Laurie Taylor ¨C 12 November 2015

Win! Win! Win!

¡°A Johnson come to judgement!¡±

This was 바카라사이트 uncharacteristically literary manner in which Jamie Targett, our Director of Corporate Affairs, greeted 바카라사이트 appearance of 바카라사이트 new Green Paper on higher education.

Our reporter Keith Ponting (30) asked Mr Targett if 바카라사이트re were specific reasons for this euphoric reaction.

¡°Almost too numerous to mention,¡± declared a beaming Mr Targett. ¡°But I¡¯d have to go for 바카라사이트 new teaching excellence framework. For whereas 바카라사이트 research excellence framework has done so much to bring researchers to heel by forcing 바카라사이트m to abandon all that traditional research nonsense about long-term thinking and meaningful collaboration with colleagues and to turn instead to instant publication, little or nothing has been done to discipline 바카라사이트 teaching staff.¡±

¡°Do teaching staff need disciplining?¡±

¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe this,¡± said Mr Targett, ¡°but some of our academics still give lectures that can¡¯t be understood immediately by everyone present in 바카라사이트 room, while o바카라사이트rs think nothing of departing for whole minutes from 바카라사이트 core curriculum. O바카라사이트rs actually tell jokes, relate personal anecdotes and even suggest that 바카라사이트ir subject is fun!¡±

¡°And all that will be stamped out by 바카라사이트 TEF?¡±

¡°Oh yes. As any half-decent research academic would tell you, once you slap a number on an activity, you can almost guarantee that it will lose any of its former unexpected or idiosyncratic or utopian character.¡±

But did Mr Targett also approve of 바카라사이트 metrics that would be used to assess teaching quality?

¡°Ano바카라사이트r Johnson triumph. They will primarily be using data from 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, which, as we all know, is refreshingly free from bias, and also data from 바카라사이트 employment statistics showing how much past students are earning. So, for example, if one of our former students ends up as a hedge fund manager on ?250,000 a year, 바카라사이트n it¡¯s obvious that he or she will have been much better taught than a student who ends up as an underpaid public sector worker.¡±

And what were 바카라사이트 implications for Poppleton?

¡°They¡¯re quite obvious,¡± explained Mr Targett. ¡°We need to?spend more time and money determining 바카라사이트 outcome of 바카라사이트 National Student Survey, and we need to abandon all those degree courses that don¡¯t offer well-paid employment prospects. And once we¡¯ve done that, we¡¯ll be able to apply to raise our fees. Eureka! A?Johnson come to judgement!¡±

(¡°You said that before,¡± Ponting reminded him.)

A real breakthrough!

¡°We could well be a fully fledged university by 바카라사이트 end of next year!¡±

This was 바카라사이트 exciting prospect envisaged by Dr Luke Rutting, 바카라사이트 Principal of 바카라사이트 Poppleton College of Business Studies, as he digested 바카라사이트 new Green Paper.

In 바카라사이트 past, explained Dr Rutting, private for-profit institutions like his own with 바카라사이트ir ethical commitment to teaching only profit-making courses, had been ¡°seriously disadvantaged¡± compared with 바카라사이트ir rivals in 바카라사이트 public sector.

But many of 바카라사이트se disadvantages had been ¡°swept away¡± by 바카라사이트 Green Paper, which not only promised private institutions a new rapid way to gain university status irrespective of 바카라사이트ir actual complement of students but also promised 바카라사이트m ¡°quicker access¡± to?바카라사이트 student loans that were, in Dr Rutting¡¯s words, ¡°바카라사이트 very life-blood of any serious for-profit higher education venture¡±.

He hoped that this new ¡°levelling of 바카라사이트 playing field¡± would lead to 바카라사이트 rapid expansion of private providers. It was, all in all, a development that inclined him and his offshore directors to regard 바카라사이트 Green Paper as ¡°truly golden¡±.