University accused of using under-qualified teachers

Martin Shipton

The University of South Wales has been accused of using under-qualified teachers on master’s degree law courses taken mainly by international students paying fees of £16,000 per year.

A revalidation document seen by NationCymru relates to two courses delivered by USW’s Faculty of Business and Creative Industries that are identified as LLM Laws [Master of Laws] and LLM Laws (International Commercial Law).

Dated March 2023, it states that USW’s 2030 Curriculum Design Principles include one that: “[is] informed by cutting edge research and practice. We strive to ensure the law curriculum is based on insight, research, innovation, practice and evidence which is regularly refreshed and connects our students to challenges. The course is well supported and resourced by various research activities within the University. The teaching staff, which have changed completely in the last 12 months, are all research active.”

The principle of the course being “research active” was said to be “fully embedded”.

The allegation made to us by a whistleblower is that many of the teachers delivering the course do not have PhDs and/or are not research active, meaning that they have little or no academic publications to their name.

Further documents seen by NationCymru which relate to individual teachers on the courses appeared to confirm allegations made to us by a whistleblower.

Questions

We put a series of questions to USW:

* Does USW accept that a significant number of LLM course tutors are not, in fact, research active?

* Does USW accept that the terms of the Revalidation Document are not therefore being complied with?

* Why is USW employing individuals who are not research active to deliver these courses?

* At what management level was the decision taken to employ such individuals?

* Has the university’s senior management team been aware of this situation?

* How long has it been the case that course tutors who are not research active have been teaching the course?

* How many students a year are undertaking the courses and how many are international students?

* Does the university accept that the status of teaching staff has been misrepresented?

* What implications could this have for the international students’ visa status?

* What action does the university now prepare to take?

The university did not answer our questions directly. Instead it issued a statement that said: “Our teaching team includes staff with a wide range of experience, from extensive professional and practice-based experience to those who are research active, all delivering on the teaching-led LLM Laws [Master of Law] and LLM Laws (International Commercial Law). As with all courses, teaching staff are subject to change over time.

“Our focus at USW is on bringing real-world insight from legal practice, along with a wide range of specialist skills, to provide our students with the knowledge and transferable skills valued by employers in the industry.”

‘Admission’

Responding to the university’s responses to our questions, the whistleblower said: “In my view, it amounts to an admission and it is an ongoing fraudulent misrepresentation.

“The expression ‘teaching-led’ does not mean anything. Any course is taught. The problem is whether it is ‘research-led’ as the validation documents says or it is not.

“In using this pedagogically unclear expression ‘teaching-led’, they are confirming again that the LLM, at the moment, is de facto a secondary school course.

“They are vague as regards those in charge of the modules. As you can see from the profile provided, currently there is no one doing research, because the research portfolio is zero of the names of those delivering the modules/course.

“As regards the ‘practice’, this is also false. At least four people in charge are not qualified at all as lawyers in any jurisdiction, and they have zero publications in the last five years, and basically in all their careers.

A couple of people are qualified as lawyers (simply solicitors), but without any publication, and as lawyers they are merely family lawyers, therefore without any connection with 90% of the modules taught in the LLM.

“More in general, given the ‘zero publications’ of these lecturers/tutors, the lack of PhDs (the absence of professional skills (family law is not an area of LLMs, traditionally), there is no specialism that can be transferred to students in these LLMs.

“The Home Office, which issues visas to students conditional on their attendance to the course, should be concerned. As also should prospective employers, who are hiring students with a sub-standard LLM degree.”

The whistleblower conservatively estimates that at least 50 international students per year are taking the courses. This would net USW £800,000 in student fees.