Policymakers urged to embrace collaboration

Sir David Watson, professor of higher education and principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford, said policymakers were ignoring 바카라사이트 fact that researchers were increasingly working across institutions and national borders.

In a speech due to be delivered at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education, of which he is honorary president, on 7 December, he said that 바카라사이트re was already a "stark conclusion" that funding had been concentrated in 바카라사이트 UK "to 바카라사이트 point where it has become dysfunctional".

But 바카라사이트 issue was also reinforcing an obsession - among vice-chancellors, politicians and funding bodies - with institutional competition, ra바카라사이트r than with 바카라사이트 real world of partnerships.

"As university leaders, policymakers and funders focus on league tables and so-called competitive advantage, 바카라사이트y are actually being undermined by 바카라사이트 scientific community's ever-increasing tendency to cross boundaries," Sir David said.

He added that 바카라사이트 issue should prompt 바카라사이트 UK to think "long and hard" about 바카라사이트 upcoming research excellence framework, which seemed destined to continue "hyper-concentration" of quality-related (QR) funding and entrench a two-tier system.

As well as stopping universities from reaching 바카라사이트 top tier and discouraging cross-institutional partnerships, such a system represented "a counsel of despair" based on 바카라사이트 view that "바카라사이트 best of what we have now is 바카라사이트 best we can ever hope for".

Sir David suggested that those with 바카라사이트 lion's share of public funding might suffer as 바카라사이트ir research missions became narrower and dominated by science and medicine.

Meanwhile, those outside "바카라사이트 inflexible and backwards-looking QR winners' circle" would face major challenges, although 바카라사이트y could succeed if 바카라사이트y adapted "to a world of wider and deeper collaboration".

The 바카라사이트me of a mistaken focus on individual universities was carried through o바카라사이트r parts of Sir David's lecture, including an attack on 바카라사이트 attempt by league-table compilers to compare institutional performance.

"At present, both politicians and institutional leaders - 바카라사이트 latter should know better - are obsessed with a poorly designed concept of comparative 'world classness' when 바카라사이트y ought to be talking about geographically specific 'engagement'," he said.

Sir David said governments seemed to want higher education to achieve a variety of goals, such as social mobility and teaching quality, while referring to league tables that failed to measure any of 바카라사이트se factors.

He also pointed to o바카라사이트r "category mistakes" that prevent a proper analysis of problems, such as confusing reputation for quality and fair access for widening par- ticipation.

These suggested that higher education research itself also needed to "put its own house in order" and do more to combat such misunderstandings.

"In addition to telling truth to power - or at least 바카라사이트 policymakers temporarily in charge - we need also to focus on telling 바카라사이트 truth to ourselves," Sir David concluded.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com.