PGCertLTHE

Teaching excellence21st September 2011

National and institutional perspectives

UK Professional Standards Framework Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies National Teaching Fellowship Scheme Liverpool Students’ Union Outstanding / Amazing

Teacher Award L and T criteria for Readerships and Professorships National Student Survey

Supporting teaching excellence

“Of course, there is nothing to stop universities from granting professorships on the strength of excellent teaching..Nor is there any obstacle to institutions rewarding good teaching in their pay and career progression frameworks. We’ve just got to do it.

David Willetts 9th September 2010

2010....... Teaching is the new research?

“It should be no less prestigious to achieve world-class excellence or elite status in undergraduate teaching” Vince Cable 15th July 2010

“The sector is grappling with the need to demonstrate value for money to the government and the population at large” HEA Future work and structure August 2010

“What is provided for students will be put under far greater scrutiny in the years ahead – and it should be” Aaron Porter 8th September 2010

“It should be a source of pride for an institution to be an excellent teaching university. That is what most students rightly see as the backbone of their university experience.” David Willets 9th September 2010

Commenting on the results from the National Student Survey 2010, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said:

‘I want to ensure prospective students have comprehensive, up-to-date and comparable information about what is on offer.’

‘It is desirable to make available clear guidance about the risks and issues associated with using NSS results for the purposes of comparison’

HEFCE July 2010

‘The man is a legend. His encouragement makes you feel like you can achieve anything at anytime, his teaching style is a dream and he is committed to showing students how to think outside the box.’

‘he made a potentially boring lecture .... an un-missable lecture, his disciplined approach to the subject made it important to attended the class’....

‘actually teaches in her lectures. She is interesting, informative and knowledgeable.’

‘he works hard to ensure that we fully understand his subject’

‘his high professionalism, his extreme good nature, his no-nonsense approach to slackers and his quirky charm that have led to the enormous respect he holds with all who have been taught by him.’

What are we missing?

Schuck et al. (2008)

‘Student views of education accurately capture the essence of good teaching’....

Non –instruction biases in student evaluations of teaching

Course Tutor

Student

Biasing factors in student evaluations of teaching

Student-related

Grade Spooren & Mortelman (2004)Gump (2007); Griffin (2004

Expected grade Blackhart et al. (2006)Greenwald and Gilmore (1997)Boysen (2008)

Overall grades Spooren & Mortelman (2006)CompetenceAutonomy

Filak & Sheldon (2003)

Biasing factors in student evaluations of teaching

Course-related

Class size Schuck et al. (2008); Zabaleta (2007)Course difficulty Martin (1998)Workload Greenwald and Gilmore (1997)

Biasing factors in student evaluations of teaching

Tutor-related

“Professionalism” Spooren & Mortelman (2006)Experience Zabaleta (2007)Charisma Shevline et al. (2000)Warmth Best & Addison (2000)Attractiveness Bonds-Raacke & Raacke (2007)Age Zabaleta (2007)Gender Hobson & Talbot (2001)Native speaker Zabaleta (2007)

Teaching excellence: what does the research say?

Barnett - “jettison” the notion

Entwistle, Prosser and Trigwell, Tight, Ramsden and others – student focused

D’Andrea and Gosling, Knight, Kreber, Shulman, Skelton – scholarly

Macfarlane - set of virtues

Task – Staff Voice

Suggestions for evidencing “great teaching” in the categories:InstitutionalTeamIndividual

What do we have in place?What is missing?

How can we evidence teaching excellence?

Knight - ‘enriching conversations’ appreciative enquiry,portfolios, peer review, scholarship

Higher Education academy – talking about teaching,awards, recognition via promotion

D’Andrea and Gosling – learning communities, recruitment and selection, induction and mentoring, curriculum design, CPD

Quotes“Done well, university teaching can help students to acquire a way of

thinking and learning that is indelible…done badly, it can alienate them from the whole idea of learning”. (Entwistle, 2009: 4)

“We close the classroom door and experience pedagogical solitude whereas in our life as scholars we are members of active communities…(where we) exchange our findings, and methods and our excuses”. (Shulman, 1993:6)

‘The very best teachers offered a balance of the systematic and the messy’ Bain (2004:7)

‘We should not look for teaching excellence as an essence within heroic individuals – it resides in the material conditions that underpin teaching quality’ Skelton (2009:110)

‘there is a need for a broader understanding of teaching quality and better ways of ascertaining such quality than the use of student surveys…an internal accountability leads to professional responsibility far more than an externally driven requirement’ Schuck et al. (2008:545)

Quotes