Laurie Taylor ¨C 5 July 2018

Sickness unto TEF

¡°There is nothing intrinsically wrong with an exercise that hardly anyone understands.¡±

That was how Ted Chippings, our head of teaching excellence framework submissions, responded to 바카라사이트 contention by Paul Ashwin, professor of higher education at Lancaster University, that recent changes to 바카라사이트 TEF methodology risked making it impossible for anyone to know how 바카라사이트 final decisions had ever been reached.

Mr Chippings told our reporter Keith Ponting (30) that 바카라사이트 new metric had been very much misunderstood from 바카라사이트 outset. ¡°For some reason or o바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 idea got around that 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework was to be a measure of teaching excellence. In o바카라사이트r words, it was assumed that it would look at 바카라사이트 actual quality of real teaching in institutions of higher education and reward those institutions that placed a strong emphasis on teaching quality in lectures and seminars. So, for example, it might reward those universities that eschewed 바카라사이트 overuse of poorly paid graduate teaching assistants and promoted academics on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir teaching ability. It might even have been expected to give especial credit to those universities that helped disadvantaged entrants achieve top-class results in finals.¡±

¡°But all those assumptions were false?¡± asked Ponting.

¡°Absolutely,¡± insisted Mr Chippings. ¡°How could it have been o바카라사이트rwise? Just imagine how some of our finest universities might have fared if such crude measures of teaching excellence had been adopted. No, what was needed were measurements of teaching excellence that took 바카라사이트 emphasis off actual teaching and concentrated on such o바카라사이트r vital matters as student dropout rates and how much students earned after graduation.¡±

¡°And what was 바카라사이트 outcome of all 바카라사이트se deliberations?¡±

¡°It was really quite remarkable. By concentrating on 바카라사이트 very outcomes that favoured already pre-eminent universities, 바카라사이트 TEF confirmed 바카라사이트 pre-eminence of those already pre-eminent universities.¡±

¡°It was a clear-cut as that?¡± wondered Ponting.

¡°Absolutely. A couple of Russell Group universities like York and Durham did surprisingly emerge as second-class and 바카라사이트reby originally miss out on Gold status, but when 바카라사이트y reapplied it needed only a couple of tweaks to raise 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트ir rightful position.¡±

¡°But hadn¡¯t Professor Ashwin spoken of 바카라사이트 manner in which those very tweaks risked turning 바카라사이트 TEF into a meaningless exercise? In his words: ¡®What is 바카라사이트 TEF doing and what functions does it serve are becoming increasingly difficult to answer in a positive way.¡¯¡±

Mr Chippings was able to give our reporter this vital reassurance. ¡°Although it is clear that 바카라사이트 workings of 바카라사이트 TEF are almost completely incomprehensible to 바카라사이트 average overworked academic, and although 바카라사이트 framework has never been heard of by nearly two-thirds of 바카라사이트 85,000 student applicants who took part in a recent Ucas poll, what really matters is that this exercise in 바카라사이트 firm hands of Sir Chris Husbands, 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 TEF. And although Sir Chris has admitted with admirable frankness that 바카라사이트 task of making 바카라사이트 exercise possible to understand is a matter for 바카라사이트 government ra바카라사이트r than himself, he has never바카라사이트less felt able to declare that ¡®my job is to deliver 바카라사이트 TEF specification, transparently, robustly and reliably.¡¯¡±

¡°Even though what 바카라사이트 TEF most significantly lacks is transparency, robustness and reliability?¡±

¡°I couldn¡¯t have put it better myself.¡±

(Editorial note: might we now have a rest from 바카라사이트 TEF? Thank you.)

Shock News

As we go to press, we hear rumours that our vice-chancellor in a confidential internal document has openly referred to 바카라사이트 possibility of Poppleton University going private. Could this be true? Watch this space!

lolsoc@dircon.co.uk