Only one in five university staff support the introduction of new measures to assess and improve teaching quality, preliminary results from 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Best University Workplace Survey indicate.
Of the first 2,000 people to complete our 2016 survey, which is still open to all university employees, just 20 per cent agreed with the statement that 鈥渁 teaching excellence framework (TEF) is needed to improve teaching quality at my institution鈥.
About one-third of staff (32 per cent) rejected the notion that there was a need to implement the policy, which under plans fleshed out last week in the government鈥檚 higher education Green Paper, will allow those universities deemed to offer high-quality teaching to raise their tuition fees.
A large proportion of staff 鈥 45 per cent 鈥 remain undecided about the TEF, saying they neither agreed nor disagreed with the policy championed by universities and science minister Jo Johnson.
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Many respondents voiced fears that a TEF would lead to more managerial interference in classrooms.
鈥淭eaching and learning policies have already become increasingly onerous, overbearing, and distrustful of the abilities and autonomy of staff with every passing year,鈥 said one academic.
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鈥淭hese policies discourage innovation and the development of new modules/courses,鈥 he added.
Another lecturer worried about her institution鈥檚 desire to 鈥渃hase the National Student Survey鈥, rather than improve teaching quality, while another commented that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not the students that matter it鈥檚 the NSS鈥esults鈥 鈥 concerns that may deepen if such scores are linked to future fee uplifts.
However, many university employees appeared to support the TEF鈥檚 aim to 鈥渂uild a culture where teaching has equal status with research, with great teachers enjoying the same professional recognition and opportunities for career and pay progression as great researchers鈥.
鈥淭here is too much emphasis on research at the expense of teaching,鈥 said one lecturer, whose criticism was echoed by many respondents.
鈥淥ne-size-fits-all approach to staff means teaching and professional qualifications are undervalued compared to research, even the weakest and least impressive kind,鈥 explained another university employee.
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One lecturer complained that his university 鈥渉as decided to go all-out for research鈥which] only has a negative impact on students and on teaching鈥.
Another summed up the problem succinctly, saying: 鈥淩esearch is rewarded, teaching is not.鈥
An academic who complained about 鈥渢oo much emphasis on research鈥, stated that 鈥渁 鈥楾EF鈥 should ensure teaching is given equal weight and that those who teach are suitably qualified and able to do so鈥.
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However, some university staff warned that a narrative that saw teaching pitted against research missed a fundamental truth about university teaching.
鈥淥ne constantly hears the 'research-led teaching' mantra [but] there is ever less support and funding for research, time for writing, and funding for dissemination (conferences, workshops, seminars),鈥 the academic wrote.
鈥淭he inspiring and innovative teaching that follows from groundbreaking research will soon be a thing of the past if new research is not supported,鈥 he added.
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POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline: Lukewarm support for TEF from sector employees, survey shows
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