R.Nazim Khan. FYI Workshop July 2016

Transcription

1 Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! R.Nazim Khan School of Mathematics and Statistics The University of Western Australia FYI Workshop July 2016 Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 1

2 John Henry Newman It [higher education] educates the intellect to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and grasp it. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 2

3 SURFing! Student Unit Reflective Feedback. Provided by students as a measure of their educational experience in the unit at UWA. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 3

4 SURFing! Student Unit Reflective Feedback. Provided by students as a measure of their educational experience in the unit at UWA. The last question, Overall, this unit was a good educational experience is used by universities to rank staff teaching performance. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 3

5 SURFing! Student Unit Reflective Feedback. Provided by students as a measure of their educational experience in the unit at UWA. The last question, Overall, this unit was a good educational experience is used by universities to rank staff teaching performance. Most, if not all, universities have similar instruments. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 3

6 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

7 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. No filter by student engagement. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

8 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. No filter by student engagement. Very subjective! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

9 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. No filter by student engagement. Very subjective! Subject to manipulation! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

10 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. No filter by student engagement. Very subjective! Subject to manipulation! Single index! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

11 So what is wrong with this? Seems OK. Students provide feedback on their experience. Participation is voluntary. It is well known that extreme negative views are more prevalent in voluntary response surveys. No filter by student engagement. Very subjective! Subject to manipulation! Single index! Used for promotion, sabbatical, re-classification or redundancies. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 4

12 Advanced Surfing Universities are scrambling to gain higher international rankings. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 5

13 Advanced Surfing Universities are scrambling to gain higher international rankings. This translates to reputation, increased enrollments, increased funding, grants,... Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 5

14 Advanced Surfing Universities are scrambling to gain higher international rankings. This translates to reputation, increased enrollments, increased funding, grants,... Government requires performance review of staff. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 5

15 Advanced Surfing Universities are scrambling to gain higher international rankings. This translates to reputation, increased enrollments, increased funding, grants,... Government requires performance review of staff. Universities have increasing scrutiny of staff activities. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 5

16 What are signs? Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

17 What are signs? Declining funding. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

18 What are signs? Declining funding. Declining standards. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

19 What are signs? Declining funding. Declining standards. Increased workloads. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

20 What are signs? Declining funding. Declining standards. Increased workloads. Increased expectations Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

21 What are signs? Declining funding. Declining standards. Increased workloads. Increased expectations Pressure to conform! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 6

22 Funding Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 7

23 Funding: government and student Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 8

24 Funding: Budget Estimate Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 9

25 Funding Government funding is declining in real terms. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 10

26 Funding Government funding is declining in real terms. Increased contribution from users perhaps de-regulated fee structure. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 10

27 Funding Government funding is declining in real terms. Increased contribution from users perhaps de-regulated fee structure. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 10

28 Declining standards Declining funding and uncapped student places means increase in student numbers to compensate. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 11

29 Declining standards Declining funding and uncapped student places means increase in student numbers to compensate. Increased emphasis on international student fee income. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 11

30 Declining standards Declining funding and uncapped student places means increase in student numbers to compensate. Increased emphasis on international student fee income. This has led to declining entry standards. Many other entry pathways have been creatively created. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 11

31 Declining standards Declining funding and uncapped student places means increase in student numbers to compensate. Increased emphasis on international student fee income. This has led to declining entry standards. Many other entry pathways have been creatively created. Students as customers: are they buying a degree? Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 11

32 Declining standards Declining funding and uncapped student places means increase in student numbers to compensate. Increased emphasis on international student fee income. This has led to declining entry standards. Many other entry pathways have been creatively created. Students as customers: are they buying a degree? This has led to an overall lowering of standards. Students have assumed more control as consumers. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 11

33 Increased workloads Reduced funding and resources has led to increase workloads. TEQSA 5.4 requires higher education provider manages its human resources to ensure effective: workload management; merit-based selection and promotion process. This has led to further accounting and scrutiny of academic staff activities. What do you do with your time? Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A casual introduction to sociological thinking, (1963) Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 12

