The presentation includes some of the findings from out recently completed THET-funded study on a maternal mental health intervention in southern Nepal as well as some reflections on working and researching in the country. The slides for tomorrow’s presentation can be found at LinkedIn, click here!
Category / international
FIRST Research Seminar on Technical Debt
Mr. Georgios Digkas, a PhD candidate of University of Groningen, the Netherlands, visited Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. He shared his research on the area of Technical Debt with BU partners and colleagues on 27 September 2018. He is also working on EU FIRST project .
If you want to listen to his talk, please visit our EU FIRST project YouTube Channel .
International Conference on Migration Health (Rome)
The conference presentation was co-authored with BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Ms. Manju Gurung from Pourakhi, Ms. Samjhana Bhujel from Green Tara Nepal, and Padam Simkhada, who is professor in the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University.
References:
- Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Bhujel, S, Gurung, M., Regmi, P. Problems faced by Nepalese female migrants workers in the Gulf Countries: A quantitative survey’ [Abstract: 238] presented at Internat. Conf. Migration Health, Rome, 1-3 Oct. 2018, http://istmsite.membershipsoftware.org/files/Documents/Activities/Meetings/Migration/FOR%20WEBSITE%20-%20ORAL%20accepted%20abstracts%20-%20session-bookmark.pdf
- Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen, E.R., Gurung, M., Wasti, S. (2018) A survey of health problems of Nepalese female migrants workers in the Middle-East and Malaysia, BMC International Health & Human Rights 18(4): 1-7. http://rdcu.be/E3Ro
FIRST paper at PRO-VE 2018
Mr. John Kasse presented the paper The Need for Compliance Verification in Collaborative Business Processes, in the 19th IFIP Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises (PRO-VE 2018), Cardiff, UK, 17-19 Sep 2018. John’s paper is a result of Working Package 4 On-the-fly Service-oriented Process Verification of EU FIRST project, which BU is leading.
More information about FIRST project, please follow our social media links on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Channel.
HE policy update for the w/e 28th September 2018
Labour Party Conference
The Labour Party concluded their autumn conference this week. Here are the key pledges from Angela Rayner’s (Shadow Education Secretary) speech:
- Ending the Tories’ academy and free schools programmes. (This should be interpreted as the end of new academies and free schools rather than bringing them all back under LA control.)
- Allowing councils to build schools, create new places and take back control of admissions from academy trusts.
- Allow local authorities to take control of failing academies.
- Stopping fat cat pay for bosses and restoring fair pay for staff (there’s no detailed pay policy for education from Labour but expect there 20:1 pay ratio to apply here as a minimum).
- The re-emergence of cooperative schools as part of the biggest schools building programme ever, backed by £8bn of investment (this will also help modernise schools to improve their accessibility).
- Scrapping the Conservative early years model and introducing “a new public service, offering free early education for all two to four year olds and reinventing our state nurseries.” Rayner called this, “A policy as radical as anything proposed by any Labour government in our history”.
- Integrated HE and FE and invitation of experts to proposed Lifelong Learning Commission headed by Shadow Minister, Gordon Marsden. Free (no fees) FE and HE.
Internal BU readers can also read the summary from the Labour Party fringe NEON event: Open to all? Making the case for HE, and the fringe Immigration discussion – What Skills-Based Immigration System is Best for Britain?
The Conservative Party Conference starts this weekend.
Reputational issues – Essay Mills
With the Radio 4 Today programme in Newcastle this week, there was a lead story on contract cheating, and initiatives such as the current petition to ban essay mills. 40 VCs signed a letter to the Minister arranged by UUK.
- Legislation will not be a magic bullet; it is, however, a vital part of the broader package of measures. Legislation would, amongst other advantages, shut-down UK-based essay mills; prevent the advertising of their services near campuses and in public places such as the London Underground; enable the removal of essay mills from search engine findings and prevent UK-based companies from hosting online advertisements for essay mills.
- Most importantly, it will send a clear statement to the global Higher Education sector that the integrity of a UK degree is valued by the government. Any legislation would need to be carefully crafted, in particular to ensure that the law targeted the essay mills themselves, and did not criminalise students or legitimate educational services.
There is a HEPI blog by Michael Draper and Philip M Newton of Swansea University looking at the law and how this might work in practice – a criminal offence based on strict liability with the offence as follows:
- completing in whole or in part an assignment or any other work that a student enrolled at a Higher Education provider is required to complete as part of a Higher Education course in their stead without authorisation from those making the requirement.
They also note a range of current activity including by the QAA.
Responding to the letter from vice chancellors, Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students, said:
- “The rise in the use of essay mills in recent years has sought to turn cheating into an industry. Essay mills are deeply unethical, and their operation is unfair on the vast majority of students who hand in their own work.
- “The Office for Students has a central role to play in ending essay mills; universities and colleges wishing to register with us must demonstrate that they are protecting the reliability and credibility of degree standards. We will work closely with the Government and the whole higher education sector in a collective effort to close these operations for good.”
Read more on Wonkhe: More than 40 university vice chancellors have written to universities minister Sam Gyimah calling for a ban on essay mills. The BBC and ITV News have the story.
Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 results were announced on Wednesday. BU is ranked within the 501-600 position. Oxford and Cambridge remain the two top institutions but the rankings also reveal the UK national picture is one of ‘modest decline’ as Japan overtakes the UK to become the second most representation nation behind the US. China has also stepped up its ascent, with the country now home to the top institution in Asia for the first time under the current methodology.
Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said:
- “What is clear from all the various international rankings is that the UK continues to have one of the strongest university sectors in the world. This is based on our well-deserved international reputation for high quality teaching, learning and research, delivered by talented and dedicated staff. But we know that other countries are seeing the benefits of higher education and are investing heavily in developing their universities. If the UK is to maintain its leading position, we must match this investment, and ensure that the UK projects a more open and welcoming message for talented international staff and students. This is more important than ever as Brexit negotiations near their end and the UK looks to enhance its place in the world.”
Fees and funding
There is a Wonkhe blog on How to target maintenance grants by Sarah Stevens, the Head of Policy at the Russell Group. The RG have been calling for maintenance grants as part of the post-18 review.
- The Russell Group asked London Economics to model various options to help inform our submission to the government’s review of post-18 education and funding. One option stands out as striking a balance between providing more generous support for students from the most deprived backgrounds and remaining cost-effective for taxpayers: introducing a living wage maintenance grant for those students eligible for free school meals (FSM) during their school years.
- Giving each FSM-eligible student access to an annual maintenance grant broadly equivalent to the national living wage (around £8,200) would significantly reduce (by £27,800, assuming they choose not to also take up loans) their total notional debt on graduation This should help to address concerns about affordability and debt burden for these students.
- While this policy would add around £200m to the deficit, the long-run cost is likely to be much lower. This is because of the signalling effect which may help to drive social mobility, and because there would likely be a smaller outstanding loan book that would then need to be written-off after 30 years. Such an approach would also mirror some of the reforms which have emerged from the Diamond Review in Wales, which establishes a link between student living costs support and the national living wage.
Access, participation and outcomes
HE Participation rates (Dods): The DfE have published statistics revealing the latest provisional participation rates for HE. The HEIPR is an estimate of the likelihood of a young person participating in HE by aged 30.
Key Findings:
- The provisional HEIPR has increased 0.7% to 49.8% in 2016/17
- The gender pay gap in participation has increased from 11.5% to 12.4% in 2016/17
- Individuals are more likely to participate in HE for the first time at age 18 than any other age. The initial participation rate for 18 year olds is at 28%, up 0.9% from 2015/16
Widening Participation and Achievement
Not a week can pass without a Government official naming the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding as the imminent golden ticket for solving the latest thorny problem. This week it’s a parliamentary question on mature students. What is interesting is that the question focuses on mature learners studying up to level 5, rather than tackling a full degree:
Q – Lord Allen Of Kensington: What steps they are taking to increase the number of mature students studying part-time for level 4 and level 5 qualifications in England.
A- Lord Agnew Of Oulton:
Studying part-time and later in life can bring considerable benefits for individuals, employers and the economy. For the first time this academic year, part-time students will be able to access full-time equivalent maintenance loans.
The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding will look at how we can encourage learning that is more flexible, like part-time, distance learning and commuter study options. In addition, the Department for Education is undertaking a review of level 4 and 5 education, focusing on how technical qualifications at this level can better address the needs of learners and employers.
As part of the review, we want to ensure that any considerations are properly addressed and that provision helps support progression for learners of all backgrounds, including young people and more mature learners looking to upskill or retrain.
We expect to publish level 4-5 proposals for consultation alongside the conclusion of the Post-18 Review in early 2019
There was a Wonkhe blog on participation that highlights some challenges for the sector
- There are in the territory of 40,000-60,000 of each of the under-represented group(s) ‘missing’ from HE, compared to if they had the same entry rate as other group(s).
- Increases in the entry rate of the lowest entry rate group (Q1) since 2012 has been very strong – but this has changed in 2018. Typically, young people in these areas have been around 4% to 8% (proportionally) more likely to go to university every year. This year that growth in university entry chances has collapsed to almost zero. Only the fee-perturbed year of 2012 was worse.
- As a triple (low growth, low equality reduction, high target deviation), this is arguably the worst set of POLAR data on record. There would be another 57,000 18-year-olds from England (65,000 at the UK level) starting at university this Autumn if young people in lower entry rate neighbourhoods (quintiles 1, 2, and 3) went to university at the same rate as their peers living elsewhere.
- In 2018 the UK entry rate for 18-year-old men at day 28 was 27.8%, up just 0.1 percentage points. For women 38.1%, also up by not much (+0.4 percentage points), but still four times more than for men. It seems that the slowing overall entry rate has hit men harder, pushing the university gap between men and women to a new record. Young women are now a startling 37% more likely to enter HE than men. The absolute percentage point gap between men and women has gone past 10 percentage points for the first time at 10.3 percentage points. These differences equate to 38,000 men not starting at university this autumn compared to what we would see if men had equal entry rates with women.
- In 2018 there were around 50,000 fewer 18-year-olds from the white ethnic group starting university compared to if they had the same average entry rate (39.6%) as young people from ethnic groups with entry rates higher than average.
Value for money
From Wonkhe: The Guardian has a collection of letters, including one from UUK chief executive Alistair Jarvis, responding to Aditya Chakrabortty’s recent criticism of the university system for failing to deliver on its promises. (Wonkhe, Tues)
Research
Wonkhe report that: The new Administrative Data Research Partnership (ADRP) aims to maximise the potential of administrative data as a resource for research in the UK. Supported by £44 million from the Economic and Social Research Council (a part of UK Research and Innovation – UKRI), the ADRP will seek to provide a secure route for accredited researchers to use de-identified data from across government departments, local authorities and health authorities. This replaces the Administrative Data Research Network, which was funded for five years up until July this year.
