Book review: Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: Challenges, Changes and the Teaching Excellence Framework by Amanda French and Matt O'Leary

Abstract

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) aims to recognise and reward excellence in teaching and learning, and help inform prospective students' choices for higher education (Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2017). Developed by the Department of Education in England and first trialled in 2016, the TEF claims to be a voluntary scheme that recognises excellent teaching and helps students choose where to study through awarding institutions a gold, silver or bronze status. From 2018-19, universities with a TEF award will be allowed to increase their tuition fees in line with inflation. The TEF has, however, been met with some concern. This debate is critical in shaping how we think of teaching and learning, the ways in which we seek to develop educational practice and, as learning developers, should be something we engage with, as Amanda French points out in Chapter 2 of this book: The TEF, one can argue therefore, should be regarded as much more than a tool for measuring teaching excellence; it has the potential to become the key vehicle for changing the face of the HE sector in Britain (pp.11-12).

Keywords

• Teaching Excellence Framework
• Metrics
• Teaching
• Teaching Development