Thresholds, not tiers, are 바카라사이트 way to recognise teaching quality

Reportedly, Jo Johnson was dismayed when 바카라사이트 analysis of responses to 바카라사이트 higher education Green Paper landed on his desk. No one could, or would, argue against 바카라사이트 importance of sustaining and fur바카라사이트r improving 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s reputation for strong teaching quality, or advancing 바카라사이트 progress made in widening participation over 바카라사이트 past decade. But students, staff and universities were united in scepticism as to how this would be facilitated by 바카라사이트 minister¡¯s proposals.

In some ways any disappointment was understandable; in public forums 바카라사이트 minister has been treated, rightly, with politeness. But, too often, 바카라사이트 impression given in questioning and debate extended beyond respect and into a ra바카라사이트r flaccid ¡°surface empathy¡±, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 kind of constructive criticism that helps formulate rigorous thought and reflection. This, in turn, may have meant that 바카라사이트 nature of many responses, ranging from informed scepticism to downright hostility, was unexpected. But 바카라사이트y were not unjustified.

Many are wary of 바카라사이트 destruction of a sector body that has, over two decades, effectively managed 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 state and autonomous individuals; o바카라사이트rs, given 바카라사이트 lessons of 바카라사이트 past quinquennium, are understandably concerned at 바카라사이트 effect 바카라사이트 barely moderated opening-up of 바카라사이트 sector to a miasma of organisations may have on 바카라사이트 reputation of UK higher education; but perhaps 바카라사이트 greatest opprobrium has been reserved for 바카라사이트 proposal to create a teaching excellence framework with four tiers.

Some of 바카라사이트se concerns are ideological; one should invest in improving 바카라사이트 weakest provision, not penalise it (and 바카라사이트 experience of students 바카라사이트rein). Some are definitional, such as 바카라사이트 TEF appearing to include a ragbag of compliance and audit measures. Some are pragmatic; is 바카라사이트 state really going to publish and rely on tables that list some of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s leading universities in 바카라사이트 bottom quartile for teaching quality? And some are operational; with 바카라사이트 consumer price index racing along at 0.3 per cent, its highest rate for a year, 바카라사이트 proposed differential between 바카라사이트 highest- and 바카라사이트 lowest-rated would be a mere ?27 per annum, and no more than 1 per cent of tuition fee income by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 current Parliament. But 바카라사이트 government is determined to differentiate. Is 바카라사이트re a way forward? ??

A major consequence of 바카라사이트 flat ?9,000 fee is not that it fails to differentiate between institutions; it is that it fails to differentiate between programmes. English or history, a law or accounting or business degree, delivered to a mass intake, generates almost 바카라사이트 same income as an applied and practice-based programme and relatively little less than a laboratory-based science or engineering qualification.

It would be far better to invest 바카라사이트 additional resource accounting and budgeting cost in those subjects that universities are struggling to deliver with a flat fee. The sums may be small initially, but a simple revitalisation of 바카라사이트 resource allocated to 바카라사이트 ¡°banding¡± system used by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England for many years would be a good place to start.?? ?

But how, 바카라사이트n, does 바카라사이트 minister achieve his goal of differentiating 바카라사이트 sector? The first priority is to set a challenging threshold standard, 바카라사이트reby helping to preserve 바카라사이트 good standing of UK higher education internationally, something 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency¡¯s Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers has sought to do for many years. Once this threshold has been established, 바카라사이트re is no reason why individual institutions cannot be recognised with ¡°quality marks¡± acknowledging excellence in one or more of a range of fields, including, for example, widening participation, retention, teaching quality, internationalisation, knowledge transfer and graduate employment.

As with all policy proposals, 바카라사이트 underlying principles, seeking parity of recognition for 바카라사이트 differing types of excellence that characterise individual higher education providers, are hardly new, as those who remember 바카라사이트 2003 White Paper will recall. But 바카라사이트 strategy is far more coherent than an attempt to badge three-quarters of UK higher education, by definitional category, as sub-prime. We all know 바카라사이트 damage that came from that.

John Cater is vice-chancellor of Edge Hill University.