Brexit – Horizon 2020
Last week we mentioned that UKRI is gathering basic information about recipients of Horizon 2020 grants. The bespoke portal for the information gathering was launched on Thursday and aims to support continuity of funding. UKRI have undertaken to keep UK researchers and businesses registering their project on the portal informed of the next steps if the government needs to underwrite Horizon 2020 payments. The UK and the EU’s intention remains that UK researchers and businesses will continue to be eligible to participate in Horizon 2020 for the remaining duration of the programme (as set out in the Financial Provisions of the draft Withdrawal Agreement). The portal will also act as a safety net whereby the Government can plan to ensure that cross-border collaboration in science and innovation can continue after EU exit.
Sam Gyimah said:
- “It is imperative that we support our world-class researchers, businesses and scientists to continue to collaborate with EU partners after exit. While we do not want nor expect no deal, it is right that we plan for every eventuality. The launch of the new UKRI portal today is the next step in our commitment to the recipients of Horizon 2020 funding that we will guarantee funding for the duration of the programme.
- The UK government announced 2 years ago that it would underwrite UK funds for all EU-funded projects successfully bid for while the UK is a still a member of the EU. In July of this year an extension to that guarantee said that funding for UK participants successfully bid for from exit day until the end of 2020 would also be guaranteed by the UK government, in a no deal scenario. Last month the UK government announced that if the underwrite needs to come into effect, UKRI is the partner of choice to deliver it. To ensure UKRI is ready for that eventuality, specialist teams have developed a bespoke portal designed to capture basic information about recipients’ grants and identify a relevant contact at the participating organisation for the project, likely to be the LEAR (Legal Entity Appointed Representative), so that they can be informed of the next steps in the process. Those in receipt of Horizon 2020 grants need to input their information into the system as soon as possible.”
UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said: “I urge our partners in research and business to work with us to capture the information we need via this portal.”
See the Government’s press release or register on the portal.
Nature science journal released the article – Six months to Brexit: how scientists are preparing for the split
Brexit – Intellectual Property and Patents
The Government announced further publications within the No Deal Brexit preparation series this week. Four documents deal with the technicalities surrounding intellectual property:
- Exhaustion of intellectual property rights
- EU trade marks and registered Community designs
- Patents
- Cross-border copyright
The key message is that
- EU legislation will be retained under the EU Withdrawal Act. For patents, for example, this would mean that in the case of a no-deal Brexit, existing systems would remain in place, operating independently from the EU regime, with all the current conditions and requirements. Concerning copyright, the UK would seize to fall under the EU Directives and Regulations on copyright and related rights and would be treated by the EU as a third country. Here, the notice states that the UK Government would make adjustments under the powers of the Withdrawal Act to ensure the retained law can operate effectively.
Consultations
Click here to view the updated consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
No new consultations or inquiries this week, however, we are expecting a consultation on grade inflation to be announced in November.
Other news
- CMA new starts: View the new appointments to the Competition and Markets Authority here.
- Regional revolution: The Centre for Social Justice released a press statement urging the Government to take action on non-London regions if they want to deliver on the aspirations of the Industrial Strategy and the technological and AI changes that are being called the 4th Industrial Revolution. Read the succinct summary here.
- Bloomberg Global Business Forum: The PM gave her Bloomberg speech on Wednesday touching on the industrial strategy and encouraging global businesses to establish within Britain
- The Budget: Philip Hammond announces the budget will take place on 29 October, via Twitter.
- Student Drinking: A NUS survey announces trends to student drinking at university. Read the key findings here.
- Data Futures: HESA blog on the release of the full Student 2019/20 Data Futures specification.
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Ouch! Missing reference
One of the first rules of drafting a scientific paper is that one cites the key literature in the respective field. So as someone who teaches people how to write and publish in this week’s experience of getting a paper rejected was not great, if not disheartening! Earlier this week we submitted a research paper to the Journal of Travel Medicine on a study of the health and well-being of female migrant workers in Nepal. This is high quality journal in which we have published before, including one paper on migrants’ health [1-3].
Two days later the journal editor emailed us to say: “”We feel that the scope of your paper would not justify a full original article in the Journal of Travel Medicine”, which is, in our opinion, a fair judgement. My co-authors and I between us have over 300 papers published and most have been rejected or at least we have been asked for a resubmission, so nothing new here. What was more upsetting than the rejection itself was the additional comment. The editor added:
“The authors should ideally include the two following references:
……(first reference omitted) …. +
Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: a review of the literature.
Simkhada PP, Regmi PR, van Teijlingen E, Aryal N. J Travel Med. 2017 Jul 1;24(4). doi: 10.1093/jtm/tax021. Review.
We agree with the editor that we should have included the two listed key papers. Crucially, it is more than a little mistake to have missed the second paper since we wrote it ourselves. There are many lessons to be learnt from this: (a) check you have covered the key literature in your paper, either in the Background section and/or the Discussion; (b) don’t underestimate the importance of your own work; (c) you’re never too old to make mistakes (and to learn from them); (d) be thankful for good editors and reviewers; (e) do what you advise others to do; (f) etc. ………………
In shame,
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
References:
- Hind, C., Bond, C.M., Lee, A., van Teijlingen E. (2008) Needs assessment study for community pharmacy travel medicine services, Journal of Travel Medicine 15(5): 328-334.
- Bhatta, P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen E., Maybin, S. (2009) A questionnaire study of VSO volunteers: Health risk & problems encountered. Journal of Travel Medicine 16(5): 332-337.
- Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine 24 (4): 1-9.
New CMMPH publication on sex trafficking
Earlier this month the Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences published a paper co-authored by Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) staff. The paper ‘Health consequences of sex trafficking: A systematic review’ [1]. The Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences is part of the Open Access publishing of Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) supported by INASP.
The review reminds us that sex trafficking is one of the most common forms of human trafficking globally. It is associated with health, emotional, social, moral and legal problems. The victims of sex trafficking when returned home are often ignored. This review explored the health consequences of sex trafficking among women and children. A total of 15 articles were included covering health risks and well-being related to sex trafficking. Sexual and physical violence among victims such as rape and repetitive stress and physical injuries were common. The prevalence of STI (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was also reported as high. Being trafficked at a young age, having been in brothels for a longer period and sexual violence and forced prostitution were linked with a higher risk for HIV infection. Physical health problems reported included headaches, fatigue, dizziness, back pain, memory problem, stomach pain, pelvic pain, gynaecological infections, weight loss, lesions or warts, unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The studies on mental health reported that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were commonly reported health consequences among sex trafficking victims.
The authors of the review concluded that there is a compelling need for interventions raising awareness about sex trafficking among young girls and women most at risk of being trafficked. Most studies in this review have focussed on the physical health problems of the trafficked victims although there is also remarkable mental burden amongst those victims. Key policy makers, government officials, public health officials, health care providers, legal authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should be made aware about the health risks and consequences of trafficking. Trafficking consequences should be recognised as a health issue and all the sectors involved including regulating bodies should collaborate to fight against sex trafficking
Related research in this field at Bournemouth University include the Sexual Spaces Project by Prof. Mike Silk and Dr. Amanda De Lisio on ‘Rio’s sex workers after the Olympics’ and the The Gay and Grey Project, funded through a Big Lottery Grant and led by Prof. Lee Ann Fenge.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
Reference:
- Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Sharma, A., Bissell, P., Poobalan, A., Wasti S.P. (2018) Health consequences of sex trafficking: A systematic review Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 4(1): 130-149.
Learn about EU Resources via free MOOC
Do you want to make the most of EU resources for your region or city?
Would your research activity benefit from a greater awareness the EU landscape?
Then, sign up for this free MOOC! Please note that you will need to do this soon as this resource will close at the end of February 2019.
Who is this course for?
This course is for everybody interested in the EU and its regional and local affairs, particularly for officials of regional and local administrations involved in EU affairs. It also targets students, teachers, local journalists and citizens in general.
What do I need to know?
Recommended background: basic knowledge of the European Union
What will I learn?
In this course you will learn about how the EU institutions function and work together, how the EU budget is prepared and how this impacts policies and activities at the regional and local level. Present and upcoming EU programmes and policies will be presented, as well as statistics, practical examples and success stories of concrete EU-funded projects across the continent.
CoPMRE Fifteenth Annual Symposium: Globalisation and Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges – Full Programme Now Available
Places are going fast for our conference next month. See full programme here. If you would like to secure a place please register here.
See you there.
HE policy update for the w/e 21st September 2018
Tuition Fees – means testing?
The Higher Education Policy Institute and Canadian Higher Education Strategy Associates have published a joint research paper on means-tested tuition fees for higher education – Targeted Tuition Fees – Is means-testing the answer? It explores the different funding approaches around the world considering the three major approaches to subsiding students in HE:
- Equal subsidisation, resulting in a system of free tuition
- Post-hoc subsidy (eg. England) in which those with smaller financial returns pay less
- Pre-hoc subsidy, in which reductions in net price are given to poorer students, usually through a system of grants
Targeted free tuition starts from the notion that income-contingent fee loans do improve access but don’t do enough to help those from the poorest households, many of which are extremely debt adverse, and it leads to these families ruling out attending HE. Targeted free tuition suggests means testing and offering those on lowest income partial or full exemption from tuition fees.
The report concludes that “targeted free tuition has both an attractive political and economic logic: it provides benefits to those who need it without providing windfall gains to those who do not. Evidence from several countries over many years tells us that students from poorer backgrounds have a higher elasticity of demand than students from wealthier ones. Put simply, there is far more value for money in reducing or eliminating net tuition for low income students than there is in doing so for wealthier ones”.
Nick Hillman (HEPI) spoke on the report during the Today programme on Radio 4 on Thursday.
Means testing tuition fees is another interesting contribution to the Post-18 Review discussion. It would of course, increase costs, just at the time when the accounting treatment is about to change and the existing costs become more visible. You’ll remember we reported last week that the Post-18 Review report is delayed awaiting outcomes on the decision of how to account for student loans, but will Phillip Augar use the delay to cogitate further on tuition fees?
There is an interesting debate, though, about the tension between means testing families at one level (as already happens for maintenance loans) and then basing everything on the graduate premium – i.e. the income of the graduate not the family. The government will say that the current position is fairer because the amount repaid is all based on graduate income, whereas under this system the merchant banker children of WP families would repay nothing. The opposing side was expressed on Radio 4 by Polly Mackenzie of Demos. She said that technocratic solutions developed by policy wonks would not solve the problem of student finance. That the public were emotionally opposed to debt and the system is too broken to survive, regardless of the merits of rebranding, renaming or tweaking it.
