Under Pressure

The Guardian reports that some British universities have been putting pressure on students to get them to give good scores in the National Student Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Hefce:

"Eight British universities have been accused of putting undue pressure on students in an attempt to boost their position in crucial national league tables.

Documents released under freedom of information show the universities were reported to the higher education funding body in the last two years over allegations they tried to persuade students to give their institutions high scores in the National Student Survey.

The 22-question "student experience survey" is critical in determining universities' national rankings and their reputation with students and employers.

The eight universities were Swansea, Anglia Ruskin (in Cambridge and Chelmsford), Derby, Leicester, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Kingston and London Metropolitan. Documents show they have all been investigated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce)."