Archive
- Evidence based Access Agreements: target setting, evidence building, monitoring and evaluation Conference
- Conference - Championing Mature Students
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the UK - Towards a Fair and Equal Society
- Continuum Intern Presents Findings from Study on Student Income and Expenditure
- Access Champions
- From VET to HE, The Australian Experience
- HE in FE - The Road Less Travelled
- Destination Europe
- New Era for Access to HE
- Summit Success!
- Continuum Director Presents 2011 Times Higher Award
- Professor Geoff Scott from the University of Western Sydney visits Continuum
- Swedish Visitors to UEL
- Research Manager attends Council for Opportunity in Education Conference in Washington DC
- Swedish visiting professorship for Continuum Director
- Continuum Director represents UEL at Australian Conference
- UEL's 6th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference
- Work Integrated Learning: when there's a WIL, theres a way
- Continuum Director helps launch Northern Ireland Widening Participation Strategy
- Fees Paid FACE Conference Place!
- Olympic view for Swedish visitors
- Multimedia in research
- Continuum Director Makes Views Heard
- Continuum host University of Boras Visit
- Higher Education access in a divided society
- Widening Participation for Postgraduates: Research, Policy and Practice
- Continuum Launches the Quick Guide to the Browne Report
- Latest Continuum Centre Associate Appointed
- Aimhigher Co-ordinators Presentation, Sandwell
- Schools and Employability: The Swedish Experience Seminar
- Intersect HE - Staff development with a difference
- WPSA Conference Slides Available
- Aimhigher - Realising the Potential
- EPA Project: Creative Industries - Creative Solutions
- Continuum Director, met the new First Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills
- We do need more education! - Barking & Dagenham students speak out
- Continuum host Erasmus study visit
- Listening to Learners conference a resounding success
- Turning up the volume on learner voice
- Wiki Wiki or Where there’s a way there’s a Wiki
- Swedish Study Visit - Student Union Officers, JÖnkÖping University
- ESCalate Seminar - New Learning Professionals
"Evidence based Access Agreements: target setting, evidence building, monitoring and evaluation" Woburn House, Tavistock Square, London on 12 March 2013"
On the 12th March the national conference Evidence based Access Agreements: target setting, evidence building, monitoring and evaluation to support the development of the 2014/15 OFFA access agreements took place at the Woburn House conference centre in central London. Jointly organised and sponsored by Action on Access, Universities UK and the Office for Fair Access this first conference focused on the development of the evidence base for access agreements and proved to be a great success and was massively oversubscribed.
Plenary contributions were provided by Professor Les Ebdon, Director of OFFA, Professor John Storan, Director of Action on Access and Continuum UEL, Dr Viv Wylie, Action on Access and Phil Dent, Chief Executive, The Progression Trust as well as three excellent workshop sessions led by Mike Thompson, West Midlands Aimhigher, Sharon Smith, Research Manager, Kent and Medway Progression Federation, Penelope Griffin and Head of Widening Participation, University of Nottingham. Technical panel sessions included inputs from HEFCE, OFFA, UCAS and SOAS representatives. Full reports from the conference and workshop sessions is available here
Regretfully, in the light of feedback, we have cancelled 'Collaborating in the new environment', the Action on Access/UUK/Offa Collaboration Conference planned for March 22nd. It may be rescheduled for a later date, but it is clear that for now WP practitioners just want to focus on putting together their Access Agreements."
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Conference - Championing Mature Students
This one-day event is a chance for institutions and their students unions to meet together with mature students and work through the challenges that face the mature student population.
The event is held at a time when concerns are being raised over the sudden fall in mature and part-time applicants at university. The NUS feel it imperative that unions and institutions work in partnership to discuss the issues and find solutions to support and expand lifelong learning.
The day will consist of a mixture of panel discussions, workshops and presentations of research to facilitate active participation from delegates. We expect it to be an enjoyable and informative day for all attending.
Date: Thursday 28 March 2013 09:30-16:30
Venue: Staffordshire University
The programme is available here and online registration here
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the UK - Towards a Fair and Equal Society
Continuum International Visiting Research Fellow, Janelle Davis from the University of Western Sydney, provides a commentary below on this conference which was held at the Royal Society of Medicine on 19 September. You can read a more detailed commentary by clicking on this link.
On 19th September over 80 delegates gathered at the Royal Society of Medicine for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion conference from across the UK to hear from a diverse range of speakers throughout the day. A common theme that emerged from presenters was that equality strategies and inclusive behaviours need to be embedded in organisations, communities and government contexts as routine with those demonstrating good practice to be acknowledged and used as exemplars to others and encourage positive shifts. Delegates enjoyed a full program that included perspectives from national and local government, human resources, non for profit, higher education and a range of social inclusion/equality representatives from several UK based networks.
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Continuum Intern Presents Findings from Study on Student Income and Expenditure
Continuum intern, Agnieszka Spytkowska, presented the findings from her research project, Hard Times: Exploring Students’ Income & Expenditure at a post ’92 HE, on Wednesday 3 October at the UEL Undergraduate Research Internship Poster Exhibition Event.
UEL’s research internship scheme aims to develop the employability of our undergraduate students and promote research excellence across UEL. This event showcased the outstanding achievements of our students and their academic supervisors and marked the end of the 2011/12 scheme. The formal exhibition of posters began at 5.00p.m in the East Building atrium followed by a celebration event and prize giving at 6.45p.m. in the West Building at UEL’s Docklands Campus. 
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Access Champions
Continuum Director, Professor John Storan met with the Director of OFFA, Professor Les Ebdon at the University of East London’s Docklands Campus. They had a wide ranging conversation which included exploring areas for collaboration and cooperation at both institutional and national level. It was recognised that sharing opportunities for building good practice and sharing these across the sector was vitally important for OFFA.
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From VET to HE, The Australian Experience
Continuum International Visiting Research Fellow, Janelle Davis, recently gave a presentation to the FACE Executive. Janelle gave a brief overview of the VET to HE landscape before the Bradley Review and the response and actions that institutions are taking post Bradley. Drawing on findings from the OLT (Office of Learning and Teaching)funded research project: Enhancing the student experience: transition from VET to Higher education, Janelle highlighted some of the early initiatives such as pre-entry communication, academic preparation and student peer contact which are designed to ease transition.
