Lecture 2

Higher Education in Great Britain

1. History of Higher Education in Great Britain

2. Oxbridge
3. Types of British Universities

4. Structure of the UK higher education sector

5. Measuring Academic Quality and Standards of HE

1.History of Higher Education in Great Britain

Key words: to found, to establish, to admit, to enroll, to include, classical

knowledge, statute, authorities, church, to be renowned, to expand, the Middle
Ages, religion.

Higher education in Great Britain has a long history. The oldest university in the
English - speaking world is the University of Oxford. Exact date of foundation of the
university is unclear, but there is evidence of teaching in the city of Oxford in 1096. The
University began to grow rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students to
attend the University of Paris. The first college, University College, was founded in 1249.
Other notable colleges include All Souls (founded in 1438), Christ Church (founded in
1546) and Lady Margaret Hall (founded in 1878), which was the first women's college.
Administrative reforms during the 19th century included the replacement of oral
examinations with written entrance tests, and the establishment of four women's colleges.
Although the University's emphasis traditionally had been on classical knowledge, its
curriculum expanded in the course of the 19th century to include scientific and medical
studies. Since 1974, all but one of Oxford's colleges have changed their statutes to admit
both men and women. St Hilda's remains the only women's college, and the rest enroll both
men and women.
University of Cambridge is the second oldest university in the English-speaking
world (after Oxford). The start of the University is generally taken in 1209, when some
masters and students leaved Oxford and arrived in Cambridge. The university was
basically established to study for religious purposes. The earliest teaching sessions of the
University were carried out in churches or private house, but soon the University
authorities began to establish buildings for its own use. During the 14th and 15th centuries,
the University gradually gained its independence from the church. Cambridge University is
more renowned than Oxford for mathematics and natural sciences.
In the Middle Ages some more universities were founded. They are the three
Scottish universities St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen, founded by papal bull in the
15th century and the University of Edinburgh which was established by royal charter in
1583. But a major expansion of higher education in the UK occurred in the 19 th century
with the awarding of royal charters to the St. David’s College, Lampeter (subsequently part
of the University of Wales), Durham University, King’s College London, and University
College London. Moreover medical, science and engineering colleges were founded in
England’s major industrial cities, some of which amalgamated to became the so called
‘redbrick’ universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and
Sheffield.
During the 1950s and 1960s, as the demands of population and the needs of
economy raised, the British government began to expand the higher education sector. New
colleges of advanced technology were established and were awarded university status;
Aston, Bath, Bradford, Brunel, City, Loughborough, Salford and Surrey all became
universities in this way, with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology
going on to become a constituent part of what is now Cardiff University in 1988. A further
13 UK institutions including Hull and Leicester, both former university colleges, gained
university status as well and the seven new universities of East Anglia, Essex, Kent,
Lancaster, Sussex, Warwick and York were also created.
Thеn in 1992 the UK government granted university status to 35 former polytechnics
and to a number of other institutions, principally colleges of higher and further education.
Between 2001 and 2013, an additional 31 universities were created. These universities are
referred to as ‘post 92’ or ‘modern’ universities, though many of them have long histories
as vocational institutions.
 2. Oxbridge
Key words: league tables, to rank, a network, Nobel prize winners, to head,
a chapel.