Alex Usher, the Canadian author of the paper writes for Wonkhe in A case for means-tested fees.
While Becca Bland from Stand Alone highlights that students with complex family situations which approach but don’t quite meet categorisation as an independent student fall through the means testing cracks and all too often can’t access sufficient funding to access or complete HE study. See Family means-testing for student loans is not working.
Education Spending
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) released its annual report on England’s education spend. On HE it summarises:
- Reforms to higher education funding have increased university resources and made little difference to the long-run cost to the public purse. Universities currently receive just over £9,000 per full-time undergraduate student per year to fund their teaching. This is 22% higher than it was in 2011, and nearly 60% more than in 1997. Reforms since 2011 have cut the impact on the headline measure of the government’s deficit by about £6 billion per cohort entering higher education, but the expected long-run cost to the taxpayer has fallen by less than £1 billion.
The report hit the headlines for the decline in FE spending; this heightened the current speculation that FE spend may be addressed through the post-18 tertiary education funding review. Research Professional report that the IFS write a
- “key challenge” facing the higher-education system in England is “ensuring the quality of education provided in a market where students lack good information about the return to their degrees”.
- “The challenge for the government is to define and produce the metrics on which it wants universities to perform, and incentivise universities to take these metrics seriously.”
The article notes that the TEF, which originally planned to link higher tuition fees to outcomes, would have incentivised HE providers to focus more on their performance metrics. However, a respondent from Exeter University challenged the IFS’ statement, saying:
- “All of this is out of touch with the reality of UK universities. In fact we are awash with metrics and we study them obsessively. Even when the TEF was decoupled from financial incentive, we took it no less seriously. Just look at how the results are received – and celebrated, or challenged.”
The key points from the IFS report:
- 16-18 education has been a big loser from education spending changes over the last 25 years. In 1990-91, spending per student in further education was 50% higher than spending per student in secondary schools. It is now 8% lower in real terms.
- FE also suffers from dwindling mature student numbers – the total number of adult learners fell from 4 million in 2005 to 2.2 million by 2016, with total funding falling by 45% in real terms over that period. However, spending per learner has remained relatively constant at £1,000 per year
- 19+ FE is now sharply focussed on apprenticeships – making up almost half of all Level 2 qualifications undertaken by adults, compared to less than 10% in 2005. They also make up about two-thirds of all Level 3 adult learners
- At the event launching the report panellists debated T-levels concluding that the new qualifications wouldn’t raise per student funding levels for sixth forms and FE colleges. Any additional funding would only cover the increased number of teaching hours required. The panel also debated whether a focus on occupational and technical skills would leave people vulnerable to economic and trade shocks.
Higher Education
- Universities receive £28,200 per student to fund the cost of teaching their degrees, with 60% rise since 97/98 largely attributable to tuition fee reforms [Note: this is likely the average tuition fee value across the full duration of a degree, it doesn’t divide perfectly to the £9,250 fee level because fee levels vary for longer four year degrees and placement years.]
- The expected long run taxpayer cost of providing HE is £8.5bn per cohort. Since 2011 the £6bn reduction in the teaching grant only translates into £800m of savings per cohort, because:
- The lowest earning 40% of graduates repay £3,000 less student loan over their lifetime than had they started in 2011 (owing to the higher repayment threshold).
Responding to the IFS report Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders, played on the gulf between FE and HE funding levels:
- “Parents will be horrified to learn of the damage that has been done to sixth forms and colleges by severe real-terms cuts in government funding. They may also wonder why the basic rate of funding for each of these students is just £4,000 compared to tuition fees at university which can be as high as £9,250. [Is Geoff touching on dangerous ground here? Few people want to take out loans to access FE provision!]
- There is no rhyme or reason for the extremely low level of funding for 16-18 year-olds, and without the additional investment that is desperately needed more courses and student support services will have to be cut in addition to those which have already been lost. It is a crucial phase of education in which young people take qualifications which are vital to their life chances and they deserve better from a government which constantly talks about social mobility.
- The government’s under-investment in 16-18 education is part of a wider picture of real-terms cuts to school funding which is putting hard-won standards at risk.”
Other fees and funding news
Mis-sold and overhyped: The Guardian ran a provocative article Mis-sold, expensive and overhyped: why our universities are a con claiming universities haven’t delivered on the social mobility and graduate wage premium that politicians promised. If you read to the end you’ll see the author is actually in favour of scrapping tuition fees and increasing levels of vocational provision.
Transparent Value?: Advance HE blogs How does HE create and demonstrate value? Arguing there is
- too little focus, for example, on the value created for the economy and society, for research, and for collaborations with business. If value is always reduced to short-term financial value this creates a degree of inequality between different stakeholder groups….. we live in a world where there is no collective understanding of value… The nature of value is changing, and it’s changing higher education’s direction. The blog also tackles what it means to be transparent.
Graduate Employability
The OfS have blogged on improving graduate employability. They say:
- more than a quarter of English graduates say they are over qualified for the jobs they are doing. Yet we know that many businesses also say they struggle to find graduates with the skills necessary to the job. This apparent mismatch between what a university education may deliver and what employers say they need underlines the importance of keeping employability in sharp focus throughout students’ experience of higher education.
The blog goes on to highlight the OfS consultation which sets out tough targets for improving employment gaps. The OfS call for more work placement opportunities:
- Many employers are now offering degree apprenticeships and this is important and welcome. But we also need more work placement opportunities. It cannot be right that so many students, especially those on courses with little vocational element and those without the right networks, have no access to good work placements or holiday internships while they are studying. This means they are more likely to face a cycle of internships, too often unpaid, after they graduate before they are able to get lasting graduate employment.
Apart from calling for more work-based time the blog’s advice for improving graduate employability is limited to stating:
- Students need to take up every opportunity available to them during their time in higher education to help improve their employability and get a rewarding job.
The blog also announced that the OfS will launch a competition in October for projects testing ways of improving progression outcomes for commuter graduates (who remain in their home town during study and after graduation).
Pre-degree technical internship – Research Professional writes about a Danish trial scheme which gives students work experience in technical subjects before they commence at university. The scheme consists of a four-week internship undertaken before the degree start date which provides insight into how the learning and knowledge will be applied in practice The trial aims to reduce high dropout rates of 20% on Danish technical courses, with dropout soaring to 30% for students with lower graded prior academic qualifications.
Gender Pay Gap – The Telegraph highlighted how the gender pay gap is apparent even at lower levels of qualification. In women choose lower-wage apprenticeships than men the Telegraph describes how the professions with a dominant female workforce are lower paid, for example women tend towards lower paid child development careers whereas engineering and construction receive higher remuneration.
Admissions
UCAS have published their latest 2018 cycle acceptance figures which sum up the confirmation and clearing period, key points:
- In England, a record 33.5 per cent of the 18 year old population have now been accepted through UCAS.
- 60,100 people have been accepted through Clearing in total so far, 150 more than the equivalent point last year, and a new record. Of those, 45,690 people were placed after applying through the main scheme (compared to 46,310 in 2017), and a record 14,410 applied directly to Clearing (compared to 13,640 at the same point last year).
- A total of 30,350 EU students have been accepted (up 2 per cent on 2017), alongside a record 38,330 (up 4 per cent) from outside the EU.
- The total number of UK applicants now placed is 426,730, down 3 per cent on 2017, although this comes alongside a 2.5 per cent drop in the number of 18 year olds in the UK population.
- 495,410 people are now placed in full-time UK higher education through UCAS so far, a decrease of 2 per cent on the same point last year.
Explore the data more through interactive charts here.
Clare Marchant, UCAS’ Chief Executive, said: The highest ever proportions of young people from England, Scotland, and Wales have been accepted, and record numbers of people have a place after applying through Clearing, with their exam results in hand. [Interesting given continued calls for a post-qualification admissions process.]
She continues: The enduring global appeal of studying an undergraduate degree in the UK is clear from the growth in international students with a confirmed place, both from within and outside of the EU. The overall fall in acceptances reflects the ongoing decline in the total number of 18 year olds in the UK’s population, which will continue for the next few years, and follows similar patterns to application trends seen earlier in the year.
Wonkhe describes the data in Drama Backstage? Clearing statistics in 2018 and the Independent’s article says Universities feeling the pinch will have taken generous view of entry qualifications to full places.
Nursing recruitment continues to fall, the UCAS figures for England show a further drop of 570 less students for 2018/19. Last week the NHS figures highlighted a crisis with record levels of vacant nursing posts – just in England the NHS is short of 40,000 registered nurses. Lara Carmona, Royal College of Nursing, said:
- “When there are tens of thousands of vacant nursing jobs, the Government’s own policy is driving down the number of trainees year after year. These figures are a harsh reminder for ministers of the need to properly address the staffing crisis that is putting safe and effective treatment patient care at risk.
- This piecemeal approach to policy-making is futile. We urgently need comprehensive workforce plans that should safeguard recruitment and retention and that responds to patients needs in each country. This should include incentives to attract more nursing students.
- The Government must bring forward legislation in England, building on law in Wales and the current draft bill in Scotland, that ensures accountability for safe staffing levels across health and care services.
- And where is the review of the impact that those 2015 reforms had? [The removal of the nursing bursary and introduction of tuition fees.] The Department of Health and Social Care promised this two years ago and it is high time it was published.”
However, the response to a parliamentary question on Monday saw the Government remain steadfast to the funding changes:
Q – Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to reintroduce bursaries for nursing degrees; and if he will make a statement. [172541]
A – Stephen Barclay: The removal of bursaries and introduction of student loans for nursing degrees has increased the number of nursing degree places that are available. Latest Universities and Colleges Admissions Service data for September 2018 show that there are still more applicants than places available for nursing courses.
As such we have no plans to reinstate a bursary cap on places, which would limit the number of places available.
Electoral Registration
The Office for Students published Regulatory Advice 11: Guidance for providers about facilitating electoral registration. It requires Universities to work with all geographically relevant Electoral Registrations Officers to provide sufficient student information to maintain the electoral register. Good practice case studies for electoral registration are included at Annex A (pages 7-12).
The Office for Students (OfS) has published Regulatory Advice 11: Guidance for providers about facilitating electoral registration, for registered providers in England. Any provider may be randomly selected for scrutiny, but attention will be focused on those where issues have been raised, in particular from electoral registration officers. Good practice and case studies show how universities should take a risk-based approach on the issue, and also raise awareness of democratic engagement and electoral registration.
Staff Migration
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their final report on European Economic Area migration within the UK this week. Here are the key points:
Labour Market Impacts:
- Migrants have no or little impact on the overall employment and unemployment outcomes of the UK born workforce
- Migration is not a major determinate of the wages of UK born workers
Productivity, innovation, investment and training impacts
- Studies commissioned point towards immigration having a positive impact on productivity but the results are subject to significant uncertainty.
