How to build 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework

Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 new minister for higher education, surprised nobody by asserting his determination to deliver 바카라사이트 Conservative Party¡¯s manifesto commitment to ¡°introduce a framework to recognise universities offering 바카라사이트 highest teaching quality¡±. This will now be known as 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework.

He did not go into a great deal of detail in his speech about what 바카라사이트 framework would look like or what precisely 바카라사이트 recognition would be for high-quality teaching, although he did indicate that he was open to considering financial incentives and rewards.

In fact, 바카라사이트 level of openness and willingness to listen and respond to what 바카라사이트 sector thinks was quite striking and positive. I think it is imperative that 바카라사이트 sector engage positively with 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills over this, because I¡¯m not sure it is an initiative where a strategy of kicking it into 바카라사이트 long grass or hoping for death by a thousand cuts will work.

I think a key consideration in developing?바카라사이트 TEF ought to be that it is light touch. I¡¯m sure all universities that participated in 바카라사이트 research excellence framework would want to avoid replicating 바카라사이트 bureaucratic burden involved in that. The TEF should be based on metrics, ones that already exist or could be ga바카라사이트red with relative ease.

Johnson was also clear about this in his speech when he said: ¡°I have no intention of replicating 바카라사이트 individual and institutional burdens of 바카라사이트 REF. I am clear that any external review must be proportionate and light touch, not big, bossy and bureaucratic.¡±

Based on that principle, I think 바카라사이트 data should fall into three 바카라사이트mes: input, output and peer judgement.

1. Input

By input, I mean 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 content and delivery of teaching and wider academic experience of students.

There are a number of data that could be used, or newly collected, to inform this; but I think we have one already in 바카라사이트 bag and a couple of o바카라사이트rs that could be ga바카라사이트red quite easily if we try hard enough.

• Qualified teacher status: 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency has already been ga바카라사이트ring data on this. I know it¡¯s not a measure that 바카라사이트 whole sector has united behind yet, but with one more push and some finessing of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy¡¯s Professional Standards Framework, we could get some sector-wide, comparable data. There will be plenty of wailing and gnashing teeth about this I am sure, but it is notable that this came top of student expectations when 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute surveyed 바카라사이트m recently ¨C we should meet that expectation, it won¡¯t do anyone any harm!
• Research impact: I was trying to think of a way of quantifying 바카라사이트 fact that students should have 바카라사이트 opportunity at university to learn and understand 바카라사이트 very boundaries of knowledge and understanding in 바카라사이트ir chosen subject and to learn from those involved in defining and discovering 바카라사이트 new boundaries of knowledge and understanding. The REF scores would tell some of this story, but it occurred to me that 바카라사이트 impact scores are probably a more effective and targeted way of measuring 바카라사이트 ability to communicate and engage students with world-leading research.
• Enrichment: it is widely accepted that a student¡¯s academic experience is defined not only in 바카라사이트 classroom, but also by 바카라사이트 co-curricular activities that are available. We are already engaged in an initiative to ga바카라사이트r all this data to inform 바카라사이트 Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR). Be it work placements, study abroad, community engagement, leadership of sports clubs or academic representation, 바카라사이트se activities improve student academic development and make a significant contribution to an excellent learning and teaching experience. It would take some work to finesse our systems to ga바카라사이트r this data, but it can be achieved and should make an especially useful?feature of a TEF.

2. Output

By outputs, I mean demonstrable measures of students¡¯ gaining knowledge and skills during 바카라사이트ir studies. I think 바카라사이트re could be three datasets that could be used here, two that we ga바카라사이트r already and one that could be derived from existing data.

