Think by NUS Wales

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Think How can we change education in Wales for the better?

Introduction What is Imagine Education?

The Commission

Education for people after the age of 16 in Wales needs help. We think students in our nation get a better deal than those across the border in England. But we want them to get an even better deal. That’s why we’re leading this long-term piece of work to Imagine Education.

Imagine what education for people after the age of 16 could look like in Wales. That’s exactly what our student-led commission is doing.

Imagine Education aims to change the parameters of dialogue, debate and discussion on this issue. We want to influence the upcoming elections for European, UK and Welsh politicians in a way that places innovation firmly on the agenda. To do this, we need a coalition of partners. And, we need to identify the parts of post-16 education that need changing, which is what our the Imagine Education Commission is currently doing.

The Imagine Education Commission is investigating what challenges stand in the way of progress and what potential solutions can bring a radical reform to post-16 education in Wales. The Commission will run from December 2012 to June 2013. Any student attending an NUS Wales member institution can participate in the Commission at any point. NUS Wales President Stephanie Lloyd chairs the Commission. Find out how to get involved on page 18.

Imagine Education www.nusconnect.org.uk/imagineeducation NUS Wales, 2nd floor, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FL t. 02920435390 @nuswales

e. office@nus-wales.org.uk www.facebook.com/nuscymru

Contents PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES The debate around post-16 education in Wales has been stuck in a rut of price tags and mergers. But there are bigger questions. And a better system can be had. Stephanie Lloyd, NUS Wales President

THE DOORS ARE OPEN, BUT HAS ANYTHING CHANGED? Wales has made great strides in widening access to higher education. But the structures of the system remain largely the same. Hannah Pudner, NUS Wales Director

A WALES WHERE EDUCATION IS OPEN While our nation is attempting to change education, we must move past a fear of failure to realise our imaginings. Professor John Hughes, Chair of Higher Education Wales

EDUCATION IS A FUTURE BUSINESS Wales must invest in education to yield the change it needs to see its people grow and thrive. That means stepping out of the reactive short-term. Simon Horrocks, Assistant Director (Development, Learning and Teaching) at The Open University in Wales

ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN STUDENTS Students deserve a safe place to study. Universities and colleges are waking up – and signing up to ridding their campuses of sexual violence, harassment and stalking. Rhiannon Hedge, NUS Wales Women’s Officer

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION Students should expect to have more flexibility and autonomy in the future. But the institutions – as well as the students – need to press harder for this to become a reality. Dr Helena Lim, Assistant Director for Wales and Northern Ireland at Higher Education Academy

All opinions are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the organisations they represent.

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THINK | MARCH 2013

Pushing the Boundaries The debate around post-16 education in Wales has been stuck in a rut of price tags and mergers. But there are bigger questions. And a better system can be had.

Stephanie Lloyd, NUS Wales President hould universities merge or not? Should we charge students £3,000, £6,000 or £9,000 for their first full-time undergraduate degree?

These are the debates that have clogged up mainstream media in Wales on education for the past two years.

right through to PhD study. We are trapped in seeing education as only a linear process. Our preoccupation with the ‘academic’ does us a disservice overall. Not only does it most advantage the most advantaged in society, but it devalues the wider value of education, especially the important areas of vocational skills training.

We have governments that still will only tinker around the edges of policy with a narrow five or four year electoral cycle focus. We have categories for every type of student, for every type of provision and every type of institutions – each loaded with prestige and value, or otherwise. Higher education vs. further education, colleges vs. universities, traditional vs. modern, academic vs. vocational, research vs. teaching, formal vs. informal. The list goes on and on. These divisions are arbitrary and out dated, and create artificial barriers that disenfranchise and marginalise students at every level. We have pre-determined paths and barriers at every step from primary school onwards – unforgiving of mistakes and unforgiving of the undecided.

HE and FE – a post compulsory education system Indeed, our system is based on one that values one particular route of study over all others – the academic journey from A-level to undergraduate,

Imagine an education system where the divide between HE and FE no longer exists.

Imagine an education system where the divide between HE and FE no longer exists. Where you could be simultaneously study an engineering apprenticeship in a college and also a module in history. Where the student parent can dip in and out of a degree, studying on a truly flexible basis and not constrained by a three year full-time model. Where highly demanding and relevant skills-based courses are given the equivalent prestige as academic study. Where higher education leads to further education, and not just the other way around.

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For this vision of education to work there are areas of our education system that would need to be transformed.