- High-skilled immigrants make a positive contribution to the levels of innovation in the receiving country.
- There is no evidence that migration has had a negative impact on the training of the UK-born workforce. Moreover, there is some evidence to suggest that skilled migrants have a positive impact on the quantity of training available to the UK-born workforce.
Public finance and public fund impacts
- EEA migrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits. The positive net contribution to the public finances is larger for EU13+ migrants than for NMS migrants.
- However, net fiscal contribution is strongly related to age and, more importantly, earnings so that a migration policy that selected on those characteristics could produce even higher gains.
Public service impacts
- EEA migrants contribute much more to the health service and the provision of social care in financial resources and through work than they consume in services.
- In education, we find no evidence that migration has reduced parental choice in schools or the educational attainment of UK-born children. On average, children with English as an additional language outperform native English speakers.
Summary of recommendations for work migration post-Brexit:
- General principle behind migration policy changes should be to make it easier for higher-skilled workers to migrate to the UK than lower-skilled workers.
- No preference for EU citizens, on the assumption UK immigration policy not included in agreement with EU.
- Abolish the cap on the number of migrants under Tier 2 (General).
- Tier 2 (General) to be open to all jobs at RQF3 and above. Shortage Occupation List to be fully reviewed.
- Maintain existing salary thresholds for all migrants in Tier 2.
- Retain but review the Immigration Skills Charge.
- Consider abolition of the Resident Labour Market Test. If not abolished, extend the numbers of migrants who are exempt through lowering the salary required for exemption.
- Review how the current sponsor licensing system works for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Consult more systematically with users of the visa system to ensure it works as smoothly as possible.
- For lower-skilled workers avoid Sector-Based Schemes (with the potential exception of a Seasonal Agricultural Workers scheme)
- If an Agricultural Workers scheme is reintroduced, ensure upward pressure on wages via an agricultural minimum wage to encourage increases in productivity.
- If a “backstop” is considered necessary to fill low-skilled roles extend the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme.
- Monitor and evaluate the impact of migration policies.
- Pay more attention to managing the consequences of migration at a local level.
Following last week’s MAC report on international students the sector has speculated that the above recommendations have been influenced by the Home Office and so are likely to be acted upon. Furthermore, during her interview with Nick Robinson this week the Prime Minister said that an immigration policy will be published later in the Autumn. This may be published as an Immigration white paper (a Government statement of intent in relation to immigration, white papers sometimes invite sector response on some small details or call for public support). The PM has also hinted that EU nationals won’t receive special treatment (which is one of the report’s recommendations) and Sajid Javid has been reported saying that EU nationals will face visas and caps. However, immigration is one of the key Brexit bargaining points, one which David Davis, speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme this week, declared wouldn’t be resolved until late on in the negotiation stages.
With the report’s recommendations to support high skilled migration, and previous Governmental assurances towards university academics, the recommendations haven’t sounded any alarms within the HE staff sector. However, universities that rely on EU talent to bolster medium skilled professional roles could face difficulty.
- Wonkhe report that: An unlikely coalition of 11 right-of-centre think tanks from both sides of the Atlantic has published a joint report – reported in the Sun – calling for the free movement of people between the USA and the UK for anyone with a job offer.
- The Sun names it an ‘ideal post-Brexit free-trade agreement’. However, the model US trade deal was vehemently opposed by Global Justice Now who state that: trade deals are not the place to negotiate free movement provisions.
- Universities UK said: “It is good to see the MAC acknowledging many of the positive impacts that skilled European workers have on life in the UK.”
- The Russell Group was less enthralled stating: “This was a real opportunity to steer the UK towards a more modern and intelligent immigration system, but the recommendations are unimaginative”.
Meanwhile British Future’s National Conversation on Immigration (which Wonkhe says is the biggest ever public immigration consultation – 19,951 respondents) was published this week finding:
- Only 15% of people feel the Government has managed immigration competently and fairly;
- Only 13% of people think MPs tell the truth about immigration;
- Just 17% trust the Government to tell the truth about immigration.
Wonkhe report that: The research concludes that the public wants to hold the government to account for delivering on immigration policy promises, as well as more transparency and democratic engagement on the issue.
The survey also calls for:
- 3 year plan for migration including measures to increase international student migration
- Clarity on the status of EU students after Brexit transition
- Review Tier 4 visa processes
- Post-study work visa for STEM graduates
- All universities should produce a community plan, involving university staff and local residents
- And, a new wave of universities to “spread the benefits that HE brings more widely across the UK”
On the new universities it continues:
- These institutions should focus on local needs and account for the diverse nature of the places in which they are established. We recommend that these new institutions specialise in regional economic and cultural strengths and have strong business and community links. They should also be part of a strengthened life-long learning system with clear routes from apprenticeships, through further education and into higher level studies. But these new universities must be new and not repurposed further education colleges.
- There are a number of ways that a new wave of university building could be financed, so that the burden does not fall on the taxpayer. While students and research grants provide everyday revenue, the capital costs of a new university could be raised through capital markets.
- There should be clear obligations placed on these new universities to deliver additional courses below degree level, to support lifelong learning, promote good links with employers and to boost the skills of the local population.
International Students
A Research Professional article revisits the MAC Commission’s failure to challenge Theresa May’s refusal to remove international students from the net migration figures. However, it believes Britain’s declining share of the international student market can be saved by the following seven actions:
- The Home Office should establish a “friendly environment policy” for international students, with improved post-study work options and streamlined visa processes to match our competitors such as Australia.
- The Department for Education, supported by the Home Office, should roll out an improved Tier 4 pilot based on recruiting from target growth countries such as India and Nigeria.
- The Home Office must simplify visa procedures and reduce burdens on Tier 4 university sponsors.
- The Department for International Trade must reinvigorate the “Education is GREAT” campaign, working with universities to maximise impact.
- The Department for International Development should allocate a proportion of foreign aid spending to providing scholarships and pathway programmes, match-funded by universities.
- The Home Office and the British Council should review the number and location of English language test centres to attract the brightest and best students, not the richest.
- The government should immediately announce a continuation of home fee status for EU students in 2020 and beyond.
It concludes: A whole-of-government approach must be adopted and a firm national target for education exports should be set. Education policy and migration policy should support each other in a common commitment to that target. Only then can the UK stay ahead of its competitors in attracting international students and strengthening education exports.
There was also a parliamentary question on last week’s MAC international student’s report:
Q – Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Migration Advisory Committee report entitled International Students in the UK, published on 11 September 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations in that report; and if he will make statement.
A- Caroline Nokes: We are grateful to the Migrant Advisory Committee for their balanced and comprehensive review into International Students in the UK. We will be carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will be responding in due course.
Artificial Intelligence
Advent of AI leads to job refocus
The World Economic Forum report The Future of Jobs 2018 believes AI and automation technologies will replace 75 million jobs leading companies to change the human role resulting in 133 million new roles by 2022. The WEF report suggests that full time permanent employment may fall and there would be ‘significant shifts’ in the quality, location and format of new roles. The report highlights skills and the need for companies to invest in upskilling their workforce. Saadia Zahidi, Head of the Centre for the New Economy and Society at the World Economic Forum, said: While automation could give companies a productivity boost, they need to invest in their employees in order to stay competitive. Meanwhile this CNBC article which describes the WEF report claims that AI and robotics will create 60 million more jobs than they destroy.
A parliamentary question on AI was responded to this week:
Q – Lord Taylor Of Warwick: What assessment they have made of public perceptions of artificial intelligence ; and what measures they will put in place to ensure that the uptake of this technology is done so in a transparent, accountable and ethical manner.
A – Lord Henley: The Government is aware of a broad range of views on the potential of artificial intelligence . The independent review on artificial intelligence in the UK stressed the importance of industry and experts working together to secure and deserve public trust, address public perceptions, gain public confidence, and model how to deliver and demonstrate fair treatment.
The new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), AI Council and Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI) were set up to deliver the recommendations of the review, and therefore have a crucial role to play.
Ethical AI safeguards, including transparency and accountability mechanisms, will be scrutinised and improved through the new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation – the first of its kind anywhere in the world. The £9m Centre will advise on the safe, ethical and innovative use of data driven tech and help negotiate the potential risks and opportunities for the benefit of consumers.
The UK already has a strong and well respected regulatory environment, which is an integral part of building customer confidence and trust in new innovations. The Government is committed to ensuring that the public continues to be protected as more artificial intelligence applications come into use across different sectors. We believe creating an environment of responsible innovation is the right approach for gaining the public’s trust, and is ultimately good for UK businesses.
Technological Change
Vince Cable, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, spoke on technological change at the autumn party conference:
In the face of relentlessly advancing new technologies, it is easy for people to feel powerless and threatened. So we have to understand and regulate some of the technologies coming down the track.
Jo Swinson and I are setting up a commission to look at how to turn emerging technologies from a threat into an opportunity.
And if we embrace these technologies, imagine the potential. The potential for robotics in care homes; for machine learning which can detect the first signs of malignant tumour or detect fraud for blockchain which can enable massive, secure, clinical trials and quantum computing which can out-compute computers. Britain could and should be a leader, investing massively in our science and technology base.
Research
After eight months working together, the UK Parliament and the Devolved Administrations have co-authored a four-page briefing on Research Impact and Legislatures. The work has fed into the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 draft guidelines on submissions and panel criteria. It is also noted that Parliament features in 20% of REF 2014 impact case studies.
Three former Higher Education Academy directors have launched OneHE, a global membership network and collaboration platform focused on effective learning and teaching. It will award innovation grants selected by community vote. UK membership fees start at £3 a month.
Other news
- Student Accommodation: A Government press release: Savvy students know their renting rights aims to educate students not to put up with dodgy landlords and poor accommodation when the new laws come into force on 1 October. It sets out a checklist of items that students should be aware of and links to the Government’s ‘How to’ guides on renting safely.
- UCU have published Investigating HE institutions and their views on the Race Equality Charter calling for UKRI to increase the level of an institution’s research funding in recognition of their achievement of the Race Equality Charter. They also recommend an annual audit of the university’s progress in addressing BME attainment gaps. The Mail Online cover the story leading with University professors should be taught about ‘white privilege’ to make campuses more inclusive, union says.
- And Chris Husbands strikes back in the Guardian article: Other countries are proud of their universities. The UK must be too stating: there’s never been a time when universities have been more important to more people than they are now. Our futures depend on them.
- Free Speech: Andrew McRae (Exeter University) pushes back to Sam Gyimah highlighting the Conservatives’ failure to uphold free speech in his personal blog – Free speech: whose problem is it really?
