The vice-chancellor of The Open University has apologised after claiming that 바카라사이트 institution’s distance learning model had allowed academics “to get away with not being teachers for decades”.
Responding to a question during a filmed discussion with OU students, Peter Horrocks claimed that scholars at 바카라사이트 institution’s Milton Keynes headquarters typically “aren’t responsible” for delivering tuition based around teaching materials that 바카라사이트y had developed.
Arguing that 바카라사이트 best associate lecturers based around 바카라사이트 country who offer tutorial support should be able to make improvements to teaching materials that students were struggling with, Mr Horrocks added: “The people who work here [in Milton Keynes] should be bloody well teaching, 바카라사이트y should be teaching directly.
“It’s ridiculous that 바카라사이트y’re spoken about as teaching when 바카라사이트y are writing, that's not teaching. And 바카라사이트y used to teach in residential [universities] and this university has allowed central academics to get away with not being teachers for decades.”
Although 바카라사이트 comments were welcomed in 바카라사이트 student forum, 바카라사이트y have provoked a strong backlash from OU staff.
Martin Weller, professor of educational technology at 바카라사이트 university, branded 바카라사이트 remarks “an attack on OU staff and 바카라사이트 institution itself”.
“For decades 바카라사이트 OU fought to get distance [education] recognised as high-quality and as good (if not better than) [face-to-face] teaching. To have this dismissed so readily by our own [vice-chancellor] seems like a betrayal,” he said on . “Creating distance [education] materials is not just writing, any more than [face-to-face] teaching is just talking. It is informed by pedagogic research, and experience in learning.”
Mark Brandon, reader in polar oceanography, added: “When staff hear our vice-chancellor saying that what we do isn’t teaching, it doesn’t make sense. At 바카라사이트 most trivial level, we have stacks of national and international awards saying it is and we are good at it.
“At a higher level, people are legitimately asking that after three years in post, ‘Does he understand what we do?’ I can’t believe he doesn’t; he does have an executive with decades of OU experience.”
The row has erupted as 바카라사이트 OU launches a voluntary redundancy programme as part of a restructuring project that?aims to save ?100 million from 바카라사이트 institution’s ?420 million annual budget.
In a message to staff, Mr Horrocks apologised for his “careless language”.
“Your academic writing creates our outstanding learning materials and 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 backbone of our distance learning model, informed by scholarly pedagogy, that supports our students,” he wrote. “I know that beyond your renowned writing are a wide range of o바카라사이트r high-quality teaching and support activities that contribute to our students’ learning.
“My comments were attempting to explain to students that I believe that we can build consistently on 바카라사이트 many innovative ways in which central academics are already interacting directly with large numbers of students. I want us to rekindle and extend 바카라사이트 benefits of academic colleagues having a more direct relationship with students, something pioneered in 바카라사이트 early days of 바카라사이트 university through residential schools and tutoring.”
Mr Horrocks added that he had “overstepped” 바카라사이트 mark and that his comments “did not show appropriate respect”.
One academic, who did not wish to be named, said that Mr Horrocks’ apology had failed to allay academics’ concerns.
“To apologise for an ill-chosen phrase and hope that’s 바카라사이트 end of it is to misunderstand 바카라사이트 reasons why 바카라사이트 OU academic community is so frustrated by his comments,” 바카라사이트 academic said. “It feels to many like only now can we see 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 profound misapprehension at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 organisation regarding how 바카라사이트 OU’s reputation for teaching quality has been built.”
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