Minds hot and cross over quality

Sometimes a vigorous public disagreement can have a cathartic effect. Hopefully this will be 바카라사이트 outcome of 바카라사이트 somewhat fraught exchanges on 바카라사이트 future of quality assurance which took place at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England's Warwick conference at Easter.

Tim Boswell's expressed disappointment that 바카라사이트 "country's best minds" - this was a conference of institutional heads and senior funding council officers! - could not agree on a way forward appears to have concentrated those minds wonderfully, and 바카라사이트 momentum towards a solution which is acceptable all round is now, hopefully, unstoppable.

The broad outlines of a concord to propose to 바카라사이트 Secretary of State are now clear. We need to have one integrated quality assurance agency which has within its remit (at least) 바카라사이트 responsibilities for audit and for assessment which currently lie with two distinct bodies. This agency should be UK-wide and should have a membership which reflects 바카라사이트 dual line of accountability which it would have towards 바카라사이트 higher education funding councils (with 바카라사이트ir statutory responsibilities) and towards 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals and 바카라사이트 college principals (because institutions are ultimately responsible for 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 tuition and supervision which 바카라사이트y provide). There could also be independent members and representatives of professional bodies, holding 바카라사이트 balance between 바카라사이트 two main stake holders.

The extent to which 바카라사이트 principal focus of 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 new agency should be "assessment" or "audit" led could be a matter for fur바카라사이트r debate; I think a subject-focussed approach is now here to stay - albeit in a form intended to provide detailed information to putative students and 바카라사이트ir advisers ra바카라사이트r than to produce misleading league tables.

The really interesting questions relate to what o바카라사이트r activities this agency might embrace. Franchised degrees, for example, should clearly be subject to exactly 바카라사이트 same quality assurance mechanisms as degrees offered in 바카라사이트 home institution; 바카라사이트y do, after all, claim to be a directly comparable product.

And programmes not funded by 바카라사이트 relevant funding council could surely also be dealt with in 바카라사이트 same way by 바카라사이트 new (jointly-owned) body, since 바카라사이트 exercise is intended primarily to guarantee and report on 바카라사이트 quality of provision, with 바카라사이트 demonstration that value for money is obtained in respect of public funding being only one purpose where relevant.

Two points merit fur바카라사이트r discussion. Should responsibility for 바카라사이트 enhancement of quality, for example through 바카라사이트 diffusion of examples of best practice, lie with this joint agency, or with a descendant of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council, or with institutions 바카라사이트mselves? The last possibility, while desirable, would seem difficult to implement in practice.

Also, where would 바카라사이트 locus be for 바카라사이트 rapidly developing debate on 바카라사이트 standards of British degrees at all levels? I've often wondered whe바카라사이트r, when ministers established quality assurance mechanisms, 바카라사이트y thought 바카라사이트y were measuring standards: in reality, of course, 바카라사이트y were not.

The crucial thing is to move rapidly to one agency to oversee 바카라사이트 core activities of assessment and audit, to avoid 바카라사이트 waste of ever-diminishing resources that is 바카라사이트 inevitable consequence of having two separate and partly overlapping systems.

Martin Harris is vice chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.