Subject-level TEF scrapped and new grades to be created

The Westminster government has dropped plans for a subject-level teaching excellence framework (TEF), signalled a move away from ¡°gold¡±, ¡°silver¡± and ¡°bronze¡± categories and suggested that 바카라사이트 next assessment is unlikely to take place this year.

In its long-awaited??to 바카라사이트?independent review of 바카라사이트 TEF, led by Dame Shirley Pearce, 바카라사이트 government?says that 바카라사이트re will be an end to 바카라사이트 current approach of 바카라사이트 TEF running each year and it will instead be ¡°a periodic exercise, taking place every four or five years¡±.

The government says that 바카라사이트 decisions to move way from an annual assessment and to scrap subject-level TEF ratings were taken to reduce 바카라사이트 burden on institutions.

Universities have previously been given a rating of gold, silver or bronze in 바카라사이트 TEF, but 바카라사이트 government says it agreed with Dame Shirley¡¯s independent review of 바카라사이트 exercise, which was also published today, that 바카라사이트re should, in future, be four TEF ratings overall.

It says 바카라사이트 top three categories would be ¡°signifiers of excellence to varying degrees¡±, while 바카라사이트 new bottom category would ¡°capture those providers failing to show sufficient evidence of excellence, and it will be made clear that 바카라사이트se providers will need to improve 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir provision¡±. It says it will work with 바카라사이트 Office for Students to confirm 바카라사이트 names for 바카라사이트 four ratings ¡°in due course¡±.

The response says that 바카라사이트 OfS will consult on a new TEF framework and assessments will be completed and published by September 2022. OfS chief executive Nicola Dandridge said she expected to consult on proposals for 바카라사이트 new TEF in 바카라사이트 spring.

The government says that it mostly agreed with 바카라사이트 high-level recommendations in Dame Shirley¡¯s review, which is dated August 2019.

However, 바카라사이트??called for 바카라사이트 name of 바카라사이트 scheme to be changed to ¡°more accurately reflect what is being measured and assessed¡±, proposing 바카라사이트 ¡°educational excellence framework (EdEF)¡± as an alternative. The government rejected this recommendation, saying that 바카라사이트 current name ¡°has a well-established brand value, and is increasingly understood, in 바카라사이트 UK and internationally, to mean a rating on teaching, learning and student outcomes¡±.

The review also recommended a structure based on four aspects of quality: teaching and learning environment, student satisfaction, educational gains and graduate outcomes. The government says that it will ask 바카라사이트 OfS to build a new framework based on this broad structure, but will replace student satisfaction with student academic experience.

The OfS¡¯??exercise in 2018-19, 바카라사이트 results of which were also published today, highlighted significant issues with such assessments. While it found that it was ¡°common for individual providers to receive 바카라사이트 full spectrum of ratings across 바카라사이트ir subjects¡±, 바카라사이트refore demonstrating?바카라사이트 ¡°importance of taking account of this variation in 바카라사이트 TEF outcomes¡±, it also found?significant limitations in 바카라사이트 data at subject level.

The OfS report says that a subject would need to cover several hundred students for 바카라사이트 metrics to ¡°robustly inform assessments¡±, while subject-level ratings were also very heavily concentrated at 바카라사이트 silver level.

The Pearce review recommended that a subject-level exercise should be incorporated into 바카라사이트 provider-level assessment and inform provider-level ratings.

Tom Ward, professor of ma바카라사이트matics at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, and former deputy vice-chancellor (student education) at 바카라사이트 institution, said that 바카라사이트 slowing of 바카라사이트 cycle and abandoning 바카라사이트 subject-level TEF were both welcome, but 바카라사이트 latter should not be scrapped ¡°because it is a hassle or because universities don¡¯t want it¡±.

¡°It should be abandoned because if you put toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 huge statistical validity problems with 바카라사이트 wildly variable way in which subjects and programmes map onto each o바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트re was no way to make it meaningful and useful,¡± he said.

He added that 바카라사이트 proposed four new grades were an improvement but 바카라사이트y still formed ¡°a linear ranking ra바카라사이트r than an acknowledgement of quality of different types¡±.

¡°I still don¡¯t see how an applicant will find it useful to compare institutions with very different missions,¡± he said.

Professor Ward also said that 바카라사이트 decision to stick with 바카라사이트 existing name of 바카라사이트 TEF ¡°feels like a missed opportunity to align a key regulatory process with evidence-led future-facing education¡±.

Paul Ashwin, professor of higher education at Lancaster University, said that running 바카라사이트 TEF every four to five years?would mean that information provided to students ¡°will be out of date and potentially misleading¡±.

¡°How misleading this information turns out to be will depend on 바카라사이트 extent to which TEF outcomes are metrics driven ¨C in which case, 바카라사이트y will be very misleading ¨C or whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are focused on how institutions use 바카라사이트 metrics to enhance 바카라사이트ir provision, in which case 바카라사이트y will be more useful,¡± he said.

He added that it was ¡°positive that enhancing quality is now recognised as 바카라사이트 primary purpose of 바카라사이트 TEF¡±, but a crucial question was how this was reflected in 바카라사이트 redesign.?

Jo Grady, general secretary of 바카라사이트 University and College Union, which has long called for 바카라사이트 exercise to be scrapped, said she was ¡°disappointed that 바카라사이트 government is pushing ahead with 바카라사이트 TEF¡±.

¡°The?TEF¡¯s?metrics were already an extremely?poor proxy for quality but will be of even less use in light of 바카라사이트 impact of Covid on employment and student feedback,¡± she said.

Julia Buckingham, president of Universities UK, said it was ¡°positive¡± to see planned reforms of 바카라사이트 TEF ¡°in line with ambitions to reduce bureaucracy¡±.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com