MATURE STUDENTS in HIGHER EDUCATION Chapter 4. CCAT as an Institution Contents Page | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 (appendices) Chapter 4. CCAT as an Institution. Since this project is primarily a case-study it is important to give some idea of the principal features of the institution in which it was carried out. I propose to divide this chapter into the following sections dealing with: 1. The college and student body. 2. Courses available at degree level at CCAT. 3. Student Union. 1. The College and Student Body. CCAT, like many other colleges of further and higher education in Britain, has grown and expanded over the years to meet local needs and demands.Unlike many such colleges, the buildings occupy one site which has grown in piece-meal fashion.In 19O9 the old-established Cambridge School of Art which had amalgamated with the Institute of Technical Education in 189O, moved to the original building in Collier Road. Since then other buildings have been added - the last being opened in 1984 - and the number of students has risen to nearly 7,000 - of whom the majority are p/t students working for below degree standard qualifications. At the time of writing (December,1987) CCAT does not enrol enough students on degree, or equivalent level, courses to qualify for inclusion in the proposed Polytechnic Funding Council (PCFC), but is one of eight Advanced Further Education Institutions (AFE) which do qualify for membership of the Polytechnic Central Admissions System (PCAS).Registration with PCAS came into operation in September,1987. PCAS performs a similar admissions service for CNAA "public sector" institutions as UCCA does for the university sector. Those reading for an honours degree at CCAT awarded by the CNAA(1) make up a small proportion of its total student body. The mixture of students at different levels from "A" level to Hon.degree has been welcomed by the staff in the past.They enjoyed the variety of work and the opportunity for cross-fertilisation that arises when,for example, a tutor has a chance to teach English studies to a weekly class of day release students on a BTEC building course. But moves are now afoot to make CCAT a college of Advanced education only. It is envisaged that CCAT will be open in the future only for students taking degree level courses,with other courses on demand for up-dating professional qualifications or refresher courses for industry, business and new technology. These moves are being taken for many different reasons, one of which is financial. At the moment fees paid by the DES are lower for courses below degree standard and the college suffers as a result.The same staff and buildings are used by all students irrespective of the courses they are attending and so the same overheads have to be paid for. Arrangements between the DES and a LEA as to the payment of fees are complicated and may lead to a conflict of interests.For example, p/t fees for a degree course do not qualify for a grant but are charged to the LEA and not to the DES as are f/t fees. The former are charged at a lower pro rata rate and so once again the college loses out. Thus any incentive to attract p/t students, which may be of interest to more m/s than s/l, is lost.If the college can attract higher fees per capita then better provisions for amenities such as study rooms for students, more spending on the library and more attractive canteen facilities might be provided. Secondly, demographic changes in the school population are percolating through to Ad/ed. levels. There has been no rise in the number of s/l applying for university places and,in order to keep up the level of numbers of students (to qualify for grants), institutions such as CCAT will be looking to m/s to make up the difference. The support that the new Principal at CCAT gave to the opening of the Day Nursery (2) on campus in September,1986 is indicative of the efforts that the college is beginning to make to attract more m/s onto degree courses by meeting a special need of some m/s - pre-school child care. Thirdly, as the college has no halls of residence (3), the acute shortage of residential accommodation which is available for f/t CCAT students in Cambridge is not aggravated by the presence of m/s. As demonstrated in Chapter 6, the great majority of m/s are locally based, living at home. For these students there is no choice. They either attend a degree course at CCAT or dream about doing so.(4). The fact that the college is situated in such a famous university city as Cambridge is an added bonus. Some of the amenities of the university are open to all, e.g. concerts at the Music School; and special provision can be made for access to such places as the University Library for help with references in writing a somewhat esoteric dissertation or thesis. Unlike the University, the college can only offer basic teaching accomodation and is constantly under pressure due to the lack of space for further development. Within the constraints of no spare study rooms,an over-crowded library,poor canteen facilities, no car-parking for students and only 4 tennis courts in the little landscaped gardens that are left, the general atmosphere is, nevertheless, welcoming to students coming