No, by any measure nerd status would not be afforded here.
However, after attending my first PG Cert taught session I was surprised (and kinda proud) that I found the talk from James Wisdom the most fascinating.
I definitely wouldn’t define myself as someone who goes in for charts and stats, but after being involved in creative HE for almost a decade (mainly as a student and latterly on the teaching side), a glimpse into the bigger picture of HE in the UK and some insights into its links with policy was a real eye opener.
I was particularly interested in James’s examination of the HEPI report. (Demand for Higher Education to 2035, 2020) Which predicts a continuation of the growth in demand for HE over the coming decade. With a focus on the uneven regional distribution of this demand across England, and It’s implications for the governments ‘Levelling-up agenda’; The report touches on some different ways the government might respond to this growth (or increased cost as those in government would see it). Explaining that any caps or minimum entry requirements are likely to be; ‘felt most by those students from disadvantaged backgrounds’.
I found this interesting as these ideas tap into wider questions about the role of universities and whether/ how they can be a tool for social-mobility.
I’m definitely interested to learn more about HE policy, as well as the social implications and links between policy, widening participation and inclusion in HE.
Nerd status: pending.
2020. Demand for Higher Education to 2035. [ebook] Available at: <https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Demand-for-Higher-Education-to-2035_HEPI-Report-134_FINAL.pdf> [Accessed 17 March 2021].