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\nA \u201cchallenging set of results\u201d, a politician might say.\u00a0Others might suggest that heads should roll. What is clear is that if there were any sort of league table that measured how well-prepared school leavers are for university, there\u2019d be some catch-up to do.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m referring to the results of the 2017 Survey of University Admissions Officers. The survey was conducted through 81 telephone interviews with a selection of British universities, including half of all the high to medium tariff universities.<\/p>\n
Asked to choose from a list of 15 different options which ones they thought impact on a student\u2019s ability to thrive at university, almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of university admissions officers cited “not being able to think and learn independently”.<\/p>\n
This was followed by \u201cunable to manage their own time or workloads\u201d (88 per cent). Seven in 10 suggested that students do not appreciate what their course will involve, while 52 per cent felt they were \u201cunable to carry out extended writing\u201d; and the same number \u201cunable to remember facts, possessing a \u2018Google It\u2019 mentality\u201d.<\/p>\n
This view chimes with other data presenting \u201cGeneration Z\u201d, and which seem to suggest that while they are incredibly demanding, many are also very needy and much more reliant \u2013 perhaps on parents, teachers and lecturers \u2013 than previous generations. And, of course, Google.<\/p>\n
Worryingly, almost half of university admissions officers when asked \u201cdo you think sixth formers are sufficiently prepared for a successful transition from school to university?\u201d, said “no”.\u00a0 This despite the fact that almost three quarters (73 per cent) believe that students \u201cput more effort in to considering their university choices before they apply than they did in the past\u201d.<\/p>\n
So what is going on?\u00a0 Why is the most widely connected generation in the history of the human kind seemingly so ill-prepared for university social and intellectual life?<\/p>\n
The missing link appears to be a student\u2019s own initiative and independent mindedness. As well as being the most digitally engaged generation, this one is also the most externally assessed and measured, tested and managed at every stage of their young lives.<\/p>\n
Has this produced a generation of young people unable to think for themselves? The importance of performance in exams and league tables often appears to be given far greater priority than learning how to challenge facts. This, of course, is wholly reinforced through social media, where “facts” are presented in small, digestible bites, and swallowed whole.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think that we can blame it all on social media or testing though. The survey also posed one simple question to admissions officers:<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think different exam systems (over and above individual teachers or school) develop different attitudes towards learning and work among students?\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer was a resounding \u201cyes\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked to give a score out of five for how well a particular qualification prepares a student to thrive at university, 55 per cent of admission officers gave the International Baccalaureate a top score of five, compared with just 15 per cent who said the same of A levels. Their reasoning? The IB is a broader education programme, developing a wide range of qualities that students need to succeed in life beyond school.<\/p>\n