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EDU-20052 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

EDU-20052 - Critical Issues in Higher Education
Coordinator: Peter Jones Tel: +44 1782 7 34869
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

With nearly 50% of 18-year-olds going on to university this module explores the big questions relating to higher education. In particular, what is the purpose of university? Who is it for? How should it be funded? You will also be encouraged to reflect critically on your own experiences to date of being a student, what you feel you have gained, and what you feel you need to develop to achieve your career goals.

Aims
To encourage students to reflect critically on their own experience as a university student today.
To consider critically the range of purposes of the higher education sector both in the United Kingdom but also globally.
To critically evaluate the decision-making processes employed by students within Higher Education and how this has changed over time.
To evaluate evolving university agendas around key concepts such as internationalization, hybrid learning, decolonization, and the student 'experience'.
To explore the range of debates around higher education assessment and how these relate to notions of equity and widening participation.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain shifting patterns within higher education as a consequence of more broader political changes around neo-liberalism and modernity.: 1
Reflect on their own experience as a student in light of debates around consumerism and the degree as being 'value for money'.: 2
Explain how Keele University has reacted to the shifting attitudes and practices of the higher education sector.: 1
Articulate key concepts within the higher education landscape and how these impact upon the experience of being a student.: 2

Study hours

12 hours interactive lectures
12 hours seminars
36 hours seminar preparation
90 hours assignment preparation (45 hours per assessment)

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 50%
Critical Analysis of a Keele University policy.
This assessment will ask students to write a 2000 word critical commentary on one policy framework or initiative of Keele University. Drawing upon wider reading, lecture materials, as well as discussions with guest speakers, students will explore the rationale for the policy/initiative (linked to sector-wide changes), how it has been implemented, and possible ways to measure its success.

2: Reflective Diary weighted 50%
Reflective Diary
This assessment asks students to explore four 'key moments' and 'critical incidents' in their university journey to date, ranging from initial application to the half way point of their study. They will be expected to reflect on these moments, the decisions they took and the reasons why, and how these relate to wider contextual changes within the sector. The word count for this assignment is 1000 words (approx. 250 words per entry in the diary).

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026