FACE UK Janelle Davis 2012
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HE in FE - The Road Less Travelled
Continuum Research Manager, Tony Hudson, was recently invited to contribute to a publication on Higher Education in Further Education (HE in FE). In his article: HE in FE - What is the Research Telling Us? he noted that 'HE in FE is far from homogenous and the scale of provision belies its complexity in terms of funding and diversity and in terms of provision and participants'. To date, research on HE in FE is uneven in terms of coverage and is often small scale making it difficult to generalise and draw comparisons. If, as seems likely, provision expands then investment in research will be required to develop evidence informed policy and practice.
As the forward to the publication HE in FE Partner Perspectives notes: [the recent Higher Education] ' . . . White Paper presages an expansionist era in the relationship between the delivery or provision of higher education and the location of that education'. How fast the movement from the margins to the mainstream will be is difficult to say - more likely a marathon than a sprint. However, at long last there is recognition of the distinctive mission of FE colleges in delivering HE which is relevant to the communities they serve. Whilst FE colleges have an important role to play in widening participation to higher education - providing opportunities for non-traditionally qualified learners to study a wide range of academic and vocational courses - they deliver also high quality niche courses which are designed and developed through close links with local employers and industry.
Published by the Linking London Lifelong Learning Network, HE in FE Partner Perspectives includes a range of contributions on research and policy from a national perspective as well as the view of providers in London.
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UEL - Destination Europe
Former Danish MEP, Mr Johannes Lebech, recently visited UEL to participate in UEL - Destination Europe, an innovative pilot scheme organised by Continuum in collaboration with the School of Law & Social Sciences and Education & Community Partnerships. During his two days at UEL, Mr Lebech gave presentations on the legitimacy of the EU and the sovereign debt crisis to UEL undergraduates on the BA International Politics programme and students from Brook House Sixth Form college (BSix), one of UEL's National Scholarship Programme (NSP) partners.
In engaging and informative presentations he challenged students, particularly those from the UK, to reflect on their views of the EU. Following his presentation to UEL undergraduates Mr Lebech enjoyed a lively and wide ranging 
discussion with students and staff, exploring nationalism, European identity, civic solidarity and future challenges facing the EU.
The students from BSix, most of whom intend studying politics at degree level, were well informed and articulate when discussing the question of EU legitimacy. For this session, Mr Lebech was joined by Michael Hindley, a former MEP from England.
Following a formal presentation by Mr Lebech the BSix students worked with undergraduates on the BA International Politics programme to respond to an academic paper (Moravscik, 2002) - which both groups had read in advance - before feeding back to the two former MEPs. 
In the final question and answer session the students posed penetrating and insightful questions and enjoyed the exchange and dialogue between the two former members as they responded.
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New Era for Access to HE
Return to topContinuum Director John Storan gave the opening keynote speech at the recent Open College Network London region annual Access to HE Conference which focused on the future of Access in a new era. In a wide ranging analysis John recognised and paid tribute to the enormous contribution that the OCN in London had made to the HE opportunities of adult learners. Access to HE is a critical pathway into HE for adult learners which also illustrates the value and importance of FE and HE working together. As a governor of the Adult College of Barking and Dagenham, John said he was only too well aware of how vital adult education was to communities throughout London and how important it was to safeguard the opportunities that Access to HE provision represented. Other speakers at the conference included Simon Hughes, MP, the Government's Advocate for Access to Education and Kath Dentith, Head of Access at QAA.
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Summit Success!
Continuum was delighted to support this first and highly successful annual Access to Higher Education Summit which took place on the 28th November 2011.This was very much a partnership event involving Action on Access, UUK, NUS, HEA, NIACE, FACE, ECU, AOC. A packed conference hall heard Summit speakers who included Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of UUK, Professor John Storan, Director of Action on Access and Continuum, David Ruebain, Chief Executive, ECU and Alan Milburn, Independent Reviewer and government advisor on social mobility.
Please find video footage from the Summit here: http://www.actiononaccess.org/services/events
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Continuum Director Presents 2011 Times Higher Award
Continuum Director, Professor John Storan, presenting the Times Higher Education award for Widening Participation Initiative of the Year to the Realising Opportunities Partnership at this years ceremony which took place at the Grosvenor House hotel. Rob Brydon was the compere for the night and certainly managed to keep everyone fully entertained throughout the evening.
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Professor Geoff Scott from the University of Western Sydney visits Continuum
Tuesday 29th November 2011
Professor Geoff Scott, Executive Director of Sustainability from the University of Western Sydney, Australia recently met with Professor John Storan, Director, Continuum to discuss opportunities for collaborative research and student and staff mobility. The visit follows on from John’s recent lecture tour to Australia where he met with colleagues at a range of institutions, including the University of Western Sydney. As a result of this visit to Australia, Continuum will be hosting Janelle Davis from UWS as a Visiting Fellow in autumn 2012. Later during the day Professor Scott met with Professor John Shaw (Pro Vice-Chancellor International) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions. The MOU covers a range of activities including staff and student mobility as well as research links with Continuum. Continuum is currently working with colleagues at UWS to provide places for learners from underrepresented groups in Australia to participate in the 2012 Continuum International Summer Institute.
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Swedish Visitors to UEL
Friday 25th November 2011
Continuum recently hosted a visit for a group of adult educators from Sollefteå Municipality, Sweden who were visiting England to learn more about the relationship between adult, further and higher education; as well as explore opportunities for collaborative working. Through Continuum Director, Professor John Storan, UEL has been developing a relationship with Barking & Dagenham College of Adult Education whose principal, Pat Pearson, gave a presentation to the group, followed by wide ranging discussion. Whilst at UEL the group also met with Selena Bolingbroke (PVC Strategic Planning and External Development) and had a brief tour of the campus.
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Research Manager attends Council for Opportunity in Education Conference in Washington DC
Continuum Research Manager Tony Hudson was recently invited to give a presentation on Preparing Students for World Exploration at the Council for Opportunity in Education’s 30th Annual Conference in Washington DC. Drawing on his experience as Co-Director of the Continuum International Summer Institute, Tony’s presentation focussed on the importance and impact of study abroad for learners from low income and underrepresented groups.
Commenting on the conference Tony said: “It was a privilege to be able to represent UEL and share with practitioners and academic colleagues in the US the learner- focused work Continuum undertakes, particularly the personal development and networking opportunities afforded by a study abroad experience.”
