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This case study outlines the emergence of a large higher education partnership in a sub-region of Wales which has for many years been associated with a low skills stereotype involving unemployment, poverty and deprivation. It contextualises the difficulties and challenges of 2008--the time when the Universities Heads of the Valleys Institute (UHOVI) emerged as a viable programme for change with an ambition to recruit 1,663 local students by 2013. The case study reviews historical and contemporary developments, arguing that the people and places of the heads of the valleys cannot be written off or ghettoised; instead there is strength and potential through building lifelong learning communities that draw on economic, social and cultural practices. (Contains 1 table and 6 notes.)

The advantages and difficulties of partnership working for a new university at crisis point in the use of people, time and facilities for the development of widening participation initiatives. The focus is on local partnerships which bring together a wide range of organisations from public, private and voluntary sectors to increase participation in education and training in the South Wales valleys. Patterns of development were analysed for four consortium-based partnerships. Membership profiles revealed a pronounced dominance by public sector representatives. It was noted that after an initial interest in community partnership operations employers and voluntary sector representatives gradually stopped attending. Meetings were linked with a growing level of administrative detail and local educational authority and school representatives addressed an agenda of education and training provision for 14-19-year-olds; it is suspected that this also explained to some extent the non-attendance of business and voluntary sector representatives because they perceived 14-19-year-old youth dominated agendas as peripheral to their core interests. By contrast, the working groups in the partnerships were characterised by more grassroots involvement from a variety of sectors. The authors identify four possible strategies for meaningful engagement in numerous and concurrent local partnerships.

This article presents a tracking analysis of level 1 undergraduates who entered the University of Glamorgan through the Compact schools initiative. The Compact initiative aims to widen access to higher education by encouraging young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend a range of preparatory activities and by offering lower entry requirements to those who successfully complete the scheme. A total of 154 undergraduates from two academic sessions were divided into two equal groups: (i) compact students who entered the university through its widening access programme, and (ii) a matched pairs control group with the same entry grades, award schemes and entry year. Research queries aimed to address the issue of differential achievement at the end of level 1. Results showed that conversion rates for both cohorts were better than the university rate for that year, the compact group achieved a higher rate of "direct" progression to level 2 and, although there were some differences by entry year, the overall distribution of grades for both groups was normal. Finally, a paired-samples t-test showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of averaged module marks at the end of level 1. Implications for the Compact initiative at the institutional level are discussed and suggestions are made for future research into the value-added nature of compacts. (Contains 7 figures, 4, tables, and 2 notes.)

Many commentators have noted that mature students speak of education changing them. One of the most positive outcomes is a heightened sense of self-belief and confidence, which pervades other areas of their lives, not just the academic environment. It is argued within this paper that such research tends to offer a somewhat simplistic account of the change outcomes; rarely is space dedicated to a discourse about the processes involved in negotiating them. Drawing on concepts from life span psychology, the role of conflict or imbalance is explored. It is suggested that this is an inevitable and, indeed, necessary part of the process. Within this context, the nature of the conflicts experienced by mature students returning to education will be identified, together with a discussion of the ways in which they can be negotiated in order to facilitate development within the present academic environment

Discusses policy making in United Kingdom higher education that tries to balance expansion with maintaining high standards. Considers computer-assisted assessment as a method for coping with large class sizes while also providing meaningful feedback to students without dominating staff time. (Author/LRW)

Explores the introduction of new teacher training methods at the University of Budapest (Hungary), particularly in the use of role-play to make language learning more student-centered and interactive. Discusses teaching English as a second language in secondary schools and reports perceptions of role-play activity based on interviews with trainee teachers. (Author/LRW)

Outlines a "twinning" program for staff development, involving collaboration between lecturers from the University of Glamorgan in Wales and the Bath College of Higher Education, England. Addresses the theme of professional development for academic staff, and reviews twinning experiences through an application of communication models to learning organizations within Higher Education. (Author/AEF)

Discusses the movement towards credit accumulation and transfer in higher education institutions based on experiences at two universities in the United Kingdom, the University of Northumbria and the University of Glamorgan. Modularization, or unitization, and semesterization are considered, and three key areas are addressed: management, student choices, and student assessment. (LRW)

This paper argues that a number of recent developments and initiatives within higher education offer much encouragement to the establishment of peer tutoring systems within colleges. Findings are reviewed of England's Nottingham Polytechnic's exploration of peer tutoring over the past five years, and a critique is offered. (GLR)

Presents three exercises that deal with issues in communication: (1) icebreaking techniques for seminar groups, including individual, pair, and small group formats; (2) a workshop that stresses cooperative groupwork, including competitive teams; and (3) a workshop that encourages assertiveness in learning situations and discusses submissiveness, assertiveness, and aggressiveness. (10 references) (LRW)

