Andrew Hannan

Innovating in higher education: contexts for change in learning technology

This paper draws on three research projects (undertaken in 1997-99, 2002 and 2004-05) that have examined innovation in learning and teaching methods in UK higher education. The first two of these focused on such matters as departmental and institutional cultures and the factors that have either enabled or inhibited change. The third has begun to monitor the impact of the process of establishing Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The prospects for introducing innovations in teaching and learning in higher education are considered in relation to these wider contexts in terms of policies, structures and cultures.

Why innovate? Some preliminary findings from a research project on ‘innovations in teaching and learning in higher education˚s

ABSTRACT This article presents information gathered from the first phase of a research project involving interviews with 221 staff at 15 UK universities during 1997–98, which focused on the experiences of those who have introduced innovations in teaching and learning in higher education. In particular it examines the reasons why some staff become involved in innovation and begins an analysis of the institutional contexts within which innovation takes place. It suggests that the reasons which motivated these largely individual innovators may not be sufficient to involve other staff in the process of change, given shifts in the nature of innovation (from ‘individual˚s to ‘guided˚s to ‘directed˚s), the risks involved and the lack of incentives.

Mobile telephone ownership and usage among 10- and 11-year-olds: Participation and exclusion

Abstract This study investigated cellular mobile phone ownership among a sample of primary school pupils (N = 351). Results showed nearly half of both girls and boys owned mobiles. While only 19% had self-funded the mobile purchase, almost 50% had paid for their own top-up cards. 45% spent between £5 and £10 monthly on call charges. The favourite call destinations were parents. 38% reported they had used their mobile when confronted by a crisis.The large majority both sent and received text messages, and about 1 in 5 were able to send texts via the Internet and/or search the net. 11% admitted to receiving either a rude message (4%) or a threat (7%). Furthermore, 17% had been sent a frightening message, and 14% admitted to sending one. To conclude, concerns are raised that non-ownership of mobile phones may lead to social exclusion as well as limit pupils’ involvement with and proficiency in using other communication technologies.

Responses to a policy initiative: the case of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

This article considers the impact of a major government initiative to reward and promote excellence in teaching and learning in higher education. The proposal to create Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in England’s universities and colleges of higher education was first announced in 2003. A two‐stage bidding process took place over most of 2004 and the chosen centres were established from April 2005. The article reports the findings from interviews with 24 staff involved in a total of 25 bids from 14 institutions (including one further education college taking part in a collaborative bid). It shows how members of staff from different types of institution came to understand the initiative, how they responded to its requirements, how the bidding process itself shaped the proposals, and the individual and institutional effects of both failure and success in the bidding rounds.

Opportunity knocks? The impact of bursary schemes on students from low‐income backgrounds

In England, the government target that 50% of young people should gain experience of higher education has prompted many initiatives to widen participation. National policies, however, are often implemented at institutional or local level. As a result, the impact upon the individual participants can vary according to the context in which the measures are enacted. The Opportunity Bursary scheme was first introduced in 2001, and institutions were allowed considerable discretion over the allocation of these awards. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, this article reports differences in the ways in which two institutions administered their bursary schemes, and the effects on the students. At both institutions, bursary students were more likely to continue with their studies one year after entry than students from low‐income backgrounds who were not in receipt of financial assistance. The interview data suggests that bursary students are well motivated and determined to succeed, but it is unclear whether this is due to the additional financial support or to the process of conscious choice through which they have entered higher education.

On being an external examiner

This article presents some of the findings from an interview survey of external examiners of undergraduate courses in the UK carried out in 2004. It examines the reasons why academics are willing to take on and continue with this work, despite the other demands on their time and higher institutional priorities such as their own teaching and research. It finds that external examiners often receive little or no support from their own institution for such activity. It concludes that they value the role for reasons of reciprocity and information or intelligence gathering, that they are resistant to attempts to make it more formal in function, and that they generally oppose attempts to impose a national system of training.

The impact of education research on teaching: the perceptions of Greek primary school teachers

This paper reports a small‐scale study of the perceptions of primary school teachers in Greece regarding the impact of research evidence on their profession and their own practice. A qualitative approach is adopted. It analyses teachers’ accounts of their reading habits, their experience of research and their professional practice, and attempts to find links between them. Teachers’ personal characteristics, such as their age, studies, experience and satisfaction with their profession, are also taken into account in an effort to find out whether they affect teachers’ perceptions of the impact that research evidence has on their practice. The paper suggests that teachers’ studies and experience may be important factors in determining the way they view the contribution of research evidence to practice. Although the small sample of Greek teachers who were interviewed seem to be interested in reading research reports, their own practice does not make extensive use of research findings. It is suggested that to increase the impact of research on the teaching profession it would be necessary to involve teachers in research more actively.

Leisure activities of middle‐school pupils of St Helena before and after the introduction of television

Abstract This paper presents findings from a survey of the leisure activities of the middle‐school pupils of St Helena (an island of 5644 inhabitants, isolated in the mid‐South Atlantic) before and after the introduction of broadcast television. Previous studies had shown that these children exhibited very low levels of in‐school ‘problem’ behaviour. It was considered that a variety of factors might account for this, amongst which the absence of television on the island was thought likely to be significant. A diary survey was undertaken in 1994, before television was introduced, in 1995, when there was limited reception, and in 1997 when full satellite coverage was available. The children of St Helena seem to have taken to watching television enthusiastically, but not for the great majority to the extent where their lives have become dominated by it, even in the early days after its inception when interest might be expected to be at its height. They continue to engage in a wide range of out‐of‐home and in...