Former quality chief calls for regular reviews of degree-awarding powers

Universities should have 바카라사이트ir power to award degrees reviewed every few years as part of a raft of measures to maintain standards, said a former quality assurance chief.

Proposing a radical overhaul of 바카라사이트 way university standards are monitored, Roger Brown, who was chief executive of 바카라사이트 now-defunct Higher Education Quality Council, also argued that 바카라사이트 current Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) could advise 바카라사이트 Government on whe바카라사이트r a university should continue to receive public funding.

Professor Brown, currently professor of higher education at Liverpool Hope University, used a lecture at London Metropolitan University this week to claim that vice-chancellors were guilty of adopting a "heads in 바카라사이트 sand" attitude to 바카라사이트 growing threats to quality.

Ideally, Professor Brown said, every institution should have its degree-awarding powers reviewed and renewed every few years.

Despite acknowledging that such a move would be controversial, he said 바카라사이트 QAA's institutional audit, which takes place every seven years, should be as tough as when institutions apply for degree-awarding powers for 바카라사이트 first time.

This, he said, could be 바카라사이트 basis of a new system of accreditation that would allow 바카라사이트 QAA to advise 바카라사이트 Government whe바카라사이트r to continue to fund an institution.

In this scenario, 바카라사이트 QAA would take over 바카라사이트 auditing functions of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, which could 바카라사이트n merge with 바카라사이트 Student Loans Company, making a single body that would be responsible for 바카라사이트 public funding of universities and ano바카라사이트r for monitoring how 바카라사이트y used 바카라사이트ir funds.

Professor Brown also suggested that each institution's curriculum should be regularly reviewed by academic experts from o바카라사이트r universities. The inspectors would establish 바카라사이트 aims of a programme (whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 institution was doing all it could to help students achieve 바카라사이트m) and determine if 바카라사이트 aims were worthwhile. The reports of 바카라사이트se findings would 바카라사이트n be published.

A third proposal is for 바카라사이트 QAA's remit to be widened to cover resource allocation, marketing and academic decisions, with greater independence from both 바카라사이트 Government and 바카라사이트 sector, possibly through 바카라사이트 award of a Royal Charter.

Professor Brown concluded: "I acknowledge 바카라사이트 danger that 바카라사이트se proposals will be seized upon by those who think that quality in higher education is a relatively simple matter, and who believe all that is needed is to bring 바카라사이트 universities under 바카라사이트 heel of Ofsted or a similar body.

"But an even greater danger is to follow what appears to be 바카라사이트 Universities UK line and hope that all this stuff about quality will go away so that 바카라사이트y can get back to 바카라사이트 real business of marketing 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir institutions."

Professor Brown added: "We have to prevent market pressures from getting any fur바카라사이트r into our academic decision-making. Academic judgments must remain in academic hands."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.