The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers in England, which may be used from 2020 to determine whether state-funded providers are permitted to raise tuition fees. Higher education providers from elsewhere in the United Kingdom are allowed to opt-in, but the rating has no impact on their funding. The TEF rates universities as Gold, Silver or Bronze, in order of quality of teaching.[1][2][3] The first results were published in June 2017. This was considered a "trial year" (even though the non-provisional ratings awarded are valid for 3 years[4]) and is to be followed by a "lessons learned exercise" that will feed into the 2018 TEF and longer-term plans for subject-level ratings.[5][6]
In October 2017 the official title of the exercise was officially renamed from Teaching Excellence Framework to the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework.[7]
- ^ Richard Adams (29 September 2016). "English universities to be ranked gold, silver and bronze". The Guardian.
- ^ John Morgan (29 September 2016). "England's universities to have medal-style ratings for teaching". Times Higher Education.
- ^ David Midgley (17 May 2017). "What will change under the Higher Education and Research Act?". Prospect. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ "New assessment highlights excellence of teaching and learning across UK universities and colleges". HEFCE. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
An award will be valid for up to three years.
- ^ "Universities rated in Teaching Excellence Framework". Department for Education . 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
As set out in its white paper, Success as a knowledge economy (May 2016), the government will shortly begin a lessons learned exercise into this first trial year of the TEF. The findings of the lessons learned exercise will inform the operation of the TEF in 2018 and the intention to move to subject level assessments.
- ^ "About the TEF". HEFCE. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
The government introduced the TEF in 2016 as a trial year, from which lessons will be learned for future years.
- ^ "Farewell TEF, hello TEaSOF: Year 3 digested | Wonkhe | Policy Watch". Wonkhe. Retrieved 2017-12-14.