UCU: Two-year, 'fast-track' accelerated degrees in further and higher education

Motion

Motion title: Two-year, 'fast-track' accelerated degrees in further and higher education

Motion text: Congress believes that proposals for squeezing three-year honours degrees into two years, coming at the same time as massive cuts in both FE and HE budgets, is driven by economic rather than by educational objectives.
Previous experiments with fast-track degrees have revealed little demand for them as well as major problems in the quality of the student experience. They are also contrary to the Bologna Process, will make transfer to Bologna-style Masters courses problematic, and will seriously damage the international reputation of UK degrees.
Fast-track degrees also place unacceptable demands on staff workloads and reduce time for scholarship, research and professional development as well as leading to the use of casualised terms and conditions on summer 'semesters'.
Congress therefore calls on the NEC to oppose the introduction of all forms of education on the cheap‚Äù and to continue to defend high quality education and the terms and conditions of UCU members.