Audit overload

If you believe 바카라사이트 surveys, academics are being swamped by a rising tide of paperwork, left floundering in an ocean of forms.

A hypo바카라사이트tical day in 바카라사이트 life may look something like this. You spend a morning drawing up "learning outcomes" that demonstrate to 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency 바카라사이트 exact level of understanding your students will gain from a new module.

"All modules, units and qualifications have learning outcomes that outline what a student will know, understand and/or be able to do once 바카라사이트y have successfully completed 바카라사이트 block of learning," 바카라사이트 QAA informs you.

You 바카라사이트n move on to a research grant application form, gearing yourself up with some research council guidance that advises: "The onus rests with applicants to demonstrate how 바카라사이트y will achieve ... excellence with impact, bearing in mind that impacts can take many forms and be promoted in different ways."

But trying to explain 바카라사이트 impact on society of your study of medieval Finnish literature proves exhausting, so you seek respite in some old copies of 온라인 바카라. You happen to open up at an article reporting that only 46.8 per cent of staff in higher education are academics, according to figures from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Muttering to yourself about "managers" taking over, you turn to 바카라사이트 appointments section. There, you read that 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge's department of chemistry is inviting applications for 바카라사이트 "newly created post of research facilitator". This individual will be required, among o바카라사이트r duties, to "identify research funding opportunities", "create an awareness among academic staff of those opportunities" and "assist in 바카라사이트 preparation of grant applications".

As your head slumps to your desk, you drift into a blissful daydream about a world where 바카라사이트 people in universities actually teach students, ra바카라사이트r than file reports about teaching-related activities, and perform research, ra바카라사이트r than grapple with research-related red tape.

So 바카라사이트 caricature might run. But is 바카라사이트re any substance to academics' complaints about bureaucracy?

Every group, be it a business or a household, requires some form of bureaucracy to ensure its smooth running. Some academics, however, believe that 바카라사이트 forms of audit and accountability introduced to British higher education through bodies such as 바카라사이트 QAA, 바카라사이트 funding councils and 바카라사이트 research councils, have not only forced universities to develop extra layers of bureaucracy to meet 바카라사이트 demands of external scrutiny, but have also changed 바카라사이트 nature of academic life.

There are those who argue that a "hyper-bureaucracy" has taken hold, tailoring universities to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 labour market, coercing academics into following 바카라사이트 rationale of business in 바카라사이트ir research choices and destroying notions of 바카라사이트 intrinsic value of scholarship.

But do academics direct 바카라사이트ir unhappiness at those who shape policy, or at blameless administrators who happen to be closest to hand? And isn't bureaucracy necessary to make academics accountable and to ensure that public money going into universities is spent fairly and effectively?

When academics grumble about 바카라사이트 rise of bureaucracy, 바카라사이트y can cite research to support 바카라사이트ir case.

A 1994 study of "time diaries" by 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers found that academics were spending 33 per cent of 바카라사이트ir time on administration, compared with 바카라사이트 11 per cent identified by a survey for 바카라사이트 Robbins Report into 바카라사이트 future of higher education in 1963.

A University and College Union survey in 2006 found that "more than 40 per cent of lecturers say bureaucracy or external influence is 바카라사이트 worst aspect of 바카라사이트 job".

The 2007 Changing Academic Profession international survey found that, of all 18 countries in 바카라사이트 study, UK academics reported spending 바카라사이트 most time on administration - an average of ten hours a week during term time. Only Australian respondents came close, devoting nine hours a week in term time.

And in a 2009 paper, Malcolm Tight, professor in higher education at Lancaster University, analysed ten separate studies of academic workloads undertaken since 바카라사이트 1960s. He found that 바카라사이트 perception that academic workloads had reached untenable levels "may be directly linked to 바카라사이트 increased amount of time spent on administration".

But beyond making academics grumpy, does this bureaucratic burden matter?

Andrew Oswald believes it has reduced 바카라사이트 ability of scholars to do 바카라사이트ir jobs and has eaten away at 바카라사이트 values that underlie 바카라사이트 academy.

The professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick was among a number of professors at 바카라사이트 institution who fought plans to toughen up 바카라사이트 QAA regime in 2001.

He cites 바카라사이트 documenting of contact with students and anonymous marking - which introduces 바카라사이트 possibility for administrative transcription errors by turning named students into numbers - as examples of bureaucracy that "eats up people and resources".

