Managing institutional change and the pressures for new approaches to teaching and learning

In Chapter Six, John Bottomley argues that education institutions in developed countries face a set of common challenges stemming from two decades of economic, political and socio-cultural change. Indeed, the significance of these challenges is not limited to educational institutions; they are also creating a move towards flexible learning practices in the labour market and workplace. Edwards and Tait discuss the shaping of flexible learning policy in Chapter Eight. This chapter, however, will consider the impact of such change specifically on the patterns of teaching and learning, and change management within higher education.