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  • A Deep Dive into MindTap for Anatomy and Physiology: Now With Visible Body

    A Deep Dive into MindTap for Anatomy and Physiology: Now With Visible Body

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Students taking Anatomy and Physiology have many challenging and complex topics to navigate through. Some of the common areas where they may struggle include concept visualization, term memorization and learning how to apply their critical thinking skills within a real-world clinical setting.

    Let’s explore MindTap for Elizabeth Co’s “A&P” and examine its suite of interactive features that improve engagement and comprehension, including Visible Body activities, author concept videos, clinical activities and personalized features.

    Visible Body activities help students exercise factual and spatial knowledge

    With Visible Body embedded into the MindTap Learning Path, students can access accurate visual representations, anatomically correct 3D models and immersive activities. Students can manipulate these 3D models and exercise their factual and spatial knowledge while reinforcing the concepts they’ve learned in Co’s “A&P.” Students can also check their understanding of these concepts by taking quizzes. With multiple Visible Body activities available in every chapter of the title, students can take advantage of a whole semester’s worth of 3D learning.

    Visible Body activity in MindTap Learning Path

    Author-driven content at students’ fingertips

     “A&P” author Liz Co has always been passionate about supporting student learning and study skills. She currently serves on the HAPS (Human Anatomy & Physiology Society) learning objectives panel, is Committee Chair on Inclusive Pedagogy and Principal Investigator of Assessing Student Engagement and Efficacy of Remote Learning. Her wide-reaching experience has influenced new concept videos in each chapter, found under Learn Its in the MindTap Learning Path. Liz walks through what students have deemed to be the toughest topics in A&P, and breaks down those concepts using her pedagogical knowledge.

    Author Elizabeth Co stands next to an A&P graphic image.
    New concept videos with Dr. Elizabeth Co, author of “A&P.”

    Clinical activities get students career-ready

    Many students taking an A&P course are on the nursing/medical profession career track. With various opportunities to practice their critical thinking skills in MindTap for Co’s “A&P,” students can prepare for their future careers working in a clinical setting. Students can enhance those skills through Case Studies, activities which engage them with clinical scenarios and challenge them to achieve a higher-level of understanding with auto-graded assessments.

    Study features reinforce key concepts/terms and personalize the learning experience

    With over 8,000 anatomical terms to cover in the span of two semesters, A&P students need personalized solutions to help hone memorization skills and develop a better understanding of key concepts and terms. Students can improve these valuable skills with:

    • The Student Assistant, leveraging GenAI and exclusive Cengage content, delivers a personalized learning experience to students, available 24/7.

     

    • Mastery Training (powered by Cerego) uses cognitive science principles to help students learn key terms faster and more effectively. These activities help students make connections between terms and concepts, providing guidance until students have a full grasp of what they’ve learned.

     

    • Adaptive Test Prep helps students review and understand concepts and skills in the course. Students take a quiz and receive a customized set of study materials.

    Interested in exploring MindTap with Visible Body for your Anatomy and Physiology course?

    The post A Deep Dive into MindTap for Anatomy and Physiology: Now With Visible Body appeared first on The Cengage Blog.

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  • When musicians get the blues

    When musicians get the blues

    Music is known to boost cognitive and emotional wellbeing, yet those who pursue it professionally experience greater levels of psychological distress compared to the general population.

    Psychological distress among professional musicians is a global phenomenon, shown in studies from Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea. More than two-thirds of professional musicians in the UK suffer from depression, according to a 2016 study involving over 2,000 musicians. In Canada, as many as one in five professional musicians experience suicidal ideation.

    Now, musicians are calling on the industry for change. In February, Grammy-winning artist Chappell Roan used her Best New Artist acceptance speech to advocate for healthcare and a living wage for developing artists.

    “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy, and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists,” Roan said.

    Major record labels have now provided commitments to the mental health of their artists. Universal Music Group recently partnered with Music Health Alliance to launch the Music Industry Mental Health Fund, which provides a new suite of outpatient mental health support for musicians.

