Aaron started by outlining the fact that we in the UK under sell our HE system and that we have good results, good graduate employment and overall low drop out rates but we do not market this.
The NUS had done a survey of students in relation to the fees and what would they expect if they were paying more. The students’ key messages were that they expected more real world experiences, engagement with employers and opportunities to gain skills for employment.
Aaron then moved to discuss induction and culture and in terms of induction he felt it was important that we asked students what they think will be different about being at University and that they recognised that by graduation they needed to be able to direct their own education. In terms of culture he focused on the culture of assessment and that students do not see assessment as relevant to their employment and that there is still a disconnect between assessment and the ‘real world’ of work. Who has ever needed in their employment to sit and do a three hour examination?
Aaron also discussed student complaints being on the increase with more going to the OIA and to lawyers who in some cases have adopted an ‘ambulance chasing culture’.
He was also concerned about degree inflation and the need to articulate clearly what the degree standards are and to strengthen the external examiner system.
Aaron then focused on the white paper and some of what he perceives will happen. He cited the following as issues:
· Levelling of the playing field for students going to public and private sector
· Price variability will happen not through the fees but through the control over student numbers
· Students at present do not have enough information to make an informed choice about their choice of institution. Key information will be good but more needed
· Concerned there will be a tiered entitlement of services like the USA with those with lower fees giving less tutorial support, library access etc
· Also concerned that there may be a risk of discounted rates when university do not fill places so you could have students sat next to each other paying different fees
He believes there will be four groups of institutions in the near future:
· Those that will survive with minimal change ie oxford and Cambridge
· Those that will reposition themselves and survive
· Those in the middle who make no changes and will fail
· The group who are already in financial difficulty and will fail
He felt however opportunities would exist in the landscape with students in the driving seat but they need to be clearer about what they need not just want.
He felt there should be greater support for employability and flexibility with more movement between degrees and scope for students to take more flexible choice of modules. He also thought that changes in mode should occur with students perhaps doing some full time and then part time degrees so mixing they approach or some doing on campus and then distance. He also felt that we should review the five year completion issue and if students gain 120 credits and complete a year they should be able to go to work for a few years and then come back and then perhaps have a second break.
He felt these are difficult and untested times but we must listen to students and be more innovative and students must be able to describe their HE experience more clearly and what they have gained.
An interesting point on the culture of assessment and how students don't see it as having relevance to the real world. Perhaps there is a greater role for group assessment preparing students for the skills to work as part of a team?
ReplyDeleteOlivia