David Ridley

This article critically examines the impact of online higher education in the context of broader structural changes within the higher education sector, particularly in the UK. It argues that while online technology presents opportunities to enhance learning and widen access, its current trajectory reflects a deeper agenda of marketization and corporatization within universities. Drawing from historical shifts in funding models and market reforms, the article reveals how online education is being used as a tool by entrepreneurial university leaders to drive surplus generation and market expansion. Through case studies and analysis, it demonstrates how digitalization facilitates the rationalization of university production, creating efficiencies at the expense of academic labor and pedagogical quality. Furthermore, it posits that the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a catalyst for further marketization, consolidation, and ultimately, the reinforcement of British imperialism through higher education. However, amidst these challenges, the article highlights positive examples of online education, such as blended learning models and open educational resources, which offer alternatives to the prevailing market-driven approach. It calls for a reimagining of universities as socially and ecologically responsible institutions, grounded in their physical communities and committed to addressing global challenges such as climate change. Ultimately, it advocates for a shift towards a university model that prioritizes sustainability, social justice, and community engagement over profit-driven expansion.

This paper delves into the disillusionment and challenges faced by British youth entering adulthood in the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from Patrick Ainley's insightful analysis in "Betraying a Generation," it highlights the widening gap between educational promises and bleak employment realities, where young graduates find themselves overqualified and underemployed in low-paying, insecure jobs. The paper underscores the deepening divide in employment opportunities between graduates and non-graduates, with implications for social mobility and economic stability.

This article approaches the question of how far critical pedagogy can be institutionalised through a series of historical and contemporary examples. Current debates concerned with the co-operative university are examined, as well as histories of independent working-class education and the free university movement. Throughout this history, critical pedagogy has occupied a difficult space in relation to higher education institutions, operating simultaneously against and beyond the academy. The Deweyian concept of 'democratisation' allows the institutionalisation of critical pedagogy to be considered as a process, which has never been and may never be achieved, but is nevertheless an 'end-in-view'. The article concludes by offering the Lucas Plan as a model of radical trade unionism that could be applied to the democratisation of existing universities and the institutionalisation of critical pedagogy.

A discussion of the efficacy of student-led seminars for encouraging critical thinking and confidence in dealing with difficult theoretical texts


A new approach to teaching critical theory and thinking was designed for an English and Journalism 'Democracy and the Media' module, in which students were asked to lead seminars by introducing the topic (a pre-set critical theory text) for each week in the form of a 10 minute (group) presentation and then taking part in a 30 minute open discussion based on questions suggested by this presentation. The seminars were perceived to be a success by the tutors and course leader for the module, and this was reflected in positive feedback from the Module Evaluation Questionnaires. These results were further triangulated with a focus group in which the students freely discussed their opinions about the seminars with an independent facilitator. This paper presents the results of this action research project, which show that students not only value the chance to take control of their own learning situations but also believe that this improves the quality of their learning and helps with critical engagement with difficult theoretical texts. It is hoped that this paper will encourage discussion about the value and practicalities of student-led learning and may provide a possible model for other teachers to try in their own classrooms.