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HE Policy Update

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BIS cuts

A document ‘BIS 2020 – Finance and Headcount outline’ has outlined the department’s latest restructuring plan. The document reveals that some 265 jobs could be shed from the research councils (16 per cent of the workforce), with another 47 going from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (17 per cent of the workforce) and 12 jobs going from the Office for Fair Access (67 per cent of the workforce). BIS plans could see almost 5,000 jobs lost by 2020 (Research Professional).

Graduate Employment

BIS has published its latest figures on the graduate labour market for 2015. You can view the report here. The key statistics are as follows.

  • Graduate unemployment: 3.1%
  • Non-graduate unemployment: 6.4%
  • Young graduates: 56% in high skill jobs, 31% in medium and low skill jobs
  • Young non-graduates 17% in high skill jobs, 54% in medium and low skill jobs
  • Median salary for young graduates: £24,000 (£31,500 for all ages)
  • Median salary for young non-graduates: £18,000 (£22,000 for all ages)

Policy-making

An article in the Guardian looks into how scientists can impact policy. It discusses how scientists need to understand the policy process and the likely demand for and uptake of evidence, before working out how to produce evidence that would fit into the process. If scientists want to influence policymaking, they need to understand it (The Guardian).

Sutton Report                  

The Sutton Trust published a report on graduate debt with international comparisons. You can view the report here. The key points are as follows.

  • Those who graduated from English universities last year – under the £9,000 fees regime – owed an average of £44,000.
  • Average debts in other English-speaking countries ranged between approximately £15,000 and £29,000.
  • On average American graduates owe between $29,000 (£20,500), for students at public or private non-profit universities, and $32,600, for those at private for-profit universities.
  • The report highlights the growing complexity in arrangements in the UK nations, with different fee levels in Scotland and grants in Wales that enable Welsh students to take up places at English universities for less than £4,000 a year rather than up to £9,000.
  • The report argues that the abolition of maintenance grants this September will leave the poorest students with debts in excess of £50,000.

Anti-lobbying

An anti-lobbying clause that was due to come into effect on 1 May and which would have affected many researchers in the UK has been put on hold awaiting a review. You can view the statement here.

A-levels

Which? has reported that almost a third (28%) of more than 1,000 UK 18 and 19 year-old university applicants surveyed said they wished they had chosen different subjects. They also reveal that 41% wished they had considered which subjects would be of most use. Too many university applicants ‘pick wrong subjects at 16’ (BBC News).

HESA

HESA released their statistics on the finances of higher education providers in 2014/15. The figures show that medicine, dentistry and health were the biggest spending academics departments. Breakdown of £31 billion expenditure of UK HE sector. (HESA).

 

UG Physio students secure prestigious research post

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Darel Evans and George Erskine has been chosen to be 2 of just 6 selected research internships with Arthritis Research UK. George will be working on the project entitled What are the illness beliefs and expectations of people with Psoriatic Arthritis? Analysis of qualitative data from focus groups under the supervision of Professor Sarah Hewlett at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Darel will be working on Optimisation of footwear choices in the management of knee Osteoarthritis (OA) at the University of Salford under the supervision of Dr Anita Williams.

As a Physio team we couldn’t be more proud of their achievements and wish them ever success. It is the first time undergraduates from the BU Physio programme have gone for such an acclaimed position and to have 2 accepted really is a triumph. Thanks to the team for supporting the applications and we hope their success will breed success in others.

Royal Society launches stories from its Parent Carer Scientist project

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The Royal Society’s Parent Carer Scientist project aims to increases the visibility of people in the UK combining a career in science with a family life, and to encourage and inRoyal Societyspire current and future talented scientists to succeed regardless of non-work commitments. Stories from mothers, fathers and carers about their efforts to balance a career in science with family life can be found at https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/diversity-in-science/parent-carer-scientist/ – the stories are being launched in small groups so more will be added over the coming months.

Congratulations to New Physio Staff member Osman Ahmed

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Congratulations to our newest Physio staff member Osman Ahmed on his recent publication. Having been employed for just a few weeks he already has a publication in the name of BU.

