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Chapter 1 - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2022

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Summary

Teaching excellence is of increasing importance within the Higher Education (HE) sector. In the current climate universities strive to demonstrate the value of their programmes and courses as they seek to attract students in a competitive marketplace. Within the context of this drive to attract students, institutions will readily state that they seek to pursue excellence in learning and teaching. However, it is less clear what constitutes ‘excellence’ when considered across a diverse sector with different traditions and practices relating to different disciplines. The problems associated with the ability to quantify and denote excellence in HE are compounded by the broad range of provision, the variation between institutions and the way in which universities position themselves and their offer to students. An unevenness exists across the sector in relation to teaching practices, class sizes and the philosophy of individual programmes and disciplines, and different contexts and approaches can exist even within a single university. There is no singular, identifiable culture for HE within the United Kingdom, and this makes comparisons between institutions potentially problematic.

Teaching is a complex practice affected by many factors: context, resources, learners, subject discipline, teacher experience, learning expectations and learning needs. It is also affected by the prevailing culture of the day; this includes, but is not limited to, the demographic of students and staff, the rise of social media, widening participation, funding constraints, digital technology and professional body requirements. These are but a few of the factors which impinge on the educational experience. Hence teaching is affected by multiple variables and is a dynamic, evolving practice that is impacted by a range of other elements and effects. Some of these are foreseeable and some are unanticipated but far-reaching, such as the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 which altered the shape of HE suddenly and rapidly, creating a new ‘normal’ and a new set of comparisons. It is clear that HE does not and cannot operate in isolation to other factors. Developments and changes in one location can directly impact the sector globally. This is not just because students often travel to study but also because digital learning enables students to pursue courses remotely via e-learning across the world.

Type
Chapter
Information
Changes in the Higher Education Sector
Contemporary Drivers and the Pursuit of Excellence
, pp. 1 - 12
Publisher: Anthem Press
Print publication year: 2022

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