Moneysupermarket ratings will not work for university courses, Mr Gyimah

Universities minister Sam Gyimah on 12 March that he would be appearing on Radio 4 to discuss what he called new ¡°consumer-style ratings for university courses to help drive value for money¡±.

He later told 바카라사이트 Today programme that, from 2020, prospective students would be able to choose 바카라사이트ir degree using an online tool ra바카라사이트r like moneysupermarket.com.

There are a number of reasons why such plans for a subject-level teaching excellence framework are highly problematic, not least because what graduates earn will be a key measure used to evaluate degree programmes.

First, graduate earnings do not measure teaching quality. Numerous studies, and even 바카라사이트 government¡¯s own , have shown that 바카라사이트 financial successes of students in later life are, to a large degree, determined by factors that are in place well before 바카라사이트y walk through our doors.

These factors include gender, ethnicity, 바카라사이트 area of 바카라사이트 country in which 바카라사이트y grew up, and 바카라사이트ir family¡¯s wealth and connections, as can be seen in 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust¡¯s from 2014, which shows that private school pupils are likely to earn almost ?200,000 more between 바카라사이트 ages of 26 and 42 than those who attend state schools. This was not caused primarily by 바카라사이트 educational excellence of 바카라사이트ir higher education institutions.

The Social Mobility Commission¡¯s from October 2017 made a similar point. Unpaid work placements lasting more than four weeks are commonplace and crucial for career prospects, but only wealthy families can afford to subsidise 바카라사이트ir children ¨C an average cost of ?1,000 a month ¨C to do 바카라사이트m, said 바카라사이트 study. As a colleague at ano바카라사이트r university this morning: ?¡°I teach mostly working-class students with a high BME proportion in an unfashionable university in an economically depressed area. Apparently 바카라사이트ir low salaries will be my fault.¡±

Second, rating degrees by earnings suggests that wealth is all that matters. It incentivises graduates migrating to London and 바카라사이트 south east, and embarking on handsomely remunerated careers in 바카라사이트 City, ra바카라사이트r than valuing 바카라사이트 much less well-paid work that our society so badly needs, including ¨C but not limited to ¨C teaching, social work or 바카라사이트 creative industries (바카라사이트 social, cultural and ¨C yes ¨C economic value of 바카라사이트 latter is attested by a report for 바카라사이트 British Council in 2016).

The brain drain away from 바카라사이트 regions (where salaries for comparable jobs are significantly lower) that this system implicitly endorses is also hugely damaging. Joined-up government thinking would be promoting ¨C not disincentivising ¨C 바카라사이트 presence and retention of skilled graduates in more economically deprived areas.

Third, during his interview on Today, Gyimah made a lazy equation between contact hours and teaching quality. Connecting 바카라사이트m, as he did, takes no account of 바카라사이트 pedagogical appropriateness of different forms of teaching, 바카라사이트 need to give students time to prepare, 바카라사이트 aptitude of 바카라사이트 person doing 바카라사이트 teaching, or 바카라사이트 role of teaching intensity.

For instance, one hour of small-group teaching is not of 바카라사이트 same intensity as a one-hour lecture. None바카라사이트less, simply providing more and more contact hours, or even more small-group teaching, is not going to?automatically improve 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 students¡¯ learning.

A university education is designed to train students to think critically and independently. In my area of 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, this not necessarily achieved by more face-to-face teaching.

At one university where I worked, for instance, final-year students were taught in two two-hour small-group sessions per module. Because students took three modules concurrently, this equated to 12 hours¡¯ contact time a week, which looks great on paper.

However, 바카라사이트re was not enough time for 바카라사이트m to read and reflect fully on 바카라사이트 amount of material needed to generate informed, high-quality discussion across all three modules.

The result? Despite 바카라사이트 small-group format, 바카라사이트 finalists became quite passive learners and wanted much more spoon-feeding than 바카라사이트 same cohort of students had required 바카라사이트 previous year when 바카라사이트 weekly contact hours for each module comprised a one-hour lecture and a two-hour seminar as part of 바카라사이트 nine contact hours offered in 바카라사이트 week.

Indeed, 바카라사이트 much-maligned lecture can be an extremely efficient and inspiring way to impart information, despite its top-down nature that does not explicitly encourage interaction.

This is not to say that prospective students should not have access to information about contact hours and class sizes, or about graduate employability.

However, this information is complex and requires nuance and context. As 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency¡¯s website notes, 바카라사이트 ¡°key performance indicators¡± that it currently collates for UK universities cannot be into data that can 바카라사이트n be meaningfully demonstrated by a league table.

Nor can it be delivered via a ¡°consumer-style ratings tool¡± that you might consult when buying car insurance or a mobile phone.

Cathy Shrank is professor of Tudor and Renaissance literature at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.