Higher Education Review

The international journal of policy and practice in post school education

Welcome to the Autumn 2009 edition of Higher Education Review.

This issue commemorates the death in April 2009 of Professor Tyrrell Burgess, author, journalist and academic, who was the founding editor, and since 1971, the owner and publisher of Higher Education Review. A special editorial The next four decades reflects on Burgess's legacy with the journal and sets out the directions for its future. In a specially commissioned article Popperian epistemology and the curriculum: the legacy of Tyrrell Burgess, his colleague and Popper scholar Joanna Swann discusses Burgess's radical contribution to higher education and the implications of his thinking for teaching and learning. Major articles in this issue discuss topics of current relevance to higher education policy, including the purposes of higher education itself, the way that universities should be governed and, at a time when students in the UK have just been through an arduous process of application and admission, the possible outcomes of a proposed new system.

Professor John Pratt
Editor

Contents Volume 42 Number 1 Autumn 2009

Anthony Hoare and Rebecca Aitchison from Bristol University examine the intention to introduce a form of post qualification application (PQA) for entry to UK universities. They review the arguments and evidence advanced in this national debate and subject its hoped-for impacts to empirical testing with a novel and extensive dataset of successful university applications.

'PQA may well mean a simpler, less frustrating, traumatising, resource-demanding and energy-sapping admissions process for both universities and their intending students. But in the absence of other significant future changes, those expecting it also to deliver a more equitable higher education system, with more social mixing across campuses and more able students from non-traditional backgrounds enrolled on the most demanding degree programmes, are in for a disappointment.'

Professor Gill Evans from Cambridge University discusses the need for reform of university governance in the light of the apparent failure of the 'sector norm' model among the post-1992 universities. She examines the genesis of this model and its emerging shortcomings. She considers the implications of trends towards the diminution of student and academic staff participation, and suggests that a radical review is needed.

'To balance the trend to a still greater disconnection between governors travelling in a hovercraft about the surface of the work of their institutions which is being created by the work on "deregulation" ... a frank appraisal of other ways of doing things' is needed.

Gerald Pillay, Vice chancellor of Liverpool Hope University argues for the view of the university as a community built around the common purpose of learning and enquiry; extending and disseminating knowledge in a way that engenders a sense of serious solidarity with the world; its people and its environment; and the creation of a humane society.

'... those that have the privilege of going beyond primary and secondary education into what is "higher education" should be inducted into grappling with the great issues of the world; the search for meaning and purpose and how we constitute the "public good". Those who constitute the university cannot abdicate their responsibility to the public good.'

Plus...

Notes from North America:

Initials and names and Normalcy by Paul Alper.

Books:

Liberal higher education rides again by David Watson. Other books reviewed by John Wyatt, Tom Bourner, Christopher J Downs and James Hartley.

Select annotated list of publications received compiled by Deborah Hillier.

The next issue (Spring 2010) ...

Will include articles by

Professor Sir David Watson on 'Students aren't what they used to be' ...
Professor Roger Brown on 'Challenging policy'
Professor Jandhyala B G Tilak on 'Higher education, poverty and development'

... and much more