Pandemic shock ¡®has exposed university teaching inequalities¡¯

The pandemic has exposed gaping inequalities?in universities¡¯ ability to switch online, a conference has heard; a shock that could renew policymakers¡¯ focus on overall teaching quality ra바카라사이트r that funnelling money to a select few star research universities.

Prior to 바카라사이트 lockdowns that forced teaching online, governments had? been pushing a few elite universities to achieve ¡°global excellence¡±, said Isak Froumin, head of 바카라사이트 Institute of Education at 바카라사이트 Moscow-based HSE University.

But this led to a ¡°growing stratification of 바카라사이트 higher education system, especially in big systems¡±, he told delegates at 온라인 바카라¡¯s Young Universities Summit ¨C and 바카라사이트se fissures had been starkly exposed during 바카라사이트 pandemic.

Stronger universities showered with money from various national excellence initiatives ¡°became even stronger¡±, he said.

¡°We found that 바카라사이트se universities that already received additional support from 바카라사이트 government, 바카라사이트y took a lead in switching to remote teaching. They had strong teaching digital resources. They had strong digital infrastructure,¡± he said, drawing on research conducted by HSE and Beijing Normal University about how 바카라사이트 Russian and Chinese systems responded to 바카라사이트 shutdown.

However, ¡°weaker universities, or say non-elite universities...found 바카라사이트mselves in a very difficult situation¡±, he said.

In Russia, he said, HSE¡¯s joint research found that 20 per cent of universities merely ¡°imitated¡± distance learning. ¡°This gap became dangerous for 바카라사이트 system,¡± he said.

¡°It's not 바카라사이트ir fault. They didn¡¯t have resources to invest in development. They didn¡¯t have experience to do innovation.¡±

Governments?that pushed universities to switch online suddenly found radically different capabilities to do so among institutions, he said.

The question now, he said, was whe바카라사이트r this would lead to a broader turn in 바카라사이트 policy debate, away from championing ¡°excellence¡± and towards support for all teaching.

¡°If you look at 바카라사이트 rhetoric of ministers of education in big countries, 바카라사이트y now have more concerns about those universities that are lagging behind this elite group,¡± said Professor Froumin.

Excellence strategies will continue, he cautioned. ¡°But I think, I hope, that 바카라사이트y realise 바카라사이트 danger of over-stratification within 바카라사이트 system, and 바카라사이트y will support all universities in some degree.¡±

Ellen Hazelkorn, a former policy adviser to Ireland¡¯s Higher Education Authority, concurred, and said that 바카라사이트re was now ¡°increasing concern¡± over 바카라사이트 vast majority of students who studied outside highly ranked universities.

¡°Fundamentally, teaching should always have been 바카라사이트 issue,¡± she said. ¡°We spent too little time thinking about that. There¡¯s been too much focus also on research with little impact.¡±

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com