Flexible study can make UK universities more accessible

FE News 16 November 2018

Three academics from the University of Bristol have come up with a series of recommendations which, they say, would make United Kingdom universities more accessible and responsive to a changing economy, reports FE News.

The options include more opportunities to study part-time over a longer period, initial study being free for all, and replacement of the fees and loans system with an all-age graduate tax. The proposals come at a time when many aspects of higher education, including tuition fees, are under renewed scrutiny by the prime minister’s review of post-18 education, headed by Philip Augar, and with the Office for National Statistics reviewing the way the government accounts for student loans in its accounts.

The research by professors Tom Sperlinger (department of English), Josie McLellan (department of history) and Richard Pettigrew (department of philosophy), is based on their own experiences of teaching at Bristol, including the introduction of courses that recruit students without qualifications and allow more flexible study. It is presented in a new book, Who Are Universities For? Remaking Higher Education, which is published by Bristol University Press and was officially launched last week.
Full report on the FE News site

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