The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a period of mass immigration to the UK from former colonies. One of the outcomes of this inward migration was that the children of immigrants entered the UK higher education (HE) systems in order to maximise their life opportunities. Despite their entrance in HE, there is a body of evidence showing that an educational attainment gap at degree level exists between BME students and their White counterparts, even when at the point of entry BME students and their counterparts have nearly identical entry grades, hence showing they are equally equipped. The shortfall between the performance of BME and White students has implications for the sector and society per se. So that a better understanding for the rationale of the degree attainment gap could be gained, adding to the quantitative research demonstrating this gap, 20 qualitative research interviews amongst first and second generation university attendees were completed. To support this work, a case based study approach at Coventry University was undertaken which enabled a deeper understanding of the reasons for specific attainment. The research findings reveal that a number of factors have an influence. The factors are external, namely previous experience at school and the route taken to reach HE, course aspects in relation to the one that is chosen and teaching staff. Internal factors centre on attitudes and aspirations, peers and the individual’s knowledge of HE. The final area to emerge is a middle ground, the image of the institution and its ability to make students feel welcome. Educationalists can do little to influence external factors; however, institutions must take action, through curricular changes, course materials and attitudes of tutors, to minimise their negative impact upon attainment. Attainment statistics demonstrate that the gap has started to reduce; however, it still needs addressing further as degree attainment has the ability to impact individuals’ lives and their employment opportunities. Institutional actions can improve the attainment of all HE students.

Yes / Commentators and academics now refer to Higher Education (HE) as a market and the language of the market frames and describes the sector. Considerable competition for students exists and the marketplace is global as institutions compete for students not just from their own country, but from the lucrative international market. Universities are aware of the importance of their reputations, but to what extent are they utilizing branding activity to deal with such competitive threats? Can institutions with lower reputational capital compete for students by increasing their brand presence? This study provides evidence from research into social media related branding activity from 56 UK universities and considers the impact of this activity, in particular social media interaction and social media validation, on performance in terms of student recruitment. The results demonstrate a positive effect for the use of social media on brand performance, especially when an institution attracts a large number of Likes on Facebook and a high number of Followers on Twitter. A particularly strong and positive effect results when universities use social media interactively.

The financial provisions of the HE Act (2004) were intended to introduce market forces into the relationship between higher education institutions in England and their full-time Home/EU undergraduates. The policies that underpinned that legislation were established by Parliamentarians during a period of intense public and political debate which accompanied the passage of the Act and now, as suppliers in a nascent quasi-market, universities are de facto responsible for their delivery. With that market beginning to stabilise, this research compares those political objectives with observed outcomes of the introduction of the Act. Primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with key decision-makers in six sample universities – chosen to reflect both the spread of institutions in the sector and the range of pricing policies in operation – and with those involved nationally in shaping the legislation. From this material, supported by secondary quantitative and qualitative evidence, university pricing strategies are considered, in the context of theories of marketing and of higher education management, to provide an understanding of how institutions have structured their financial offerings with the aim of targeting specific markets for applicants. Data from the sample institutions is then used to build a profile of the quasi-market that the suppliers within it are generating. Even though members of the sample have taken diverse approaches to price-setting, there are some clear consistencies that typify this emerging national market: prices are set through adjustments to bursaries, not fees; and complex financial offerings have created barriers to effective communication. Furthermore, as institutional managers analyse the effects of their own pricing strategies locally, they are observing these trends and thus, where any changes are being made, these tend towards simplification of bursary schemes and hence increasing homogeneity across the sector. However, with the (index-linked) £3000 cap which currently applies to fees, it is increasingly apparent that the current quasi-market for full-time Home/EU undergraduates at English universities has not reached its price-sensitivity point and hence, this research argues, the market is not operating fully. Therefore, while this study offers an understanding of motivations behind current institutional actions and the nature of the resulting quasi-market, it also explains why it is not feasible to extrapolate from this information to forecast how the market might work were regulatory parameters to be changed significantly.

Digital teknik har blivit en stor del av våra liv och har lett till omfattande förändringar på alla nivåer i samhället. Sverige är ett av världens mest utvecklade länder inom digital teknik och vi ser att det har haft sin inverkan på människors dagliga arbetsliv, vilket också inkluderar lärare inom skolan på alla nivåer. Huvudsyftet med studien är att undersöka hur svenska högskolelärare inom informatik upplever sin användning av digital teknik som de omges av på sin arbetsplats, vilket inbegriper hur de påverkar och påverkas av den digitala teknik som de använder. En kvalitativ forskningsansats användes för att svara på studiens fråga och metoden bestod av enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer. I studien framgick det att svenska högskolelärare inom informatik kan uppleva sin användning av digital teknik som både besvärlig och bra. I de flesta fall kan de inte påverka den digitala tekniken i någon större utsträckning när det gäller dess utformning eller inköp, då system som administrationssystem och lärplattform införs via offentliga upphandlingar utan deras delaktighet. Det förekommer en tro om att högskolans digitalisering i framtiden kommer innebära att det underlättar deras administrativa arbete, men det råder ingen fullständig konsensus om att den digitala tekniken redan nu underlättar det på ett optimalt sätt. / Digital technology has become a big part of our lives and has led to extensive changes at all levels of society. With Sweden being one of the world's most technology evolved countries we see that technology has even set its roots within people's daily working lives, which also includes schoolteachers on all levels. The main purpose of the study is to investigate how Swedish university teachers in informatics experience their use with digital technology of which they are surrounded by at their workplace, which includes how they affect and are affected by the digital technology they use. A qualitative research approach was used to answer the study's question and the method consisted of individual semi-structured interviews. In the study, it emerged that Swedish university teachers in informatics experience their use of digital technology as both negative and positive. In most cases, they cannot influence the digital technology to any great extent in terms of its design or purchase, as systems such as administration systems and learning management platforms are introduced through public procurement without their participation. There is a belief that the university's digitization in the future will mean that it facilitates their administrative work, but there is no complete consensus that digital technology already facilitates it in an optimal way.