#THELIVE kicking off with @michelledonelan announcing “historic” reforms of #HEaccess. They are indeed big, but those of us who work in the field will have deep and well founded concerns.
Donelan sets scene for reform: skills shortages, levelling up, fairness, inclusion. The slogan gets its first outing: “it’s not just about getting in, but getting on”.
Donelan is comparing #LifelongLoanEntitlement to the founding of the NHS and saying it will revolutionise attitude to upskilling and reskilling. < Looking forward to the funding that will make this possible. Also to reskill people must be allowed to step down quals as well as up.
Donelan: There will be a consultation on #lifelongloanentitlement
Donelan: “Real social mobility is as much about getting on as getting in”. Drink.
Donelan: “We are refocusing the entire access regime on attainment and outcomes”
@johndavidblake formally announced as new DFAP
His first job is to ask all HEIs to resubmit Access & Participation Plans refocused on working with local schools on supporting attainment.
One great recent innovation of @Millward_Ch was to extend time frame of APPs to allow longer term planning. Thos plans will now need to be dumped.
Donelan says a lot of HEIs’ work with schools goes unrecognised. It may also be true that she does not recognise how hard these partnerships are to achieve for HEIs (and the role of 3rd sector orgs in facilitating them).
Ends with that slogan again. But early in the morning, but drink again.
@JG_THE questions @michelledonelan about using salary as an outcome. She replies that it’s about grad jobs, not high pay. < ok, but that’s proved very hard to define without focussing too hard on pay.
@JG_THE: Do too many people go to uni?
@michelledonelan: We should never have had targets.
@JG_THE: What’s coming in the Augar response and will it be damaging for access?
@michelledonelan: We will be responding soon.

Geological definitions of “soon” are not ruled out.

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More from @JohnnySRich

25 Nov
#THElive session on “reputation”: right from the start some of the circular arguments around the notion of reputation are being uncritically pursued. Reputation drives rankings, ranking drive reputation. Brand drives rep, rep drives brand. Etc...
We’ve also heard (I’m paraphrasing) that reputation doesn’t necessarily reflect quality and quality doesn’t necessarily reflect reputation.

Are these kinds of statement not evidence that reputation is a fairly vacuous concept?
Reputation seems to be basically the same as brand and, like brand, it’s superficial and irrelevant unless it's authentic.

And if authenticity is key, surely the aim is to chase quality not reputation?
Read 7 tweets
24 Nov
Donelan's speech at #THELive this am proclaimed a "revolution" in DfE's approach to #HEaccess.
It certainly will mean radical changes, many of which won't achieve her stated aims (nor even the aims she should have).
Yes, it's a thread of concerns in no particular order.
1/?
1. Access & Participation Plans all need to rewritten.

Outgoing DFAP @Millward_Ch had sensibly extended the time-frame of APPs to enable longer term strategies, because impact often takes time when it comes to access.
/2
To demand that unis produce new APPs just 2 years into those 5-year strategies is like sowing carrot seeds and digging them up a month later and wondering why your soup doesn't taste much of carrot.
/3
Read 33 tweets
23 Nov
An excellent session. Many thanks to the experts who shared their insights. Among the many great takeaways, I’ll highlight one from Simon Field who drew from pactice in other countries…

@res_publica @CSkidmoreUK #LifelongEducation
@res_publica @CSkidmoreUK To recognise workplace experience of older learners, design a qualification with no course structure, just an assessment. Courses can be self-designed to plug individuals' knowledge/skills gaps. An interesting approach to reskilling challenge.
An issue which keeps coming up at every evidence session is the desperate need for better careers information, advice and guidance in schools, colleges and communities.
Read 4 tweets
29 Apr
@ucu and @NEONHE have today published report supporting the proposals to move to a #PQA system for #UniAdmissions.

But are they right? ucu.org.uk/media/11479/PQ…
1/
I almost never disagree with Graeme Atherton on supporting disadvantaged students and @DrJoGrady is fantastic on so many things, but, on this, I think they're wrong...

...unless any shift to PQA is accompanied by a raft of changes & assurances that aren't currently planned.
2/
I have two key issues with the report:
▶️what they think the problem is
▶️what they think the solution is

The problem to solve is NOT the use of predicted grades.
And, as a solution, PQA would only make the real problem worse.
3/
Read 37 tweets
27 Apr
@michelledonelan appearing before @CommonsEd this morning.

@halfon4harlowMP starts by asking about compensation for students for lost learning under Covid.

Minister confirms no blanket arrangements and pays tribute to unis and their staff who pulled out all the stops.
@michelledonelan @CommonsEd @halfon4harlowMP The next question's about antisemitic speaker David Miller being allowed a platform at Bristol Uni – a blind alley for Donelan. She can't condemn the uni and speaker, while maintaining her departmental line about freedom of speech. Her way out is basically to buck-pass to OfS.
@michelledonelan @CommonsEd @halfon4harlowMP Follow-up questions on antisemitism & adopting the IHRA definition and whether she should be intervening at Bristol & elsewhere.

She just can't win here because of govt’s agenda about freedom of speech in unis. This discussion is exposing the inherent illogic and inconsistency.
Read 11 tweets
20 Mar 20
Under the circumstances, the Government has adopted what looks like a reasonable approach.

But it does raise a number of questions for higher education institutions.
/1
Predicted #ALevel grades tend to be inaccurate and have proven to be lower than actual grades for students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and higher than actual for socially advantaged students.
/2
While the approach proposed is not the same as predictions, it is similar and so the biases are likely to persist (although it will be impossible to know the extent of the bias).
/3
Read 13 tweets

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