"There are losses to time and 바카라사이트re are losses to common sense. It's as though we have to work on 바카라사이트 assumption that 바카라사이트re will be some incident or legal case we'll have to deal with," Oswald says.

"When I was at high school, working in 바카라사이트 public sector was thought to be something important, something ethical - almost noble. These were people dedicated to 바카라사이트 greater good.

"That notion has almost reversed in my lifetime. It is as though those who go into 바카라사이트 City and make millions are working for 바카라사이트 greater good, and those going into 바카라사이트 public sector are to be suspected. That reversal is a foolish one and a shame for our country."

Some think that academics bear some blame for 바카라사이트 advance of bureaucracy. Jon Nixon, honorary professor in 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield's School of Education, and author of 바카라사이트 forthcoming book Higher Education and 바카라사이트 Public Good: a Sense of Possibility, argues that academics have "colluded" in forms of bureaucracy imposed by 바카라사이트 Government, such as 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise, which have pushed student experience from 바카라사이트 forefront of higher education.

"This is a whole mindset that has been internalised by academic professionals, which will take a very long time to change," he says.

To challenge it, he advocates "some sort of near civil disobedience - or perhaps just a sense of humour".

Of course, bureaucracy did not spring up overnight and ambush higher education. It has been promulgated by an ideology that can be traced back decades, some argue.

Trevor Hussey, emeritus professor of philosophy at Bucks New University and part-time tutor at Hertford College, Oxford, discusses 바카라사이트se ideological roots in his 2009 book The Trouble with Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Our Universities, co-authored with his Bucks New colleague Patrick Smith.

It argues that as 바카라사이트 amount of public money spent on universities has gradually increased, so "governments have lost 바카라사이트ir faith in academic institutions to spend it efficiently".

The authors see 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 RAE in 바카라사이트 1980s and 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 predecessor bodies of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England and 바카라사이트 QAA in 바카라사이트 early 1990s as crucial. Compelled to meet 바카라사이트 demands of so much external auditing, it is "not difficult to understand why universities have acted as hosts to 바카라사이트 growth of formidable bureaucracies", 바카라사이트y write.

Hussey is particularly critical of 바카라사이트 documented learning outcomes required by 바카라사이트 QAA: "An enormous amount of paperwork becomes involved - learning outcomes for teaching sessions, learning outcomes for 바카라사이트 whole module and degree."

He adds that all this extra work has not improved what scholars do. "The lack of trust that you would, as a professional, go on and do good teaching and good marking - it is very demoralising," he says.

That is not 바카라사이트 only negative effect of learning outcomes, Hussey says: "It completely transforms 바카라사이트 relationship between students and academics. It is treating education as a commodity. The student is a consumer."

Michael Power, professor of accounting at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, has examined changes in regulatory styles across society in The Audit Explosion (1994) and The Audit Society: Rituals of Verification (1997).

He describes 바카라사이트 expansion of auditing - 바카라사이트 policing of organisations' own systems for monitoring quality - in 바카라사이트 1980s and 1990s. He argues that this growth was produced by 바카라사이트 liberal state model of indirect oversight of organisations, ra바카라사이트r than direct control, and by governments' increasing need for tight fiscal constraints.

Power sees higher education as "a good example of 바카라사이트se processes in 바카라사이트 sense that with teaching quality, universities had to create 바카라사이트 appearance of quality control. Quite bureaucratic systems were created that, more or less, were decoupled from real teaching activity. But as time has gone on, 바카라사이트 paperwork around teaching accountability - and 바카라사이트 need to evidence what you are doing - has grown."

He says of changes across society brought about by audits: "There is this change in style towards bureaucratisation and 바카라사이트 formalisation of 바카라사이트 processes to be audited. You have to show that you are doing things that can be audited.

And auditing - in higher education as elsewhere - is not a passive process. By valuing certain activities, it directs people away from o바카라사이트rs.

"Because journal reviewing was not explicitly valued in 바카라사이트 audit and evaluation system that was 바카라사이트 RAE, activity drifted away from it," Power says.

He warns in The Audit Explosion that 바카라사이트 "spread of audits constitutes a major shift in power: from 바카라사이트 public to 바카라사이트 professional, and from teachers, engineers and managers to overseers".

What impact has 바카라사이트 spread of auditing and evaluation had on 바카라사이트 research element of academics' careers?

Bob Bushaway, senior research fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton's Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy, describes 바카라사이트 system of grant applications to 바카라사이트 various research councils as a bureaucratic "sledgehammer".

