Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 26
26
The OfS suggested to us that students’ satisfaction with their courses and assessments of value...
Conclusion
The OfS suggested to us that students’ satisfaction with their courses and assessments of value for money were also related to their perceptions of what they were getting for the tuition fee. During the pandemic, there were calls for higher education providers to refund a proportion of tuition fees in recognition of the shift to online learning required by lockdown restrictions, and restricted access to laboratories, libraries and other learning resources. Student satisfaction with learning resources had the greatest fall of factors measured between 2020 and 2021. The government’s position was that students ordinarily should not expect any fee refund if they were receiving adequate online learning and support. The government did not define what it meant by ‘adequate’, and students were not consulted on this decision nor on how it affected the value for money they were getting. The NAO found that it was likely, however, that the government’s position reduced financial stress on providers.49 44 Q 69; C&AG’s Report, para 4.7 45 Qq 33, 69, 71; C&AG’s Report, para 4.8 46 Qq 69, 71 47 Qq 29, 70, 83; C&AG’s Report, para 4.8 48 Qq 69, 83, 95 49 Q69; C&AG’s Report, paras 4.19–4.20 and Figure 11 16 Financial sustainability of the higher education sector in England
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2022 5.2 Both the department and the OfS are committed to improving the quality of higher education provision. Ensuring that students are satisfied with the value for money offered by their courses is a government priority. 5.3 The OfS is introducing an enhanced quality regulatory regime which will enable it, through robust investigation and enforcement action, to tackle the pockets of low-quality provision. This will include the introduction in September 2022 of detailed student outcome thresholds, by level and mode of study, covering continuation and completion rates and progression to managerial and professional employment or further study. In May 2022 the OfS also introduced new registration conditions covering students’ academic experience including course design and delivery, the provision of resources and support for students, reliable and effective course assessment and degree awards, and the use of sector-recognised standards. 5.4 The OfS is also considering how it measures value for money through its key performance measures and is considering the use of student surveys and the use of student outcomes data, described earlier, as part of this measure. 5.5 The OfS review of blended learning, which is supported by a panel of expert academic reviewers, will set out where approaches represent high quality teaching and learning, as well as approaches that are likely to fall short of OfS’s requirements. The review will report in September 2022. The OfS also recently announced investigations into the business and management courses of eight providers, which will include examining whether online learning has replaced face-to-face teaching to the detriment of students’ academic experience.