ABSTRACT
Is there scope for improvement in Further Education? Many people, from politicians and policy-makers to college managers and FE tutors, believe there is. As a matter of fact the pursuit of improvement is one of the few constant factors in the history of the sector. It is, of course, not only students who ‘can do better’ – the question of improvement is relevant for all who are involved in the creation of opportunities for learning, either directly or indirectly. But improvement is a difficult concept. What does it mean to improve? And how can it actually be done? This is partly a normative question, since any discussion about improvement requires value judgements about what counts as improvement. Is it improvement when more students get a qualification? Is it improvement when more students are happy? Is it improvement when a course becomes more selective? Is it improvement when tutors replace teaching with assessment? The question of improvement also has a political dimension which has to do with who is allowed to participate in making such value judgements. Should this be the prerogative of tutors? College management? Funding bodies? Inspectors? The government? Students?
