What is the TEF? Results of the teaching excellence framework

An effective resource:

The teaching excellence framework (TEF) is an assessment introduced by the government to evaluate the undergraduate teaching quality of all higher education institutions in England and some institutions in Scotland and Wales. This is a voluntary process and a constructive way to increase the importance of teaching excellence.

Universities are evaluated on the basis of teaching quality, learning outcomes of students, schooling environment, dropout rates, course completion rates and entry qualifications. They are then rated as Gold, Silver, and Bronze. This allows them to raise their tuition fee for the academic year of 2017-2018 only if they meet all the basic standards.

TEF is an effective resource that allows both domestic and international students to judge the teaching quality and decide where they want to go to university.

Results:

In 2017, more than 135 universities in the UK were judged and awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze ratings according to the quality of their teachings. 45 universities were rated gold which means they maintained the highest quality of teaching standards and had outstanding learning outcomes for their students.

These included Imperial College London, University of Leeds, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. While 67 institutions were rated silver for exceeding the basic criteria of quality teaching expected of higher education institutes. Bronze ratings were awarded to 25 institutions of satisfactory quality and producing students achieving good outcomes.

The results were surprising as some prominent elite universities that received a bronze rating include London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Southampton, University of Liverpool and Kingston University.

Reaction to the results:

Universities that ranked down in traditional university league tables managed to receive a gold status. The University of Southampton and the University of Liverpool have announced that they will be appealing to overturn the bronze award.

University of Southampton’s vice-chancellor argued that the benchmarking process was “fundamentally flawed” and believes that the results were biased. Durham University and the University of York, which were awarded silver, have also announced to appeal their rankings. The well-known Russell Group believes that the TEF does not measure “absolute quality” after 62% universities of this group failed to achieve a gold status. 

Moreover, these results also determine how well students of these universities are equipped for employment or further education. This is an excellent benchmarking method that encourages universities to deliver good teaching and recognize areas for improvement.

The TEF has shattered the existing hierarchy of universities, aiding the applicants for determining where their investment will bear fruit.