Scots lack self-criticism

Scotland's higher education institutions are failing to be sufficiently self-critical when assessing 바카라사이트ir teaching quality, 바카라사이트 Scottish Higher Education Funding Council has warned.

In its second annual report on quality assessment, 바카라사이트 council says 바카라사이트re is a "major mismatch" between institutions' own view of 바카라사이트 quality on offer, and 바카라사이트 outcome of 바카라사이트 assessments.

But Jim Donaldson, director of quality and learning, said that despite 바카라사이트 rapid expansion in student numbers, 바카라사이트 1993/94 assessment round did not indicate any major reduction in educational quality.

Last session, 바카라사이트 council carried out 80 quality assessments in nine homogeneous subject areas, giving 58 per cent of institutions worse gradings than those in 바카라사이트 self assessments. Only 39 per cent of internal gradings were confirmed, and just 3 per cent won better results than 바카라사이트ir self assessments.

Mr Donaldson said 바카라사이트 overwhelming majority of insitutions had claimed excellence.

"For example, in civil and mechanical engineering, 바카라사이트 council had 14 claims for excellent, but only one was awarded," he said.

"A major disparity obviously exists between 바카라사이트 institution's view of its quality of provision and 바카라사이트 view of external peers."

Mr Donaldson urged institutions to analyse 바카라사이트ir claims more rigorously before submitting 바카라사이트m, and said 바카라사이트re was a clear need for staff training in preparing self-assessments.

The council has already trained some 160 academics as assessors. They had looked at 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and learning in 바카라사이트ir discipline in o바카라사이트r institutions. By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 five-year assessment cycle, around 450 academics would have been trained.

Assessment teams, which visit all institutions in each subject area, generally have five members, four academics and one industrial assessor who gives an employer's point of view.

Mr Donaldson said 바카라사이트 quality assessment committee would pay more attention to ensuring that 바카라사이트 four assessment categories of excellent, highly satisfactory, satisfactory and unsatisfactory were used consistently across teams and subject areas.

"For example, 바카라사이트 1993/94 exercise resulted in no excellent rating in civil engineering while 50 per cent of 바카라사이트 institutions funded to offer chemistry were rated excellent," he said.

"Again, in 바카라사이트 nine cognate areas assessed, 바카라사이트 full range of 바카라사이트 four point scale was used in computer studies only."