Paul Ashwin – författare

Making sense of the many changes that have taken place in learning and teaching in higher education in recent years, Changing Higher Education also offers insights into how higher education might develop in the future.Using the work of Lewis Elton as a starting point, leading researchers and practitioners in the field examine and reflect on different aspects of the changing nature of higher eduction. These experts:* outline changes in higher education and ways of thinking about teaching and learning over the last thirty years. * analyse the development of students’ learning * examine the development of learning technologies in higher education * consider the development of the accreditation and scholarship of teaching in higher education * develop a framework through which to understand and question the future development of learning and teaching in higher education. Aimed at staff and educational developers, and those studying postgraduate qualifications in learning and teaching in higher education, this is an insightful framework through which to understand and question on-going developments in higher education.

Making sense of the many changes that have taken place in learning and teaching in higher education in recent years, Changing Higher Education also offers insights into how higher education might develop in the future.Using the work of Lewis Elton as a starting point, leading researchers and practitioners in the field examine and reflect on different aspects of the changing nature of higher eduction. These experts:* outline changes in higher education and ways of thinking about teaching and learning over the last thirty years. * analyse the development of students’ learning * examine the development of learning technologies in higher education * consider the development of the accreditation and scholarship of teaching in higher education * develop a framework through which to understand and question the future development of learning and teaching in higher education. Aimed at staff and educational developers, and those studying postgraduate qualifications in learning and teaching in higher education, this is an insightful framework through which to understand and question on-going developments in higher education.

Whilst current research into teaching and learning offers many insights into the experiences of academics and students in higher education, it has two significant shortcomings. It does not highlight the dynamic ways in which students and academics impact on each other in teaching-learning interactions or the ways in which these interactions are shaped by wider social processes. This book offers critical insight into existing perspectives on researching teaching and learning in higher education and argues that alternative perspectives are required in order to account for structure and agency in teaching-learning interactions in higher education. In considering four alternative perspectives, it examines the ways in which teaching-learning interactions are shaped by teaching-learning environments, student and academic identities, disciplinary knowledge practices and institutional cultures. It concludes by examining the conceptual and methodological implications of these analyses of teaching-learning interactions and provides the reader with an invaluable guide to alternative ways of conceptualising and researching teaching and learning in higher education.

This book presents a framework for a new kind of thinking about student mobilities and belonging, which foregrounds the everyday and rhythmic dimensions of students’ experiences. Using case studies from a variety of UK higher education contexts, this book develops the concepts of everyday mobilities and mobile belongingness. The authors draw on key ideas about the changing characteristics of UK higher education and of student belonging, exploring the central themes of the sensory, affective and emotional aspects of student mobilities; contested and mobile belongings; and the significance of everyday life, to bring a new dimension to the literature on inter and intra-national student mobilities. This is achieved through an examination of the innovative ways in which social science methods have been (re)imagined through mobility, with a specific focus on youth and education. Kirsty Finn and Mark Holton bring together theory and research from the fields of education studies, geography and sociology, and combine this with a discussion of rich empirical data from three UK-based research projects to set out an explicitly mobility-centred approach to 21st-century student experiences. The findings can be recognised globally because they synthesise debates about travel and transport, students’ sense of place and feelings of belonging, and the interrelationship between physical, social and virtual mobilities that higher education brings together. In doing so, this text offers a coherent and grounded campaign for theory and research within studies of higher education that foreground multiple mobilities and diverse feelings of belonging.

Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is the definitive textbook for those wanting to excel at teaching in the sector. Informed by the latest research in this area, the book offers extensive support for those at the start of an academic career and career-long professionalism for those teaching in higher education. Written by an international collaborative author team of experts led by Paul Ashwin, Reflective Teaching in Higher Education offers two levels of support: - practical guidance for day-to-day teaching, covering key issues such as strategies for improving learning, teaching and assessment, curriculum design, relationships, communication, and inclusion - evidence-informed 'principle's to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices, offering ways to develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning in higher education In addition to new case studies from a wider variety of countries than ever before, this new edition includes discussion of:- What is meant by 'agency'- Gender, ethnicity, disability and university teaching- Digital learning spaces and social media- Teaching career development for academics- Decolonising the curriculum- Assessment and feedback practices- Teaching excellence and 'learning gain'- 2015 UN General Assembly 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentreflectiveteaching.co.uk provides a treasure trove of additional support. It includes supplementary sector specific material to support for considering questions around society’s educational aims, and much more besides.

This book focuses on the relations between social justice and higher education research. Jan McArthur and Paul Ashwin bring together chapters from international researchers that explore these relations in a range of national contexts and consider their implications for policies, pedagogy and our understanding of the roles of graduates in societies. As a whole, the book argues that social justice needs to be more than a topic of higher education research and must also be part of the way that research is undertaken. Social justice must be located in research practices as well as in the issues that are researched.

Please note, the book was previously published in hardback with the title Quality in Undergraduate Education (ISBN 9781474214490).Globally, the appetite for higher education is great, but what do students and societies gain? This book foregrounds the importance of knowledge acquisition at university. Many argue that university education is no longer a public good due to the costs incurred by students who are then motivated by the promise of lucrative employment rather than by studying a discipline for its own sake. McLean, Abbas and Ashwin, however, reveal a more complex picture and offer a way of thinking about good quality university education for all. Drawing on a study which focused on four sociology-related social science UK university departments of different reputation, the book shows that students value sociological knowledge because it gives them a framework to think about and act on understanding how individuals and society interact. Further, the authors discuss how what was learned from the study about how policy, curriculum and pedagogy might preserve and strengthen the personal and social gains of social science undergraduate education.

What does ‘local’ mean when it describes a student or an institution of higher education? Holly Henderson explores this question by telling the story of students studying undergraduate degrees outside of the university, at colleges that offer degree courses but do not have university status. Because the students live at home while studying, and because the institutions themselves are seen to cater for a local rather than global student population, these are local students, studying local higher education. Importantly, the students are also studying in localities without a history of higher education provision, where the possibility of living in this place and studying for a degree is relatively new.The book takes an in-depth approach to exploring how relationships to these places affect educational experience, how decisions are made about whether to leave or to stay for degree study, and what it means to be an undergraduate student who does not attend a university. As well as working against the easy assumptions to be made about the lives and characteristics of a surprisingly diverse and complex group of students, the book offers insights into the ways that place and space are crucial and often overlooked factors for anyone thinking about systemic and structural inequality in higher education.

What is a university degree for? What can it offer to students? Is it only about getting a job? How can we measure the quality of an undergraduate degree?Paul Ashwin shows how, around the world, economic arguments have come to dominate our thinking about the purpose and nature of university education. He argues that we have lost a sense of the educational purposes of an undergraduate degree and the ways in which going to university can transform students’ lives.Ashwin challenges a series of myths related to the purposes, educational processes, and quality of an undergraduate education. He argues that these myths have fuelled the current misunderstanding of the educational aspects of higher education and explores what is needed to reinvigorate our understanding of a university education. Throughout, Ashwin draws on his deep engagement with international research to offer an accessible and thought-provoking analysis of the nature of university education.

What is a university degree for? What can it offer to students? Is it only about getting a job? How can we measure the quality of an undergraduate degree?Paul Ashwin shows how, around the world, economic arguments have come to dominate our thinking about the purpose and nature of university education. He argues that we have lost a sense of the educational purposes of an undergraduate degree and the ways in which going to university can transform students’ lives.Ashwin challenges a series of myths related to the purposes, educational processes, and quality of an undergraduate education. He argues that these myths have fuelled the current misunderstanding of the educational aspects of higher education and explores what is needed to reinvigorate our understanding of a university education. Throughout, Ashwin draws on his deep engagement with international research to offer an accessible and thought-provoking analysis of the nature of university education.