A picture tells a thousand words. A content analysis of concussion related images online, published in Physical Therapy in Sport.

http://www.physicaltherapyinsport.com/article/S1466-853X(16)00030-4/abstract

Hopefully the start of many more publications for Osman.

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 27 April 2016

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Communicating Research

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: W240, Weymouth House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 27 April 2016, 3pm, W240

A Journalism Research Group Guest Lecture

Paul Bradshaw, Birmingham City University

Chilling Effect: Regional Journalists’ Source Protection and Information Security Practice in the Wake of the Snowden & RIPA Revelations

Two years after Edward Snowden revealed widespread interception of communications by the UK government, and 12 months after revelations that police were accessing journalists’ communications data to identify sources, this paper finds that regional journalistic practices, ethics and self-understandings have been largely unaffected by the emergence of surveillance society.

Based on face-to-face surveys of over 75 regional journalists at a number of publications within five newspaper groups in the UK, 10 in-depth interviews, and analysis of policy documents, journalists show few signs of adapting source protection and information security practices to reflect new legal and technological threats, and there is widespread ignorance of what their employers are doing to protect networked systems of production.

The paper argues that the ‘reactive’ approach to source protection, that seeks to build a legal defence if required, is a particular challenge for journalists in protecting their sources and data, and there is a significant need to reflect on these challenges. Specifically it argues these approaches are no longer adequate in the context of workforce monitoring, and that publishers need to update their policies and practice to address ongoing change in the environment for journalists and sources. In the process it also highlights security issues for researchers seeking to protect their own sources in researching surveillance and security practices in journalism.

Wednesday 27 April 2016, 4pm, W240

A Narrative Research Group Guest Lecture

Martin Barker, Aberystwyth University

Catching Dragons in Flight”: Tracking the Changing Place of ‘Fantasy’ in Contemporary Culture

In the last twenty years, huge changes have occurred in the way ‘fantasy’ is made, received and understood, particularly (but not only) within European and American societies. From being simply dismissed as infantile, or traduced as a mark of disturbance, fantasy has moved to take on strong political overtones: witness the adoption of masks from V For Vendetta by the ‘Occupy’ movement, the adoption of Avatar’s blue colouring by environmental protestors, and the banning in Thailand of the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games after its adoption by protest movements. But equally, witness the waves of unease greeting the success among women of Fifty Shades of Grey. By happenstance I took on studying fantasy’s audiences in two enormous international projects, just as this change crystallised with Peter Jackson’s film trilogies of The Lord of the Rings, and then of The Hobbit. In this presentation, I will try to throw some general light on the changes that are taking place, and what light in particular audience research can throw on what is happening.

Martin Barker is Emeritus Professor at Aberystwyth University. Across a long research career, he has explored a wide range of issues and topics, including: contemporary British racism; comic books; media controversies, and scares about ‘violence’; a range of films, from The Last of the Mohicans, to Crash, to Judge Dredd, to the cycle of Iraq War films. In the last 25 years, he has focused in particular on film audiences, and how to study them. In 2006 he was contracted by the British Board of Film Classification to research audience responses to screened sexual violence. In 2003, and again in 2014, he led international audience research projects into responses to the film trilogies of The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit.

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies. The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre

Public Relations Research Centre

Narrative Research Group

Journalism Research Group

Advances in Media Management Research Group

Committee inquiries: open calls for evidence

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Below is a list of committee inquiries with current open calls for evidence. Please contact Emma Bambury-Whitton if you would like to discuss submitting evidence.

Commons Select Committee inquiries

Joint Committee inquiries

HE Policy Update

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Anti-lobbying clause

A controversial piece of legislation that would have seen publicly-funded organisations prevented from lobbying the UK government and parliament has been revised to exclude academics and researchers. You can view Jo Johnson’s statement here.

Leaked document

Notes for a Number 10 meeting caught on camera reveal ministers believe there is a “problem” that some universities are charging the highest tuition fees rate despite not proving their worth. Top universities not good enough to charge £9,000, ministers believe, according to leaked document (The Telegraph).

Impact

A new discussion paper sets out to determine what works and what doesn’t when researchers seek to make an impact on policy. The paper gives tips for engaging with policy-makers including a suggestion to “capture your audience mid-morning or after lunch, when some office workers are active on social networks”. You can view the report here.

