TEF pilot outcomes
Professor Tom Ward, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, has written to all colleagues with an update about our participation in the subject-level Teaching Excellence Framework pilot 2018-19.
Dear colleagues,
As you may remember, the University opted to take part in the Office for Students (OfS) national Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework subject-level pilot in 2018-19. Following a national TEF assessment process coordinated by OfS, I’m pleased to confirm that we have now received our pilot outcomes.
Our successful completion of the pilot is excellent news and reflects a great deal of hard work by colleagues across our faculties, schools and professional services, who collaborated on producing a total of 32 subject-level TEF submissions. I recognise this was resource-intensive, especially given the short timeframe set for the pilot by OfS, and that the subject-level TEF process was new to all of us.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all colleagues involved, for your commitment and your contributions to this pilot process.
It is very important for me to explain that our TEF pilot outcomes are confidential to the University of Leeds, as per the agreement we entered into with OfS. OfS stipulates that we must not share our pilot outcomes externally in any way, for example by publishing them on our external website, referring to them in any publicity materials or sharing them more widely within the HE sector.
In line with this confidentiality agreement, OfS will not publish the national pilot outcomes in a way that is attributable to an individual provider. Our pilot outcomes will also not affect our existing provider-level TEF Gold award, which remains valid until 2021.
Details of the individual TEF ratings received for each ‘TEF subject’ and at provider-level will be made available through Faculty Executive Committees and Staff-Student Forums at their first meetings of the new academic year (Autumn 2019). This information will also be disseminated locally by Heads of School, noting that (in order to comply with OfS requirements) the pilot outcomes must remain confidential. Colleagues who were directly involved in producing the subject-level TEF submissions have received details of the pilot outcomes on a confidential basis via email.
Our participation in the pilot has brought significant developmental benefits for the University. The pilot provided us with the opportunity for a ‘practise run’ of the subject-level TEF process, which will take place in earnest across the sector soon (with the first ‘live’ iteration commencing in 2019-20). Importantly, as a direct result of participating, we have a bank of subject-level TEF submissions that will provide us with a strong starting point for the next round of TEF activity. We now have a good understanding of what worked well and where we can improve our internal processes and we have been able to put in place plans for a more effective resourcing of the time demands on the key people involved.
Your key contact for queries relating to our institutional TEF activity and process is Laura Goodhand, Teaching Excellence Manager in Strategy & Planning (l.goodhand@leeds.ac.uk / TEF@leeds.ac.uk). Further queries regarding the TEF pilot outcomes and preparing for the next cycle of TEF activity can be directed to Laura in the first instance.
Best wishes and thank you again for all your hard work.
Professor Tom Ward
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education