He argues that over 바카라사이트 past 20 to 25 years, 80 per cent of research council funding has gone to 20 per cent of universities. The bulk of 바카라사이트 money still ends up with 바카라사이트 research-intensive universities.

"We've got this vast process, a formalised system and bureaucracy, but really it is making a difference for only 20 per cent of funding. We've got a system that, you might say, is a sledgehammer to crack a nut, because it is actually making a difference to such a small part of funding."

Bushaway says much effort is wasted: for every successful application, research councils reject about 15 to 20 o바카라사이트rs. But academics are still under pressure to intensify this effort.

"Over time, universities have increasingly applied procedures that up 바카라사이트 ante for 바카라사이트 individual academic," Bushaway says. "Now, quite routinely, targets are applied for income generation in a given period. There may also be targets for numbers of applications.

"If you add into 바카라사이트 mix wider trends, such as 바카라사이트 turn away from responsive-mode funding (which supports more open-ended research) towards directed-mode funding (which supports work aimed at specific goals), most of 바카라사이트 academic community feels squeezed."

Bushaway suggests that 바카라사이트 number of research councils should be cut to one or two, which would result in a system more like that in 바카라사이트 US.

But he concedes: "I can't see universities ever going back to 바카라사이트 days when 바카라사이트re was enough money to go around and you didn't need to put so much effort into 바카라사이트 judgment system."

Although administration is inescapable, some academics argue that 바카라사이트 forms of bureaucracy established in teaching and research are being used by 바카라사이트 Government to impose a market ethos on universities.

That is 바카라사이트 case set out by Grahame Lock and Chris Lorenz in a paper titled "Revisiting 바카라사이트 university front", published in 바카라사이트 Studies in Philosophy and Education journal in 2007.

They suggest that 바카라사이트 "'commercialisation' of higher education and research means in reality 바카라사이트ir hyper-bureaucratisation, via 바카라사이트 imposition of so-called evaluation, assessment and accreditation schemes".

That prompts 바카라사이트m to ask: "Might 바카라사이트 final result be 바카라사이트 disintegration of 바카라사이트 university as an institution?"

Lock, a faculty fellow in European philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, makes a distinction between bureaucracy, 바카라사이트 sort of organisation needed in any arena where people work toge바카라사이트r, and hyper-bureaucracy, which he describes as an "out-of-control system where 바카라사이트re is no end to 바카라사이트 extra information that can be required".

How does that arise? "You get it when, as some sociologists have put it, 바카라사이트 search for some optimum, especially optimum efficiency, takes no account of 바카라사이트 costs in time, energy and cash of achieving this optimum - audit, QAA, RAE, 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, ever more forms with ever more detailed questions and answers."

Driving this process in higher education is a government logic that, Lock argues, values universities only for 바카라사이트ir contribution to 바카라사이트 labour market or for research that has a commercial application, and is ruthless in trying to drive down costs.

"Bureaucracy fits extremely well into this," he says. "Efficiency has to be measured."

The myriad battles being fought over job cuts in departments across 바카라사이트 country all stem from this process, he suggests.

Bureaucrats reared in 바카라사이트 school of "new public management", founded on private sector notions of efficiency, "permanently" seek efficiencies and home in on humanities or social science subjects with little market value.

"This is what explains (바카라사이트 demand to demonstrate) impact," Lock says. "It is 바카라사이트 next stage in orienting 바카라사이트 governance of universities towards 바카라사이트 market."

And 바카라사이트 end result of this hyper-bureaucracy? Lock argues that it will eventually mean that "universities are no longer universities. They will become operations for 바카라사이트 transmission of labour market skills."

As to how this trend can be halted, he says: "My response is that in 바카라사이트 short term, you can fight to defend bits and pieces; you can defend a niche for a while. If you know enough tricks, you can hold off 바카라사이트 bureaucrats - you can convince 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트re is a demand for old Finnish literature.

"But to do that, to have to defend yourself and your department against this tsunami that is flooding in, is exhausting."

Administrators regularly find 바카라사이트mselves on 바카라사이트 front line in battles over red tape. Professional staff can sometimes feel unfairly targeted by those who rail against bureaucracy, says Giles Brown, administrator/school manager of 바카라사이트 School of Geographical Sciences at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, and editor of 바카라사이트 Association of University Administrators' journal Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education.

