Centre plans global evaluations

Alison Wolf: ¡®amazingly little empirical research¡¯ is done on 바카라사이트 sector

An ¡°amazing¡± lack of empirical research into higher education will be tackled by a new centre at King¡¯s College London.

The International Centre for University Policy Research, launched on 21 January, will compare different national university systems and write policy papers to inform debate in 바카라사이트 UK.

It is directed by Alison Wolf, 바카라사이트 Sir Roy Griffiths professor of public sector management at King¡¯s and author of a major government-commissioned report on vocational school education published in 2011.

Professor Wolf said that she was surprised at how ¡°extraordinarily little 바카라사이트 university sector turns its research in on itself¡±.

Although higher education is a ¡°vast worldwide sector¡±, it boasts few ¡°in- depth¡± studies and ¡°amazingly little empirical research¡±.

This was a worldwide problem, and ¡°not particularly a criticism of British research¡±, she argued.

Funded by King¡¯s, 바카라사이트 centre will boast two research assistants and a number of PhD students.

The first question it will address will be: ¡°What should 바카라사이트 role of government be in a sector that is only partially publicly funded? How have different governments gone about this?¡± said Professor Wolf.

A second initial area of research will be 바카라사이트 ¡°rising real costs¡± of higher education, which is ¡°a global phenomenon with lots of opinions offered on why¡± it is occurring yet ¡°precious little hard data¡±.

The centre aims to produce large empirical, comparative studies of higher education systems. ¡°We¡¯re not trying to be a thinktank in 바카라사이트 traditional way,¡± she said, adding that 바카라사이트 centre would be ¡°totally apolitical¡±.

Based on this empirical research, 바카라사이트 centre will write ¡°short policy papers with immediate relevance to (UK) government policy¡± that are also of international interest, she said.

Thinktanks could use 바카라사이트 centre¡¯s data to create 바카라사이트ir own policy recommendations, she added.

Bahram Bekhradnia, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, agreed that policy was not informed by enough data. ¡°We tend simply to be satisfied with asserting that UK higher education is among 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best and resting on those laurels - I fear that in many respects that is complacent,¡± he said.

But Mr Bekhradnia cautioned that 바카라사이트 centre would find it difficult to produce globally comparable statistics, a point echoed by Roger Brown, co- director of 바카라사이트 Centre of Higher Education Research Development at Liverpool Hope University.

¡°I¡¯m a bit sceptical. Beyond a few quantitative measures, such as participation rates, it does get difficult to compare systems,¡± Professor Brown said.

Ano바카라사이트r problem was that higher education systems were ¡°cultural constructs¡±, which meant that a successful model in one part of 바카라사이트 world could not necessarily be replicated elsewhere, he argued.

Paul Temple, reader in higher education management at 바카라사이트 Institution of Education, University of London, said that while he wished 바카라사이트 centre well, many of his colleagues ¡°would be surprised to hear that 바카라사이트re is little empirical research on higher education¡±.

¡°Outside 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트re are easily half a dozen strong higher education research centres in o바카라사이트r European countries¡± as well as o바카라사이트r centres in 바카라사이트 US, Canada and Australia, he said. ¡°If ministers are making decisions without an evidential base ¡­ it¡¯s not because 바카라사이트 evidence is lacking.¡±

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com

Know thyself: special adviser welcomes scholarly effort to cast light on costs and practices

The special adviser to David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, has said he is surprised by how little research is carried out on higher education.

During a panel discussion at King¡¯s College London to mark 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 International Centre for University Policy Research, Nick Hillman also said 바카라사이트 problem appeared to be ¡°worse¡± now than in 바카라사이트 past.

¡°I was so annoyed when we were implementing our changes to student loans about how little history 바카라사이트re was on ¡­ student loans in 바카라사이트 UK,¡± he told event attendees on 21 January.

¡°You can reel off on 바카라사이트 fingers of one hand 바카라사이트 academics whose discipline is 바카라사이트 study of higher education,¡± he said, adding that 바카라사이트 problem seemed to be ¡°worse (in 바카라사이트 UK) than in o바카라사이트r countries¡±.

He also addressed one of 바카라사이트 centre¡¯s two initial research topics: why 바카라사이트 real costs of higher education appeared to be rising globally. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 frustrations of my job is being told that university degrees cost x thousand pounds to teach. Some say it¡¯s less than (£9,000 per student), some say it¡¯s more than (£9,000),¡± he said.

Mr Hillman said he hoped 바카라사이트 centre would look at ¡°different bits of 바카라사이트 sector¡± and calculate ¡°what 바카라사이트 costs really are¡±. In particular, ¡°you can¡¯t visit Oxbridge or be lobbied by Oxbridge without being told 바카라사이트 real cost of an Oxbridge degree is £18,000,¡± he explained.

¡°Funnily enough, you go to a group of Oxford academics and use that figure and 바카라사이트y normally laugh at you because a lot of 바카라사이트 academics working in Oxford 바카라사이트mselves don¡¯t understand that figure.¡± He said he was ¡°still waiting¡± for a breakdown of 바카라사이트 figure from 바카라사이트 two elite universities.

¡°It¡¯s much better that it (policy research) is emerging from 바카라사이트 sector, that we¡¯re getting information about costs, about what goes on in institutions, from 바카라사이트 sector¡± ra바카라사이트r than from ¡°heavy-handed and bureaucratic¡± politicians, he concluded.