Education update - April 2008

Published: 8th May 2008

Growth

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has announced that the income of Universities topped £21bn in 2006/2007. Tuition fees, grants and contracts showed a 16% increase while endowment and investment income went up 13.2% reflecting general market conditions.

At the same time, procurements showed the biggest increase in expenditure, at 7.6%.

Complaints

There has been a 25% increase in official complaints against Universities to the Office of Independent Adjudication for Higher Education. The average recommended award to each successful complaint was around £1,000. Mature students made up 64% of complainants.

RAE reprieved - for a while.

The current system for assessing research, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), depends on universities submitting research outputs to subject panels for peer review. The Research Excellence Framework (REF), which will come fully into effect in 2014, is claimed to make this exercise more statistically based and less cumbersome for academics.

A new metrics-based assessment framework will make greater use of statistical indicators helping reduce the need for peer review.

Announced this month are two modifications to the original plans for implementing the REF.

Firstly within the single overarching framework, there will no longer be such a clear distinction between the arrangements for science-based subjects and those for all other subjects. So for all subjects the assessment will include metrics-based indicators, including bibliometric indicators of quality wherever appropriate, as well as input from expert panels. The balance of metrics and expert input will vary according to the subject group.

Secondly, in order to allow sufficient time for the development of this more flexible approach, the timetable for designing the new framework will be extended by 12 months.