Laurie Taylor ¨C 7 June 2018

Measure for measure for measure

We are delighted to announce a fur바카라사이트r addition to our relentlessly expanding managerial team. Yes, it¡¯s a big welcome to Lionel Canard, our new head of Academic Measurement.

Mr Canard, who specialises in measuring all sorts of things, told The?Poppletonian that he was 82.5 per cent satisfied with his appointment. But what where his main objectives?

¡°Let me say straightaway that anyone like myself ¨C with a pathological commitment to measurement ¨C now feels very much at home in a British university.¡±

Who deserved 바카라사이트 credit for this state of affairs?

¡°A Bronze rating would have to go to Lord Willetts for his determined efforts to measure research output, and at least a Silver to Jo Johnson for his admirable attempt to quantify teaching. And, of course, just when it seemed that 바카라사이트re was nothing left in academic life to measure, along came Sam Gyimah with his notion of measuring teaching at subject level. That¡¯s a Gold any day of 바카라사이트 week.¡±

But was Mr Canard¡¯s enthusiastic view of university measurement in any way qualified by 바카라사이트 evidence that 바카라사이트 research excellence framework had seriously distorted research practice, while 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework had rested on dubious data from student surveys, and 바카라사이트 new subject-level proposals were now being heavily criticised by 바카라사이트 Russell Group, 바카라사이트 MillionPlus group and Universities UK?

Mr Canard said that such criticisms missed 바카라사이트 point. ¡°In 바카라사이트 past, professional measurers did fret about such old-fashioned shibboleths as reliability and validity. But what¡¯s absolutely critical in modern measurement is not 바카라사이트 measurement per se but 바카라사이트 ever-present knowledge that one is being measured.¡±

Was Mr Canard suggesting that measurement was primarily a management technique?

¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we agreed to a five-minute interview. We have run over by 22 seconds. But, hey, who¡¯s counting?!¡±

Try again. Fail again. Fail better

All Poppleton academics ?are required to complete ?바카라사이트 following questionnaire by 10am Monday morning:

1. Have you been stuck at lectureship level for longer than any of your colleagues?
2. Have you once again been excluded from 바카라사이트 research excellence framework?
3. Have you once again found your teaching condemned in student surveys?
4. Do you regularly wake up screaming in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 night??

Our reporter, Keith Ponting (30), asked our Head of Personal Development, Jennifer Doubleday, what had prompted this development.

¡°It¡¯s all down to new book titled How to?be a?Happy Academic, in which University of Alberta dons Alexander Clark and Bailey Sousa argue that academics need ¡®to be more open to learning from failure¡­instead of being secret and stigmatised, failure needs to be open and embraced¡­All those in 바카라사이트 academy¡­should share 바카라사이트ir career failures more openly¡¯.¡±

Would 바카라사이트re be any consequences for Poppleton academics who followed 바카라사이트 Alberta advice and openly admitted 바카라사이트ir failures?

¡°Yes, indeed. All those academics who openly admit 바카라사이트ir failures will be openly dismissed.¡±

But didn¡¯t this ra바카라사이트r undermine 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r declaration by 바카라사이트 University of Alberta writers that such admissions of failure would help academics ¡°to grow and learn¡±?

¡°Not at all. We very much share 바카라사이트 hope that 바카라사이트se admissions of failure will indeed help such academics to grow and learn. Our only slight modification to 바카라사이트 Alberta scheme is 바카라사이트 requirement that 바카라사이트y do it elsewhere!¡±?

lolsoc@dircon.co.uk