William Locke | Institute of Education, University College London (original) (raw)
Papers by William Locke
Open Research Online The Open University's repository of research publications and other res... more Open Research Online The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs Higher Education and Society: A research report Other How to cite: Brennan, John; Arthur, Lore; Little, Brenda; Cochrane, Allan; Williams, Ruth; Locke, William; Singh, Mala; ...
An overview of the recent HEFCE & CHERI report Counting what is measured or measuring what counts... more An overview of the recent HEFCE & CHERI report Counting what is measured or measuring what counts which examines the quality, impact and value of University league tables.
Current higher education policy in England is characterised by some enduring dilemmas and challen... more Current higher education policy in England is characterised by some enduring dilemmas and challenges that the New Labour government has so far largely failed to resolve in its unprecedented three terms in office. How to pay for a mass system that is approaching 50% participation by young people, how to achieve greater equity of access to that system and how to transform higher education to meet new social and economic needs are the principal long-term challenges among others that remain unfinished business. This article examines policymaking on expansion, diversity, funding, research and teaching during this period. It argues that the policymaking process in England, and the trajectory this has taken since 1997, may be as significant as the policies themselves in limiting future options. It identifies four characteristics of the current policymaking process and their implications for the future direction of HE policy in England: increasing centralisation, the co-option of sector ini...
Perspectives: Policy & Practice in Higher Education, 2004
ABSTRACT The estate is a valuable and – in times of expansion – scarce resource to set alongside ... more ABSTRACT The estate is a valuable and – in times of expansion – scarce resource to set alongside an institution’s human resources, intellectual property, financial assets and reputation. As such, it enables an institution to carry out its primary activities, and the way the estate is managed can have a significant impact on whether an HEI achieves its overall business goals. In addressing the issue of estates strategy, this paper considers the impact of estate on university planning and why it has been underestimated, the implications of institutional missions for estates strategies and ways of making estates strategy integral to university planning. A major theme is the significance of an HEI’s estate for its image and reputation, and hence its ability to attract students and staff and to maximise its income from public and private sources. The conclusion sketches a vision of ‘21st century’ university environments and the role of estates strategies in realising these.
A critical review of a recent report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on ‘work... more A critical review of a recent report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on ‘workforce trends’ from the perspectives of the Changing Academic Profession project.
This paper investigates the degree to which a labour market has developed for academic staff in t... more This paper investigates the degree to which a labour market has developed for academic staff in the UK and explores its implications for academic professionals, their careers and work. It analyses the key elements and characteristics of this market, its differential impacts on types of individuals and institutions, and its connections with international academic labour markets.
London Review of Education, 2012
European Journal of Education, 2014
ABSTRACT Rankings and online comparison sites have both facilitated and shaped the marketisation ... more ABSTRACT Rankings and online comparison sites have both facilitated and shaped the marketisation of higher education in England, the UK as a whole and elsewhere. They have facilitated marketisation by introducing greater competition between and within higher education institutions. Ultimately, they accomplish the transformation of qualities into quantities, which is both required by, and a consequence of, the commodification and privatisation of higher education. Rankings have also helped to embed the logic of the market within organisational structures and processes and within the minds and practices of organisational members. In some ways, in a highly regulated UK higher education market, rankings became a substitute for more authentic market mechanisms. However, these processes have intensified with the transfer (in England) of the majority of the cost of study to students and the emergence of more sophisticated websites presenting detailed statistics that enable prospective students to compare courses and institutions on indicators such as modes of student assessment and employment outcomes. This article seeks to understand how different types of university and college are responding to this intensification of rankings logic amidst the further marketisation of higher education in the UK. It employs the concepts of internalisation and institutionalisation to analyse how these responses evolve and vary between institutions at different places in the rankings, but eschews a completely Foucauldian interpretation which, in the author's view, cannot fully explain the responses within institutions (and over time) to ‘data‐driven technologies’.
