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This paper explored collective grief through the case of a Business Management College which suddenly and unexpectedly went into administration. The aim was to gain and apply insight to future crises in collective grief such as what occurred during Covid 19.

120 EVRE submissions with weekly reflective journal entries and 121 Capstone submissions including reflections were analysed as secondary textual data using content-thematic analysis and inferential statistics.

This study confirms the theory that grief is not linear. However, even though no positive correlation was found between two different cohorts (EVRE and CAPP submissions), who did experience the same crisis in different ways, those people did all seem to share the stage of avoidance.

The textual data was limited in scope as not all students chose to express their grief through the written submission or the Kubler-Ross lens.

This research does suggest that initially, institutional responses to collective grief should address initial stages of “avoidance”.

In responding to collecting grief, such as Covid 19, institutions need to recognise the non-linear process of grief and not expect a “one-size-fits-all” approach to be a viable solution.

There is not much research available looking at student experience and emotional pressures (if at all) collectively during a crisis.

In an uncertain and competitive higher educational landscape, expedient management of professional capital could increase knowledge capital by ensuring the recruitment and retention of experienced and highly qualified academic staff. In this paper, a case study of a private university aims to evaluate the talent management of academic staff.

Primary datum amongst academic staff was collected using an online survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interviews and descriptive analysis of three forms of survey were triangulated for richer data.

Most of the academic staff in this private university were intrinsically motivated and there was a low expectation to be active in research and publication. However, bibliometrics was a priority amongst senior academics interviewed. The lack of talent management in bibliometric profiles expressed by senior academics hamper academic progression and could contribute to high turnover intentions as push factors. Overall, there were no explicit talent management strategies by management identified.

This is a small-scale research project.

Management should explore various options for structuring career paths within the organisational structure to secure career commitment of the employees. Within private universities, this could take the form of secondments to industry as part of work-based learning projects which could then also result in research and publication.

Private universities widen the access to higher education and as such are an important research focus for improvements in quality and the retention of staff.

Research of staff talent management in a UK private university.

Programmes and courses integrating learning and work, captured generally in this paper as work integrated learning (WIL), usually provide flexible and innovative learning opportunities. In a digital age, information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be vital in delivering and enhancing such hybrid forms of WIL. The purpose of this paper is to explore the correlation and trajectory of ICT use among priests in the Church of England in the various forms of WIL.

The case study explores ICT use among a sample of Church of England priests by examining initially their use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) such as Blackboard and Moodle in work-based learning (WBL); and assessing the trajectory and correlation to work-related learning (WRL) through their use of social networking/engagement tools such as Facebook and Twitter in continuing professional development courses (CPD). The correlation and trajectory is provided through a document analysis of VLE access and a survey questionnaire.

Priests in WBL and priests engaged in WRL (i.e. CPD courses) revealed a correlation in the lack of ICT pervasiveness. With only a minority of priests engaging in further higher education (HE), the familiarity and use of ICT such as VLE platforms stagnated or declined. Correlated with social networking/engagement, priests overwhelmingly cited the “lack of time” as a reason not to engage with social media, however, ICT reluctance caused by fear was the trajectory resulting in a further lack of “ICT pervasiveness”.

While results may be generalisable among Church of England priests and other faith communities internationally, due to its unique and distinctive parameters, it is not generalisable to the general mature student adult education population.

The case study highlighted that continued intentional familiarisation and use of ICT within the various forms of WIL programmes and courses among “non-digital natives” would enhance learning. Such learning in WIL would be beneficial for HE programmes addressing e-readiness as a priority.

Specific to the sample case study, considering the importance of community engagement and WIL, this study highlights the challenges and changes required for improved social capital within the field of ICT and adult education.

No studies have considered the training and education of priests as a WIL case study of ICT “pervasiveness” and self-efficacy.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of an action research intervention during a work-based learning (WBL) project among human resource management (HRM) students at a business college in London. The intervention was the researcher’s meeting with the nominated group leaders to facilitate reflection on their leadership and instil confidence.

This paper is based on an action research leadership intervention on a broader undergraduate WBL module taught across nine disciplines and numerous projects. The action learning involved the phases of action, reflection, learning and planning. The sample was five group leaders on one of the projects for HRM students. A content analysis of their assessment submissions was included in the reflection, learning and planning phases.

Based on a content analysis, most of the group leaders acknowledged the leadership intervention in their submissions in varying degrees of quantity and quality. The findings reflect the impact of the intervention upon leadership confidence and the application of theory on practice. Specific leadership input would enhance the impact. The intervention did address confidence which impacted self-directed learning.

The research is limited to a specific context and small sample. It is limited by the fact that reflective assessment work could not be used in comparison with the project assessment submissions.

The research demonstrates directly from the assessed submissions of students the benefit of WBL with a specific focus on confidence, leadership, reflection and self-directed learning. It demonstrates as an example the application of action research on a small WBL sample.

The research is the evidence of the importance of leadership and confidence among mature adults in WBL contexts.

This paper demonstrates the impact of WBL on the learning of mature adults and, furthermore, the impact of a leadership intervention on the motivation of students for self-directed learning.

An analysis is conducted on the implementation of Capstone Projects (CAPP) at a private business college in the UK as part of their work-based learning (WBL) strategy. CAPP are introduced for the first time in this college in the Autumn semester of 2017. The purpose of this paper is to study the continuity and impact of WBL through the CAPP.

Comparative data of student experience were collected and analysed from online polls throughout the Autumn and following Summer semester webinar lectures and a content analysis of formative assessment work included in the final submissions.

Data indicated that recommended changes after the Autumn semester were only partially successful by the Summer semester and that the continuity of the key pedagogical strategies identified in the Autumn semester were still noticed and mentioned (implicitly and explicitly) in the following Summer semester. Data indicated that the CAPP was a rewarding challenge, that the process of using a webinar was an appreciated and effective process overall and that good supervision made a significant impact on the success of the process.

The implication of the research is that it indicates student experience from the application of WBL in the CAPP process.

Key future recommendations addressing improvements were mainly focussed upon the programme administration.

The work adds to a minimal amount of research on WBL within CAPP in the UK and adds to the knowledge within the field of WBL.

Milk, the universally perfect food, its compositional quality and bacteriological purity causing few qualms nowadays in this country and outbreaks of milk‐borne disease relatively rare, it may come as a surprise that there is another aspect of milk consumption causing discussion and not a little controversy in medical circles. There is an increasing awareness of milk allergy in infancy and in certain adult disorders, evidenced less by serological tests than by the relief afforded by milk‐free diets and the return of symptoms on the re‐institution of a milk diet. Skin tests also are not particularly reliable but the serological tests have at least demonstrated anti‐bodies to milk proteins in most artificially fed babies after the age of seven weeks (Gunther, M. et al, 1960).

For many years now food and drugs authorities (and the public) have been complaining about the low meat content of meat pies on sale and the need of a standard is self‐evident. The pie filling is not visible to the purchaser and often consists of a mixture of meat and cereal from the appearance of which it is impossible to assess the amount of meat present. The sale of made up cooked foods has increased among all such products in recent years, but for meat pies the increase has been phenomenal.