This is an education system that is about a journey, where the majority of society is invested and participating in throughout their life. This is an education system that we can start to call universal. What we need to talk about is education from postcompulsory level onwards, including courses studied at both further education colleges and universities, from degrees to diplomas to A-levels. Postcompulsory is more than just a technical term. It is about making it our idea of education: what we want from education as a whole; what should it mean to people, wider society and the economy; and how should people engage with it. For this vision of education to work there are areas of our education system that would need to be transformed, and in Wales I am convinced we could and should make this vision a reality.

Student Funding Something that would no longer make sense in a post-compulsory more holistic style of education is our current funding model for students – not the headline figures about fees but the money students can actually access to live whilst they study. This system would no longer make sense because such a large proportion of this money only goes to one level of student – the full-time undergraduate. With rising costs of living and stagnant loans and grants, how are we expecting to truly open education up in a universal way? When an adult is returning to education to re-skill, how is it acceptable that they

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can’t access public money to support themselves? This is not about pitching one set of students against another. Instead we need to work together to come up with a solution for student funding that makes every level of education accessible financially.

Public Value This vision will never work if we don’t start winning the arguments of the public value of education, with politicians, the sector and the public. Education can be truly transformational, with an aging population, with new economies developing. We will destroy the power of education if we continue to see universities and colleges as just businesses that need to satisfy a consumer. Investing in education is investing in people’s futures and providing them with a second chance. Education could be about not only transforming people but transforming communities. Why do we still keep knowledge and privilege trapped inside the gates of university and college campuses? Why does learning always have to be a lecture theatre? Why can’t adults learn in schools? Why does it always have to be the old teaching the young? We are starting to talk about an education system that everyone can believe in, where education goes back to being a social good for wider society and the communities that we live in and shape. Join us in our journey to imagine a better education system for Wales.

Investing in education is investing in people’s futures and providing them with a second chance.

THINK | MARCH 2013

The doors are open, but has anything changed? Wales has made great strides in widening access to higher education. But the structures of the system remain largely the same.

Hannah Pudner, NUS Wales Director he history of the British higher education system is one based on limited access for an elite minority. In 1938, only 2% of the population attended university. The vast majority of these were from the upper classes, and of this, only a fraction were women. Participation rates are much higher in modern times, around 40% of the population stay on in education after age 18. The remnants of this original elite model still remain in current participation patterns.

While absolute student numbers may have increased in the past 100 years, diversifying the types of people who access education has had more muted success. Proportional enrolment of all social classes in universities has not happened, and ethnic minority groups, disabled groups and those emerging from our local authority care systems remain marginalised. These groups aren’t just less likely to access education, their disadvantage continues after enrolment and throughout study: they are significantly less likely to be accepted to more prestigious institutions; less likely to study at a higher qualification level; less likely to attain higher classifications on graduation in proportional numbers or subsequently enter into the highest paid jobs.

So what is Wales doing about this? There have been attempts in Wales – and England – to address inequality of opportunity. Many millions of

pounds have been spent doing so. Widening access initiatives in the form of grants and premiums to offset poverty have been established in the sector by government and the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW). Reaching Wider was established in Wales in 2002, an initiative designed on a regional basis to reach out to under-represented groups – those from Communities First areas, black and ethnic minority students, disabled students and students studying through the medium of Welsh. By introducing potential students to the higher education system, the aim is to familiarise them with it, ultimately lifting their aspirations and confidence to make an application. Another key lever for participation should be that the Welsh Government expects universities to spend a proportion of the money they receive from tuition fees (up to £9000 in Wales since 2012) on activities designed to encourage enrolment and retention of students from poorer backgrounds.

What has been the impact? Success has been varied, and in parts incredibly successful. In Wales, most minority ethnic groups are now proportionately represented and participation by people from areas of high relative poverty has certainly increased. However, what we have not seen is any fundamental change to the broad patterns of participation and enrolment by the most disadvantaged social groups.

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But why should we expect such fundamental changes, when we sought no fundamental change from the education system itself?

