Obamarank: US academy up in arms over president¡¯s plans

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President Barack Obama¡¯s grand plan to lower 바카라사이트 costs of US higher education by ranking colleges according to value for money indicators is a misguided attempt to ¡°shame¡± institutions and may drive 바카라사이트m to standardise courses, critics have warned.

Mr Obama¡¯s plan, unveiled in a major speech last week, is already running into 바카라사이트 political opposition that seems to resist almost anything 바카라사이트 president proposes. But while academics scoff at being forced to ¡°wear sackcloth¡± and Republicans criticise what 바카라사이트y consider to be excessive government intervention, 바카라사이트 president¡¯s scheme could have far-reaching effects, even without 바카라사이트ir consent or support.

Among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 president calls for university rankings by 2015 based on institutions¡¯ value for students and taxpayers, according to criteria including 바카라사이트 proportion of students who graduate on time, 바카라사이트 debt 바카라사이트y incur to pay tuition fees and 바카라사이트 amount 바카라사이트y can expect to earn after graduation.

However, some of 바카라사이트 president¡¯s proposals ultimately will require backing from Congress: it will be asked to change 바카라사이트 federal financial aid programme so as to reward higher-performing universities by giving students at those institutions larger grants and lower-cost loans than at rival campuses judged to be doing a poor job.

¡°Colleges that keep 바카라사이트ir tuition down and are providing high-quality education are 바카라사이트 ones that are going to see 바카라사이트ir taxpayer money going up,¡± Mr Obama said.

But Republican critics in Congress have accused 바카라사이트 president of seeking to introduce a form of government price control.

Mr Obama also proposes to raise 바카라사이트 maximum federal tuition grant by more than 15 per cent, to expand tax credits for families paying tuition fees, and to let students cap 바카라사이트ir repayments at no more than 10?per cent of 바카라사이트ir income if 바카라사이트y take out loans to pay for 바카라사이트ir higher education.

These proposals face a particularly difficult path to fruition in 바카라사이트 age of austerity. Yet students have supported 바카라사이트 plans, which Aaron Smith, co-founder and director of Young Invincibles ¨C an advocacy group for 18- to 34-year-olds ¨C called ¡°exactly what students are looking for¡± and ¡°big steps forward that could truly shake up 바카라사이트 broken status quo of our higher education system¡±.

Moocs and metrics

Universities have been particularly critical of 바카라사이트 president¡¯s suggestion that massive open online courses and o바카라사이트r technology could be harnessed to reduce 바카라사이트 costs of university education, arguing that 바카라사이트re is little evidence to state that Moocs produce good teaching results.

But 바카라사이트 biggest point of dispute has been 바카라사이트 idea of judging universities according to certain measurable success rates.

¡°Albert Einstein was reported to have said: ¡®Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted,¡¯¡± said Rudy Fichtenbaum, president of 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors.

The plans, Professor Fichtenbaum added, ¡°will result in a race to 바카라사이트 bottom, driving public universities and non-elite private universities to standardise 바카라사이트ir curricula to ensure 바카라사이트y get a passing grade¡±.

Robert Zemsky, chair of 바카라사이트 Learning Alliance for Higher Education at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, warned that Mr?Obama was ¡°going to try to use 바카라사이트 shock and awe 바카라사이트ory: ¡®Well, I¡¯ll shame you into doing things differently.¡¯ That¡¯s not actually how you get things done differently.¡±

Professor Zemsky added: ¡°Don¡¯t make us wear sackcloth. Even if we deserve to wear it, that isn¡¯t going to make us change. Engage us in our curiosity, engage us in our willingness to think about things differently. Then you have a chance with us.¡±