    A lack of support systems

    Musicians’ mental health suffers from a paucity of institutional protections for freelancers, irregular work schedules and profound financial instability. This is often exacerbated by high instances of performance anxiety and perfectionism among professional musicians, said Dr. George Musgrave, senior lecturer in cultural sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

    “When people talk about music being good for health and wellbeing, they’re not talking about working musicians,” Musgrave said. “Those who are doing it for leisure or creation are not anxious and depressed in the same way that those who do it for their job are.”

    Unpredictability also characterizes the career trajectories of many professional musicians, said Noah Fralick, artist manager at Huxley Management.

    “You don’t really go to school, get training, then work your way into the workforce and slowly build up,” Fralick said. “There’s no linear path. You might go from total obscurity to huge amounts of popularity quite quickly.”

    Emotional labour is also inherent in this line of work, which can put musicians at risk for mental health pressures, said Dr. Sally Anne Gross, principal lecturer at the University of Westminster.

    “There’s an interrelatedness to sport, where the body’s running so fast and in doing that, you would expect it to get injured,” Gross said. “If you’re working with your emotions in your working environment … you can expect that you might have emotional injuries.”

    The strains of a music career

    The traditional trope of the “tortured artist” — the idea that an artist must suffer pain to generate authentic creative output — has taken on new significance in the digital age.

    “The digital world is desperate for real things,” Gross said. “The artist now has to be larger than life …  in this atmosphere, at this point in time, if you are a young emerging artist or a current artist, you have to engage in a way that is seen to be authentic and there’s nothing more authentic than pain.”

    Mass democratization of music creation has made it easier than ever for musicians to enter the industry, but with no guarantee that their music will find an audience. Musicians feel pressure to show vulnerability as a way to stand out in a market flooded with options.

    “About 100,000 new songs are uploaded to Spotify every day,” Fralick said. “Streaming has sort of eliminated the barrier to access the music industry, but diluted the potential for any one [musician] to be successful.”

    This creates an environment in which consumers fall back to familiar tunes and artists, as deciding between a multitude of new options can feel overwhelming. As a result, it’s a rare artist who becomes a star. But these success stories become well-known, and the dramatic publicization of those who succeed can explain part of the allure of the music business, Fralick said.

    “I always use this analogy of a lottery winner, and the way that lotteries are set up, we see the winner,” Fralick said. “We think ‘I’m going to buy a ticket because that could be me,’ because your brain is only seeing the success story.”

    Pressure to succeed

    Musgrave said that this mindset can be detrimental for musicians. “Many of them are afflicted with what I’ve referred to as cruel optimism. The optimism is cruel because it’s keeping them tethered to an unrealizable ideal,” he said.

    Aside from emotional investment, launching a professional music career can also entail hefty financial costs. These costs could include paying distributors, shooting music videos, receiving coaching and joining premium memberships.

    The opportunity cost can also be significant. “You give up a lot of earning potential in order to invest in this craft,” Musgrave said. 

    For female musicians, age can be a critical stressor and determining factor of success. As the marketability of their music often hinges upon maintaining a youthful image, it can place additional pressures to find success faster.

    Many female musicians see the age of 30 as a hard cut-off, Musgrave said. “Age is a spectre that haunts women’s musical lives in a way that doesn’t haunt men’s,” he said. 

    Getting help to those who need it

    The last 10 years has seen a sea of change regarding mental health interventions for musicians. 

    In the UK, all three major record labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony — have mental health support offerings either in-house or through outsourcing. But in-house mental health counselling could present potentially challenging scenarios for conflict of interest, Musgrave said.

    Currently, the biggest source of musicians’ mental health support is the charitable sector. Organizations such as MusiCares, Music Minds Matter, Music Support and the Man Down Programme provide various offerings such as weekly support groups, 24/7 crisis support lines and training packages for music industry workers.

    Gross said that while poor mental health among professional musicians is an urgent concern, that shouldn’t stop schools from providing music education. Instead, the occupational health hazards of professional music careers should be clearly communicated, so that young people can make informed decisions.

