Understanding, measuring and reporting
Kenneth [email protected]
Productivity in Academia8th May, 2019
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This morning, form no conclusions, just embrace complexity.
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Context
Purpose Process Product• Increase
understanding of productivity
• Frame appropriate use of higher education data
• Collective brainstorm
• Presentation
• Targeted discussion
• New perspectives on performance trends
• Broad framing of issues related to workload management
What is higher education productivity?
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Context
# Definition
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Productivity is output over input… 𝑂𝑂𝐼𝐼
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Context
Output:EFTSL, Completions, Retention,
Publications, Citations, Research Income
FTE: Teaching, Research,
T&R, Other
Expenditure: Labour, Capital,
Intermediate
Total FactorProductivity
LabourProductivity
Policy, performance, productivity and operations are all linked
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Context
1. Key performance trends over the past 10 years coincide with changes in workforce composition
2. Policy and regulationsa) Performance fundingb) Provider category
standards (PCS)c) Financial transparencyd) EBAs
ResearchOutput
Teaching Only Staff
2.3 ×
1.8 ×
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP)
Education and Research Expenditure
Productivity in Australia?Questions
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How to understand it?
How to measure it?
How to report it?
Key stakeholders andtechnical experts provided key insight.
Code Academic Role Public Sector or Professional RoleKS1 University A Advisor to Vice Chancellor NAKS2 University B Chief Financial Officer NAKS3 University C Faculty Dean (former) Project Lead, international higher education ranking systemKS4 NA Higher Education Policy Advisor, Private PracticeKS5 University D Chief Operating Officer (former) Financial Consultant, Small FirmKS6 University A Vice Chancellor NAKS7 University C Academic Board President NAKS8 University D Deputy Vice Chancellor NAKS9 University C Academic Program Director NAKS10 University C Associate Professor NATE1 University E Lecturer Private Sector Consultant, Private PracticeTE2 NA Education Consultant, Large FirmTE3 University F Professor Health Sector EconomistTE4 University G Professor NATE5 NA Higher Education Operations Consultant, Small FirmTE6 NA Higher Education Operations Consultant, Small FirmTE7 University E Professor Public Policy ArchitectTE8 NA Multi-sector Economist, Government AgencyTE9 University H Chief Financial Officer (former) Higher Education Consultant, Private PracticeTE10 University G non-academic staff member NA
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Methods
Research uncovered four distinct productivity paradigms.
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Productivity Paradigm Description
Value Creation Productivity
Output Produced
(More valuable outputs in less time)
Efficiency Productivity Inputs and Finances
(Desirable ratios on balance sheets and income statements)
Process-oriented Productivity
Not demonstrable through inputs and outputs
(High quality academic work)
PragmaticProductivity
Efficient creation of more value
(Improving functions; maximise value under constraints)
Findings
Ghobadian and Husband (1990); Pritchard (1995); Massy (2017)
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Construct Type Construct Variable Data elements
Input Total Factor Productivity
LabourL1 Academic staff salary and benefitsL2 Non-academic staff salary and benefits
Capital Services
K1 Depreciation and amortisationK2 Repairs and maintenanceK3 Interest payable
IntermediariesI1 Grants and scholarshipsI2 Administration and other expenses
Input LabourProductivity
Teaching Labour L3 FTEs Teaching Only StaffResearch Labour L4 FTEs Research Only StaffT & R Labour L5 FTEs Teaching & Research Staff
Non-Academic Labour L6 FTEs Other Function Staff
Output
Equivalent FT Course load E1 Number of FTE coursework studentsCoursework completions E2 Number of coursework graduatesEquivalent FT Res load R1 Number of FTE research students Research completions R2 Number of research graduates Publications R3 Total scholarly outputCitation Impact R4 Output in the top 25-percentileResearch income R3 Amount of income for research
The model attempts to represent multiple productivity paradigms.
Törnqvist Index: ABS, BLS, OECDMethods
Different cuts of data reveal different relationships.
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Findings
Type of change
Relationship
Scaling up benefits
O
I
Improving effectiveness
O
I
Full innovation
O
I
Improving efficiency
O
I
Efficient downsizing
O
I
EFTSL, Completions, Retention, Publications, Citations, Research Income
Teaching, Research,T&R, Other
Labour, Capital,Intermediate
Broader patterns emerge.
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Findings
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Is productivity up or down? There are more interesting things to ask!
1) Education and Research: Functional Diversity;Outcome Convergence
2) Education Efficiency Productivity Research Value Creation Productivity
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Discussion
“Financial” Productivity
Gains
Labour Productivity
Gains<
Do all roads lead to Rome?
Acknowledgements
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Moore, K., Croucher, G., Coates, H. (2019). Productivity and Policy in Higher Education. Australian Economic Review
Moore, K., Coates, H., Croucher, G. (2019). Measuring international higher education productivity: lessons from nine countries in Asia. Higher Education Forum.
Moore, K., Coates, H., Croucher, G. (2018). Investigating applications of university productivity measurement models using Australian data. Studies in Higher Education.
Moore, K. (2018). Improving higher education productivity and its measurement: Linking productivity and student success in Australia. International Journal of Chinese Education
Moore, K., Coates, H. & Croucher, G. (2018). Understanding and improving higher education productivity. In Hazelkorn, E., Coates, H. McCormick, A.C. (Eds.). Research Handbook on Quality, Performance and Accountability in Higher Education. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Croucher, G., Zhong, Z., Moore, K. Chew, J., Coates. H. (accepted). International financial flows in higher education: The China-Australia Case. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management.
Croucher, G. & Moore, K. (2018). Eggs and Baskets: Lessons from the 2009 decline in Indian student enrolments. Special Report: Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
Rohan, P., Moore, K. (2018). University Industry Collaboration. In Cantwell, B. Coates, H. & King, R. (Eds.) Handbook on the Politics of Higher Education. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Moore, K., Coates, H. & Croucher, G. (2017). Understanding and improving higher education productivity. In Coates, H. (Ed.) Measuring Productivity in Higher Education: Landmark insights from nine Asian countries. Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organisation.
Coates, H. & Moore, K. (2017). Higher education productivity: Insights and next steps. In Coates, H. (Ed.) Measuring Productivity in Higher Education: Landmark insights from nine Asian countries. Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organisation.
Direct PhD Output Related and Supporting Studies