This review forms one of a suite of four literature reviews commissioned by the HEA in 2015-16 to inform the sector of recent work in this area.
The importance of 'high quality' education is becoming increasingly emphasised both in the UK and abroad as the 'knowledge society' and global competition have strengthened. Excellence in teaching has become the focus of higher education policy and educational strategies of academic institutions and increasingly linked to the performance and assessment of these institutions. Despite this debates remain and indeed have intensified in recent decades over what 'quality' 'excellence' and 'impact' in relation to teaching really mean. Furthermore there is an absence of robust criteria whereby teaching quality may be measured and demonstrated in contrast to those which inform the assessment of academic research. This debate emerges in the context of discussions around the relationship between excellence in teaching and excellence in learning; the evolution and diversification of academic roles; and the links between teaching and research performance and recognition processes. In practice the lack of clarity in conceptualisations of quality and impact in teaching has resulted in myriad initiatives across the higher education sector aimed at developing and rewarding excellence in teaching which employ contrasting modalities and pursue different objectives.
This project aims to map the key concepts trends and demonstrable impacts emerging from this debate with a particular focus on identifying 'what works'. As the review holds the potential for significant impact given the current development surrounding the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in the UK we expect that the insights gained through this review will help to inform the implementation of the TEF at this critical stage of its development for practitioners policy makers and researchers.
The research team will undertake a Rapid Evidence Assessment to provide an up-to-date evidence base on teaching quality and impact in higher education.