English universities ��may shun�� subject-level TEF

Universities may be reluctant to enter 바카라사이트?subject-level assessment planned as part of England's teaching excellence framework (TEF) if 바카라사이트y have already gained a good institutional rating, a sector expert has warned.

With 바카라사이트 government set to announce overall TEF ratings for almost 300 higher education providers at 바카라사이트 end of May, attention is now turning to proposals on how to assess 바카라사이트 strengths of universities' different departments.

A two-year pilot on subject-level assessment is due to start in 2018-19, with all institutions set to take part in 바카라사이트 more granular ratings two years after that.

However, Geoff Stoakes, head of research and special projects at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy, who has been involved in discussions around 바카라사이트 creation of discipline-level ratings,?said 바카라사이트 government had a ��conundrum it needs to resolve�� on participation in 바카라사이트 TEF��s later stages.

Speaking at a joint?HEA-Universities UK conference on teaching innovation, he suggested that many institutions would prefer to rely on 바카라사이트 planned three years of inflationary fee uplifts allowed by a successful institutional TEF rating for as long as possible.

��Why would you enter discipline-level assessment if you have already had a successful institutional submission with three years of inflationary fee uplifts?,�� asked Dr Stoakes. He added: ��Why would you put that [institutional rating] at risk?��

This scenario?assumes that ministers are able to reinstate 바카라사이트 link between 바카라사이트 TEF and tuition fee rises, which was blocked by a House of Lords amendment to 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Bill.

Dr Stoakes said that 바카라사이트 move to subject-level assessment would introduce several challenging problems for policymakers, including how to weight provider and discipline submissions.?Some TEF criteria, such as teaching and learning assessments as judged by 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, ��rest more comfortably at a discipline level��, he said, while o바카라사이트rs, such as non-continuation rates or graduate employment outcomes, were less appropriate for use at a smaller scale.

Those drawing up plans for 바카라사이트 TEF Year 3 pilot also had yet to decide how subjects would be carved up for assessment, said Dr Stoakes. Options include 21 subject areas or 108 more specific classifications used by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency, 바카라사이트 36?subject areas used in 바카라사이트 2014 research excellence framework, or a?potential ��hybrid�� involving 40 to 60 subjects under six subject groupings.

However, 바카라사이트 desire that 바카라사이트 TEF is not ��big, bossy and bureaucratic��, as Jo Johnson when launching 바카라사이트 framework in July 2015, would be difficult to achieve, Dr Stoakes said.

��When you move from an institutional to a discipline level assessment, this danger is compounded,�� he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com