34 Increased expectations Higher teaching loads. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 13

35 Increased expectations Higher teaching loads. More documentation: learning outcomes, detailed course outlines: but no training! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 13

36 Increased expectations Higher teaching loads. More documentation: learning outcomes, detailed course outlines: but no training! Compliance with threshold concepts, continually up-skilling teaching methods, coping with changing technology: but no training! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 13

37 Increased expectations Higher teaching loads. More documentation: learning outcomes, detailed course outlines: but no training! Compliance with threshold concepts, continually up-skilling teaching methods, coping with changing technology: but no training! Criteria based assessment regime: but no training! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 13

38 Increased expectations Higher teaching loads. More documentation: learning outcomes, detailed course outlines: but no training! Compliance with threshold concepts, continually up-skilling teaching methods, coping with changing technology: but no training! Criteria based assessment regime: but no training! Increased web presence: but no training! AND: no time allowance for all these duties. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 13

39 Pressure to conform! Research themes and focus changed in pursuit of the rankings. Staff required/coerced into conforming otherwise the research is deemed unimportant and devalued. Especially applicable to sabbatical, which depends on research focus conforming to the prescribed research themes. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 14

40 Rough waters! Pursuing ranking is dangerous. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 15

41 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

42 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Simply teach to an an exam! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

43 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Simply teach to an an exam! Students do not like to be extended or challenged or tested. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

44 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Simply teach to an an exam! Students do not like to be extended or challenged or tested. Since students are customers, they have control. Market-based model of competition and efficiency. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

45 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Simply teach to an an exam! Students do not like to be extended or challenged or tested. Since students are customers, they have control. Market-based model of competition and efficiency. Assumes students are informed customers and capable of judging good teaching and education. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

46 Ranking teaching Student feedback scores can be manipulated! Simply teach to an an exam! Students do not like to be extended or challenged or tested. Since students are customers, they have control. Market-based model of competition and efficiency. Assumes students are informed customers and capable of judging good teaching and education. Further decline in standards. This is not what higher education is all about! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 16

47 University Rankings Single index. Very different backgrounds, resource base, history and reason for existence. Unreliable data. Different and changing ranking criteria. Does not take into account individual strengths. Do you like ice cream more or chocolate more? (OK, so you can have chocolate ice cream!) Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 17

48 University Rankings Single index. Very different backgrounds, resource base, history and reason for existence. Unreliable data. Different and changing ranking criteria. Does not take into account individual strengths. Do you like ice cream more or chocolate more? (OK, so you can have chocolate ice cream!) More importantly, the ranking wars coerce staff into changing their passions! What is useful, valuable research is impossible to determine! Would you get funding for research into complex numbers? Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 17

49 What does this have to do with FYi? Mathematics/statistics at first year are large, mainly service units. Difficult to obtain high ratings! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 18

50 What does this have to do with FYi? Mathematics/statistics at first year are large, mainly service units. Difficult to obtain high ratings! Our Applied Statistic major has 7 students. Our first year statistics class have 1400! So most of the students are in it because they have to be. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 18

51 What does this have to do with FYi? Mathematics/statistics at first year are large, mainly service units. Difficult to obtain high ratings! Our Applied Statistic major has 7 students. Our first year statistics class have 1400! So most of the students are in it because they have to be. The workload model treats classes of size 500 the same as classes of size 30! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 18

52 What does this have to do with FYi? Mathematics/statistics at first year are large, mainly service units. Difficult to obtain high ratings! Our Applied Statistic major has 7 students. Our first year statistics class have 1400! So most of the students are in it because they have to be. The workload model treats classes of size 500 the same as classes of size 30! Those who are good at teaching first year are usually stuck with it! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 18

53 What does this have to do with FYi? Mathematics/statistics at first year are large, mainly service units. Difficult to obtain high ratings! Our Applied Statistic major has 7 students. Our first year statistics class have 1400! So most of the students are in it because they have to be. The workload model treats classes of size 500 the same as classes of size 30! Those who are good at teaching first year are usually stuck with it! SURF and other indices do not allow for difficulty of teaching a unit. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 18

