This paper is about HE in FE (higher education in further education) in England. The content reflects on the nature of this form of higher education by presenting research findings from a qualitative inductive research study. The policy-makers ideally wish to see higher education leading to vocational expertise and employability. The research has…

Our work concerned the socio-cultural practices of tutors from diverse higher education institutes. The tutors were practising lecturers who had contributed to peer assessment studies published in refereed academic journals. Analysis of interview data considered the relational interdependency of tutors' and students' activity in the socially and…

This article applies social network analysis (SNA) as a methodological tool to investigate University-Industry (U-I) dynamism within the context of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. It examines the roles multiple stakeholders should play in enhancing an up-to-date curriculum in higher education institutions (HEIs). Based on stakeholder theory,…

Feedback is critically important to student learning, but the reduced frequency of assignments combined with isolated or stand-alone tasks reduces the opportunity for students to engage with feedback and use it effectively to enhance their learning. Here, I evaluate student attainment during a module consisting of eight iterated tasks where the…

This article outlines the trial of a programme to enhance tutorial learning experiences by raising sessional-tutor awareness about learning, and reflects on its results. The author developed the programme for an introductory undergraduate unit in finance with historically very large enrolments, diverse student populations, and high failure rates.…

This study examines whether tutors (N?=?15) in a problem-based learning curriculum were able to predict students' success in their first year and their entire bachelor programme. Tutors were asked to rate each student in their tutorial group in terms of the chance that this student would successfully finish their first year and the entire…

Despite numerous supports for undergraduates, low success rate has been a growing concern in the South African university system. Guided by Moore's [1993. "Theory of Transactional Distance." In "Theoretical Principles of Distance Education," edited by Keegan, 22-38. London: Routledge.] transactional distance theory, this…

This article explores concepts of student support in higher education. It draws on findings from a research project that considered what students understood by "support" and what for them was, or had been, more or less helpful. The project drew on the perspectives of five cohorts of undergraduate and postgraduate students, based in three…

The article surfaces, examines and draws conclusions on the varying perceptions, expectations and operationalised "realities" of tutor and student behaviour in relation to reading lists. The argument identifies a paucity of literature on reading lists, but, nevertheless, locates a number of potential literature sources with which to…

Previous research on students' learning strategies has examined the relationships between either perceptions of the learning environment or personality and learning strategies. The focus of this study was on the joint relationships between the students' perceptions of the learning environment, their personality, and the learning strategies they…

Experiences of small group tutorials in biology courses with the leader acting as participant rather than leader are summarized showing that the material used must stimulate discussion and be at the correct level for the group. Other significant factors include skills of the tutor, physical surroundings, and student preparation. (JMF)

This paper argues that a number of recent developments and initiatives within higher education offer much encouragement to the establishment of peer tutoring systems within colleges. Findings are reviewed of England's Nottingham Polytechnic's exploration of peer tutoring over the past five years, and a critique is offered. (GLR)

A peer tutoring system in which students from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University, tutored Electrical Engineering students from the Pimlico Comprehensive School is described including the evaluations of the programs by the participants. (JMF)