras-fellows-2016-17/dr-fiona-morgan/">is unknown</a>. Many <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22336476/">choose not to disclose</a> their caring responsibilities. Also, many universities do not have clear processes for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1515427?journalCode=cjfh20">identifying student carers</a>. This is further complicated by the fact that caring status can change throughout a student’s studies.</p>
<p>In 2015, the <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2015-12-17/20664">UK government acknowledged</a> that carers “face challenges participating in higher education, and they may require additional support to do so effectively”. However, unless universities are aware of students with caring responsibilities, they cannot provide support.</p>
<p>We have carried out a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603116.2021.1983880">review of research from around the world</a> on student carers’ experiences of university. Our review draws together findings on student carers and identifies the many challenges they face – as well as the limitations of the support universities offer.</p>
<h2>Clashing responsibilities</h2>
<p>Student carers reported several ways in which their caring responsibilities affected their experience of university study. Some said that caring affected <a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/the-doctoral-college/early-researcher-award-scheme-eras/eras-fellows-2016-17/dr-fiona-morgan/">their education</a>. This was partly due to time constraints, which sometimes meant they could not meet deadlines, complete work, or take part in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22336476/">face-to-face sessions</a>.</p>
<p>Time constraints also mean that some student carers miss out on wider opportunities at university, such as extracurricular activities and work experience. Other <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1515427">practical considerations</a> that affected carers’ study included the need to study near the person they were providing care for. Students built their study timetable around caring responsibilities and found it difficult to complete courses with placements.</p>
<p>We also found that caring responsibilities could negatively affect a student’s mental health. For example, research in Canada found that student carers have <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0145935X.2019.1614906?journalCode=wcys20">lower wellbeing</a> than those who do not have caring responsibilities. Student carers in the UK reported experiencing <a href="https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/learning-with-care-2013">mental health issues</a> such as stress, anxiety and low mood.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman helps older woman cross the road" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458159/original/file-20220414-22-yes4wi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caring responsibilities can affect students’ physical and mental health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-helping-her-elderly-grandmother-784926844">Africa Studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Caring responsibilities also affect a student’s physical health, such as experiencing <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22336476/">increased fatigue</a>. Research in Thailand found that student carers are more likely to develop <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186%2F1471-2458-12-1111">lower back pain</a> than those with no caring responsibilities.</p>
<p>In addition, the relationship between caring and studying is not one-way. Being a student has a negative effect on their <a href="https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/learning-with-care-2013">ability to provide care</a>.
The challenges experienced by student carers are not necessarily an inevitable result of their caring responsibilities. Instead, they can result from the inadequate support available to them.</p>
<h2>Financial struggles</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nus.org.uk/">National Union of Students</a> <a href="https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/learning-with-care-2013">reported</a> that two-thirds of student carers in the UK regularly worry about not being able to meet their living expenses.</p>
<p>Full-time students in higher education in the UK are not eligible to receive the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance">carer’s allowance</a> allocated to those who care for someone for over 35 hours a week. This is surprising, given that carers who begin university are unlikely to reduce the number of hours they spend caring. </p>
<p>Additionally, because of the time required to provide care, student carers are less likely to be in paid employment than students <a href="https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/learning-with-care-2013">without caring responsibilities</a>.</p>
<p>Research suggests that financial difficulties might be partially explained by a lack of <a href="https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/resources/learning-with-care-2013">accessible and accurate information</a> detailing the support available. The availability of support is meaningless if student carers don’t know it exists. Universities need to provide clear information specifying both the financial and practical support available to both prospective and current student carers.</p>
<p>Given that each student carer’s situation is unique, and applying for support can be time-consuming and complex, universities need to offer personalised guidance.</p>
<h2>Flexible support</h2>
<p>Universities can have inflexible rules and policies that do not match up with the needs of student carers. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603116.2019.1624843">These can include</a> compulsory full-time placement requirements on certain courses, sometimes away from home. Student carers are also hampered by bureaucratic, slow and impersonal administration processes to gain support, as well as inflexible timetables or study requirements. As a result, student carers reported <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22336476/">relying on friends and family</a>.</p>
<p>Universities should implement a flexible approach to student carer support. Such as being accommodating of reduced attendance due to care responsibilities, permitting timetable changes, and providing access to online learning materials and support.</p>