This book presents a framework for a new kind of thinking about student mobilities and belonging, which foregrounds the everyday and rhythmic dimensions of students’ experiences. Using case studies from a variety of UK higher education contexts, this book develops the concepts of everyday mobilities and mobile belongingness. The authors draw on key ideas about the changing characteristics of UK higher education and of student belonging, exploring the central themes of the sensory, affective and emotional aspects of student mobilities; contested and mobile belongings; and the significance of everyday life, to bring a new dimension to the literature on inter and intra-national student mobilities. This is achieved through an examination of the innovative ways in which social science methods have been (re)imagined through mobility, with a specific focus on youth and education. Kirsty Finn and Mark Holton bring together theory and research from the fields of education studies, geography and sociology, and combine this with a discussion of rich empirical data from three UK-based research projects to set out an explicitly mobility-centred approach to 21st-century student experiences. The findings can be recognised globally because they synthesise debates about travel and transport, students’ sense of place and feelings of belonging, and the interrelationship between physical, social and virtual mobilities that higher education brings together. In doing so, this text offers a coherent and grounded campaign for theory and research within studies of higher education that foreground multiple mobilities and diverse feelings of belonging.

This book focuses on the relations between social justice and higher education research. Jan McArthur and Paul Ashwin bring together chapters from international researchers that explore these relations in a range of national contexts and consider their implications for policies, pedagogy and our understanding of the roles of graduates in societies. As a whole, the book argues that social justice needs to be more than a topic of higher education research and must also be part of the way that research is undertaken. Social justice must be located in research practices as well as in the issues that are researched.

What does ‘local’ mean when it describes a student or an institution of higher education? Holly Henderson explores this question by telling the story of students studying undergraduate degrees outside of the university, at colleges that offer degree courses but do not have university status. Because the students live at home while studying, and because the institutions themselves are seen to cater for a local rather than global student population, these are local students, studying local higher education. Importantly, the students are also studying in localities without a history of higher education provision, where the possibility of living in this place and studying for a degree is relatively new.The book takes an in-depth approach to exploring how relationships to these places affect educational experience, how decisions are made about whether to leave or to stay for degree study, and what it means to be an undergraduate student who does not attend a university. As well as working against the easy assumptions to be made about the lives and characteristics of a surprisingly diverse and complex group of students, the book offers insights into the ways that place and space are crucial and often overlooked factors for anyone thinking about systemic and structural inequality in higher education.

Higher education is seen to be a means to “the” good life and is a dominant way societies distribute hope for social mobility. But does higher education deliver on its promise? This book attends to the hopes, experiences, and trajectories of working-class students and graduates from Western Sydney – an area that is imagined, from the outside, to be a place of lack and stagnation, the “other” Sydney. This book challenges the myth that participation in higher education necessarily leads to upward social mobility and traces how the rewards of higher education are unevenly distributed.It considers how visions of a good life are class differentiated and makes an argument for the significance of place when examining experiences of higher education. Rather than focus on university as a means to becoming middle class, Class, Place, and Higher Education examines how university becomes a means to “a” good life, not “the” good life, a good life that is embedded in place, in working-class places like Western Sydney, and one that becomes more complex and ambivalent through the process of going to university.Through an attention to the existential and social dimensions of mobility, Alexandra Coleman develops the term “homely mobility” to describe the pull of people and place, and small-scale degrees of mobility in place – to a better street, the suburb next door, the university down the road. Structural inequalities are an embodied dimension of social being and action, and through the lens of homely mobility, this book affords insights into broader processes of social reproduction and transformation.