'The doors are open but nothing has changed' – Burke (2002) This sums up largely where we are right now. While I applaud the volume of widening access work underway, and have indeed been involved in it myself during the course of my professional life, I must question how we can expect these activities to address inequality and exclusion when it is delivered by institutions that have historically been based on, and evolved from, such inequalities and exclusion. The current approach expects, even demands, that the non-traditional student adapts to fit in with the middle-class ideal of university education, rather than requiring higher education structures to be radically rethought and the very structures of the system redesigned. Change must not be tokenistic. If our education system disadvantages particular groups of the population, should we not demand the system changes so this is no longer the case? I would argue that some of our current approaches place too much emphasis on the individual student and their actions and decisions; and that only real and meaningful change can come from questioning the fundamental design of the system that shores up structural inequalities.

So… What do I mean by this? Well radical change is never easy. How do we make an education system that supports all that are capable of benefitting from it, that is free from structural class and racial prejudices? Louise Archer, an established writer in this area, wrote in 2002 that we should base our education on an “emancipatory model”, and I’m inclined to agree.

For many of these students, past and present, their choice was not simply part-time or full-time study, but part-time or no study.

within the ivory tower of the institution, but dispersed amongst communities. This could happen. We know this because in some instances it already does. Look at the DOVE community education centre in the Dulais Valley, or the University of the Heads of the Valleys (UHOVI) for examples of how universities can reach out to new places and to new people with great success. Indeed, within universities the traditional model of provision can be reworked to truly reach out to the wider population. Swansea University’s Adult Education Department and its part-time Humanities BA degree and Open University ‘Openings’ programmes are just two examples. Both schemes have open entry – meaning no prior qualifications are needed. This policy enables non-traditional students to enter education, and to succeed in education. For many of these students, past and present, their choice was not simply part-time or full-time study, but part-time or no study. Yet part-time study is on the decline and adult education departments are under threat. We need to stem this tide and demand a radical rethink of how we deliver university education. Only by doing this can we build a higher education system that can be used by everyone who can benefit from it. That would be social justice. And that can be Wales.

In this scenario, education would be democratic, based on flexible principles. Knowledge would not be held

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THINK | MARCH 2013

A Wales where education is open While our nation is attempting to change education, we must move past a fear of failure to realise our imaginings.

Professor John Hughes, Chair of Higher Education Wales efore we can imagine what education might look like in the future, we must consider what education is, and what it is for. Various dictionary definitions include the phrases “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction”, “an enlightening experience”, and “acquiring knowledge”.

Rhetoric in recent history has focused on the benefits of a higher education experience to get ahead in the job market, but higher education cannot and should not only be a production line, creating job-ready graduates. Employability skills are of course important, but higher education is so much more than that.

Education is about personal development, satisfying our human desire for learning and knowledge acquisition, solving society’s grand challenges and allowing us to contribute to the diverse and culturally rich communities in which we live. The range of learners seeking to access higher education is ever diversifying. There is no such thing as a ‘typical student’ anymore. Students are, and will continue, to seek a range of different modes, places and paces of study. Because of this, I believe that education for people after the age of 16 in Wales

must be: flexible, accessible, responsive, open and diverse. In the future, universities in Wales must continue to expand their offer of different models of part time learning to meet students’ diverse needs: this may include courses taking place in partnership with further education colleges, at an employer’s premises, or electronically, both on and offline. Imagine if there were no barriers to study – a world where all students had the confidence to pursue their chosen course for no other reason than a keen interest and desire to expand their minds. A world where students’ prior learning experiences can be recognised and certificated so barriers to traditional admissions requirements disappear, and where students can receive appropriate financial support and can access learning when they have time – away from work or family obligations. Imagine a world where learning and teaching timetables are so flexible that they suit both students and staff, enabling both parties to participate fully. We are working towards some of these in Wales but there remain huge challenges. Higher education is no longer something you necessarily do in your country of birth. In 2011, there were 3.7 million internationally mobile students. Wales is already a very attractive nation to both students and tourists. It offers a unique, vibrant culture steeped in history, a bilingual nation,

