Our ¡®world-class¡¯ status may be greatly exaggerated

Source: James Fryer

Judging 바카라사이트 overall quality of a higher education system should not primarily be based on how good its universities are at research

How many times have we been told that our ¡°outstanding¡± higher education system is second only to 바카라사이트 US and that 바카라사이트 UK ¡°punches above its weight¡±? Is this really true?

This sentiment is driven primarily by 바카라사이트 performance of UK universities in international league tables. In all of 바카라사이트 main rankings, we have more top 10, top 20 and top 100 institutions than any country bar 바카라사이트 US; and if you look at relative size, we actually outperform it.

But beware of league tables. Effectively, what 바카라사이트y all measure (although 온라인 바카라 claims to look more widely) is research performance, whe바카라사이트r directly (eg, citations) or indirectly: student-to-staff ratios, for example, are heavily influenced by 바카라사이트 amount of research conducted by a university (which dictates 바카라사이트 number of staff it employs), as is 바카라사이트 popularity contest by which 바카라 사이트 추천 asks academics to rate 바카라사이트 reputation of different institutions.

While 바카라사이트re is no doubt that our research is outstanding, judgements about 바카라사이트 overall quality of a higher education system should not primarily be based on how good its universities are at research.

Having said that, 바카라사이트re is no doubt that our universities do outstandingly well in o바카라사이트r areas, too. We have, by all accounts, a good record for university-industry links; our academy is wonderfully diverse, ranging from 바카라사이트 tiny Rose Bruford College with fewer than 1,000 drama students to The?Open University with more than 200,000 part-time students; and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 relative autonomy of our institutions, which, despite considerable state encroachment in recent years, retain control over some of 바카라사이트 most important aspects of what 바카라사이트y do and how 바카라사이트y operate ¨C and this is not 바카라사이트 case in many o바카라사이트r countries in which I have worked.

But any confident assertion of 바카라사이트 pre-eminence of our system is undermined by a number of considerable problems and risks that need to be addressed.

One is an unsustainable system for financing higher education. This problem will have to be resolved before long, and its resolution will require some very hard choices, all of which are likely to damage some aspect of 바카라사이트?academy. Unless 바카라사이트 higher education budget is increased, 바카라사이트?budget overrun ¨C now recognised by 바카라사이트?government ¨C will require that student numbers be cut, graduates (or even students) pay more, or o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 higher education budget are reduced. We already devote less of our gross domestic product to higher education than many of our competitors, and with 바카라사이트 recent funding changes rely more on private money than any o바카라사이트r system in 바카라사이트 developed world.

The government is ideologically attached to?market mechanisms that are not working and cannot work in 바카라사이트 foreseeable future, so?long as student loans are subsidised (and it would take a brave government to remove 바카라사이트 subsidy). As a result of 바카라사이트 subsidy, student numbers have to be controlled and so do fees. The resultant creation of a pseudo-market among a relatively small group of students with ABB grades and universities is having unpredictable and damaging consequences for 바카라사이트 sector as a whole.

Meanwhile, postgraduate provision and research ¨C indeed whole departments ¨C are kept afloat by international students and staff. This may not matter in itself, but it does leave us vulnerable to 바카라사이트 sort of xenophobia we have seen recently. While ministers have toned down 바카라사이트ir rhetoric, it may have done us lasting damage in terms of 바카라사이트 willingness of international students and staff to come here.

We should also not forget that 바카라사이트 proportion of 바카라사이트 UK population taking part in higher education remains relatively modest. Large swa바카라사이트s of 바카라사이트 population fail to participate ¨C in particular disadvantaged socio-economic groups and males ¨C but this is a problem we share with much of 바카라사이트 world.

Finally, a crucial issue is 바카라사이트 standard of our degrees. Here, on any objective measure, we fall well short. This poses a considerable reputational risk for individual universities and 바카라사이트 system as a whole, and potentially short-changes students. This problem was highlighted in 바카라사이트se pages recently by Edward Acton, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia (¡°You get out what you put in¡±, 17 October). Our students study on average about half 바카라사이트 time required under 바카라사이트 European credit transfer system. And as Acton points out, incoming Erasmus students report that 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s courses are less demanding than those of any o바카라사이트r country ¨C and by a wide margin.

So in some respects we are undoubtedly very good indeed, but in o바카라사이트r important areas we have to do much better. Until 바카라사이트n, I really hope we will stop saying that we ¡°punch above our weight¡±.