Critical-Review-of-“The-Decline-and-Fall-of-the-Br

CriticalReviewof“TheDeclineandFalloftheBritishUniversity”IntroductionAftertheWorldWarII,theBritishgovernmentgraduallyrealizedtheimportanceofhighereducation.Egalitarianisminhighereducationwasputforward,withseriesofpoliciestakenintoeffecttofulfillit.However,isitreallyeffectivetoimprovethehighereducationinBritain?Inthearticle“TheDeclineandFalloftheBritishUniversity”,Dr.MarkTarver,onceatenuredlecturerintheUK,arguesthategalitarianisminhighereducationresultsinthedeclineandfallofBritishuniversity.Fromhiswriting,wecanseethatDrMarkprovidesuswithaseriesofproblemsresultedfromtheexpansionofuniversitysystemandsufferedbybothstudentsandlecturers.However,hisunderstandingovertheexpansionofthecollegesystemislimitedandsubjectiveandsomeofhisanalysisisnotpersuasive.SummaryInhisarticle,Dr.Markbelievesthatexpansionofthecollegesystemleadto“thedeclineandfallofBritishuniversity”.Tosupporthisstandpoint,Dr.Marktalksaboutthebadimpactsbothonstudentsandlecturers.Theabilityofstudentswhoaregivenmoreaccesstocollegeandmorechoiceofwhattheylearngraduallydeclines.Asforlectures,therequirementofteachingandresearchbecomesaheavyburdentothem.HemakesapredictionthatinthefutureforeignimmigrantacademicswillfillthegapformedbythedeclineofyoungBritishlecturers,withbadeffectsonthequalityofteaching,andstudentswillsufferthedebtanddegreeinflation.EvaluationInhisarticle,DrMarkarguesthategalitarianisminhighereducationshouldberesponsibleforthedeclineandfallofBritishuniversity.FromhispersonalexperienceasalecturerinaBritishuniversity,hebelievesthattheexpansionofcollegesystembroughtthedeclineofstudents’ability,thefloodingoflecturers’valuelesspapersandsoon.Theseproblems,likealarmbells,awakenpeopletothecurrentsituationofhighereducation.However,hisunderstandingovertheexpansionofthecollegesystemislimitedandsubjectiveandsomeofhisanalysisisnotpersuasive.Tosupporthisstandpoint,Dr.Marktalksallaboutthebadimpactsonstudentsandlecturers,neglectingthebenefitstheexpansionbroughttoBritain.AftertheWWII，Britainwasindireneedoftalentstohelpitselfrecoverfromtheruins,butthefactisthesmallnumberofcollegestowhichonlyafewpeoplecanattend.Sotheexpansionofcollegesystem,insomesense,acceleratestherefreshmentofBritain.Moreover,theBritishuniversitiesweretheprivilegeforthenobleandtherich,infaceofshrinkingthen.Theexpansioninfusesnewbloodtouniversities.Thisisveryimportantthatcannotbeneglectevendenied.SinceDr.Markcannotfullyunderstandtheexpansionofcollegesystem,howcanhispredictionbeappropriate?What’smore,hepredictsthatinthefutureforeignimmigrantacademicswillfillthegapformedafterthedeclineofthenumberoflectures,withbadeffectonthequalityofteaching.Thisismuchtoosubjective.Howdosetheauthorknowthelanguageskillsofanimmigrantarecertainonthewholeworsethanthoseofanativespeakerandthatwillmakebadeffectsontheequalityofteaching?Ican’thelpaskingifDr.Markhasdonearesearchintermsofit.Besides,someofhisanalysisisnotconvincingenough.Dr.Markstatesinhisarticlethatonebadeffectistheblossomofvaluelesspapers,mostofthemdonebygraduatestudentsandlecturers.Howdoweknowwhathesaysistrueornot?Thereshouldhavebeensomedatatoprovewhathesays.Ifhecanprovideuswiththerelevantdatatocompare,itwillbemorepersuasive.ConclusionDrMark,inhisarticle,awakenspeopletotheproblemsthategalitarianisminhighereducationbrought,whichresultinthedeclineandfallofBritishuniversity.Althoughhisarticleiswellorganized,hiscomprehensiontotheexpansionofcollegesystemislimitedandsomepointslackefficientevidence,makingitnotmuchconvincingandpersuasive.