You will be required to prepare a set of bullet points and accompanying notes on one or a combination of the contemporary issues studied on the course, as if you were going to give a presentation. (However you will not be required to give a presentation of the slides). The total wordage of the slides and accompanying notes should be up to 1800.

You will be expected to:

- Explain the importance of this topic to your university
- Identify the actual or potential implications for your area of work
- Suggest workable strategies to facilitate progress with this issue in your area of work.
- Reflect upon your current or potential future role in relation to this issue

Due to the ever changing nature of the Higher Education working environment, the content of this module is likely to be equally dynamic.
This module introduces you to a selection of institutional and externally driven factors which affect the priorities of universities. You are exposed to a variety of contemporary organisational and/or legislative issues and are asked to consider the effect of these on not only your own professional practice, but also the team within which you work.

A variety of learning and teaching methods will be used such as presentations by specialist practitioners, group discussions, case studies and task centred investigations. There will be a strong emphasis on activity-focused learning and you will be expected to actively engage in all sessions.

In addition you will be required to engage in independent study in order to consolidate and build upon your learning from the taught sessions. This will take the form of undertaking follow-up tasks, work based self-assessments, and, where appropriate, reading relevant literature.

The method of delivery will be appropriate for the needs of each cohort. Possible delivery patterns may include 10 weekly 2 hour workshops, or 3 day long sessions. Opportunities for additional assignment workshops will normally be available on request.

University library for a range of relevant texts and journals
Internet access enabling access to relevant websites and Blackboard

All participants must currently be working in a Higher Educational establishment

The rationale for a website-based reading list is that this course focuses on contemporary, and therefore continuously changing, issues in HE. Recent research reports, media reports and HE agency websites will inform participants' thinking. We also hope that participants will continue to engage with these sites and identify relevant information in future, beyond the module.

Agency / professional body websites

HE Academy:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk

HEFCE:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk

Quality Assurance Agency:
http://www.qaa.ac.uk

Department for Education and Skills - HE Gateway
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/hegateway/

National Disability Team
http://www.natdisteam.ac.uk/
This site has information and resources on supporting disabled students in HE.

Action on Access
http://www.actiononaccess.org

Media websites

Education Guardian - Higher Education section at:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/

BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk


Extensive use will be made of articles in the Guardian and Times Higher Education Supplement newspapers.

Books:
Bell, L., Stevenson, H. and Neary, M (2009) The Future of Higher Education, London: Continuum Publishing Group.