Tuesday 17th April
2012, 76 Portland Place - Central London, 09:00 - 16:15
The Future of Higher Education Provision: Improving Choice, Flexibility and Quality
BOOK TODAY and secure on your place.
Overview
The Higher Education White Paper, Students at the Heart of the System, published June 2011, outlined the government’s intention to open up the higher education system to increase responsiveness to student demand.
The UK already has a large and attractive higher education sector which attracts over 2.4 million students from the UK and overseas to study at over 1,600 bodies. There are over 157 higher education institutions in the UK with the authority to award their own degrees; of these, only five do not receive any public funding. However, around 250 private providers award at least one full degree on behalf of the 157 registered bodies. The higher education system will now follow a globalised trend as more non-profit and private education providers enter the market, offering a diverse range of higher-education provision.
Students will be offered a wider variety in modes of learning, benefiting from the introduction of wholly new providers delivering innovative forms of higher education. There will be an expanded role for further education colleges, which were praised in the Higher Education White Paper for showing “particular strengths in reaching out to non-traditional higher education learners” to deliver locally-relevant and vocational higher-level skills.
The Higher Education White Paper asserts that reforms being made to the higher education sector are essential to create a simpler and more transparent system that allows for greater diversity of provision. As the number of bodies with degree-awarding powers increases, and external degree models are extended, regulation now becomes vital. The Quality Assurance Agency will engage with institutions and other regulatory bodies to ensure the development of the higher education sector is contributing positively to national education, improving quality, transparency and accountability.
Agenda
This forum will examine the positive steps that have already taken place in diversifying the higher education sector and how advances already made can be encouraged and improved. Bringing together public and private providers, along with government representatives and regulators, delegates will have the opportunity to discuss the opportunities for collaboration between public and private sector organisations; opportunities for diversification going forward; and how best to capitalise on higher education reforms to improve the sector for all.
| 09:00 |
Registration and Coffee |
| 09:45 |
Chair's Opening Remarks Professor Claire Callender, Professor of Higher Education Policy, Birkbeck, University of London (CONFIRMED) |
| 09:50 |
Improving Quality in a Diverse Higher Education Sector
- The importance of regulating a diverse higher education sector: maintaining standards and assuring quality
- Improving the accountability and transparency of educational providers
- Promoting and safeguarding quality in public and private providers
- The regulation and quality assurance challenges for institutions hoping to work in partnership with public bodies
- The role of flexibility, choice and innovation in improving the quality of the UK education system
- Encouraging continuous improvement in the management of higher education
Jayne Mitchell, Director of Research, Development and Partnerships, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (CONFIRMED)
|
| 10:10 |
Reaching Out to Non-Traditional Higher Education Learners: Strengthening the Role of Further Education Colleges
- The role of further education colleges in providing higher education services and awards
- Securing funds for the further education sector in the face of budget cuts
- Delivering locally-relevant and vocational higher-level skills to students
- Catering for a wide range of students successfully: delivering part time, vocational and academic services under one roof
- Collaborating with local Universities, businesses and feeder schools to engage students in learning
- Working with private providers: validating degrees and meeting student expectations
Denise Brown-Sackey, Principal and Chief Executive, Newham College of Further Education & Director, 157 Group (CONFIRMED)
|
| 10:30 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 10:50 |
Coffee and Networking |
| 11:10 |
Morning Keynote: The Future of Higher Education: Diversifying Provision to Improve Student Choice
- Moving forward with the Government White Paper: Putting Students at the Heart of the Education System
- Creating a diverse and responsive higher education sector to meet the needs of students
- Increasing opportunities for the diversification of provision: public and private
- The importance of choice and flexibility for the student population
- The government’s role in supporting a growing higher education sector
Gordon McKenzie, Deputy Director, Higher Education Strategy and Funding, Department for Business Innovation and Skills (CONFIRMED)
|
| 11:30 |
Ensuring Student Satisfaction in a Diverse Higher Education Sector
- Putting students at the heart of the education system
- Ensuring excellence in teaching and learning across the sector
- How can institutions help students get the most out of their university experience?
- The role of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator: Improving the experience for students and stakeholders
Rob Behrens, Independent Adjudicator & Chief Executive, Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (CONFIRMED)
|
| 11:50 |
Ensuring Standards: The Future of Accreditation
- Improving and enhancing the standards of education: the need for accreditation
- Enabling private providers to gain degree-awarding powers
- The future of independent provision in the UK: guaranteeing quality and improving standards
- Ensuring the British Accreditation Council meets the rising demand for accreditation partnerships in validation and accreditation
Dr. Gina Hobson, Chief Executive, British Accreditation Council (CONFIRMED)
|
| 12:10 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 12:30 |
Lunch and Networking |
| 13:30 |
Case Study: Successfully Introducing Private Providers into the UK Higher Education System
- What are the benefits of private education providers?
- Ensuring access, affordability and accountability amongst private providers
- Bridging the academic/vocational divide: preparing students for the workplace
- Responding to the needs of a dynamic student population
- The future of private provision: the benefits for all
Dave Sexton, Dean of the Business School, LCA Business School (CONFIRMED)
|
| 13:50 |
The Development of Online Services and New Technology in Higher Education Provision
- An assessment of the current character of UK higher education online
- The implications of the ‘openness’ agenda online for the UK education sector
- Opportunities for borderless learning: attracting international students to a diversified UK educational sector
- Diversification and deliverance: expanding choice for students and increasing the opportunities to access education
- Attracting funding for technological innovation in times of financial constraint
- The benefits of investing in new provision as a cost effective strategy for the future
David White, Manager,Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning, Oxford Internet Institute & Leader, Study of UK Online Learning, Report to HEFCE (CONFIRMED)
|
| 14:10 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 14:30 |
Coffee and Networking |
| 14:50 |
Case Study: The Role of Private Providers in Developing Students at the University of West of England
- Introducing a unique Strategic Partnering Agreement at the University of West of England
- Enhancing student experience through work placements and transferable skills development
- Building a workforce for the future
- Opportunities for funding and support through private sponsorship and business links
- The benefits of presenting students with a vision for the future: making the connection between education and employment
Dr. Rob Williams, Programme Leader, Enterprise Computing, University of the West of England (CONFIRMED)
|
| 15:10 |
Reasons for Diversifying the Higher Education Sector
- Identifying the potential for diversification and growth within the HE sector
- Overcoming barriers to establishing new institutions
- Providing students with an education fit for the workplace: Introducing the NCH Diploma
- The advantages of private provision
- Managing an independent university college: challenges and benefits
Matthew Batstone, Convenor for Professional Skills & Director, New College of the Humanities (CONFIRMED)
|
| 15:30 |
Closing Keynote: Funding the Diversification of Higher Education
- Achieving a managed transition to the new HE funding system
- Investing on behalf of students and the public: funding priorities for 2013-14 and beyond
- Managing costs in a student-led system: student number controls
- Developing a more risk-based approach to quality assurance
- Supporting a diverse, high quality higher education sector
William Locke, Head of learning and Teaching, Higher Education Funding Council for England (CONFIRMED)
|
| 15:50 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 16:10 |
Chair's Summary |
| 16:15 |
Conference Close |
*programme subject to change without notice
Audience
Delegates will include vice chancellors and pro vice chancellors, deans, registrars, business development managers, college principals, partnership directors, funding directors, directors and managers of enterprise and business development, external relations directors, higher education consultants, directors of international offices, and will also be drawn from central government departments and agencies, further education colleges, international universities, UK universities, funding and research councils and the private sector.
