Northern Collaboration Conference 2016 Parallel session 15: Emma Thompson, University of Liverpool

2. Aims of TEF are to:
• Encourage excellent teaching for all students
• Promote cultural change to recognise teaching as equal in status to research
• Provide clear information on teaching quality to assist student choice
• Provide clear information to help employers recruit students with better and known skills
• Recognise and respect the diversity of provision and different types of excellence
HE Green Paper (CM9141) November 2015

3. Teaching Excellence Framework –
Key areas Teaching quality
Learning environment
Student outcomes and learning gain

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/teaching-excellence-framework-year-2-technical-consultation

5. NSS questions measured in TEF
1. Staff are good at explaining things
2. Staff have made the subject
interesting
3. Staff are enthusiastic about what
they are teaching
4. The course is intellectually
stimulating
5. The criteria used in marking have
been clear in advance
6. Assessment arrangements and
marking have been fair
7. Feedback on my work has been
prompt
8. I have received detailed comments
on my work
9. Feedback on my work has helped me
clarify things I did not understand
10. I have received sufficient advice and
support with my studies
11. I have been able to contact staff
when I needed to
12. Good advice was available with I
needed to make study choices

6. DLHE survey

7. “Overall we believe that the framework (…) provides clear
opportunities for libraries to make a meaningful
contribution to their institutions’ TEF…”
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/news/sconuls-response-to-the-tef-technical-consultation

8. Where does the library fit in?
Provider submission – Qualitative evidence?
Contribution to academic support, retention and
employability?
Possible wider definition of “learning environment”?

9. Strength Weakness
Opportunity Threat
Your library
and TEF
Workshop Activity

10. Strengths
Flexibility and adaptability
Celebrate good practice
Quality and value for money
Good liaison with academics
Close working with students
Skilled staff versed in academic support
Representation at Welcome Week and
student open days
Good reputation for supporting students via
helpdesks/Liaison librarians etc.
Opportunities
More collaboration with world of work, study
skills and academic staff though forums,
focus groups and partner libraries
Recognition
To articulate the library “offer” to academics
To collaborate with others in demonstrating
our value in “TEF” terms
To contribute to institutional learning
analytics
Threats
Reduction in student numbers so less
monetary resource
Judged against what? How will it be
measured?
Investment in library downgraded as Library
NSS metric not included in the TEF
Lack of awareness of librarians’ role in
academic support
Lack of knowledge across HE about
implications of TEF and REF
Weaknesses
Value can be “hidden” – not easlily
quantifiable as a metric
Skills deficits – e.g. in metrics, data , capacity
Patchiness of library support across
programmes
Academic knowledge of what resources we
have and how we can support students
S W
TO
SWOT ANALYSIS 1/4
Workshop Outputs

11. Strengths
Get ahead programme to prepare students
before teaching starts
Small institutions already do academic
writing, skills etc.
Actual library environment (for studying) is
improving
Recognition of the role of Libraries in
supporting Teaching and Learning -
transition/Retention initiatives
Strong Liaison
Good DLHE
Opportunities
Collaborative working with professionals
across the university
Get more involved with teaching – more
integrated discussion around reources
Threats
Reduction in student numbers so less
monetary resource
Judged against what? How will it be
measured?
Investment in library doengraded as Library
NSS metric not included in the TEF
Lack of awareness of librarians’ role in
academic support
Lack of knowledge across HE about
implications of TEF and REF
Weaknesses
No money/time to devote to TEF
IT support holds us back - enrollement is not
always straightforward. Library needs to
develop stronger support in this area
Learning/Library environments
Lack of funds
Emphasis on research. All lecturers are
researchers as a must
S W
TO
SWOT ANALYSIS 2/4

12. Strengths
Teaching and Learning qualifications
Online learning
Improved library help services now being
acknowledged
Opportunities
Converged service to be measured together
Services - LibAnswers
Current service perceptions
Threats
Budget limit
Focus on metrics not services
Weaknesses
Library space
Modesty
Spaces for Teaching and Learning
Development causes disruption
S W
TO
SWOT ANALYSIS 3/4

13. Strengths
Cross institutional work in transitions to
support progression and achievement
Library has culture/strength of working in
partnership/collabporating with others
Integration with learning and teaching
through course committees
1-2-1 support for students finding
information for their assignments
Recognise excellent teaching
Developing better teaching
Opportunities
To develop better teaching processes
Audit
Quality assurance
Threats
Value/impact of library can be overlooked
Marginalisation
Funding cut could have a big impact on
university and library
Not being identified on the white paper –
finding a way in
Weaknesses
Research Led
Value/impact of Library services can be
overlooked
Measurement might miss library contribution
with ranking of liabrary in overall university
S W
TO
SWOT ANALYSIS 4/4

14. Read more…
Government papers https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/teaching-excellence-framework
SCONUL Response to the TEF consultation http://www.sconul.ac.uk/news/sconuls-response-to-the-tef-technical-consultation
Times Higher TEF coverage https://www.timeshighereducation.com/policy/teaching-excellence-framework-tef
WONKHE http://wonkhe.com/

15. emma.thompson@Liverpool.ac.uk