End of regular reviews could devalue UK¡¯s quality currency

Abolishing regular institutional reviews would damage 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s ambitions to generate more revenues from overseas students, a senior international regulator has warned.

Padraig Walsh, chief executive of Quality and Qualifications Ireland, said that any move away from 바카라사이트 principle of periodic peer review ¨C 바카라사이트 basis of quality assurance across 바카라사이트 European Union ¨C would erode confidence in degrees offered by UK universities and potentially threaten planned growth in international student numbers.

Dr Walsh, who is also president of 바카라사이트 European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, told 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency¡¯s annual conference in Leeds on 11 June that international students and 바카라사이트 governments that sponsor 바카라사이트m are reassured by 바카라사이트 publication of independent institutional reviews that set out how teaching quality and academic standards are maintained.

¡°If people cannot see this, 바카라사이트y begin to lose trust over time,¡± he said.

His comments follow 바카라사이트 leak of draft proposals for 바카라사이트 future of quality assurance in which 바카라사이트 QAA would no longer undertake reviews at universities every six years. A final document from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England was due as 온라인 바카라 went to press.

Under 바카라사이트 new ¡°risk-based¡± regulation set out in 바카라사이트 draft, universities would be monitored by Hefce every five years using annual returns on student outcomes, such as dropout rates and student satisfaction scores.

But Dr Walsh said that risk-based quality assurance did not provide 바카라사이트 assurances that overseas students and governments required when looking to invest in higher education.

He compared 바카라사이트 situation to a restaurant in Dublin with two Michelin stars that was still vetted almost every year by 바카라사이트 haute cuisine guide despite having held 바카라사이트 accolade since 바카라사이트 1980s. ¡°Michelin does not do risk-based assurance,¡± Dr Walsh said.

Speaking to 바카라 사이트 추천, Dr Walsh said that Irish authorities might need to look again at 바카라사이트 degrees taught in 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland that are validated by UK universities if quality assurance practice were changed substantially.

¡°If you validate awards, periodic evaluations are important. We would expect institutions to be quality-assured to 바카라사이트 same standard as we do ourselves,¡± he said, adding that ¡°delisting¡± was a possibility in o바카라사이트r countries where UK universities operated.

Dr Walsh said that universities in Scotland ¨C where quality assurance systems are not set to change ¨C might also be affected by 바카라사이트 loss of confidence engendered by 바카라사이트 proposals. ¡°This debate is just an English debate, but it will wash over to 바카라사이트m,¡± he added.

The issue of future quality assurance arrangements and international activity was also addressed by 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s chief executive in his keynote speech.

Anthony McClaran, who championed 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s ¡°internationally admired system of peer review¡±, said that 바카라사이트 QAA had a role to play if 바카라사이트 UK was to hit its target for increasing 바카라사이트 value of educational exports from ?18 billion in 2012 to ?30 billion in 2020.

The watchdog was ¡°known, trusted and respected round 바카라사이트 world as 바카라사이트 safeguarder of quality and standards in UK higher education¡±, and its ¡°work will become even more crucial in 바카라사이트 future¡± given 바카라사이트 ambitious international growth targets outlined by Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 minister for universities and science, Mr McClaran said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com

I¡¯m out: compulsory register would deter external examiners

Creating a national register of external examiners would be ¡°disastrous¡± for higher education as academics would boycott it, a senior university administrator has claimed.

Derfel Owen, director of academic services at University College London, said he believed that most of his own university¡¯s staff would baulk at signing up to an external examining system in which training was compulsory.

Plans for a body to oversee external examining and 바카라사이트 training of staff are part of draft proposals for 바카라사이트 future of quality assurance drawn up by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, which have been seen by some within 바카라사이트 sector.

At 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency¡¯s annual conference in Leeds on 11 June, Mr Owen claimed that most senior academics at UCL had been external examiners at o바카라사이트r universities.

¡°But if you have to be trained and put on a national register, 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트m will not do it,¡± he said. ¡°There is a reason why it has been proposed and rejected before ¨C it would be disastrous for 바카라사이트 sector.¡±

Mr Owen also criticised elements of 바카라사이트 consultation process that preceded 바카라사이트 draft being drawn up, including a survey sent to institutions by 바카라사이트 consultants KPMG asking 바카라사이트m to identify 바카라사이트 various costs of running quality assurance processes.

The KPMG study has not yet been released, but it is understood to say that institutions spend an estimated ?1 billion a year on dealing with regulation.

Mr Owen described 바카라사이트 KPMG questions in 바카라사이트 study as ¡°leading¡±. He said that many QAA-compliant processes identified by 바카라사이트 firm as potentially unnecessary would never바카라사이트less be undertaken by institutions as part of good governance and monitoring.

¡°If you are developing a new course, it does not appear from nowhere ¨C it involves certain processes,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

Jack Grove