the university of london external system 1858 – 2008 lessons learnt (or forgotten)

The University of London External System

1858 – 2008

Lessons Learnt (or forgotten)

The People’s University ( Charles Dickens)

• ? The start of Mass Higher Education

IssuesThat resistance and opposition to the implementation of new ideas and policies

in educational provision is continuous and is often unexpected.

The idea of open education for all was not a new phenomena of the 1970’s

University of London External provision has always been demand ledThat the provision of education at a distance is not new – extra mural provision

of higher education was accepted in 1858

The idea of a University is contested and has yet to be resolved

That Universities have great powers of survival and that the University of London External System is no exception

• Existing in Cyberspace for 150th Years

Roots of the University of London - 1836

• The University of London’s founding charter states:

• That the University would ‘hold forth to all classes and denominations …without any distinction whatever, an encouragement for pursuing a regular and liberal education’ (this did not include women until 1870)

University College London Established 1826

The ‘Godless Institution of Gower Street’

King’s College Founded in 1829 to promote ‘the doctrines and duties of Christianity’.

Demand for New Charter• Need for graduates to be represented at

the University centrally

• Need to have a fourth faculty – Science

• Demand by people in the UK and overseas to eliminate the need for students to attend a ‘London Affiliated College’

• The reforms of the Indian Civil Service and the British Civil Service demanded a more meritocratic system to replace the nepotistic systems in place at the time.

Demand led education in response to changes in Government Policy

• There was support from the convocation of the University as they believed that competition would impart a healthy stimulus to both collegiate and extra-collegiate education.

• ‘By widening the basis of the University would materially increase its public usefulness.’

The founding of the People’s University – Clause 36 of the 1858 Charter of the University of London

We do further will and ordain, that persons

not educated in any of the said institutions connected with the said University shall be admitted as graduates fro Matriculation and for any of the degrees hereby authorised to be conferred by the said University of London (other than Medical degrees) etc etc

Lessons learnt

• The changes brought about by the development of the University of London External System caused resentment on the part of those who had been required to attend a college and by many others particularly Cardinal Newman in his work ‘ the idea of a University’

• The opportunity for students to study outside the walls of the University of London is still seen as a problem by some of the internal students and indeed by some academics.

• Therefore there must be a change in culture and also a change in the way that ‘the idea of a University’ is understood – this is changing ………( at last!)

Results of the 1858 changes

• Increasing numbers of students taking the University of London Examinations ‘extramurally’ – both in the UK and overseas

• Increasing number of teaching institutions and Universities world wide teaching for the University of London programmes

• Most Universities in the UK taught the London programmes

•

University College Nottingham, awarded a Royal Charter in 1948 as the University of Nottingham.

• University College Southampton, awarded a Royal Charter in 1952 as the University of Southampton.

• University College Leicester, awarded a Royal Charter in 1957 as the University of Leicester.

UK Developments

Scheme designed by the British Government encouraged the development of independent universities in the their colonies by offering a relationship with the University of London.

University colleges in these countries were granted a Royal Charter

Universities entered into 'schemes of special relation' with university colleges in the Commonwealth of Nations

International activities

• 1946 - The University College of the West Indies, until 1961. (Now the University of the West Indies

• 1948 - University College, Ibadan, until 1967. (Now the University of Ibadan

• 1956 - University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now the University of Zimbabwe).

• 1961 - Royal College Nairobi (now the University of Nairobi).

• 1963 - University of East Africa • In 1970 the 'Schemes of Special Relation' were

phased out.

University of London as an Examination system

• The Charter allowed students to study in any way they wanted to provided that satisfied the entrance requirements of the University

• The University offered a Examination System

• This system is still in operation today

Examinations - they should examine to the same standard as for internal

students ( Statute 66)• Robert Barnes ‘high standard of the

(London) degree is measured by its examinations – The University and the public are not concerned ‘when or where’ it was obtained.

Cramming and Rote Learning

• This was regarded as a problem early on -nJohn Robson writing in the 1850’ worried about cramming which is’ a merely parrot-like getting up of memory of the appointed subjects without any comprehension of principles’

• He suggested however that it must be the fault of the examiners if cramming ever succeeds

• This is still an important factor today; examiners and course developers find this difficult to understand – especially in developing distance learning ‘objects’ getting them to understand what an ‘Open University’ is vital but difficult to impart – getting them to become ‘student centred’ is difficult if they have been educated in an elite institution

Decline – 1970’s

• Phasing out of special relations with the ‘decline of Empire’

• Development of the CNAA

• Increasing emphasis and stress on lecturers in Colleges of the University to be research active and so would be unavailable for examining and course development

Access and Persistence1986 – the importance of

innovators and receptor-drivers• The revival of the External Programme

• Ireland

• Malaysia – HELP Institute

• Singapore Institute of Management

• Hong Kong University SPACE

• Great receptors and innovators at the LSE

Revival 1980’s

Life long University learning

Hong Kong University - SPACE

What is happening now to life long university education for adults?

Access and Persistence

• Chew Seng Meng – Phd University of Chicago 2007

• M.Phil University of Cambridge

• B.Sc.Economics - London School of Economics

• Diploma in Economics - HELP

Chew Seng Meng – graduating from the University of Chicago 2007

Innovation – Benchmarking and growth

• Phenomenon of the dual degree – which degree becomes dominant?

• Russia

• Turkey

• Ifs – Institute of Financial Services UK

Keep it Simple

• The examination model allows for a variety of delivery modes –

• Individuals – including those in prison

• Groups – studying together

• Small colleges

• Large Universities

• Mix and Match» But………………

National Quality Assurance Systems and other guardians

• QAA – now expect minimum support systems for students

• National Accreditation bodies sometimes demand changes which are inconsistent with the policies of the University of London which one is the bench marker?

• The Case of AICTE

Regeneration or organic development

• the University of London External System regards the student as centre – the student can decide where to study

• Need to respond ideas but resist excessive demands for instant changes to syllabuses and delivery methods – yes as always to modularity but no to granularity!

• Need to listen and be aware of alternative mechanisms for delivering the degrees

Results

In 2008 – 43,000 students studying externally and growing

Five Nobel Prizes including Nelson Mandela

160 teaching institutions

Students come from 180 countries including St Helena.

Ghandi – University of London – LLB via External Study

Persistence and

resistance!It is possible to change systems and ways of delivering education in spite of entrenched views and overwhelming odds against this.