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spectacular countryside and coastal areas, and is an innovative leader in sustainable technologies. Why would we be putting barriers up that seemingly prevent international students choosing to come to the UK? We must continue to work towards breaking down the barriers, whether those are real or just perceived, so that Wales is seen as open and welcoming to those students and staff that bring a rich diversity to our universities and communities. This openness and mobility of course, works both ways. Students in Wales must be supported to be internationally mobile. This may be through physically re-locating to another country, or through increased online participation with international peers – to demonstrate their global mind-set, develop their foreign language skills, and progress their international cultural awareness, all of which can benefit our communities and the economy of Wales. Imagine if there were no barriers to international student mobility. We would have a world where students could easily participate in industrial placements or work experience abroad. Where students could do an intensive language course overseas. Where students could take part in a recognised volunteering project working with international partners and bring those experiences back to the neighbourhoods where they study, live and work. Since 2000, there is a growing evidence base that higher education courses delivered online can be of the highest calibre. We have witnessed a great shift in social interaction from face to face to online avatar-toavatar interaction, facilitated in some circumstances, by social networking sites. Discussing and sharing educational resources online is no longer a leap of the imagination. Universities are not considering whether to engage with online learning, but are considering how. Imagine if Wales became an ‘open education’ nation, where all university staff and students engage in the production, circulation and adaptation of learning, teaching and research materials (known as ‘Open Educational Resources’, or OER). Further, imagine if this was taking place in an environment where the

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culture was for staff and students to proactively use these resources to enhance the quality of education in Wales, and develop innovative educational environments. A focus on the latter, an open education culture, will lead to the development of open educational resources and create an atmosphere where open education practice can flourish. Imagine this open education culture in Wales where bridges develop between informal and formal learning, providing students the opportunity to move in and out of formal learning throughout their lives. Imagine a world where these resources and practices provide an even richer source of learning materials, empowering learners to contribute their knowledge and experience to the learning process – students as partners in practice, as co-creators of materials.

Sometimes we have to think big and foster creative and unconventional ideas if we are to turn our imaginings into reality.

Some of these things we are already attempting to do in Wales; others will require a big shift in attitudes, approaches and mind-sets. If we are to effect a change in the way that higher education is delivered and received in Wales, we first have to work on those explicit and implicit attitudes, not only of students and staff, but of the wider world. Social norms can have a strong influence on what we do, and fear of failure often determines the route we take. Sometimes we have to think big and foster creative and unconventional ideas if we are to turn our imaginings into reality.

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Education is a future business Wales must invest in education to yield the change it needs to see its people grow and thrive. That means stepping out of the reactive short-term.

Simon Horrocks, Assistant Director (Development, Learning and Teaching) at The Open University in Wales hen we think about the future of post-16 education in Wales, it is important that we remember the basics. Education is, by its very nature, a future business. By that, I mean that investment in education is probably the most significant investment any society can make. It is an investment which will have a fundamental influence on the future of individuals, communities and the nation itself.

It is heartening, then, to see NUS Wales leading the way and challenging us all to imagine what education could be like, or maybe should be like, in Wales in years to come.

All too often, those who have a real say in the future of education look to the short-term or medium-term at best. This is inevitable to an extent because of funding pressures and, some might argue, the need to respond to the latest policy directives in further or higher education â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and there have been plenty of those in recent times.

But it only can be a good thing for us all to raise our heads a little and have some genuine vision for post16 education in Wales for future decades.

High-level skills attainment in Wales is below the national average, and like most places in the developed world the population is getting older.

In some ways, Wales is starting from a strong position. Devolution brings with it a large degree of autonomy. The size of the post-16 sector means that colleges and universities can get round the table in a very literal sense. There are significant challenges to address, however: high-level skills attainment in Wales is below the national average, for example, and like most places in the developed world the population is getting older. These, and other factors,

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mean that existing models of education provision need to adapt, maybe radically in some cases, if post-16 education in Wales is going to be fit for purpose as the twenty-first century progresses. Having worked in Welsh higher education for nearly 20 years, it sometimes feels a bit like universities are expected to be all things to all people. Offering students an inspiring and useful learning experience – even where this is the case – is not enough, apparently. In addition, we have to produce worldclass research and support economic development. These are all good targets, of course, but the strength of Welsh universities lies in their distinctiveness. It would be a shame if this strength is diminished over time by the expectation that all institutions need to meet more or less the same targets.

One thing is clear: the world around us is changing at such a pace that we shouldn’t assume that what works for Welsh students now will work for students in 10 years, let alone 50 years. There are fundamental questions that the post-16 education sector needs to address. These include the qualifications we offer and the time in which students are expected to complete those qualifications. (Arguably, flexibility is the key here.) If that wasn’t enough, we need to look at the whole process of learning itself and ask ourselves if current models are appropriate to prepare students for the world of tomorrow. Other contributors to Imagine Education explore key questions in more detail. One thing I would say is we must avoid becoming too inward-looking. Seeking a distinctively national solution or identity for post-16 education in Wales must not lead to parochialism or disregard for what is going on elsewhere in the world of education (and I don’t just mean over the Severn

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Bridge). There are things we can learn from all over the world, and sometimes that means looking beyond those places which seem to wield the greatest power in educational development and shout loudest about their latest innovations.

