Named and shamed, elite universities with second rate teaching
SOME of the country’s elite universities have been embarrassed in the Government’s first official rankings of teaching standards.
Several received only the minimum benchmark, raising questions over whether their students are getting a good deal.
They include the London School of Economics and the Universities of Liverpool and Southampton, as well as the world-famous School of Oriental and African Studies. Meanwhile, the University of Buckingham, a small private university, is thought to have got one of the highest marks in the country despite receiving no Whitehall grants.
The rankings, called the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), have been set up by ministers to encourage universities to deliver good tutoring and prepare students for the workplace. Previously only research was assessed – giving institutions a perverse incentive to ignore undergraduates’ needs.
Universities are ranked as gold, silver and bronze – with a score of bronze indicating only that the institution meets ‘rigorous national quality requirements’ but does not exceed them. The Government has indicated that only those achieving a bronze, silver or gold award this year will be able to raise their fees in line with inflation from 2018. From September 2017, the fee cap for most institutions is £9,250.
More than half of Russell Group institutions – considered among the best in the country – that entered TEF did not score
‘This is a wake-up call’
a gold rating. University College London, considered a star of the group, achieved only silver. And the medical school St George’s, University of London, which is not in the group but is worldrenowned, earned bronze.
Professor John Latham, vicechancellor of Coventry University, which received a gold, said it should be a warning to elite universities not to become complacent. He said: ‘A new order has been established in university rankings. It’s a clear message that universities must work harder for a recognised environment of success and that students are looking for more than historic reputation.
‘The TEF is a wake-up call that shows a philosophy of independent learning must be backed up by quality teaching.’
The TEF, which will be annual from this year, is voluntary but overall, 295 universities, colleges and alternative education providers took part.
Some 26 per cent gained a gold award, 50 per cent were rated silver and 24 per cent achieved bronze. An analysis shows that among the 21 Russell Group universities that took part, eight were given a gold rating, ten were awarded silver and three got a bronze.
Russell Group acting director Dr Tim Bradshaw said: ‘TEF does not measure absolute quality and we have raised concerns that the current approach to flags and benchmarking could have a significant unintended impact. Applicants need clear guidance about what TEF results mean.’
Earlier this month, the QS World University Rankings revealed many of Britain’s elite universities have slipped down international league tables as competition increases.