Changes to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) risk creating a “less fair and more punitive system”, English universities fear, with smaller institutions warning that they face being penalised because of over-reliance on data to measure quality.
The Office for Students has announced its latest plans for the wide-ranging quality exercise after a consultation, including a move away from giving universities a single overall rating of gold, silver, bronze or requires improvement, instead scoring institutions on student outcomes and experience only.
Although this move was welcomed by some parts of the sector, MillionPlus, which represents modern universities, warned that it could skew students’ choices.
Rachel Hewitt, the group’s chief executive, said: “MillionPlus supports clearer information for students but the final TEF decisions risk creating a less fair and more punitive system.
“Separate ratings for student experience and outcomes could be useful but dropping the overall rating means universities will be judged on partial data rather than a rounded view of quality.
