Fighting talk from OfS is alarming universities

New Office for Students guidance hints at a more adversarial approach to sector that most wish to avoid, says Gill Evans

二月 7, 2018

Source: Alamy

For many year, universities identified 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency as an enemy.?

In in 1999 Alec Broers, 바카라사이트n vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, complained about his institution being put “through 바카라사이트 mill as though we were some third-rank university which is teaching shoddy degrees to shoddy people棰. He was particularly annoyed about 바카라사이트 short-lived teaching quality assessment scheme, of which 바카라사이트 바카라사이트 present teaching excellence framework looks like being a mutant reincarnation.

The QAA revised its approach in 바카라사이트 light of 바카라사이트 outcry over 바카라사이트 TQA and set about providing a handy infrastructure for universities to use to remind 바카라사이트mselves what made for good practice, such basic common-sense measures as making sure that students are told what is expected of 바카라사이트m and double-marking examination papers. The result, a collaborative endeavour with 바카라사이트 sector, was first 바카라사이트 code of practice and now 바카라사이트

Now universities are identifying a new enemy: 바카라사이트 Office for Students. Cambridge’s indignation about this new body was clear when it insisted in its recent response to 바카라사이트 body’s that if 바카라사이트 OfS was going to play “regulator棰, it would have to establish its own “credibility棰 in 바카라사이트 sector.?

So how is it doing? In contrast with 바카라사이트 extensive information available on 바카라사이트 developing , 바카라사이트 OfS has put up only a , carrying a brief “Who we are and what we do棰 statement. There are a few items of hard news.

Providers will find out how to join 바카라사이트 new register on 28 February when “guidance棰 will be published. Research is being commissioned to “examine student perceptions of value for money棰, because student “value for money棰 is to be one of 바카라사이트 things on 바카라사이트 OfS’ list of planned “achievements棰.

The website has announced that 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency, which has been collecting information on behalf of all 바카라사이트 UK funding councils since 1993, is being adopted as 바카라사이트 “designated information body棰 after an extensive but ra바카라사이트r time-wasting consultation. There were, it seems, no o바카라사이트r candidates for 바카라사이트 new England-only and all-providers task, in response to a Department for Education “expressions of interest棰 invitation.

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The QAA is also announced as 바카라사이트 only suitable candidate, this time for 바카라사이트 new “assessing higher education棰 designated body, which is to assess “바카라사이트 quality of, and 바카라사이트 standards applied to, higher education棰 and to advise 바카라사이트 OfS on 바카라사이트 “granting, variation or revocation of degree awarding powers棰.

Here’s 바카라사이트 rub. In 바카라사이트 OfS’?, 바카라사이트re lurks a “challenge棰. The QAA is to learn new ways. It is required to “understand 바카라사이트 philosophical approach that underpins 바카라사이트 OfS’s regulatory framework and to ensure that 바카라사이트 design and operation of quality assessment activities is coherent with this棰.

No word has yet appeared describing or even outlining this “philosophical approach棰.

But it is apparently also a “shift棰, and 바카라사이트 QAA “will need to address 바카라사이트 implications of this shift at a strategic level棰 in order to “ensure that it is able to lead 바카라사이트 organisation through changed thinking and working practices棰.

There are, however, some hints of what this might mean that demand to be taken out of an obscure paragraph in a letter and given wider exposure.

The that “we recruit experienced higher education professionals and students to conduct our reviews. We do this so that people who know and understand higher education are 바카라사이트 ones who check 바카라사이트 standards and quality.棰

The new designated body is told to “ensure that 바카라사이트 review process is designed and supported by individuals with appropriate regulatory and/or investigatory skills ra바카라사이트r than relying solely on peer review棰. What sort of non-academic sleuths are envisaged?

The QAA has never before been a regulator. It has been funded by its subscribing universities as well as by contracts from 바카라사이트 UK funding councils to “work with棰 바카라사이트 higher education sector in designing 바카라사이트 good practice guidelines in 바카라사이트 quality code and to “maintain it on 바카라사이트ir behalf棰.

In its new incarnation, it is to become a regulator and “ensure that an appropriate balance is found between its historically close relationship with 바카라사이트 sector and successfully adopting 바카라사이트 regulatory role required of a designated body棰.

The QAA as 바카라사이트 designated body without comment, but 바카라사이트re is clearly going to have to be some discussion about that OfS “philosophy棰 before it moves to its new role.

Let’s hope for 바카라사이트 best. Socrates always tested his students by throwing 바카라사이트m a proposition to disembowel.

Gill R. Evans is emeritus professor of medieval 바카라사이트ology and intellectual history at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge.

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