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This paper considers the concept of professionalism via perceptions (real or imagined) of lecturers delivering higher education business programmes (HEBPs) in further education colleges in England. The study comprised 26 in-depth interviews conducted in the Yorkshire and Humber region in the UK. The study builds on Perkin’s views of a professional society, which is then applied to education. The paper will add to existing knowledge by identifying that the term profession is not only complex and subjective, but Janus-faced, which may lead to role conflict. It was not surprising that the interviewees found it difficult to define professionalism; nevertheless, it was found that many did hold to a perceived individual professional code of praxis and/or idea of expected behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper seeks to advance our understanding of the credit transfer phenomenon in the UK, specifically how students draw on a credit as a form of institutional cultural capital. Drawing on interviews with 26 part-time mature learners, this paper examines the progressive and retrospective orientations to study that surfaced in students' accounts of credit transfer and their lifelong learning journeys. A common theme of ‘unfinished business’ appeared to dominate these accounts and a narrative-oriented analysis of the findings revealed the role of credit transfer in enabling students to complete varied personal projects or forms of ‘unfinished business’. The findings of this work suggest that in an increasingly complex higher education market, there is a need to understand students' strategic use of the credit they accumulate. In particular, this paper explores how credit transfer features in the narratives of students' successful learning journeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the reasons behind the absence of central Government funding for enterprise and innovation at Further Education Colleges (FECs). Enterprise and innovation are, according to conventional wisdom, crucial in rebuilding the UK's economy and providing jobs. In pursuit of this, the Government has provided central funding for enterprise promotion and education for both Universities and Secondary Schools, but not for FECs. The review starts by looking at recent Government policy papers on enterprise and innovation, then briefly considers the current economic characteristics that lay behind the need for enterprise education and innovation. The efficacy of the current proposals is questioned, looking at the concepts concerning the type and level of intelligence entrepreneurs need, also touching on what types of innovations can be expected to increase employment. The paper concludes by asking if elitist or class bias plays a part in the exclusion of Vocational Education & Training students at FECs from central funding for innovation and enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment forms an integral part of the teaching and learning strategies in higher education and much has been written on related issues. A significant element of the existing literature recognizes the multifaceted nature of purposes for assessment, however few works attempt to quantify the differences. This paper describes an explorative study to investigate the purposes of assessment as seen from the student perspective, and in so doing the research team hoped to generate a valid quantitative measure. The study involved focus group discussions, with staff and students, on the reasons for assessment. A list of reasons for assessment was generated and incorporated into a two-phase ranking measure. This was then administered to a sample of first-year business undergraduates from two higher education establishments. Previous research indicates that some differences between student groups are to be expected, particularly between gender and age groups. However, given inconsistencies between previous research findings, it was unclear how the differences between groups would manifest themselves and if other variations would be noticeable, for instance between cohorts from different educational establishments. The results of this study showed strong correlation in the ranked reasons for assessment across gender and between the two institutions involved. Some significant differences in gender were observed in the top ranked reasons, particularly in the prime reason for assessment. Males ranked 'obtaining a unit mark' as most important, while females ranked 'giving feedback on progress'as most important. This paper discusses possible extensions to the use of the ranking measure and issues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the views of lecturers working in and delivering college-based higher education (CBHE) in the UK. There have been numerous works on the culture of higher education in further education (HE in FE). However, as noted by some literati, the culture of further education (FE) is not easy to define, and does not readily lend itself to the incorporation of a higher education (HE) culture. This could be due to the large number of changes FE has had to adopt owing to various government policies. The study comprises 26 in-depth individual interviews conducted at various further education colleges throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK. Via the use of an interpretivist approach, common themes and word use were extracted from the narratives for analysis. The organisational culture of these further education colleges was relatively easy to define, the word ‘blame’ being one of the common themes. However, when identifying if the individual colleges had a HE culture; this proved more difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to consider some issues in the uses of what we have termed ‘creative’ action learning in a business education context, and to review some aspects of its practice. A review of the literature, including its use in higher education, is followed by a case illustration of its use in a UK business school with predominantly international students. Action learning is principally thought of as a human resource development practice and is widely used in a variety of public and private sector organisations. The focus here, however, is on the use of action learning in a business school setting and the application of specific creative thinking tools, in order to explore its potential for developing collaborative peer learning and support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Potential employers require graduates to be able to demonstrate competent teamwork skills in initiating ideas and solving problems cooperatively. Teamwork is prevalent in educational institutions and often included as a way of enriching learning and assessment. Whilst group working can provide a rich opportunity for cooperative learning, its assessment can be the cause of much anxiety amongst students. This paper examines the phenomenon of 'free-riding' and explores methods of managing potential abuse. Six approaches were trialled in a UK university business school on modules of study involving assessed group work and the views of students and tutors analysed. Findings from the study indicate that students (like academics) value teamwork even when it is assessed. Any method to moderate 'free-riding' is appreciated by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are an increasing number of university courses throughout the UK and worldwide which deal with enterprise and innovation, including both undergraduate and masters programmes, not just for business school students, but also as modules as part of many other subject areas. However, there is little in the way of integrated enterprise training for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers outside of business school programmes. Many of these researchers are likely to need this training in the future if they obtain employment in commercial or non-profit organisations, or remain in academia as researchers where they may find spin-out ventures. This paper describes a strategy used to assess the enterprise training needs of researchers using primary and secondary data and trying to cater for these needs within the framework of an academic research setting by creating an integrated enterprise training programme for researchers at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by European policy, human capital and social capital are currently of interest in UK education policy and practice, expressed particularly in the concepts of lifelong learning and entrepreneurship. Human capital and social capital ideas are shown to be flawed by not taking disability into account. The characteristics of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education are examined for relevance to young people with disabilities or learning difficulties and it is concluded that more could be done to develop opportunities for entrepreneurship. The position of people when work is not an option is considered, leading to the question of whether there is a ‘disability industry’, and an acknowledgement of the importance to the economy of disabled people as consumers and producers. A wider definition of entrepreneurship, which includes people with disabilities and learning difficulties, is sought and the paper concludes by discussing the wider implications for the learning community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the profiling of first year students studying the Quantitative Methods for Business module at a British university and makes policy recommendations, which will improve student performance. The student profiling shows the highest proportion of students are UK students, 58% of the students are male, only 30% of the students are mature students. More than three-quarters of the cohort have a formal qualification in a quantitative subject prior to entry to the university. The majority of the overseas students live close to the university. Analysis of the student's performance in relation to their profiles and other factors shows north Europeans perform better than other nationals; sex and type of residence have no significant effect on student performance. Those with high entry qualification (A-level or equivalent) in a quantitative subject, and who live near the university perform better than those with a BTEC qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]