HE in FE: Empirical Evidence of a Brave New World

Urban (2009) reflects on the challenges for educators when educational “products” appear to be at odds with educational “processes”. This paper considers how the marketization of higher education in neoliberal countries like the UK is affecting teaching and learning in HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) and CPD. Neoliberal policy approaches resulting in the marketization of higher education may also be considered as separating “educational products” and “educational processes”. Many of the policies are cumulative and they can be interpreted as being flawed due to their contradictory nature. The paper presents research findings revealing the impact of neoliberal agendas on teaching and learning in higher education in the UK. The content of the paper is relevant to other neoliberal contexts including the US and Australia. The commodification of higher education has implications for the teaching relationship between academics and students as “student satisfaction”, “value for money” and “critical pedagogy” form part of the interplaying discourse in higher education.