AbstractThis paper discusses the problems caused by certain approaches to the measurement of educational product and the way in which these conflict with the longer term objectives of the educational process. It argues that, in many areas of higher education, especially those with vocational or professional links, these approaches to the measurement of student performance produce a tendency towards ‘short‐termism’ that is very similar to trends that have been identified in the management and accounting literature. The author argues that whilst accounting educators in the USA have identified a need to broaden the learning experiences of students, and to reduce the significance of surface learning, there are pressures in the, UK that would seem to be forcing students into increased surface learning and less reflective, deeper learning.