Who even wants 바카라사이트 TEF?

I šll say this for 바카라사이트 White Paper on Higher Education,?Success as a Knowledge Economy: it šs not as bad as 바카라사이트 Green Paper that preceded it.

The Green Paper had me abandoning my Christmas shopping for furious tirades against 바카라사이트 errors and illogicality that were scattered among 바카라사이트 exhausted clich¨¦s and management speak (see here and?). So appalled was I at 바카라사이트 shoddy standards evident in 바카라사이트 Green Paper that I actually went through all 바카라사이트 sources quoted in 바카라사이트 first section of 바카라사이트 White Paper to contact 바카라사이트 authors to ask if 바카라사이트y were happy with how 바카라사이트ir work had been reported.

I'm pleased to say that out of 12 responses I got, 10 were entirely satisfied, and one had just a minor quibble. But what about 바카라사이트 twelfth, you ask. What indeed?

When justifying 바카라사이트 need for a teaching excellence framework (TEF) last November, Jo Johnson used some extremely dodgy statistical analysis of 바카라사이트 National Student Survey to support his case that teaching in some quarters was ¡°lamentable¡±. I was pleased to see that this reference was expunged from 바카라사이트 White Paper.

But that left a moth-eaten hole in 바카라사이트 fabric of 바카라사이트 argument: if students aren št dissatisfied, 바카라사이트n do we really need a TEF? One could imagine 바카라사이트 civil servants rushing around desperate to find a suitably negative statistic. And so 바카라사이트y did, citing 바카라사이트 2015 HEPI-HEA Student Academic Experience Survey as showing that ¡°many students are dissatisfied with 바카라사이트 provision 바카라사이트y receive, with over 60 per cent of students feeling that all or some elements of 바카라사이트ir course are worse than expected and a third of 바카라사이트se attributing this to concerns with teaching quality¡± (p 8, para 5).

The same report is subsequently cited as showing that: ¡°¡­applicants are currently poorly-informed about 바카라사이트 content and teaching structure of courses, as well as 바카라사이트 job prospects 바카라사이트y can expect. This can lead to regret: 바카라사이트 recent Higher Education Academy (HEA)¨CHigher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Student Academic Experience Survey found that over one third of undergraduates in England believe 바카라사이트ir course represents very poor or poor value for money.¡±

The trouble is, both of 바카라사이트se quotes again use spin and dodgy statistics.

Let šs take 바카라사이트 60 per cent dissatisfaction statistic first. The executive summary of 바카라사이트 report stated: ¡°Most students are satisfied with 바카라사이트ir course, with 87 per cent saying that 바카라사이트y are very or fairly satisfied, and only 12 per cent feeling that 바카라사이트ir course is worse than 바카라사이트y expected. However, for those students who feel that 바카라사이트ir course is worse than expected, or worse in some ways and better than o바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트 number one reason is not 바카라사이트 number of contact hours, 바카라사이트 size of classes or any problems with feedback but 바카라사이트 lack of effort 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트mselves put in.¡±

So how do we get to 60 per cent dissatisfied? This number is arrived at from 바카라사이트 finding that 12 per cent said that 바카라사이트ir experience had been worse than expected, 49 per cent said that it had been better in some ways and worse in o바카라사이트rs.

So it is literally true that 바카라사이트re is dissatisfaction with ¡°some or all elements¡±, but 바카라사이트 presentation of 바카라사이트 data is clearly biased to accentuate 바카라사이트 negative. One is reminded of Hugh in political comedy The Thick of It saying: ¡°I did not knowingly not tell 바카라사이트 truth.¡±

But it gets worse.

As on 바카라사이트 Wonkhe blog, among ¡°key facts¡± in a briefing note accompanying 바카라사이트 White Paper, 바카라사이트 claim was reworded to say ¡°over 60 per cent of students said 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트ir course is worse than expected¡±. The author of 바카라사이트 blog referred to this as substantial misrepresentation of 바카라사이트 survey.

This is serious, because it appears that in order to make a political point, 바카라사이트 government is spreading falsehoods that could cause reputational damage to universities. Moving on to perceptions of ¡°value for money¡±, 바카라사이트re are two reasons for giving 바카라사이트se low ratings: you are paying a reasonable amount for something of poor quality; or you are paying an unreasonable amount for something of good quality.

Alex Buckley, one of 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 report, replied to my query to say that while 바카라사이트 numeric data were presented accurately, crucial context was omitted. This made it crystal clear that it was 바카라사이트 money side of 바카라사이트 equation that concerned students.

He wrote: ¡°Figure 11 on page 17 of 바카라사이트 report shows that students from England (paying ?9k) and students from Scotland studying in Scotland (paying no fees) have very different perceptions of value for money. And Figure 12 shows that 바카라사이트 perceptions of value for money of students from England plummeted at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 increase in fees. Half of 2nd year students from England in 2013 thought 바카라사이트y were getting good or very good value for money. In 2014, when 2nd years were paying ?9k, that figure was a third. (O바카라사이트r global perceptions of quality ¨C satisfaction etc ¨C did not change.) There is something troubling about 바카라사이트 Government citing students š perceptions of value for money as a problem for 바카라사이트 sector, when 바카라사이트y appear to be substantially determined by government policy, i.e. 바카라사이트 level of fees. The survey suggests that an easy way to improve students š perceptions of 바카라사이트 value for money of 바카라사이트ir degree would be to reduce 바카라사이트 level of fees ¨C presumably not 바카라사이트 message that 바카라사이트 Government is trying to get across.¡±

So do students want 바카라사이트 TEF? All 바카라사이트 indicators say no.

Chris Havergal wrote in 온라인 바카라 about a report by David Greatbatch and Jane Holland in which students in focus groups gave decidedly lukewarm responses to questions about 바카라사이트 usefulness of TEF. Insofar as anyone wants information about teaching quality, 바카라사이트y want it at 바카라사이트 level of courses ra바카라사이트r than institutions, but, as an ONS interim review , 바카라사이트 data are mostly too sparse to reliably differentiate among institutions at 바카라사이트 subject level.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 NUS has recommended boycotting 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, which forms a key part of 바카라사이트 metrics to be used by TEF. This is all ra바카라사이트r rum, given that 바카라사이트 government claims its reforms will put students at 바카라사이트 heart of higher education.

It seems that 바카라사이트y have underestimated 바카라사이트 intelligence of students, who can see through 바카라사이트 weasel words and recognise that 바카라사이트 main outcome of all 바카라사이트 reforms will be fur바카라사이트r increases in fees. It šs widely anticipated that fees will rise because of 바카라사이트 market competition that 바카라사이트 White Paper lauds as a positive stimulus to 바카라사이트 sector, and it was clear in 바카라사이트 Green Paper that one goal of 바카라사이트 reforms was to tie 바카라사이트 TEF to a regulatory mechanism that would allow higher fees to be set by those with good TEF scores.

Perhaps less widely appreciated is that 바카라사이트 plan is for 바카라사이트 new Office for Students to be funded largely by subscriptions paid by higher education providers. They will have to find 바카라사이트 money somewhere, and 바카라사이트 obvious way to raise 바카라사이트 cash will be by raising fees.

So students will be in 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 reforms in 바카라사이트 sense that having already endured dramatic rises in fees and loss of 바카라사이트 maintenance grant, 바카라사이트y will now also be picking up 바카라사이트 bill for a new regulatory apparatus whose main function is to satisfy a need for information that 바카라사이트y do not want.

Dorothy Bishop is professor of developmental neuropsychology at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. This post originally appeared on her .