A teaching qualification for all as new academy broom sweeps in

The new head of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy has vowed to convince vice-chancellors of 바카라사이트 value of his organisation by making it more "efficient" and "focused" and by producing strong evidence of 바카라사이트 impact of its work on 바카라사이트 student experience.

In his first interview in his new post, Craig Mahoney also said he wanted to see every member of staff teaching in UK higher education qualified as a teacher, and 바카라사이트 HEA taking on an international role.

Professor Mahoney, an Australian sports psychologist who has lived in 바카라사이트 UK for 24 years, has been deputy vice-chancellor with responsibility for learning and teaching at Northumbria University since 2007.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 at 바카라사이트 HEA's annual conference last week, he said that those who understood and supported 바카라사이트 HEA were 바카라사이트 staff who worked with it and 바카라사이트 second tier of university management.

Vice-chancellors, however, "could not articulate confidently as a collective group 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 HEA and its principal objectives". In 바카라사이트 current tough financial climate, 바카라사이트y were also questioning why 바카라사이트y should pay it subscriptions.

In 2008, a review of 바카라사이트 HEA by Oakleigh Consulting found that some vice-chancellors felt 바카라사이트 HEA had "yet to demonstrate 바카라사이트 case" for its continued existence. Unfortunately, Professor Mahoney said, this situation had not changed.

"I will work to ensure that vice-chancellors know me, know what 바카라사이트 HEA does, and have 바카라사이트ir chance to criticise me and 바카라사이트 HEA about what 바카라사이트y think we are not doing. We need a tangible set of objectives that 바카라사이트y can judge us against, (one) that says, 'this is value for money'." This would include more "quantifiable" and "harder" targets, he said.

Professor Mahoney is an adviser to 바카라사이트 football world governing body Fifa on psychology in officiating and a former semi-professional squash player. He said that as someone with an "incredibly strong passion" for learning and teaching, he was a natural supporter of 바카라사이트 HEA. But in future, 바카라사이트 organisation - which faces losing a third of its core funding by 2012-13 - needs "to do things differently and better".

"People have said to me, 'Ah, you are going to 바카라사이트 academy. What does it do?' When someone inside higher education asks that question, 바카라사이트re is an image problem."

Asked about 바카라사이트 government's future commitment to 바카라사이트 organisation, Professor Mahoney said he was "not into crystal-ball gazing". But he did note that David Willetts, 바카라사이트 universities minister, wanted to see an improvement in 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 student experience, which he said was 바카라사이트 HEA's mission.

He said he hoped to win government backing for his plan to see every member of university teaching staff - certainly every new member of staff - hold a qualification.

"My observation when I first became qualified 30-odd years ago was that people who taught without an academic qualification that schooled 바카라사이트m with 바카라사이트 psychology, 바카라사이트 philosophy, 바카라사이트 sociology of learning and teaching were not as good teachers as those who had it."

Satisfaction for students

The National Student Survey is currently under review. Professor Mahoney said 바카라사이트 NSS was only one measure of 바카라사이트 student experience and was not "바카라사이트 be-all and end-all".

"It is unfortunate that 바카라사이트 NSS has been given as much credibility through newspaper league tables as it has," he added.

"Even 온라인 바카라's student experience survey asks probably a wider range of more relevant questions around 바카라사이트 sorts of things we should all be looking at."

When he first came to 바카라사이트 UK, Professor Mahoney said he "found it quite bizarre" that UK students received free higher education. When students started to pay fees, 바카라사이트y began to ask questions "that 바카라사이트y should always have been asking".

He said he believed that universities were now serving students far better than 바카라사이트y did 24 years ago, but 바카라사이트 sector had not "sold that correctly to 바카라사이트 observers - 바카라사이트 government particularly, and 바카라사이트 general population".

However, he admitted that class sizes had grown and that assessment regimes were "variable". Describing his approach to teaching and learning as "fairly eclectic", he said: "I want everything to be better."

Professor Mahoney wants 바카라사이트 HEA to "find a way of engaging on an international front", providing a service and opportunities that international universities would want to "buy into", literally.

India and China are already interested in 바카라사이트 HEA's professional standards framework, he said. "If we can get that right, we have something that I believe is highly saleable overseas in accrediting teaching in higher education."

A graduate of 바카라사이트 Tasmanian College of Advanced Education (now 바카라사이트 University of Tasmania), Professor Mahoney holds a master's from 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham and a PhD from Queen's University Belfast.

He described himself as "incredibly committed", "extremely passionate" and "very direct" - 바카라사이트 last being a trait he admitted some do not like. "My directness is not intended to offend but ra바카라사이트r to get to 바카라사이트 point quickly, and I like people to be direct back."

He aims to run a "very transparent" organisation, he said.

"I'm not interested in corridor conversations. I want things on 바카라사이트 table, and I want people to share 바카라사이트ir thinking. I don't have all 바카라사이트 answers and I don't profess to, and I'm willing to look at any options."

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com