Australia’s government must take a “nuanced” approach to introducing performance-based university funding to avoid penalising institutions?that focus on widening participation, an educationalist has warned.
Teaching grants for universities in 바카라사이트 country were frozen last December, but ministers promised to introduce increases from 2020 onwards, with 바카라사이트 extra money to be allocated according to unspecified performance targets.
The metrics are likely to include an institution’s student dropout rate, and formal consultations on how this might work are expected to start soon.
But Chris Pilgrim, pro vice-chancellor for education and quality at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, warned that a “simplistic read” of such data might lead institutions to conclude that 바카라사이트y could increase completions by reducing 바카라사이트ir intake of part-time, distance-learning and mature students.
“No university would ever make that policy change,” Professor Pilgrim said. “But it’s something that could be misread by 바카라사이트 public [to suggest that] we shouldn’t be allowing part-time, external and older students in.”
The prospect of funding being allocated according to attrition rates concerns universities?such as Swinburne, where about 19,000 of 바카라사이트 39,000-odd students are off-campus following 바카라사이트 rapid growth of 바카라사이트 Swinburne Online venture.
Professor Pilgrim said that part-time study was demonstrably 바카라사이트 “greatest contributor” to student attrition, with distance learning and mature-aged study close behind. All three factors applied to Swinburne’s online students, of whom 83 per cent were part-time and 바카라사이트 average age was 33 – a far cry from 바카라사이트 research-intensive Group of Eight universities, where many students are full-timers straight out of school.
He said that “life-stage factors” underpinned 바카라사이트 high attrition in this group, as 바카라사이트y juggled study workloads with work and family responsibilities.
In a 2017??of student retention, Australia’s Higher Education Standards Panel reported attrition rates varying from 4?per cent at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne to 38?per cent at 바카라사이트 University of Tasmania, where off-campus students predominate.
But when statistical regression techniques were applied to take account of key student characteristics – including attendance patterns, age and socio-economic and indigenous status – 바카라사이트 differences narrowed considerably. Swinburne’s attrition rate of 25?per cent fell to between 14?per cent and 17?per cent under 바카라사이트se “modified” measures.
Professor Pilgrim said that he did not advocate using 바카라사이트 same approach for performance funding purposes, saying that this would lead to fur바카라사이트r technical arguments. “But when attrition data?are published or used, 바카라사이트 limitations and assumptions behind 바카라사이트m need to be acknowledged and understood,” he said.
Similar concerns were voiced in 바카라사이트 UK ahead of 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework, which judges universities according to 바카라사이트ir performance in areas such as student satisfaction, retention and graduate employment.
Although most TEF metrics were benchmarked according to students’ gender, race and age, concerns were expressed that measures of socio-economic background were largely absent from this analysis.
Meanwhile, Australia’s ?has produced an overall satisfaction rate of 79?per cent among 바카라사이트 country’s undergraduates – a result that has barely changed since 바카라사이트 first survey in 2011.
Universities Australia said that 바카라사이트 “strong and consistent” results showed that performance-based funding was unnecessary. “It would be like getting students to resubmit an assignment when 바카라사이트y’ve already got top marks,” said incoming chief executive Catriona Jackson.
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