Adding value to learning through cultural change: the Northumbrian experience

The 1990s in UK Higher Education have seen far reaching changes throughout the sector, which have impacted in many and beneficial ways on the individual learner. The paper will provide evidence from the School of Information Studies at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: it will trace the developments in the teaching and research cultures in the 1990s and assess the resulting impact on learners. The Northumbria experience is that changes in its teaching and research cultures have resulted in developing all its staff as reflective practitioners, which adds value for the increasingly diverse learner community. Theory and practice are fused close to the marketplace, thereby both improving employability and enriching the learning experience.