Welsh students will also benefit enormously from rubbing shoulders or engaging online with their peers from around the world.

For sure, we should explore the value of massive open online courses (MOOCs), but let’s be realistic; there aren’t too many institutions in Wales that will be able to replicate the model established by the likes of MIT and Stanford. It might be more profitable to ask how a country like New Zealand has achieved such impressive figures in high-level skills attainment. Welsh students will also benefit enormously from rubbing shoulders or engaging online with their peers from around the world. To ensure this happens, Wales will need to have something attractive to offer in what is an increasingly competitive global education marketplace. So, with the help of NUS Wales and other contributors to Imagine Education, let’s keep reminding ourselves that education is a future business. Let’s be ambitious. Let’s use our imagination. But, above all, let’s do what we can together to turn ambitions into reality. We’re not just talking about the future of Welsh post-16 education here; we’re talking about the future of Wales itself.

THINK | MARCH 2013

Ending violence against women students Students deserve a safe place to study. Universities and colleges are waking up – and signing up to ridding their campuses of sexual violence, harassment and stalking.

Rhiannon Hedge, NUS Wales Women’s Officer n 2010, the NUS Women’s Campaign published the Hidden Marks report – the first nationwide research looking into women students’ experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault.

The Hidden Marks report showed that 68% of women students have experienced sexual harassment whilst at university or college, and a further 1 in 7 have experienced serious physical or sexual assault.

The Hidden Marks report showed that 68% of women students have experienced sexual harassment whilst at university or college, and a further 1 in 7 have experienced serious physical or sexual assault. It also demonstrated that a culture of acceptability has developed around sexual harassment. Often, universities, colleges and student unions had no idea how to tackle this.

Reporting levels were chronically low across all categories explored in the research. Among victims, the most common reason for not reporting serious sexual assault was that the victim felt ashamed or embarrassed; 43% also thought they would be blamed for what happened and a third thought they wouldn’t be believed. The survey also received several comments from respondents who were unsure whether or not what had happened to them would constitute as a crime, even though they had clearly been unable to consent or had refused consent. In the time I’ve spent as the NUS Wales Women’s Officer talking to students and officers across Wales, I’ve lost count of the number of horror stories that every campus holds.

From the smallest comment to the most serious crimes, the inequalities and injustices that are woven into women’s lives are as prevalent on our university and college campuses as they are anywhere else.

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We talk about our centres of learning as though they’re a place where we can create an ideal world

The aim of our project this year was to take this important work one step further, and build on the

and environment that nurtures talent and promotes

Hidden Marks report’s second key recommendation.

the needs and rights of students. If there’s anywhere where we need this to be more than rhetoric, it’s in

This focuses on the need to establish institution-wide policies that tackle violence against women students.

the liberation campaigns. Institutions have a crucial role to play in making it clear to their students that

Such a cross-institutional policy would develop numerous ways in which institutions and students’

violence and harassment against women students will not be tolerated, and many of them continue to

unions across Wales can work together to prevent further violence and harassment, to ensure that all

fall short on this.

students access the support services they need should they become victims, and to encourage reporting.

A campus environment that challenges and tackles sexual harassment is also an environment in which victims of more serious crimes of sexual violence will feel more able to come forward.

The Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment project from the NUS Women’s Campaign has transformed the culture of student unions’ and their bars and clubs. This has created a space in which women students no longer have to see sexual harassment as an inevitable aspect of any night out. A key principle underpinning this work has always been that a campus environment that challenges and tackles sexual harassment is also an environment in which victims of more serious crimes of sexual violence will feel more able to come forward. Thanks to a £25,000 grant from the Welsh Government, and three years on from the call to action Hidden Marks gave us, Wales have been leading the way on the battle to stop endemic levels of harassment, stalking and sexual violence against students.

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Importantly the policy would show how institutions would work with relevant agencies to ensure that students can access services, report harassment and assault and set out exactly how the institution would deal with violence committed by another student.

The approach would set out how the institution and students’ union will develop and implement activities to change attitudes and raise awareness of the violence women face. It would also enable students and staff to recognise and effectively deal with harassment against students. It would explore the use of peer support and help make sure campus security is suitable to help students feel safe. Importantly the policy would show how institutions would work with relevant agencies to ensure that students can access services, report harassment and assault and set out exactly how the institution would deal with violence committed by another student.

