Knowledge held by an institution
Found universities that hold knowledge beyond any one teacher's lifetime: self-governing, free to teach and publish, examining to standards checked from outside, and reviewed by an independent agency.
Everything for this step
- Field guide
- Institutions: what to found, and how to run them → 32 sections
- Builds
- None yet.
- Reference sheets
- None.
- Track
- Teaching, level 2 of 2
Why this matters
A master teaches a few apprentices and the knowledge dies with the last of them. A university keeps it in a library, a body of teachers and a syllabus that outlast any member, and adds to it by research. Two things make that work, and both are written into modern standards. Teachers need academic freedom — to teach, research and publish "without constriction by prescribed doctrine" — and tenure, which UNESCO calls "one of the major procedural safeguards of academic freedom and against arbitrary decisions" (UNESCO, 1997).
And a degree must mean the same thing whoever awards it, which needs checks from outside: external examiners on every award, and review by an agency independent of the university (ESG, 2015).
The shape of it
- Charter the university as a self-governing body that owns its library and property.
- Protect academic freedom in law, with tenure after a probation, so no one is dismissed for what they teach or publish.
- Design every programme to stated learning outcomes, and publish its regulations.
- Appoint teachers by open, fair competition, on their teaching and research.
- Check every award with external examiners from other universities.
- Keep and open the library, and deposit every thesis in it.
- Review each programme periodically, and the whole university by an independent agency on a cycle.
Doing it, step by step
The summary above says what has to happen. This says how, with the numbers that decide whether it works.
1 · Charter a self-governing body
A university is an institution, not a teacher. Charter it in law as a body that:
- owns its buildings, library and endowment;
- governs itself through bodies of its teachers, with students represented;
- awards its own degrees under the charter;
- outlives every member.
Fund it from an endowment, a public grant or fees, by rules set in advance, so funding cannot be withdrawn over what is taught.
2 · Protect academic freedom, and grant tenure
UNESCO's 1997 Recommendation (paragraph 27) defines academic freedom as the right, "without constriction by prescribed doctrine", to:
- freedom of teaching and discussion;
- freedom to carry out research and publish the results;
- freedom to express an opinion about the institution or system one works in;
- freedom from institutional censorship;
- freedom to take part in professional or representative academic bodies.
Tenure after a probation — dismissal only for cause, through a fair procedure — is "one of the major procedural safeguards of academic freedom" (paragraph 45). It is not protection from scrutiny: the work is still examined and reviewed.
3 · Design programmes to stated outcomes
Every programme states what a graduate will know and be able to do, and the qualification it leads to and its level (ESG 1.2). Publish in advance the regulations for every stage of a student's course — admission, progression, recognition and certification — and apply them consistently (ESG 1.4).
Admit on published criteria, and assess students on what the programme says they will learn.
4 · Appoint teachers on merit
Recruit teachers by fair and transparent processes and assure their competence (ESG 1.5): advertise every post, judge candidates on their teaching and published research, and have someone from outside the department on the panel. Give them time for research as well as teaching, so the university adds to what it holds.
5 · Check every award from outside
External examiners — academics from other universities — review the assessment of every award. The UK's principles (QAA) say an examiner should:
- protect standards and ensure they are comparable with other universities';
- give independent critical review, with integrity;
- ensure the assessment is fair;
- keep their own knowledge current.
Appoint examiners with no conflict of interest, give them samples of marked work across the range, including fails, and answer their report.
6 · Keep the library open, and deposit the work
The library is the university's memory. Fund learning resources and student support adequately and keep them readily accessible (ESG 1.6). Deposit a copy of every thesis and every publication by the university's staff in the library, catalogue it, and open the collection to visiting scholars.
Copies held in more than one place survive a fire or a closure; publish through the journal and print through the press.
7 · Review programmes, and be reviewed
The ESG set the cycle (ESG, 2015):
- The university has a published quality policy (1.1) and monitors and periodically reviews each programme, telling everyone concerned what changes (1.9).
- It publishes clear, accurate, up-to-date information about its programmes (1.8).
- It undergoes external quality assurance on a cycle (1.10), by an agency that is independent and acts without third-party influence (3.3).
- Reviews are made by groups of external experts that include students (2.4), on published criteria (2.5), with a way to complain and appeal (2.7).