For the past two years the Continuum International Summer Institute has provided a bespoke programme for McNair Scholars (undergraduate students from low income, first generation and underrepresented groups in HE) from a number of institutions in the USA. Details of the 2012 programme are available on the Continuum web site.
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Swedish visiting professorship for Continuum Director
John Storan Continuum Director in ESDS has been awarded a visiting professorship in Education and Science by Malmo University in Sweden. This is in recognition of his work in widening participation both in the UK but also in Sweden where he has been active as a policy advisor and academic reseacher publishing and speaking at conferences throughout the country as well as working with government ministries, policy makers, universities and various other bodies for over the last 10 years. Recently John has worked intensively with Malmo University to help develop its WP and HE Access policy and practice and this has led to a memorandum of understanding being established between the two universities.
In getting news of the award John said “I was both delighted and proud that I should be recognised in this way by probably the leading university in Sweden for WP and HE Access. This will give me the opportunity to build on and deepen the collaboration which has already been taking place between UEL and Malmo which has involved colleagues from across both universities. I would to thank Malmo for this and look forward to working with them in future and extending relations between the two universities”.
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Continuum Director represents UEL at Australian Conference
6th - 8th September 2011
Social Inclusion in Education conference, Stamford Plaza, Brisbane
Continuum Director John Storan had a busy summer representing UEL as the keynote international speaker at the 3rd Annual Australia Social Inclusion in Education conference in Brisbane. Drawing upon Continuum's research work both in the UK and internationally, John gave a wide ranging speech which was excellently recieved by the assembled delegates who were drawn from across Australia as well as internationally. Commenting on the conference, John said, "It was a great honour to be invited as the lead international speaker at such an important conference. The work that UEL has been doing through Continuum's research portfolio was of great interest to conference participants, who included not only academics, practitioners and researchers, but also senior managers and policy makers. Because of the national policy work on widening participation that i have been involved in here in the UK, i was able to share some of the policy lessons and insights with Australian colleagues who are pursuing a similar policy approach to social equity and inclusion in education. I am looking forward to building on and collaborating in future with a number of colleagues and their institutions in the future as a result of the important networking opportunities the conference afforded".
In addition to his input to the conference, John combined this with a lecture and seminar tour which involved presentations to staff groups at the University of Queensland, University of Western Sydney and Griffith University. These visits also generated great interest in UEL and the research work that Continuum has been undertaking over recent years in relation to widening participation and social justice in HE.
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UEL's 6th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference
7th September 2011
Continuum Research Manager, Tony Hudson and Research Intern, Jo Calabrese, recently gave a presentation: “Folks like us” at UEL’s Annual Teaching & Learning Conference.
In England, Aimhigher provided a progressive and sustained range of activities to raise the aspiration and achievement of learners with the aim of widening participation to higher education (HE). Whilst there is a well developed body of literature and mature policy on initial access to HE, entry to postgraduate study is under researched and widening participation beyond undergraduate level has received limited policy attention. In the US, the McNair Program (part of the federally funded suite of TRIO programs), seeks to widen participation to postgraduate study by preparing students from under represented segments of society through a programme of cultural enrichment, scholarly activities, mentoring and independent research.
The Continuum International Summer Institute was the research site for a pilot study to explore and understand the experiences of McNair scholars. Whilst exploring their “learning career” and how such support programmes may have affected their disposition to learning we also ascertained those elements of the McNair Program learners valued most. The study adopted a qualitative approach, combining participant observation and depth interviews (n = 6). Interviews were recorded and transcribed before being coded for analysis using NVivo.
Initial analysis of the data revealed the multiple barriers such learners have overcome to access HE. Being mentored by a member of faculty was highly valued and the opportunity to undertake an independent research project provided scholars with an early insight into the requirements of postgraduate study.
UEL is drawing on the experience of the Continuum International Summer Institute and findings from the research project to inform policy and practice in supporting undergraduates, many of whom are from widening participation backgrounds, to progress to postgraduate level study.
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Work Integrated Learning: when there's a WIL, theres a way
With a broad portfolio of research, Continuum’s work supports and informs UEL’s Transformation for Excellence strategy. The project described in the article below (originally published in the ESCalate Newsletter, Issue 20 – Summer 2011) is an example of how we work collaboratively with international partners to create opportunities to internationalise UEL’s values of: academic excellence, enterprise, equality and sustainability.This article reports on an innovative partnership project: Creative Industries – Creative Solutions, between Continuum, the Centre for Widening Participation Policy Studies based at the University of East London (UEL) and the Department of Visual Communication and Design (VCD) at Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa.
It attempts to reflect on the challenges of designing and delivering a particular work integrated learning (WIL) programme. Work integrated learning enables students to experience workplace practice and professional culture, as well as enhancing their knowledge, skills and personal attributes which are difficult to foster through academic study alone. The creative and cultural industries (CCI) constitute an important and growing global economic sector (Cunningham, 2007) and as Guile (2007) has noted, career development programmes for the sector are an international priority. The CCI form a significant employment sector in both the London Thames Gateway region in England and the Durban Metropolitan Area in South Africa, where UEL and DUT are located respectively. For learners in both countries whilst the chances of employment and career options will increase by getting a degree before entering the labour market; employability can be enhanced and employment opportunities in the sector increased through appropriate work experience.
Employability in higher education is not a new debate, but since the Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997) it has assumed greater prominence as part of successive government policies to increase the skills base in the UK. The HE system, as Knight & Yorke (2003:3) have argued, “has been charged with promoting graduate employability.” In England, employability is one of the performance indicators on which higher education institutions are measured against benchmarks set by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).At DUT it is a requirement that all courses should have a WIL component, however the extent to which this requirement is implemented varies depending on the field of study. Whilst staffing department of Visual Communication and Design have successfully worked with a range of employers to provide simulated work experience for learners, employers have been reluctant to offer learners paid internships. Our research with learners in London (Percy & Hudson, 2007) and Durban (Hudson, 2010) confirms the challenges learners from widening participation or non-traditional backgrounds encounter when seeking to gain work experience or employment within the creative and cultural industries. Such learners often lack the cultural capital and financial resources necessary to obtain work experience or internships in the CCI sector, many of which are unpaid.
