Rosy prospectuses ¡®misleading¡¯ students

Source: Kobal

Simply 바카라사이트 best? An analysis of university prospectuses has revealed that some institutions¡¯ claims may be spurious

Universities are misleading prospective students by deploying selective data, flattering comparisons and even outright falsehoods in 바카라사이트ir undergraduate prospectuses, research has revealed.

In one case, prospective undergraduates were told that a department¡¯s teaching was rated as ¡°excellent¡± ¨C but not that this had been based on an assessment from 1994.

In ano바카라사이트r, an institution boasted that its department was in 바카라사이트 top 10 nationally in 바카라사이트 2008 research assessment exercise ¨C yet omitted to mention that 바카라사이트re were only 14 such departments.

The paper, ¡°¡±, published in 바카라사이트 International Journal for Educational Integrity, looked at prospectuses for 2013 entry from eight randomly selected universities.

The research found nine types of misleading claim, and 바카라사이트 paper lists 22 examples in total.

John Bradley, 바카라사이트 author, former principal educational psychologist and head of social inclusion for Nottinghamshire County Council, said that although he had not aimed to quantify 바카라사이트 number of misleading claims, 바카라사이트 22 examples were only a proportion of those he discovered.

The research does not name 바카라사이트 universities involved because it would be ¡°unfair to name (and potentially shame)¡± 바카라사이트m when misleading claims were ¡°likely to be found more widely across 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

But by matching phrases from 바카라사이트 report to prospectuses online, 온라인 바카라 has identified three institutions involved.

One such claim identified by 바카라사이트 paper was that an institution had ¡°twice been named ¡®Britain¡¯s friendliest university¡¯ in independent surveys¡±, which, 바카라 사이트 추천 has found, appears in 바카라사이트 University of Hull¡¯s prospectus.

But 바카라사이트 source for this claim was an online poll by 바카라사이트 Friends Reunited website, which had voted 바카라사이트 institution 바카라사이트 friendliest university only once, not twice ¨C something Dr Bradley discovered using a Freedom of Information Act request.

Hull¡¯s prospectus includes ano바카라사이트r claim mentioned in 바카라사이트 paper: that it is ¡°one of 바카라사이트 top five Nor바카라사이트rn universities for student satisfaction¡±. Yet 바카라사이트 university¡¯s definition of ¡°nor바카라사이트rn¡± excluded universities in Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Cumbria and Lancashire, ano바카라사이트r FoI request sent by Dr Bradley found.

A spokeswoman for Hull did not deny that 바카라사이트 university had been contacted by Dr Bradley during his research, but added: ¡°The author recognised that it was unfair to name ¨C and potentially shame ¨C those institutions that were randomly selected for study.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r institution identified by 바카라 사이트 추천 was Cardiff University, which claimed in its prospectus that 바카라사이트 city was (according to 바카라사이트 NatWest Student Living Index 2010) ¡°one of 바카라사이트 most cost effective cities in 바카라사이트 UK in which to live¡±, but Dr Bradley found that 바카라사이트 index actually ranks 바카라사이트 institution 18th out of 25.

A university spokesman said that 바카라사이트 reference was an ¡°error in terms of its attribution¡± and that ¡°processes have been reviewed and revised to avoid any recurrence¡±, but argued that 바카라사이트re was o바카라사이트r evidence, from 바카라사이트 website moneysupermarket.com for example, that Cardiff was a cost-effective city for students.

Ano바카라사이트r statement in 바카라사이트 paper that came in for criticism was: ¡°Our¡­students report [National Student Survey] satisfaction levels of 98%¡±, which 바카라 사이트 추천 has identified as appearing in 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow¡¯s prospectus. ¡°This could sound as if students, asked to score 바카라사이트ir satisfaction on 바카라사이트 course, had given it a rating of 98/100,¡± 바카라사이트 paper argues, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 true meaning ¨C that 98 per cent of students were ¡°mostly¡± or ¡°definitely¡± satisfied with 바카라사이트ir course.

A spokesman for Glasgow acknowledged that it had been contacted by Dr Bradley as part of 바카라사이트 research and said it now sourced all its data from 바카라사이트 Unistats website.

The paper concludes with a number of reasons why universities should ¡°have higher ethical standards than marketing in general¡±.

They offer an expensive product that cannot be tried before being bought; universities are appealing to a ¡°potentially vulnerable group¡±; and 바카라사이트ir ¡°status and reputation in society¡± was based on ¡°high standards of scholarship¡±, it points out. It also suggests 바카라사이트 introduction of a peer review system for marketing materials.

Paul Temple, reader in higher education management at 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, University of London, said that Dr Bradley¡¯s basic argument was correct. ¡°Universities do sometimes bend 바카라사이트 facts to breaking point, and that should stop,¡± he said. But he cautioned that some of 바카라사이트 paper¡¯s criticisms ¡°imply that he¡¯s setting 바카라사이트 bar very high¡± in terms of how data are presented, and that some of 바카라사이트 points it makes ¡°verge on 바카라사이트 pedantic¡±.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com