This literature review forms part of a project funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) prog... more This literature review forms part of a project funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) programme on staff transitions. It focuses on the changing nature of the academic profession in a context where approaches to teaching and learning in higher education (HE) have been significantly affected by mass access and expansion; the impact of technology; and the imperative to ensure graduates acquire a complex set of skills and attributes commensurate with the challenges of global work contexts, during their years of study. In England, this transition has been made more problematic by the introduction in 2012 of a tuition fees regime that has shifted the financial burden from the funding councils onto private entities (students, families, employers) (BIS, 2011). From an economic perspective, institutions are dealing with increasingly fluid funding models (changing and unpredictable); a declining unit of resource; and increased competition in a marketised environment (John and Fanghanel, 2015). In this context, they need to devise imaginative solutions to support and attract students, and to develop and retain a highly effective workforce. At the heart of the transformation of the academic environment, and of the academic profession, reside questions regarding the status of research and teaching in the academy, and the issue of the enduring primacy of research as a more valued academic function (Cashmore et al., 2013; Chalmers, 2011); and more broadly tensions related to contradictory perceptions regarding the characteristics of higher education and attributes of the graduate; the rhetoric about student choice (Brown, R. with Carasso, H., 2013); and questions related to the types of knowledge that should be privileged at university.
In 2004 and 2005, a group of researchers from 22 countries agreed to plan and carry out an intern... more In 2004 and 2005, a group of researchers from 22 countries agreed to plan and carry out an international survey of theChanging Academic Profession(CAP), focusing in part on the theme of academic perceptions of university governance and management. Twelve of the countries represented by these researchers had participated in a similar survey in 1992 (Boyer et al. 1994; Altbach 1996), and thus the CAP study opened up for these countries the prospect of a detailed comparison of some of the 1992 results with more recent findings.
... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica ... more ... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica Kingsley ... JENKINS, A., T. BLACKMAN, R. LINDSAY and R. PATON-SALTZBERG (1998),Teaching And Research: Student Perspectives and Policy Implications, Studies in Higher ...
Higher Education Management and Policy, 2005
Higher Education Management and Policy, 2005
... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica ... more ... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica Kingsley ... JENKINS, A., T. BLACKMAN, R. LINDSAY and R. PATON-SALTZBERG (1998),Teaching And Research: Student Perspectives and Policy Implications, Studies in Higher ...
London Review of Education, 2010
The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds represented an impressive investigation of the ... more The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds represented an impressive investigation of the largest and most complex national academic community in the world, which seriously attempted a detailed representation of the variations in its form. Its ethnographic orientation to understanding the internal academic life through exploratory interviews with individual faculty in different types of institution and a range of disciplines provided subtle and complex insights. The strength of its subsequent influence on scholars in this field, however, may have restricted analysis of broader transformations in higher education and society and the related restructuring of academic work and careers.
Open Research Online The Open University's repository of research publications and other res... more Open Research Online The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs Higher Education and Society: A research report Other How to cite: Brennan, John; Arthur, Lore; Little, Brenda; Cochrane, Allan; Williams, Ruth; Locke, William; Singh, Mala; ...
An overview of the recent HEFCE & CHERI report Counting what is measured or measuring what counts... more An overview of the recent HEFCE & CHERI report Counting what is measured or measuring what counts which examines the quality, impact and value of University league tables.
Current higher education policy in England is characterised by some enduring dilemmas and challen... more Current higher education policy in England is characterised by some enduring dilemmas and challenges that the New Labour government has so far largely failed to resolve in its unprecedented three terms in office. How to pay for a mass system that is approaching 50% participation by young people, how to achieve greater equity of access to that system and how to transform higher education to meet new social and economic needs are the principal long-term challenges among others that remain unfinished business. This article examines policymaking on expansion, diversity, funding, research and teaching during this period. It argues that the policymaking process in England, and the trajectory this has taken since 1997, may be as significant as the policies themselves in limiting future options. It identifies four characteristics of the current policymaking process and their implications for the future direction of HE policy in England: increasing centralisation, the co-option of sector ini...
Perspectives: Policy & Practice in Higher Education, 2004
ABSTRACT The estate is a valuable and – in times of expansion – scarce resource to set alongside ... more ABSTRACT The estate is a valuable and – in times of expansion – scarce resource to set alongside an institution’s human resources, intellectual property, financial assets and reputation. As such, it enables an institution to carry out its primary activities, and the way the estate is managed can have a significant impact on whether an HEI achieves its overall business goals. In addressing the issue of estates strategy, this paper considers the impact of estate on university planning and why it has been underestimated, the implications of institutional missions for estates strategies and ways of making estates strategy integral to university planning. A major theme is the significance of an HEI’s estate for its image and reputation, and hence its ability to attract students and staff and to maximise its income from public and private sources. The conclusion sketches a vision of ‘21st century’ university environments and the role of estates strategies in realising these.
A critical review of a recent report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on ‘work... more A critical review of a recent report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on ‘workforce trends’ from the perspectives of the Changing Academic Profession project.
