The sudoku effect [electronic resource] : universities in the vicious circle of bureaucracy / Stefan Kuhl ; translation by Tino Brömme, Harriet Bailey, Annika Henderson, Lesley Warren.

9783319040868
3319040863
9783319040875 electronic book
3319040871 electronic book

Cham ; New York : Springer, [2014]

©2014

English

1 online resource.

10.1007/978-3-319-04087-5 doi

LA628

378.16

This book shows that the introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) of credit points as a new accounting unit at universities has led to increased bureaucracy and the schoolmaster-style regimentation of Bachelors and Masters courses. It explains how, due to the pressure of having to plan every single working hour of studying in advance, a Sudoku Effect is created by the necessity to combine courses, exams and modules in such a way that the points add up. An unintentional side effect of the introduction of the ECTS, the Sudoku Effect has led to more classroom style teaching, an inflation of exams and fewer choices available to students. It has resulted in such complex and contradictory guidelines for the planning of the curriculum that the values attributed to the higher education reform can often only be realised if the rules for Bachelors and Masters programmes are ignored, or at least stretched, in practice. The book describes how the reaction to this situation is the continuous further refinement of the complicated rules rather than their abolishment.

Includes bibliographical references.

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Description based on print version record.

SpringerBriefs in education.

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