Funding from the UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS)under the Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA) programme administered by the British Council, provided the opportunity to develop a creative solution to the challenge of developing a meaningful WIL programme at BTech level for graphic design students. The innovative solution was to set up a graphic design studio within the DUT, staffed by student interns, which would provide a service, primarily to external clients, but also to internal clients with a graphic design requirement. The project team at DUT, led by the Head of the Department of Visual Communication and Design, Piers Carey assisted by lecturer Rowan Gatfield, set up the studio in a previously underutilised loft space -think artist’s atelier - at DUT’s City Campus. Final year students on the National Diploma (ND) (a three year programme equivalent to an ordinary degree) in Graphic Design were given the brief to develop a brand for the new studio. They were also invited to apply for one of the four internships which would enable them to gain a BTech (a one year honours course) in graphic design through work integrated learning. With a distinctive brand and name, the Workspace studio started trading inJanuary2010 with four interns, supervised by a studio manager and an assistant studio manager. In the field of graphic design we believe that the WIL programme at Workspace is unique in terms of content, delivery and duration.
There are graphic design departments in Australian, UK and US institutions where learners are given the opportunity to work on” live briefs” but not to the extent and duration that Workspace interns are afforded. Interns are required, in addition to their creative work, to engage in all aspects of the business including administration, finance, liaising with suppliers, developing proposals and strategy documents, pitching and managing client relations. They are also required to conduct independent research to produce an academic report on an area of study related to the professional practice of graphic design. During the project funded phase, the interns coped with a number of challenges including, forced relocation due to refurbishments at the City Campus coupled with the impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The interns learned valuable lessons about contingency planning and business continuity as well as the need for a sense of humour! At the end of the project funded phase the Workspace studio, due in no small part to the dedication of the staff and creative output of the interns, not only demonstrated proof of concept - to successfully deliver a work integrated learning programme on campus, but had become embedded within the institution and was rapidly moving towards becoming self-sustaining.
In such a brief article it is impossible to capture all of the institutional challenges that have to be overcome when implementing an innovative project nor recognise all those who contributed to its success. However it may be expedient to highlight some of the lessons learned from listening to learners. Whilst the primary aim of the project was to enhance employability by setting up a self-sustaining graphic design studio to provide WIL internships, the project also envisaged that the studio would be used as a site for research as well as a catalyst for further employer engagement. In terms of research outputs colleague sat DUT have delivered a number of presentations at international conferences including the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) and Design Education Forum of South Africa (DEFSA) and published in peer reviewed journals. In terms of employer engagement, industry interest in the Workspace studio and student demand for internships led too their members of academic staff in the department setting up internships. A total of five paid internships were arranged, two with a local university and three with a large graphic design company, with all of the interns registered for the BTech in graphic design through work integrated learning. In feedback sessions all of the interns were vocal about their experiences in the workplace. On some issues, such as remuneration, variety of work, and academic support there were clear differences between the interns based in the Workspace studio and interns based elsewhere. Whilst the Workspace interns received a lower salary in comparison to other interns they benefited from more creative freedom, accessible academic support, the opportunity to experience a wider variety of tasks and roles within the studio, but most importantly the opportunity to link theory to practice.
The interns who were employed in a graphic design company, whilst pleased to be earning a reasonable salary, felt constrained by the lack of creativity, and disappointed by the limited opportunities to experience a wider range of tasks within the company. What was evident from the feedback from interns in the graphic design company and the other local university was the absence of any mentoring by the employer. The issues and concerns raised by the learners reflect the fact that employers in Durban are not experienced in supporting WIL programmes and many academics are unfamiliar with the theoretical underpinnings of WIL and how best to deliver it in the CCI.
Hopefully, this brief article illustrates that work integrated learning programmes have the potential to deliver significant benefits to: learners; academic and professional staff; and industry. However, the challenge is not only to ensure that adequate resources are provided to deliver a quality programme and experience; but more importantly to enable students who will follow non-conventional career paths in the CCI to become lifelong learners.
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Continuum Director helps launch Northern Ireland Widening Participation Strategy 
Continuum Director John Storan was invited by Danny Kennedy, the Minister for Employment and Learning for Northern Ireland, to take part in the launch of the Regional Strategy for Widening Participation in HE. John has been working as an advisor for widening participation for the last 8 years, during which he has worked closely with both the universities and colleges as well as the Department for Employment and Learning.Commenting on the launch of the strategy, John said, “The launch of this strategy is an important landmark in widening participation in Northern Ireland. Key stakeholders including government departments, the universities, further education colleges, community groups and many other relevant stakeholder organisations have been involved in its development. It therefore represents the first integrated and regional approach to the issue.
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Fees Paid FACE Conference Place! 
29th June - 1st July 2011 University of Glasgow
FACE is delighted to announce that ESCalate, the Education Subject Centre, has kindly agreed to sponsor a full fees paid place at this year's FACE conference for someone working in access or widening participation who is 'early' in their career. Sponsorship includes all conference fees and access to the social programme. Travel expenses and accommodation are not included. So if you have been working in the areas of access or widening participation for less than two years, you are eligible to apply for this sponsored place at FACE 2011, hosted by the University of Glasgow, 29th June – 1st July.
Applicants should submit a title and abstract for a conference paper which will be reviewed by a special panel of the FACE Executive. The successful author will be invited to attend the full conference free of charge, to give a full conference presentation and submit a full paper for publication in the conference publication. If you have already submitted a conference abstract, you can still apply for the place, just include a copy of your abstract.
Applications to be returned by 1st June 2011
Apply Now!
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Olympic view for Swedish visitors
The Vice Chancellor of Malmo University, Lennart Olausson, together with Pro Vice Chancellors Cecilia Christerssonand Eva Enquist enjoyed a bird’s eye view of the Olympic Park and Stratford City from the Olympic Park Viewing Gallery. John Lock, Director of UEL’s 2012 Office, provided an expert commentary on the history and development of the site and surrounding environs. Working with a variety of partners UEL is committed to support the regeneration of east London which will continue for decades after the 2012 Games. Both UEL and Malmo University are committed to working with local communities to widen participation through a range of innovative programmes and research. Continuum looks forward to developing stronger links with colleagues at Malmo University through shared practice, policy exchange and joint research.
