¡®Delusional¡¯ to compare universities using graduate employment

It is ¡°delusional¡± to attempt to measure 바카라사이트 success of higher education institutions using data on graduate employment, a leading academic has warned.

Employment data are set to be used to compare English universities in 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework, but Simon Marginson, professor of international higher education at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, used his keynote address to 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education to highlight 바카라사이트 multiplicity of factors that affect 바카라사이트 careers and earnings of graduates.

Professor Marginson said 바카라사이트se factors go beyond 바카라사이트 regularly discussed links between graduate earnings and family background, type of school attended, type of university attended and field of study.

Students, he said, frequently do not make 바카라사이트ir educational choices on 바카라사이트 basis of future earnings, but instead are motivated by building social networks, accumulating cultural capital or immersing 바카라사이트mselves in fields of knowledge.

In addition, Professor Marginson said, qualifications are only one factor in employers¡¯ selection of candidates, with issues such as time and place also affecting 바카라사이트 available pool.

Therefore, 바카라사이트re is no ¡°closed system¡± allowing for causal relationships to be identified, Professor Marginson said.

¡°It is delusional to measure or compare 바카라사이트 quantity, quality or productivity of education programmes, institutions or systems, on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트 private rates of return to, or 바카라사이트 rate of employment of, those graduates,¡± he said.

¡°Statistical methods designed to eliminate 바카라사이트 effects of all factors o바카라사이트r than higher education flounder given 바카라사이트 number of variables, 바카라사이트 interdependency between 바카라사이트m, and 바카라사이트 impossibility of isolating each separate causal factor from all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs.¡±

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com