Research and scholarship in a ‘HE in FE’ environment

Abstract

Academic staff working in higher education environments perform a wide variety of roles which are each integral to their professional identity. A fundamental constituent of this identity is the relative place and value of research and scholarship. The way in which such an identity transpires in a ‘HE in FE’ context is less understood, particularly in cases where academic responsibilities differ from the HE norm. This paper presents a study that details the perceptions and experiences of academic staff in a ‘HE in FE’ context in regards to their engagement in scholarly activity. Forty-four questionnaire respondents detailed both personal and institutional factors that contribute to the practical and philosophical challenges relating to the conduct of research. The value which is placed upon opportunities to engage in scholarly work often appeared unfulfilled; a range of barriers were described which ranged from workload related issues, issues of self-confidence and a perceived lack of institutional support. This study further emphasises the need to facilitate opportunities for research and scholarly activities within a growing segment of the HE marketplace

The flipped classroom in further education: literature review and case study

“…They also note the following barriers to engagement with scholarly activity facing CBHE lecturers: lack of available time; staff capabilities; the approaches taken by partner HEIs; the volume of HE provision; approaches to the management of HE; and recording the evidence and demonstrating the impact of scholarly activity. These barriers, particularly the apparent lack of institutional support for CBHE-based scholarship and the lack of available work time to complete said scholarly activity, have also been noted by Medcalf (2014).…”

“…Much debate has been held concerning the role of lecturers delivering HE in further education colleges (FECs) with regards to research and scholarly activity (Creasy 2013;King et al 2014;Medcalf 2014). However, finding work published specifically by FE lecturers has proven problematic.…”

Time! What’s that? You’re joking, I don’t have any!

“…The lack of time provided to lecturers delivering CBHE is well documented (Harwood and Harwood 2004, Feather 2010, Medcalf 2014, this is further evidenced when Parry et al (2009, 33) writes:…”

“…From this, one could argue that having to switch from the different levels of delivery could impact upon some individual lecturers in terms of the quality of teaching and their own perceived professional standing (Tummons, Orr, and Atkins 2013). This is likely to intensify, as Medcalf (2014) identifies, the student experience is a key performance indicator, both in HE, FE and CBHE.…”

“…Therefore, if the UK government require CBHE to take on different remits concerning the delivery of Higher Education (HE) (King andWiddowson 2009, Medcalf 2014), and if lecturers in CBHE are to deliver high quality higher education programs (HEBPs) (Parry 2013). Then the government will need to convince senior management in CBHE to provide more time for scholarly activity, research, and the preparation/delivery of lessons (Medcalf 2014), thus offering egalitarianism with their HE cousins. More importantly, to provide the financial resources needed to accomplish one of their objectives, that of a Higher Education (HE) ethos within CBHE (Simmons and Lea 2013).…”