Higher education is seen to be a means to “the” good life and is a dominant way societies distribute hope for social mobility. But does higher education deliver on its promise? This book attends to the hopes, experiences, and trajectories of working-class students and graduates from Western Sydney – an area that is imagined, from the outside, to be a place of lack and stagnation, the “other” Sydney. This book challenges the myth that participation in higher education necessarily leads to upward social mobility and traces how the rewards of higher education are unevenly distributed.It considers how visions of a good life are class differentiated and makes an argument for the significance of place when examining experiences of higher education. Rather than focus on university as a means to becoming middle class, Class, Place, and Higher Education examines how university becomes a means to “a” good life, not “the” good life, a good life that is embedded in place, in working-class places like Western Sydney, and one that becomes more complex and ambivalent through the process of going to university.Through an attention to the existential and social dimensions of mobility, Alexandra Coleman develops the term “homely mobility” to describe the pull of people and place, and small-scale degrees of mobility in place – to a better street, the suburb next door, the university down the road. Structural inequalities are an embodied dimension of social being and action, and through the lens of homely mobility, this book affords insights into broader processes of social reproduction and transformation.

This book examines the experiences of students with learning disabilities in South African higher education, exploring the different factors that shape students’ university engagements.Students’ experiences, gathered through semi-structured interviews, are analysed within the Capability Approach to assess the way social arrangements influence students with learning disabilities’ academic engagements. The book then discusses the ways universities can foster opportunities that contribute to students’ multi-dimensional achievements for their academic and general wellbeing. The book exposes inequalities in higher education that impact students with learning disabilities who often operate in inflexible educational systems, practices and standardised learning outcomes that do not take into account the unique ways by which students with learning disabilities process information. The book sheds light on the educational trajectories and conditions which students with learning disabilities operate in.

This book examines the experiences of students with learning disabilities in South African higher education, exploring the different factors that shape students’ university engagements.Students’ experiences, gathered through semi-structured interviews, are analysed within the Capability Approach to assess the way social arrangements influence students with learning disabilities’ academic engagements. The book then discusses the ways universities can foster opportunities that contribute to students’ multi-dimensional achievements for their academic and general wellbeing. The book exposes inequalities in higher education that impact students with learning disabilities who often operate in inflexible educational systems, practices and standardised learning outcomes that do not take into account the unique ways by which students with learning disabilities process information. The book sheds light on the educational trajectories and conditions which students with learning disabilities operate in.

Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is the definitive textbook for reflective teachers in higher education. Informed by the latest research in this area, the book offers extensive support for those at the start of an academic career and career-long professionalism. Written by an international collaborative author team of higher education experts led by Paul Ashwin, Reflective Teaching in Higher Education offers two levels of support:- practical guidance for day-to-day teaching, covering key issues such as strategies for improving learning, teaching and assessment, curriculum design, relationships, communication, and inclusion.- evidence-informed 'principles to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices, offering ways to develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning.This new edition gives greater coverage of contemporary topics, including: the climate and nature emergency; Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) including ChatGPT; the use of digital education and digital capabilities following the global pandemic; consideration of the intended outcomes of higher education for students. This edition features a greater diversity of students, teachers, institutional and disciplinary contexts, and national/international settings. It includes updated case studies, reflective activities, and research briefings, drawing on literature from a broader range of countries.reflectiveteaching.co.uk provides a treasure trove of additional support. It includes supplementary sector specific material to support for considering questions around society’s educational aims, and much more besides.

Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is the definitive textbook for reflective teachers in higher education. Informed by the latest research in this area, the book offers extensive support for those at the start of an academic career and career-long professionalism. Written by an international collaborative author team of higher education experts led by Paul Ashwin, Reflective Teaching in Higher Education offers two levels of support:- practical guidance for day-to-day teaching, covering key issues such as strategies for improving learning, teaching and assessment, curriculum design, relationships, communication, and inclusion.- evidence-informed 'principles to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices, offering ways to develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning.This new edition gives greater coverage of contemporary topics, including: the climate and nature emergency; Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) including ChatGPT; the use of digital education and digital capabilities following the global pandemic; consideration of the intended outcomes of higher education for students. This edition features a greater diversity of students, teachers, institutional and disciplinary contexts, and national/international settings. It includes updated case studies, reflective activities, and research briefings, drawing on literature from a broader range of countries.reflectiveteaching.co.uk provides a treasure trove of additional support. It includes supplementary sector specific material to support for considering questions around society’s educational aims, and much more besides.