<p>University staff, such as lecturers, are important for identifying when student carers are struggling and for offering support. While some student carers report that they receive <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22336476/">academic and emotional support</a> from some university staff, all staff require training to understand the issues faced by student carers, and need <a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/the-doctoral-college/early-researcher-award-scheme-eras/eras-fellows-2016-17/dr-fiona-morgan/">access to information</a> and services that provide support.</p>
<p>Finally, none of this is possible without first identifying student carers. All universities need transparent procedures to ensure that student carers can disclose their carer status. In the UK, this could perhaps be modelled on the process for reporting disabilities, which are often reported <a href="https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/individual-needs/disabled-students/speaking-disability-support-team-or-mental-health-adviser">via a disability adviser</a>.</p>
<p>Student carers provide a vital source of support but are not always being supported themselves to provide care and complete their university education. It is time universities did more for them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180373/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Runacres works for Staffordshire University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:daniel.herron1@staffs.ac.uk">daniel.herron1@staffs.ac.uk</a> works for Staffordshire University</span></em></p>Students often built their timetables around their caring responsibilities.Jessica Runacres, Senior Lecturer in Research Practice, Staffordshire UniversityDaniel Herron, Lecturer in Psychology, Staffordshire UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1792532022-03-30T13:54:35Z2022-03-30T13:54:35ZStudent loans: would a graduate tax be a better option?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455227/original/file-20220330-6008-57focq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C25%2C4951%2C3707&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-family-budget-finances-payments-concept-582691015">WAYHOME studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK government has <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9348/">announced plans</a> to change the system of student loans in England, which will increase the amount of repayments collected from future graduates. </p>
<p><a href="https://ifs.org.uk/publications/9964">In 2017</a>, the Institute for Fiscal Studies expected only 55% of the government’s up-front spending on fees and maintenance loans to be repaid, with the rest to be contributed by taxpayers. This expected taxpayer contribution has since <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/quietly-the-rab-charge-is-reaching-worrying-levels/">got even bigger</a>.</p>
<p>The changes are intended to make it affordable for the government to maintain the current system in which students do not have to pay their fees up front and each student is eligible for a loan to cover part of their living costs. </p>
<hr>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Working to make a difference in the world but struggling to save for a home. Trying to live sustainably while dealing with mental health issues. For those of us in our twenties and thirties, these are the kinds of problems we deal with every day. <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series that explores those issues and comes up with solutions.</em></p>
<p><em>More articles:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-pensions-still-fail-to-support-staff-who-are-young-low-paid-and-part-time-176289?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Four ways pensions still fail to support staff who are young, low paid and part time</a></em></p>
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<p>But a time-limited “graduate tax”-style policy could achieve this same outcome while better addressing the preferences and concerns of students, causing less harm to lower and middle-income earning graduates, and enabling the language of “debt” and “loans” to be removed from the system.</p>
<h2>The current system</h2>
<p>The student loan system is complicated and poorly understood, even among current students who have <a href="https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/research/publications/547176">signed up to it</a>. Students leave university in debt: the <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01079/">average debt</a> for those who finished their degree in 2020 in England was £45,000. </p>
<p>The exact amount depends on how many years of tuition fees were paid for them, and how much money they borrowed to live on. Those from lower-income households are allowed – and often need – to borrow more. This means they graduate with more debt. </p>
<p>This debt can continue to increase as interest is added to the outstanding balance each year. But repayments are dependent on income. Currently, graduates with earnings below £27,295 are not expected to make any repayments. Those with higher earnings are required to pay a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/what-you-pay">fixed proportion – 9% – of their earnings</a> above that threshold. This means that repayment amounts are linked to salary, in a similar way to how income tax is calculated. Graduates’ outstanding debts are currently <a href="https://www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan/when-your-student-loan-gets-written-off-or-cancelled">written off after 30 years</a>. </p>
<p>The government intends to lower the earning threshold for repayments to £25,000, extend the period of loan repayment to 40 years, and reduce the maximum interest rate on student loans <a href="https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/02/student-finance-loans-changes-education/">for new students starting in the 2023-24 academic year</a>. </p>
<p>Students starting in autumn 2022, current students and those who have already graduated will not be subject to these changes, but are likely to face higher payments in future, due to another change in the way the repayment threshold will be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/02/student-loan-changes-hit-lower-earners-harder-than-first-thought-ifs">updated over time</a>.</p>
<h2>What do students want?</h2>
<p>Back in 2018, when the government first launched the review of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-launches-major-review-of-post-18-education">post-18 education and funding</a> that has resulted in these changes, my colleagues and I at the University of Essex surveyed more than 600 final-year students. We aimed to inform the review by collecting evidence on students’ understanding of the system, and what trade-offs they would be willing to accept if the system were to change in a way that <a href="https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/files/misoc/reports/explainers/student-fees-preferences-explainer.pdf">did not alter taxpayer contributions</a>. </p>