Institutions should be expected to effectively communicate their policy and strategy on sexual harassment, sexual violence and stalking in a way that is aimed at preventing perpetrators, not blaming victims.

Our recommendations for institutions on tackling these issues include the following: • All universities and further education colleges/institutions in Wales should have a strategy for protecting their students and staff from sexual harassment, violence and stalking. This should cover all students, but have a central recognition that this is a gendered problem and appropriate steps taken to address this element. • Students and students’ unions are part of the solution to these issues, and should be partners in the development of such strategies. • Such cross institutional strategies need to encompass: • All disciplinary processes across all departments • Any events or activities associated with the institution, on or off campus • Accommodation – for instance all tenants should sign a code of conduct agreement that covers sexual harassment and stalking as well as violence

• Institutions should conduct a review of the physical environment of their campus and how well it assures the safety of their students, particularly around accommodation security. • All policies and processes should be victim centred, for instance: • It should not be unnecessarily difficult for a student to move to different accommodation if they have been a victim of intimidating or violent behaviour. • The application of policies should make the victims feel assured that they are being taken seriously. • Institutions should be expected to effectively communicate their policy and strategy on sexual harassment, sexual violence and stalking in a way that is aimed at preventing perpetrators, not blaming victims. This information should be available in student handbooks, on the website, in welcome packs etc. They should also produce information to clearly signpost students to external services such as Sexual assault referral centres centres and the All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence helpline.

Our vision for a nation of universities and colleges that hold a core principle of tackling sexual harassment, stalking and sexual violence is not an impossible one, and many institutions are already fully on board. It’s not just something I like to imagine; it’s the future I know we will secure.

• Information sharing across departments – so that patterns of behaviour and repeat offenders can be identified in a timely manner

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Partners in education Students should expect to have more flexibility and autonomy in the future. But the institutions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as the students â&#x20AC;&#x201C; need to press harder for this to become a reality.

Dr Helena Lim, Assistant Director for Wales and Northern Ireland at Higher Education Academy elsh higher education institutions are currently working closely with the Higher Education Academy (HEA) on a major enhancement project Future Directions for Higher Education in Wales. This project aims to enhance specific areas of the student learning experience through encouraging staff and students collectively to share current good practice and to generate ideas and models for innovation in learning and teaching.

The current enhancement theme, Graduates for our Future has its three work strands: students as partners; learning for employment; and learning in employment. Through this work it is hoped that the Welsh higher education sector will embark on a sustained enhancement journey which will lead to significant positive change in the nature and delivery of higher education in Wales in the following ways: students as partners; technology-enhanced learning; flexible and accessible learning; and HE and FE partnerships.

Students as partners The ambition is to go beyond informing and consulting students on the quality of their educational experience. Instead, involve them more directly in decision-making on major strategic initiatives. A key challenge in this is to engage the whole student body in this process. Staff and studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; unions are developing ways of ensuring they hear the voice of

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Recently, the HEA organised a conference bringing together key staff and student representatives to explore how students could be more involved with decision-making.

the silent majority. Recently, the HEA organised a conference bringing together key staff and student representatives to explore how students could be more involved with decision-making. This is an example of how students can contribute to strategic developments if they are given an opportunity to help shape and influence the next round of learning and teaching strategies in Welsh universities. The HEA will be encouraging such an approach when the next round of strategies is developed in 2014. Another major aspiration is to produce students and graduates that are autonomous, self-reflective learners with skills and knowledge that enhance their employability. The two Future Directions employment

work strands are focused on exploring innovative approaches to learning for employment and learning for those in employment and studying part-time. A key aspect of the approach encourages students to take greater control of their learning. Typically a student in the early part of their studies is provided with the skills to carry out their own research and investigations. By introducing research-based learning at an early stage, students will be better equipped to become the independent and selfreflective learners that employers are seeking. This approach also will allow students to have a greater input into the design of programmes and, more controversially, assessment. Involving students to a greater degree in the design of assessment may address the perennial problem thrown up in the NSS of lower satisfaction scores for assessment and feedback.

By introducing researchbased learning at an early stage, students will be better equipped to become the independent and selfreflective learners that employers are seeking.

