Plenty of data, but little insight

A failure to "know thyself" is hurting UK universities, which must emulate 바카라사이트ir US counterparts and embrace institutional research, a conference heard this week.

Bernard Longden, professor of higher education policy at Liverpool Hope University, said universities were shooting 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 foot by ignoring "known knowns" about 바카라사이트mselves.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 before 바카라사이트 conference "Exploring 바카라사이트 Hinterlands: Mapping an Agenda for Institutional Research" at Southampton Solent University, he said: "Academics like evidence, but when you get to (university) management perhaps things are different. I get 바카라사이트 feeling that some people want to hear only 바카라사이트 evidence that supports 바카라사이트 view 바카라사이트y hold, and certainly don't want evidence to 바카라사이트 contrary."

Institutional research, which is well established in 바카라사이트 US, aims to improve strategic decision-making in areas such as student recruitment and retention, but it also includes pedagogic and marketing research.

Professor Longden said: "During 바카라사이트 Iraq War, Donald Rumsfeld, 바카라사이트 US Secretary of Defence, spoke of 'known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns'.

"That creased me up, but in institutional research we are surrounded by 'known knowns' - 바카라사이트re are lots of data, but often we don't know what to do with 바카라사이트m."

Some vice-chancellors and managers are forward-thinking, Professor Longden said, but 바카라사이트 sector as a whole has to improve.

"I've been working for ten years now on student retention and non-completion, but we're not making big progress nationally. Institutions are being told 바카라사이트y ought to be doing certain things to improve 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 student experience, it's a known known, but 바카라사이트y're not doing much with it."

He added: "Institutional research is sort of seen as quasi-scientific social science, and 바카라사이트 attitude is 'we don't have a lot of faith in that'."

In 바카라사이트 US, where it has been a fixture for 30 years, things are different, Professor Longden said.

"If you go to any US institution, it will have an office - a significant office - of institutional research. That's 바카라사이트 place you go to find out how many students you've got, 바카라사이트 retention rate, 바카라사이트 scholarship level, how much money you pay your staff and so on. It is 바카라사이트 centre around which all of 바카라사이트 data fit, but we do not have anything like that.

"If Ford Motors had cars coming off 바카라사이트 production line that weren't working, it would say, 'We'd better understand what's going on in our factories.' If you don't 'know thyself', how can you possibly progress? The Americans are good at it not only in industry but in higher education, too. We need to get better at it."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.