    “I think we have to reassess and re-evaluate the ways in which creative industry jobs have been sold to the next generation,” Gross said. “We have to really think about what’s happening in the educational space … and it’s absolutely essential that we deal with the issues and challenges of the working environment for all professionals.”  


     

    Three questions to consider:

    1. What unique pressures do professional musicians face?

    2. What is meant by the term “cruel optimism”?

    3. Why do so many people dream of becoming famous performers?


     

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  • The Compartmentalization and Bureaucracy of Modern Academia

    The Compartmentalization and Bureaucracy of Modern Academia

    In the dystopian world of Severance, employees undergo a controversial procedure that separates their work lives from their personal lives, creating a chillingly compartmentalized existence. While this premise seems far-fetched, the show’s underlying critique of institutional control, bureaucratic systems, and dehumanizing workplace environments mirrors certain aspects of U.S. higher education administration.

    The Compartmentalization of Roles

    At the heart of Severance is the radical division of personal and professional identities. Employees, when at work, have no memory of their personal lives, and when they leave the office, their work experiences are erased from their minds. This deliberate separation is an exaggerated version of a common practice in higher education—compartmentalizing roles and interactions.

    In many academic institutions, faculty, staff, and students often navigate strict hierarchies and narrowly defined roles, which can create significant barriers between these groups. Administrators focus on policies and data, while faculty members concentrate on teaching and research. This division can lead to limited communication and a lack of understanding between those shaping the institution’s direction and those most impacted by decisions.

    Dehumanizing Bureaucracy

    Severance also critiques how systems of power, driven by bureaucracy, strip employees of their humanity. This theme resonates with the reality of higher education administration, where decisions are made far from the classroom, often by individuals who may have little connection to the day-to-day experiences of faculty or students.

    Universities rely on complex bureaucratic systems to manage operations, from student admissions to faculty performance assessments. These systems can often feel impersonal, and the pressure to conform to institutional standards—whether in terms of research output, teaching evaluations, or service requirements—can leave faculty and staff feeling like mere cogs in a well-oiled machine. The result is a sense of alienation and detachment from the institution, not unlike the isolated existence portrayed in Severance.

    Institutional Control and Surveillance

    In Severance, employees are constantly surveilled, their actions monitored and manipulated by the corporation to maintain control. This chilling form of oversight is mirrored in higher education, where increasing reliance on data analytics and monitoring systems tracks everything from student performance to faculty productivity.

    Universities increasingly collect vast amounts of data, from tracking graduation rates to measuring faculty research output, with the intent of improving efficiency and accountability. However, for many faculty and staff, these systems can feel intrusive, reducing their work to numbers and metrics, much like the employees of Severance who are stripped of their identities in favor of institutional goals.

    The “Work-Life Balance” Paradox

    One of the key tensions in Severance is the idea of “work-life balance” taken to an extreme, where the characters’ personal and professional identities are completely isolated. In higher education, this balance is a perennial challenge. Administrators often promote the importance of self-care and work-life balance, yet faculty and staff are regularly expected to juggle multiple roles—teaching, research, administrative duties—and produce high levels of output.

    As a result, the lines between personal and professional life often blur, with faculty members frequently working late into the night or on weekends to meet the demands of the job. Despite official policies promoting balance, the pressure to perform can create a culture of burnout, not unlike the invasive control experienced by Severance‘s characters.

    Conformity vs. Individuality

    Finally, Severance explores the tension between conformity and individuality, a dynamic that is also evident in academia. In the show, employees are forced to conform to the institution’s demands, stifling their personal identities. Similarly, universities increasingly measure success through standardized metrics—graduation rates, research grants, and student satisfaction surveys—that prioritize efficiency over creativity or personal growth.

    For faculty members, this pressure to conform to institutional expectations can stifle academic freedom and exploration. While universities often champion individuality and intellectual curiosity, the overwhelming focus on data-driven outcomes can push faculty to prioritize “safe” or “marketable” research topics over more innovative or personal endeavors.

