1000
Registration and coffee
1030
Chairman's Introduction
What new pressures and types of complaints can we expect as a result of the current Higher Education legislation?
Peter Williams CBE
Deputy Chairman, IDRAS and Governor of Cardiff Metropolitan University
Is former Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency and past President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
1035
Are the changes in tuition fees likely to lead to students, parents and employers seeing a degree more as a financial transaction than an educational experience?
* What should universities do to manage student expectations?
Sir Deian Hopkin
Serves on the Higher Education Commission and the Council of Essex University and the City and Guilds Institute. He is President of the National Library of Wales and IDRAS Board member. He is former Chair of the Student Loans Company and Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of London South Bank University.
1115
What are the lessons learned for universities from the first 8 years of the OIA’s operation?
Felicity Mitchell
Deputy Adjudicator, Office of the Independent Adjudicator of Higher Education (OIA)
1155
Morning coffee
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Format for the day:
With the help of 106 education complaints practitioners, we have developed a series of thorny questions where a forthright discussion will be of benefit.
Led by your chairman, Peter Williams CBE, the speakers will give short, highly targeted 30-minute presentations, before the question sets are opened to the Panel and audience for 10 minutes of questions and discussion. |
1210
How can you effectively apply mediation as an alternative approach to resolving complaints? How can this underpin a change of culture in complaints handling?
Fiona O’Donnell
Director of Legal Services, University of Dundee
Set up and leads Dundee's pioneering and highly successful early dispute resolution service. She is a former Trustee of Mediation Scotland and co-editor of "a Guide to Mediation in Scotland".
1250
How do you deal with students who complain about resources, tutors and other university inputs when the real issue is their performance?
Huw Morris
Academic Registrar, Swansea University and Chairman, Student Complaints Practitioners Group, Academic Registrars Council (ARC)
1330
Lunch
1430
To what extent are complaints growing because students struggle to make the transition from being rewarded for effort in performing tasks at school to being rewarded for attainment by applying their minds at university?
Chris Morecroft
Board Member, IDRAS and Immediate
Past Chair of the Association of Colleges Higher Education and Further Education Group
Has 37 years teaching and senior management experience including being the Principal of Worcester College of Technology and Principal of Dearne Valley College. |
1510
Under the legislation, how are student group actions going to manifest themselves. What extra powers do universities have to address group action?
Bethan Payne
HE Policy Advisor, NUS
1550
How do you achieve finality in long-running or vexatious cases? When and how do you communicate that there is nothing more to be said and no further progress can be made?
Ros Gardner
Independent Complaint Resolution Service
Is one of the UK's most accomplished customer care specialists. She managed Marks & Spencer's outstanding customer services department, held overall responsibility for the operation of Citizens Advice Bureaux in England, and helped the Cabinet Office identify and implement best practice in customer care and complaints handling within the public sector.
1630
Overrun
1645
Close of conference
Panel:
Rob Cuthbert
Professor of Higher Education Management, University of the West of England and Chair of IDRAS
Has 20 years’ senior management experience including Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor. Was Chair of the Society for Research into Higher Education, awarded a Fellowship by SRHE in 2010.
Professor G. R. Evans
CEO of IDRAS and Emeritus Professor of Medieval Theology and Intellectual History, University of Cambridge
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