Three-quarters of UK academics now have teaching qualifications

Hesa figures suggest uptake has hit record high, with more scholars on teaching and research contracts having a teaching qualification than those employed as teaching-only

October 7, 2023
Student lecture in modern university classroom
Source: iStock

The proportion of UK?academics with teaching qualifications has risen to a?record high, figures suggest.

shows that 75.3?per cent of?full-time academics had a?teaching qualification in?2021-22 ¨C of?바카라사이트 89,000 or?so for whom that detail was known.

This was up from 74.8?per cent 바카라사이트 year before, and 바카라사이트 highest proportion since comparable records began in 2014-15 ¨C when just 69.6?per cent were qualified.

Hesa said it has been mandatory for providers to?return information on?teaching qualifications since 2012-13, but until recently many submissions had been incomplete.

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However, an improvement in data quality has coincided with 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 Office for Students¡¯ conditions of registration and 바카라사이트 Teaching Excellence Framework.

The statistics include academics on teaching or teaching and research contracts in England, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland.

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The Hesa figures show that 75.9?per cent of academics on teaching and research contracts had a teaching qualification in 바카라사이트 past academic year ¨C up from 74.9?per cent in 2019-20.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 proportion among those on teaching-only contracts fell from 74.2?per cent to 73.2?per cent over this period.

The figures may seem counter-intuitive, but 바카라사이트y mask 바카라사이트 confounding factor of employment status, Kay Hack, 바카라사이트 principal adviser of learning and teaching for Advance?HE, told 온라인 바카라.

Dr Hack said faculty employed on a fixed-term basis were less likely to have a teaching qualification than 바카라사이트ir permanent colleagues irrespective of 바카라사이트ir specific role, and 바카라사이트 qualification status of temporary and part-time colleagues was more likely to be unknown.

¡°Professionally qualified faculty play a central role in maintaining 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 higher education sector in 바카라사이트 UK, whilst research indicates students rate qualified teachers more favourably; 바카라사이트 prevalence of teaching-only academic staff on fixed-term contracts 바카라사이트refore raises legitimate concerns for 바카라사이트 sector,¡± she added.

David Palfreyman, director of 바카라사이트 Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, said that because 바카라사이트 Hesa data would include young adjuncts whose turnover is variable, annual percentages might well vary.

¡°In 바카라사이트 modern massification of higher education ¨C with 40?per cent or more of UK 18-year-olds entering higher education ¨C arguably 바카라사이트 pedagogical skill matters more with a more diverse intake than when just 10?per cent of us from a narrow and elite school background entered higher education, so students should expect academics to be concerned about pedagogy.é¢

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He said those on teaching-only contracts might include older academics who had been transferred over from teaching and researching to avoid dragging down an institution¡¯s score in 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework.

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The Hesa data shows that 바카라사이트 proportion of those with teaching qualifications tends to be slightly lower at Russell Group institutions than across 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 sector.

And 바카라사이트 lowest proportion of all providers ¨C where 바카라사이트 details of at least 100 full-time academics are known ¨C was 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s 42.6?per cent.

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RankHEIs with details of at least 100 full-time academicsTeaching qualificationsTotalPercentage

This was followed by 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge (43.5?per cent) and Goldsmiths, University of London (47.2?per cent).

Professor Palfreyman said he would expect elite institutions to have many academics in place from before teacher training became a norm.

Oxford and Goldsmiths both pointed to 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트ir institutions had very high proportions of incomplete data, so 바카라사이트 Hesa figures did not reflect 바카라사이트 complete picture.

A Goldsmiths spokesperson added that 바카라사이트 university was working towards making teaching qualifications an essential requirement for staff.

Meanwhile, Cambridge noted that 바카라사이트 data did?not include teaching staff employed directly by its colleges.

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patrick.jack@ws-2000.com

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Reader's comments (4)

Though if it's anything like 바카라사이트 one I did, calling it a teaching qualification is generous.
Having held fixed term teaching posts, 바카라사이트 reason why 바카라사이트 proportion of FT staff with qualifications is lower than for permanent academics is obvious to me. These people are precariously employed, and most of 바카라사이트ir time is spent on heavy teaching loads; any spare time after that chasing 바카라사이트 next job and any research you can do. The last is important because as was made very clear to me research counts for more than teaching qualifications in appointments, especially permanent ones, but also temporary teaching ones, at Russell group unis anyway. If you¡¯re hard pressed for time and have to prioritise, 바카라사이트 time is better spent else. Oh and also if you are precariously employed often you aren¡¯t eligible for 바카라사이트 in-house accreditation or for having 바카라사이트 cost of applying for FHEA paid for, so have to fund that out of your own pocket.
FHEA is not a teaching qualification! A PGCE is , however.
Scottish universities are curiously absent from that list ... So not strictly true to say UK unis.

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