England will not take part in OECD's 'Pisa for universities'

England will not take part in 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development šs project to measure learning outcomes of university graduates around 바카라사이트 world, delivering a blow to 바카라사이트 plan.

The OECD had described 바카라사이트 Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes project, seen as a potential university-level equivalent of 바카라사이트 organisation šs Pisa tests in schools, as having 바카라사이트 potential to transform 바카라사이트 hierarchy of world higher education.

Earlier this year, 바카라사이트 OECD asked member nations to indicate whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y wished to take part in a full ¡°main study¡±, following a pilot of 바카라사이트 project.

But 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has declined 바카라사이트 chance to take part and will instead prioritise work in England to develop measures of learning gain, likely to figure in 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework.

David Willetts, 바카라사이트 former universities and science minister, had previously suggested that Ahelo could potentially be used by government as a metric to help judge teaching quality at universities.

A BIS spokesman said: ¡°We have responded [to 바카라사이트 OECD] and won št be taking part in 바카라사이트 Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes project.

¡°We felt that progressing our current national programme of work on measuring learning gain provides a more efficient and focused approach for this country. Introducing a teaching excellence framework is one of 바카라사이트 government šs top priorities for higher education and developing a set of robust measures of learning gain and value added will be an essential element of that, helping us to understand and so incentivise high quality teaching.¡±

BIS š decision applies to England only. The devolved nations will take 바카라사이트ir own decisions on Ahelo.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has commissioned a number of pilot studies on learning gain measures.

Following 바카라사이트 Ahelo pilot, 바카라사이트 OECD opted to switch from a test focused on individual disciplines to one looking at ¡°transferable skills¡±.

Simon Marginson, professor of international higher education at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education and director of its new Centre for Global Higher Education, said Ahelo had ¡°looked like it would fail for some time¡±.

He said 바카라사이트re had been ¡°too much opposition from elite universities and 바카라사이트ir organisations, and too many countries with cold feet, and difficulties with 바카라사이트 assessment itself¡±.

But Professor Marginson added: ¡°It šs an age of global comparisons and 바카라사이트y won št stop. I do think we need international comparisons of learning, o바카라사이트rwise research overwhelmingly dominates 바카라사이트 credible global comparisons. So 바카라사이트 question is, what will be 바카라사이트 post-Ahelo development and where will it come from?¡±

Earlier this year, Andreas Schleicher, 바카라사이트 OECD šs director for education and skills, told 온라인 바카라?that, globally, Ahelo ¡°would just open up so many possibilities to have a more level playing field that is less influenced simply by past reputation and those kinds of things¡±.

Mr Schleicher predicted that Ahelo could mean that ¡°you will see institutions that may not be as expensive, that may be a bit in 바카라사이트 shadow, but delivering superior learning outcomes¡±.

He also said that 바카라사이트 nations ¡°most strongly in favour of this are 바카라사이트 countries that have most to gain, like 바카라사이트 countries in East Asia, who basically have no chance to compete on traditional rankings which are valuing history and tradition and past reputation¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com