<p>In our calculations, we kept the overall taxpayer contribution the same, but presented options which provided more or less support for living costs, or required higher or lower repayments for different groups of students and graduates. We can use this research to look at how well the government’s new changes match with student preferences. </p>
<p>The first proposed change is the lowering of the repayment threshold. This means that future graduates earning between £25,000 and £27,295 will in future make some student loan repayments. Currently they pay nothing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students in lecture theatre" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455228/original/file-20220330-5562-1oxmbjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Under the current system, the amount of debt a graduate has can be linked to their parental income.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/college-students-listening-university-lecture-15566293">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our research shows this change would be very unwelcome to students. They would be prepared to accept a higher total debt and higher total repayments in return for a higher repayment threshold that would protect disposable income when their earnings are low.</p>
<p>The second major change is that future graduates will wait 40 years before their outstanding debt is written off. The proposed change will have no impact on high earners who will complete repayments within 30 years, nor on very low earners who will still be on salaries below the repayment threshold in 30 years’ time. However, it will increase repayments for low and middle income-earners, who will have salaries above the repayment threshold in 30 years’ time.</p>
<p>The final major change is that the maximum interest rate on student loans will be set at the rate of Retail Price Index inflation (rather than inflation + 3%). This means that debts can no longer get bigger in real terms after graduation. Our research shows this change will be welcome for students, for whom the psychological burden of growing debt is important. </p>
<p>But it will only reduce the actual amount repaid among relatively high-earning graduates, who in any case would complete their repayments before the debt is written off. It will make no practical difference to low and middle-income earners who will pay the same amount in real terms for 40 years.</p>
<p>In sum, the changes mean the highest earners will contribute less and middle and lower earners all contribute more – in total and sooner after they graduate. </p>
<h2>A graduate tax</h2>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/research/publications/547176">2018 conclusions</a> we proposed a plan that could collect the same amount of money but align much better with students’ preferences. We called it a “time-limited and income-linked graduate contribution”. It involved all graduates paying a fixed percentage of their income above a threshold (which would be set higher, in real terms, than today’s) for a fixed period of time. This would reduce the repayment burden of lower earners, and raise it among higher earners. </p>
<p>This system would look a lot like a “graduate tax”, which the 2018 review was not allowed to recommend. </p>
<p>A formal switch to a graduate tax would have the advantage of enabling the terms “debt” and “loan” to be dropped from the system. What’s more, students’ future obligations at the time of graduation would depend only on their future earnings and not their parents’ income.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179253/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angus Holford received funding for the work cited in this article from the University of Essex and the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/M008622/1). This work has also been supported by MiSoC, the ESRC-funded Centre for Micro Social Change (ES/S012486/1). No statements expressed here are the opinion or policy of the University of Essex or the Economic and Social Research Council. Angus Holford is a member of the Labour Party but is writing in a personal capacity.</span></em></p>A graduate tax would remove the language of debt from the system.Angus Holford, Research Fellow in the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1746522022-03-07T15:59:10Z2022-03-07T15:59:10ZUniversities after COVID: as lecture theatres reopen, some pandemic teaching methods should live on<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449808/original/file-20220303-8354-1rzhgss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6182%2C4124&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-explaining-lesson-video-call-while-1667783014">Rido/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 restrictions required universities to move their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01587919.2020.1869529">classes online</a>. It was a tremendous – <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030">although difficult</a> – learning experience for all involved in this shift. </p>
<p>As restrictions have been lifted, universities are <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/universities-no-excuse-teaching-face-to-face-masks-nadhim-zahawi-l2zgntz5b">moving back</a> to in-person teaching. With campuses getting busy again, it may look like nothing has changed. Universities would be wise, though, to reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic. They should capitalise on knowledge gained from their online learning experience.</p>
<p>At the beginning of the pandemic in particular, <a href="https://www.tonybates.ca/2021/12/10/a-review-of-online-learning-in-2021/">the learning curve</a> for adapting teaching was steep. Lecturers learned to record lecture videos, create learning resources, organise online classrooms, and set up live sessions. Many moved their classes online in a matter of a week or two. They learned to teach online by actively doing so. </p>
<p>After the initial chaos, universities <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-have-invested-in-online-learning-and-it-can-provide-students-with-value-for-money-147061">started to offer</a> more systematic support. Digital learning support teams were set up, training programmes on online learning were provided, and online learning technologies and resources were made available. <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/10/06/covid-era-experience-strengthens-faculty-belief-value-online">Lecturers’ confidence</a> in teaching online grew quickly and their perception of online learning improved substantially. </p>