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Multimedia in research
The use of multimedia techniques in research projects has been recently made easier as these technologies have become much more affordable. This allows for relatively cheap and easy filming and recording of focus groups, and interviews, which can then be viewed later, for a more complete analysis of the data that is collected in this way. The added benefits of using filmed interviews or focus groups in research are that the researcher can easily review the data and take account of non verbal cues. Alongside this, with participant’s consent, the recordings can easily be edited into a short research film that often generates more interest than a research report, and can reach a wider audience. Qualitative software packages (such as NVivo) now handle the analysis of audio and video recordings, without the need for transcriptions, saving valuable time through the analysis stage of the research.
Here at Continuum, we are well versed in using these techniques for research purposes, and have the equipment and expertise to fully utilise multimedia in our research. We have had great interest, for example, in a research film that was made in conjunction with a film-maker Kim Noble, which centred on young people’s educational choices in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. This film can be accessed from our website www.uel.ac.uk/continuum
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Thursday 9 December 2010
Continuum Director Makes Views Heard
Continuum has been actively involved in the various debates and policy discussions that have been taking place recently in relation to the future financing of HE in England. Widening Participation issues have been central to much of the debate and recently the Continuum Director, John Storan, had a letter published in the Times Higher Education to highlight the value of the Aimhigher programme:
Low Blow Ignores Evidence
David Willetts has announced that Aimhigher is to be abolished ("Black spots loom as Aimhigher shuts", 2 December). It isn't clear why this decision has been made, as the minister said he recognises how much there is to learn from Aimhigher and how important it is to build on its achievements.
He then revealed that £150 million would be spent on a new National Scholarship Programme. As this will cost twice the current budget of Aimhigher, the decision to end funding for the programme, it would seem, cannot be explained as part of the coalition government's ongoing austerity measures. Indeed, according to all independent evaluations, Aimhigher represents excellent value for money.
Year on year, evidence for the beneficial impact of the Aimhigher programme, in particular its effects on the life chances of thousands of young learners, has grown incrementally.
The work being undertaken so effectively by the Aimhigher partnerships, which ensures that young people from low-income families can benefit from and succeed in higher education, needs to be viewed without prejudice.
It should be understood not in the context of an ideological divide between this government and the previous one, but as part of the political consensus that the opportunity to access and participate in higher education should be distributed equitably, regardless of socio-economic status.
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30 November - 3 December 2010
Continuum host University of Boras Visit
As part of its ongoing work with the University of Boras in Sweden, the Continuum team organised a widening participation study visit. The cross university group from Boras was led by WP Co-ordinator Annika Malm. As well as a series of meetings with staff from UEL, the group also participated in a national conference on HE Access and Progression, made an institutional visit to the University of the Arts, met with summer school students, and also had a meeting with the Head of Widening Participation at the HEFCE. The feedback on the study visit was excellent and this reflected all the valuable inputs made by the many colleagues who kindly gave their time to meet with the group from Boras for which we are very grateful indeed.
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Tuesday 16 November 2010
Higher Education access in a divided society
Professor Roy du Pre, Continuum Visiting Professor, led an engaging and informative seminar on increased access to higher education, which has become a cornerstone government policy in the transformation and development of South Africa.
Since the non-racial democratic elections in 1994 rapid changes have taken place in this multicultural, multilingual and multiracial country. In terms of education, the legacy of apartheid was a racially segregated education system underpinned by an uneven allocation of resources. The years of political, social and educational disadvantage immediately became apparent – students from previously disadvantaged groups were hopelessly unprepared for success when entering higher education – and HE institutions were even more unprepared to meet the needs of these new learners.
Higher education institutions responded by developing academic support programmes for these new learners as well as seeking to build effective relationships with local schools from which many of their learners were drawn. For most learners, English is not their first or second language, but rather their third or fourth language and despite matriculating they struggle with academic English which is the medium of instruction at tertiary level. Consequently most HEIs have developed communication programmes to improve their learners’ language proficiency, as well as a range of other programmes and support mechanisms to assist them in the transition from school to university.
In forging stronger relationships with schools HEIs have sought to ameliorate some of the consequences of years of uneven and under funding. Practical examples include: recycling the institution’s IT equipment in schools with technical support from students studying computing as part of their “service learning”; and faculty providing additional support and development opportunities for school teachers.
Whilst not shying away from the social and economic challenges that still face South Africa Professor du Pre emphasised the major role of higher education in reconstruction and that HEIs would continue to transform to meet the needs of society and new learners in ways that were previously inconceivable.
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Wednesday 27th October
Widening Participation for Postgraduates: Research, Policy and Practice
Widening Participation for Postgraduates: Research, Policy and Practice – was the title and theme of a one-day conference held at the University of East London. Jointly organised by Continuum and UEL’s Graduate School with support from Teaching Learning & Assessment, the event provided an opportunity for academics, researchers, policy makers and practitioners to reflect on this topic which is under researched and consequently under developed in terms of both policy and practice.
Policy was the focus of the morning session, chaired by Tony Hudson, with expert presentations from Chris Hale (UUK) and Liz Thomas (Action on Access, HEA, & WPRC, Edge Hill University).
Chris provided a useful policy summary, drawing on a number of reviews including: Roberts (2002), which has been influential in encouraging HEIs to review their provision of research degree programmes; Smith (2010) which noted the lack of robust evidence on whether the cost of postgraduate study and the paucity of student support prevent those who would otherwise have pursued postgraduate study from doing so; and the more recent review by Browne (2010) which disappointingly (but not surprisingly) had little of any consequence to say about postgraduates.
Following on from Chris Hale, the lack of evidence was one of the themes Liz Thomas picked up in her interactive presentation, which encouraged delegates to think about three key questions: 
What is the ‘business case’ for national and institutional policy on widening participation to postgraduate study?
What are the pressing research questions you would like to see answered?
What could or should institutions be doing to widen participation to postgraduate study?
Having highlighted the policy vacuum in this area, Liz also noted that, based on a recent analysis of the Widening Participation Strategic Assessments (WPSAs), only 18 institutions (14%) make specific reference to widening participation for postgraduates.
(L-R: Continuum Reseach Manager Tony Hudson with Fiona Cobb and Janet Riddle from UEL Graduate School)
Chaired by Alan White, the afternoon session opened with Paul Wakeling (University of York) who gave an engaging overview of the research – and gaps in the research on widening participation for postgraduates – why it matters and what needs to be done. This was followed by Fiona Cobb’s (UEL) presentation on recent research into postgraduate student activity at UEL - focusing on how institutional research into factors affecting completion of Postgraduate research students, and similar projects can be used to identify student groups in need of additional support, and to guide institutional widening participation policy and practices.
