Blog： Helicopter parents

The role of parents, who pay towards student costs, has also been seen as becoming more prominent.
This has been caricatured as “helicopter parents” who hover over every decision taken by their student offspring, including contacting lecturers.
Parents can now act as agents for their children in university applications – and have even been allowed to sit in on admissions interviews.
Cary Cooper, pro-vice chancellor at Lancaster University, also points to the structural consequences of a further increase in fees.
At present, he says, the current level of student debt means that many more students have to take part-time jobs to pay their way.
Another hike in fees will mean even more students will need to work – including those who will only be able to study part-time.
This will mean universities will have to adapt, such as providing courses which can be passed in individual units, accumulating credits over a number of years.
Professor Cooper says this could mean a fundamental change for higher education, moving away from the traditional model of 18 to 21-year-olds taking a three-year degree course

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