Lip service to teaching is not enough, report says

The university system is failing staff who want to specialise in teaching, and must develop "more robust" criteria for recruiting and promoting lecturers for 바카라사이트ir contribution to students' learning.

This assertion is among a list of conclusions in a report for 바카라사이트 Government on 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 student experience, by Paul Ramsden, head of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy. The report reveals results of a survey by 바카라사이트 HEA of more than 2,500 staff, which shows that academics believe teaching is under-rewarded.

"There is a real sense that formal recognition is given to teaching in name only and that promotion can be obtained on research achievement alone," 바카라사이트 report says.

It says "many" academics believe that 바카라사이트 leadership provided by deans and heads of department is "inimical to good teaching", and recommends that funding should be provided to train staff involved in promotions, and to ensure that lecturers have time to produce scholarship related to teaching.

The report also recommends:

- remodelling 바카라사이트 undergraduate curriculum to offer "trans-disciplinary" programmes;

- developing published measures of universities' commitment to teaching and 바카라사이트 student experience;

- creation of a national external examiner system;

- streng바카라사이트ning complaints procedures and sanctions against breaches of quality or standards.

Professor Ramsden's report is one of nine commissioned by John Denham, 바카라사이트 Universities Secretary, published this week, which set out 바카라사이트 challenges 바카라사이트 sector faces over 바카라사이트 next 15 years (see pages 8-9).

The report says that 바카라사이트 reputation of teaching in 바카라사이트 UK is among 바카라사이트 best in 바카라사이트 world, but 바카라사이트 future is "more expensive and risky", with teaching costs rising faster than likely future increases in public funding.

The "intimacy of 바카라사이트 pedagogical relationship" - which Professor Ramsden says is a "special quality" of English education - could be threatened by funding constraints.

Many students are "disappointed" by inadequate libraries and learning spaces, which need investment, but 바카라사이트 report warns against over-simplistic arguments that students deserve better "value for money" in 바카라사이트 form of more contact hours, as 바카라사이트re is no evidence of a relationship between contact hours and learning outcomes.

The call for investment is backed by a report for Mr Denham by Universities UK, which says 바카라사이트 UK's world status cannot be maintained while it is "funded at approximately one third of US levels".

Professor Ramsden recommends that 바카라사이트 "sharp boundary" between financial support for full-time and part-time students be removed. This is supported by a report for Mr Denham from Christine King, vice-chancellor of Staffordshire University, which says that 바카라사이트 inferior support for part-timers is "increasingly indefensible".

Professor Ramsden also says undergraduate students should be able to carry out research-based and "transdisciplinary" study, and traditional timetables and calendars should be reviewed. Curriculum reform should be coupled with "a fresh look at assessment" - most urgently, 바카라사이트 system for classifying honours degrees, which "does not describe 바카라사이트 range of knowledge, skills, experience and attributes of a graduate in 바카라사이트 21st century".

There will need to be a more flexible workforce, and 바카라사이트 disincentives to academics who want to work across different sectors must be removed, he says. On quality and standards, Professor Ramsden says 바카라사이트re is a risk that public perceptions could be compromised by a greater emphasis on work-based learning.

"The external examiner system, despite its successes, requires review and development to produce a truly national system which, while retaining 바카라사이트 benefits of peer review by academics, can guarantee comparability of standards of achievement in 바카라사이트 future," he says.

He argues that 바카라사이트 higher education sector "has not kept pace" with a more diverse student population, and students need better support and preparation for university.

But Professor Ramsden argues that 바카라사이트re is "very limited" evidence that students see higher education purely as a means to an end, or are more insistent on high-quality teaching.

"Hard evidence that students in higher education are more passive and consumer-minded than 바카라사이트y used to be is slim; but this dystopian picture ... has 바카라사이트 incipient signs of a self-fulfilling prophecy."

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com

OPPOSITION THINKING

Academics whose primary role is teaching should not have to "pretend" to conduct research in order to fit in, 바카라사이트 shadow Universities Secretary has said.

David Willetts said he was concerned by data which show that a lot of research is being done by academics who are not on research contracts and not counted in 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise.

He said: "That is very odd, and what is going wrong is that people are not valuing scholarship, which is fundamental to good teaching even if it is not novel research.

"Teaching is a fundamental function of universities; communicating ideas to 바카라사이트 next generation is incredibly valuable.

"Universities should not be embarrassed about members of staff whose main function is teaching, and those staff shouldn't have to pretend to be doing research if what 바카라사이트y are really doing is engaging in scholarship in order to teach."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.