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  • Higher Education Inquirer continues to generate an international audience

    Higher Education Inquirer continues to generate an international audience

    HEI continues to generate a strong international audience.  While a substantial portion of our viewers are from the US, we have people (and bots) from across the globe reading our articles and Youtube posts. Our coverage lately, on the revocation of student visas, and of deportations, is particularly important for international students, particularly those who are concerned about US intervention in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. For some unknown reasons, we have little traffic from folks in African countries or Latin America countries (other than Mexico). We also have fewer than expected numbers from Canada and India. If there is anything we can do to increase those viewership numbers, please let us know. 

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  • New College of Florida Fires Chinese Adjunct

    New College of Florida Fires Chinese Adjunct

    New College of Florida fired a Chinese adjunct instructor after he asked why he wasn’t being paid and officials replied that they had overlooked regulations prohibiting his employment, according to a Suncoast Searchlight investigation.

    Kevin Wang—whose area of concentration was listed as Chinese Language and Culture on his now-deleted college directory page—told the nonprofit news outlet that he previously lost his professorship in China over criticizing Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. He’s seeking asylum and is allowed to work in the U.S., Searchlight reported.

    But New College fired him March 12, citing a university regulation based on Florida’s “countries of concern” law, the outlet reported. This came two days after Wang inquired why he hadn’t been getting paychecks all semester, Searchlight wrote. New College didn’t return Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment Friday.

    Florida’s Legislature has passed multiple laws limiting public colleges’ and universities’ relationships with listed “countries of concern,” such as China. The Searchlight story pointed to 2023’s Senate Bill 846, which—with exceptions—bars institutions from participating “in any agreement” with a “foreign principal.” The law defined foreign principals as “any person who is domiciled in a foreign country of concern and is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.” The Florida Board of Governors followed up the law by releasing guidance, Searchlight reported.

    Wang told the outlet, “I truly hope that such interference undermining academic freedom will not occur again in a place that claims to be a ‘beacon of democracy.’”

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  • 13-Percentage-Point Gap in Pell vs. Non-Pell Completion

    13-Percentage-Point Gap in Pell vs. Non-Pell Completion

    Eduard Figueres/iStock/Getty Images

    Low-income students can experience a variety of barriers to success in college, and new data from the Richmond Federal Reserve points to gaps in success and completion among Pell Grant recipients at community colleges, compared to their peers.

    An analysis of a 2024 survey of two-year public institutions in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia identified a 13-percentage-point gap in success rates between Pell Grant recipients and those who do not receive the Pell Grant. Forty percent of Pell Grant students achieved at least one metric of success, versus 53 percent of non-Pell recipients.

    Methodology 

    The 2024 Survey of Community College Outcomes includes data from five states—Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia—and 121 colleges. Data includes all degree- or certificate-seeking students enrolled during the 2019–20 academic year, including dual-enrollment students.

    Around 34 percent of students included in the study received a Pell Grant while enrolled at a community college, (compared to the national average of 32 percent). Dual-enrollment students are not eligible for the Pell Grant.

    The background: Pell Grant recipients, who are low-income students enrolled in a college or university in the U.S., are more often to be enrolled at public institutions, and the greatest share are from families who earn less than $20,000 annually.

    Success, as defined by the Richmond Fed, means a degree- or certificate-seeking student at a community college completed one of the following over a four-year period following enrollment:

    • Earned an associate degree
    • Earned a diploma or credit-bearing certificate
    • Earned an industry- or employer- recognized licensure or credential
    • Transferred to a four-year institution prior to degree or award attainment
    • Persisted by completing at least 30 credit hours

    Over all, Pell and non-Pell students completed an associate degree at similar rates (19 percent), but Pell students were less likely to transfer (10 percent of Pell versus 20 percent of non-Pell) or complete a credential (6 percent versus 7 percent).

    Digging into the data: Researchers qualify that while there is a correlation between receiving a Pell Grant and graduation, that does not imply causation, or that receiving Pell Grant funding leads to lower outcomes.

    “Students who qualify for and receive Pell Grant funding may have substantively different characteristics than non-Pell students—differences that could be driving the differences in outcomes,” wrote Laura Dawson Ullrich, director of the Community College Initiative at the Richmond Fed, in a blog post.