Discussion of prior experiential learning of older students who are applying for higher education courses focuses on assessment techniques developed in the United Kingdom that use simulation and gaming activities. Issues associated with establishing assessment criteria are discussed, and implications for educational staff and students are considered. (six references) (LRW)

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to describe a successful strategy for a HE partnership engaging with businesses in a socially deprived area. Design/methodology/approach – The approach to this project and report is one of a case study, the paper tells a whole story from inception to delivery and reports on the lessons learned in delivering in a socially deprived region. Success for the project has been based on partners' existing frameworks allowing accredited outcomes at CQFW levels 4 and 5 which provides a curriculum offer tailored to sector priorities and provides progression opportunities within the broader HE framework. Findings – The project has demonstrated the point that employer responsiveness is fundamental to success. To build upon the experiences of the project team, a work-based learning project forum has been set up between similar projects within both institutions, to disseminate information and minimise the duplication of employer engagement activities. Based on previous experience, there is little direct mailing to companies as this has activity has not provided value for money in terms of student recruitment and awareness raising. The work of the Employer Engagement Training Officers in identifying demand for learning amongst employers and employees in the region has been critical in developing appropriate provision which employees will choose to engage with. Changes have been made in the philosophy of recruiting tutors to ensure the most experienced staff are engaged. The planning of delivery takes place even earlier to combat associated delays in validation, procurement and marketing. Originality/value – Distinctive features of the project are twofold. First, the majority of learning takes place through active and reflective engagement within places of work. Second, cognisant of both the geography and economic demography of the region, employers and employees take advantage of work-based learning opportunities in cluster groups and hence the curriculum offer reaches out across both sectors and workforce subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study outlines the emergence of a large higher education partnership in a sub-region of Wales which has for many years been associated with a low skills stereotype involving unemployment, poverty and deprivation. It contextualises the difficulties and challenges of 2008 - the time when the Universities Heads of the Valleys Institute (UHOVI) emerged as a viable programme for change with an ambition to recruit 1,663 local students by 2013. The case study reviews historical and contemporary developments, arguing that the people and places of the heads of the valleys cannot be written off or ghettoised; instead there is strength and potential through building lifelong learning communities that draw on economic, social and cultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current turbulence in policy making for higher education is creating a series of dilemmas for universities and colleges engaging in expansion whilst at the same time protecting high standards for learning and teaching as well as research. In this article, the specific application of computer-assisted assessment (CAA) is discussed as a method for coping with large class sizes whilst also providing meaningful feedback to students on their coursework submission, and without dominating staff time. A case study is presented (based on one department within a new university in South Wales, UK),which draws on three other higher education institutions' experiences of CAA applications. This includes a series of interviews with lecturers in order to highlight key concerns about the consequences of quality assurance at both pedagogic and management levels. Resourcing issues were paramount, and the paper concludes with the recommendation that the application of CAA should be reinforced by a research focus so that such learning and teaching developments can be critically evaluated whilst also generating research activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has witnessed significant changes in the student population entering HE programmes of study. Such changes have been accompanied by increased central accountability and reduced central funding. This paper reflects on the role that computer-based learning (CBL) can play in supporting students, specifically adult learners, in such an environment. It suggests that the technology has demanded more attention than the pedagogic issues and argues that CBL must take advantage of adult learners' experiences to gain maximum advantage in the future . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 'twinning' programme for staff development is outlined, involving collaboration between lecturers from the University of Glamorgan in Wales and the Bath College of Higher Education, a university sector college in England. The principle aim is that of disseminating good practice in educational development, including innovations in work-based learning, educational technologies and mentoring. This paper addresses the theme of professional development for academic staff, and reviews twinning experiences through an application of communication models to learning organizations within Higher Education. The essential advantage of twinning strategies lies with institution-wide rather than discipline-specific developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that a number of developments and initiative within higher education offer much encouragement to the establishment of peer tutoring systems within colleges. Information about the student-centered learning and peer tutoring and proctoring of Nottingham Polytechnic; Supporters of the university's student-centered learning; Facts about the Nottingham experiment on higher education; Criticisms that can be made regarding Nottingham's peer tutoring; More.

Examines the attitudes and opinions of British students toward the process of recording achievements while at school and the usefulness of the National Record of Achievement in application to higher education. Students' expectations about how higher education will build on and further develop their records of achievement.

A biography of Alan Coote is presented. He was born on 1944 in Cornwall. He studied geography and economics in South Africa. He was married with Carol and became a father to Alex and Becci. He taught geography and education at the South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Wales. He died in November 2007 due to an illness.