All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Elaine Keane |
|---|---|
| Email: | elaine.keane@nuigalway.ie |
| Institution: | NUI Galway |
It is widely agreed that most higher education institutions internationally have moved, or are in the process of moving, from being "elite" to "mass" systems (Schuetze and Slowey, 2002) although in many cases, an increase in participation has not necessarily led to a widening of participation. In response to this and a changing demography (McGuire, Collins and Garavan, 2003), Irish higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on the recruitment of so-called "non-traditional" students, such as students from lower socio-economic groups and/or former access students, students with disabilities, mature students, international students, part-time students and students from other minority groups, such as Travellers. The undergraduate student population has, thus, started to become more heterogeneous.
The implications of this changed undergraduate student population in higher education have been under-explored in the Irish context, particularly in relation to the views of academic staff and teaching & learning issues. Internationally, there is evidence to suggest that academics believe that the "calibre" of students at undergraduate level has declined (McInnis, 1999; Casey, 1999) and that their perceptions of increased workloads are related to the provision of academic support to under-prepared students (McInnis, 1999). Research also suggests that academics feel that non-traditional students should be integrated and assimilated into existing academic structures and culture, as opposed to institutional or tutor adaptation occurring (Macdonald and Stratta, 2001; Merrill, 2001; Postle et al., 1996).
What then of the Irish context? This paper presents the preliminary findings of work-in-progress research drawing on interviews conducted with a random sample of 25 academic staff in one Irish university. This paper focuses, in particular, on respondents' perceptions of the level of student diversity in the institution and their views of diversity and its implications in and for higher education.