Centre for Higher Studies (CHES)

Whether as an organization or as an individual, and whether as a potential research student or as a younger or more experienced academic, if you think we can support or work with you in any way, please contact the CHES Administrator, Alison Peacock a.peacock@ioe.ac.uk

CHES Associate News

The Government is launching a debate on the future funding of higher education. These papers from Richard Brown, until recently the Chief Executive of the CIHE, set out his views on the options.

Valuing Higher Education(0.46Kb)
Invest for Greatness in Higher Education(0.37Kb)

Higher Education Studies (CHES)

Joint Directors: Professor Sir David Watson and Dr Paul Temple

Founded in 1985, the Centre for Higher Education Studies (CHES) aims to be a leading centre of its kind, and works hard to play its part in the development of research and scholarship into higher education.  It also has an extensive consultancy arm.  Major themes that CHES has recently worked on include theoretical and conceptual issues in higher education, national and international policy and higher education operational management covering governance, financial management and professional identity.

CHES Activities 

  • We conduct funded research into higher education
  • We conduct a wide range of consultancy projects, from a day to several months in duration
  • We produces books and papers in the research literature and other research and scholarly output 
  • We provide a forum for debate. 

These activities include:

  • A regular evening seminar programme, the speakers at which include the leading researches in higher education studies.  These seminars  are open to all and everyone is very welcome.
  • An annual international conference.  Recent conferences have focused on The Dearing Report – Ten Years On, Quality Enhancement and Creating and Sharing Knowledge: the university and its enterprise partners.
  • Is involved in capacity building.  Here, the Centre acts as a forum in which higher education research students at the Institute of Education can come together, in a regular seminar programme.  The individual academic staff members of the Centre also have their own research students.

In many of these activities, CHES works collaboratively with other higher education Centres, both in the UK and abroad, and with organizations of different kinds. 

The Centre also:

  • Produces a regular newsletter
  • Welcomes visitors from across the UK and from around the world.  Individuals are very welcome to visit us when they are in London and to give papers if they wish.  Visits can last from an hour to a year!  The latter is accomplished via the Institute's scheme for Academic Visitors www.ioe.ac.uk/visitingacademicstaff
  • Has a number of CHES Associates, who work with us on different projects