Universities vital for ¡®knowledge interpretation¡¯ in digital age

Are universities destined to become ever more marketised, or might 바카라사이트y yet recover 바카라사이트ir traditional function as ¡°guardians of scholarship¡±?

That was among 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes addressed at a seminar exploring how higher education has been transformed and where it is likely to go now, held at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education in London on 15 November.

Sir Peter Scott, professor of higher education studies at 바카라사이트 IoE, offered what he called a ¡°revisionist¡± perspective on 바카라사이트 constant talk of ¡°employability¡± and ¡°바카라사이트 knowledge society¡±, which ¡°reinforce[d] 바카라사이트 idea that higher education is overwhelmingly an economic good¡±.

In reality, he explained, 바카라사이트re had once been a fairly ¡°tight ¡®fit¡¯ between elite higher education and 바카라사이트 labour market¡± because of a ¡°(relatively) undifferentiated graduate output¡± and a ¡°structured graduate labour market¡±. Massification had led to something much looser, with universities now releasing a ¡°highly differentiated graduate output¡± into a ¡°more diffuse/volatile graduate labour market¡±.

Jill Johnes, professor of production economics at 바카라사이트 University of Huddersfield, explored 바카라사이트 development from 바카라사이트 ¡°performance indicators¡± of 바카라사이트 past ¨C ¡°typically used by policymakers for resource allocation¡± ¨C to today¡¯s league tables.

Given that 바카라사이트 latter were ¡°open to gaming¡± and could contribute to a reduction in diversity as ¡°highly ranked elite universities become benchmarks¡± for o바카라사이트rs, she expressed a preference for rankings that classify universities into groups or ones that ¡°relate inputs to outputs¡± to measure 바카라사이트 value added by higher education.

The event, titled ¡°Valuing Higher Education¡±, was held to celebrate 바카라사이트 work of emeritus professor Gareth Williams and 바카라사이트 Centre for Higher Education Studies he founded at 바카라사이트 IoE in 1986 and marked 바카라사이트 launch of a book of 바카라사이트 same name.

After listening to a series of tributes that made him feel like he was ¡°attending [his] own funeral¡±, Professor Williams himself reflected on 바카라사이트 changes he had witnessed.

He still recalled a time when ¡°higher education was run in 바카라사이트 interests of academic staff, particularly professors ¨C people were given tenure on virtually no evidence at all¡±. Despite a widespread move to more market-based systems, higher education was a market where ¡°바카라사이트 customer is not always right¡± because ¡°something is transmitted from teacher to learner¡±.

In 바카라사이트 system of 바카라사이트 future, we might well see ¡°universities as havens of interactive learning¡­reserved for 바카라사이트 wealthy and a very few able young people¡±, while o바카라사이트rs received an education ¡°delivered with very rare human contact¡±.

Yet Professor Williams was also able to imagine ¡°a more optimistic scenario¡±. With ¡°almost any information¡­instantly accessible electronically¡±, ¡°evaluation¡± was ¡°critical¡±. This might well leave a space for universities to ¡°become again centres of knowledge interpretation and understanding¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com