- Mental Health: Sam Gyimah has written to all Vice-Chancellors to urge them to lead the pathway to good student mental health within their institution. However, a Research Professional article criticises the call asking where the research base is to inform such strategic decisions. The writer goes on to state that the UK degree classification system may create stress and replacement with a US grade point average system might be better. She continues there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling student mental health as each institution is different, but universities could help by improving students’ sense of belonging to combat feelings of loneliness.
- UKRI: Tim Wheeler has been appointed as Director for International within UKRI. Previously Tim was Director for Research and Innovation at NERC, and his role before was Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser (UK Dept for International Development) which included providing science advice to Ministers. Tim remains a visiting professor at the University of Reading.
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Congratulations on timely editorial in Nepal
Congratulations to FHSS academics Dr. Pramod Regmi and Dr. Nirmal Ayral who published an editorial yesterday in a scientific journal in Nepal. The paper ‘Experts warn Nepal Government not to reduce local Public Health spending’ [1] was co-authored by Dr. Bibha Simkhada who has just been offered a post as Lecturer in Nursing in the Department of Nursing & Clinical Sciences, she shall be starting with us on November 1st. Further co-authors include FHSS Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada and Dr . Sujan Marahatta, the journal’s editor. He is based at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu, Nepal. Bournemouth University has a long-standing research collaboration with MMIHS.
The editorial warns about the risks of losing the focus on public health and its wider national and global perspective in the recently changed political arena of Nepal. Since 2015 Nepal has moved from a central state to a federal republic, whereby the seven new Provinces have gained much more power and control in the decentralisation process. Moreover the first local elections for two decades in 2017 meant a lot of new and inexperienced local politicians were voted in. Many of these local people had little prior experience of political processes, governing health systems, the notion of priority setting, running sub-committees of elected representatives, political decision-making at local level, etc. The paper argues that Public Health can easily disappear of the radar. The untrained newly elected representatives with no political experience are most likely to be drawn into proposing and supporting popular measures including developing new buildings, black-top roads, hospitals, etc., rather than measures that increase the local or regional budget for teachers, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for community health workers, and preventative public health measures in general. Buildings and roads are immediate demonstration to voters that politicians have done something useful, reducing maternal mortality by 2.6% or employing two additional health workers doesn’t give politicians neither the same publicity, nor do such policies have immediate signs of success, and hence are unlikely to be vote winners.
The Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences is part of the Open Access publishing of Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) supported by INASP. The editorial also illustrates the kind of work conducted in Bournemouth University’s Integrative Wellbeing Research Centre (iWell).
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
Reference:
Simkhada, P., Teijlingen van, E., Simkhada, B., Regmi, P., Aryal, N., Marahatta, S.B. (2018) Experts warn Nepal Government not to reduce local Public Health spending, Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 4(1): 1-3.
Horizon 2020 news and upcoming events – September 2018
MSCA Individual Fellowships 2018 Call Submission Rates
According to UKRO, the European Commission has released the submission rates for the 2018 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Individual Fellowships (IF) call, which closed on 12 September; a total of 9,830 proposals were submitted.
This represents a slight increase in comparison to the previous MSCA IF call under Horizon 2020 in 2017, which received 9,089 proposals. The results can be expected by mid-February 2019.
Open registration for MSCA Innovative Training Networks UK Information Events
UKRO in it’s capacity as National Contact Point for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) will hold two free information days focussing on the 2019 MSCA Innovative Training Networks (ITN) call for proposals (deadline for the submission of applications on 15 January 2019). Registration can be accessed through the following links: Wednesday 10 October, London; Friday 12 October, York.
Participation in the events is free, but registration is mandatory for attendance; places will be offered on a first come first served basis.
Open registration for Societal Challenge 6 Information Day
An information and brokerage event for the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 6: ‘Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’ will take place in Warsaw, Poland on 8 November. It is organised by the European Commission (DG RTD) and Net4Society, a network of SC6 National Contacts Points.
The event is free of charge but limited to 2 persons representing the same department/organization. Online registration is obligatory.
EU Partnering event on the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for monitoring health status and quality of life after cancer treatment
Academics are invited to submit an expression of interest to participate in this partnering event.
The aim of the event is to foster and facilitate the development of R&D project consortia for Horizon 2020 EU funded projects in the Healthtech themes. The event is aimed to provide a platform for new commercial and technological collaborations, especially between business and research organisations.
Open registration for UKRO Annual Visit to BU
RKEO will host annual UK Research Office visit to BU on 10th October 2018. The event will take place in FG06 seminar room with the sessions for BU academics commencing at 11:30.
To find more about Horizon 2020 programme and available funding in your area, visit Horizon 2020 website. More details on projects funded under FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020 may be found on CORDIS website.
For further details on EU and international funding opportunities please contact international research facilitator or any member of RKEO Funding Development Team to individually discuss your ideas and the ways we could support you.
ERC Work Programme 2019 published
With a slight delay, the European Research Council (ERC) has published the Work Programme for 2019. While the Starting Grant 2019 call is open and preparation of proposals may already be at their final stage, academics may refer to ERC Work Programme 2019 for further information on ERC Consolidator Grant(submission deadline 07/02/2019), Advanced Grant (29/08/2019), Synergy grant (08/11/2018) and Proof of Concept Grant (cut-off dates 22/01/2019, 25/04/2019 and 19/09/2019).
In the meantime, ERC has published an article “Applying for ERC funding – myths vs reality”. Academics might be interested to find out more about ERC grant application process from the point of view of a person who has experience from both sides of the fence; Professor Superti-Furga, a molecular and systems biologist, has won several ERC grants from 2009 to 2015 and became a member of the ERC’s Scientific Council in 2017.
The fundamental activity of the ERC is to provide attractive, long-term funding to support excellent investigators and their research teams to pursue ground-breaking, high-gain/high-risk research.
There are great support opportunities available at BU for academics planning to apply for EU and International funding. If you are considering applying for international funding, contact international research facilitator or any member of RKEO Funding Development Team at your faculty to individually discuss your ideas and the ways we could support you.
EU funding – UKRO Annual Visit to BU
As announced earlier, RKEO will host annual UK Research Office visit to BU on 10th October 2018. The event will take place in FG06 seminar room (Fusion Building). Session will be delivered by Dr Andreas Kontogeorgos, European Advisor of the UK Research Office.
Bookings for this event are now open to BU Staff and, so that catering will be arranged, confirm attendance by Wednesday, 3rd October – please book your place following a link on event’s intranet page.
The sessions for BU academics will commence at 11:30 with an update on Brexit, followed by a networking lunch. In the afternoon session there will be a review of future ICT-related calls and more detailed overview of the COST Actions funding scheme – please see full agenda below.
Time | Activity |
11:30 – 12:00 | Brexit News, Q&A (to be continued during lunch if necessary)
(All invited/registered from 11:30 to 15:15) |
12:00 – 13:00 | Networking lunch |
13:00 – 14:15 | Cross-disciplinary nature of ICT – forthcoming Horizon 2020 calls and topics under pillars of Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges |
14:15 – 14:30 | Comfort break / over-run time / time for people to come and in and out |
14:30 – 15:15 | COST Actions – bottom-up driven networks for expanding European Cooperation in Science and Technology |
15:15 – 16:30 | 15 minute 1-2-1s |
16:30 | Close |
A number of 15 minute 1-2-1 sessions available with Andreas (UKRO) and Ainar (BU International Research Facilitator) – here, you can discuss your European funding plans and ambitions with either of them. To book your 1-2-1 meeting, please make a note about this when booking for the main event or email directly to RKEDevFramework@bournemouth.ac.uk with “UKRO 1-2-1” in subject field.
If you have an interest in applying to Horizon 2020 and other European funding, please make full use of BU’s subscription by registering to receive updates from UKRO. On their website, you can access subscriber-exclusive support materials including call fact-sheets and details of future UKRO events.
HE Policy update for the w/e 14th September 2018
Parliament rose for the party conference recess on Thursday so we can look forward to some inter-party challenging debate over the next few weeks. On Tuesday the Migration Advisory Committee delivered their verdict on international students – to the chagrin of many within the HE sector; and Wonkhe speculate about Generation Z as universities prepare to greet their new and returning students.
Review of post-18 funding delayed
There has been further speculation this week that the interim Augar report for the review of post-18 funding will be delayed until January 2019. This has financial implications as the delay takes it past the Nov 2018 budget.
Research Professional say:
Speaking at the UUK conference last week, review chairman Philip Augar suggested that the panel’s work would have to consider any recommendation from the Office for National Statistics on the presentation of student loans in the public accounts. This is bound to affect the recommendations of the panel, which—if we take the heavy hints—is looking to rebalance the inequality of resource between further and higher education.
Read the full Research Professional article here and the BBC coverage.
Student Loans
The Public Accounts Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the Sale of Student Loans following the National Audit Office (NAO) report which noted the Government had sold loans with a face value of £3.5 billion for £1.7 billion (roughly 48p for every £1 in value).
The NAO noted concerns that the Treasury’s key incentive for selling loans was to reduce Public Sector Net Debt—a metric that has been queried by the International Monetary Fund, the Office for Budget Responsibility, and Committees in Parliament. They also highlighted that the DfE (which owns student loans policy) had a different way of estimating value than HM Treasury.
The inquiry will explore the reasons for the sale, how Government can be sure selling the loans is good value for money, remaining risks, and lessons learned for the sale of more loans in the future.
This week the Chancellor was grilled during his annual session with the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. He was questioned on the calculation methods for representing the student loan debt, Lord Sharkey (Lib Dem) asked if he accepted that the student loans system constituted a ‘fiscal illusion’ in making the deficit appear lower. He responded that at present the UK was accounting for student loans in accordance with Office for National Statistics (ONS) guidance, however, if the ONS changes the guidance then the government would treat the loans differently. He also noted the on-going Review of Post-18 Education would feed into considerations on the matter. [With the Review reputedly delayed because it is awaiting the outcome of the ONS considerations about whether to change the loan calculation methods, a potential spiral of delay here!] Hammond also said he remained confident that the student loans system was significantly redistributive.
When pressed on a potential re-think in relation to maintenance grants the Chancellor responded – yes you guessed it – that due to the on-going Review of Post-18 Education it would not be sensible for him to comment ahead of the review outcomes. When a Committee member pointed out that the constraints around the Review of Post-16 Education had been designed so that the investigators could not make recommendation which would increase the deficit Hammond expressed his scepticism.
On apprenticeships Hammond noted a levelling up shift with less people choosing a Level 2 apprenticeship and more plumping for a Level 3 apprenticeship. Hammond felt this was because businesses were investing their own funds in higher-level apprenticeships.