54 Conclusion Ranking has led to a lowering of quality, both in teaching and research. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 19

55 Conclusion Ranking has led to a lowering of quality, both in teaching and research. Ranking is susceptible to manipulation. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 19

56 Conclusion Ranking has led to a lowering of quality, both in teaching and research. Ranking is susceptible to manipulation. Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton: cited a survey of more than 200 human resources professionals from companies employing more than 2,500 people; reported that forced ranking resulted in lower productivity, inequity and skepticism, negative effects on employee engagement, reduced collaboration, and damage to morale and mistrust in leadership. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 19

57 Conclusion Ranking has led to a lowering of quality, both in teaching and research. Ranking is susceptible to manipulation. Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton: cited a survey of more than 200 human resources professionals from companies employing more than 2,500 people; reported that forced ranking resulted in lower productivity, inequity and skepticism, negative effects on employee engagement, reduced collaboration, and damage to morale and mistrust in leadership. Pursuit of ranking disregards our strengths, and plays to the strength of others. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 19

58 Conclusion Ranking has led to a lowering of quality, both in teaching and research. Ranking is susceptible to manipulation. Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton: cited a survey of more than 200 human resources professionals from companies employing more than 2,500 people; reported that forced ranking resulted in lower productivity, inequity and skepticism, negative effects on employee engagement, reduced collaboration, and damage to morale and mistrust in leadership. Pursuit of ranking disregards our strengths, and plays to the strength of others. Ranking does not count those things that count, and what it counts may not count. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 19

59 Conclusion (2) Quality needs appropriate resourcing; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 20

60 Conclusion (2) Quality needs appropriate resourcing; requires one to work on one s strengths; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 20

61 Conclusion (2) Quality needs appropriate resourcing; requires one to work on one s strengths; needs time! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 20

62 Conclusion (2) Quality needs appropriate resourcing; requires one to work on one s strengths; needs time! needs one to work on what one is passionate about! You will good at only what you love! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 20

63 Conclusion (2) Quality needs appropriate resourcing; requires one to work on one s strengths; needs time! needs one to work on what one is passionate about! You will good at only what you love! needs nurturing of staff, rewarding excellence, and valuing and mentoring staff. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 20

64 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

65 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; reputations will be further tarnished; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

66 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; reputations will be further tarnished; international market will dwindle; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

67 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; reputations will be further tarnished; international market will dwindle; research and innovation will be seriously affected; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

68 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; reputations will be further tarnished; international market will dwindle; research and innovation will be seriously affected; our economy will be seriously affected; Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

69 Conclusion (3) If things do not change, then our graduates will no longer be internationally competitive; reputations will be further tarnished; international market will dwindle; research and innovation will be seriously affected; our economy will be seriously affected; our neighbours will overtake us as a local and global leader. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 21

70 Solution LOOK AFTER THE GOLDEN GOOSE! Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 22

71 Solution LOOK AFTER THE GOLDEN GOOSE! Educational standards Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 22

72 Solution LOOK AFTER THE GOLDEN GOOSE! Educational standards Adequate funding Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 22

73 Solution LOOK AFTER THE GOLDEN GOOSE! Educational standards Adequate funding Adequate resourcing Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 22

74 Solution LOOK AFTER THE GOLDEN GOOSE! Educational standards Adequate funding Adequate resourcing Academic freedom Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 22

75 References 1. Alexander, F. K. (2000) The Changing Face of Accountability: Monitoring and Assessing Institutional Performance in Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education, 71(4), Baldwin, G. and James, R. (2000). The market in Australian higher education and the concept of student as informed consumer. Journal of higher education policy and management, 22(2), , DOI: / Lafferty, G. and Fleming, J. (2000) The Restructuring of Academic Work in Australia: Power, management and gender. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21(2), Education at a glance interim report: Update of employment and educational attainment indicators. OECD. 5. Higher Education and Research: Facts and Figures, (November 2015). Universities Australia Murray, Al. The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management, (2010). Harper Business, New York. Surfing Higher Education Rough Waters Ahead! UWA R.Nazim Khan 23