    North Carolina was the only state with higher associate degree completion rates among Pell students, but this could be due to how the state classifies dual-enrollment students as degree-seeking and their ineligibility for the Pell Grant.

    South Carolina had the highest transfer rate among Pell (19.3 percent) and non-Pell recipients (27 percent), which could be a result of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina’s bridge programs with community colleges, Ullrich wrote.

    Low-income students are more likely to experience basic needs insecurity, which can hinder persistence and completion. The Richmond Fed plans to conduct more surveys focusing on wraparound student supports and how the existence of these resources may contribute to Pell Grant recipients’ success.

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  • A Timeline for Job Search Success (opinion)

    A Timeline for Job Search Success (opinion)

    One of the most common questions I get from Ph.D. students and postdocs is “When should I begin my job search?” Most of the time, they are referring only to the application process—they are asking when they should start actually applying for jobs. While I generally recommend applying three to four months before you are available to start, the job search itself should begin much earlier. There is a lot of information and data that you need to gather in advance so that you are well positioned to recognize that a job is a good fit and make an informed decision with confidence.

    I see a lot of similarities between the job search and the way you might approach committing to a large purchase such as that of a car or home: The more research and preparation you do, the more confident and informed you’ll be when the right opportunity comes along.

    Like a house, a job needs to align with your values, interests and goals. However, compromise is inevitable. Just as home buyers must balance their wish list with budget constraints and market realities, job seekers must consider factors such as location, salary, job stability and growth potential. A strategic, long-term approach ensures that when the ideal opportunity presents itself, you can recognize it and act decisively.

    That said, it’s important to recognize that in both job searching and home buying, there are many variables we can’t control. Many Ph.D. students and postdocs I speak with are understandably concerned about the uncertainty of the job market they’ll be entering into in light of federal employee layoffs and university hiring freezes. This is unfortunate but makes long-term, careful planning all the more important.

    The House-Hunting Approach to Job Searching

    When I was a postdoc, my husband and I wanted to buy our first home. Initially, I had a long list of must-haves: a safe neighborhood close to work, hardwood floors, a spacious updated kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace, a deck, a two-car garage and a lush yard for gardening. We determined our budget and began our search.

    For six months, we attended open houses and scoured online listings, refining our expectations along the way. We learned what features were common in our price range and which ones were unrealistic. We adjusted our priorities, and when we finally found the right home, even though it wasn’t exactly what we had first envisioned, we were confident in our decision because of the knowledge we had gained along the way.

    The job search follows a similar process. The more job descriptions you analyze and the more people you talk to, the more attuned you become to industry norms, required skills and job value. This preparation allows you to confidently apply and evaluate offers, just as a seasoned home buyer recognizes a great deal when they see one.

    To best position yourself for success, your job search should start long before you submit applications. Here’s a suggested timeline.

    More Than One Year Out: Laying the Foundation

    • Identify your career interests: Before house hunting, you need a vision for your ideal home. Likewise, before applying for jobs, you need a clear sense of your desired career path. If you’re unsure, conduct informational interviews to learn from professionals in different fields. Ideally, these conversations would be taking place throughout your graduate and postdoctoral training. More about informational interviewing can be found at Live Career. Resources such as MyIDP (for the sciences) and ImaginePhD (for humanities and social sciences) can help you explore career options. Vanderbilt University’s “Beyond the Lab” video and podcast interview series explores a variety of biomedical career paths, and InterSECT Job Simulations offers job simulation exercises to help Ph.D.-level scientists and humanists learn about various career options. Finally, the Propelling Careers podcast is another resource I would recommend that provides valuable insights into career exploration topics and the entire job search process.
    • Build your professional presence: Just as no one starts house hunting without securing their financing and mortgage pre-approval, you shouldn’t enter the job market without your professional documents ready. A strong, polished application package is like a solid financial foundation—it ensures you’re taken seriously and can move quickly when the right opportunity appears.

