Comments on: Universities – time for innovation http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/ Politics, brains, social action and the day to day life of the RSA’s chief executive Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:39:05 +0000 hourly 1 By: mas http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-4832 mas Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:37:18 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2639#comment-4832 I was thinking more along the lines that 120 of those credits in year 1 don't have much value. I only speak from experience of course - no doubt there are courses for which they do (but how many?) I get your point though that there would be more intensive use of some resources. I'm curious about the '10,000 extra places the tories want' - not much else of what they're talking about suggests that would be likely to happen very soon (raising the bar and all that) I was thinking more along the lines that 120 of those credits in year 1 don’t have much value. I only speak from experience of course – no doubt there are courses for which they do (but how many?)

I get your point though that there would be more intensive use of some resources.

I’m curious about the ’10,000 extra places the tories want’ – not much else of what they’re talking about suggests that would be likely to happen very soon (raising the bar and all that)

]]> By: Mark http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-4831 Mark Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:21:51 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2639#comment-4831 Like more staff hours? Instead of delivering a programme consisting of 360 credits at level 1 or above over 3 years, we'll have to deliver it so that those 360 credits cen be achieved in 2 years. That means: - allowing more AP(E)L to reduce the amount of 'earned credit from modules' - so more time to assess more student cases - more student time spent in accumulating credit over a shorter period, meaning more intensive use of labs, libraries etc., so more staff time to support them - more delivery (e.g. two runs of a module - one in each of two terms/semesters), or an additional summer term/semester - meaning more staff time Sorry, 'fresh thinking' is not always resource free.... HE in the UKis pretty much pushed to the limit already. Assume the 10,000 extra places the Tories want to add are combined with the 'fresh thinking'. Do you really think that UK HEIs won't break under the strain? Like more staff hours? Instead of delivering a programme consisting of 360 credits at level 1 or above over 3 years, we’ll have to deliver it so that those 360 credits cen be achieved in 2 years. That means:

- allowing more AP(E)L to reduce the amount of ‘earned credit from modules’ – so more time to assess more student cases
- more student time spent in accumulating credit over a shorter period, meaning more intensive use of labs, libraries etc., so more staff time to support them
- more delivery (e.g. two runs of a module – one in each of two terms/semesters), or an additional summer term/semester – meaning more staff time

Sorry, ‘fresh thinking’ is not always resource free….

HE in the UKis pretty much pushed to the limit already. Assume the 10,000 extra places the Tories want to add are combined with the ‘fresh thinking’. Do you really think that UK HEIs won’t break under the strain?

]]> By: mas http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-4796 mas Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:48:59 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2639#comment-4796 "might actually add to costs (for example, two year degrees suggest even more intensive use of existing resources" like what? it certainly wouldn't be the student union bars! “might actually add to costs (for example, two year degrees suggest even more intensive use of existing resources”

like what? it certainly wouldn’t be the student union bars!

]]> By: Mark http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-4795 Mark Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:00:51 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2639#comment-4795 "When it has got past its anger and anxiety (and realised it won’t be any better off whoever is in power) the HE sector needs to turn this looming crisis into an opportunity to think in new ways about the content, form and finance of undergraduate education." What a very silly thing to say. You miss the point entirely. HE has been gearing up to deliver the hallowed 50% participation rate with sanctioned capital expenditure - building new lecture theatres, student residences, labs and other spaces. That capital won't just disappear and the service costs of that capital remain to be paid for years to come. The removal of fee caps may, or may not, allow the recovery of those costs. Changing the 'content, form and finance' of UG delivery won't affect that one iota...unless of course you were thinking of selling off universities? Of course you might reduce the running costs of institutions by thinking afresh about 'the content, form and finance of undergraduate education', but that might actually add to costs (for example, two year degrees suggest even more intensive use of existing resources). “When it has got past its anger and anxiety (and realised it won’t be any better off whoever is in power) the HE sector needs to turn this looming crisis into an opportunity to think in new ways about the content, form and finance of undergraduate education.”

What a very silly thing to say. You miss the point entirely. HE has been gearing up to deliver the hallowed 50% participation rate with sanctioned capital expenditure – building new lecture theatres, student residences, labs and other spaces. That capital won’t just disappear and the service costs of that capital remain to be paid for years to come. The removal of fee caps may, or may not, allow the recovery of those costs. Changing the ‘content, form and finance’ of UG delivery won’t affect that one iota…unless of course you were thinking of selling off universities? Of course you might reduce the running costs of institutions by thinking afresh about
‘the content, form and finance of undergraduate education’, but that might actually add to costs (for example, two year degrees suggest even more intensive use of existing resources).

]]> By: Indy http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/universities-%e2%80%93-time-for-innovation/comment-page-1/#comment-4354 Indy Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:42:11 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2639#comment-4354 Not directly comparable (it's from the US) but a thought-provoking infographic: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/infographic-day-college-really-worth-it?Great The key point comes in the comment at the end by the designer... a lot of the largest issues around university education hinge on the way our society organises large portions of the job market around academic qualifications. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, but you can't make sense of the pressures on the university system without tying in the job market system... Not directly comparable (it’s from the US) but a thought-provoking infographic:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/infographic-day-college-really-worth-it?Great

The key point comes in the comment at the end by the designer… a lot of the largest issues around university education hinge on the way our society organises large portions of the job market around academic qualifications. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, but you can’t make sense of the pressures on the university system without tying in the job market system…

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