"Sandstone universities draw so-so scores for teaching quality" (1 Viewer)

[Shadowdude]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/hig...teaching-quality/story-e6frgcjx-1226120678942

AUSTRALIA'S sandstone universities receive lukewarm ratings for the quality of their teaching, despite being the institutions of choice for top school students.

In the latest edition of the Good Universities Guide, each of the Group of Eight institutions received the highest five-star rating for student demand.

But no Go8 rated above average on teaching quality, with only the University of Western Australia attracting three stars in this category. Five Go8s scored two stars, one received one star and one failed to provide data.

And while Go8 appointments are prized by academics, only three Go8s - UWA, Australian National University and University of NSW - attracted the top rating for the qualifications of their staff. The highly fancied universities of Sydney and Melbourne achieved two stars each in this category.

Melbourne also scored two stars for teaching quality and one star for overall satisfaction. But it received five stars for graduate starting salaries and four for graduate outcomes.

Deputy vice-chancellor Pip Pattison said top students were hard markers who rated themselves as harshly as their universities. But he said employers' views were the real test.

"As they begin looking for work, the graduates recognise there is more to learn, hence the mismatch between employer confidence [and their satisfaction ratings]."

Tertiary education expert Leesa Wheelahan from the LH Martin Institute at Melbourne University said teaching quality was also affected by universities' self-views, with policy settings reinforcing research as the main game. "There's more money for equity than there has been in the past, but it's still dwarfed by research."

She said Go8 universities had better-prepared students and didn't face the same teaching pressures as newer universities or TAFE. "Generally speaking, TAFEs are better teachers," she said. "They provide more supportive pedagogy in more personalised environments."

The guide reveals a limited correlation between equity and pathways.

Of the 12 institutions that gained the highest possible five-star rating for admitting TAFE students, only four were in the top group for equity.

 

[Aquawhite]

I'm really not surprised too much by that report. That said, the quality of teaching is always subjective and left the individual and how well the individual lecturers are as well.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Which reinforces the fact that most people don't even care about national rankings. And rightly so; rankings are bullshit and anybody who gives them serious credence is a fool.

 

[hungwell1337]

teaching quality is irrelevant

uni = self learn

 

[pwoh]

Shadowdude's GUG again. It always favours UNSW. How can the other unis be *that* crap? I find that really weird =|

 

[Shadowdude]

Because they are crap (possibly) =P

 

[hungwell1337]

Because they are crap (possibly) =P

1. you've never been to another uni
2. rankings are sort of irrelevant, atar cutoffs are more indicative of prestige
3. that being said, being a top umacq student > average unsw student
4. GUG is stupid

e.g dumbshits with 60 atar and pass GPA rates uws 1/5 for finding employment after uni, does that mean uws's education is bad? or the students there
people who do bad degrees receive bad marks, rate their uni badly, is it the uni's fault?
people who blame bad teaching, considering the same lecturer takes everyone for a specific course its reasonable that you can do well regardless

 

[Shadowdude]

1. you've never been to another uni
2. rankings are sort of irrelevant, atar cutoffs are more indicative of prestige
3. that being said, being a top umacq student > average unsw student
4. GUG is stupid

e.g dumbshits with 60 atar and pass GPA rates uws 1/5 for finding employment after uni, does that mean uws's education is bad? or the students there
people who do bad degrees receive bad marks, rate their uni badly, is it the uni's fault?
people who blame bad teaching, considering the same lecturer takes everyone for a specific course its reasonable that you can do well regardless

1. Yes, that's why we have these guides to help us figure out which is better.
2. These aren't rankings - if you look through, they are observations made by a small proportion of graduates on the university itself. Not much, but it's perhaps better than other measures used.
3. That is true.
4. BLASPHEMY =(

And for your example, I'm sure that there'll be people who'll have a more positive outlook which could possibly outweigh these crybabies.