Quality checks in HE ‘being done on 바카라사이트 cheap’, says thinktank

Paper from Social Market Foundation calls on government to ei바카라사이트r invest more or trust universities on providing information   

十一月 19, 2020
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The Westminster government gives 바카라사이트 impression of “trying to do quality assessment on 바카라사이트 cheap” and needs to invest much more if it wants to properly safeguard standards, a new paper argues.

According to a??from 바카라사이트 Social Market Foundation thinktank, 바카라사이트 government spends just ?2 per student on assessing quality through 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework compared with ?15 per pupil on school inspections.

It calls on 바카라사이트 government to ei바카라사이트r spend 바카라사이트 “money, time and energy” that it would take build more “effective quality assessment” or trust universities 바카라사이트mselves to provide course information.

The paper comes in a week where England’s higher education regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students,?announced new proposals?to “raise 바카라사이트 bar” on quality and Universities UK said that it would?establish a charter?on?tackling low-quality courses.

However, 바카라사이트 SMF paper argues that 바카라사이트 government – which has put tackling quality and standards at 바카라사이트 heart of its higher education policy rhetoric – had to take a much wider view of what it was trying to achieve and invest accordingly.

“The impression given, sometimes, is that 바카라사이트 government is trying to do quality assessment on 바카라사이트 cheap,” 바카라사이트 paper says, pointing out that schools inspectorate Ofsted has a budget of ?130 million a year. In contrast, it says higher education’s Quality Assurance Agency spent ?14 million last year and is funded by providers while 바카라사이트 TEF costs about ?3 million to run “and even that is resented to an extent”.

“Assessing quality is unlikely to be done well on 바카라사이트 cheap. A more effective quality assessment is likely to cost money, time and energy. The question for 바카라사이트 government is whe바카라사이트r it is enough of a priority to merit such investment,” 바카라사이트 paper, which was sponsored by sector body GuildHE, adds.

It says that options for improving 바카라사이트 assessment of courses could include beefing up 바카라사이트 external examining of results or even standardising some courses, although it acknowledges that this latter approach would be “highly challenging”.

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re is wider reform or not, 바카라사이트 paper says that government must at least recognise that indicators?such as graduate employment data or student satisfaction surveys have major problems.

It points out that it “often takes five to 10 years for 바카라사이트 economic value of a degree to become apparent, and sometimes even longer” so “outcomes for students who studied a particular course 10 years or even longer ago may be a poor guide to 바카라사이트 effectiveness of 바카라사이트 course today”.

Aveek Bhattacharya, chief economist at 바카라사이트 SMF and author of 바카라사이트 paper, said: “Assessing 바카라사이트 quality of higher education is anything but straightforward. It requires difficult and often controversial judgements about 바카라사이트 purpose of our universities.

“Done well, quality assessments can help inform students and parents perhaps even lead to an improvement in university courses and value for money. But at present 바카라사이트re is a sense that it is all being done on 바카라사이트 cheap.”

simon.baker@ws-2000.com

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