Dr Louise Bunce FHEA Senior Lecturer, SHSSW Perception of value for money and educational engagement in undergraduate students Dr Louise Bunce FHEA Senior Lecturer, SHSSW Oxford Brookes University Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference 2018 14th June 2018

Introduction 1998 - £1000 2006 - £3000 2012 - £9000 2017 - £9250 HE climate is hugely political and government policy has a direct impact on who goes to university In 1998 Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair introduced tuition fees for the first time of means tested £1000 2003 The upper limit that students will have to pay per year is set at £3,000, to be re-paid once graduates earn above £15,000, - it’s introduced in 2006 2007 applications to uni increase, despite fees Then in December 2010, members of Parliament voted to triple tuition fees to £9,000 a year, so from 2012 over half charged the max Led to reduced applications in 2012 by about 19%, but recovered in 2013 and 14 http://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-what-happens-to-student-applications-when-university-fees-go-up-39837 @L_Bunce

Introduction A new student identity? ‘There is now greater emphasis on recognition of the individual [student] as customer or consumer’ (Dearing, 1997) One of four key objectives: Ensuring students receive value for money “unleashing the forces of consumerism is the best single way we’ve got of restoring high academic standards” (David Willetts, 2013) http://wonkhe.com/blogs/students-as-consumers-or-not/ Reforms following the Browne review (2011) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/19/the-guardian-view-on-university-financing-the-making-of-a-market-mess “unleashing the forces of consumerism is the best single way we’ve got of restoring high academic standards" @L_Bunce

Consumer “One who pays something to consume goods and services” Protected by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 ‘poor service’

Introduction Education is not a product: Customer isn’t always right – students don’t know what they need to know What students want isn’t the same as what they need One off transaction The nature of the student (customer) affects quality of the product

Consumers Learners Paying for a service Feel entitled Avoid challenge Take things at face value Surface approach to learning Means to an end Complain about difficult content Embrace challenging concepts Engage in critical thinking Innovate and create Sit with difficulty Deep approach to learning Paying for an opportunity Feel privileged

What do you think about our students? Do you recognise these two identities in our students? Hands up if you think: A) most students identify as learners B) most students identify as consumers C) there is a mix among your cohorts @L_Bunce

Do students identify as consumers? Two surveys* of over 1300 UG studying in England Aims: do students identify as consumers and does consumer identity affect learning and teaching practices? *Bunce, Baird & Jones (2017) The student-as-consumer approach in higher education and its effects on academic performance Studies in Higher Education, 42, 1958-1978 *Bunce & Bennett (2018) A degree of studying? Approaches to learning among undergraduate student ‘consumers’ submitted for publication @L_Bunce

Methods Consumer Identity (Saunders 2014) I think of myself primarily as a paying customer I think of my degree as a product I’m purchasing If I cannot get a good job after I graduate, I should have some of my tuition fees refunded The main purpose of my university education is to maximise my ability to earn money 1 = strongly disagree 3 = neutral 5 = strongly agree @L_Bunce

Methods Academic performance Approaches to learning (Biggs, Kember & Leung, 2001) Surface My aim is to pass while doing as little work as possible I do not find my course very interesting, so I keep my work to the minimum Deep I find that at times studying gives me a feeling of deep personal satisfaction I work hard at my studies because I find the material interesting Strategic (RASI, Entwistle & Tait, 1995) – I manage to get hold of books I need for studying I think I am systematic and organised in the way I study Academic performance self-reported recent grade % @L_Bunce

Results Overall, students neither agreed nor disagreed with a consumer identity Student ‘consumers’ achieved poorer grades Student ‘consumers’ employed surface (rather than deep) approaches to learning @L_Bunce

Current study: Value for Money Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah ‘Delivering VfM in the age of the student’ speech 7th June Learning = earning “there are courses that are providing significant salary uplifts, as well as […] fostering learning” https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/delivering-value-for-money-in-the-age-of-the-student @L_Bunce

Current study: Value for Money HEPI survey 14,000 students 38% = good/very good VfM in England 2% up on 2017 and reverses 5 yr decrease 60% in Scotland Predictors of VfM Student perceptions of teaching quality Gold TEF institutions @L_Bunce

Current study: Value for Money Which? University guide 2019 Facilities Spend (careers, counselling, sport) Brookes (per student) £519 Oxford £640 Harper Adams £1,598 Birkbeck £101 @L_Bunce

Current study: Value for Money Which? University guide 2019 Academic facilities spend (library, IT) Brookes (per student) £1,176 Oxford £2,703, Liverpool Hope £858 @L_Bunce

Current study: Value for Money Which? University guide 2019 Staff - Student ratio Brookes 16 Oxford 11, Plymouth Marjon 23 @L_Bunce

Current study: Aims What individual factors impact value for money ratings? Are students who are more engaged with their education more likely to rate their universities as providing value for money? @L_Bunce

Method 679 students from England and Wales Approaches to learning Consumer identity Perceptions of value for money Complaining Social identity with other students Academic performance @L_Bunce

Results Better value for money perceptions predicted by: Deep/strategic learning Identified with other students on their course First year students No tuition fee responsibility @L_Bunce

Results Worse value for money perceptions predicted by: Students who identified as consumers Had complained about their course @L_Bunce

Discussion Evaluating education on the basis of its ‘value for money’ is not very meaningful Says more about the ‘purchaser’ than the ‘product’. Indicator of student engagement Relationship between engagement and teaching ‘quality’ @L_Bunce

Thank you for listening Questions/comments? @L_Bunce