1. What do universities mean by ‘excellent teaching’?
Or…
What the TEF might not tell you!

2. Dr Matthew J. Williamson
Director
Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Service
University of Glasgow

3. So, TEF results are out! What is TEF?
Opt in – 33 HEPs did not take part (13 in Scotland)
Metric based
Teaching Quality, Assessment and Student support from NSS
Student ‘dropout’ rates
Employment destinations data
Data benchmarked and a 15-page submission included
Ratings last 3 years
Disciplinary TEF to be piloted

4. What has TEF shown us so far?
Anglia Ruskin gained Silver
137 HEPs took part (3 private providers)
45 Gold
67 Silver
25 Bronze
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Post92
20%
58%
22%
Pre92
12%
46%
42%
Russell Group
14%
48%
38%
Specialist
35%
43%

5. Has it measured teaching ‘excellence’?
Probably not!

6. How do you define ‘teaching excellence’?
Start alone – keywords
Talk to your neighbour – agree top 5 (?)
Join pairs – agree a definition (or two)

7. “A status of inaccessible brilliance” Mingus, 2015

8. Why might we want to measure excellent teaching?
Quality Assurance
Quality Enhancement
Equality of experience
Identification and dissemination of good practice
Management and ‘managerialism’

9. What is excellence? Excellence as the ‘norm’
Excellence as an aspiration
Can everyone be excellent all the time?
When is ‘good enough’ good enough?

10. How do universities define ‘excellent teaching’, then?
Research-led/informed/inspired
Student satisfaction
Student ‘outcomes’
Student-focussed
Innovation
Leadership

11. How do other bodies define ‘excellent teaching’?
Reflective practice
Mentoring and organisation
Leadership
Dissemination of good practice

12. The views of students
From Williamson, 2011

13. The views of alumni
Adapted from Moore and Kuol, 2007

14. Excellent teaching or excellent teachers?
Teaching as collaborative activity
Teacher and teacher
Teacher and ‘learning support’
Teacher and student
Performance and bias
Lectures vs other teaching
Gender bias
Appearance
‘It’s too hard!’

15. What might we do to encourage and enhance excellence?
National schemes
Institutional schemes
Disciplinary approaches
Individual approaches

16. What three things would make a difference?
What could institutions do?
What could teaching ‘teams’ do?
What could individuals do?
What could students do?
What might students ‘want’?

17. How can excellent teaching be supported and encouraged?
Clarity of strategy and direction
‘Parity of esteem’
Contractual status and ‘remission’
Teaching sabbaticals?

18. How do we embody excellent teaching?
Focus on the students and their learning
Pitching it right
‘Authenticity’ and ‘credibility’
Stretching and challenging
Engage and approach

19. Can we measure this?
PROBABLY NOT!