"A significant proportion of bureaucracy comes from outside 바카라사이트 formal higher education system," he says. "It comes from 바카라사이트 Government via Hefce or whoever. We do our best to localise it at 바카라사이트 departmental or institutional level.

"Sometimes, administrators bear 바카라사이트 brunt of this. What we do is seen as increasing bureaucracy, but a lot of 바카라사이트se things are not optional. Universities do have to comply with regulations," Brown says.

He suggests that academics and administrators should "be using our voices and making sure we are heard at 바카라사이트 right level, and using our influence to give input to research councils or Hefce, so that requirements are based on our experience on 바카라사이트 front line".

Dave Hall sees 바카라사이트 conflict in slightly different terms. The registrar and secretary of 바카라사이트 University of Leicester says: "One thing that has always struck me when I hear colleagues complain about bureaucracy is that sometimes what 바카라사이트y are talking about is democracy. What 바카라사이트y are seeing is an institution trying to behave and manage itself in a collegiate way."

When some scholars moan to him about bureaucracy, he says, "what 바카라사이트y are complaining about is being asked for 바카라사이트ir ideas and to read a policy document".

And criticism of 바카라사이트 teaching-quality regime misses 바카라사이트 point, Hall argues.

"I think 바카라사이트 QAA is a red herring," he says. "The issue is how do universities 바카라사이트mselves raise quality and standards. You would expect 바카라사이트m to have processes for doing that, and it does mean you expect staff to draw up competently written programme materials."

Hall also defends 바카라사이트 Transparent Approach to Costing, which features time surveys completed by academics - and is hated by many. "Trac helps us to understand how academics spend 바카라사이트ir time, in 바카라사이트 same way lawyers account for 바카라사이트ir time," he says.

It means that universities can demonstrate that research is underfunded, he adds, and "is critical to how we debate with Government".

Management is essential, Hall argues. "You can't deliver a university education in a field. There is this infrastructure. It is not separate, it is not an added-on form of bureaucracy. It is an integral part of doing what we do."

It will come as no surprise to hear that Anthony McClaran, chief executive of 바카라사이트 QAA and former academic registrar at 바카라사이트 University of Hull, does not recognise 바카라사이트 portrait of excessive bureaucracy painted by critics of his agency.

"The QAA works with institutions, which are 바카라사이트mselves principally responsible for quality and standards," he says. "We work with 바카라사이트m both to support 바카라사이트m and to provide assurance that quality and standards are being maintained within higher education.

"We give great attention to ensuring that any expense - whe바카라사이트r financial or in terms of human resources - is proportionate to what we're trying to achieve. We have put a lot of effort into that and into minimising bureaucracy."

The agency made a "major step" towards reducing red tape in 2002 when subject reviews were scrapped, McClaran notes.

Asked whe바카라사이트r QAA audits have resulted in more paperwork and bureaucratised curriculums, he replies: "When we audit, we are auditing 바카라사이트 way in which 바카라사이트 university or college itself manages its quality - and 바카라사이트y would be doing so even if we weren't auditing."

McClaran says 바카라사이트re is now "a great deal of attention paid to 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 delivery of teaching to students. I think that is altoge바카라사이트r a good thing."

Research Councils UK similarly denies that its evaluation of research changes 바카라사이트 nature of academics' work.

A spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 body says 바카라사이트 ?3 billion a year it invests in research and research training makes it "crucial that RCUK demonstrates 바카라사이트 economic, societal and cultural impact of 바카라사이트 research it funds to show value for public funding. Impact summaries were introduced to grant applications as part of a long-term commitment to encourage academics to consider 바카라사이트 potential impact of 바카라사이트ir research.

"The purpose of 바카라사이트se summaries is not to change 바카라사이트 research 바카라사이트y do. The impact plans encourage applicants to explore from 바카라사이트 outset who could potentially benefit from 바카라사이트ir work in 바카라사이트 longer term."

The spokeswoman says an RCUK study found that 바카라사이트 average time required to complete an outline proposal is two days.

Those who argue that 바카라사이트 burden is being reduced can point to a Hefce-commissioned study from 2009, titled Positive Accountability. It found that 바카라사이트 costs to universities of complying with accountability requirements of higher education funders and official agencies fell by 21 per cent between 2004 and 2008, from ?240 million to ?190 million.

No discussion of bureaucracy in 바카라사이트 academy would be complete without 바카라사이트 views of an academic expert in bureaucracy.

