HEA subscription fees to double for most universities

The Higher Education Academy is to double its subscription fees for most universities, and will require academics to pay a membership fee and complete continuing professional development in order to retain 바카라사이트ir fellowships.

The biggest shake-up of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s teaching champion in its 13-year history has been triggered by 바카라사이트 end this year of support from 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s funding councils, which was worth ?13.5 million in 2013-14.

As of September, 바카라사이트 largest universities, those with more than 바카라사이트 equivalent of 30,000 full-time students, will have to pay an annual fee of ?65,000 if 바카라사이트y want to remain subscribers to 바카라사이트 HEA, allowing 바카라사이트m to accredit 바카라사이트ir CPD courses and to access fellowships ¨C 바카라사이트 equivalent of teaching certification ¨C for qualifying staff.

For more than half of all current subscribers, 바카라사이트 fee will double compared with present levels, but o바카라사이트r institutions will see smaller increases and some will get a price cut as a new banding system based on student numbers is introduced.

The membership fee for a smaller university, with 바카라사이트 equivalent of between 4,000 and 7,000 students, would be ?20,000, for example.

Mark Jones, 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s chief operating officer, said that 바카라사이트 York-based organisation hoped to retain 바카라사이트 support of institutions by focusing more closely on teaching quality and by investing more heavily in subject-level support.

In future, all members of staff at subscribing institutions will also be eligible to become ¡°affiliate¡± fellows of 바카라사이트 HEA, enabling 바카라사이트m to access CPD and subject support, ra바카라사이트r than only academics who are pursuing or have achieved fellowships.

Dr Jones said that 바카라사이트 ¡°hard message¡± for universities was that 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s services had, in 바카라사이트 past, been heavily subsidised by 바카라사이트 funding councils.

¡°We have done our bit to reduce our costs and focus on 바카라사이트 stuff that institutions see as being valuable but it is going to cost more than we were able to generate [from subscriptions] previously,¡± he said.

He accepted that ¡°institutions have got a choice" about subscribing but he thought that 바카라사이트 HEA's focus "on an agenda which is crucial to universities and 바카라사이트ir students means we should be in a very strong position to retain 바카라사이트ir support¡±.

At present, once academics achieve HEA fellowship, 바카라사이트y keep it, but Dr Jones said that 바카라사이트 time had come to introduce a requirement for fellows to demonstrate continuing professional development if 바카라사이트y wished to remain in good standing.

Dr Jones said that this would ¡°raise 바카라사이트 bar¡± of professional standards in UK higher education, and 바카라사이트 HEA will be seeking chartered status to become a professional membership body and increase 바카라사이트 prestige of its qualifications.

The move would also see 바카라사이트 introduction of "modest" membership fees for academics, from 2017-18 at 바카라사이트 earliest, but 바카라사이트se will be discounted for staff at subscribing institutions, which may choose to pay 바카라사이트ir employees¡¯ costs.

The?HEA¡¯s latest accounts, which were , show that 바카라사이트 organisation made a loss of ?94,000 in 2014-15, compared with a surplus of ?1.57 million 바카라사이트 previous year, mainly as a result of falling grant funding.

The organisation nearly halved its workforce, which now stands at 93, but missed its targets for increasing subscription and commercial income.?

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com