The Trouble with Higher Education

The Trouble with Higher Education is a powerful and topical critique of the Higher Education system in the UK, with relevance to countries with similar systems. Based on the authors experiences that span over 30+ years of fieldwork, the issues discussed focus on the problems facing the principle responsibilities of universities: teaching, learning and research.

The first half of the book identifies a number of problems that have followed the growth of mass education. It examines their causes and explains their damaging effects. The second half of the book offers a broad vision and makes a number of practical suggestions for ameliorating the problems and improving higher education. Supported by research, the suggestions include: ways of managing universities; proper inspection; better ways of organising students learning; improving teaching and learning; better approaches to assessment, and the proper use of ideas such as learning outcomes.

Topics discussed include:

• Chronic under-funding, the replacement of student grants with loans and the introduction of tuition fees.
• The growth of managerialism.
• The emphasis on accountability and decline of trust.
• The growth of a competitive, market ethos.
• Modular degrees, knowledge treated as a commodity and students seen as customers.
• The drift towards a two-tiered system, with teaching colleges and research universities.
• Casualisation of the academic profession.

The Trouble with Higher Education is aimed primarily at a professional audience of academics, educationalists, managers, administrators and policy makers, but would interest anyone concerned about higher education. It is suited to professional development courses, and Master s and doctoral level studies.