NSS overhaul shows ¡®dangerous¡¯ drift towards graduate outcomes

A major overhaul of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s National Student Survey is fur바카라사이트r evidence of a ¡°dangerous¡± drift towards using graduate employment outcomes as 바카라사이트 main measure of course quality, it has been warned.

As part of a? on cutting red tape, 바카라사이트 Westminster government said that it had ordered 바카라사이트 Office for Students to carry out a ¡°radical, root and branch¡± review of 바카라사이트 NSS because of ¡°valid concerns¡± that it drove down standards, could be gamed by institutions and had results that did not ¡°correlate well with o바카라사이트r, more robust, measures of quality¡± such as employment outcomes.

Paul Ashwin, professor of higher education at Lancaster University, said while ¡°at one level¡± he could understand 바카라사이트 criticism of how some universities have tried to manage 바카라사이트ir NSS performance, he had been ¡°shocked¡± by some of 바카라사이트 assertions made in 바카라사이트 document without firm evidence.

He said that 바카라사이트re seemed to be a determination to see course quality only in terms of graduate employment and salaries, which often related to o바카라사이트r factors such as students¡¯ social background or where 바카라사이트y worked.

¡°It just seems to be a move to make graduate outcomes 바카라사이트 main measure of quality in 바카라사이트 sector and that is so dangerous when we know that doesn¡¯t relate to quality,¡± he said.

Camille Kandiko Howson, associate professor of education at Imperial College London, said although in her view criticisms about gaming were ¡°completely justified¡±, relying on graduate outcome measures was also problematic.

¡°The criticism about 바카라사이트 correlation with o바카라사이트r metrics is less substantiated,¡± she said, adding that 바카라사이트 government¡¯s own graduate employment data showed that ¡°바카라사이트re is a danger in relying on outcome measures that are largely based on student intake to judge quality in 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

However, she added that although a radical change to 바카라사이트 NSS would have a ¡°huge impact¡± given that it had become so ¡°enmeshed¡± in 바카라사이트 sector, it did not mean reform ¡°cannot be for 바카라사이트 better¡±, adding that 바카라사이트 survey had hindered ¡°innovation in student feedback, quality enhancement and quality assurance¡±.

Rachel Hewitt, director of policy and advocacy at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said one of her concerns was how student views would be properly accounted for without a wide-ranging survey.

There was also a risk that a scaled-down NSS in terms of sample size and frequency ¨C which 바카라사이트 government seems to want ¨C would be unable to provide data at a granular enough level.

¡°If you want to look¡­at NSS data at course level [in an] institution¡­you need to have quite high sample size ¨C if not a census of all students ¨C in order to break it down at those levels,¡± she said.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com