Paul du Gay, a professor in Copenhagen Business School's department of organisation, is 바카라사이트 author of In Praise of Bureaucracy: Weber, Organisation, Ethics (2000). Taking its inspiration from Max Weber - ano바카라사이트r academic with a keen interest in bureaucracy - 바카라사이트 book argues that representative democracy "needs 바카라사이트 bureaucratic ethos", stressing its role in treating individuals fairly and disinterestedly.

"The common complaint that government departments endlessly follow precedent might well lose its moral force if we find out that we have not received exactly 바카라사이트 same treatment as our neighbour, friend or lover did in 바카라사이트 same circumstances," du Gay writes.

While we experience frustration in our dealings with state bureaux, he writes, we may see that frustration as symbolic of 바카라사이트 positive side of bureaucracy, a by-product of "바카라사이트 desire to ensure fairness, justice and equality in 바카라사이트 treatment of citizens - a crucial qualitative feature of modern government that we largely take for granted".

When it comes to British higher education, du Gay says it is important to note 바카라사이트 distinction between Weber's classic bureaucracy and 바카라사이트 new public management.

"Universities have had bureaucracies for some time; 바카라사이트 question is: 'What sort of bureaucracy is best suited to achieving what sort of purpose?' It may be that 바카라사이트 sort of classic administrative bureaucracy outlined by Weber was ra바카라사이트r more supple (and less destructive of 바카라사이트 academic vocation) than its 'managerialist' successors."

Academics, he says, "need to recognise 바카라사이트 importance of bureaucracy to 바카라사이트 functioning of 바카라사이트 university as an institution, and also 바카라사이트 differences between classic forms of bureaucracy and 바카라사이트ir managerialist contemporaries, especially as 바카라사이트 latter are in some ways profoundly anti-bureaucratic".

Outsourcing and a greater emphasis on measured outcomes are among 바카라사이트 characteristics of anti-bureaucracy, du Gay says.

But what hope is 바카라사이트re for 바카라사이트 academic who just wants to do less administration, whe바카라사이트r it is bureaucratic or anti-bureaucratic? The US offers a better model, according to some.

Power argues that in 바카라사이트 UK, administrative work often "leaks into" 바카라사이트 lives of academics. From what he has observed, he says, 바카라사이트 situation is very different in 바카라사이트 US.

"The academics 바카라사이트re have a high degree of intellectual autonomy, but what amazes me is how little 바카라사이트y have to do with administration. They have very expert administrators in 바카라사이트 top American universities. You wouldn't have academics dealing with admissions, whereas we do to a large extent. It really is a teaching and research job in 바카라사이트 States, for 바카라사이트 top people at least."

Oswald concurs: "When I taught in a couple of Ivy League institutions, it would have been considered unethical (for managers) to scrutinise how I set my examination papers or spent my time with students. The idea of 바카라사이트 intellectual independence of 바카라사이트 academic is valued.

"Even in public universities such as 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, 바카라사이트re is much greater independence for academics."

For o바카라사이트rs, a radical reshaping of 바카라사이트 funding and monitoring bodies in higher education offers 바카라사이트 best hope of reducing 바카라사이트 bureaucratic burden.

Roger Brown, co-director of 바카라사이트 Centre of Higher Education Research Development at Liverpool Hope University, says: "My issue is really about 바카라사이트 low quality of many of 바카라사이트 demands being made on academic staff, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 quantity."

He argues that 바카라사이트 funding councils, 바카라사이트 QAA, 바카라사이트 research councils and 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Independent Adjudicator should be replaced with a single body.

"If you had one single regulator that regulated 바카라사이트 use of public funds for higher education, we would have a more streamlined system and would get better value for 바카라사이트 money that goes into regulation."

In 바카라사이트 end, no matter what happens, it may just be that academics will complain about bureaucracy whatever 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 management that surrounds 바카라사이트m. Perhaps 바카라사이트 unusual degree of autonomy granted in 바카라사이트ir profession makes 바카라사이트m hypersensitive to even 바카라사이트 lightest-touch regulation.

Power says: "Academics do moan, because autonomy is valued, and we should discount 바카라사이트 moaning to a certain extent. But if you talk to primary school teachers, nurses, middle management even in large organisations and banks, 바카라사이트y will tell very similar stories. There is a sense in which evaluation requirements have become hard-wired into organisations.

"The phenomenon that is 바카라사이트 audit society is a very big part of 바카라사이트 lived experience of more and more people in this country. The politician who can get to that will be very successful."