Higher education in need of new teaching agendas

Maureen McLaughlin

Global institutes, particularly in the U.K., are now seeking to create a balance between teaching and research, according to Maureen McLaughlin, head of Universities and Standards at Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in U.K.

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference held at Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) yesterday, McLaughlin told the Times that in the past 20 years, research has been dominant in university agendas in a bid to make sure that teaching has the same profile and agenda – to benefit its students more directly.

McLaughlin noted that the U.K.-based agency is working closely with institutions in Macau, and also is looking at working with the Tertiary Education Service Office (GAES). Their collaboration is aimed towards improving the quality of university teaching and research, as well as student experience.

“We’ve been working with IPM now ever since we came […] and we review IPM exactly the same way that we reviewed any U.K. institutions, so it is quite a tough standard for them to actually rise, but they did,” she explained to the Times.

According to her, the collaboration between local institutions and universities from the U.K. would enable greater awareness of issues that global higher education is facing such as the importance of new teaching agendas.

When asked about the vital factors that would help enhance the quality of university teaching, McLaughlin noted that “leadership needs to come from the top of the institution.”

She also cited institutional incentives to raise the profile of teaching within institutions, rewarding its staff and listening to students’ learning experience as some of the factors. “[And] to make sure that any income that we [universities] get needs to be spent on teaching activities,” she added.

Unlike in Macau, where GAES and other government bodies support local research studies, McLaughlin said that the most common challenge that higher education faces in the U.K. is funding.

She also stressed that Brexit has caused anxiety for the country’s international students, with European students uncertain about whether they are still welcome or whether tuition fees will increase.

“Our international students are often the lifeblood of a lot of work of our institutions. Not just because of the different range of cultural influences that they bring, but they are financially very important for U.K. institutes,” McLaughlin explained. “I think there are challenges to maintaining good and positive relationships between Europe, within our European counterparts and more globally.”

She admitted that institutions are concerned about research that they are undertaking with European counterparts. While it is still too early to feel the effect of Brexit, the expert noted that institutions are already worried about student recruitment and staff mobility.

McLaughlin believes that the MSAR has the potential to retain local students.

“They should be able to stay within their own confines and contribute to local economy. So hopefully some of the plans that GAES has in place to actually instigate those good frameworks and foundations should lead to a wholly better research, teaching and culture in the future,” McLaughlin explained.

Additionally, there is still an increasing demand and supply mismatch between the Macau and U.K. workforces.

Unlike the U.K., which is suffering with a lack of graduate jobs, Macau is experiencing a shortage of professionals in certain fields.

“I think all of these will drive up better qualified students who want to stay within Macau and keep their practices here. That should hopefully solve some of the human resources issues you have in Macau,” she concluded.