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SRHE Annual Research Conference 2011 - Call for Papers
Dear Colleagues, As chair of the Conference organising committee, and on behalf of the Society, I would like to extend a very warm invitation to you to participate in the SRHE Annual Research Conference 2011. We are returning again to Wales by popular request from previous delegates and many who have yet to sample this opportunity and hope to attend this year. We will be located at the famous Celtic Manor, close to Newport in South Wales and the venue for the prestigious Ryder Cup held in 2010 Conference Theme This year’s Conference will explore Positive Futures for higher education; connections, communities and criticality The pace of change in higher education, in its identities, purposes and roles in society, is gathering momentum. For some nations, such changes can be seen as revolutionary rather than evolutionary. However, for many academics, professionals, managers and students, the transformation of higher education is not necessarily perceived to be beneficial. A tendency to see many of the most recent changes in higher education in a negative light appears to be strong in some countries undergoing significant changes to the way higher education is accessed, financed and regarded by society, compared with developing nations where expansion of higher education, and its transformative impact for society and the individual, remain highly prized and valued. The higher education research community undertakes work which explores, examines, critiques and analyses the nature of higher education provision in all its constituent elements. As higher education researchers, we aim to provide significant, meaningful research insights and new knowledge to inform and guide universities, governments and societies. Do we, as a community of researchers, devote sufficient time and thought to the impact of the knowledge gained from research and the potential conclusions that research findings might support? Do we contribute effectively to make the connections, build the communities and identify what is critical for there to be positive futures for higher education in all its contexts? The Society for Research into Higher Education takes seriously its role as a platform for academic discussion. Its annual research conference offers not just an opportunity for the presentation of current research work but also the scope to bring different researchers together to examine and debate deeper theoretical and scholarly issues. Taking a global perspective of higher education, the most fundamental question of the moment has to be ‘Higher Education – for what and for whom?’ Is the concept of higher education as a universal public good sustainable? Or, is there a more complex but equally powerful set of objectives that would both describe and shape positive futures for higher education and have the potential to be shared universally? We will explore these ideas broadly within the conference, encompassing current debates regarding policy, globalization, economic challenges, governance, leadership and management, pedagogic and learning development, quality and space management, the student experience, e-learning and marketisation. The SRHE Conference welcomes all research proposals from those carrying out research into higher education. The contribution of the keynote speakers will be structured to illuminate and examine the Conference theme and the questions the theme poses. SRHE Conference Theme 2011 - Research Contexts The global recession anticipated in our 2010 Call for Papers has now had some very specific impacts on higher education provision in some contexts. Planned cuts and government led policy changes in England have led to pressure on universities to raise fees beyond what was initially envisaged. Universities must justify income and expenditure, while continuing to attract large numbers of students into an increasingly universal system that also aims to cultivate elite profiles in research, scholarship, teaching and quality. Numbers of part-time and mature students continue to rise, as cash-strapped learners take on both study and work. Demographic shifts in the student body are occurring in a highly competitive international student market, a downturn in young people’s employment and an increase in population mobility. Student choice to study outside their home nations is now a very real option in a competitive market. Within Europe, a new market is opening up and China, India and Middle Eastern nations continue to expand both campuses and capabilities. In Australia, strong growth in international higher education student numbers is predicted, while in Africa, exploding demand for higher education continues, despite continent-wide challenges of infrastructure and staffing. Global demands for higher education are undoubtedly on the increase. Examining how individual institutions are developing diverse, proactive responses to opportunities for multiethnic and multilingual partnership and the impact of these market conditions will be of considerable value. Equally important are the potential shifts in relative values afforded by society or government perspectives to different subject disciplines. The potential weighting through fees and government support for some subject areas (for example, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is seen as critical to the needs of society against other subject areas (for example, Humanities and Social Sciences), which are subjected more openly and directly to the power of market forces. Research Strands In considering the evolving meaning and identity of higher education, the conference will aim to address these debates within the four thematic areas outlined below:
Author Submission You are invited to contribute to this debate in a variety of ways: by presenting a paper, sharing in a symposium based on your own and others’ research or scholarly work, including work of a conceptual or theoretical nature, or organising a round table on any aspect of this year’s theme. Empirical and scholarly research from a wide range of perspectives is welcome. The SRHE conference has been greatly enhanced in recent years by the attendance of researchers from around the world at the Conference or the Newer Researchers Conference on the same theme. The research knowledge and perspectives of numerous participants from many countries has strongly contributed to the conference debate. The Society’s Annual Conference has become a truly international event bringing together delegates and contributors from over 35 countries. We aim to build on this reputation again this year. We hope researchers and scholars from the many forms of higher education globally and in the UK will contribute to this Conference, stimulating international debate on the way in which higher education is transforming its relations with governments, policymakers, institutions, employers, staff and students. Professor Yvonne Hillier SRHE Society Chair University of Brighton  Top |
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