The Accident of Accessibility: How the Data of the TEF Creates Neoliberal Subjects

In an era of neoliberal reforms, academics in UK universities have become increasingly enmeshed in audit. A new Teaching Excellent Framework (TEF) emerged in 2017 with results determined primarily by proxy data of National Student Survey (NSS) scores, retention data and Longitudinal Educational Outc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial epistemology Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 355 - 366
Main Author Morrish, Liz
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 04.07.2019
Taylor & Francis LLC
Subjects
Academic achievement
Academic staff
Access
Accidents
Audit
Budgets
Business metrics
College students
Colleges & universities
Data
Destinations
discourse
Discourses
Education policy
Ethnicity
Government agencies
Higher education
Inequality
Innovations
Investments
Justification
Knowledge economy
Legislation
metrics
Money
Neoliberalism
Participation
Performance indicators
Polls & surveys
Quality control
Research transfer
Return on investment
Students
Surveillance
Teaching
Teaching Excellence Framework
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In an era of neoliberal reforms, academics in UK universities have become increasingly enmeshed in audit. A new Teaching Excellent Framework (TEF) emerged in 2017 with results determined primarily by proxy data of National Student Survey (NSS) scores, retention data and Longitudinal Educational Outcomes data (LEO). The TEF has been rapidly repurposed in order to shape the behaviour and priorities of both students and academics. The discourse of the TEF legislation, bolstered by studies from HEA/HEPI, assumes the source of inequality of outcome is poor teaching requiring corrective action by universities. Further justification for surveillance and quasi-regulation is borne by appeals to 'value for money' and 'competition'. I argue that what seems to be an arbitrary constellation of proxy data points has in fact been a calculated plan to render universities, staff and students as neoliberal subjects. The accident of accessibility, inasmuch as it overlaps with the neoliberal imperative, has determined which data shall function as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the whole assemblage is cemented by discursive choices which align with neoliberal principles. The Government White Paper Success as a Knowledge Economy, May 2016, forms the text for corpus analysis of keywords, discourses and metaphors. Abbreviation: BIS: HM Government Department of Business, Innovation and Skills; BME: Black and Minority Ethnic; DLHE: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education; HEI: Higher Education Institution; HERA: Higher Education and Research Act; HESA: Higher Education Statistics Agency; HEA: Higher Education Academy; Hefce: Higher Education Funding Council for England; HEPI: Higher Education Policy Institute; HND: Higher National Diploma; KEF: Knowledge Exchange Framework; KPI: Key Performance Indicator; LEO: Longitudinal Educational Outcomes; NSS: National Student Survey; NUS: national Union of Students; OfS: Office for Students; POLAR: participation of local areas; QAA: Quality Assurance Agency; RAB: Resource Accounting and Budgeting; REF: Research Excellence Framework; ROI: Return on Investment; SDS: Strategically Deployable Shifter; SKE: Success in a Knowledge Economy; TEF: Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework; WP: Widening Participation
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0269-1728
1464-5297
DOI:10.1080/02691728.2019.1638991