“The proposed Teaching Excellence Framework: How can we measure teaching quality in universities and how should it be rewarded?”
Speakers
- Jo Johnson MP, Minister for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- Dr Steven Jones, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester
- Iain Wright MP, Chair, Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee
Jo Johnson MP described the context around the green paper. He set out how he felt that universities are a national success story , great engines of social mobility and drivers of productivity, although there still some way to go for institutions to fulfil their potential in both respects. He raised his concerns that too few people from disadvantaged backgrounds go to university and far too many of those that do fail to progress well when they are there and once they leave. He noted the ambitious goal in the green paper, the Prime Minister’s target of doubling the participation of the most disadvantaged by 2020. He stated OCED research that suggests there are a greater proportion of graduates emerging from university with weaker basic skills than has been acknowledged. Therefore for these graduates the returns on their university qualifications are modest. He set out what he described as a troubling figure, although clearly acknowledging that university is not solely about graduate earnings, that between 20% and 60% of graduates aren’t in graduate jobs, that the average earnings premium is declining and is negligible, or even negative for significant numbers of graduates towards the bottom end of the earnings distribution.
The Minister mentioned the HEPI survey that shows in excess of a third of students don’t think they get value for money from their university experience. He explained how he wants all young people to have the opportunity to benefit from a university education and to be fully informed when they take the decision to go to university, meaning that the sector must be more transparent. Students must be made aware of the course content and structure, how the course will be delivered, what the balance will be between the various elements and details about the general level of experience or status of the staff involved in delivering the course. He set out the green paper’s plan for a higher education system built around the student which does better at widening participation, opens the sector to greater competition and innovation, drives up quality and choice, delivers better value for money for students and taxpayers and drives productivity in the economy by raising the quality of the graduate skills pipeline.
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