On the use of the retail price index (RPI) to calculate student loan interest rates. Lord Turnbull (Crossbench) noted the chairman of the Statistics Commission had told the committee that the use of RPI to calculate inflation was inadequate and did not have the potential to become adequate. He questioned Hammond asking if the continued use of RPI was tenable. In response, Hammond said he was expecting the Committee’s report on this issue. He acknowledge that the shortcomings of RPI were well-known, but noted that the ONS had decided in 2012 not to change the RPI formula, and it was not for him to question this decision.
Parliamentary Question
Q – Lord Roberts Of Llandudno: What plans they have, if any, to provide assistance to students paying over six per cent in interest on their tuition fees and maintenance loans.
A – Viscount Younger Of Leckie: The system of variable interest rates based on income is progressive, and ensures that higher earners make a fair contribution to the sustainability of the higher education system. Student loan interest rates vary with income. Only borrowers earning over £45,000 and those in study pay the maximum interest rate of 6.3% and many will be charged less than this. The system of variable interest rates help ensure that the highest earners make a higher total contribution than those on lower incomes. Reducing interest rates would benefit high earners only. That is why the government has increased the repayment threshold from tax year 2018-19 and will increase the repayment threshold again in April 2019, reducing monthly repayments for all borrowers earning above £25,000. We believe that it is right that students should contribute to the cost of their higher education and that this contribution should be linked to their income. This means that those who have benefited the most from their education repay their fair share.
Research
Plan S: Research Professional report that UKRI join European open-access ‘revolution’. Also see this and this.
Research Integrity
The Commons Science and Technology select committee investigated research integrity earlier in the year to examine the reproducibility crisis and trends and developments in fraud, misconduct and mistakes in research and the publication of research results. They concluded that “error, questionable practices, and outright fraud are possible in any human endeavour, and research integrity must be taken seriously and tackled head-on.”
Their report also called for a new national committee on research integrity to be established. We have been waiting for the Government to respond to the Committee’s report and now the Government’s response, along with an accompanying letter from Sam Gyimah can be viewed here. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) also responded here.
The Government supported the call for a new national committee on research integrity confirming that UKRI will explore the set-up of a new committee in detail and report back to the Committee by early 2019. On this Committee Chair, Norman Lamb MP, said:
- “I warmly welcome the Government’s commitment to explore the central recommendation of our Report. …There is currently a gap in the system that needs to be filled. Universities can be seen to be ‘policing themselves’ when it comes to investigating research misconduct, and a new national committee would provide a counterbalance to that inherent conflict of interest.”
The Government response also welcomed the Committee’s recommendations on strengthening the Concordat. UKRI responded
- “As a signatory, we will work to make the concordat’s requirements and expectations clearer. Over the next twelve months, the signatories will agree the revised version of the concordat and provide the committee with a route map and timetable for reaching 100% compliance”. On this Chair Norman Lamb said: “My Committee will keep a close eye on developments to ensure that actions are followed up, but it appears that the Government and UKRI have listened and are taking our concerns seriously.”
On the other calls to action (Committee in blue, Government response in purple):
The Committee also wanted the Government to back the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and called on them and UUK to recommend all universities subscribe to UKRIO. The Government response was watered down support – stating they would explore with Universities UK (UUK) and UKRIO how we can promote the work of UKRIO as an organisation that furthers good practice in academic, scientific and medical research.
The Committee had concerns were researchers were able to commit misconduct at several institutions because of some universities may be using non-disclosure agreements to keep misconduct quiet or do not rigorously check references. The Committee wanted UKRI to consider how this practice can be effectively banned by institutions receiving public funds. Again the Government tasks UKRI to think it through: …the Government agrees that deliberate research misconduct should be taken extremely seriously. As a first step, we will ask UKRI to explore the scale of the problem and to provide advice on what specific action or actions may be needed, in addition to a strengthening of the Concordat.
Sam Gyimah said: The Government fully recognises the importance of excellent research and we will continue to work closely with UKRI to ensure that researchers are able to work in a culture which is conducive to the highest standards, and that those who use research, and the public at large, can have absolute faith in the quality and reliability of the UK’s world-leading base, now and into the future.
Find out more about the inquiry at the Science and Technology Committee Research Integrity inquiry page.
Brexit – no deal impact on research and mobility
The Government has published two more papers in its technical series setting out what will happen in the event of a Brexit ‘no deal’. They explain how they will support researchers and universities for Horizon 2020 funding and the Erasmus+ scheme.
On Erasmus+ the Government says:
- We’re underwriting Erasmus+ funding for all successful bids submitted while we are still in the EU. This arrangement is dependent on reaching agreement with the EU that UK organisations can continue to be eligible to participate in Erasmus+ projects and;
- Funding for successful bids will continue for the lifetime of those particular projects
- You will still be able to bid for new funding until 2020, if we reach an agreement with the EU that UK organisations can participate in Erasmus+ projects post-exit after the UK has left the EU
Read the full Government statement here
On Horizon 2020 the Government says:
- The UK is providing funding through the underwrite guarantee and extension to support UK participants to continue to take part in Horizon 2020 projects, subject to eligibility for participation in the project. The government is seeking discussions with the European Commission to agree the precise details of eligibility. The government is also considering what other measures may be necessary to support UK research and innovation in a ‘no deal’ scenario.
- UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) will be developing systems to ensure payments to beneficiaries of Horizon 2020 funding can continue. Current UK recipients of Horizon 2020 funding will soon be invited to provide initial data about project(s) on a portal hosted on GOV.UK. The portal is designed to ensure that UKRI has information about projects and participants in order to deliver the underwrite guarantee if required. UKRI will use the contact details provided by current recipients to inform them of the next steps in the process.
Read the full Government statement on Horizon 2020 here. A Q&A is available here.
International Students
Fulbright Scholarships: On Wednesday Sam Gyimah spoke at the US-UK Fulbright Commission reception to announce increased investment for the scholarship programme. He hailed the UK and US as the heavyweights of higher education and spoke of the special relationship the UK and US in pledging to forge further transnational education partnerships. Sam said:
- “The UK and the US are both powerhouses on the international stage, attracting talented students and teachers from across the globe to broaden both of our horizons…. This is a bilateral partnership that celebrates the exchange of innovative ideas and best practice, cementing lasting collaborations and a deeper understanding of each other’s country. We are enormously grateful for the continuing support of both governments, that will enable us to invest in future generations of Fulbright scholars…The UK and US have long been seen as the powerhouses for higher education, with the two countries making up 9 out of ten of the world’s best universities. The funding builds on a strong history of the UK-US bilateral education relationship, and will introduce a programme enabling teachers from the UK to develop and share their professional skills and academic knowledge in the US.”
The Telegraph writes on the Fulbright scholarships quoting Sam Gyimah saying more must be done to attract students from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities and that the additional £400,000 should be used to enable students from deprived backgrounds to “benefit from what is historically been perceived as an elite programme”.
Higher Education Commission
The Higher Education Commission launched their international students report on Thursday: Staying Ahead – Are International Students Going Down Under? The report begins:
- While the UK has for many decades ranked in clear second place next to the USA for popularity of international HE provision, other countries are putting policies into practice that are attracting a much larger share of mobile students.
- In order to build a resilient economy and to develop our soft power and diplomacy the Government needs urgently to develop joined-up policies to actively promote the HE sector. The time feels right politically and in terms of the mood of the nation to remove students from migration numbers and simplify the visa process. [So rather unfortunate publication timing given Tuesday’s verdict by the MAC committee (follows below) that students should remain within the migration numbers.]
The HE Commission’s press release frames the need for international friendliness within the Government’s ambition to grow HE to deliver the 2020 target. It says:
- The Higher Education Commission is passionate about the health of the higher education sector and developing the financial value and soft power benefits of its international work at home and abroad. We want the Government to achieve its ambition of boosting the value of international higher education to £30billion by 2020, but this will not be easy given the continued ambiguity around the welcome given to international students and migration targets. This report therefore seeks to assess the best routes to achieve growth including what the Government needs to do to support the HE sector.
Listen to the key issues within the HE Commission’s report or read more here.
Migration Advisory Committee
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) was tasked to assess the impact of international students in the UK and make recommendations to the Government. The HE sector lobbied for a more positive approach to international students, particularly for their removal from the net migration targets throughout. An influential publication was released early on by HEPI quantifying the financial benefits to local areas brought in by international students (£22.6 billion gross nationally). The lobbying continued right up to the last minute with Universities UK proposing a new post-study work visa system to reward and capitalise on international graduate talent.
The MAC published its report on Tuesday dashing the hopes of many within the HE sector.
The Mail Online said the MAC report was “a vindication” for Theresa May, who has often been portrayed as the lone Cabinet voice refusing to back down on the migration targets.
Wonkhe write to acknowledge the disappointment, and also explain the devil may be in the details for the Government:
- Yesterday’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report was long awaited by the sector as a hopeful rebuff to Theresa May’s seemingly-isolated position of including international students in the infamous “tens of thousands” migration target. But it didn’t and voices around sector have expressed frustration….But MAC did come as close as such a body can to criticising the politicised use of migration statistics, a practice unique to the UK and a presentational – rather than a statistical – decision that demonstrably harms international student recruitment. This carefully-worded call is likely to give the government a much bigger headache than simply revamping the figures
Wonkhe summarise the MAC report in their blog post highlighting that 7 of the 8 recommendations actually benefit the sector.
- There should continue to be no cap on the number of international students, which sat at 438,000 in 2015/16, a rise of almost 30% over the last decade.
- The sector and the government should “work more closely together” to grow recruitment, with the committee chair Alan Manning – in a masterpiece of understatement – saying the two sides were not always “on the same page” at present. This feels like a missed opportunity given the report also confirms that the UK has become less competitive, with a “slightly” falling market share (rather than the big dip shown in other, apparently “selective” uses of data), the risk that Australia will overtake us for the second-place spot soon. The UK has no national strategy or recruitment target, and “less generous” post-study work options.
- The rules for working while studying, and the rights of dependents, should stay the same as now – with both similar to comparative nations.
- The window for switching from Tier 4 (studying) to Tier 2 (working) should be “widened”. Beneath the original fence-sitting language this appears to be a positive suggestion, but is a pretty minor tweak, and hardly a change that will persuade many students to choose the UK over the alternatives.
- The post-study leave period for masters students should be extended from four to six months, but with a “more thorough” review. Again potentially positive, but minor.
- Similarly, the 12-month post-PhD “leave to remain” period should be automatically incorporated into the original visa, subject to the student meeting progress requirements and/or course completion, replacing the existing Doctoral Extension scheme which needs to be applied to and paid for.