    Prepare your CV or résumé well in advance, tailoring it to the roles you’re considering. The National Institutes of Health Office of Intramural Training and Education has a great resource for these on their website. For jobs outside of academia, you will need a résumé, and this can take time to do well. Seek feedback from colleagues and career advisers to refine it. An up-to-date and well-crafted résumé also can be extremely valuable when you are conducting informational interviews to share with the professionals you meet; they will understand your background better, can provide feedback and may pass your document along to hiring managers.

    Updating your LinkedIn profile is equally important—it serves as both your online résumé and a networking and research tool. A polished LinkedIn profile increases your visibility and credibility within your target industry.

    One Year Out: Researching the Market

    • Track job postings: A year before you plan to transition, start monitoring job postings, just as you would start researching and looking at houses online and driving through neighborhoods. Save descriptions of roles that interest you and analyze them for common themes. This practice helps refine your job search keywords and informs the skills you should highlight on your résumé.
    • Identify skill gaps: By analyzing job descriptions early, you may discover missing skills that are crucial for your target roles. By recognizing this in advance, you can take online courses, join organizations or gain hands-on experience to strengthen your qualifications before applying.
    • Prepare for additional requirements: Depending on the field, you may be asked to share a writing sample or coding project. If you’ve been preparing throughout the year, you won’t be caught off guard.
    • Experiment with AI assistance: AI tools like ChatGPT can help analyze job descriptions to identify key themes and skills. They can also provide feedback on your résumé and help tailor application materials to specific roles.
    • Be open to exceptional opportunities: Occasionally, a job posting might appear that is a perfect fit—what I call a “Cinderella’s slipper” job. Even if it’s earlier than your planned timeline, consider applying or reaching out to someone in the organization. Expressing interest might open doors for a future opportunity.

    Three to Four Months Out: Start Applying

    • Start submitting applications: At this stage, it’s time to actively apply for jobs while continuing to network. Informational interviews remain valuable, as many jobs are never publicly posted. Take this time to reach back out to the contacts you have made over the past year or so to let them know you are on the market.
    • Tailor your application materials: Customize your résumé and cover letter for each application, incorporating language from the job description to highlight your fit. If the application allows an optional cover letter, always include one—it may be the deciding factor between you and another equally qualified candidate.
    • Leverage networking for hidden opportunities: Identify organizations of interest and connect with employees to learn more. This proactive approach often leads to learning about openings before they’re publicly listed. We’ve all heard stories of people reaching out to homeowners with letters expressing interest in a house—even if it’s not for sale—hoping the owners might consider selling in the future.
    • Secure references: Consider who can provide strong recommendations. Reach out in advance to confirm their willingness to serve as references and keep them updated on your search.
    • Keep a job search log: Maintain a spreadsheet to track applications, including submission dates, job descriptions and tailored résumé and cover letter versions. This record will be invaluable when preparing for interviews and following up with employers.

    Conclusion: Finding Your Dream Job

    Job searching is a complex and important decision-making process, one that also has to remain flexible in light of changing market conditions and unique personal constraints. Just as home buyers don’t purchase the first house they see, job seekers shouldn’t rush into the first opportunity that arises. A strategic job search, like a well-planned home-buying journey, requires research, patience and flexibility. By starting early, refining your criteria, and actively engaging with your field, you’ll be well prepared when the right job—your “dream home” in the professional world—becomes available. With knowledge and preparation, you can confidently apply, interview and accept an offer, knowing you’ve found the right fit for this stage of your career.

    Ashley Brady is assistant dean of biomedical career engagement and strategic partnerships and associate professor of medical education and administration at Vanderbilt University in the School of Medicine’s Biomedical Research, Education and Training Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program. She is also a member of the Graduate Career Consortium—an organization providing a national voice for graduate-level career and professional development leaders.

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  • So now will the government take the chainsaw to HE regulation?

    So now will the government take the chainsaw to HE regulation?

    The Prime Minister recently declared that Britain has ‘too much regulation and too many regulators’ before the shock announcement to abolish the world’s biggest quango, NHS England. Since December, the Government has been fighting a war against red tape, which it believes is hindering economic growth. University Alliance, and I suspect most of the higher education sector, has some sympathy with the PM on this – at least when it comes to higher education regulation. I cannot remember a meeting in the past several years when the burden of regulation was not brought up as a key source of the sector’s woes.

