The aims of higher education policies and our practices

Read the following extract from the Foreword to the 2011 White Paper on Higher Education in England ‘Putting Students at the Heart of the System’ and then consider the questions that follow:

Our university sector has a proud history and a world-class reputation, attracting students from across the world. Higher education is a successful public–private partnership: Government funding and institutional autonomy. This White Paper builds on that record, while doing more than ever to put students in the driving seat. We want to see more investment, greater diversity and less centralised control. But, in return, we want the sector to become more accountable to students, as well as to the taxpayer.

What view of the purposes of higher education is presented in this extract?

How does this view of higher education relate to your sense of the purposes of higher education?

How does this relate to the ten principles that we have discussed in this chapter?

How does your view of the purposes of higher education inform your approach teaching in higher education?

Are there ways that you could develop your practices to reflect your values more strongly?

What constraints and support is there in your institution for you to do this?