- Former Tier 4 students who’ve passed Level 6+ qualifications should be entitled to a two-year grace period in which they can apply out-of-country for a Tier 2 visa, under the same rules as current in-country Tier 4 to Tier 2 switches. This is some way short of the automatic switch (from study to work visa) proposed by Universities UK. Though better than the existing arrangements, it feels insufficient, given that the report says that visa extension numbers dropped from 45,000 to 6,000 after the 2012 clampdown.
- However, when it comes to recommendation eight, the question that’s dominated this debate – whether international students should be removed from the net migration statistics used as a target by the government – the committee said no. The stated reasons are that other countries include them, there’s no workable method to take them out, and it wouldn’t make much difference anyway.
Responses
HEPI described the MAC report as ‘woefully disappointing’ (see HEPI’s widely read full response here). The report must have come as a blow to Nick Hillman who earlier in the year called on the MAC Commission to conclude and publish early following their key research which quantified the substantial financial gains hosting international students brought to each parliamentary constituency. Nick says:
- Many of us have had misplaced faith in the MAC as a body. Throughout their work, I have repeatedly said the MAC are likely to follow the evidence, which is unusually one-sided and positive on the issue of international students. They bring money, diversity and soft power to the UK. But it seems if you are a Committee that is appointed by the Home Office, answerable to the Home Office and designed primarily to look at labour market economics rather than education, you start and finish in a particular place. If you doubt this, take a look at the recruitment processes for the MAC: when they recently added to their membership, the appointment panel was chaired by the Director of Immigration and Border Policy!
Responding to the report, Professor Dame Janet Beer, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said:
- “While the UK continues to count international students as long-term migrants in its net migration target, there is a continued pressure to reduce their numbers. This adds to the perception that they are not welcome here. In countries such as the US, Canada and Australia, international students are classified as temporary migrants, alongside tourists and visitors. A change of policy from government in this area would have public backing. Polling suggests that the British public does not see international students as long-term migrants, but as valuable, temporary visitors.
- This is an area in which the UK can say it is truly world-leading. While the UK remains one of the most popular locations in the world for talented international students and staff, we have seen a slowdown in recent years compared to other countries. The UK could be doing much better than this, with the potential to be one of the world’s fastest growing destinations for international students and staff.”
Independent Schools Council Chairman, Barnaby Lenon, said:
“In a post-Brexit world not only should we adopt a much warmer attitude towards these students, who have a positive influence on our economy, our intellectual base and our ability to understand other cultures, we also need to make it easier for them to navigate the excessively complicated mechanics of applying for a student visa.”
Jane Gratton, Head of Business Environment and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Business communities around the UK will be bitterly disappointed not to see support for the removal of overseas students from the immigration statistics. We have been calling for the removal of these students from the immigration figures for a long time as the vast majority go home after completing their courses.
- The committee is right to recommend that it should be easier for overseas students to work here at the end of their studies. International students benefit local economies up and down the country, not only through their direct spending power, but also through their skills, languages and cultural awareness. At a time when three quarters of firms are struggling to fill job vacancies, it makes sense to attract and harness the talent of international students.
- It’s time to scrap the caps and arbitrary numerical targets. It’s one thing to control migration, but quite another to use arbitrary mechanisms that deny businesses, universities and public sector employers the people they need to address immediate skills gaps.
- The government should also restore a post-a study work visa that allows British universities and companies to benefit from the energy of some of the people they have trained. Now more than ever, the UK should be striving to attract the brightest talent from around the world, and our future immigration policy should reflect that instead of a fixation with targets.”
Dr Greg Walker, MillionPlus: “The Committee appears to set aside – without a clear rationale – the compelling evidence submitted to change the UK’s self-defeating policy of restricting the numbers of international students. I would challenge the MAC’s view that including international students in the overall migration target has little or no impact on recruitment – there is plenty of evidence to the contrary”.
James Pitman of Destination for Education said: “This report is a huge missed opportunity to strengthen international education in the UK. The Committee acknowledges the sector will be disappointed. We are.”
Matthew Percival, CBI Head of Employment: “Making it easier to switch to work visas after their studies will help the UK to increase its market share of international students amid fierce competition.”
Meanwhile Migration Watch UK Chairman Lord Green of Deddington had a different view point and congratulated the MAC on their recommendations:
- “An excellent report. Full marks to the Professor who found in our favour on two key issues. The MAC endorsement of the inclusion of students in the migration statistics should put this issue to bed. It is also right that the post-study work regime should remain carefully policed. We have long pointed to its risks and welcome the inquiry he has proposed.”
There was substantial media coverage:
- The Mail Online – “Official review attacks May’s ‘tens of thousands’ immigration target and says it should be made EASIER for foreign students to stay on in the UK“
- BBC – “Overseas students should ‘stay in migration target’“
- The Guardian – “Relax rules on foreign students staying to find work in UK, report says“
- The Times – “Give overseas students more time to find work, May is urged“
- The Mirror – “Official review says it should be easier for foreign students to build their lives in Britain“
- Holyrood – “Post-study work visa needed for international students“
Value for money
The OECD have issued their report on education in 2018.
It is always interesting to see what commentators and the media select to report
- The UK pays the highest level of tuition fees in the industrialised world apart from the United States – driven by the cost of fees in England rather than other parts of the UK .But, the OECD annual report says, much of this will not be repaid and that a “well-developed system of financial support” has allowed rising numbers of students to go to university.
- By international standards, the UK has a high proportion of young people going to university, the OECD says.
- The UK has seen a sharp fall in mature student numbers – and the average age for a graduate in the UK is now 23, the youngest in the OECD countries.
- The proportion of students taking maths and science is high by international standards, but for engineering it is among the lowest.
The Department for Education response:
- Almost 1 in 5 of all students in tertiary education in the UK are international, with the UK having one of the highest proportions of international students ….demonstrating the quality and reputation of our universities and their success as a global export.
- Higher education – The OECD found that the United Kingdom offers some of the most generous financial support for students. The Government has also taken steps to make the system better for graduates, including by increasing the repayment threshold, saving them up to £360 a year, and a record proportion of disadvantaged 18-year-olds accepted a place at university on A Level results day earlier this year.
A Guardian article by Sally Hunt of UCU: UK spending on tertiary education staff as a proportion of current expenditure stands at just 63% – lower than both the OECD average (68%) and the EU average (70%). Many of our nearest competitor countries invest a significantly higher proportion in their tertiary workforce, with France spending 80%, Belgium 76% and Germany 67% of their current expenditure on staff.
The Telegraph: The value of a university education has been called into question by a new international study which found that almost one in three graduates are overqualified for their jobs. In England, 28 per cent of graduates have jobs which do not require a degree, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This is double the average proportion for OECD countries (14 per cent), and second only to Japan (29 per cent).
And the Minister: UK needs graduates but some courses are not delivering. Our Universities need to call time on low quality threadbare degrees that are not delivering real opportunity for students.
Valuable Universities: Advance HE have published Let’s talk Value – How Universities create Value for Students, Staff and Society aiming to stimulate debate and encourage more universities to demonstrate the value they create and how they describe and report their value.
Part time study: It’s £ worth it: The Open University (OU) reveal details of a London Economics study into the benefits of mature, part-time study. The study suggests that a student completing a part-time degree in their late-thirties can benefit from a graduate premium of £238,000 for men and £147,000 for women in real terms – and contribute £123,000 more in tax paid to the Treasury over the course of their working life. The study goes on to suggest that the annual rate of return on investment for the Treasury investing in this provision is up to 25% – higher than the cost of borrowing facing the government, currently 2%.
This has led to recommendations from the OU on tuition fees and maintenance grants for part-time students, incentives to deliver more flexible shorter courses, better IAG for adults, and support for progression at Levels 4 and 5. Mary Kellett, acting VC at the OU, introduces the research through her blog: Why part-time study is so valuable.
Freedom of Speech
During the Education Questions on Monday Sam Gyimah said that free speech guidance will be published during autumn 2018. Sam said:
- “We want our universities to be bastions of free speech where a free and robust exchange of ideas thrives. I am very encouraged that the Office for Students has made it very clear that, as a regulator, it will be encouraging free speech in our universities and that, if it intervenes, it will never be to restrict it…. We want free speech, diversity of opinion, diversity of thought and civility in debate, where people do not easily take offence or give offence too easily. That is why I am working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and key stakeholders to come up with new guidance on free speech to deal with the dizzying array of regulations that wreckers on campus can exploit to frustrate free speech….We must always stand up for free speech. We must not allow bureaucracy on campus to stifle free speech, and it is our duty to make sure that it is promoted, because if universities are not about free speech, what are they for?.. New guidance on clarifying all the rules around free speech will be published this autumn.”
OfS – performance measures
Nicola Dandridge blogged for Wonkhe on Friday to explain the key performance measures of how the OfS will measure the sector and its own performance. She describes the focus of the measures is on making a difference to students’ lives and ‘where we don’t already have established metrics that measure the relevant outcomes, we are going to create new ones’ whilst recognising that data is only a proxy starting point to understand whether OfS and the sector are improving outcomes for students.
She describes the primary function of the performance measures as a guiding light to focus the OfS’ efforts, to shape how they priorities activities and deploy resources. Nicola continued:
- We expect, and hope, to be subjected to scrutiny. It is right that students, providers, and indeed everyone with an interest in HE can see how we are performing, both where we are succeeding and where we need to redouble our efforts.
- We will be setting a high bar for ourselves. There is no guarantee that our targets will be achieved – but that’s the point. Unexpected external factors will always influence these measures, and may prevent progress. But in an uncertain world, we still believe in the importance of measuring our performance against our goals. On their own, they cannot tell the whole story of our performance, but they can highlight possible issues, prompt reflection, and focus attention where it may be needed most.
New Students
Sense of Belonging: Advance HE blog about the University of Huddersfield’s Flying Start programme, one of the OfS’ Intervention for Success projects, which is reported to increase students’ sense of belonging. The blog says:
- We evaluated the impact of Flying Start using an adapted version of the Yorke (2016) ‘belongingness’ survey with 1,017 respondents, revealing that Flying Start students, particularly males, scored significantly higher than others for relationship formation, confidence and a sense of belonging. In addition, a focus group of tutors revealed stronger rapport at an earlier stage and earlier identification of risk factors such as attendance, commitment and study skills. Tutors also noted a dramatic difference in students’ levels of confidence compared with previous years, and that students were much more likely than previous cohorts to ask for help, to contribute in group sessions and to engage in critically reflective activities.
Readers of Wonkhe (subscribe free to a weekly roundup email) will have seen their scoop on Generation Z:
As week zero commences at many universities across the country, we’re taking stock of who the new generation of students are, and what their political and social profile might tell us about their new experience at university.
