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School of Education
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Higher and Further Education

The Higher and Further Education thematic cluster aims to advance critical research that drives improvements in policy, governance, pedagogy, assessment, digital innovation, internationalisation and widening participation across post-secondary systems locally, nationally and globally.

Research in this cluster draws on diverse qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine threshold concepts, empowerment, student politics, contextualised admissions, doctoral education, academic integrity, digital literacies, and internationalisation. Through critical engagement with policy and practice, the cluster generates insights that challenge assumptions and inform inclusive, evidence-based change in higher and further education.
Brightly lit, contemporary seminar room with multiple screens on the walls and at the front of the room. Students sit together at trestle tables, and a female academic in a green dress is talking to them and using the screens to share her research

Cluster Members

Durham SofE Cluster Members

Durham PhD Scholars

 

Our Themes

Within this thematic cluster

  • Academic integrity, digital literacies and AI-mediated learning (Dr Cristina Costa; Dr Jasper Roe; Dr Yuqian Wang; Dr James Wood)
  • Contextualised admissions and widening participation (Prof Stephen Gorard; Prof Nadia Siddiqui)
  • Doctoral education (Dr Dimitra Kokotsaki; Prof Stan Taylor)
  • Internationalisation of higher education (Dr William Yat Wai Lo; Prof Catherine Montgomery; Dr Cora Xu)
  • Professional development and teaching in higher education (Dr Helen Cramman; Prof Leonard Land; Dr Maria Antonia Manresa; Prof Aimee Quickfall)
  • Student experience and wellbeing, student politics and empowerment (Dr Anna Llewellyn; Dr Michael Priestley; Prof Rille Raaper)
  • Threshold concepts and pedagogical understanding (Prof Lynn Newton; Prof Julie Rattray; Prof Adrian Simpson)
  • Vocational, professional and further education (Prof Jonathan Tummons)

 

Study with us

Students joining the Higher and Further Education cluster become part of a vibrant research community engaged with key debates shaping post-secondary education. We welcome applications for PhD study and support projects drawing on a range of methodological and theoretical approaches.

Related thematic areas also feature in our taught programmes, including:

  • MA Intercultural Communication and Education
  • BA Education Studies

Learn more about our research clusters