• A comparison of the nature of pre-entry assessment in FE feeder colleges with those of the first year degree programme

      Buckley, Kevan; Davies, Jenny; Bentley, Hilary (University of Wolverhampton, 2005)
      Discusses differences in the style and content of assessment of students in Further Education colleges compared with assessment during their first year undergraduate programme in the School of Computing and Information technology at the University of Wolverhampton. Differences are analysed to identify strengths and potential areas of difficulty experienced by students.
    • Conundrums of our own making: critical pedagogy and trainee further education teachers

      Avis, James; Bathmaker, Ann-marie; Kendall, Alex; Parsons, John (Routledge (Taylor & Francis), 2003)
      This article examines the experiences and understandings of a group of fulltime further education (FE) trainee teachers in a university in the English Midlands. The article places the research within its socio-economic and discursive context as well as drawing out parallels with earlier work on FE trainee teachers. The main thrust of the article is concerned with constructions of critical pedagogy and learning and examines the relation of trainees to such constructions. It compares a model of critical practice with trainee teachers' accounts of their practice. It concludes by arguing that it is not enough to hold to an ethic of care or even a concern to engage students, and that there is a wider politics inscribed within pedagogic practice. A critical pedagogy would seek to question the wider social structure that generates systematic inequality.
    • CPD for Teachers in Post-compulsory Education.

      Hafiz, Rania; Jones, liff; Kendall, Alex; Lea, John; Rogers, James (London: UCET (Universities Council for the Education of Teachers), 2008)
      The last few years have seen an unprecedented level of activity in regards the education, training and development of teachers in the post-compulsory sector. These stem, to an extent, from the Government's reform programme outlined in the 2004 "Equipping our Teachers for the Future" white paper. But it also comes from the professionalism that exists within the teaching force, its professional associations and in the organisations and institutions that oversee and deliver training programmes for prospective and serving teachers. The purpose of this position paper is fourfold: Firstly, it seeks to provide a summary and critical analysis of the complex and inter-related changes that have taken place in recent years. Secondly, it identifies some examples of good practice in regards CPD and how the "impact" of such practice might be assessed. Thirdly, it proposes the adoption of an entitlement statement that sets out the support teachers in the sector should expect to receive in respect of their continuing professional development. And, finally, it lists some firm recommendations that we would like government agencies, professional associations, universities and others to take on board.
    • Crossing the boundaries: expectations and experience of newcomers to higher and further education

      Avis, James; Kendall, Alex; Parsons, John (Routledge, 2006-12-20)
      This article examines the expectations and experiences of staff new to the FE/HE sector. The research involved the use of focus group interviews supported by a questionnaire. Key findings of the research indicate the pervasiveness of managerialism and the intensification of labour across sectors. Findings also suggest that there is a blurring of the division between labour processes within the new University and FE sectors, and a shared discourse about learners and their expectations of learning. Orientations to research were differentiated within and across the sectors, and those new to FE were largely unaware of the thrust towards the development of practicebased/evidence-based research.
    • Of ‘duckers and divers’, mice and men: the impact of market fundamentalism in FE colleges post-incorporation.

      Smith, Rob (Routledge (Taylor & Francis)., 2007)
      This paper provides a critique of the current policy orthodoxy of using markets to organise and structure education provision in England, focusing in particular on Further Education (FE) provision. Starting from the context of New Labour's so-called Third Way, it sets out research findings that indicate that marketisation not only produces cultures that relate first and foremost to institutional self-interest but also may be detrimental to quality provision for students. Drawing on qualitative research, the paper explores the impact of quasi-marketisation, focusing on how one college 'successfully' negotiated the funding changes and the competitive context of the FE quasi-market. The paper concludes by looking at the findings through the theoretical lenses of some key concepts from Habermasian theory.
    • Reforming Further Education: the changing labour process for college lecturers

      Mather, Kim; Worrall, Les; Seifert, Roger (Emerald, 2007)
      Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine how the labour process of further education lecturers has changed as a result of legislative reforms introduced in the early 1990s. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on labour process theory and emergent perspectives on “the new public management” to provide theoretical frameworks. Evidence is derived from research carried out at three FE colleges in the English West Midlands involving interviews with managers and lecturing staff, documentary material and a survey of lecturing staff employed in the colleges. Findings – Market-based reforms in this sector have resulted in the intensification and extensification of work effort for lecturers. This paper argues that these changes have been driven by the ideological underpinning of the reform process. Individual and collective acts of lecturer resistance have been insufficiently strong to prevent change from occurring and worker alienation has increased. Research limitations/implications – The case study method renders generalisability of findings difficult. Comparative studies in other localities and sectors are needed. Practical implications – The research indicates that the “new managerialism” – which has developed in the public sector – has created an increasingly alienated workforce and that the processes of change in many institutions have had negative outcomes. Originality/value – The research demonstrates and application of labour process theory, supported by empirical evidence, as a means for examining the changing experiences of a group of public sector workers and assessing the effect of the “new managerialism” on workers' experiences.
    • Widening Participation: A Virtual Approach to F.E. Collaboration

      McConville, Sally A. (University of Wolverhampton, 2005)
      Discusses a programme specifically designed for use by students undertaking Access to Nursing courses at local colleges of further education in Wolverhampton. Students access the Wolverhampton On-Line Learning Framework (WOLF) site using guest status to log on to and engage with a selection of exciting, interactive learning activities related to nursing and linked to modules studied during the first year pre-registration training.
    • Widening Participation: A Virtual Approach to F.E. Collaboration.

      McConville, Sally A. (University of Wolverhampton, 2007)
      The aim of the project is to devise a Wolverhampton On Line Learning Framework (WOLF) programme specifically designed for use by students undertaking nursing access courses at local colleges of Further Education. There are three main intended outcomes: 1) provide the students with a ‘taster’ of the realty of pre registration nurse training both theoretically and practically hoping that this will aid retention rates and increase the employability of the students on qualifying. 2) To create a smooth transition from studying as a student at further education level to higher education level. It is further hoped that the introduction to WOLF prior to commencement on pre-registration courses will improve students’ key skills in preparation for studying at higher education level and familiarise the students with WOLF as it is used quite extensively in pre-registration training. 3) To generate enthusiasm and interest in the pre-registration nurse training available at Wolverhampton University, with the assistance of Technology Supported Learning, to aid recruitment. The outcomes link with the School of Health Teaching and Learning Strategy (2001) where it states a mechanism should be provided for interactive information exchange and a resource should be provided for developing key skills in I.T.
    • Work, Identity and the Quasi-market: The FE Experience.

      Smith, Rob (London: Routledge (Taylor & Francis)., 2007)
      The Further and Higher Education Act (1992) brought about the incorporation of further education (FE) colleges in England and Wales. This legislation effectively removed the influence and control that Local Education Authorities (LEAs) had over the educational provision of colleges and created a quasi-market in which local colleges were forced to compete for students and funds. My research involved an investigation into how quasi-marketisation impacted upon the work and lives of teachers, middle and senior managers in three colleges in the city of Coppleton in the West Midlands region of England. I was interested in exploring how quasi-marketisation affected staff at different levels within the colleges and whether dominant cultures emerged. My findings were that the managerialist practices that became widespread through the sector as a consequence of quasi-marketisation were deployed strategically within colleges; that marketisation served to place colleges’ self-interest over the interests of students; and that the quasi-market environment impacted on data in specific (negative) ways.