- Just 25% of Generation Z students say they believe they can have a rewarding career without going to university.
- They rank YouTube second only to academics as a learning tool – ahead of lectures, collaboration with classmates, learning apps, and “books”.
- In personal relationships, they are nearly twice as trusting of other people than Millennials were.
- And they’re savvier [than Millennials](or arguably more cynical) when it comes to news – far fewer than ever believe most or all of what they see on news websites and apps.
And there are implications for graduate outcomes data. Wonkhe say:
- The three classic “markers” of adulthood tend to be marriage, parenthood, and (at least in the UK) property ownership. When today’s HE leaders entered HE they might reasonably have been expecting to achieve all three soon after graduation. But not only are the ages of achieving all three markers generally higher for graduates (whose cohort is growing), all three have been on an inexorable rise since the seventies. The average marriage age is now over 35, and first-time buyers are almost all over 30 – as are new parents.
- Academics argue that we’re seeing the creation of a new “middle stage” which begins with the end of secondary school and ends with the attainment of “full adult status”. In this period, young people decide who they are and what they want out of life; they repeatedly change residence and careers, they experiment before choices get limited by marriage, children, career, or property ownership, and they believe in a good chance of living “better than their parents did”.
- Whatever the political implications, the extension of “delayed adulthood” also raises questions about what the sector is preparing students for. Pushing them into defined careers when they’re unlikely to settle on one for some time looks out of date. And from what we know about them, we probably shouldn’t expect these students to be tolerant of or willing to enter into debate with those who espouse intolerant views. And, we need to accept deeper involvement from parents that will likely be bankrolling them for the rest of their twenties.
The Office for National Statistics share Being 18 in 2018 which portray our new starters as Generation Sensible in comparison to the Millennial ‘peak drinkers’, it also explains the 18 year old population decline.
A number of guest bloggers have also written for Wonkhe on new starters:
- Student Minds: Healthier and safer students know before they go
- A blog on WP and pre-entry programmes: Capital gains: How school pupils become university students
- And Understanding new students’ expectations, experiences and anxieties – messages from a learning gain perspective.
Mental Health
A volley of questions around mental health services (particularly younger children) were asked in the House of Commons this week. Two that relate to universities follow:
Q – Chris Ruane: What estimate he has made of the number and proportion of University students who have accessed mental health services through (a) their university and (b) the NHS in each of the last seven years.
A – Sam Gyimah:
- Higher education providers (HEPs) are not required to submit information on students accessing their mental health services. Students have no obligation to disclose to their institution or any other party if they access NHS mental health services. Research conducted last year by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says: 81% of HEPs report an increase in overall demand for student support services, while 41% of HEPs report an increase of over 25%.
- 94% of HEPs report an increase in demand for counselling services, while 61% of HEPs report an increase of over 25%. The University Mental Health Charter, announced in June, is backed by the government and led by the sector, and will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing.
Q – Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of university students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.
A – Sam Gyimah:
- Any disclosure of diagnosed mental health conditions by higher education students to their institution is voluntary. The actual number of university students with diagnosed mental health conditions is therefore unknown.
- Latest data available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for the academic year 2016/17 shows that 57,300 students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions had declared that they suffer from a mental health condition, which is 2.5% of all enrolments.
Prevent
The OfS has released several case studies on the Prevent duty and published the 2018-19 monitoring framework. On the framework Wonkhe note that the light touch approach is tempered with a more authoritarian tone. They write:
- Although the expected language of “reduced burden” and “risk-based monitoring” is present and correct, in reality, the new system feels quicker to punish. For example – review meetings, previously very much a last resort, will now take place at a random sample of the 97% of institutions that fulfil the duty and where no concerns have been raised, and are also much more likely to be triggered by a reported serious incident – in both cases with limited notice.
- Material changes in circumstance are also still notifiable, with these now including a new campus, a change in teaching methods, and a new partnership that could impact upon Prevent-related considerations. Higher-risk providers and new entrants are singled out for extra attention. Support for the development of staff training has been lost and providers must now submit new information in their annual returns.
Widening Participation & Achievement – Care Leavers
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, spoke on care leavers to confirm the launch of a care leaver covenant on 26 October:
- “Care leavers are an important part of the overall strategy for support for children in need, which we have reviewed. Very importantly, we are also launching the care leaver covenant on 26 October, with which we will continue to maintain further support for care leavers; obviously, we have already extended the system of personal advisers to the age of 25.”
Sam Gyimah responded to a parliamentary question on Care Leaver students:
Q – Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) financial circumstances and (b) emotional well-being of (i) care leavers and (ii) estranged students at university.
A – Sam Gyimah:
- As autonomous and independent organisations, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) determine what welfare services they need to provide to their students. Each institution will be best placed to identify the needs of their particular student body.
- The government is concerned to ensure that the particular needs of care leavers and estranged students are addressed by HEIs. Guidance to the Office for Students (OfS), on completing 2019/20 access and participation plans, specifically identifies care leavers as a key target group whose needs HEIs should address. This is reflected in the OfS’ own guidance to the sector. The OfS is also encouraging HEIs to formalise and publicise the support they provide care leavers by becoming signatories of the Care Leavers’ Covenant, and backing that up with the practical help care leavers need to succeed in their studies.
- Many HEI student services teams are experienced in responding to the emotional and financial needs of care leavers and estranged students, and have a named staff member (such as Care Leaver Coordinator) whose role has been specifically created to support such students.
- Student Support Regulations provide that care leavers and estranged students are treated as independent students in the household income assessment for undergraduate living costs support. Many HEIs also offer additional advice to care leavers and estranged students on financing options, scholarships and bursaries, and, in some cases, a guarantee of 52 weeks a year accommodation for the duration of their course.
Consultations
There aren’t any new consultations or inquiries this week, although some outcomes and responses to previous consultations have been released. Click here to view the updated consultation tracker.
Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the ongoing consultations.
Other news
Digital skills: Jisc surveyed 37,000 tertiary students. 70% believe digital skills will be important for the future career, 88% of HE students were satisfied with the digital offer at their institution. However, only 41% of tertiary students believe the course they are studying will adequately prepare them for the digital world of work. Sam Gyimah writes in the foreword of the report:
- “This issue must be addressed as a matter of urgency if universities and colleges are to deliver for students, employers and the country as a whole.
- “I want all educational leaders to look closely at this report and consider how they can improve their own provision through the effective use of technology.
- “I also urge them to take full advantage of the expert advice and “on the ground’ support provided by Jisc to take a fully digital approach to issues such as curriculum design and the learning environment.”
You can read the full report: Digital experience insights survey 2018: finds from students in UK further and higher education here.
Learning Technology: Maren Deepwell, Chief Exec of Association for Learning Technology blogs her thoughts in The state of education technology in higher education.
Health Care Professions: Minister of State for Health and Social Care, Stephen Barclay, responded to a parliamentary question to provide details on how many students entered nursing, midwifery and GP training in the last five years.
Student Accommodation: The Telegraph reports that Unite, who manage private student residential accommodation, have sold 14 properties valued at £180 million as part of its strategy of selling off properties with low growth potential in order to boost investment in those with brighter prospects, i.e. refocusing their portfolio away from lower ranked universities. Richard Smith, Unite chief executive, is reported to have said: “The UK’s high and mid-ranked universities are some of the most attractive for both home and international students, ensuring demand for our beds remains high.”
BU’s Sustainability: BU receives a mention this week for its positive results following engagement in the Green Rewards scheme. Read more in Gamification delivers more than 200,000 sustainable actions for UK universities.
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New paper by recent BU Sociology graduate
Dr. Andrew Harding and his BU PhD supervisors just published a new paper from his Ph.D. research [1]. This interesting paper ‘Suppy-side review of the UK specialist housing market and why it is failing older people’ reviews the supply-side of policies and practices that impact on the shortage of supply in the contemporary specialist housing market for older people in the UK. Andrew is currently based at Lancaster University.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Reference:
- Harding, Andrew, Parker, Jonathan, Hean, Sarah & Hemingway, Ann (2018) Supply-side review of the UK specialist housing market and why it is failing older people. Housing, Care and Support
New BU publication on maternity care & culture in Afghanistan
Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Arnold on the acceptance by Social Science & Medicine (published by Elsevier) of the second paper based on her PhD on maternity care in Afghanistan [1]. This interesting ethnography explores the experiences, motivations and constraints of healthcare providers in a large public Afghan maternity hospital. Arnold and colleagues identify barriers and facilitators in the delivery of care. Under the surface of this maternity hospital, social norms were in conflict with the principles of biomedicine. Contested areas included the control of knowledge, equity and the primary goal of work. The institutional culture was further complicated by pressure from powerful elites. These unseen values and pressures explain much of the disconnection between policy and implementation, education and the everyday behaviours of healthcare providers.
Improving the quality of care and equity in Afghan public maternity hospitals will require political will from all stakeholders to acknowledge these issues and find culturally attuned ways to address them. The authors argue that this notion of parallel and competing world-views on healthcare has relevance beyond Afghanistan. The paper co-authored by (a) Prof. Kath Ryan, Professor of Social Pharmacy at the University of Reading and Visiting Professor in FHSS, and BU’s Professors Immy Holloway and Edwin van Teijlingen.
References:
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K., Holloway, I. (2018) Parallel worlds: An ethnography of care in an Afghan maternity hospital, Social Science & Medicine 126:33-40. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.09.010.
EURAXESS at BU / EURAXESS for you!
Are you a researcher at BU or thinking about moving to the UK?
Do you support researchers?
If so, EURAXESS can help you!
By registering on the international EURAXESS site, you can gain access to a wealth of resources:
- Career Development tools including progressing your career inside and beyond academia
- Study Tours
- Partnering and Collaboration Search, where you can update your own profile so that others can find and connect with you and your research
- Searching for and posting job opportunities
- Information and Assistance for living in Europe, working in Europe, or leaving Europe to live and work across the world
You can also visit the dedicated UK EURAXESS site for even more information, including their introductory leaflets for researchers and those supporting researchers, as well as signing up to receive their monthly newsletters.
EURAXESS is also one of the highlighted resources within the Research Toolkit > Research Staff pages on this blog.
Find out more, by contacting – Emily Cieciura, RKEO’s Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework Facilitator and BU’s EURAXESS Local Contact Point, if you are:
- Using EURAXESS as a BU researcher
- Using EUARXESS as an external researcher and want to know more about BU’s opportunities (where your email will be forwarded, if necessary, for further attention)
- Using EURAXESS as a member of the BU Team to make more use of EURAXESS services, in order to promote BU’s research activity, supporting incoming researchers to BU or other related purpose