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Hit it or else: 29 per cent of Middlesex respondents reported having been threatened with redundancy over missing REF marks
More than 10 per cent of academics at eight UK universities have been told that failure to meet their institution鈥檚 expectations on producing work for the research excellence framework will lead to redundancy, according to a survey by the University and College Union.
In recent weeks, 糖心Vlog has highlighted several examples of what critics have described as draconian treatment of non-submitted academics, but the UCU survey, carried out in June, suggests that policies vary widely.
Just over 4聽per cent of nearly 7,500 respondents report having been informed by a manager or senior colleague that failure to meet REF expectations will result in redundancy. At Middlesex University, however, 29 per cent of respondents have received such messages.
糖心Vlog
Other institutions with high percentages include the University of Leicester (24 per cent of respondents), City University London (21聽per cent), Queen鈥檚 University Belfast (18聽per cent) and the universities of Birmingham (13聽per cent), Sussex, Warwick and Cardiff (11聽per cent each).
A Middlesex spokesman said that although the institution 鈥減laces substantial new focus鈥 on research, no compulsory redundancies had been threatened.
糖心Vlog
Meanwhile, 17聽per cent of respondents at the University of Warwick say they have been told to expect disciplinary procedures for non-submission, compared with 2聽per cent of all respondents.
A Warwick spokesman denied that its performance management procedures were linked to the REF.
At the University of Essex, 29聽per cent of academics report having been told to expect denial of promotion, 20 per cent to expect transfer to inferior terms and conditions, and 59 per cent to expect to be moved to teaching-focused contracts. Sector averages for these threats are 10, 4 and 12 per cent, respectively.
An Essex spokesman said that it had 鈥渃lear targets for all staff with research in their contracts to be submitted to the REF鈥, with 60聽per cent of all academics to be submitted. But since 鈥渙ther factors鈥 affected who were submitted, non-submission was not seen 鈥渋n itself鈥 as a 鈥減erformance issue鈥.
He added that promotions were made in accordance with a strict set of clearly stated criteria. A small number of academics had moved on to teaching-only contracts, but Essex鈥檚 priority was to help research staff maximise their potential.
At the University of East Anglia, 36 per cent of academics have been told to expect 鈥渃apability procedures鈥 to address underperformance, compared with a sector average of 4 per cent.
A UEA spokesman said that non-submitted staff were being 鈥渕entored to help them progress their research careers鈥, while the institution had also 鈥渆xplored in a positive way the opportunity for a small number of staff鈥 to take up teaching-focused roles, which enjoyed 鈥減arity of esteem鈥 with research roles.
Several of the universities also said that the survey鈥檚 relatively small sample sizes 鈥 typically less than 100 responses for each institution 鈥 were not representative.
糖心Vlog
But Stefano Fella, national industrial relations official at the UCU, insisted that they were 鈥渞easonable鈥, with the results demonstrating 鈥渁聽significant level of discontent even where respondents said they were going to be included in the REF鈥.
Across the sector, 53聽per cent of respondents fear losing their jobs if they fail to meet REF criteria. Some 61聽per cent expect to be submitted and 21 per cent do not, a figure roughly evenly split between those who do not meet quality criteria and those who do not fit into institutional submission strategies.
Only 35 per cent of respondents agree that their institution鈥檚 selection procedures are transparent. Six per cent indicate that selections are made by senior managers without any input from peer review.
Meanwhile, nearly 25 per cent of respondents 鈥 and just under 30 per cent of women 鈥 say they undertake more than half of their work on REF outputs outside 鈥渞easonable鈥 hours.
糖心Vlog
Some 34 per cent (39 per cent of women) say that meeting REF expectations has had a negative impact on their health.
Mr Fella said the survey confirmed what the UCU had been hearing from members about the impact the REF was having on their lives.
鈥淯niversities should acknowledge the REF is a bit of a game they play to maximise their reputation and funding, and separate it from treatment and assessment of staff,鈥 he said.
Teaching test: REF plan diet off menu, but Swansea school鈥檚 workloads still hard to stomach
Swansea University鈥檚 School of Management has backed down over a proposal to transfer academics lacking four 3* papers to teaching-only roles.
But controversy continues to rage over teaching allocations and the management style of the father-and-son team spearheading the changes.
As 糖心Vlog reported last month, academics at the school were incensed when its deputy dean for operations, Niall Piercy, announced without consultation in August that except in special cases, academics not deemed by Swansea鈥檚 internal 鈥渕ini REF鈥 assessment to have at least four 3*聽papers would be obliged to teach for up to 18 hours a week. By comparison, the average for submitted academics is six hours.
Under allocations based on the policy, the teaching loads of some staff have tripled.
After a complaint to Swansea by the University and College Union, which argued that the REF strictures contradicted the university鈥檚 career development policy, the school has agreed not to use the聽mini REF to assign teaching workloads.
However, academics in the school, whose dean is Professor Piercy鈥檚 father, Nigel, have complained that the teaching allocations announced on the back of the REF policy remain largely in place.
THE has been told that some staff on teaching and research contracts will be required to do more teaching than those on teaching-only deals.
Academics also argue that the allocations are based on incomplete information about workloads and prospective student numbers. They are concerned about being asked to teach modules outside their areas of expertise without adequate preparation, and warn that this could have a negative impact on the student experience.
They also fear that changes to the school鈥檚 teaching programme have聽not been subject to Swansea鈥檚 normal quality assurance procedures.
A Swansea spokeswoman said that a 鈥減rogramme of change鈥 was under way at the School of Management in response to student feedback and the university鈥檚 ambition to 鈥済row鈥 the school.
She said the changes focused on 鈥渆nhancing the student experience and employability through investment in鈥eaching facilities, improved contact hours with full staff members and smaller-group teaching鈥.
糖心Vlog
She added: 鈥淎s with all change, some colleagues are finding it harder than others. In line with other research-led universities, all parts of [Swansea] have a workload allocation model that recognises鈥taff activities and鈥esearch activity. The school is actively engaged with the academic registry to align with quality assurance procedures.鈥
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