The UK’s European university Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice ADM – 2 December, 2015
The UK’s European university
Green PaperFulfilling our Potential:Teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice
ADM – 2 December, 2015
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Key proposals
PART A Teaching Excellence, Quality & Social Mobility (TEF)PART B Opening up sector - new providers/student protectionPART C Simplifying the architecture (Office for Students)PART D Reducing complexity & bureaucracy of research funding
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
AIMS• Improve teaching quality & securing standards• Improve information for students• Improve information for employers • Give teaching equal status with research• Reward HEIs that recruit and successfully support
students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Benefits for HEIs• Successful TEF will allow HEIs to increase fees
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
What is Teaching Excellence?
Themes• Teaching quality
• Learning Environment
• Student outcomes and learning gain
EDUCATION
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF objectives
TEF Level 1:• Setting and testing ‘baseline’ for HE delivery• Securing academic standards
TEF Level 2-4:• Improve student academic experience &
student outcomes• Recognising and rewarding teaching
excellence
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Mechanism
• TEF has to be applied for• One application per year• Cost of TEF assessment borne by institutions• Assessment by expert panel (academic, student
representatives and employer/professional body)• Institutional level, with proposed move to
subject/discipline level for TEF 2 and abovebut• Aggregate discipline plus HEI level information to
give institutional rating
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF: Year 1 Level 1
• Meet or exceed expectations for ‘baseline’ quality & standards - by Feb 2016
• Institutions will automatically achieve TEF 1 by holding recent successful QAA review (Kent – March, 2015)
• Lasts up to 3 years (from 2016/17)
IMPACTReputation – attract
more studentsInflationary increase
in fees 2017/18No additional
burden?
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF: Year 2 Levels 2-4
• Details to be announced 2017• Provider needs to apply to be assessed• Last up to 3 years• Common metrics:
• NSS (teaching quality & learning environment)• DLHE and HMRC• HESA (retention/continuation data)
• Preconditions:• Observing CMA published guidance on consumer
protection law• Approved Access Agreement• Fulfilling WP recruitment
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Institutional evidence of excellent teaching
• Mission, size, context, priorities & provision • Student diversity• Teaching intensity and contact time CPD, reward
and recognition for teaching staff • Employer and PSRB involvement in course design &
delivery • Student engagement
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Provision of Information
• For students:• Accessible and clear information about teaching
quality, so that:• They can meet their aspirations• They can judge teaching quality across courses and
disciplines—as they can compare research ratings
• For employers:• Better and clearer information about courses and
degree outcomes for employers, in order that:• They can identify and recruit graduates with the skills
they require
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Rationale
• Need to demonstrate value for money• Insufficient, inconsistent and inadequate
information about: • quality of teaching and• quality of courses, subjects covered and skills
gained and academic output
• Too great a focus on research—teaching poor cousin—students prioritise contact hours, class size and quality of teaching
• Better deal for students, employers and the taxpayer—graduates should be more work ready
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and Information
• A precondition of TEF is observance to the CMA guidance
• CMA requires:• Course content and structure• Composition of the course• Delivery and contact hours• Workload and assessment• Experience of the staff teaching• Tuition fees and associated costs• Fair terms and conditions• Complaints processes• Pre and post contract changes• Advertising standards—all claims by all must be valid!• Accessible and clear information
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and Information cont.
• Information currently aimed at students…• What changes required for employers?• Degree classification:
• Grade inflation• Introduction of GPA:
– Which gives more detail about content of course(?)– 13 point scale to distinguish achievement– HEIs should report if they have introduced, but ot a pre-
requisite for TEF (yet?)
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Information: Kent’s position
• Huge amount of work to bring Programmes Plant into line
• T&Cs being addressed• QAA commended Kent on provision of
information• HEAR/European Diploma Supplement provides
large amount of course data• GPA?
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and disadvantaged groups
• TEF contingent on facilitation of access and success of disadvantaged groups
• Agreed Access Agreement• Delivery against targets
• Metrics in TEF will be broken down and reported by WP indicators
• Govt wants continued success in widening access
• Ambitious targets (but some still unclear)
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Social mobility and widening participation
• WP to drive social mobility (and income generation)
• Ambitions/targets:• Double proportion of people from disadvantaged
backgrounds from 13.6% (2009) to 27.2% by 2020 • Increase number of BME students going to HE by
20% by 2020• Improve the whole students life cycle to graduation,
for BME• Progression of while males from disadvantaged
backgrounds
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
WP: Kent’s position
• 25% of student body from disadvantaged background
• 31% of intake BME (2014) (likely 33%, 2015)• Rank 39 of 145
• Good degree (2.1+)• White 87%• BME 68%• 19% differential; rank 114 of 145• Student Success Project
• Continued work in Partner Schools (to address white males)
• Continued work in Associate Colleges and FE
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Governance: Office for Students (OfS)• Gateway for new providers• QA• TEF• Data and information• OFFA: WP and success• Promoting the student interest• Value for money for students & taxpayer• Assuring financial sustainability• Management and governancehttps://bisgovuk.citizenspace.com/he/fulfilling-our-potential
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
So where is Kent now against TEF metrics?
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Indicator Scores Rank
Entry tariff 363 46
NSS teaching 81.5% 55NSS student experience 85.4% 38Completion 90.7% 392.1 % 80.0% 21
Graduate Employment 76.7% 36
Times Ranking Published September 2015
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
…and broken down by Subject
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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4Teaching quality 6 10 18 6
Stu. experience 11 11 8 10
Entry standards 5 18 14 3
Grad. prospects 20 12 6 1
Teaching quality
Stu. experience
Entry standards
Grad. prospects
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Where do we want to be 2020?• Top 20 scores NSS at subject level• Top 20 in TEF• Enhance teaching spaces, learning resources
and student facilities • 80% of staff to hold teaching qualification• Increase entry tariff to top quintile• Improve employability options• Increase student diversity• Eliminate disparities relating to BME, status,
postcode and disability
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Green Paper – implications for HEPs
How should we address:• Teaching Quality
• Top 20 scores NSS at subject level• Top 20 in TEF
• Learning Environment• Enhance teaching spaces, learning resources and
student facilities • 80% of staff to hold teaching qualification
• Student Outcomes and Learning Gain• Increase entry tariff to top quintile• Improve employability options• Increase student diversity• Eliminate disparities relating to BME, status,
postcode and disability
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