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The FurtherHigher Project: Collaborative Research on Access to Further and Higher Education

The FurtherHigher project is a two-year study conducted in collaboration with four partner institutions, exploring the synergy of policy, practice, and research in the field of further and higher education access. The project incorporates international and national policy analysis, national data sets, and fieldwork in the partner institutions. The study aims to build research collaboration and capacity with the partner institutions, analyzing progression, recruitment, and retention data to inform policy and practice.

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The FurtherHigher Project: Collaborative Research on Access to Further and Higher Education

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  1. Learning and Skills Research NetworkConference 6 December 2007 The synergy of policy, practice and research in a collaborative project Anne Thompson, Liz Halford and Will Thomas

  2. Universal Access and Dual Regimes of Further and Higher EducationThe FurtherHigher Project • A two year study • With four partner institutions • In collaboration with HEFCE

  3. Elements of the project • International and national policy • National data sets (ILR and HESA) • Organisational typology • Field work in four partner institutions

  4. Collaborative working and capacity building ‘A key element in the study is research collaboration and capacity-building with partner institutions.’

  5. FurtherHigher Collaborative Project Team Case study fieldwork Case Study Project Team Case Study A Case Study B University of Sheffield PhD 5 Int RA Int RA Director Policy Director Institutions Director Case Study University of Leeds Research Associate A Research Associate B /PhD Student 1 FE and HE College PhD 3 Research Associate C/D University of the West of England PhD Student 2 PhD Student 3 Institutional RA A Institutional RA B Case Study C Case Study D Institutional RA C Institutional RA D Int RA Int RA Cognate Project Cognate Project Review of Literature on Foundation Degrees (FdF) Higher Education in Further Education Colleges Report on HEFCE consultation (HEFCE) Project website: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/furtherhigher/

  6. Fieldwork Methodology • 2 transitions • Level 3 → Level 4 • Level 5 → Level 6 • 3 interviews with students • End of their course • After 1 term of new course • End of their 1st/final year • 10 students at each level (20 per institution)

  7. Fieldwork at Suffolk College • Difficult to find appropriate cohorts • Getting the right data • Lack of internal progression (~8% overall) • Highlighted an issue with one subject group • No progression from ND Business • Why? • Parallel study of students from Business

  8. Working together? • Tensions between project and institutional interests • Maintaining professional distance as an Institutional Research Associate • Respecting confidentiality • Synergy of research interests • Greater understanding of progression • Highlighting issues for the institution

  9. Outcomes • Work to understand progression • Better data about recruitment and retention • Survey of students’ intentions • Role for CREATE to play in internal research in this area • Analysis of data and information for internal dissemination

  10. Fieldwork at TVU: The benefits of collaboration Institutional – • Contributes to developing research capacity at TVU • RAE entry as new researcher • Informs my own practice • Links to other research projects and activities

  11. Benefits (cont.) Personal – • Enhanced my own research capability, by participating in a large and experienced team • Contributed to a systematic research process • Raised awareness of ethical issues

  12. Relationship to academic activity • The research has formed part of a professional doctorate • Fieldwork provided data regarding my own institution • Also enabled access to data from other institutions, providing a comparative element

  13. Related activities • Educational Policy and Pedagogical Research Group • Learning Lunches • Faculty Research Journal • Developing practitioner research with colleagues

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