Final report: Flexible pathways and effective transitions in CBHE
Publication date: 14 Jul 2026
This Collaborative Enhancement Project focused entirely on College Based Higher Education providers, bringing together five FE colleges from across England. Using a student-staff collaborative partnership, it explored supporting flexible pathways and effective transitions in CBHE. Students worked with staff to capture experiences across subjects in case studies, contributing to wider understanding and presenting findings to QAA members at a national end-of-project event.
About this project
Further education colleges (FECs) are vital to widening participation in higher education (HE) among underrepresented social groups.
There are currently over 70 FEC members of the QAA, representing nearly 30% of the overall membership. Yet college-based HE (CBHE) remains under-researched and is often an overlooked area of HE policy and practice.
This project focussed exclusively on CBHE providers. Five further education colleges from across England participated in a student-staff collaborative partnership approach exploring the core theme of supporting flexible pathways and effective student transitions in CBHE. The final project report was published in July 2026.
The project aims to:
Increase student engagement in shaping their learning experiences by empowering them to become directly involved in informing and improving understanding about supporting their pathways and transitions into CBHE.
Build students’ confidence in transitioning to HE through collaborating with academic staff to learn about HE learning and teaching expectations and practices.
Prepare, train and support 50 students and staff from 5 FECs to work collaboratively to undertake 2 cycles of collaborative observation across 10 different case studies.
Generate an evidence and practice base to inform and improve CBHE students’ learning experiences for QAA members and the wider sector.
Project outputs
Participant training: Flexible pathways and effective transitions in CBHE
Publication date: 14 Jul 2026
This project explored several areas of focus related to the core theme of supporting flexible pathways and effective transitions in CBHE. Areas identified by FEC partners included:
- building students’ confidence in transitioning to HE study
- fostering learner independence
- understanding barriers and enablers to successful progression and completion
- adapting to differences in approaches to studying in HE (L4+) compared to FE (L3)
- use of digital technology and hybrid approaches in studying CBHE
In collaboration with staff, students contributed directly to informing wider understanding about their learning experiences of CBHE, which were captured across multiple subject areas in student-staff case studies. Students and staff collaborated on presenting their findings to other QAA members at a national end of project event in April 2026
Lead institution
Professor Dr Matt O’Leary is Professor of Education at Birmingham City University, UK. Professor O’Leary is one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of classroom observation. He is internationally renowned for his extensive body of work on the use of classroom/lesson observation in understanding and improving teaching and learning across colleges, schools and universities. His research has had significant impact in the UK and internationally on education policy and the thinking and practice of education leaders, practitioners and researchers working in all education sectors over the last two decades. His expertise has been sought by regional, national and international government bodies, as well as national education associations and inspectorates on the use of observation as a tool for understanding and improving the quality of teaching and learning.
Partner institutions
- Simon Horner, Bishop Burton College
- Chrissie Draper, Derby College
- Nicola Burt, Nottingham College
Claudine Barnes, Solihull College and University Centre
David Turner, Walsall College