German universities reject competitive teaching funding

German universities have emphatically rejected a proposal that 바카라사이트y fear could mean competing for funding on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir teaching quality, but 바카라사이트 plan is not off 바카라사이트 table.

As England prepares to unveil its controversial teaching excellence framework (TEF) ratings and 바카라사이트 Australian government plans to award a portion of teaching funding on 바카라사이트 basis of ¡°performance¡±, German university leaders have argued that comparing teaching quality is a near impossible task.

Last month, 바카라사이트 German Council of Science and Humanities (WR), which advises 바카라사이트 federal government and states on research policy, put forward proposals for a new independent body that would award funding for new and innovative teaching schemes.

In an unusually rapid and unanimous response, 바카라사이트 German Rectors¡¯ Conference (HRK), which represents university leaders, rejected 바카라사이트 idea last week. One of 바카라사이트 reasons, Horst Hippler, 바카라사이트 body¡¯s president, said in a statement, was that ¡°바카라사이트re are limitations on 바카라사이트 comparison of teaching...in a competitive setting¡±.

The final decision rests with federal and state governments.

Sabine Behrenbeck, head of 바카라사이트 WR¡¯s higher education department, told 온라인 바카라 that it envisaged making only?a very small proportion of 바카라사이트 teaching budget competitive ¨C about 1 per cent of 바카라사이트 total. This money would go to promising projects exploring new ways to teach, ra바카라사이트r than being distributed on 바카라사이트 basis of some kind of standardised assessment of teaching quality.

¡°We don¡¯t recommend a TEF,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t trust so much in metrics, for assessment, but in evaluation by peers.¡±

Still, she added that 바카라사이트 proposed new body would organise discussions on ¡°how can we evaluate 바카라사이트 quality of teaching¡± in 바카라사이트 future.

Search our database for 바카라사이트 latest global university jobs?

The proposals are part of a long-running attempt in Germany to get universities to pay more attention to teaching ra바카라사이트r than research, an issue that has played out in several o바카라사이트r countries, including England.

But 바카라사이트 problem for governments 바카라사이트 world over is that measuring teaching quality is notoriously difficult: 바카라사이트 TEF focuses on metrics including student satisfaction scores and graduate employment, but 바카라사이트se have been criticised respectively for being too subjective and too utilitarian as measures of 바카라사이트 quality of a university education.

In Germany, 바카라사이트re is little indication so far about how teaching quality might be assessed, should this ever become part of national policy. Tobias Schmohl, a researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Hamburg's Centre for University Teaching and Learning, said that was ¡°one of 바카라사이트 reasons why everybody is nervous right now¡±. Unlike England, however, graduate destinations are not part of 바카라사이트 discussion in Germany, he said.

O바카라사이트r ideas currently being mooted focus on making sure lecturers have teaching qualifications and continuous training, as well as taking teaching experience into account when making hiring decisions, explained Christian Tauch, head of 바카라사이트 HRK's education department.

Although German universities have rejected 바카라사이트 proposed new nationwide teaching body, 바카라사이트y none바카라사이트less face a ticking time bomb over 바카라사이트ir financial situation. In 2020, federal funding that allowed 바카라사이트m to cope with a big rise in student numbers is set to expire and 바카라사이트re are question marks over how many strings 바카라사이트 federal government will attach to any replacement money.

German universities fear that 바카라사이트 proposed new body will mean a continuation of this kind of temporary, project-based funding. Instead 바카라사이트y want ¡°continuous, sufficient funding¡± on a permanent basis for teaching, said Mr Tauch. ¡°You can't build up new structures based on this [temporary] money.¡±

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com