A number of delegates expressed an interest in continuing the dialogue after the conference and we are currently exploring the best mechanism, probably JISC mail, to facilitate rapid and user friendly communication. In the meantime copies of the presentations can be downloaded by clicking the links below.
Chris Hale - Post graduate research students: National picture
Liz Thomas - Widening Participation for Postgraduates: Research, Policy and Practice
Paul Wakeling - Access to postgraduate study: A review of research findings
Fiona Cobb - Access to Postgraduate Research Programmes: Utilising Current Research
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Continuum Launches the Quick Guide to the Browne Report
Continuum Director Professor John Storan has created a 10 Point Quick to the Browne Report.
You can access it here: Quick Guide to the Browne Report
You can access the full report here: http://hereview.independent.gov.uk/hereview/report/
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Thursday 14th October 2010
Latest Continuum Centre Associate Appointed 
Continuum were delighted to host a visit for Erik Nilsson, (current job title). Erik Nilsson has been Vice Mayor of Stockholm and worked with Continuum in Sweden over a number of years. In recognition of this relationship Erik has been made Continuum Centre Associate.
Whilst Erik was visiting Continuum, Professor John Joughin took the opportunity to meet with Erik to congratulate him and learn more about his work in Sweden.
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Tuesday 12 October 2010
Tony Hudson gave a presentation: The place of widening participation at Wodensborough CTC in Wednesbury to a group of Aimhigher Co-ordinators from Sandwell.
The presentation drew on Continuum’s work at local, national and international level and aimed to illustrate the challenges of international policy transfer and the importance of place in education in general and for widening participation practitioners in particular.
Presentation
For more information please e-mail: a.hudson@uel.ac.uk
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Schools and Employability: The Swedish Experience Seminar
Tuesday 8th December 2009
Continuum held a Learning and Teaching Lunchtime Discussion Forum entitled “Schools and Employability: The Swedish Experience” on the 8th December 2009. Katarina Mollberg from Baggium Vocational Schools was our guest speaker, and she brought along 2 students currently on work placements in London. The event was well attended by colleagues from across the university, who had the chance to hear both the staff and student view on this innovative approach to schooling. Continuum aim to use their extensive international contacts to facilitate similar events in the future. 
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Intersect HE - Staff development with a difference
Continuum, together with Arethusa Projects and HTI have been commissioned by University Human Resources (UHR) and the Association of University Administrators to undertake a HEFCE funded scoping study on the feasibility of establishing a national staff development brokerage service - Intersect HE.
Intersect HE will focus on job secondment and job shadowing type activities, offering academic, professional and support staff the opportunity to gain short-term work experience in another HEI or in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Initially, six pilot institutions (Kingston University, Thames Valley University, University of Bristol, University of East London, Leeds University and Newcastle University) have been identified to take part in the scoping study, although the project will engage more widely across the sector.
Continuum Centre Associate and Director of Arethusa Projects, Professor Robin Smith and Continuum Research Manager, Tony Hudson will be undertaking the fieldwork at the six pilot HEIs and preparing the business case based on the scoping study. Colleagues from HTI will be liaising directly with employers, employers associations and sector skills councils.
Further details of the project are also available on the Intersect HE web site: http://www.intersecthe.org.uk
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WPSA Conference Slides Available
The WP Strategic Assessments Conference took place on 6th November 2009 at the Hotel Russell, Russell Square, Central London. The event was chaired by Professor Dianne Willcocks, Vice Chancellor at York St John University, and included presentations by Dr John Selby, Director of Education & Participation, HEFCE and Professor John Storan, Director of Continuum; and Co-Director of Action on Access.
All presentations from the conference can be found on the Action on Access website: http://www.actiononaccess.org/?p=19_3_14
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UEL awards Visiting Chair to Durban VC
UEL has awarded Professor Roy Du Pre, Vice Chancellor at Durban University of Technology (DUT), South Africa, and honorary Visiting Professorship. Professor Du Pre is a leading figure in African Higher Education with over twenty five years of service in the educational sector; first as a high school teacher then as a college of education lecturer. The past seventeen years have been in higher education as an academic, academic manager and policy maker. Over the past five years, he has built a close relationship with UEL through his collaboration with Professor John Storan and the team at Continuum. The partnership and collaborative links that have been established have resulted in a growing list of mutual benefits and outcomes for both UEL and the University of Durban such as the programme of staff study visits and exchanges which has included the senior management group from Durban meeting with their counterparts here at UEL, and recently a group of senior administrators paying a visit to meet with a range of UEL staff. Other forms of collaboration have included joint conference presentations and publications, specific policy and practice exchanges in a range of subject areas, joint research activity and national/international HE policy links. The partnership has also resulted in significant funding success with two major British Council research awards being achieved in recent years.
The quality and significance of the first project was recognised by the British Council through its invitation to Professor Du Pre and Professor Storan to give a keynote on the project at an international conference hosted by Imperial College in London to celebrate and encourage England/Africa HE partnerships.
Professor Du Pre has made an outstanding contribution to HE, not just through his leadership at Durban but also in his national and international HE work. Commenting on the award, Professor John Storan said," We have built an excellent relationship with Professor Du Pre and his team in Durban. I am delighted that this, and also the inspiring work for HE developments in Africa that Professor Du Pre has been such an important figure in, have been recognised in this way. Whilst personally and professionally i have learned so much through the collaboration, it has also had a profound effect on the work we do here at Continuum. Knowledge and practice exchange continues to develop and has to date included HE access, student success, partnership working, employability, entrepreneurship and building a research capacity in these and related areas has been an important aspect of our collaboration. I very much look forward to building further the links and joint working with Professor Du Pre and his colleagues at Durban".
(Pictured: Professor John Storan, Director of Continuum; and Professor Roy Du Pre, Vice Chancellor of Durban University of Technology)
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Aimhigher - Realising the Potential
Karina Berzins, Continuum Research Fellow and Tony Hudson, Continuum Research Manager, led a workshop at the recent Aimhigher Annual Conference 2009 at the Cumberland Hotel in London.
The Workshop drew on the findings from recently completed research in Barking & Dagenham, commissioned by HEFCE, on low participation rates and the extent to which higher education engages with its local communities. The workshop also provided an opportunity for practitioners to review and comment on the short film which accompanies the research.
