The effectiveness of universities can be assessed through research of how they are monitored, and the statistics around their rate of success. In the UK, Higher Education providers are monitored by a range of organisations. Officially, the Office for Students (OfS) regulates universities in England.
The key regulator of universities in the UK, the Office for Students, highlights their aims as “to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.” (Office for Students, 2018). This aim is broken down into 4 objectives: Participation, Experience, Outcomes and Value for Money (Office for Students, 2018). Universities are also managed to ensure that they are meeting the demands of society and that they continue to diversify and improve where needed. Participation is the aim for Universities to be inclusive learning environments where everyone has the potential to learn and succeed. The focus is on support and the ways in which universities can support the student throughout the entire process, from pre-enrolment all the way to graduation and setting them up for success beyond. Experience is the ways in which the students should be treated while attending university. This includes the experiences they have academically as the requirements for them to have a successful and fulfilling education but also to protect their interests allowing them to remain diverse individuals who feel free to express themselves. Outcomes look at the ways in which their experiences at university will help them long term. The academic qualifications they achieve should be of long-term value, providing them with the knowledge and abilities so they can progress into employment or further study. Finally, value for money takes into account the financial costs of the course which will be repaid through student loans but also the commitment costs that come as part of a university experience (Office for Students, 2018). The time, dedication and fundamental life changes that are often made to attend university must all be worth it in the end, upon successful completion of their studies. By ensuring all 4 of these core areas of regulation are closely monitored the Office for Students can evaluate all UK universities and take action when required to fix and shortcomings.
The monitoring of universities is a duty placed on the Office for Students by law. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 is a piece of legislation that protects the higher education system. It places specific duties and responsibilities on the Office for Students to ensure adequate and appropriate monitoring of universities (Office for Students, 2018b). To summarise, the Higher Education and Research Act requires the Office for Students to protect higher education providers, promote high standards of education, encourage competition between providers, ensure universities provide value for money and equal opportunities and ensure that universities remain accountable, transparent, proportionate and consistent (Higher Education and Research Act, 2017). In line with this act, the Office for Students, commit themselves to equal opportunities and social mobility. The Office for Students lists the ways in which they will carry out their duty in accordance with the Higher Education and Research Act, stating that: “We will promote competition and choice for students. We will be an enabling, not a controlling, regulator, independent of government and of providers… We will involve students – past, present and future – and employers in shaping what we do and how we do it… We will respect the institutional autonomy of higher education providers… We will regulate with an appreciation of the global nature of higher education; for students, employers and providers, our approach will have implications far beyond England’s borders… We will work constructively and respectfully with providers, collaborating where we have common objectives. However, we will be uncompromising in intervening to prevent poor quality provision, behaviour or performance that damages students’ or public interests… We will work efficiently, and aim to reduce bureaucracy and ensure coherence with other regulators… We will work closely with UK Research, with government and with other partners, particularly in supporting the objectives of the industrial strategy, and will collaborate with colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” (Office for Students, 2018b). These promises directly meet the needs set out in the Higher Education and Research Act, 2017.
Universities are also monitored by multiple regulators and professional bodies. These regulators and professional bodies are constantly monitory the effectiveness of universities, to pass on information to their potential students to allow them to make informed decisions about which university they wish to attend (Russell Group | Policy | Regulation & Management, N.D). These regulators and professional bodies focus closely on data analysis and work closely with the Office for Students to ensure universities remain accountable, transparent, proportionate and consistent (Higher Education and Research Act, 2017). The Russel Group is an example of such regulators. The Russel Group is an independent organisation that micromanages 24 universities within the UK. It consists of a group of University leaders, who come together to work collaboratively and competitively in improving higher education in the UK (Russell Group | Policy | Regulation & Management, N.D). With this competition, league tables exist to show the effectiveness of each university, along with their statistics of success.
Knowing how universities are managed, we can compare and contrast the effectiveness of standard universities with the alternative, the Open University. Unlike traditional universities, the Open University focuses largely on its student population, in its ability to reach students in all stages of their lives. Whereas traditional universities place higher regard for their performance on the results and employment rates of their students.
Defining the effectiveness of such establishments depends on how you define what it is to be successful. In its outreach, I would argue that the Open University is successful as it is able to provide higher education to the masses. The Open University states “Since the OU’s launch in 1969, more than 2.2 million people worldwide have achieved their learning goals by studying with us. We are one of the largest universities in Europe with 175,718 students.” (Open University, 2017). If you compare this to a University such as the University of York, with 18,300 students in the same year, then it is clear to see the success in the outreach of the Open University (University of York, 2017). The Open University has a much greater rate of student enrollment.
If we look at the effectiveness of the Open University in the sense of student achievements, there is little evidence and data to work with to conclude its effectiveness. The Open University does not appear on league tables (University League Tables 2022, N.D) nor do they publish their student success rates in their facts and figure publication.
In conclusion, I would argue that the Open University is effective in its aim for outreach to the masses. However, I fail to conclude its effectiveness in comparison to other universities, due to the lack of evidence to compare and contrast. The aim of the Open University is to provide opportunity and freedom in terms of peoples ability to study. For this, it is successful. The Open Universities method of teaching allows students to study alongside employment for convenience. However, this is also an argument of preference. Some individuals prefer face-to-face teaching and interaction with their course; Some individuals prefer to work at their own pace and in their own comfort. Assessing the effectiveness in this sense would be biased.
References
Higher Education and Research Act (2017). Queen’s Printer of Acts of Parliament. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/29/section/2/enacted (Accessed: 10 June 2021).
Russell Group | Policy | Regulation & Management (no date) The Russell Group. Available at: https://russellgroup.ac.uk/policy/policy-areas/regulation/ (Accessed: 10 June 2021).
Office for Students (2018) What we do – Office for Students. Office for Students. Available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/about/our-strategy/ (Accessed: 10 June 2021).
Open University (2017) Facts and figures– About The Open University. Available at: https://www.open.ac.uk/about/main/strategy-and-policies/facts-and-figures (Accessed: 14 June 2021).
Students, O. for (2018b) What we will do – Office for Students. Office for Students. Available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/about/our-strategy/what-we-will-do/ (Accessed: 12 June 2021).
University League Tables 2022 (no date). Available at: https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings (Accessed: 13 June 2021).
University of York – Student statistics for 2017- About the University, University of York (N.D). Available at: https://www.york.ac.uk/about/student-statistics/ (Accessed: 12 June 2021).
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