Hull Geological Society

Mike Horne FGS

Unfinished Works

[This is unfinished work that has not been edited or peer reviewed by the Society.]

Adult Education Geology Classes at the University of Hull (written in 2014)

When the University College opened in Hull in 1928 the first two departments were Law and Adult Education. The first appointment was the Professor of Adult Education. The University College received its royal charter in 1954 and became the University of Hull. The University aimed to “…advance education, scholarship, knowledge and understanding by teaching and research, for the benefit of individuals and society at large” (Royal Charter, University of Hull, 1954).

In The University of Hull, the first fifty years T W Bamford (1978) writes - "...the work of Adult Education is unique. Most departments are content to sit back and wait for clients to come to them, and be taught at the convenience of the lecturers on the campus. Adult education does the opposite by going out into the field and carrying the University image by means of a very rich and varied programme. In this way it conveys the name of Hull not only throughout the hinterland, but also to many places abroad, as the following brief account of its work for the session 1975-6 indicates: ' the Department's programme for the adults of the region included 159 courses lasting one session or longer, 91 shorter courses and 93 residential courses and day-schools. In addition to a substantial provision in Hull and the larger towns of the region (e.g. York and Grimsby) classes were arranged in many small towns and villages. ... Nine vacation schools were held in Britain... and three abroad - Cracow, Athens and the Netherlands' ".

The Department of Adult Education changed its name briefly to the Centre for Continuing Education, Development and Training in 1995 before becoming the Centre for Lifelong Learning in 1997. The University Foundation Award was introduced as a "level four qualification" (equivalent of the first year of a degree). To obtain the qualification students were required to attend and pass five UFA 10 credit modules and submit a final piece of work. The sixty credits obtained could be carried forward into the first year of a degree. "Holders of the full 60 credit UFA ... are guaranteed an interview for a place on any University of Hull Foundation degree or Bachelors degree course." ** The UFA was described as being “broadly equivalent to one quarter of the first year of a degree” [anon 2001].

In 2001 there were 19 full time members of staff in the Centre for Lifelong Learning [anon 2001], when the Centre closed in 2012 there were nine..

The external examiner for the UFA (Tim Crocker) for the 2010-2011 academic year commented "Overall, this is a first rate programme, both in terms of the quality of learning evidenced, and the variety of different learners it has been able to develop, including many without a background tradition of participation in HE. It clearly performs an invaluable role for the University in engaging its wider community in progressive, higher level learning and inspiring the pursuit of academic excellence".

During the 5 academic years from 2005 to 2010 and average of 4529 students registered at least one UFA course, some registering from more than one module. An average of 645 modules were run each year during that period. On average 330 of the students each year registered that they had a disability. During that period 145 students went on from the UFA to complete a full degree at the University of Hull. There is no record of how many students progressed to achieve degrees from other Universities.

In the 2009-2010 academic year 68 percent of the students were women and 34 per cent of the students lived in the most deprived postcode districts of the region. The Centre offered 266 short courses in 7 locations taught in Hull and 19 other locations in the region.

In 2011 to 2012 the Centre for Lifelong Learning offered UFA courses at 25 locations in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, including the main Hull campus. In north Yorkshire the University offered 110 courses at the Scarborough campus, Pickering and Whitby.

The Geology Department opened at University College Hull in 1949 with John Neale and Lewis Penny as the first lecturers. In 1960 John Neale (1926-2006) started to offer a geology night class. The following year Mark Piasecki (1931 - 1999) took over the classes and continued to run evening classes and weekend filed excursions until the Department closed in 1988. Brian Waugh also ran some courses until he left to work in America in 1983 and Ansel Dunham (1938-1998) also taught in the 1980s. Ansel introduced Tony Benfield to the Head of the Adult Education Dept when he retired from the BGS in 1987; Tony then started to teach geology classes for the University, mainly in York.

Local school teachers Sheila Rogers and Lynden Emery taught classes in Hull. Sheila even took classes to Lodeve in southern France with Tony Benfield for three years. Sheila donated her teaching collection to Lynden when she retired.

Terry Rockett was invited to teach a course at a school in Goole for the WEA and University in 1994. When they asked him to run a second course he recommended Mike Horne. Mike co-tutored two courses for them with Lynden Emery in 1995. Mike had been involved in staff training at the University in a scheme arranged by 1993 the Head of Department in Adult Education. Mike asked permission to use the geological collection that was now part of the Department of Geography for “night classes”. Members of the Dept were pleased for the collection to be used and Mike developed nine courses that were run on a three year cycle. He also ran an extended version of the Geoforensics course in 2008 that he taught in the Chemistry Department to full-time undergraduates. Some of the courses were so popular that a monthly microscopy evening was started for alumni of the classes and members of the Hull Geological Society. In 2008 Mike started a summer fieldwork course with fellow tutor Roger Sutcliffe, based in Hull and Whitby for the indoor meetings with the students meeting up for fieldwork at weekends. Roger retired in 2011 and Mike ran the course by himself in 2012; this was the last geology course run by the Department.

The final CLL prospectus featured a picture of stepping stones on the cover with the phrase “one small step is all it takes to transform your life” .

sources –

anon [2001] – Information handbook for UFA students. University of Hull. 16pp.

anon [2007] – The UFA and you. University of Hull, 18pp.

anon 2009. The University of Hull. Short Courses 2009-10. Hull and East Yorkshire. Grimsby and Lincolnshire. University of Hull. 66pp.

anon 2011. Centre for Lifelong Learning. Looking to the future - "going beyond". (unpublished report) University of Hull, 16pp.

anon 2011. Centre for Lifelong Learning. Short courses 2011/12. University of Hull, 18pp.

anon 2011. Short Courses and Foundation degrees 2011/12. Centre for Emplyability and Professional Skills. University of Hull.39pp. (**)

anon 2011. Strategic Plan 2011-2015. University of Hull, 48pp.

M Horne 1999 onwards - Geology course notes

T W Bamford 1978. The University of Hull, the first fifty years. Oxford University Press, 290pp.

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