In response to government proposals to introduce market-driven changes to higher education, the Higher Education Funding Council for England is consulting on the information that universities will be asked to provide to prospective students. This includes an enhanced role for the National Student Survey.
Research by the Institute of Education, University of London, Enhancing and Developing the National Student Survey (2010), which was commissioned and accepted by Hefce, shows that the NSS cannot be used to construct meaningful comparisons among universities and subjects.
The Hefce proposals to standardise information do not go far enough to prevent universities from "mis-selling" their courses by reference to spurious rank orders.
We call upon Hefce and Universities UK to adopt a code of practice on the use of information to regulate the way such information is used.
John Holmwood, University of Nottingham
Bev Skeggs, Goldsmiths, University of London
John Brewer, University of Aberdeen
Sarah Amsler, Aston University
Paul Bagguley, University of Leeds
Hedley Bashforth, Bath University
Gurminder K. Bhambra, University of Warwick
Clare Birchall, University of Kent
Anne Boran, University of Chester
Roger Burrows, University of York
Ian Burkitt, University of Bradford
Judith Burnett, University of Wolverhamton
Joseph Burrage, University of Portsmouth
John Campbell, School of Oriental and African Studies
Joyce Canaan, Birmingham City University
Ross Coomber, Univeristy of Plymouth
Joel Cohen, School of Oriental and African Studies
Daniel Conway, Loughborough University
Tim Dant, Lancaster University
Karl Dayson, University of Salford
Hannah Durrant, University of Bath
Nick Ellison, University of Leeds
Michael Farrelly, The Open University
Natalie Fenton, Goldsmiths, University of London
Robert Fine, University of Warwick
Ivor Gaber, City University and University of Bedfordshire
Darren Garside, Bath Spa University
Kenneth Gillan, University of Manchester
Dave Green, University of the West of England
Paul Hoggett, University of the West of England
Tracey Hill, Bath Spa University
Gabrielle Ivinson, Cardiff University
Julie Kent, University of the West of England
Alexander King, University of Aberdeen
James Ladyman, University of Bristol
Louise Livesey, Ruskin College, Oxford
Michael Loughlin, Manchester Metropolitan University
Avril Loveless, University of Brighton
Linnea Lundmann, University of Warwick
Dawn Lyon, University of Kent
Alpesh Maisuria, Anglia Ruskin University
John MacInnes, University of Edinburgh
Esther McIntosh, York St John University
Stephen McKay, University of Birmingham
Cahal McLaughlin, University of Ulster
Vanessa May, University of Manchester
Lucy Mayblin, University of Warwick
John Moore, University of the West of England
Philip Moriarty, University of Nottingham
Kate Nash, Goldsmiths, University of London
Richie Nimmo, University of Manchester
Michael Northcott, University of Edinburgh
Julia O’Connell Davidson, University of Nottingham
Karen O’Reilly, Loughborough University
William Outhwaite, Newcastle University
Samir Okasha, University of Bristol
Daniel Orrells, University of Warwick
Theo Papadopoulos, University of Bath
Lynne Pettinger, Essex University
Martin Pill, University of the West of England
Adrian Piper, APRA Foundation
Deborah Potts, King’s College London
Larry Ray, University of Kent
Madeleine Reeves, University of Manchester
Brian Rosa, University of Manchester
Enzo Rossi, University of Wales, Newport
Anew Sayer, Lancaster University
Robbie Shilliam, Victoria University of Wellington
Chris Shilling, University of Kent
Jonathan Spencer, University of Warwick
Hans Steinmuller, London School of Economics
Alexander Smith, University of Huddersfield
Bruce Stafford, University of Nottingham
Liz Stanley, University of Edinburgh
Aian Vatcher, University of the West of England
Terry Wassall, University of Leeds
Nicholas Watson, University of Glasgow