The government should pull back from its plans to link outcomes from the teaching excellence framework to permission to raise tuition fees in line with inflation, according to Million+.

The group of modern universities says in a paper published today that there are ¡°grave doubts about whether an assessment-driven TEF linked with fees is the best way to improve teaching excellence¡±.

While ministers are right to seek to give greater recognition to quality teaching, ¡°the reality is that the outcomes of university teaching cannot simply be evaluated by degree outcomes or graduate earnings¡±, says the paper, written by Million+ chief executive Pam Tatlow and chair Dave Phoenix, vice-chancellor of London South Bank University. ?

They also warn that linking the TEF to fee rises brings the ¡°potential for legal challenge¡­and for institutional game-playing¡±, as has been seen in research assessment.

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They add that ¡°any suggestion¡± that institutions given a clean bill of health in the quality assurance regime could be judged as falling short in the TEF ¡°would be highly damaging¡±.

¡°It would undermine the reputation of universities within the UK and in the international higher education market and it would risk undermining the quality assurance process itself,¡± the paper says.

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Ms Tatlow and Professor Phoenix do say that if no extra government investment in universities is forthcoming, or if November¡¯s spending review ¡°undermines the unit of resource and cuts further into what remains of direct grant¡±, there should be a rise in the fee cap ¡°to meet the increased costs of provision regardless of any TEF and provided that universities have been successful in quality assurance¡±.

But they warn that a TEF linked to fees ¡°has the potential to reduce risk-taking and innovation in teaching, learning and assessment¡±, as well as to undermine ¡°the UK¡¯s global reputation for high-quality higher education ¨C a reputation that has been hard-won and well-earned¡±.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com