During the workshop, session practitioners discussed the findings from the research in relation to their own context and setting as well as considering the benefits of more innovative research methods when undertaking research with young people and hard to reach groups.
Participants reflected on how their institution or partnership engaged with its local communities, which groups they needed to have a deeper and more meaningful engagement with and what might be used as effective measures of engagement.
Contributions from this session are currently being collated and will be posted on the website as a checklist for community engagement.
A full research report and executive summary will be available shortly in PDF format on the Continuum website. For further information on the research project, please contact Karina Berzins. If you would like to discuss how Continuum could help you with research and evaluation please contact Tony Hudson.
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EPA Project: Creative Industries - Creative Solutions
Returning from a recent visit to South Africa, Continuum Research Manager, Anthony Hudson was pleased to report that the team at Durban University of Technology (DUT) continue to make good progress. This joint project is being managed by Continuum at UEL in collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Visual Communication and Design (DVCD) at DUT. The aim of the project is to enhance the employability and entreprenerial skills of graphic design students at DUT by establishing a work integrated learning (WIL) graphic design studio.
Tony visited DUT with Liz Pearson, Director of the Creative Way Lifelong Learning Network who is undertaking an evaluation of the project. During the visit, the project team organised three workshops for invited staff and students. This was an opportunity for Liz and Tony to meet some of the students and staff who will benefit from the studio, which is funded through the project.
Work on the studio space is progressing with cabling and decorating completed. Furniture and equipment is in the process of being installed. In terms of layout, the studio provides space for four to six designers, a Studio Manager and Creative Director, with space to meet with clients. In terms of interior design, the lines are clean with references to a young and funky South Africa design culture.
At DUT, the project is being managed by Piers Carey, Head of DVCD and lecturer Rowan Gatfield, the studio's Creative Director. Rowan will be supported by Kailash Maharaj, recently appointed as Assistant Studio Manager. The team at DUT will shortly be interviewing prospective BTech students to work as designers in the studio. Competition for spaces in the studio is likely to be fierce since graduates will be able to gain valuable work experience whilst completing their course.
The studio offering is primarily focussed on Brand Itentity and corporate stationery, point of sale display, packaging, advertising, online publishing, new media, ambient media, environmental (spatial) design, information design, illustration and in house photography. Digital video and editing, stop frame and flash animation, and interactivity are also possible service offerings. The studio will also offer an online logo, illustration and photography bank to its clients.
Workspace Graphic Design and Advertising Studio will be operational from late January 2010 and would be pleased to offer Continuum readers a proudly South African design service. For further details, please contac: Rowan Gatfield: rowang@dut.ac.za, or Kailash Maharaj: kailashmaharaj@mail.com
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Monday 27th July 2009
(Pictured: Professor John Storan, Director, Continuum, UEL; Lord Mandelson, First Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills)
Professor John Storan, Continuum Director, met the new First Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Lord President of the Council following his first major speech to the HE sector in London on the 27th July. Commenting on the speech, John said:
"I warmly welcome the speech and in particular the
comments which recognised the centrality of widening HE access and the value and significance of the social role of universities. Lord Mandelson also said that he was impatient in the wake of Alan Milburn's report on social mobility for more progress recognising that access to HE will inevitably define the degree of social mobility in Britain."
The Government has created a new department for Business, Innovation & Skills whose key role will be to build Britian's capabilities to compete in the global economy.
The new department which Lord Mandelson heads up, which includes higher education, has been created by merging BERR and DIUS.
The merger will create a single department committed to building Britian's future economic strengths. To compete in a global economy and create jobs of the future, Britian requires a regulatory environment that encourages enterprise, skilled people, innovation and world-class science and research. The merger of BERR and DIUS brings together the parts of the government with key expertise in these areas.
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Monday 6th July 2009
We do need more education! - Barking & Dagenham students speak out 
(L-R: John Morris, Director of HE Development, Havering College; Karina Berzins, Research Fellow, Continuum; Cathy Walsh, Principal, Barking College; Professor John Storan, Director, Continuum)
60% of young learners in Barking & Dagenham aspire to go on to University, but nearly half of these students think it will cost too much money.
These are among the headline findings of a new report 'Communities and Widening Participation in Education - Barking & Dagenham', launched this week by Continuum, The Centre for Widening Participation and Policy Studies at the University of East London (UEL).
The draft report and accompanying film of young people's views was presented at an event in partnership with Barking College and Havering College at the Barking Learning Centre on Monday 6th July.
Principal researcher Karina Berzins and her team conducted in-depth interviews and consulted with 230 young people from schools, colleges and youth clubs in the borough. She found that many talented students are put of Higher Education by difficult school experiences, lack of advice and guidance and financial costs.
Speaking at the launch, Cathy Walsh, Principal of Barking College, said, "It is vital that young people make informed choices about their education. This research gives some clues to the barriers facing young people and points to some potential solutions. We are proud to be working with the borough and the University of East London to develop pathways for progression based on real evidence from young people."
John Morris, Director of HE Development at Havering College, said, "When i grew up in this borough, most men worked at Fords. Today we have some of the lowest rates of educational achievement in the country. We need to do the right thing by our young people, and to do it right."
Professor John Storan, Director of Continuum, and a leading authority on Further and Higher Education, said, "Last year over 600 Barking & Dagenham school and college leavers went on to Higher Education. This is an increase from just 261 in 2001, but still a long way behind other areas."
Continuum was comissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to undertake research on why so few Barking & Dagenham youngsters go to University. The study forms part of a national project to understand the social, economic and cultural factors which lie behind low participation rates in cities across England.
UEL currently has 450 Barking & Dagenham residents enrolled as students, and is a partner in the Barking Learning Centre.
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Continuum host Erasmus study visit
Colleagues from MalmÖ University recently visited UEL to gain an overview of widening participation policy in England as well as a deeper and broader understanding of policy and practice at a modern university committed to widening participation. The recent visit builds on previous visits from MalmÖ and the staff development programme that Professor John Storan has been leading at this institution in Sweden.
The study visit programme included a blend of interactive and discursive sessions with UEL academic and support staff, visits to local research sites, an international seminar at UEL and a one day conference at the University of Leicester.
