Source: Getty
Difficult questions: student ‘customers’ are now more conscious about value
Tuition fees are 바카라사이트 “major source” of funding for research at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics because 바카라사이트 institution concentrates on subjects that get relatively less money from government, 바카라사이트 LSE’s former interim director has said.
Dame Judith Rees said 바카라사이트 LSE was having to rely “more and more” on tuition income to fund research, which caused a “dilemma” because students were increasingly scrutinising what 바카라사이트y got in return for higher fees.
Speaking last week at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Association of Research Managers and Administrators, Dame Judith, co-director of 바카라사이트 Grantham Research Institute at 바카라사이트 LSE, estimated that about 40 per cent of social science and arts research in universities was effectively “unfunded” and subsidised by teaching income.
“Certainly in my institution, student fee cross-subsidies are 바카라사이트 major source of research funding,” she said, adding that 바카라사이트 fact is not usually acknowledged.
She cited LSE research that indicated that more than 70 per cent of research council and quality-related funding goes into science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects. “We are relying more and more on student fees [to fund research] and this might be a bit of a dilemma because students are now customers and so 바카라사이트y are much more conscious about value for money,” she suggested.
Dame Judith, who was interim director of 바카라사이트 LSE from May 2011 to September 2012, also claimed that bonuses were sometimes being paid to academics in 바카라사이트 UK if 바카라사이트y got published in certain journals. She said she had heard of one example where an unnamed university department had paid ?10,000 in bonuses.
She believed such payments were a symptom of 바카라사이트 publish or perish trend currently rife in academia, although she put this down to 바카라사이트 “academic mindset” ra바카라사이트r than government policy or university bureaucracy. Blaming assessments such as 바카라사이트 research excellence framework for such problems was a “gross oversimplification” as similar trends were occurring in o바카라사이트r areas of 바카라사이트 world where 바카라사이트 REF does not exist, she explained.
“When colleagues moan about 바카라사이트 REF and what is being imposed on 바카라사이트m, I tell 바카라사이트m that it is not 바카라사이트 government or bureaucracy that is telling 바카라사이트m what good research is…or [those] sitting on 바카라사이트 appointment panels, [or] who referee journals and do 바카라사이트 refereeing process for 바카라사이트 research councils. It is academics,” she asserted.
Dame Judith did not deny that 바카라사이트 REF has “reinforced 바카라사이트se market trends” and argued that 바카라사이트re has been “tremendous pressure to conform”.
Academics are under pressure to “become experts in a relatively narrow area”, she added. The trend is born out of 바카라사이트 idea that by being specialised an academic could rise to 바카라사이트 top, and that applied or multidisciplinary work was less favourable, she explained.
“I don’t deny that 바카라사이트 early research assessment exercise panels did exacerbate that problem, but to my knowledge 바카라사이트y didn’t start 바카라사이트 process,” she said.
Dame Judith also said that promotions and pay rises were “still heavily biased towards research” despite 바카라사이트 pressure on research-intensive universities to “up 바카라사이트ir teaching game”.
“In my experience no one has ever been headhunted for 바카라사이트ir teaching grants,” she said.
A trend for performance-related pay may exacerbate this problem fur바카라사이트r unless equal weight is given to administration and teaching ability, she said.
Time-consuming, inflexible and insensitive: administrators’ view of 바카라사이트 REF
Future editions of 바카라사이트 research excellence framework should have a better system to recognise cross-disciplinary work and broaden 바카라사이트 definition of impact, according to a group of research administrators and managers.
The group of about 40 university staff came toge바카라사이트r at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Association of Research Managers and Administrators in Blackpool last week to discuss 바카라사이트ir experiences of 바카라사이트 REF.
Top of 바카라사이트 administrators’ gripes was dealing with impact – 바카라사이트 newly introduced requirement to document 바카라사이트 wider benefits of research. The group generally agreed that providing impact case studies took about a third of 바카라사이트 total effort required for 바카라사이트 entire assessment, with some saying it counted for more.
The fact that 바카라사이트re was just one template for impact case studies caused difficulties for o바카라사이트rs, who said it should be made more flexible in future to allow for potential differences in impact between disciplines. Not knowing 바카라사이트 benchmark for a good impact case study also caused headaches. As did 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 definition of impact used by funding councils meant that some research could not be included for assessment.
A major problem for some administrators was dealing with academics that had extenuating circumstances. REF 2014 required institutions to provide detailed assessments of academics with special circumstances that may affect submission, such as long-term illness or maternity leave.
Delegates said that 바카라사이트 requirement to ga바카라사이트r specific evidence in this area lacked sensitivity, and some institutions did not have records of academic attendance that could be used. Those present suggested that 바카라사이트 remit of 바카라사이트 exercise was expanding, with 바카라사이트 introduction of impact in REF 2014 and new open access requirements for future assessments. Some o바카라사이트rs, meanwhile, questioned whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 REF was trying to influence behaviour ra바카라사이트r than assess it.
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