Welfare reform on the Web (February 2007): Education - UK - higher
Embedding new entrepreneurship programmes in UK higher education programmes: challenges and considerations
A.J. Smith, L.A. Collins and P.D. Hannon
Education + Training, vol.48, 2006, p.555-567
The Discovering Entrepreneurship (DE) programme takes a tripartite approach to teaching entrepreneurial behaviours by involving undergraduates, entrepreneurs and academics in collaborative learning. This article begins by explaining the concept of DE and the assumptions underlying its creation. It then describes how the programme ran and the action research approach taken. The evaluation process and the immediate and medium term impact on all participants are outlined in detail. In conclusion, the challenges of embedding such an approach in entrepreneurship education programmes in UK higher education institutions are presented.
Graduate entrepreneurship education in the United Kingdom
J. McKeown and others
Education + Training, vol.48, 2006, p.597-613
This research was conducted to explore two aspects of enterprise education. One was to identify current education offered to support enterprise in the UK. This showed that the provision of enterprise education is varied, with both entrepreneurship and innovation courses available; and that it is most often offered at postgraduate level, on a part-time basis. The other aim was to explore how such programmes were offered, in terms of method and content. Overall, delivery methods proved to be more traditional than anticipated, with few instances of action learning or the use of technology to support learning.
“Managing” disability: early experiences of university students with disabilities
J. Goode
Disability and Society, vol.22, 2007, p.35-48
Recent UK legislation, in force from December 2006, places a duty on all public authorities, including higher education institutions, to actively promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. This paper presents the results of a small-scale study of 20 disabled students’ experiences of learning and teaching at a university with a number of initiatives in place to develop good practice in the area. It explores students’ experiences with regard to disclosure of their disability, asserting their rights, and their transition into higher education.
The national funding of doctoral training: warnings from the English experience
S. Powell and H. Green
Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, vol.28, 2006, p.263-275
This paper uses the case of England to show the adverse effects of linking funding for postgraduate research to a series of national research assessment exercises. It highlights the negative impacts that can occur when a system of assessment that purports to measure one thing (the quality of research activity) is used as a device by which to allocate funds for future doctoral training programmes. It suggests that the operation of the model will seriously disadvantage certain parts of the English higher education sector, as well as particular disciplines and professions.
Researching entrepreneurship and education. Part 2. What is entrepreneurship education and does it matter?
H. Matlay
Education + Training, vol.48, 2006, p.704-718
There is growing consensus among policy makers and other important stakeholders that entrepreneurship education can increase both the quality and quantity of graduate entrepreneurs entering the UK economy. Consecutive UK governments have made concerted efforts to support the development of university graduates and increase the supply of well educated entrepreneurs. Ongoing research on graduate entrepreneurship in the UK is encouraging, even though a sizeable proportion of students persist in their choice of traditional careers in large organisations. However, an analysis of the specialist literature on graduate entrepreneurship has highlighted a number of definitional, conceptual and contextual difficulties that cast doubt upon the validity, comparability and generalisability of results.