…and experience they’ll need for a fulfilling career in academia or industry. Working with the DTA Energy researchers, Dr Vukovic has firsthand experience of how the programme helps to bridge the divide between these two sectors, giving students the industry experience they need to apply their research. Vladimir presenting an augmented reality interface to the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers Having always focused on applied research…
…iance. These are my reflections on a few of the stand-out moments from 2023. 1. ‘Must do better’: the House of Lord’s Industry and Regulators Committee reviews the OfS We kicked off the year by working with our fellow mission groups across the sector on a joint letter calling for an inquiry into the performance of the Office for Students. Though we didn’t get an inquiry from the Education Select Committee, the HoL Industry and Regulator’s Committe…
…kforce. This was compounded by the huge expansion of student numbers in the 2010s. In recent years, the dynamic has changed once more with the advent of new training routes such as degree apprenticeships, which give employers more choice over how staff are educated and require universities to develop different relationships – yet again – with their NHS partners. Getting integrated A further shift in the power balance between the NHS and higher edu…
…eships might deserve a first look, closer inspection, or further reflection. 1. The public sector workforce crisis There is an increasingly common narrative that degree apprenticeships are cannibalising lower-level apprenticeships and are the preserve of well-heeled staff of FTSE 350 companies. In fact, higher and degree apprenticeships are playing an increasingly important role in training, upskilling and efforts to plug soaring vacancies in the…
…t with just a few short paragraphs of dense text which I feared may be too generic. We discussed my summary at a meeting of the Alliance Teaching and Learning network and, fortunately, my colleagues from across the Alliance weren’t too appalled by what I’d done to their reports. My final summary narrative about teaching at an Alliance university included the following points. Supporting a diverse range of students On Provider Context the unanimous…
…ith such high quality facilities had undoubtedly been a positive experience. Working closely with professional researchers, she learnt a whole host of new techniques, which will be vital throughout her PhD and beyond. Working at Pirbright, on this placement and in the future, will therefore allow Arantza to amass the skills she needs to bring her one step closer to her ambition of one-day working in a similar research facility. The Pirbright Insti…
…kshops we have attended, the contests and tasks we were given were creative. Working on those tasks trained us to present and disseminate our works in different visual and vocal formats to target audience with different levels of domain expertise from the very beginning of our project. Also, seeing similar presentation of other cohorts was inspiring. The trainings and the events organised by DTA has trained us to be able to pitch our project ideas…
…lifelong learning through flexible funding mechanisms. Eligible learners (i.e. home-fee status students under 60) will have access to funding for four years of post-18 education (£37k in today’s fee limits) and be able to “stack” modules on a pathway to a full qualification. The University Alliance response to proposals has been enthusiastic overall, calling it: “a historic opportunity to rethink who post-18 education is for and how it can be expe…
…pportunities may be: Formal CPD with or without assessment; Informal CPD, i.e. Tweetchats, open webinars, podcasts, teaching exchange and mentorship. The TEA will also connect partners to develop new CPD offers collaboratively. These are likely to take the form of post-PGCert ‘open modules’ aimed at experienced staff. Longer term, the TEA may explore accredited or recognised peer-support activities for education officers and other students involve…
…Review College (PRC) – that will provide support and challenge to members e.g. on professional practice and course design, and provide development opportunities for PRC members. Special interest groups that will support institution-wide enhancements such as assessment and feedback practices and graduate attributes/ employability. Strategic objectives: To develop students equipped with the skills and aptitudes to succeed in a world shaped by next g…