HE White Paper

The White Paper is thought to have reached the stage of a “write round” – a consultation process in which Cabinet ministers are asked to give the views of their departments on potential legislation and grant clearance for it to go ahead. White Paper could kill off Hefce quality plans. (THE). 

Social work

The Frontline social work training programme’s shift to in-house rather than university-led education could harm the research base that underpins the profession, the Commons education committee was told. MPs told to keep social work training in universities. (Research Professional).

Office for Fair Access

The Office for Fair Access, which oversees progress in ensuring students from non-traditional backgrounds succeed at English universities, is to have its office staff cut from 18 to 6, according to Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Students. The plans are reportedly contained in a confidential document entitled “BIS 2020 – Finance and Headcount outline”. Office for Fair Access to be cut. (Research Professional).

NUS

Students at the University of Oxford are threatening to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students following the election of Malia Bouattia as its president. Oxford threatens to dump student union in antisemitism row (The Times).

EU Referendum

A House of Lords report has conceded that the UK science community draws vital benefits from EU membership and could lose influence in the event of Brexit. Concern over Brexit’s impact on science (BBC).

 A blog post on Global BUzz looks into the impact of leaving the EU for higher education. What would be the impact of a vote to leave on Higher Education?

New comparative paper India-Nepal

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India-NepalThis week saw the publication of a new paper co-written by BU staff in the Sociological Bulletin.  This is the first paper comparing Indian and Nepali Maoist rebels providing health services and health promotion to the communities under their influence.  It presents the key provisions either made by rebel health workers themselves or by putting political pressure on government health workers to deliver better services in the areas controlled by rebels. Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen’s co-authors are based in India and Nepal.  Prof. Gaurang R. Sahay is based at the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, whilst Bhimsen Devkota is Professor in Health Education, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

This sociological paper is based on a mixed-method approach comprising 15 interviews and a questionnaire survey with 197 Nepalese Maoist health workers and a secondary analysis of policy documents and other published materials on the Maoist health services of India. The paper suggests that rebel health services in India and Nepal followed a fairly similar approach to what and how they offered health care services to local populations. Maoists becoming a government party changed the political landscape for the rebel health workers in Nepal. However, not incorporating the Maoist rebel health workers into the government health system was a missed opportunity. There are lessons that India and Nepal can learn from each other. Should the Maoist rebels and the Government of India come to an agreement, potential for rebel health workers to be integrated in the official health care system should at least be considered.

The paper benefitted from an earlier review through eBU: Online Journal.  The feedback from the eBU: Online Journal’s reviewers helped shape and polish the paper before submission to the Sociological Bulletin.services-ebu-logo

 

Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

 

 

References:

  1. Sahay, G., Devkota, B., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2016) Rebel Health Services in South Asia: Comparing Maoist-led Conflicts in India & Nepal, Sociological Bulletin 65(1):19-39.

UG Talks

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The contents of some research can be exceptionally complex and almost like another language to those of us who know nothing about a specific subject. The undergraduate talk (UG Talks) breaks this mould by challenging undergraduate students to talk about your research in just 3 minutes.

This gives undergraduates a valuable opportunity to convey their research to their peers and colleagues, all the while gaining some worthwhile experience in presenting their work which could prove extremely useful for future assignments or when they graduate.

So the format of the talk is that the presenter are allocated 3 minutes in order to explain their research, they are only allowed one accompanying PowerPoint slide with their presentation, so they must choose carefully!

In order to secure their place at this exciting event, they must send a title and brief overview of their research to Oliver Cooke. There are only 10 spaces available, so they must submit their work as soon as possible!

The talk will be happening early May at midday and will be held on the 5th Floor in the Student centre, but this can be subject to change.

If you know any undergraduate students who may be interested, please encourage them to submit!

Front of postcard

Seminar, Prof Edwin van Teijlingen, ‘Maternal Mortality in Nepal’, Wed 20th April, Royal London House, R303, 13:00-13:50.

