University of Birmingham awarded Gold in national teaching assessment
The University of Birmingham has been awarded a Gold rating in the 2016/17 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Student satisfaction with the quality of teaching and progression of graduates to highly skilled employment or further study were both commended as ‘outstanding’.
This Gold rating follows the University’s recent outstanding performance in the Quality Assurance Association’s (QAA) Higher Education Review, which looked at the quality and standards of teaching and praised the high value placed on teaching at Birmingham and its sustained engagement with employers.
The TEF assessment panel acknowledged that ‘all student outcomes are excellent’ at Birmingham, and singled out evidence of:
- A strategic focus on the development and delivery of relevant, research-informed teaching which is highly valued by employers
- An embedded culture of personalised learning ensuring that all students are significantly challenged, evidenced by a comprehensive pastoral and academic support programme
- Sustained, strategic investment in physical and human resources allowing students to benefit from an outstanding learning environment
- Effective and sustained investment in excellent physical and digital learning resources
- An embedded culture of teaching development, appraisal and reward which recognises teaching excellence
University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood commented: ‘The University of Birmingham has long recognised the importance of research-led teaching, independent study and peer-to-peer learning, which are central to our philosophy. Our graduates are among the most highly sought after in the world, which is testament to the quality of our teaching and extracurricular provision.’
‘Research-intensive universities such as Birmingham deliver an outstanding student experience in which excellent teaching is enhanced by world-class research and facilities. We put students at the heart of what we do and I am pleased that this has been recognised once again.
‘We recognise, however, that the TEF itself requires further work to ensure that it is robust enough to account for the global standing of UK higher education and adds real value for students. It will take time to develop the TEF into the assessment framework that teaching deserves and we are keen to continue to engage with the Government to help to develop future iterations.’
About the TEF: The TEF was introduced by the Government in an attempt to measure the teaching quality of higher education providers. Participation in the TEF is voluntary. The current model looks at some of the metrics that relate to teaching in universities including measures of student attainment and outcomes and student satisfaction.
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