The UK’s European university
Green Paper
Fulfilling our Potential:
Teaching excellence, social mobility
and student choice
ADM – 2 December, 2015
Key proposals
PART A
Teaching Excellence, Quality & Social Mobility (TEF)
PART B
Opening up sector - new providers/student protection
PART C
Simplifying the architecture (Office for Students)
PART D
Reducing complexity & bureaucracy of research
funding
Page 2
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
AIMS
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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
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Page 3
Successful TEF will allow HEIs to increase fees
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
What is Teaching Excellence?
Themes
Teaching quality
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Page 4
Learning Environment
Student outcomes and
learning gain
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
EDUCATION
TEF objectives
TEF Level 1:
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Setting and testing ‘baseline’ for HE delivery
Securing academic standards
TEF Level 2-4:
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Page 5
Improve student academic experience &
student outcomes
Recognising and rewarding teaching
excellence
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Mechanism
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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 above
but
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Page 6
Aggregate discipline plus HEI level information to
give institutional rating
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF: Year 1 Level 1
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Page 7
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)
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
IMPACT
Reputation – attract
more students
Inflationary increase
in fees 2017/18
No additional
burden?
TEF: Year 2 Levels 2-4
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Page 8
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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Institutional evidence of excellent teaching
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Page 9
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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Provision of Information
Page 10
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For students:
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For employers:
• 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
• 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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Rationale
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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
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Page 11
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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and Information
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Page 12
A precondition of TEF is observance to the CMA
guidance
CMA requires:
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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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and Information cont.
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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 prerequisite for TEF (yet?)
Page 13
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Information: Kent’s position
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Page 14
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?
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
TEF and disadvantaged groups
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TEF contingent on facilitation of access and
success of disadvantaged groups
• Agreed Access Agreement
• Delivery against targets
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Page 15
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)
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Social mobility and widening participation
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Page 16
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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
WP: Kent’s position
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Page 17
25% of student body from disadvantaged
background
31% of intake BME (2014) (likely 33%, 2015)
• Rank 39 of 145
Good degree (2.1+)
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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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
Governance: Office for Students (OfS)
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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 governance
https://bisgovuk.citizenspace.com/he/fulfilling-our-potential
Page 18
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
So where is Kent now against TEF metrics?
Times Ranking Published September 2015
Indicator
Scores
Rank
Entry tariff
363
46
NSS teaching
81.5%
55
NSS student experience
85.4%
38
Completion
2.1 %
90.7%
80.0%
39
21
Graduate Employment
76.7%
36
Page 19
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
…and broken down by Subject
Teaching quality
Q1
6
Q2
10
Q3
18
Q4
6
Stu. experience
11
11
8
10
Entry standards
5
18
14
3
Grad. prospects
20
12
6
1
0%
Teaching quality
Stu. experience
Entry standards
Grad. prospects
Page 20
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Where do we want to be 2020?
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Page 21
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
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
How should we address:
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Teaching Quality
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Learning Environment
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Student Outcomes and Learning Gain
Page 22
• 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
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Increase entry tariff to top quintile
Improve employability options
Increase student diversity
Eliminate disparities relating to BME, status,
postcode and disability
Green Paper – implications for HEPs
THE UK’S
EUROPEAN
UNIVERSITY
www.kent.ac.uk