To this day, the introduction of Higher Education tuition fees during the 1990s proves to be a contentious issue. Despite their financial implications few students actively oppose them. I conducted a detailed study on the issue of the £1000 tuition fees introduced in 1998. I aimed to explore why Higher Education students do not take part in campaigns opposing tuition fees. My research was guided by drawing upon the individualisation theory developed by Beck (1992, 2002) and Giddens (1991). The empirical element of the research is based on a sample of students taken from two universities in the same city. It is argued that many Higher Education students do not actively participate in campaigns against tuition fees because they perceive their education to be an investment and accept that debt is a fact of life. It is further argued that students see themselves as individualised consumers who, as a result pursue individual rather than collective solutions to resolving problems related to educational provision. Though the students who participated in this research overwhelmingly believed the state should pay university tuition fees few students actively oppose them. This research argues that they have a low sense of political efficacy and perceive themselves to be a socially marginalised group with little significance in the eyes of politicians and society. Findings of this research enable the lack of active opposition towards tuition fees to be understood in its social context. Beck and Giddens’ analytical framework provides a practical explanation of why many students do not take part in these campaigns. However, it needs to be developed to provide a more coherent explanation of why so few students actively oppose tuition fees.

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The thesis, professional education in contemporary Serbia, an examination of the transition from state-socialism to post-socialism tries to answer the question of the changing patterns of professional education in contemporary Serbia in the light of the advent of post-socialism, after a very long period of reign of state-socialism. It does so by employing an in-depth historical analysis. It is argued that the economic problems in post-socialism, blocked transformation, exclusion from the European Community, and other problems impacted on the change in professional education patterns. Post-socialism is distinguished by the growing marketization, globalization and the economic intra-dependence, as well as the stronger influence of the emerging markets. In Serbia, it is distinguished by the fragile economic recovery and the emergence of the new economic order. The thesis uses Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony to explain the inevitability of the knowledge economy and Karl Popper’s theoretical concepts developed in his study Open Society and its Enemies. Methodologically, the project used chiefly qualitative methodology: questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. In addition to this, there is also abundant use of the relevant documents, useful for documentary analysis, as well as biographical method. Empirical conclusions of the project are based on 5 months survey in contemporary Serbia, based on qualitative methodology, and participants were university teachers, lawyers and researchers. Survey is understood here as a social science research technique. The project findings are organized around three major subcategories: democratization, governance and civil society, institutional sustainability and graduate employment, and internationalisation and the European Union. The system of professional education is characterized by the growing democratization, the implementation of the Bologna Process, the introduction of course fees, the overall marketization of education and the emergence of private universities. Policy-makers and educationists should be cautious because this system causes enduring inequalities. Unemployment is also a significant problem for the change in professional education patterns. The influence of markets on professional education is stronger and companies and enterprises are looking for university talent to gain the increase in profit and they have a clear stake in shaping the new system of professional education. This brings significant changes to professional education in general and the creation of the curricula in particular. Although the state-socialist system of professional education was distinguished by the increased level of international cooperation, it is growing more intense and it happens more often in the context of post-socialism. Serbian professionals, educationists, and policy-makers are having many more opportunities for international cooperation.

The Humanities Value Chain: A Framework for Knowledge Transfer in the Modern University PhD Abstract from Lisa Mooney Smith Nov 2009 ABSTRACT The research described in this thesis presents a body of material generated over four years of close observation of research and knowledge transfer practices in one Russell Group university institution. It attempts to contextualise knowledge transfer (hereafter KT) within the arts and humanities environment, as well as situate learning about the reception and adoption of KT with reference to the individual scholar and the organisation in which they operate. Within this context, little has been written explicitly about the character of the arts and humanities, and particularly the historical antecedence of the disciplines and their close relationship to current KT challenges. In the early chapters of the thesis we address the growing interest in KT specific language, the key words that have become landmarks in the extension of the ‘Two Cultures’ debate. In defining some of the parameters by which KT has come to be recognised, we also begin to signal changes in both the lexicon and landscape in which KT has evolved. We suggest that both the institution and their academic inhabitants play an intrinsic part in this evolution, framed by both the political and scholarly tensions of the time. In the latter part of the thesis there is a distinct shift in emphasis from the foundations of the KT debate, to its current inflections at a more grass roots level within the academic institution. We frame this shift in the context of the key investor in research within these disciplines and suggest that the Arts and Humanities Research Council is equally challenged to articulate and underpin the adoption of KT and its impacts at the heart of academic practice. In order that we might better animate how these practices are emerging, we observe one particular case study that lays down a possible framework for closer observation of KT in what we term the ‘Humanities Value Chain’. In focusing on a collection of players connected in the successful pursuit of collaborative research, we attempt to uncover an in-depth perspective of individuals and the way in which organisations might support or hinder their pursuit of KT based research.

