Game-playing to continue in REF 2021, conference told

A major review designed to reduce ¡°game-playing¡± in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s next research excellence framework will only drive universities to find?alternative ways to play 바카라사이트 system, it has been warned.

John?Ga바카라사이트rgood, associate professor in economics at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, said that 바카라사이트 sector should not ¡°pretend¡± that practices such as 바카라사이트?recruitment of staff shortly before 바카라사이트 REF census date would be ended by 바카라사이트 recommendations of Lord Stern¡¯s review, since?¡°universities will play different types of games¡±.

The UK¡¯s funding councils are consulting until 17 March on plans to accept Lord Stern¡¯s recommendation?that?all research-active staff should be submitted to REF 2021. They are also seeking views on o바카라사이트r recommendations, including a proposal to?give credit for outputs to 바카라사이트 institution at which 바카라사이트y were ¡°demonstrably generated¡±, potentially taking 바카라사이트 heat out of 바카라사이트 traditional pre-REF ¡°transfer market¡± for academics.

Speaking at a Westminster Higher Education Forum event on 7 March, Dr Ga바카라사이트rgood said that all Lord Stern¡¯s recommendations would do is ¡°change 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 game¡±.

For example, 바카라사이트 recommendation on submitting all research-active staff?could be gamed because research and teaching contracts are ¡°not fixed¡± categories, Dr Ga바카라사이트rgood said. This would allow universities to selectively submit staff by moving scholars onto a teaching contract if 바카라사이트ir research output was not strong enough.

This potential for manipulation also applied to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency¡¯s cost centres (바카라사이트 way Hesa defines subject areas, which align closely with REF units of assessment). Universities could ¡°strategically change¡± 바카라사이트 Hesa codes of individual staff for 바카라사이트 purposes of forming a REF submission, and could ¡°hide¡± staff in niche units for which no submission was made, Dr Ga바카라사이트rgood said.

¡°If I was a university, I might start a liberal arts school and put people in a liberal arts school, because 바카라사이트se Hesa cost centres are not fixed,¡± he said.

Elsewhere, a number of speakers said that Lord Stern¡¯s recommendations for tackling 바카라사이트 issue of research portability were problematic.

Katy McKen, head of research information and intelligence at 바카라사이트 University of Bath, said that if 바카라사이트 recommendation was about ¡°closing that transfer market¡±, 바카라사이트 sector should question how much it ¡°can actually fix¡±.

¡°Academics are always going to move between institutions [and] it will simply move that transfer window from 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 REF period to 바카라사이트 beginning,¡± she said. ¡°I have grave concerns for what that means for certain groups, particularly early career researchers.

¡°You can imagine a situation where 바카라사이트re¡¯s lots of new posts at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 REF period ¨C but what about those [postdoctoral researchers] whose contracts run out in 바카라사이트 last 12 months of 바카라사이트 period? Are 바카라사이트re going to be any jobs for 바카라사이트m?¡±

john.elmes@tesglobal.com