Oxbridge is a combination of two famous names — Oxford and Cambridge. They

are the oldest universities in Great Britain. They have dominated British education
for seven centuries.
The University of OXFORD, situated in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest
university in the English-speaking world. The first of its colleges was founded in 1249.
The university now has 34 colleges and about 12 000 students, many of them from other
countries. There were no women students at Oxford until 1878, when the first women's
college, Lady Margaret Hall, opened. Now there are 5 women's colleges. Oxford is a
member of the Russell Group of research-led British Universities. It has recently come top
of some league tables which rank universities in Britain. Oxford is, like Cambridge and
others, a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of leading European universities, and
the LERU (League of European Research Universities).
CAMBRIDGE is the second-oldest university in Great Britain. It was founded in
1284 when the first college, Peterhouse, was built. Now there are more than thirty colleges
founded at different times, three of them are women's colleges. The first women's college
was opened in 1869. Cambridge has produced more Nobel prize winners than any other
university in the world. It regularly heads league tables ranking British universities, and a
recent league table by the Times Higher Education Supplement (a journal) rated it sixth in
the world overall and first for science.
Oxford and Cambridge are famous for their first class education. The universities
have societies and clubs for different interests. Sport is an important part of students' life.
Both of these university towns are very beautiful. They have some of the finest architecture
in Britain. Some of their colleges, chapels and libraries are very old and full of valuable
books and paintings. Both towns have many lovely gardens. The universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, often referred to together as Oxbridge, compete to be seen as the strongest
overall university in the UK. Historically, they have produced a significant proportion of
Britain's prominent scientists, writers and politicians.
 3.Types of British Universities

Key words: the Renaissance, institutions of higher education, to refer to, ancient,
to be reputable, to be state-owned, red brick, social background, to link to, to
subsume, expansion, distance-learning institution, rate.

There are four main types of British Universities.

1. Ancient Universities - Ancient universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland were
founded the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Since no universities were founded in the
United Kingdom and Ireland between the 16th and 19th century, the term "ancient
university" generally refers to institutions of higher education that were established before
the 19th century.

The ancient universities (in order of formation) are:

 University of Oxford - founded before 1167 (England)

 University of Cambridge - founded 1209 (England)
 University of St Andrews - founded 1413 (Scotland)
 University of Glasgow - founded 1451 (Scotland)
 University of Aberdeen - founded 1495 (Scotland)
 University of Edinburgh - founded 1583 (Scotland)
 University of Dublin - founded 1592 (Ireland; the only ancient university outside the
UK)

All of the ancient universities are very reputable. The two top universities in UK,
which are continuously found in first and second place of the British league tables, are
Oxford and Cambridge. Together they are known as Oxbridge and share a century old
rivalry. But it is important to note that Oxford and Cambridge are state-owned. Both
universities are divided into more than thirty colleges.

2. Red Brick Universities

 Red Brick Universities - named after the buildings they were housed in which were
usually built with red brick - were founded in the industrial parts of the cities during
Victorian era (1837-1901) and before the Second World War. They are sometimes also
called "civic universities". The main difference between Red Brick and ancient universities
is that Red Bricks admitted men without regarding their religion or social background.
Furthermore they concentrated on teaching predominantly "practical subjects" often linked
to engineering.

Some Red Brick universities include:

 University of Birmingham
 University of Bristol
 University of Leeds
 University of Liverpool
 University of Manchester
 University of Sheffield

3. New Universities

Two types of universities are subsumed under the term "New Universities". First of
all the academic institutions founded in the 1960s, when it was recommended immediate
expansion of universities and elevating Colleges of Advanced Technology to university
status.
Due to their modern architecture and the use of large stretches of plate glass the
institutions founded in the 1960s are often called "Plate Glass Universities". Some Plate
glass universities such as York and Warwick have by now out-performed some Red Brick
universities, especially on the field of research, which has improved their reputation
considerably. Here is a list of Plate Glass Universities:
 Aston University  University of Lancaster
 Brunel University  Loughborough University
 University of Bath  University of Salford
 University of Bradford  University of Stirling
 University of Essex  University of Sussex
  Heriot-Watt  University of Warwick
University  New University of Ulster
 University of Kent  University of York
 University of Keele

The second group are the so called Post-1992 Universities. The term refers to former
polytechnics that were given university status. They have the poorest reputation among
British universities. Here is a list of post-1992 universities:

 Abertay University
 Anglia Ruskin University
 University of Brighton
 Bournemouth University
 University of Central England
 University of Central Lancashire
 Coventry University
 De Montfort University
 University of Derby
 University of East London
 University of Glamorgan
 Glasgow Caledonian University
 University of Greenwich
 University of Hertfordshire
 University of Huddersfield
 Kingston University
 Leeds Metropolitan University
 University of Lincoln

……………. and many others.

