Middlesex University Spring Conference

Hosted by: HSSc and CLTE

Title: Trading places: shifting academic identities
Date: Thursday April 26th 2012 Time: 9.30 - 4.00 p.m. Venue: New Southgate Business Park

Keynotes: Professor Ron Barnett (Emeritus Professor Institute of Education) and Professor Ray Land (Durham University)

As we enter 2012 the role universities can - and should - play in civic life are being hotly debated. All over the world higher education is at a crossroads. The Browne Report (2010) heralded a re-conceptualisation of higher education teaching and research funding in England, quickly followed by the White Paper ‘Students at the heart of the system’ (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) which introduced substantially increased student tuition fees. What these changes mean for the future of universities and for 'the idea of a university' were explored at this conference. The changing nature of the academic role and the impact on learning and teaching within higher education was a prime focus. The conference was fortunate to have two keynote speakers who are currently engaged in these debates at international level. There was also a series of workshops from across Middlesex exploring current and potential changes in academic practices and their impact. We hope this was an exciting and timely conference and addressed issues at the forefront of current debates.