Whilst at UEL, Swedish colleagues explored and discussed issues ranging from employability to the inclusive curriculum and student services to professional identity. Jules Cassidy (Senior Lecturer and Learning & Teaching Fellow, SSMACS) gave an overview of how UEL is striving to offer an inclusive curriculum in terms of design, delivery and assessment. This was complemented by a session with Alison Egan (Associate Director of Student Services and Head of Student Experience) on the innovative services offered to students at UEL. Femi Bola (Head of Employability) and Margot Richardson (Development Manager) provided a comprehensive account of how UEL is working to enhance the employability of its graduates, whilst Thorsten Klein (Business Incubation Manager, Knowledge Dock) provided details of the services and facilities available through UEL’s Knowledge Dock for budding entrepreneurs and graduates who wish to be self-employed.
A visit to the Barking town centre and the Barking Lifelong Learning Centre provided an opportunity to explore the local community. Accompanied by Karina Berzins (Research Fellow at Continuum) colleagues were also able to learn about the research Continuum has been commissioned to undertake by HEFCE in Barking & Dagenham as part of the HE & Communities Research Project.
The study visit also included participation in an international seminar at UEL: Knowledge Transfer and Community Engagement, jointly organised by Continuum and Learning, Teaching & Assessment at which Janine Campbell gave a presentation on work at the McCaughey Centre in Melbourne, Australia. The following day colleagues travelled to the University of Leicester to participate in an extended seminar: The Place of Aspirations, organised by Dr Gavin Brown. This seminar provided an opportunity to critically engage with current UK Government policy on raising the aspirations of young people; to examine how aspiration and ambition are expressed as spatial practices; and to discuss how young people’s spaces are constructed through these policy interventions at different scales.
The final day of the visit provided an opportunity to reflect on the visit as well as discuss a current Continuum research project – New Learning Professionals – which surveyed HE staff who manage student ambassadors and mentoring projects. These staff, often defined as support staff in terms of their contract of employment work both academic and professional domains and are creating what Whitchurch (2008) describes as a "third space". Drawing on this and previous research on widening participation practitioners (Hudson & Pooley, 2006) in conjunction with Whitchurch’s typology, Swedish colleagues also recognised themselves as "blended professionals" working in "third space".
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22 April 2009
Listening to Learners conference a resounding success
Over 120 education practitioners, academics and policy makers gathered at UEL's Docklands campus to share research findings, participate in workshops, and hear speakers including Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students, Professor Michael Fielding from the Institute of Education, Mick Waters of the Quality and Curriculum Authority, Gill Mullis of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Pippa Lord of the National Foundation for Educational Research and Kathy Wright from The University of East London.
The 'Student Voice' agenda provides students and young people with the opportunity to have a say, to contribute to their communities, and to have a more active role in their education, including the evaluation of their own learning. Young people themselves also took part in this innovative conference, contributing to plenary presentations as well as facilitating one of the workshops. The day was punctuated by electrifying performances and images from Thrift Music Theatre Company whose work on Student Voice has been acclaimed by both QCA and SSAT.
Opening the conference, UEL's acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Susan Price said: "As a diverse university, we are always looking at new and exciting ways to provide the best possible education for our students. This conference is a great way of seeing what teaching methods and styles are in use and how we can improve them to meet students' needs. I am delighted to see such a high level of participation and interest in today's discussions as we look at what inspires and motivates students."
Wes Streeting, President of the National Students Union said: "It's good to see Learner Voice high up on the agenda as it's a critical topic. Through every aspect of the education system it's important to listen to the voice of students and there are a lot of government initiatives in place that are looking at student voices to help shape their experiences. This is how teaching and learning takes place and it also empowers students to think about their education and gain a passion for it."
The conference was organised by Continuum, the Cass School of Education and Communities and UEL's Education and Community Partnerships team. The event was supported by ESCalate - the Education Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy.
A conference wiki, listeningtolearners, is being set up as a resource for colleagues with an interest in learner voice and as a space to continue conversations started at the conference as well as begin new ones.
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April 2009
Turning up the volume on learner voice
Continuum, together with colleagues in the Cass School of Education and Communities and Education & Community Partnerships are hosting a one day conference: Listening to Learners: Partnerships in Action at UEL’s Docklands Campus on the 22nd April 2009. The programme includes presentations from pupils, practitioners, policy makers and academics plus four parallel workshop sessions and musical interludes. During the course of the day there will be opportunities for discussion and networking.
To register for the event visit the conference web site at: www.uel.ac.uk/listeningtolearners
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March 2009
Wiki Wiki or Where there’s a way there’s a Wiki
Continuum Research Manager, Tony Hudson, is currently working with Professor Jean Murray and Kathy Wright, Cass School of Education and Communities, on an ESCalate funded evaluation of the Virtual Schools Wiki. As Director of Secondary ITE, Kathy has been pioneering the use of wikis for collaborative group activities which simulate issues that arise in a real life secondary school environment. Under Kathy’s management, Secondary ITE was awarded a Grade 1 in the last Oftsed inspection which cited e-learning as a key strength.
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March 2009
Swedish Study Visit - Student Union Officers, JÖnkÖping University
Continuum hosted a study visit by four elected officers from Jonkoping Student Union as part of a five day visit to London. In addition to meeting with Wes Streeting and other officers at the National Union of Students the group visited a number of institutions including LSE and UEL.
As part of a packed programme at UEL, the group enjoyed lively sessions with: Joseph Bitrus, President UELSU; Mercy Oghenekaro, Schools Partnership Co-ordinator; Brian Hipkin, Director of Student Services, Tony Hudson, Research Manager, Continuum and John Storan, Director, Continuum.
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February 2009
ESCalate Seminar - New Learning Professionals
At a recent workshop, New Learning Professionals, hosted at HEFCE, London, Tony Hudson reported on findings from an ESCalate funded survey of HE staff working with student ambassadors and mentors. The aim of the survey and follow up focus groups was to identify the development needs of these niche professionals who work in both academic and professional domains, and builds on previous research Tony has undertaken on widening participation practitioners. The findings from this focussed research project will be published in May.
Dr Celia Whitchurch, who has also a longstanding interest in blended professionals - staff who work in both professional and academic domains -reported on findings from research funded by the LFHE on the changing roles and identities of professional staff in HE. In setting out her conceptual framework, Celia discussed the implications for an emerging “third space” in which such staff operate. Celia and Tony’s presentations are available on the Continuum web site.
Presentation 1 (to be uploaded)
Presentation2 (to be uploaded)
For more information please contact a.hudson@uel.ac.uk
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