Slides from the fourth Edubites on Teaching Excellence, March 2017

1. Edubites
Teaching Excellence Series #4
Institutional Approaches

2. Teaching Excellence Series
We see this as a fantastic
opportunity to engage in some
wide-ranging discussions with
a number of stakeholders
This is not all about the TEF!

3. Introduction
• TES #1 - What’s the evidence (James)
• Introduction to the series
• Sources of evidence
• Literature
• TES #2 - Educator Perspectives (Katie and JC)
• Innovation versus Excellence
• Personal Perspective on Lecturing
• VC Teaching Excellence Award

4. Introduction
• TES #3 - Student Perspectives (Phil)
• What do students think Teaching Excellence is?
• Evidencing Excellent Teaching - TEAs
• Comparing Student & Staff Perspectives
• TES #4 - Institutional Approaches…..

5. Plan for today….
• Approach across the
sector
• What is Teaching
Excellence at Newcastle?
• Discussion

6. BEIS Approach
Considered ‘Excellence’ as an element of ‘Quality’
Considered potential metrics for measurements of
teaching quality
Recognised difference between individual
excellence and institutional excellence
Individual teacher
excellence
Conceptions of excellence related to the practices of
individual teachers, which focuses on lecturing and
in some cases other activities such as provision of
feedback to students
System-wide
conceptions of
excellence
Conceptions of excellence related to the system and
resources which facilitate the activities of individual
teachers, which may be focused at departmental,
institutional, disciplinary and sector levels
(Gunn & Fiske, 2013)
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524495/he-teaching-quality-literature-review-qualitative-research.pdf

7. BEIS Approach
• Defining excellence is a challenge
• Literature provides many definitions of excellence
• Contested concept, with varied competing
interpretations
• Complicated as excellent teaching is not only down to
the individual teachers and the learners they work
with, but also the supporting resources and systems,
which facilitate the learning process
(Greatbatch & Holland, 2016)

8. BEIS Approach
Excellence can interpreted using:
• Norm-referenced definitions of excellence
• Define excellence relative to the performance of
others and imply competition and elitism
OR
• Criterion-referenced definitions of excellence
• Define excellence in relation to a standard such
that people are not in competition for it
(Greatbatch & Holland, 2016)

9. BEIS Approach
• Few empirical studies on academics’ views
• Evidence from students
(Bradeley et al., 2015)

10. Russell Group Approach

11. Russel Group Approach

12. Russel Group Approach

13. World Leader Approach

14. Teaching excellence at
Newcastle is…
Internal Perspectives

15. Discussion

16. Teaching Excellence Series
We see this as a fantastic
opportunity to engage in some
wide-ranging discussions with
a number of stakeholders
This is not all about the TEF!

17. Eat!