Content area
Full Text
Study says financial pressure may erode sector's reputation for quality. Rebecca Attwood reports.
The quality and reputation of English higher education is at "real risk" because of a lack of funding for teaching, according to an official evaluation.
The amount of contact between students and academic staff has fallen, feedback to students is under pressure and centralised student support services do not always compensate for a breakdown in pastoral support from tutors, says the report for the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
The Sustainability of Learning and Teaching in English Higher Education warns that staff-to-student ratios are "not sustainable" without a threat to quality, and that higher education in England is in danger of losing its "critical distinctive feature" - the personal interaction between students and academics.
In one university department examined for the study, first-year contact time fell from 524 hours in 1990-91 to 320 hours in 2007-08.
It also found that students were "dissatisfied" with library space, and that the state of teaching buildings and learning spaces in English institutions lagged behind those offered by overseas rivals.
If higher education loses its competitive edge, Britain's economy and reputation will suffer, the report says.
It continues: "This is not just a marginal problem that can continue to be accommodated without serious impact on teaching and learning ... It would be dangerous to ignore the pressures.
"Without some change, the quality of the student experience and the reputation and contribution of English higher education will suffer."
Public funding per student fell by 40 per cent in real terms during the 1990s. Returning to "a position of sustainability" will take time, according to the report, which was prepared by a group chaired by Geoffrey Crossick, warden...