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Establishing local sustainability projects that address the UN Sustainability Development Goals
Get PDFBefore global disruptions and uncertainties, it is pertinent to prepare students with capabilities, and to nurture their agency, to influence change. This case examines a pilot student sustainability leadership initiative, comprising a ‘living lab’ model, and run at an English university. It engaged undergraduates, in partnership with academics, in projects they co-created to address campus and curriculum challenges. These were framed in relation to delivery of the UN Sustainability Development Goals. The model, underpinned by constructivist and experiential learning pedagogies, harnesses creativity and enthusiasm. A multi-level evaluation identified the impacts of the experience on students and academics and the outputs which delivered on key indicators of the University’s strategies. Such outcomes demonstrate the model to be effective and efficient and – in the context of limited resources – institutionally sustainable and transferable. This case is authored by the key staff and students involved
Young female university students and the dark economy of higher education in British television dramas Clique (2017) and Cheat (2019)
Get PDFThis article explores the conceptualisation of young female university students and the university as an institution in two British television dramas: Clique (BBC, 2017) and Cheat (ITV, 2019). In recent years higher education has been cast in newsmedia and documentary as a ‘dark economy’ with questionable recruitment practices, high stakes assessment, and a profit driven agenda. Students have been problematically positioned both as ‘victims’ of a corrupt and profiteering system and as ‘snowflakes’ incapable of rising to the challenges of higher education. Both Clique and Cheat engage explicitly with these discourses, and in this article, we analyse how these series serve both to reinforce and undermine a range of social and cultural anxieties about young female students in the cultural space of the university. We argue the genre positioning, aesthetic, and themes of the two series function to reflect a broader shift toward ‘darker’ representations of the university in popular culture that reveal widespread anxieties about shifts in the meaning and experience of a university education. We also argue that the positioning of the young women at the centre of these series as ‘troubled’ and ‘traumatised’ prior to their entry into the university functions to externalise the challenges currently facing UK (United Kingdom) Higher Education, representing the student as ‘the problem’ rather than the university system itself
Quantum technologies for beyond 5G and 6G networks: applications, opportunities, and challenges
Get PDFAs the world prepares for the advent of 6G networks, quantum technologies are becoming critical enablers of the next generation of communication systems. This survey paper investigates the convergence of quantum technologies and 6G networks, focusing on their applications, opportunities and challenges. We begin with an examination of the motivations for integrating quantum technologies into 6G, investigating the potential to overcome the limits of classical computing and cryptography. We then highlight key research gaps, particularly in quantum communication, quantum computing integration and security enhancement. A comprehensive overview of quantum technologies relevant to 6G, including quantum communication devices, quantum computing paradigms, and hybrid quantum-classical approaches is provided. A particular focus is on the role of quantum technologies in enhancing 6G Radio Access Networks (RAN), 6G core and edge network optimization, and 6G security. The survey paper also explores the application of quantum cryptography with a focus on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Quantum Secure Direct Communication (QSDC) and quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms and assesses their implementation challenges and potential impact on 6G networks. We also discuss the significant challenges associated with integrating quantum technologies into existing communications infrastructures, including issues of technological maturity, standardization, and economic considerations. Finally, we summarize the lessons learned from current research and outline future research directions to guide the ongoing development of quantum-enabled 6G networks
The impact of academic success tutors and coaches on first-year student outcomes
Get PDFThis study presents findings from the evaluation of the Academic Success Tutors/Coaches (AST/C) initiative in the 2023/24 academic year at a widening participation university in England. Aimed at improving student continuation in target areas, the AST/Cs were deployed across faculties to provide extra support, acting as a bridge between academic staff and foundation or first-year students. The study encompasses a multi-faceted analysis, including comparisons with data from previous years. It seeks to understand the initiative's influence on student outcomes and experiences. Quantitative data from assessment results in the 2023/24 academic year were compared to those from the previous two years. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used to examine first-assessment pass rates, resit occurrences, and student withdrawals across faculties. In parallel, qualitative data were collected through an online survey with 112 students, interviews with 15 students and focus groups with 10 tutors/coaches. These data explored the effectiveness of the AST/C intervention and provided detailed accounts of support experiences. Overall, the AST/C intervention improved pass rates and reduced resit rates compared to the previous two years in all but one faculty. In terms of withdrawals, there was a decrease in all of the target faculties. Feedback from both students and tutors/coaches provided additional evidence of the intervention’s positive impact. Limitations were acknowledged, and considerations for future improvements were discussed
Youth and the materialities of the outdoors: exploring nature connectivity through free play in hidden green spaces
Get PDFNature connection is considered beneficial for young people’s health and wellbeing and for developing pro-environmental behaviour, yet they display some of the lowest rates of access to nature spaces and levels of nature connectedness. Nature connection is often presented as synonymous with learning and formalised environmental education programmes represent the usual model for nature engagement interventions in youth. Evidence indicates, however, that activities which are youth led, and independently accessed may have the most impact in terms of improving nature connectivity. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project with young people aged between 12 and 16 years, who choose to access hidden green spaces regularly and independently, yet often without permission, on off-road mountain bikes. Their use of is predicated on accessibility, affordance for embodied engagement, and the creative practice of self-built jumps and trails and see’s young people make claims to spaces on the suburban fringe and form embodied knowledge of, and engagement with material natures. Findings provide insights into the relational materialities of young people’s self-directed connections with nature through independent access, the choices and negotiations with others that occur when accessing these spaces, and the emergence of action competence in respondents’ environmental attitudes and behaviours.</p
A critical review of the 2025 RSHE guidance and alternative approach framed in safe uncertainty
Get PDFThis policy review critically examines the English government's 2025 statutory guidance on Relationships Education, Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE), analysing its educational assumptions, strengths and limitations through the lens of safe uncertainty. While the updated guidance somewhat reinstates key inclusive elements and promotes social and emotional literacy, it continues to position RSHE as a risk domain requiring tight control and cautious delivery. This review highlights areas of concern including contradictions in the guidance's treatment of digital image sharing, the approach to gender and the conditional framing of children's rights and participation. Drawing on the concept of safe uncertainty, we advocate a more coherent rights-based framework, clearer policy direction and sustained investment in teacher support and infrastructure. We call for RSHE policy and practice to move beyond compliance and certainty, and instead build relational, reflective and dialogic spaces where students can engage meaningfully with the ethical and social dimensions of their lives. In doing so, RSHE can fulfil its broader educational promise in preventing harm and supporting the flourishing of students as relational and sexual citizens
Tourism and the horizons of becoming: the gestation of an ongoing posthuman/post-qualitative inquiry agenda
No full textUnderstanding transnational online child sexual exploitation and abuse by British men against Filipino children
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