from outside the area. The college employs two welfare officers and a nurse who endeavour to cope with problems that may arise, be it financial, personal or medical. An accommodation office tries to find places in the private sector for all who apply ,in conjunction with the CAMCAT Housing Asscociation who administer some houses in Cambridge which supply a total of 95 beds for CCAT students. CCAT consistently gets good reports from the regular institutional and course reviews carried out by the CNAA, which are thorough and rigorous, concerning the standard of work attained by the students on degree courses.The value of this is attested by the annual report of the Careers Officer at CCAT, where monitoring of past students is done on a regular basis. Even in such times as this of high unemployment, the majority of students leaving in June,1987, had already found either places for post-graduate study or a job to go to before they left. (5). 2. Courses. This research has been concerned with m/s reading for a degree and so has been confined to a limited number of students. The choice of degree has also naturally been limited to those offered at CCAT, although these cover a wide range of subjects. Students can choose to read from the following degree courses offered at CCAT: Geography Music English Science History. Humanities/Social Studies which combines two from:- English History Geography Sociology Economics European Thought and Literature Study of Art. Degrees are also offered in Modern Languages but as this is a four year course incorporating a year abroad I was unable to see these students. It has few m/s applying because of the difficulties involved for those with family responsibilities. It was noticeable that more m/s opt for the humanities based courses, as indeed did s/l, than for the science based courses offered at CCAT.The reasons why this may be so are discussed in Chapter 7. It is clear, however, that admission tutors in science subjects feel that they must ensure that prospective students are able to cope with the demands of their courses, e.g. that they have the necessary mathematical back-ground or laboratory experience. Whereas tutors on the Humanities do not have to meet such specific requirements and may be more ready to take an applicant who does not have conventional entry qualifications. The following extracts illustrate this:_ From a science tutor: We admit m/s in exactly the same way as s/l. Maths. and Chemistry are always very necessary. We are reluctant to take those without the knowledge to cope with the course. Local students are encouraged and therefore we may get more m/s. and: From a humanities tutor: Entrance requirements are changing very fast. It is encouraged. Access courses and a variety of routes at all levels will be coming. We will have to adjust to the suitability of the applicants, and accept alternatives to "A" levels which are changing, anyway. 25% of our students were over 21 this year. There does seem to be a growing awareness that procedures adopted for s/l may not be suitable or relevant to the differing circumstances of a m/s. This will be further explored in Chapter 6.The establishment of a day nursery; and the fact that an "Access" course started in September, 1987; as did a "bridging" course to help those who wish to qualify for entrance onto a science/engineering degree, are all pointers towards a changing situation. In Women Returning to Learning the Hutchinsons (1986) warned against too strict alinkagewithanother institution regarding admission onto a degree course. The confidence acquired by m/s during the year's course enabled them to make their own decisions as for the future, and in fact the majority did continue in higher education. The Hutchinsons pointed out that many m/s changed their aspirations over the year, discovering unknown talents, and then needing to explore possible avenues that may be open to them. From this point of view, the importance of educational counselling as part of an Access course was emphasised. They attributed a great deal of the success of their own Access course to the unorthodox approach they adopted. 3. Student Union. The Student Union does its best to provide a back-up service for the students. Of special interest to m/s was the Mature Students Club (MSC) which is affiliated to the National Mature Students Association of the National Student Union.(NSU) This aimed to provide a social meeting place for all m/s at CCAT and to provide a forum for discussion specifically for m/s, then through the MSC, make their views known to the college authorities.The MSC was started by two first year students in 1985, since when it has been well supported. However there was some initial resistance from the student body voiced at the general meeting when the subject was raised. The feeling was that this might be divisive and that it was not really necessary. The motion to start the club was passed with only a small majority. In the same way there was resistance to the idea that a member of the Executive committee of the SU should represent m/s in the college. If the numbers of mature students rise at the present rate there is more likelihood that this will be achieved in the future. Those mature