Changes in the Higher Education Sector

Changes in the Higher Education Sector

Contemporary Drivers and the Pursuit of Excellence

Khalid Khan, Dawne Gurbutt and Rachel Cragg

Anthem Press

An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company

www.anthempress.com

This edition first published in UK and USA 2022

by ANTHEM PRESS

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or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK

and

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Copyright © Khalid Khan, Dawne Gurbutt and Rachel Cragg 2022

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above,

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021953405

ISBN-13: 978-1-83998-197-5 (Pbk)

ISBN-10: 1-83998-197-0 (Pbk)

This title is also available as an ebook.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1Introduction

Background

Role of Funding for Teaching and Research in Higher Education Institutions

Incentives for Research Excellence Compared to Teaching Excellence

Political Shifts in the UK Higher Education Policy

Impacts of Teaching Excellence

Student Experience

Academic Progression

Conclusions

Chapter 2Importance of Teaching Excellence: What Matters?

Introduction

Student Numbers Entering HE

What Is Teaching Excellence?

The policy environment and the review of the TEF

The National Students’ Survey

The value of HE

League tables

Inclusivity

Employability

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

The Professional Environment

Conclusions

Chapter 3What Constitutes Teaching Excellence?

Best Measures of Teaching Excellence

Implementation of the teaching excellence framework

UK Professional Standards Framework

How Do Teachers Become Effective at Teaching?

Classification of Teaching Levels in HE

Incentives and Rewards in Teaching

E-learning and the Use of Technology

Conclusions

Chapter 4Methodologies for Improving Teaching Excellence

Use of Educational Theory and Self-Regulated Learning

Student-Centred Learning Approaches

The ‘Flipped’ Classroom

Technology-Enabled Learning

Gamification Techniques

Relating Theory and Practice

Simulation technology

Work-based learning

Conclusions

Chapter 5Conclusions

The Importance of Teaching Excellence

Internal and External Drivers for Improvements

Role of Staff Development and Educational Programmes

Implications for HEIs

References

Index

PREFACE

Learning is a fundamental aspect of human existence. It forms one of the essential building blocks of growth and development and continues throughout life. We are constantly surrounded by opportunities to learn. Teaching is one of the key activities which shapes and contextualises our learning, and the choice to continue to formally learn beyond compulsory education is an important life choice, driven by a number of factors. It is a choice that an increasing number of young people and mature students take in the United Kingdom. The Higher Education (HE) sector is eager to demonstrate the benefits of continued post-compulsory education and the importance of a ‘good’ learning experience. The well-used term ‘teaching excellence’ is often employed as an articulation of the pedagogy, learning and learner experience, which come together to ensure effective teaching. There are inherent problematic issues in seeking to universally compare teaching and in finding ways to articulate and measure what can be diverse learning experiences.

This book explores the importance of teaching excellence and how this has risen to prominence in a changing landscape of HE where access to university education has been substantially increased. The book explores some of the factors which have shaped the provision of HE and the responses to the challenge of ensuring that students gain a quality education which provides a satisfactory return on their investment in attending university. Taking in the complexities of the differing perspectives on a university education from sector to student and acknowledging the experience of academics who seek to be excellent teachers, this book offers a guide to understanding the key mechanisms by which teaching is measured and evaluated and offers insights into some of the more contemporary innovative methodologies that can help to enhance teaching excellence.

Although offering a broad overview of teaching excellence in the United Kingdom, the book is of course not comprehensive in its coverage. The field of university metrics is extensive, multilayered and diverse; the coverage here will be sufficient to help readers understand the concept of ‘teaching excellence’ and the role of different players and lens through which it is viewed. The following overview of the teaching excellence terrain provides an introduction to inspire further reading and exploration of the areas included here.

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Teaching excellence is of increasing importance within the Higher Education (HE) sector. In the current climate universities strive to demonstrate the value of their programmes and courses as they seek to attract students in a competitive marketplace. Within the context of this drive to attract students, institutions will readily state that they seek to pursue excellence in learning and teaching. However, it is less clear what constitutes ‘excellence’ when considered across a diverse sector with different traditions and practices relating to different disciplines. The problems associated with the ability to quantify and denote excellence in HE are compounded by the broad range of provision, the variation between institutions and the way in which universities position themselves and their offer to students. An unevenness exists across the sector in relation to teaching practices, class sizes and the philosophy of individual programmes and disciplines, and different contexts and approaches can exist even within a single university. There is no singular, identifiable culture for HE within the United Kingdom, and this makes comparisons between institutions potentially problematic.

Teaching is a complex practice affected by many factors: context, resources, learners, subject discipline, teacher experience, learning expectations and learning needs. It is also affected by the prevailing culture of the day; this includes, but is not limited to, the demographic of students and staff, the rise of social media, widening participation, funding constraints, digital technology and professional body requirements. These are but a few of the factors which impinge on the educational experience. Hence teaching is affected by multiple variables and is a dynamic, evolving practice that is impacted by a range of other elements and effects. Some of these are foreseeable and some are unanticipated but far-reaching, such as the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 which altered the shape of HE suddenly and rapidly, creating a new ‘normal’ and a new set of comparisons. It is clear that HE does not and cannot operate in isolation to other factors. Developments and changes in one location can directly impact the sector globally. This is not just because students often travel to study but also because digital learning enables students to pursue courses remotely via e-learning across the world. This leads to a tendency for much broader comparisons between universities and their provision. Education and teaching are global activities, and this is reflected in world rankings and global league tables. Likewise, graduate skills are considered to be globally transferrable, attending not only to the demands of local employers but also to a fluid, dynamic and changing global workforce. Attendant on the acquisition of graduate skills is the need for students to be ‘global citizens’ equipped with not only demonstrable subject knowledge but also cultural awareness, resilience and a strong moral and ethical code.

Information is currency in the modern world, and information is everywhere. Information is readily available on curated sites and through social media, and this creates a particular challenge for educational institutions to successfully make the argument for taught courses and payment in exchange for knowledge. There is ongoing and lively debate on what it means to be ‘educated’ as opposed to being ‘informed’ or passively exposed to information through access to online information. It is clear that the HE sector needs to demarcate and articulate the added value that is inherent in providing education over enabling access to information. ‘Education’ as a term needs to be