<p>This support for change should remain as part of the culture of higher education. Universities should continue to encourage and help lecturers to be creative and flexible in how they design their courses and interact with their students.</p>
<h2>Compassionate teaching</h2>
<p>Teaching and learning may have continued online when campuses closed due to lockdowns, but both <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-11040-z">lecturers and students</a> experienced <a href="https://www.upbeacon.com/article/2020/10/zoom-fatigue-and-all-nighters-online-learning-takes-a-toll-on-students-mental-health">isolation and disconnection</a>. The absence of classroom interactions and instant feedback made the importance of the social elements of university teaching clear. </p>
<p>Lecturers put additional time and effort into <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2021.1978401">connecting and communicating</a> with their students, creating more personal and caring relationships with them than ever. They may have organised informal Zoom sessions to check in on students, and kept communication channels such as Chat on Teams open for questions. Solidarity and sympathy emerged between lecturers and students as they experienced the global crisis together. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman waving to computer screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450354/original/file-20220307-84591-bhyiak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lecturers may have set up informal office hours with students online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-tutor-language-start-online-lesson-1687244926">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the same time, lecturers reported <a href="https://jime.open.ac.uk/articles/10.5334/jime.647/">increased teaching hours</a> and feelings of stress. As classroom interactions return, the same level of commitment from lecturers towards online interaction will not be needed. Nevertheless, this compassionate approach to teaching as well as solidarity between lecturers and students should be continuously valued and nurtured in university teaching, whether online or offline. </p>
<h2>Flexibility</h2>
<p>During the pandemic, lecturers quickly realised that it is difficult to keep students focused online. They tried different strategies to <a href="https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv:88358">improve student engagement</a> and motivation. <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-14-simple-tips-for-better-online-teaching-133573">One way</a> they did this was to divide teaching into <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1749772821000129">multiple small learning activities</a>, such as mini-lectures, group discussions, class polls and pop-up quizzes.</p>
<p>This can also be applied to <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/lectures-arent-just-boring-theyre-ineffective-too-study-finds">in-person teaching</a>. Students still find it challenging to remain focused during two-hour-long lectures when lecturers fail to engage them throughout. </p>
<p>Before the pandemic, it was rare to find lecturers teaching without any technology – most lectures included PowerPoint slides at least. However, the new skills learned during the pandemic mean that lecturers are now much better equipped to offer learning enhanced by the <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/educational-research/research/centre-for-technology-enhanced-learning/">use of technology</a>. Lecture theatres can be seen as <a href="https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/hybrid-teaching#/">“hybrid” learning</a> spaces where offline and online activities can be interwoven. Students can move in and out of offline and online spaces, remaining focused on the lecture. </p>
<p>Lecturers can also preserve other elements that worked well in their pandemic teaching practice. Courses can be designed in a <a href="https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/blended-learning-three-things-stop-improve-and-start">blended learning format</a> that provides students with online learning activities for before and after lectures. Certain elements of the module, such as tutorials, could be moved online to increase the flexibility of student learning. </p>
<p>However, it is critical to remember that blended-learning design often <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27667839/">increases lecturers’ workloads</a>. Lecturers should therefore have the autonomy to change their module design to some extent. The worst possible scenario would be for universities to introduce an institution-wide blended learning format or template – increasing workload but not quality. </p>
<h2>Understanding inequality</h2>
<p>The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that students and their learning and living conditions outside lecture theatres are diverse and unequal, prompting many conversations about <a href="https://www.publictechnology.net/articles/news/jisc-identifies-digital-divide-among-university-students">educational and digital inequality</a>. This increased sensitivity about students’ different needs should be retained after the pandemic. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/new-norms-higher-education-can-help-disabled-students-longterm">Making learning accessible</a> to all students needs to be an essential principle in university teaching. Online learning can help with this <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-online-university-learning-can-be-better-than-face-to-face-teaching-139127">by removing</a> a range of physical restrictions that may stop students from participating in face-to-face teaching. </p>
<p>Although the pandemic has been traumatic and some may think that online learning during COVID-19 was <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.13211">not good enough</a>, universities have undoubtedly learned invaluable lessons. It would be a pity to lose them and simply step backwards to pre-pandemic practice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174652/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kyungmee Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The solidarity that emerged between lecturers and students should be preserved.Kyungmee Lee, Senior Lecturer in Technology Enhanced Learning, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.