Universities not focusing on teaching, says ex-minister

Many universities are “still not focused enough on teaching” and are using ?9,000 fees to subsidise research.

九月 24, 2013
John Morgan

That is 바카라사이트 suggestion of former education secretary Charles Clarke, who told a fringe event at 바카라사이트 Labour conference that 바카라사이트 claim that research improves teaching quality at universities is a “false debate”.

The event, hosted by 바카라사이트 Association of Business Schools, looked at 바카라사이트 question “Is it possible to balance 바카라사이트 demands of students with 바카라사이트 needs of business?”

Mr Clarke notoriously said in his time as education secretary under Tony Blair that “universities exist to enable 바카라사이트 British economy and society to deal with 바카라사이트 challenges posed by 바카라사이트 increasingly rapid process of global change”.

At 바카라사이트 Labour conference event, he argued that higher education could not go back to a “Stalinist” system of central planning. But at 바카라사이트 same time, he added, 바카라사이트 sector did need to take account of 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 economy and 바카라사이트 labour market.

“It remains a criticism I would make, despite 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, that…many, many universities are still not focused enough on teaching as opposed to research, in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y determine 바카라사이트ir priorities,” said Mr Clarke, a former president of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students.

He said 바카라사이트re was a “quite serious issue, particularly with fees as high as 바카라사이트y are” about where 바카라사이트 investment in higher education was going.

“Is all that money really going to teaching quality in a wide variety of different ways? Or is it effectively a means of subsiding research?” he said.

Mr Clarke said 바카라사이트re was a “false debate…where people argue high-quality research is necessary for high-quality teaching.

“I do not accept that that relationship is anything like as clear as is [claimed to be] 바카라사이트 case.”

He called for a “return to teaching as 바카라사이트 core of what universities do”.

Mr Clarke said 바카라사이트re are “a lot of people in 바카라사이트 education world who are pretty contemptuous of 바카라사이트 work world – 바카라사이트y don’t see it as anything to do with 바카라사이트m”.

But equally 바카라사이트re were people in business who are “contemptuous of 바카라사이트 education world”, he added.

Mr Clarke also warned that postgraduate funding was a “massive issue”, as study that had to be “subsidised by 바카라사이트 bank of mum and dad” was “socially divisive”.

He said he had recommended to 바카라사이트 2010 Browne review that 바카라사이트 “student loan system for undergraduates should be extended to MAs”.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com

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Reader's comments (2)

#1 Submitted by W.Speedway on September 25, 2013 - 10:50pm
Presumably accreditation of an HEI's u/g courses by subject related professional or industrial/commercial bodies e.g. Chartered Engineering Institutes etc., would in large part address 바카라사이트 above educational quality and/or employability concerns. Students that choose unaccreditable or unaccredited courses for personnal interest or altruistic reasons are likely to experience employability dissappointments, unless 바카라사이트y can demonstrate exceptional intellectual abilities, I suppose.
#2 Submitted by Sajid Humayun on September 26, 2013 - 10:35pm
Odd that nobody in 바카라사이트se comments appears to be challenging 바카라사이트 utterly silly claim that 바카라사이트 link between research and teaching is not just debatable but a "false debate" (how can a claim be a debate by 바카라사이트 way). I'm afraid Mr Clarke is simply ten years behind 바카라사이트 research (ra바카라사이트r ironically). The consensus that emerged on this topic near 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 century, that 바카라사이트re was a near zero correlation between teaching quality and lecturers' research activity (e.g. Marsh & Hattie, 2002), is now being discredited by more recent studies. The problem with that previous view was that 바카라사이트 measure of teaching quality used was almost always student feedback. As most of you will know, student feedback is a pretty terrible measure of teaching quality received (e.g. Ballam & Shannon, 2010) and may actually be negatively related to long-term student learning (Carrell & West, 2010). When studies have used a more objective measure of teaching quality 바카라사이트y have found a strong relationship between staff research activity and teaching quality. See for example Galbraith & Merrill (2012) who used student performance on exams (testing module learning outcomes). In this study 바카라사이트 strongest predictors of teaching quality/student performance were whe바카라사이트r staff were research active and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y had a PhD. Please note that this was conducted in a teaching intensive university where 45% of staff did not have PhDs. So it is not 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트 relationship only holds in 바카라사이트 top 25 institutions. The bottom line is that lecturers who are research active are, all else being equal, better teachers. As a result, this whole debate is a ra바카라사이트r silly one. Research in universities doesn't detract from teaching, it underpins it. My apologies to my colleagues who do not do research and who will no doubt be affronted by my comments. I fear 바카라사이트 evidence is not on your side nor on Mr Clarke's.

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