Creative Higher Education in Europe: Report and new research project

DISCE researchers Roberta Comunian, Tamsyn Dent, Bridget Conor and Chiara Burlina have published this week a new report on “Creative Higher Education in Europe Statistics”. The report – a core part of the research of WP3 (Creative workforce, skills and education) – reviews current data and knowledge in relation to the provision of creative subjects at Higher Education (HE) level across Europe.
The report firstly presents key literature from the field, unpacking some of the main academic contributions to the topic and some of the challenges and limits of current academic research and knowledge. The second part, reports on the main organisations that are currently bringing together providers engaging with creative subjects taught at HE level. Thirdly, it acknowledges how the current framework for Higher Education (HE) provision and monitoring linked to creative subjects across Europe level is captured by some nations (in Europe and beyond) to cover questions in relation to: monitoring data on student population, reflecting on access and participation as well as forms of specialisation and geographical distribution. Furthermore, it considers graduates’ outcomes and creative careers though an examination of relevant alumni research. In the conclusion, the researchers offer some recommendations to highlight what are the key challenges and questions that need to be addressed by future research and policy.
The report was written in early March 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic has taken hold of much of Europe. However, the researchers acknowledge that the recent crisis has also a profound impact on HE provision across Europe. For this reason, researchers within King’s College London (Dr Roberta Comunian, Dr Tamsyn Dent and Dr Lauren England) have launched this week a new website and research project – in collaboration with DISCE. The project entitled ‘Creative Higher Education and the impact of Covid-19’ aims to collect reflections, experiences and perspective from academics and technical staff involved in teaching creative subjects at Higher Education level. The website includes a blog that will host opinion pieces and interventions on key topics. It includes already a reflection on the impact of Covid-19 on teaching practices and one on the potential financial uncertainty of creative higher education.
This project – that has only just started – calls for the involvement of academics and technical staff, that can participate in online discussion or undertake online interviews to feedback on the recent changes and challenges faced by the sector. To get involved, potential participants are asked to complete a brief online form and register.

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