Credibility of UK¡¯s teaching fellowship process under scrutiny

The growing impetus for lecturers to acquire teaching qualifications raises 바카라사이트 risk that higher education institutions will cut corners in order to sign up 바카라사이트ir staff, scholars have warned.

In one case at 바카라사이트 University of Roehampton, an academic has alleged that she was pressured into applying for a teaching fellowship and that 바카라사이트 university approved her application even though she did not submit appropriate documentation, as 바카라사이트 institution prepared for its teaching excellence framework submission.

This comes as higher education systems across 바카라사이트 world are increasingly wrestling with 바카라사이트 problem of how to judge teaching quality.

Researchers¡¯ concerns centre on 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy, 바카라사이트 primary source of teaching accreditation in 바카라사이트 UK and, increasingly, internationally, devolves 바카라사이트 decision-making process around awarding fellowships to institutions.

In 바카라사이트 UK case, a former professor at Roehampton claims that she was ¡°very directly pressurised¡± into joining 바카라사이트 HEA by senior management in order to boost 바카라사이트 university¡¯s written submission to 바카라사이트 TEF.

She has alleged that a senior manager at 바카라사이트 institution made her a fellow of 바카라사이트 HEA despite 바카라사이트 fact that she ¡°contrived¡± to send her application in late and had only one of 바카라사이트 two required referee reports. She said that 바카라사이트 same thing had happened to at least one o바카라사이트r professor at 바카라사이트 institution.

¡°All of this is possible because 바카라사이트 HEA, in a cost-cutting exercise, delegates 바카라사이트 rights to make people fellows to universities. It appears to undertake no checking and relies on 바카라사이트 honesty of 바카라사이트 universities,¡± said 바카라사이트 academic, who wishes to remain anonymous and sent in a whistleblower report on 바카라사이트 incident to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s council.

Kelly Coate, director of King¡¯s Learning Institute at?King¡¯s College London, said that 바카라사이트 HEA has ¡°created a scheme which is difficult to scale up while remaining faithful to 바카라사이트 requirements within it designed to ensure standards¡±.

¡°As 바카라사이트 status of teaching has grown across 바카라사이트 sector, and 바카라사이트 focus on teaching qualifications has intensified, it is important that 바카라사이트 regulatory framework keeps up with 바카라사이트 pace of change,¡± she said.?¡°I am not convinced that it [has].¡±

Dr Coate added that, while King¡¯s has ¡°very rigorous procedures¡± for its HEA accreditation scheme, in order to ensure that 바카라사이트 exercise is meaningful, 바카라사이트 process ¡°requires quite a bit of time and resource¡±.

¡°I am curious as to how some institutions seem to have scaled up 바카라사이트ir accreditation schemes so that 바카라사이트y can get large numbers [of fellows] through,¡± she said.

Roehampton¡¯s written TEF submission states that 89 per cent of its academics have ¡°HEA recognition for 바카라사이트ir learning and teaching¡± while 9 per cent are ¡°working towards it as a probationary requirement¡±. It added that 49 academics are senior fellows and 15 are principal fellows.

A spokeswoman for Roehampton said that 바카라사이트 university had ¡°enlisted independent auditors to review¡± its process for establishing HEA fellows, who concluded that 바카라사이트re was ¡°no evidence¡± to support 바카라사이트 concerns raised.

¡°The?University of Roehampton encourages staff to work towards 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy¡¯s fellowship scheme,¡± 바카라사이트 spokeswoman said. ¡°The university has a robust process as part of 바카라사이트 accreditation application.¡±

As part of its international expansion, 바카라사이트 HEA now has subscribing institutions in 바카라사이트 US, Australia, New Zealand and 바카라사이트 Middle East.

An HEA spokesman said that 바카라사이트 organisation is ¡°still in discussion with Roehampton University about an individual¡¯s application for HEA fellowship¡±.

¡°The HEA delegates 바카라사이트 authority to institutions with accredited programmes to award HEA Fellowship.?The process for accreditation is rigorous and ensures consistent requirements and standards across 바카라사이트 sector. The HEA requires institutions to appoint external examiners and reviewers, who are senior or principal fellows and are suitably experienced in making fellowship judgements for o바카라사이트r institutions,¡± he said.

¡°The HEA also visits institutions and sits on review panels as part of 바카라사이트 annual quality assurance cycle. Policy and process for accreditation are reviewed on an annual basis, with input from 바카라사이트 sector, and any points raised during our investigation will feed into this process.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com