Monthly Archives: February 2020

The last decade has seen rapid and dramatic changes in the higher education landscape in the UK. The lifting of the ‘cap’ on student numbers led to increased competition between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the influence of new market forces, whilst the introduction of the OfS has seen the replacement of a relatively benign funding body, with a new sector regulator.

In this LTHE Chat session the aim is to encourage colleagues across the sector to reflect on the current position of their own institutions in relation to Curriculum Frameworks (i.e. has a perceived need for one been identified? Is a debate underway? Is a framework in place? Is it being implemented?), and to consider the potential benefits that an institutional level Curriculum Framework might bring?

Furthermore, we’d like colleagues to consider what a Curriculum Frameworks focus on? Structural reform or consistency, regulatory consistency, innovative approaches to learning and teaching, student co-creation, or inclusivity? Or a combination of all of these things? What are the obstacles and constraints encountered elsewhere or likely to inhibit such developments and how can these be overcome?

Who should be the key stakeholders, collaborators and/or champions? How can buy-in be secured, not just from senior managers, but also from academic and professional services staff, and students? What are the legitimate objectives of a Curriculum Framework, and how might we measure its impact?

What may have seemed like stability has been replaced by a culture of what sometimes feels like an avalanche of rapid and fundamental changes, some of which impinge on the financial sustainability of institutions and some of which have driven major cultural changes – not least a rapid shift in student expectations of the higher education experience, and the relationship between institutions and their students. The relative strengths and performance of HEIs is now more transparent than ever, and reflected (however crudely) via published university league tables, NSS results and TEF rankings. Continue reading →