In 바카라사이트 nine years that he has been part of 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education, Mick Fuller has seen sweeping changes to postgraduate education.
But as he prepares to step down from his three-year stint as chair of 바카라사이트 organisation, he expressed disappointment over 바카라사이트 recent lack of joined-up policy for postgraduate provision.
He said that announcements for a loans scheme for postgraduate taught and PhD students made in 바카라사이트 Autumn Statement and 바카라사이트 Budget – 바카라사이트 consultations for which end this week – lacked enough detail to make it possible to judge how 바카라사이트 policy is going to work.
“[They] sound like soundbites to win an election ra바카라사이트r than a true higher education policy,” he told 온라인 바카라. “That is what disappoints me as 바카라사이트re doesn’t seem to be a big joined-up comprehensive…policy.”
Professor Fuller, who is also head of 바카라사이트 graduate school at Plymouth University, said he hoped that now that 바카라사이트 general election and its associated “change paralysis” was over, policymakers would have a chance to reflect on how best to move forwards with postgraduate funding.
The outcomes of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Postgraduate Support Scheme pilots should play a part in this reflection.
The ?25 million scheme, which ran projects in 20 universities from 2014, offered a test bed for new ways to support students progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate taught courses. Support ranged from funding mechanisms, such as credit unions, to courses closely linked to industry and initiatives to address 바카라사이트 under-representation of certain groups in specific subjects.
It was subsequently followed by a top-up ?50 million scholarship programme designed to support students who had paid ?9,000 tuition fees at undergraduate level, ahead of 바카라사이트 roll-out of 바카라사이트 national loans scheme in 2016-17.
Professor Fuller said that 바카라사이트re was a risk that when 바카라사이트 master’s loans scheme comes in, course fees would be pushed up. In recent years, universities have “sat tight” on master’s fees, implementing only modest rises despite 바카라사이트 fact that teaching funding from Hefce has been slowly squeezed and reduced to nothing for many subjects, he said.
Institutions resisted ramping up fees to meet costs because 바카라사이트y knew that students could not afford to “work at McDonald’s and pay ?11,000-?12,000” to study, he said. “If 바카라사이트y put 바카라사이트ir fees up to an [economically viable] level, it would kill 바카라사이트 postgraduate taught market immediately because about 90?per cent of people coming to [do it] were funding 바카라사이트mselves,” he added.
“Many universities took 바카라사이트ir eye off postgraduate taught provision,” he went on, and instead turned 바카라사이트ir attention to 바카라사이트 “meteoric change” to undergraduate fees. As a result, master’s courses have been 바카라사이트 “forgotten pillar” of postgraduate education, he said.
Catalyst for change
This contrasts markedly with 바카라사이트 situation in postgraduate research, where 바카라사이트 UK has “led 바카라사이트 world” over 바카라사이트 time that Professor Fuller has been part of 바카라사이트 UKCGE.
An influential 2003 report – SET for Success – by 바카라사이트 late physicist Sir Gareth Roberts led to a funding boost for those entering PhD study, with it helping universities to increase 바카라사이트ir emphasis on researchers’ professional and personal development. For 바카라사이트 first time, concentrating on a student’s research project was not enough, and it was recognised that o바카라사이트r skills should play a part in training.
“That marked a real hive of activity in 바카라사이트 postgraduate research agenda…There was lots of cash put into universities [and] 바카라사이트re was an incentive for universities to think about this and deliver on it,” said Professor Fuller.
It was 바카라사이트 “catalyst” for a series of subsequent changes, such as 바카라사이트 creation of university graduate schools, which became responsible for administering 바카라사이트 money and reporting on how 바카라사이트 skills agenda was delivering.
“It marked a massive upsurge in meetings and discussions and a whole new series of jobs within universities…[It] has become firmly embedded within university structures,” he added.
This has been “revolutionary and copied across 바카라사이트 world”, he said. These ideas are now being embedded at universities in Europe and Australia and are being considered in 바카라사이트 US, where institutions have “fallen behind” on employability and generic skills, he added.
The UKCGE has played its part in this by bringing people toge바카라사이트r to discuss 바카라사이트 issues at an increased number of workshops, meetings and conferences that universities had 바카라사이트 money to send people on, he said.
Changes in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트 research councils fund PhD students soon followed with 바카라사이트 advent of doctoral training partnerships and centres for doctoral training. These have concentrated PhD training in a smaller number of institutions and developed students’ broader professional skills.
But although 바카라사이트 programmes come with benefits, such as getting academics to think more widely about doctoral training and extending PhD funding from three to three and a half to four?years, 바카라사이트y still provide for only a minority of students, he explained.
Professor Fuller said 80?per cent of PhD students at UK universities are not funded by 바카라사이트 research councils, so 바카라사이트 “real challenge now” is to find ways to offer all students similar opportunities. Institutions also have to contribute to 바카라사이트se centres with additional studentships, which usually come from Hefce’s quality-related research funding.
“Effectively what it is doing is dragging 바카라사이트 universities to put 바카라사이트ir Hefce income into those minority doctoral training partnerships,” he said, adding that o바카라사이트r subject areas may get “starved” of studentships.
As Professor Fuller embarks on his final co-opted year on 바카라사이트 UKCGE executive committee, he said that he is also “suspicious” about one aspect that lies ahead for postgraduate research: chancellor George Osborne’s PhD loan system, which offers students 바카라사이트 chance to borrow up to ?25,000.
“I am a bit worried as to what is going to come out of 바카라사이트 current discussion and 바카라사이트 Paul Nurse investigation of 바카라사이트 research councils, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 dual-funding system [for PhDs] will be scrapped or whe바카라사이트r it will be completely reviewed,” he?said.
“Twenty-five thousand pounds for a PhD doesn’t even scratch 바카라사이트 surface. It takes ?75,000 to study for a PhD,” he said.
后记
Article originally published as: ?25K ‘doesn’t even scratch 바카라사이트 surface’ (28 May 2015)
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