This open access book addresses the current disillusionment with mass higher education and argues that it is based on a profound misunderstanding of its educational potential. The authors analyse a seven-year longitudinal research project that tracked participants who studied chemistry or chemical engineering from their first year of university until up to three years after they graduated. Drawing on over 700 interviews with students/graduates from two English, two South African and two American universities, the book explores the educational intentions of their degree programmes, what participants wanted to get out of going to university and studying for a degree, how their views of knowledge and the world changed, and what they felt they had gained from going to university. The book argues that the educational potential of higher education lies, not in graduate salaries or employability, but in the ways in which engaging with structured bodies of knowledge changes students’ understanding of the world and what they can do in it. The authors consider the implications of this argument for how the educational role of higher education is understood by students, graduates, universities, and policymakers and how this understanding might be drawn upon to counter the damaging disillusionment with mass higher education that appears to be growing in many countries.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by UKRI.

This open access book provides practical guidance for higher education professionals looking to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies. Blending theoretical grounding with real-world examples and case studies, it gives step-by-step guidance on how to evaluate, select, and implement GenAI technologies in teaching, learning, assessment, and student support. It covers topics including automating administrative processes, adapting learning resources, and critiquing outputs. Each chapter includes reflective exercises and further reading lists and shows how AI can enhance accessibility, efficiency, and creativity in higher education. Alongside this, the many challenges and ethical considerations of using AI are introduced, including issues around plagiarism, quality control, and the need to establish governance protocols.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Lund University.

This open access book provides practical guidance for higher education professionals looking to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies. Blending theoretical grounding with real-world examples and case studies, it gives step-by-step guidance on how to evaluate, select, and implement GenAI technologies in teaching, learning, assessment, and student support. It covers topics including automating administrative processes, adapting learning resources, and critiquing outputs. Each chapter includes reflective exercises and further reading lists and shows how AI can enhance accessibility, efficiency, and creativity in higher education. Alongside this, the many challenges and ethical considerations of using AI are introduced, including issues around plagiarism, quality control, and the need to establish governance protocols.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Lund University.

This is a thorough investigation of the research, development, policy and practice of teaching and learning in Higher Education. Whilst current research into teaching and learning offers many insights into the experiences of academics and students in higher education, it has two significant shortcomings. It does not highlight the dynamic ways in which students and academics impact on each other in teaching-learning interactions or the ways in which these interactions are shaped by wider social processes. This book offers critical insight into existing perspectives on researching teaching and learning in higher education and argues that alternative perspectives are required in order to account for structure and agency in teaching-learning interactions in higher education. In considering four alternative perspectives, it examines the ways in which teaching-learning interactions are shaped by teaching-learning environments, student and academic identities, disciplinary knowledge practices and institutional cultures.It concludes by examining the conceptual and methodological implications of these analyses of teaching-learning interactions and provides the reader with an invaluable guide to alternative ways of conceptualising and researching teaching and learning in higher education.

Globally, the appetite for higher education is great, but what do students and societies gain? Quality in Undergraduate Education foregrounds the importance of knowledge acquisition at university. Many argue that university education is no longer a public good due to the costs incurred by students who are then motivated by the promise of lucrative employment rather than by studying a discipline for its own sake. McLean, Abbas and Ashwin, however, reveal a more complex picture and offer a way of thinking about good quality university education for all. Drawing on a study which focused on four sociology-related social science UK university departments of different reputation, the book shows that students value sociological knowledge because it gives them a framework to think about and act on understanding how individuals and society interact. Further, the authors discuss how what was learned from the study about how policy, curriculum and pedagogy might preserve and strengthen the personal and social gains of social science undergraduate education.