Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small
Business and Education Committee
From: Bob Berghout [rfb@frey.newcastle.edu.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 31 January 2001 11:05 AM
To: eet.sen@aph.gov.au
Subject: Inquiry into Higher Education
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
The University of Newcastle
Callaghan NSW 2308
(Personal Address: 47 Spruce St
Lambton NSW 2299)
ph 02 4921 5546(w) 02 4957 1098(h)
fax 02 4921 6898
The Secretary
Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education
References Committee
Dear Madam/Sir
Below, in text format, and attached, in Word Format, is my submission
into
the Senate Inquiry into the capacity of public universities to meet
Australia's higher education needs.
The submission is a private one. It does not represent the views of the
University of Newcastle or any of its organisational units.
Bob Berghout
******************************
Submission to
Senate Inquiry into the capacity of public universities to meet Australia's
higher education needs
I want to address the issue of falling academic standards. It relates
to
terms of reference (a iii) and (b i).
Paradoxically, it proceeds under the jargon of Quality Assurance and
is
bolstered by so-called Key Performance Indicators. The unintended effect
arises as follows:
When one supports Quality Assurance, one is likely to intend that teaching
and administration progressively improve. How is improvement measured?
Mostly by student opinion, as expressed by surveys, and by student
achievements. Both of these are subject to manipulation, not only by
the
cynically minded but also by those simply interested in retaining their
job
or in getting on with their job, in a climate of increasing student:staff
ratios and declining funding, without a lot of extra, non-academic
encumbrance.
The mechanism proceeds roughly as follows:
First, student achievement is most simply measured by pass, credit etc
rates. Faced with ever larger classes and added administration, and demands
to increase research 'output' one can most readily achieve an increase
in
these by pruning course content, simplifying exams and getting on with
research. (This tends also to involve putting exams into multiple-choice
format, a format that tests intuition, memory and knowledge rather than
the
ability to do extensive reasoning or express an argument coherently.)
A
side 'benefit' is that students find the courses easier and thus make
more
favourable comments about both the courses and their lecturers, in surveys.
(Regrettably the brightest students tend to be turned off by this, rather
than enthused, but they are in a minority. Has anyone investigated
relationships between a student's performance and their response to
questionnaires?)
The whole unfortunate process is reinforced by an expectation of continuous
improvement: pass rates need to (slowly) keep increasing, regardless
of
(for instance) the fact that the quality of intake students may be dropping
in some areas, or that some subjects may not be much favoured by students
who are compelled to do them as 'service subjects' or for 'weeding-out
purposes'. While a generation ago, when retention rates were much lower
and
thereby the overall intake quality was somewhat higher, about 5% of
students might have been awarded a High Distinction in a University exam,
now the figure is often around 30%. Teaching has not improved to that
extent!
The situation is exacerbated by two student-based attitudes. One is the
wide perception, frequently noted in the media and used by teachers as
motivational device, that getting a good result in the HSC is the most
crucial bit of studying one has to do, as it's all important to get into
as
'high' a university course as possible. Once on the train you can relax
and
enjoy the ride. The other is the fact that many students are well aware
of
falling standards and operate accordingly. I've heard students outlining
their - admittedly somewhat flawed - thinking along these lines: 90%
(or
whatever) of us will pass anyway, and multiple choice exams are basically
lotteries, so I've got a 90% chance of getting through, regardless of
how
little I study.
Why is the issue of falling standards across the system not more widely
acknowledged? Essentially because the first institution to do so is liable
to suffer a drop in applications to enrol, particularly from the brighter
students and fee-paying students, risking a drop in EFTSU-based funding
and
fee income, and endangering prestige and job security.
Bob Berghout
Senior Lecturer in Mathematics
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
The University of Newcastle
Callaghan NSW 2308
Ph: (02)4921 5546
Email: rfb@maths.newcastle.edu.au