Quality of education remains a problem in higher education in Vietnam and can be considered one of the most crucial and greatest challenges that institutions are now facing and which they need to make great efforts to resolve. Among the various factors that influence this is the quality of the teaching staff in higher education institutions. Due to the shortage of highly qualified academic staff, higher education institutions of both public and private are competing both with each other, and with organisations outside the educational sector, in recruiting academic staff. The thesis explores current issues of staffing and academic staff development in private universities in Vietnam, the policies implemented by them to promote academic staff development, and the extent to which these policies have proved to be effective in raising teaching quality. A comparative and qualitative method with multiple case studies was used for the research. Six higher education institutions in Vietnam, three public and three private, were chosen as case studies. Standards of staffing in public institutions were used as the bench mark for the comparative study, as public higher institutions in Vietnam have a longer history of establishment and operation, which have helped them build up cadres of highly qualified and experienced teaching staff. Data on higher education policies and issues relating to academic staff development and the quality of education in these institutions were gathered using a mixed methods approach. The results of the study showed that institutions of both sectors were facing similar issues in recruiting and developing their academic staff. With financial support from government, public universities are more advantageous than private ones in recruiting and retaining academic staff, thus whilst private universities used economic benefits as their core policies, public institutions attracted and retained academic staff by providing them opportunities for professional development. The research shows that there are still many decisions to be made in the establishment of an effective policy on academic staff development to overcome challenges facing institutions of both the public and the private higher education sector in Vietnam.

During one of the many discussions that I often have with my classes, it became apparent to me that some students had varied views regarding teaching and learning. In fact, what was basically a good teaching practice to me, apparently to many of my students it was not so. At the same time, in the last few years lecturers began expressing their disappointment concerning their students' outcomes and their evident lack of interest as regards their introductory courses. This creates some of the most immediate challenges for lecturers and teacher education designers to question the purpose of their teaching and the ways in which they teach. Indeed, what is the aim of university and college teaching and how should it be carried out? The study explored the conceptions of learning and teaching brought by a group of Cypriot students and their lecturers in their everyday introductory Business courses, carried out in one of the three largest private colleges of Nicosia, Cyprus. Data was gathered through interviews with five lecturers and 12 students in one of the three departments of the college, the School of Business, and analysed using the phenomenographic approach. On the basis of analyses of the data, six conceptions of teaching and six conceptions of learning were identified. It was possible to summarise the conceptions under distinct levels of categories. A three - set - order categorisation of teaching and a two - set - order categorisation of learning were developed. Comparisons were made between the two sets of categories. The findings showed that most participants developed comparatively traditional conceptions of both learning and teaching in a limited range of categories. Relationships between the categories indicated interesting similarities worth exploring further. The overall aim of the research is to offer a more defined understanding of the students' early conceptions of their learning and the lecturers' conceptions of teaching those students.

The core of this thesis is to investigate the perceptions of teachers in Further Education (FE) when dealing with the continuous change caused by the expansion of information and learning technology (ILT). This thesis also identifies the potential links between the increase in the range and availability of learning technology and the development of self- directed and student-centred learning. It explores the perceptions of practicing teachers with reference to their personal development and if such development indicates compliance with adult learning theory. It also analysis the external pressures placed on FE colleges and their teaching staff due to the development of ILT and the related governmental policy. The thesis regards teachers in the FE sector as a unique group of adult learners with a wide range of experience, qualifications and entry routes into the profession. It investigates a sample of teachers using questionnaires and focus groups analysing their perceptions of ILT, preferred learning styles, identified needs and self evaluation techniques and analysis any correlation between these factors and the biographical parameters obtained from the questionnaire responses. An aspect of the investigation was to analyse how teachers became proficient in the use of ILT, routes staff use to obtain the skills and knowledge required and if the aspects of adult learning theory are being applied. A related aspect of this research is the investigation of whether the perceptions of teacher of their personal development experiences related to ILT indicate if an FE college is or can become a “learning organisation” and if such a concept is valid for the FE sector.

