TEF - Tiresomely Extraneous & Flawed?

James Derounian

Abstract


In this opinion piece the author introduces the UK Governments 2016 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). The intention of the framework is to assess and encourage teaching excellence across English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irelands higher education institutions.

The research presented paints a picture of positives and negatives of the TEF as it is currently structured. The balance of evidence points to some serious flaws in the assessment of teaching quality proposed: For example, how can an initial institutional gold, silver or bronze award adequately reflect the diversity of quality across a universitys administration, admissions, student support, different departments and disciplines?

The author also argues that the TEF emphasis on particular measures such as employability and student achievement of professional jobs within 6 months of graduation act against the wider social purposes of universities; and in the words of Michael Oakeshott (1950: 30) diminish students search for their intellectual fortune.


Keywords


Universities; UK; evaluation of teaching

Full Text:

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v10i2.411

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