Framing Excellence in teaching: Is it the right thing?

When the ‘Teaching Excellence Framework’

(TEF) was announced earlier this year,

I was wondering what it actually meant

- and I still have lots of questions about

this Government initiative. First of all,

I wonder why we want to measure excellence in

teaching? I agree that with the increase of fees to

£9k and possibly even higher, there is pressure on

HEIs to be accountable for the service they deliver.

While a university’s contribution to research has

been measured over the years through the various

‘Research Assessment Exercises’, followed by

the latest ‘Research Excellence Framework’, the

assessment of efficient education has been neglected.

It is therefore only fitting that we also begin to

hold universities accountable for the provision of

excellence in education.