    We need to be clear here that regulating higher education is important. The recent Sunday Times coverage alleging serious fraud in the higher education franchised provision system is testament to that, and it is right that the government and the regulator continue to act robustly. The question, then, is less whether higher education needs regulating at all, but rather whether the right regulators are regulating the right activity in the right way. It should be perfectly possible to have a tough regulator that prevents fraud and acts in the student interest while also reducing duplication in the system and focusing in on the areas of highest risk.

    The sheer volume of external regulatory demand placed upon our sector goes well beyond the well-documented teething problems with our fledgling regulator, the Office for Students (OfS). To outside observer Alex Usher of Canada’s Higher Education Strategy Associates, it appears extreme:

    ‘Canada has no REF, no TEF, no KEF. We have nothing resembling the Office for Students. External quality assurance, where it exists, is so light touch as to be basically invisible. This does not stop us from having four or five universities in the Global top 100, eight in the top 200, and twenty or so in the top 500.’

    The volume of regulatory requirements is even higher for vocationally oriented and professionally accredited provision, which is the lifeblood of Alliance universities. In addition to the OfS, courses which provide access to the so-called ‘regulated professions’  are also overseen by a wide range of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs), each with their own requirements. PSRBs have wide authority over course content, assessment, and quality assurance, with formal reaccreditation required every three to six years on average.

    In some cases, particularly in the sphere of healthcare education, multiple PSRBs can have some degree of authority over a single course. For example, an undergraduate degree course in Occupational Therapy must meet the requirements of the OfS, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). Often, these different processes and requirements overlap and duplicate one another.

    If this seems excessive, it is nothing compared to the requirements imposed upon degree apprenticeships. Not only are they regulated by the OfS and likely PSRBs given their vocational nature, but they are also subject to the fiendishly complex funding assurance review procedure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)  as well as in-person Ofsted inspections at least every 5 to 6 years that can take up to a week. A recent UA report on healthcare apprenticeships found that this means they are more expensive to deliver than traditional degrees.

    The problem of regulatory burden in higher education has been continually flagged by sector bodies and by the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, which called for a Higher Education Data Reduction Taskforce. Despite this, the issue has been mostly ignored by policymakers, bar a few small initiatives. It does not feature in any of the Government’s higher education reform priorities, although the Education Secretary is asking universities to become more efficient and the OfS expects them to take ‘rapid and decisive action’ to avoid going bust.

    With 72% of higher education providers facing potential deficit by 2025/26,  it is a mystery why the higher education sector – an acknowledged engine of economic growth – appears to have been left out in the cold while this unexpected reprise of the bonfire of the quangos is being lit. To our knowledge, neither the PM nor the Chancellor have called on higher education sector regulators to demand a cut in the cost and burden of regulation as they have done for others.

    Universities are rightfully subject to robust regulation, but the current regime is disproportionate, diverting dwindling resources away from teaching, student services and research. In the absence of more funding, cutting the cost and burden of regulation would go a long way. The establishment of Skills England, with its convening power and wide-angle, long-focus lens, should be used meaningfully to cut bureaucracy for degree apprenticeships while maintaining quality. Responsibility for monitoring the quality of degree apprenticeships should be given back to the OfS rather than Ofsted, and the ESFA audit process should be simplified. The OfS should also make a public commitment to cut the cost and burden of its regulation and work more closely with other sector regulators and PSRBs to avoid overlap and duplication.

    At a time when the Chancellor has urged ‘every regulator, no matter what sector’ to enact a ‘cultural shift’ and tear down the regulatory barriers that are holding back growth, cutting the cost of regulation in higher education should be a top priority.

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  • AI-Powered Teaching: Practical Tools for Community College Faculty – Faculty Focus

    AI-Powered Teaching: Practical Tools for Community College Faculty – Faculty Focus

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  • AI-Powered Teaching: Practical Tools for Community College Faculty – Faculty Focus

    AI-Powered Teaching: Practical Tools for Community College Faculty – Faculty Focus

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