Natfhe investigates fears of falling standards

Lecturers' union Natfhe is to conduct a wholesale audit of teaching and working conditions at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, following The THES's revelations that external examiners had warned that excessive workloads were affecting quality.

Staff complaints that the university's demands for efficiency gains are damaging quality were dismissed by university managers as a call for more privileged conditions. But concerns about marking deadlines had already been raised by external examiners.

"Despite claims by university managers that there is no threat to standards, recent documentation quoted in The Times Higher Education Supplement (March 31 2000) had discredited this position," said Natfhe in a press statement.

Want to blow the whistle? Contact Phil Baty on 020 7782 3298 or email

phil.baty@thes.co.uk