This paper investigates the degree to which a labour market has developed for academic staff in t... more This paper investigates the degree to which a labour market has developed for academic staff in the UK and explores its implications for academic professionals, their careers and work. It analyses the key elements and characteristics of this market, its differential impacts on types of individuals and institutions, and its connections with international academic labour markets.
London Review of Education, 2012
European Journal of Education, 2014
ABSTRACT Rankings and online comparison sites have both facilitated and shaped the marketisation ... more ABSTRACT Rankings and online comparison sites have both facilitated and shaped the marketisation of higher education in England, the UK as a whole and elsewhere. They have facilitated marketisation by introducing greater competition between and within higher education institutions. Ultimately, they accomplish the transformation of qualities into quantities, which is both required by, and a consequence of, the commodification and privatisation of higher education. Rankings have also helped to embed the logic of the market within organisational structures and processes and within the minds and practices of organisational members. In some ways, in a highly regulated UK higher education market, rankings became a substitute for more authentic market mechanisms. However, these processes have intensified with the transfer (in England) of the majority of the cost of study to students and the emergence of more sophisticated websites presenting detailed statistics that enable prospective students to compare courses and institutions on indicators such as modes of student assessment and employment outcomes. This article seeks to understand how different types of university and college are responding to this intensification of rankings logic amidst the further marketisation of higher education in the UK. It employs the concepts of internalisation and institutionalisation to analyse how these responses evolve and vary between institutions at different places in the rankings, but eschews a completely Foucauldian interpretation which, in the author's view, cannot fully explain the responses within institutions (and over time) to ‘data‐driven technologies’.
This literature review forms part of a project funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) prog... more This literature review forms part of a project funded by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) programme on staff transitions. It focuses on the changing nature of the academic profession in a context where approaches to teaching and learning in higher education (HE) have been significantly affected by mass access and expansion; the impact of technology; and the imperative to ensure graduates acquire a complex set of skills and attributes commensurate with the challenges of global work contexts, during their years of study. In England, this transition has been made more problematic by the introduction in 2012 of a tuition fees regime that has shifted the financial burden from the funding councils onto private entities (students, families, employers) (BIS, 2011). From an economic perspective, institutions are dealing with increasingly fluid funding models (changing and unpredictable); a declining unit of resource; and increased competition in a marketised environment (John and Fanghanel, 2015). In this context, they need to devise imaginative solutions to support and attract students, and to develop and retain a highly effective workforce. At the heart of the transformation of the academic environment, and of the academic profession, reside questions regarding the status of research and teaching in the academy, and the issue of the enduring primacy of research as a more valued academic function (Cashmore et al., 2013; Chalmers, 2011); and more broadly tensions related to contradictory perceptions regarding the characteristics of higher education and attributes of the graduate; the rhetoric about student choice (Brown, R. with Carasso, H., 2013); and questions related to the types of knowledge that should be privileged at university.
In 2004 and 2005, a group of researchers from 22 countries agreed to plan and carry out an intern... more In 2004 and 2005, a group of researchers from 22 countries agreed to plan and carry out an international survey of theChanging Academic Profession(CAP), focusing in part on the theme of academic perceptions of university governance and management. Twelve of the countries represented by these researchers had participated in a similar survey in 1992 (Boyer et al. 1994; Altbach 1996), and thus the CAP study opened up for these countries the prospect of a detailed comparison of some of the 1992 results with more recent findings.
... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica ... more ... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica Kingsley ... JENKINS, A., T. BLACKMAN, R. LINDSAY and R. PATON-SALTZBERG (1998),Teaching And Research: Student Perspectives and Policy Implications, Studies in Higher ...
Higher Education Management and Policy, 2005
Higher Education Management and Policy, 2005
... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica ... more ... HENKEL, M.(2000), Academic Identities and Policy Change in Higher Education, London, Jessica Kingsley ... JENKINS, A., T. BLACKMAN, R. LINDSAY and R. PATON-SALTZBERG (1998),Teaching And Research: Student Perspectives and Policy Implications, Studies in Higher ...
London Review of Education, 2010
The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds represented an impressive investigation of the ... more The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds represented an impressive investigation of the largest and most complex national academic community in the world, which seriously attempted a detailed representation of the variations in its form. Its ethnographic orientation to understanding the internal academic life through exploratory interviews with individual faculty in different types of institution and a range of disciplines provided subtle and complex insights. The strength of its subsequent influence on scholars in this field, however, may have restricted analysis of broader transformations in higher education and society and the related restructuring of academic work and careers.