Britain's House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee Reports on "Students and Universities". (August 10, 2009)

Chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis the all party select committee, set up to examine the current situation of students and universities, delivered its report on August 2^nd. Its 109 recommendations received mixed reviews from both MPs and university administrators as it called for "a change of culture at the top in higher education" and accused universities of "defensive complacency".

Diane Spencer writing in University World News reports that "Diana Warwick, Chief Executive of the vice-chancellors' organisation, Universities UK, expressed 'disappointment' at the negative picture being painted of the sector. Warwick said although it was vital to maintain standards, UUK rejected the idea of creating some super-quango or Ofsted-style Quality and Standards Agency".

Baroness Warwick said: "This seems to us a sledgehammer to crack a nut. For inspectors to judge content and level of achievement could logically lead to national exams based on a national curriculum, just as we have in schools. It has been recognised - internationally and by successive UK governments - that autonomy is key to a successful and responsive higher education system."

The Director General of the Russell Group representing 20 major research intensive universities, Dr Wendy Piatt, said she was "dismayed and surprised by this outburst" noting that vice-chancellors had been involved in hours of discussion with MPs over the issues and added: "It is also disappointing to see MPs trying to cram universities into one-size-fits-all solutions."

For example Ms Spencer reports that one of the points made in the report was that the MPs found it unacceptable that vice-chancellors could not give a straightforward answer to what they considered a simple question of whether students obtaining first class honours degrees at different universities had attained the same intellectual standards. In their opinion as long as there was a classification system, all degrees should be categorised consistently across all institutions.

On the positive side the organisations representing the various sectors of the universities agreed that some other recommendations in the report including those on widening participation and securing a better deal for part-time and mature students.

And Ms Spencer notes: "The University and College Union welcomed the recommendation to introduce a simple national bursary scheme for students which the union has been campaigning for. Sally Hunt, the union's General Secretary, also welcomed the report's call for a full review of university tuition fees: "It is heartening that, at a time when a worryingly growing political consensus seems to be that the fees review (due later this year) will merely consider how much they should rise, the committee has highlighted the inequities that part-time and mature students face."

However, a particularly galling conclusion is that: "MPs found no convincing evidence to prove the assertion that good quality research was essential for good teaching of undergraduates. They thought the key to the successful transformation of higher education in England in the next decade would be to move away from "a culture fixated on the most prestigious research-intensive universities to one where other models of study could thrive and excellence was recognised and rewarded for teaching supported by scholarship". The view flies in the face, for example, of the course structures of America's finest four-year liberal arts colleges where the undergraduates work with instructors to undertake their own research projects as part of the curriculum, i.e. the learning experience. A number, but by no means all, go on to take advanced degrees at US or overseas research universities.

Click here to access the report's sections in toto.

Click here for a full listing of the report's conclusions and 109 recommendations.