Technology-enhanced learning In recent years, institutions, supported by the HEA through the Gwella project, have invested heavily in establishing technologies to support learning beyond the classroom. Amongst the recent developments are providing learning materials for smart phones and tablets, e-submission of all coursework, the use of

social networking for discussion of assignments and tasks, the development of personalised learning environments based on virtual learning platforms, and the promotion of video and podcast resources. Increasingly students entering higher education have a high level of digital literacy, often greater than that of staff within institutions. This may present an opportunity for greater staff and student collaboration with students contributing to staff development initiatives in digital literacy.

Flexible and accessible learning To take full advantage of the technological advances mentioned above institutions are providing more flexible programmes of study, accessible to students studying on campus, or in the workplace, or at home or in a community centre. Programmes may incorporate either learning for employment, such as in a work placement, or learning in employment involving, for example, a company in-house training programme accredited by a university. In this way the employee can gain credit for learning in the context of their work. With growing competition in the HE sector from private providers, market forces may compel public HE institutions to provide more flexible and accessible learning.

Higher and further education partnerships Since 2002, four Reaching Wider regional partnerships of universities and FE colleges have been promoting entry into HE through specific FE-HE pathways, or through links to the national 14-19 pathways. A further impetus for greater HE and FE partnership has come through the introduction of foundation degrees in 2011. This ever increasing collaboration between the HE and FE sectors raises the possibility, already recognised by NUS Wales, of the two sectors merging.

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The small size of Wales is an advantage in forging such a merger between HE and FE, which would open up better opportunities for better transition of studies. The student in 2020 So what does all this mean for a student in five to 10 years? Firstly, they may expect wider and easier access into higher education through post-16 pathways provided in higher and further education, or through learning in the workplace. Students should expect to be able to customize their studies to suit their needs and to progress at a pace that takes account of their circumstances. They will be expected to take greater control of their learning by accessing material through digital media, taking part in debate and discussion using social media and being coproducers of their own learning. They should be actively involved in curriculum design and development and strategic debate and decisionmaking within the institution.

Students should expect to be able to customize their studies to suit their needs and to progress at a pace that takes account of their circumstances.

www.nusconnect.org.uk/imagineeducation

However, the potential changes are not likely to happen in a passive manner. They will require students to actively pursue the goal of students as valued and influential partners in institutional developments.

It is clear from institutional learning and teaching strategies that staff and managers are sincerely committed to improving the student experience.

Staff and managers have busy agendas and the students as partners model may not have the centrality that students wish. However, it is clear from institutional learning and teaching strategies that they are sincerely committed to improving the student experience.

The door may appear closed but it is not locked and it will be up to students pushing on the door to ensure that changes occur. The HEA hopes to continue to support students and institutions in introducing and establishing new approaches to learning and teaching.

THINK | MARCH 2013

Participate Do you have ideas on what post-16 education should look like in Wales? We are inviting anyone to get involved – especially students.

I’m a student. How can I get involved? We’re continuously recruiting students to serve on the Imagine Education Commission. The Commission meets every 6-8 weeks to hear from experts and discuss ideas about how Wales education system could look in the future. If you’re an innovative thinker, this could be a great chance to get involved in the student movement.

I work in the education sector. How can I get involved? The Imagine Education Commission is looking for people to speak to it with expertise about the current education system for people 16 and older, but more importantly, introduce new ideas on how that system can improve. Whether you’re the director of a sector organisation or a project officer, your ideas are what count. The Commission wants to hear from you.

I teach people in Wales. How can I get involved? Our Commission wants to hear from you. We’re looking for people who have expertise in the classroom, but also have unique ideas on how to make that experience better. Whether you teach a community course in the evenings or work as a

professor lecturing to hundreds weekly, your ideas are what matter. Please get in touch.

I work in another area, such as a business, charity, transport company or telecommunications. How can I get involved? We especially want to hear from you. Education doesn’t operate in a bubble. Our Commission wants to explore all the areas that are closely linked to making it work for students, and for Wales. You could be a business that has unique ideas on how education works in partnership to drive employment. You could be a transport company or local council that has ideas on how to improve the rail and bus networks so students can get to their nearest campus. Or, you could be a telecommunications expert that has some innovative ways to bridge Wales’ digital divide for people who can’t get to a campus. You don’t have to work in education to imagine how it can be better in Wales.

Get in touch Tell us who you are and how you would like to contribute.

Imagine Education www.nusconnect.org.uk/imagineeducation NUS Wales, 2nd floor, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FL t. 02920435390 @nuswales

e. office@nus-wales.org.uk www.facebook.com/nuscymru