The research environment of universities |
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| Authors: | Javier Vidal Miguel Quintanilla |
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| Institution: | 1. Director of the Quality Institutional Programme , University of Leon , Edificio Biblioteca Unfversitaria, Leon, E‐24071, Spain Phone: +34 987 291052 Fax: +34 987 291052 E-mail: dfcjvg@unilcon.es;2. Professor of Philosophy of Science and Director of the Quality Institutional Programme , University of Salamanca , Edificio FES, Campus Unamuno, Salamanca, E:37006, Spain Phone: +34 987 294638 Fax: +34 987 294638 E-mail: maquinta@gugu.usal.es |
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| Abstract: | Part‐time study is one of the foci of the widening participation agenda in the UK. The experiences of part‐time students, however, have received remarkably little attention from scholars, especially in a comparative context. This paper explores existing historical data going back over a decade to identify the main themes of part‐time experience at a number of UK higher education institutions and how it compares and contrasts with the full‐time experience. The surveys use the Student Satisfaction Approach. The main themes emerging from institutional survey data over time are the work/family/study balance, assessment and feedback, access to learning and catering resources, and students' financial situation. There is sometimes a question of identity, but unlike many studies of part‐time student experience, which focus on aspects of disadvantage, social, and cultural capital, the data for this paper indicate that many part‐time students have a sense of themselves as being ignored or at worst marginalised in contemporary higher education. |
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