4. Open University

Founded in 1986, the Open University is Britain's single distance-learning

institution. In 2005 a total of 180,000 students, most of them based in the UK, were
enrolled, which made it the largest institution of higher education in the UK by student
numbers. The Open University was rated top university in England and Wales for student
satisfaction in 2005 and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education rated
teaching at the Open University as excellent that same year. Just as any other academic
institution, the Open University, too, actively engages in research and awards both
undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
 4.Structure of the UK higher education sector

Key words: to provide, diverse, degree awarding powers, to offer, to meet criteria, to
award degrees, to provide, provision, type, qualifications.

Higher education in the UK is now provided by a diverse range of organizations.

166 institutions currently have their own degree awarding powers. The majority of these
also have ‘university’ title which is only granted to those institutions which meet certain
criteria. However there is also a growing number of ‘listed bodies’ – institutions which do
not have the power to award their own degrees. In 2011 there were over 1,600 bodies,
including 250 further education colleges, which offer some form of UK higher education
provision. The UK’s degree awarding institutions are referred to as Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs).
Higher education (HE) is provided by many different types of institution.
Teaching to prepare students for the award of higher education qualifications can be
conducted in any higher education institution and in some further education colleges.
It should also be noted that, for many purposes, higher education policy is now
developed separately in each of the countries making up the UK. They have specific and
differing responsibilities for certain parts of higher education and student policies.
The total number of students in the UK has grown from 1.6 million in 1994-5 to 3
million in 2012-13. The total number of enrolments has decreased since 2010 - 11, largely
as a consequence of a decrease in part - time enrolments.
The UK’s HEIs are not owned or run by government. They are independent
autonomous legal entities, with Councils or Governing Bodies that have responsibility for
determining the strategic direction of the institution, for monitoring its financial health and
for ensuring that it is effectively managed.
So the UK higher education sector is large and diverse. Its institutions differ in size,
subject focus, research interests, infrastructure and priorities. This heterogeneity is a key
strength of the system, as it enables the sector to meet the varying needs of different types
of student and to cover a wide range of institutional missions. Moreover of the 166 Higher
Education Institutions in the UK, only 9 are privately owned and receive no funding from
government for teaching and research.
5.Measuring Academic Quality and Standards of HE

Key words: curriculum, to offer, to take seriously, to define, academic performance,

standards of the qualifications, to maintain, to make judgments, the National Student
Survey.

There is no national curriculum in the UK. Instead HEIs develop their own
programmes of study and currently there are more than 50,000 different courses on offer.
So quality assurance is a responsibility which the HE sector takes very seriously. A
national system based on the principle of peer review ensures that both the quality and
standards of awards are broadly consistent (not equal or identical) across the sector. This
national system defines the academic standards required –that is, the level of achievement
a student has to reach to gain a qualification –as well as the academic quality required. As
HEIs in the UK are autonomous institutions, each is responsible for maintaining the quality
of the education it provides, and the standards of the qualifications it offers.
There is an independent body, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
(QAA), which reviews and reports on how well UK universities and colleges set and
maintain their academic quality and standards. The review process varies in different parts
of the UK. In England, for example, Institutional Review teams make judgments in the
areas of academic standards, quality of student learning opportunities, academic
performance, information about the learning opportunities, and the enhancement of quality.
Where a review team makes a judgment of ‘requires improvement to meet’ or ‘does not
meet’ UK expectations in one or more areas of the review, the report will be published.
The QAA has worked with the HE sector to develop a set of nationally agreed
reference points, known as the Quality Code, which institutions use to guide their policies
for maintaining academic standards and quality. This includes a profile of each institution;
an analysis of the student body; the employment prospects for graduates; and a student
feedback gathered by means of the National Student Survey.