BU Challenges, BU research, Centre for Excellence in Learning, conferences, EU, Events, Featured academics, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research communication, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research news, Research themes, Uncategorized

Maternal Mortality in Nepal
Abstract: The session links various social and political factors that affect maternal mortality. Women dying in pregnancy and childbirth is very much a problem of and in low-income countries. This talk focuses on Nepal, one of the poorer countries of the world, to highlight a range of maternal health issues and wider influencing factors including globalisation and the influence of global organisations such as the World Health Organisation.

For further information regarding the Social Science seminar series, get in touch with Dr Mastoureh Fathi (mfathi@boutnemouth.ac.uk).

Committee inquiries: open calls for evidence

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Below is a list of committee inquiries with current open calls for evidence. Please contact Emma Bambury-Whitton if you would like to discuss submitting evidence.

Commons Select Committee inquiries

Lords Select Committee inquiries

HE Policy Update

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Social Mobility

An investigation by the House of Lords committee on social mobility has revealed that social mobility in Britain is hampered by a “culture of inequality” that penalises school leavers who enter the workforce rather than higher education. Social mobility hindered by ‘culture of inequality’ in school system – peers .(The Guardian).

Distance Learning

Open and distance learning universities must determine their “competitive advantage” rather than “parroting” that their value lies in convenience and flexibility, the director of the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education has claimed. Distance learning universities ‘must prove their relevance (THE).

Graduate Earnings

According to a new report by the IFS, graduates from richer family backgrounds earn significantly more than their less wealthy counterparts, even when they take similar degrees from similar universities. You can view the report here.

International students

The Home Affairs Committee is to launch a formal inquiry into the Home Office’s treatment of international students after Home Secretary Theresa May wrongly deported almost 50,000 students in the wake of the TOEIC English exam scam. Home Office’s treatment of international students to be investigated in formal inquiry. (The Independent).

Funding

Research Professional reports that universities’ income from charities has grown at a much slower rate in the past five years than income from other UK-based funding sources. Slow growth for charity research spending (Research Professional).

Student Maintenance

In light of the government getting rid of maintenance grants, undergraduates at St John’s College, Cambridge University will be entitled to a non-repayable grant of £9,570 per year, aimed at covering their day-to-day living expenses, if their household income is below £25,000. Cambridge college to fund students living costs as Government scrap maintenance grants (The Telegraph).

Registering to Vote

Jo Johnson, the universities minister, has written to all vice-chancellors to ask for their support in encouraging all students to register to vote in the EU referendum. You can view the document here.

2016 BNAC conference with BU representation in Liverpool

BU research, conferences, Events, international, PG research, Publishing, student research, Uncategorized

FG BNAC LJMU 2016At the 14th BNAC (Britain-Nepal Academic Council) Nepal Study Days starting tomorrow (14th April 2016) FHSS’s PhD student Jib Acharya will presenting his poster on ‘A Comparative Study on Nutritional Problems in Preschool Aged Children of Kaski district of Nepal’.  Jib’s PhD project is supervised by FHSS’s Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr. Jane Murphy and Dr. Martin Hind.  Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen is also joint supervisor of Sarita Pandey (based at the University of Sheffield) whose poster ‘Factors that promote and hinder provision of maternal health services by Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) in rural Nepal’ will also be on display.

BNAC 2016BU Visiting Faculty Dr. Bibha Simkhada (based at Liverpool John Moores University) will be presenting on the on-going THET-funded project ‘Mental Health Training and Education in Nepal’.  This paper is part of the education stream of the conference,and its acceptance is a reflection of BU’s reputation in Educational Research.  This paper has co-authors based in the UK and Nepal: Bibha Simkhada, Edwin van Teijlingen, Jillian Ireland, Padam Simkhada, Bhimsen Devkota, Lokendra Sherchan, Ram Chandra Silwal, Shyam K. Maharjan, Ram K. Maharjan, Geeta Sharma, and Samridhi Pradhan.  Both Prof. Padam Simkhada and Ms. Jillian Ireland are BU Visiting Faculty.

The first Study Day tomorrow starts with an invited Skills-building session on Focus Group Research by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  The final day includes a paper on ‘Impacts of Migration in Nepal’ by Prof. Padam Simkhada and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.

We are hoping to get the 15th BNAC Study Days to Bournemouth University for this time next year!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH