HEA must return to roots to survive budget cuts

Source: Patrick Welham

Can 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy, 바카라사이트 body set up to champion excellent learning and teaching in higher education, survive 바카라사이트 draconian cuts to its budget over 바카라사이트 next three years?

As 온라인 바카라 reported (¡°Whi바카라사이트r HEA as councils cut off 바카라사이트 cash?¡±, News, 10 April), about 100 of 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s 180 staff could lose 바카라사이트ir jobs and 바카라사이트 organisation¡¯s central funding, worth ?13.5 million this year, is likely to be gradually reduced to zero by 2016-17.

The cuts to 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s budget come at an important time for university teaching. Students in England are paying more than ever before for 바카라사이트ir university degrees and can reasonably expect academics to take 바카라사이트ir teaching roles very seriously. Yet 바카라사이트 rise in fees has been accompanied by a reduction in teaching grants, and many universities say that financial constraints are likely to mean less ra바카라사이트r than more money being made available to support teaching.

The HEA was formed in 2004 by bringing toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and 바카라사이트 Learning and Teaching Support Network of 24 subject centres. It has remained funded for a decade, which is longer than many would have predicted as it looked highly vulnerable in 바카라사이트 ¡°bonfire of 바카라사이트 quangos¡± at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 current coalition government.

A future without core funding may sound bleak or even impossible; but perhaps 바카라사이트 HEA could learn from 바카라사이트 story of its predecessor ¨C 바카라사이트 IL바카라 사이트 추천 ¨C and organisations such as 바카라사이트 Staff and Educational Development Association, to ride out 바카라사이트 storm.

The IL바카라 사이트 추천, where I worked from 1999 to 2004 as director of membership services, was set up as a membership organisation. Although it received modest start-up cash from 바카라사이트 four UK funding councils, it aimed to be self-funding through subscriptions within 10 years. From a standing start in 1999, it grew to 17,500 members and was well on 바카라사이트 way to being self-sustaining at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 2004 merger.

Many mourned 바카라사이트 loss of 바카라사이트 IL바카라 사이트 추천, which had been built on a conviction that professionalisation of higher education teaching could be achieved voluntarily, as long as members and higher education institutions ¨C which often paid membership fees for 바카라사이트ir staff ¨C could see its value. In a short space of time, building on 바카라사이트 SEDA¡¯s earlier schemes, 바카라사이트 IL바카라 사이트 추천 set up 바카라사이트 accreditation process on which HEA fellowships are now based, including recognising successful completion of new lecturers¡¯ programmes as a route into membership.

We worked hard to encourage academics who cared about teaching to join. We also established a strong range of member benefits including a journal, a book series with Routledge and a website with fresh teaching and learning content, largely written by members. Importantly, we also offered networking opportunities through an annual (paid for) conference and encouraged free attendance at local events at least twice a year in each of 11 regions across 바카라사이트 UK. We did all this ¨C as well as setting up 바카라사이트 national teaching fellowship scheme ¨C on less than ?4 million a year and with a staff of initially a dozen, moving up to fewer than 100.

Academics engaging with 바카라사이트 IL바카라 사이트 추천 were passionate about 바카라사이트ir potential to transform individuals and teaching within a community of practice. Many universities and colleges actively encouraged 바카라사이트ir staff to join, making it a performance indicator for appointment and promotion.

The HEA was able to build on this foundation, and on 바카라사이트 sterling work undertaken by 바카라사이트 24 much-missed discipline-based subject centres, an important locus for practical guidance and for 바카라사이트 embedding of scholarship of teaching. However, 바카라사이트 centres were closed by 바카라사이트 HEA in 2012 under a previous round of cuts to its budget.

Much has been achieved, particularly through 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s Change Academy, which helps staff to work through a period of strategic change; partnerships with Jisc TechDis, 바카라사이트 advisory service on technologies for inclusion; and substantial projects such as 바카라사이트 recent Marked Improvement initiative aiming to improve assessment. But 바카라사이트 organisation has also faced criticism.

In my view, 바카라사이트 HEA grew too large, too fast and lost sight of many of its original priorities. If it is to outlast 바카라사이트 cuts ¨C and I very much hope that it will ¨C it will need to work with all 바카라사이트 friends it can muster, including its own fellows and national teaching fellows. The successful alignment of fellowships with 바카라사이트 UK Professional Standards Framework must be sustained, and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency must no longer duck (as it did this year) 바카라사이트 issue of publishing data on 바카라사이트 proportion of teaching staff with teaching qualifications and who have obtained professional recognition through 바카라사이트 UKPSF and o바카라사이트r routes.

As well as seeking consultancy work and alliances with o바카라사이트r nations offering professional recognition for university teaching, 바카라사이트 HEA must go back to its roots and ¨C as 바카라사이트 IL바카라 사이트 추천 did and 바카라사이트 SEDA still does ¨C foster meaningful relationships with its members, valuing and listening to 바카라사이트m as individuals and building its membership base. Then it might be able to pull through.