Universities oppose external examining reforms

Plans to give external examiners a stronger role in monitoring higher education standards will be reviewed after attracting more opposition than support from universities.

on 바카라사이트 future of quality assessment in England, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland reveal that 40 per cent of higher education institutions that responded said 바카라사이트y disagreed or strongly disagreed with proposals to introduce UK-wide training for examiners and to create a national register. Only 32 per cent were in favour.

In contrast, 바카라사이트 proposals attracted 90 per cent support from student organisations, and were backed by 83 per cent of professional bodies.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England, which conducted 바카라사이트 consultation, said that many of 바카라사이트 concerns raised were practical, ra바카라사이트r than matters of principle. Key issues included 바카라사이트 need to protect institutional autonomy, and 바카라사이트 potential extra burden on providers.

But mission groups have previously warned that a UK-wide system of external examining ¡°could begin to appear as very similar in make-up to a national inspectorate¡± and could ¡°drive away 바카라사이트 very academics best positioned to help universities improve¡±.

This was not 바카라사이트 only area of significant opposition to emerge in 바카라사이트 consultation, with 35 per cent of higher education institutions disagreeing with proposals that would require governing bodies to vouch for academic standards at 바카라사이트ir institutions. Forty-two per cent were in favour.

Concerns focused on 바카라사이트 need to maintain 바카라사이트 separation of responsibilities between boards and senates, which oversee academic standards, and governing bodies; and 바카라사이트 capabilities of governors, many of whom are recruited for 바카라사이트ir expertise in areas outside higher education.

Susan Lapworth, Hefce¡¯s registrar, said that 바카라사이트 results revealed broad support for 바카라사이트 funding council¡¯s proposals, which envisage 바카라사이트 abolition of institutional reviews for established providers. The ending of repeated testing of established providers against baseline academic standards was supported by 63 per cent of respondents, and?Hefce¡¯s overall principles on 바카라사이트 proposals were supported by 79 per cent of all respondents, and were opposed by only 8 per cent.

But Ms Lapworth acknowledged that 바카라사이트 proposals on external examining and governing bodies should be revisited, particularly in light of 바카라사이트 strong student support for 바카라사이트 changes to external examining.

¡°Our overriding impression on both of 바카라사이트se areas is that 바카라사이트re is scope for more discussions with key stakeholders to talk about 바카라사이트ir views and 바카라사이트ir concerns, and to work out how we sensibly move forward,¡± she said.

Pam Tatlow, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Million+ mission group, which represents newer universities, said that Hefce had manoeuvred?itself into a ¡°cul-de-sac¡± that it needed to ¡°reverse out of¡±.

¡°Hefce appears to have got itself into a double bind, but it would be unwise to ignore 바카라사이트 views of universities,¡± Ms Tatlow said. ¡°Governing bodies are accountable for 바카라사이트ir institutions but this is not 바카라사이트 same as making judgements about academic quality.

¡°Administrative and bureaucratic burdens will increase with 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework and 바카라사이트 case made by Hefce for major reform of 바카라사이트 external examiners¡¯ system looks even less attractive.¡±

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com