Essay: Critical appraisal of influence of Higher Education environment on practice and student learning

Introduction
This paper will provide a critical appraisal of the influence of the Higher Education environment on my practice and student learning, alongside various factors influencing student learning. The element of my practice which I am going to focus on for this paper is an individual lecture on ‘interviews as a method for data collection’, which I delivered to BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Practice students, on the HEA 3102 research methods module. A discussion of my peer and student evaluations will provide a basis for my reflection and help to identify areas of my practice for development.
Critical appraisal of the Higher Education environment
Increase in tuition fees – shifting view of students as ‘consumers’
The Higher Education (HE) environment in the UK is constantly changing (HEFCE, 2009). As a result of the recommendation set out in the Brown Report (2010), we have seen student tuition fees rise to £9,000 in the UK. As a result of the increase in tuition fees, students are becoming viewed as ‘consumers’ (Doherty, 2007; Universities UK, 2017). Due to the shift in the view of students as ‘consumers’, it is suggested that students have a reduced interest in what they learn and take little responsibility for their own learning. Students often expect teachers will provide them with the information they need to know for assessments, which can be a barrier to active engagement (Sambell, Brown & Graham, 2017). The ‘consumer culture’ may lead to greater demands on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), in terms of the service students expect in return of their financial investment (Kandiko & Mawer, 2013; Tomlinson, 2016). Some students may even believe they are entitled to a ‘good degree’ in return for paying their fees (Naidoo & Jamieson, 2005; Potts, 2005). However, paying money in exchange for a service has been shown to create feelings of entitlement amongst students, which may correlate with an increase in complaints (Finney & Finney, 2010).
Embedding employability into teaching
Higher tuition fees are associated with enhanced views of future employment (Moore, McNeil & Halliday, 2011). Some students are reluctant to engage with their degree, as there is little-perceived value in attending university as their desire to obtain a degree is to enhance their employment prospects (Gourlay & Stevenson, 2017; Molesworth, Nixon & Scullion, 2009). As students are becoming more career focussed (Bunce, Baird & Jones, 2017), it is important to embed employability into teaching sessions (Boyd & Smith, 2016; Bunce et al, 2016; Lizzio & Wilson, 2004; Wood et al, 2009). Recent changes to the TEF (discussed below) have placed increased focus on student employability, therefore, highlighting the importance of developing transferable skills, which will enhance student’s chances of employability and success in their chosen career are imperative (York, 2008). Evidence of increased marketisation in HE in the UK includes universities advertising courses that feature job and career prospects, to try to attract students (Ford, 2007; Lacey, 2006).
Widening participation
In recent years, the number and dynamics of students in HE have increased significantly (HEFCE, 2009). Previously, undergraduate students comprised mainly of college leavers who were enrolled full-time, whereas, the student population now includes larger numbers of mature students and the number of part-time students has rapidly increased (Bennion, 2011; HEFCE, 2009). It is assumed that the more skills and training an individual has, the more likely they are to secure employment and to be able to fast track in their chosen career (Bennion, 2011; Jackson & Jamieson, 2009). This assumption may explain the increase in part-time study, especially if mature students are returning to HE to enhance their skill set, in the hope it may lead to them securing a higher-level job or a promotion.
The Government and funding bodies have recently developed initiatives such as ‘Aim higher’ programmes; in an attempt to provide people from disadvantaged and under-represented groups the chance of an HE (HEFCE, 2009; Muijs et al, 2017). Initiatives such as widening participation within HE are becoming more accessible, which has led to a greater diversity of students (Ramsden, 2013). A focus of Universities has been to increase student retention and avoid students withdrawing from their Degree (Blythman & Orr, 2003; Fitzgibbon & Prior, 2003). However, widening participation may result in increased failure and dropout rates of students (Bennett, 2003; Parry, 2003). Student withdrawal is due to a variety of reasons including a student’s financial situation, changes in personal circumstances or time constraints (Yorke, 1998; Davis, 2003). This is particularly relevant to students in the Faculty of Health and Social Care, who are often working full-time and are enrolled on a professional training course or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course and are released one day a week from their job for study leave. As mentioned previously, some mature students are engaging with HE to enhance their skills and to obtain a promotion, therefore, their learning may not be as focused on deep learning but motivated by financial reward.
National student survey
The introduction of the National Student Survey (NSS) in 2005 provides a platform for final year undergraduate students to feedback their university experience (Bates & Kaye, 2014; Naidoo & Williams, 2015). The NSS is one of the most widely used indicators of student satisfaction in HE (Muijs & Bokhove, 2017). As a result of the introduction of the NSS, HEI’s have become student-centred and have developed initiatives to enhance the student experience (Raaper, 2017).
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Since the government introduced the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2016, an emphasis has been placed on the quality of teaching and learning in HE. The premise of TEF is that if HEI’s want to increase tuition fees, they need to demonstrate high-quality teaching (Ashwin, 2017; Morris, 2017). One advantage of the TEF is that it has everyone thinking about the importance of teaching and learning, including what inspirational teaching looks like. Inspirational teaching “helps students learn in ways that make a sustained, substantial and positive influence on how those students think, act and feel” (Bain, 2004, p. 5). Recent changes to the TEF place great emphasis on student retention (Edward, 2003; Maunder & Harrop, 2003). However, others argue that improving student learning should be the focus (Arum & Roksa, 2011). Alongside, the National Student Survey (NSS), the TEF is a platform that students can use to make an informed decision when deciding which university to study at. Therefore, the fees which students are charged should reflect the quality of teaching they receive. However, the current TEF metrics do not include a valid measure of teaching quality, as they only rely on surveys and reports (Ashwin, 2017).
The working life of an academic has increased significantly in the last few years (Kinman, 2014). The TEF places extra pressures on academics who are already juggling several demands on their time including teaching, marking, supervision, administration, and research (Pokorny & Warren, 2016). Additionally, there is an emphasis on academics engaging in ‘knowledge exchange’ and ’public engagement’ activities (Behari-Leak, 2017; Boyd & Smith, 2016). If additional metrics are introduced, for example, contact hours, this may lead to unrealistic expectations from students, including immediate response to emails (Jones, 2010), with some students already expecting they can meet with teachers outside of the standard Monday – Friday, 9.00-5.00 working hours. Previous research found 62% of members of the UK Association of University Teachers were extremely stressed at work, with excessive workloads being one of the contributing factors and as a result, 27% considered changing their job (Tytherleigh, Webb, Ricketts & Cooper, 2005). Employees in occupations requiring high levels of communication and personal interaction such as university lecturing are at higher risk of experiencing occupational stress (Reis, Hino & Rodriguez-Anez, 2010). The main contributing factors to occupation stress are funding cuts, job insecurity, increased workload and unhelpful management (Darabi et al, 2016). This is very relevant given that academic jobs tend to be less secure than in previous years, with the number of people employed on fixed-term and part-time contracts increasing (Black 2005). ‘student surveys are destroying my confidence’ (the Guardian, 2016).