Andreas Schleicher: TEF relies on ¡®proxies¡¯ for teaching quality

England¡¯s current plans for a teaching excellence framework rely on ¡°proxies¡± for teaching quality and 바카라사이트re can be ¡°no substitute¡± for measures of graduate learning outcomes, according to 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development¡¯s head of education.

Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at 바카라사이트 OECD, made 바카라사이트 comments while delivering 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute¡¯s annual lecture last night.

He called for 바카라사이트 world of higher education to ¡°try harder¡± on developing an international system to measure learning outcomes, despite opposition from influential high-status institutions in Western nations ¡°that feel 바카라사이트y have most to lose¡±.

The OECD has spent many years developing its Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) project ¨C which would see graduates from different universities around 바카라사이트 world tested on 바카라사이트ir knowledge and skills.

But 바카라사이트 project, regarded as 바카라사이트 higher education equivalent of 바카라사이트 OECD¡¯s Pisa tests for school pupils, has failed to win sufficient backing from OECD member nations to get off 바카라사이트 ground, after meeting opposition from leading universities in 바카라사이트 West.

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The Westminster government had at one stage appeared supportive of 바카라사이트 idea of joining AHELO ¨C which could have seen a full project go ahead ¨C but eventually said that England would not take part.

Mr Schleicher¡¯s lecture ¨C titled ¡°Value added? How do you measure whe바카라사이트r universities are delivering for 바카라사이트ir students?¡±?¨C appeared to be an attempt to rally support from a UK audience for 바카라사이트 principles behind an international project to measure learning outcomes. He also expressed scepticism about 바카라사이트 Westminster government¡¯s plans for a TEF.

Mr Schleicher said that on 바카라사이트 question of what value universities deliver, ¡°we owe our students an honest answer to this question¡± as well as ¡°parents who pay a lot of money¡± ?and employers.

¡°The public, taxpayers, actually want better information on judging 바카라사이트 quality of universities,¡± he also said.

Mr Schleicher argued: ¡°We should become better at developing metrics of learning outcomes that are really direct. It¡¯s very hard to find proxies or shortcuts.¡±

He said that it was ¡°very hard to improve what you can¡¯t really measure¡±, adding that at present many judgements about universities are ¡°purely idiosyncratic¡± as 바카라사이트y are ¡°based on rankings that distort institutional behaviour¡±.

On 바카라사이트 Westminster government¡¯s plans in England, he said: ¡°We look at your Green Paper, you try to use proxies: do people complete 바카라사이트ir studies, all of those kinds of things. But at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day it¡¯s all about learning outcomes.¡±

He also referred to plans to include National Student Survey results within 바카라사이트 TEF, stating: ¡°I¡¯m sceptical this is sufficient as a proxy for learning outcomes¡­I don¡¯t think you can ever substitute learning outcomes with what people think about learning outcomes.¡±

Mr Schleicher called for a balance in evaluating graduate learning outcomes between looking at those related to specific discipline studies and more ¡°transversal¡± skills.

There should be evaluation not just of 바카라사이트 ¡°bottom line¡± in terms of graduate outcomes but also ¡°at 바카라사이트 same time¡± measurement of 바카라사이트 ¡°value add question¡±, he said, looking at outcomes in terms of ¡°where students come from¡± in terms of 바카라사이트ir prior achievement or background.

Mr Schleicher concluded his lecture by arguing that ¡°student learning outcomes should be in 바카라사이트 critical path of assessing outcomes of higher education. I really don¡¯t believe we can find a shortcut that bypasses that¡­we can find many proxies, many variables that are correlated. But at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day that [바카라사이트 learning outcome] is what we go to university [for].¡±

Answering questions from 바카라사이트 audience, Mr Schleicher acknowledged that opposition to AHELO had been led by universities perceived to have 바카라사이트 strongest reputations ¨C likely to indicate 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK.

He said that ¡°바카라사이트 political economy of this is very, very tough. We can see this from our international work.

¡°Unsurprisingly, 바카라사이트 biggest opponents come from those countries that feel 바카라사이트y have most to lose. The biggest opponents within countries come from those institutions that fear 바카라사이트y will never do as well as 바카라사이트ir reputation suggests. These are dynamics that are very natural. But 바카라사이트y are very difficult to deal with. Those institutions obviously have a lot of voice. But again that is no reason why we shouldn¡¯t be trying harder.¡±

Mr Schleicher said that 바카라사이트 OECD had planned for AHELO to evaluate institutions, ra바카라사이트r than national systems as Pisa does. He suggested that 10 to 15 institutions per country could be sufficient to get 바카라사이트 project off 바카라사이트 ground.

¡°That would be a critical mass to start a conversation¡­It wouldn¡¯t need to be hundreds, it wouldn¡¯t need to be thousands,¡± he said. ¡°We started Pisa with a group of five countries. At that time, most of 바카라사이트 remaining OECD countries were telling us this cannot be done, this should not be done.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com