2. Dr Ben Brabon Academic Lead, Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The TEF from Y1 to Y3
Dr Ben Brabon
Academic Lead, Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

3. ‘Lamentable Teaching’
“I hear this when I talk to worried parents, such as the physics teacher whose son dropped out at the start of year two of a humanities programme at a prestigious London university, having barely set eyes on his tutor. Her other son, by contrast, studying engineering at Bristol, saw the system at its best: he was worked off his feet, with plenty of support and mostly excellent teaching. This patchiness in the student experience within and between institutions cannot continue. There is extraordinary teaching that deserves greater recognition. And there is lamentable teaching that must be driven out of our system. It damages the reputation of UK higher education and I am determined to address it.” (Jo Johnson, UUK Conference, 9 September 2015)
20/11/2018

4. Aims
to ensure all students receive an excellent teaching experience that encourages original thinking, drives up engagement and prepares them for the world of work
to build a culture where teaching has equal status with research, with great teachers enjoying the same professional recognition and opportunities for career and pay progression as great researchers
to stimulate a diverse HE market and provide students with the information they need to judge teaching quality – in the same way they can already compare a faculty’s research rating
to recognise those institutions that do the most to welcome students from a range of backgrounds and support their retention and progression to further study or a graduate job
(Jo Johnson, ‘Teaching at the Heart of the System’, 1 July 2015)
20/11/2018

5. ‘If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow’ (John Dewey, Democracy and Education)
20 November 2018

6. “Fact, fact, fact!” What is teaching excellence?
Are there variations in our understanding of teaching excellence across the disciplines?
How can we measure it?
20/11/2018

7. What is Teaching Excellence?
Teaching quality
Intellectually stimulated, active learners
Learning environment
Leadership and learning strategy supporting teaching excellence
Student outcomes
Support, career readiness and added value
NSS, HESA & DLHE
20/11/2018

8. Personally and professionally transformative
HEA’s UK Professional Standards Framework
20 November 2018

9. ‘Course quality depends on more than contact hours and class size, but students do care deeply about these issues. They are notably less satisfied when they have fewer than 10 contact hours and classes of over 50 students’ (Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, 4 June 2015)
20 November 2018

10. TEF Year 1 – Institutional benchmark linked to QAA review
Quality threshold
Year 2 – Institutional differentiation linked to application for higher level TEF status
4 levels
Year 3 – Assessment in the disciplines/subject areas
Further differentiation
20/11/2018

11. Approach High fidelity Low fidelity Coherence, reliability
Tokenism, compliance
Low trust
Low fidelity
Innovation, engagement
Fragmented, low control
High trust
20/11/2018

12. Impact
to ensure all students receive an excellent teaching experience that encourages original thinking, drives up engagement and prepares them for the world of work
to build a culture where teaching has equal status with research, with great teachers enjoying the same professional recognition and opportunities for career and pay progression as great researchers
to stimulate a diverse HE market and provide students with the information they need to judge teaching quality – in the same way they can already compare a faculty’s research rating
to recognise those institutions that do the most to welcome students from a range of backgrounds and support their retention and progression to further study or a graduate job
20/11/2018

13. Dr Ben Brabon
@BenBrabon
20/11/2018