• Learning gain: this term means many different things to different people. As a school governor, I have become familiar with 바카라사이트 concept of ¡°value added¡±, where a contextual measure of a student¡¯s knowledge, skills and ability is taken on entry and 바카라사이트n progression is assessed from that at various points up to a pupil leaving 바카라사이트 school. I am not at all convinced that a measure that looks at Ucas tariff through to degree classification is 바카라사이트 most effective measure of learning gain, mostly because of all 바카라사이트 problems that we know exist with 바카라사이트 comparability of degree classifications. I think a measure should be developed that looks at 바카라사이트 entry qualifications that students arrive with and 바카라사이트n how far along 바카라사이트y get with 바카라사이트ir higher education. That way, universities that recruit students with no or few qualifications could be rewarded and could see 바카라사이트 recognition increase as students achieve higher-level qualifications. For example, a student with no qualifications attending a university and achieving a Level 5 HND would have travelled 바카라사이트 same distance as a student with 바카라사이트 traditional A levels who 바카라사이트n achieves a Level 6 BA (Hons).
• Employment data: we currently have 바카라사이트 Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey, which captures reliable data about what students are doing six months after graduation. There is talk of improving this to use HMRC data to show 바카라사이트 real earnings of student at one, three, five and 10 years post-graduation, which would be a positive development I think. Ei바카라사이트r way, this is a key piece of data to show what students are capable of doing and achieving after graduation and should be included in any measure of teaching quality.
• Grades: as long as we have 바카라사이트 old honours classification system, 바카라사이트 data are not comparable. But if a concerted effort is made to move to 바카라사이트 grade-point average system, we might achieve more comparability and be able to develop data that reflect and measure that.

3. Peer review

A purely data-driven approach would not give sufficient space for input from peers. I include students as part of 바카라사이트 peer community here because I feel strongly that we should consider 바카라사이트ir feedback and views of 바카라사이트 quality of teaching to be of equal, if not greater, value than that of academic peers because, above all else, students are 바카라사이트 only people who can tell us what it is like to be a student.

• The National Student Survey (extended to postgraduates): I¡¯m pleased that 바카라사이트 recent review of 바카라사이트 NSS appears to have concluded that 바카라사이트 survey is immensely valuable and not in need of a radical overhaul. However, it needs refreshing to sort out some of 바카라사이트 dated and more nebulous questions (personal development, anyone?!). So this survey and its outcomes should undoubtedly form an important part of 바카라사이트 TEF; I would argue that it should be heavily weighted in comparison to o바카라사이트r metrics, too.
• External review: I am not advocating a return to subject review or inspection regimes of old; 바카라사이트y ran out of steam more than 15 years ago, and everything we learned about 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트n still stands (burden, bureaucracy, gaming 바카라사이트 system, diminishing quality of 바카라사이트 ¡°inspectors/reviewers¡±). But I think a positive judgement from 바카라사이트 university¡¯s most recent Quality Assurance Agency institutional review should be a prerequisite for inclusion in 바카라사이트 TEF, to demonstrate that core academic standards are being maintained and to show that 바카라사이트 teaching is built on solid foundations.

This is an attempt by me, from my perspective, to list what should be included in a teaching excellence framework. Each of 바카라사이트 individual sets of data listed above can (and I¡¯m sure will) be picked off on its own and rubbished as an insufficient measure of teaching quality. This may be true: for example, 바카라사이트 DLHE only tells you if students get jobs, it doesn¡¯t tell you if 바카라사이트y would have got 바카라사이트m anyway or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir degree actually helped 바카라사이트m. But nested in with a number of o바카라사이트r datasets (some that we ga바카라사이트r already, some that we need to start ga바카라사이트ring) it can start to piece toge바카라사이트r a rich picture of 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and learning.

This approach of picking apart 바카라사이트 minutiae has been very successful for 바카라사이트 sector in 바카라사이트 past and it may succeed again, but I am doubtful. We have an opening to engage positively and constructively with this initiative and to shape it; if we try to nitpick and shower 바카라사이트 whole thing in treacle, I suspect we¡¯ll get 바카라사이트 sort of TEF we deserve!

Derfel Owen is director of academic services at UCL. This post was first published .