Elizabeth F. Caldwell

Quackademia? Mass-Media Delegitimation of Homeopathy Education

In response to concerns about the standards of training for non-medically qualified homeopathic practitioners, between 1999 and 2009 a number of UK universities taught Bachelor of Science (BSc) degrees in homeopathy. All the courses were subsequently closed following media coverage of a vigorous campaign from scientists against the degree courses. A boundary-work analysis of 65 articles published in the UK print media reveals the use of metaphors from a number of different fields as rhetorical strategies to malign homeopathy education. As well as the commonly used contrasts of profit versus academic integrity, rationality versus faith and logic versus magic, media reports associated homeopathy with new universities and Mickey Mouse degrees, both of which had been denigrated in the press previously. In the press coverage, much attention was also drawn to the fact that the method of repeatedly diluting homeopathic medicines defies both logic and common sense, and the plausibility argument became a decisive blow in the debate over the legitimacy of teaching homeopathy as a science degree. It seems that the boundary work sought to protect the authority of both science and medicine by expelling homeopathy from higher education. These findings contrast with previous studies that suggest that orthodox medicine has occasionally expanded to incorporate desirable aspects of complementary and alternative therapies. Scientists carry out boundary work not just to demarcate the boundaries of science and directly defend their own interests, but also to protect the authority of other allied professions.

Student perceptions of barriers to networking with employers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the usefulness of the concept of the “implied graduate” to explain the difficulties which students report when engaging with local employers. Design/methodology/approach – The “implied graduate” is an analytical concept that aims to bring together assumptions about what a graduate should be like. In this paper the concept has been used to analyse interview data collected from students after they took part in an employability project at a small Higher Education (HE) campus in a Further Education (FE) College. Findings – The students in this study reported significant issues with continuing to engage and maintain contact with the employers they met during the project. For many, this was the first time they had met graduate level employers and so felt inexperienced in how to approach networking with them. It seems that some of the offers for future contact made by the employers were aimed at an “implied graduate” and, as such, the students struggled to fulfil...

International Education in the United Kingdom: The Challenges of the Golden Opportunity for Black-African Students

For the last 40 years, the number of international students aspiring to obtain a qualification in U.K. universities has been exponentially growing. However, such growth has been contested. What seemed to be a “golden” opportunity for Black-African students to pursue their education in the United Kingdom is met with challenges that impact the whole process of adjustment. This article examines these challenges using a qualitative empirical study of Black-African postgraduate students, carried out in three U.K. universities. The methods utilized were observations, focus groups, one-to-one interviews, and a case study to help identify and analyze the issues. The participants reported significant financial pressures and difficulties in understanding and integrating into the culture of U.K. universities. In some cases, these challenges left the students feeling disillusioned and cynical about the value of an international education. Universities must endeavor to tailor their recruitment, orientation, and support programs to the needs of Black-African international students or face damaging their reputations as world-class education providers.

The Employers’ Reach: Mentoring Undergraduate Students to Enhance Employability

The increased need for supporting students who lack relevant employability skills has resulted in higher education institutions organizing mentoring schemes that will prepare students for future career opportunities. These schemes aim to address the often cited mismatch between what the higher education (HE) sector is offering and the employers’ expectations of future graduates. In addition, such schemes can also go some way to addressing the differential outcomes in graduate employability experienced by students from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds (Mountford-Zimdars, A., Sanders, J., Moore, J., Sabri, D., Jones, S., & Higham, L. (2016). What can universities do to support all their students to progress successfully throughout their time at university? Perspectives, policy and practice in higher education, pp. 1–10). A number of authors have linked concepts of social and cultural capital to the benefits mentoring schemes can bring to individuals’ employability. For example, mentoring relationships can help individuals develop a professional identity and networks.

Social Enterprise and Higher Education in a Globalized World

Social enterprise has become a global phenomenon, changing the lives of millions of people and addressing social issues that have previously been outside of the reach of governments or the private sector. Many higher education institutions have engaged with social enterprise in a variety of ways, including providing facilities to external social enterprises, supporting and advising student and faculty social enterprises, providing placements and internships for students in social enterprise organizations and embedding social enterprise directly into the curriculum. This chapter reviews the current relationship between higher education and the social enterprise phenomenon. While there is a growing body of research on the concept of social enterprise itself, there is a paucity of research on the pedagogical aspects of teaching and embedding social enterprise into the curriculum. From related literatures on curriculum design, it is clear that a flexible, holistic approach is needed to embed experiential learning about social enterprise to produce learning environments that foster high levels of student engagement and enhanced employability.

An Exploration of Experiential Education as a Catalyst for Future Entrepreneurs

Preparing students as potential future entrepreneurs has attracted great interest from both private and public sectors. In view of this, concerted efforts have integrated entrepreneurship into the curriculum. There are still deficiencies and gaps in teaching and preparing future entrepreneurs. This research considers experiential enterprise education, for undergraduate students at a post-1992 university in the North of England. Guest speakers and mentors were selected for expertise in the business world and intellectual and practical foundations of entrepreneurship and small business development. Students were given the opportunity of a real business experience, including planning, funding, developing services, marketing, and trading. Undergraduate students declare a range of expectations, beliefs, and prior experience concerning the world of business. Management of expectations is key to delivering a useful entrepreneurial experience.

The Missing Link in the Chain: Perspectives From the Grassroots Charity Sector on Supporting Well-Being in Older Migrants

As the migrant workers of the 1960s and 1970s age in place, many countries are facing caring for increasing numbers of older migrants, many of whom have complex health and social care needs. By applying a qualitative case study approach, of a grassroots disability resource center that works with older migrants, this article critically explores the social policy debates that are focused on older migrants in the Black and Minority Ethnic community. A number of themes have emerged, including the impact of changing family structure, difficulties with accessing services, and increased isolation. In addition, there are also examples of older migrants activtly engaged in building communities and supporting others, defying the stereotypes of vulnerable older migrants being a burden on the state. This article argues for politicians and social policy makers to refocus on the new challenges that are emerging in the older migrants of the Black and Minority Ethnic community.