students who took a more active role in the SU found that they could work well with the s/l who, by virtue of their commitment to the union,were perceived as being more "mature" intheir approach to college activities than some of their contemporaries. M/s, sensitive to the argument that their activities might be seen to be divisive, were anxious that this was avoided, and that a consensus on issues should be reached. The SU has recently opened a full-time day nursery on the campus for up to 15 children aged 2 1/2 to 5 years, of parents living and working in the area, as well as children of staff and students. This amenity thus fulfils an extra community need which the SU was anxious to meet. A canteen and shop, printing facilities and the running of inumerable clubs and societies catering for all interests and sports was also provided by the SU. The SU caters for 7,OOO students who are studying a wide variety of subjects, on courses of different lengths and levels of academic competence from "A" courses to a post-graduate Ph.D. To do this effectively the college supports three f/t sabbatical officers from the student body who administer a budget of approximately `7O,OOO. The grant is made up from a "block grant" taken by the Principal from his budget for this purpose which is only available for those students doing advanced courses, i.e at degree level or above, and a capitation fee paid on registration by all other students be they full-time or part-time. The SU suffers from the fact that the executive committee and the three full time sabbatical officers change each year, continuity is affected and a high standard of efficiency and effectiveness is difficult to maintain. Relations with the authorities vary more with the personality of the President of the Union rather than with his or her policies. The most pressing needs of the students (in 1987) is for more residential accommodation and for space for non-teaching activities for students such as common room facilities and quiet study areas. The accommodation question has been a headache for many years and seems to be getting worse in the changing economic climate of Cambridge. CCAT students have to compete for a declining pool of rented accommodation with university students, and with the foreign students, who attend the many private schools teaching English. As a result, rents in Cambridge are similar to London rents, yet there is not a similar allowance to take this into account. In a recent survey carried out by the students it was shown that CCAT students are the poorest in the country.(6) However, as already pointed out, the great majority of m/s already live in or near Cambridge and do not add to the problem of scarce and expensive living accommodation. Conclusion. Like many other educational institutions in the public sector CCAT has suffered physically from the cuts in public spending on education illustrated by the poor amenities offered to its students. Fortunately, the work achieved by both staff and students is of a high standard, notwithstanding the conditions which all experience. The staff are involved in constant changes which add to their workload, but which they believe will lead into new forms of provision involving more m/s from the region. The latest idea being developed is that CCAT will merge with the Essex Institute of H/ed. in Chelmsford to form a projected Polytechnic of East Anglia. The courses of the two institutions would complement each other and be able to support over 4,OOO f/t degree students between them. Polytechnic status would thus be a feasible proposition. This idea is in the preliminary planning stages and it may be many years before it becomes a reality, but it is an indication of how the future may look. CCAT would like to be in a position to take full advantage of these possibilities by showing that it is aware of problems these changes might bring and it is tackling the changing needs of staff and students already. The regular inspection of academic standards of the degree courses by the CNAA have ensured that fears of lowering of standards by changes in admission procedures for m/s were unfounded. Although institutions like CCAT have to submit to these inspections, which do not apply to the university sector, the confidence which a good report gives to the institution is reflected by the attitudes of the staff towards their students. From the point of view of m/s, the changes and developments that are taking place in the present have been positive ones. Opportunities for m/s to enter CCAT on degree courses are wider and the awareness of the special problems facing mature students are becoming evident. Entry requirements are not so rigid and the presence of a Day Nursery demonstrate the changes that are taking place. Footnotes. 1. In October,1985. 1,239 f/t degree students enrolled out of a total of 6,874.students. (18% of all students) 2. Day Nursery occupies one room in the college which was adapted by the college for this use. Running costs and administration are borne by SU. 3. See p.77. 4. See "Opportunities in H/ed. for M/s." CNAA p.9. 5. See Chapter 6. p.178. 6. Report of NUS. August, 1986. Contents Page | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 (appendices)