Performance Indicators Relating to Student Development: can they be trusted?

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Abstract
Performance indicators are well‐established in the language of accountability in higher education, and are used to serve a variety of political and micro‐political ends. However, the speed of their implementation has not been matched by equivalent progress in the development of their technical qualities, particularly in the general area of the development of students. This article subjects a selection of student‐related indicators to analysis in terms of the interests they serve, their validity and their robustness (including their vulnerability to manipulation). In light of this analysis, some comments are made regarding the use of such indicators in policy arenas.