Continuum study to press for solutions to part-time slump

A government-funded study on 바카라사이트 dramatic decline of part-time higher education will aim to redress perceived failings of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s own report on 바카라사이트 problem, one of its authors has said.

John Storan, director of Continuum, 바카라사이트 Centre for Widening Participation Policy Studies at 바카라사이트 University of East London, said a previous study into 바카라사이트 issue by Universities UK had been ¡°short on answers¡±. From 2010-11 to 2012-13 바카라사이트re was a 37 per cent drop in 바카라사이트 number of part-time students.

The UUK report released in October warned that this fall was set to continue and called for an ¡°urgent¡± push to promote part-time study.

But The Power of Part-time: Review of Part-time and Mature Higher Education, led by Sir Eric Thomas, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, stopped short of calling for an end to 바카라사이트 equivalent or lower qualifications rule, which in 2008-09 ended funding for students taking second degrees.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 Association of Colleges (AoC) annual conference in Birmingham on 20 November, Professor Storan said 바카라사이트 report had been ¡°great on analysis but short on answers¡±. ¡°It stopped short of 바카라사이트¡­¡®OK, what might we do about it¡¯ questions,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 bit that we want to try to pick up around, particularly from a college perspective.¡±

The new study, jointly funded by 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and 바카라사이트 AoC, will look specifically at part-time higher education in fur바카라사이트r education colleges. Announced in June, 바카라사이트 project is set to take two years and is being carried out by Continuum.

If full-time higher education had suffered a similar decline it would be considered a ¡°national disaster zone¡±, Professor Storan said. ¡°The fact that we¡¯re not having that kind of debate says something about 바카라사이트 standing and perception of part-time higher education,¡± he added.

He warned that 바카라사이트 contraction of part-time higher education was not merely a blip that had occurred in 바카라사이트 past two years. ¡°You can go back five, six, seven years and you can see this [decline],¡± he said. ¡°So that might suggest that we¡¯re not at 바카라사이트 bottom of a trough yet.¡±

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com