Personal profiling is a dynamic learning process designed to enable individuals to identify their strengths, needs and aspirations in order to set strategic and behavioural goals. This single-site case study seeks to explore undergraduate occupational therapy students' attitudes and experiences of the process of personal profiling in the context of early professional development. The profiling system aims to support students through the process of integrating their University-based and practice-based learning experiences for personal and professional development. The investigation was carried out in two phases, a pilot study and main study, using an inclusive approach for inquiry. From the initial research question several sub-themes emerged during the pilot study which informed the overarching design of the main study. Students' attitudes towards the existing system were examined using a cohort study approach which employed a survey design of quantitative and qualitative data-gathering questionnaires. Attitudes and experiences of students were further explored through semi-structured interviews. A cross-sectional approach which included a sample of students from each year was adopted. In addition questionnaire data was collected from tutors and practice educators who play a significant role in students' professional education. Findings indicate students generally appear to have a positive attitude to personal profiling. The value is experienced at varying psychological levels, depending on students' willingness, motivation to engage with the process and psychological preparedness. A model of levels of engagement in profiling is proposed. Students' report the process of profiling was a challenging, psychologically messy and uncertain process yet worthwhile in the overall pursuit of professional development. Tutors perceived it as an enabling process in the students' learning. The conclusion drawn is that students have the intellectual capability and potential to benefit from personal profiling. Students appear to self-consciously recognise, articulate and acknowledge the value of personal profiling in facilitating early professional development.

E-Learning perhaps is the exciting topic related to higher education in the current decade. Large numbers of researchers devote their enthusiasm to this area. The early days of E-Learning were product-driven, and the dialogue about E-Learning took place primarily among vendors who were heavily funded by investment capital. Most of the E-Learning vendors promoted their technology, but less attention was paid to the issues surrounding implementation or to the usage of E-Learning by the end users. However, the behaviour of end users or of the organizations which had introduced E-Learning should be the main concern of an innovation in the management process. Included in an entire E-Learning development strategy should be a detailed analysis and action plan to obtain a comprehensive overview of three aspects of innovation processes: organizational, technological, and products/services. A successful E-Learning launch should also pay close consideration to all of the interactions during the triple innovation process, a proposal which will be addressed in this research. Given the multiple objectives of investigating the processes of E-Learning innovation, the interaction between different aspects of innovation and the issues which influence those processes, a qualitative case study approach is appropriate for establishing empirical evidence and describing the phenomenon of the E-Learning innovation process in higher education. The fieldwork started in March 2004 and finished in August 2008. It comprised one pilot study at National Chung Cheng University Taiwan, and the main research context at the University of Nottingham. The data collected were used to analyse and conceptualise the E-Learning innovation process with three sub-processes, outlined in detail in a following subsection: research methodology and design. This research contributes to the understanding of E-Learning innovation processes by providing triple aspects of organizational, technological and service innovation individually, and maps the E-Learning innovation processes in its different aspects. The relationships and interactions in the E-Learning innovation process within organizational, technological and service innovation are conceptualized in order to explain their complexity, and they also summarized the main interaction categories for different interactions. The series of detailed analyses indicates that organizational, technological and service innovations are inseparable and show a strong link with one another. Moreover, a framework of simplified triple E-Learning innovation with triple interactions is proposed.

The thesis explores the potentially problematic nature of transitions and the implications for the way students engage with (and disengage from) the process of learning. Although studies in the field of student experience, learning approaches and transitions have examined the relation between learning and contextual factors, there has not been an in-depth examination of the ways students cope with the changes at personal and academic level they are confronted with at university. This study draws initially upon the theories of Lave & Wenger to develop a theoretical model for conceptualising students' experiences of learning at university. The study is therefore able to provide additional insights into the way individual identity; institutional communities and the interaction between the personal and the social elements can play a role in students' experiences of their transitions to and in university. This is developed with a very specific focus on transitions from first to second year study at university. In order to explore the nature and range of transitions that students experience, the methodological design of the study is based upon a qualitative methodology including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews of nine undergraduate students along with non-participant observation of two modules within one pre-1992 HE institution. The data are analysed to explore the research participants' perceptions, meanings and practices as these are negotiated and enacted in the various communities before and after their transition to and within university. The research findings suggest that the process of transitions involves a rich interplay between roles, relationships and participation. As students strive to develop higher order skills and become part of their communities, they seem to be confronted with changes in perceptions, positions and attitudes. These changes can be seen as deriving from the interactions between students and their institutional and wider communities. In essence, therefore, the thesis offers a model for understanding students' transitions to and within university. This model suggests that underpinning students' experiences at university are a range of transitions within various communities that influence the way identities, knowledge, and practices are constructed.