The Higher Education Academy : Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies
Doi
Abstract
[FIRST PARAGRAPHS]
The primary role of the PRS-LTSN is to improve the quality of
education by encouraging the sharing of good practice and
innovation, and the discussion of common problems. However, there
are other forces at play, which are pursuing the same end by different
means. The purpose of this article is to explain what these forces are,
and how the PRS-LTSN can help departments to satisfy their demands.
The first set of pressures comes from the Government via the
funding councils, namely the requirement for higher education
institutions (HEIs) to be publicly accountable for the services they
provide with Government funding. The assumption is that the two main
activities of HEIs are teaching and research:
● The Research Assessment Exercise2 (RAE) is conducted by the
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf
of the other funding councils, and research ratings have a major
influence on funding.
● The assessment of the quality of teaching and of institutional quality
assurance mechanisms is the responsibility of the Quality Assurance
Agency (QAA) (see Appendix), which is an independent body funded
jointly by the funding councils, Universities UK (UUK) and the
Standing Conference of Principals (SCoP). Ratings do not affect
funding, except that there is the ultimate sanction of withdrawal of
funding for persistently unsatisfactory programmes of study.
● More recently, the Transparency Review commissioned by the
funding councils evaluates the extent to which funding for research
is actually spent on research, and funding for teaching is actually
spent on teaching
