˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ Leicester (˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿) has been awarded Gold status in the Government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – the highest award possible.
The UK Government introduced the Teaching Excellence Framework to recognise and reward high quality learning and teaching and to ensure that prospective students can make informed choices about where they study. It focuses on three main measures – quality of teaching, learning environment and student outcomes – and awards universities gold, silver or bronze status.
The TEF panel judged that ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ delivers “consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK".
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Judges praised ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿’s commitment to employability, its support for personalised learning and excellent resources. They also commended the positive culture at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ which rewards excellent teaching and feeds research outcomes into the curriculum.
#˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿local – which sees students and staff share their skills to support the local community – was hailed as making a “significant contribution” to the social and economic development of Leicester.
Professor Dominic Shellard, Vice-Chancellor of ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of our colleagues and students in achieving Gold TEF ranking. Around 30% of universities have achieved this – and it places ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ in a new university hierarchy.
“The TEF highlights those things that students, staff, applicants and industrial partners are all interested in, such as the chances of getting a good graduate job, the care a university takes to support its students and the satisfaction students have in their overall experience.
More than 800 students and staff visited Berlin this month through #˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿global
“It’s, therefore, particularly satisfying that we have achieved a ‘Double Gold’ as our magnificent partners, Leicester College, whose degrees we validate, have also achieved a Gold ranking.
“This is a watershed moment for our city and for Higher Education – and one which ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ intends to capitalise on.”
Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Chancellor of ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿, said: “Since becoming Chancellor at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿, I have been consistently impressed with the way in which the university and its staff support and develop students to become the best they can possibly be.
“This is the essence of education and it is wonderful to be a part of an environment in which all students can thrive, challenge themselves and dream big. My congratulations go to all at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿.”
Ian Blatchford, Chairman of Governors at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿, said: “Today’s award recognises the hard work and dedication of staff across the university in providing an inspiring and creative campus. It is also a tribute to the students who contribute to the learning community being built at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿.
“The TEF gold award shows prospective students can be confident that the teaching on offer at ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ is of the highest calibre.”
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Dan Winney, President of De Montfort Students' Union (DSU), said: “I am very proud that ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ has achieved the highest level of achievement, Gold, in the TEF. I am not surprised however, as on a daily basis I recognise the tireless dedication and commitment ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ and DSU staff give to enhance the student experience.
“Over the past few years, it has been wonderful to see the amazing journey our students take where they grow into highly educated and ambitious graduates who go onto achieve great things as alumni, and our united community should celebrate the announcement of these results today.”
Verity Hancock, Principal of Leicester College, which also received Gold, said: “It is excellent news that both Leicester College and ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ were awarded Gold under the TEF. This is great news for Leicester and we’re extremely proud of the partnership between the College and ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ and hope to continue to grow this over the years to come.
“Our lecturers work incredibly hard to provide students with the best possible experience of higher education. There have been some fantastic success stories to come out of the partnership with ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ and this TEF result is richly deserved.”
Business and Management student Katharine Whiting, who graduates in July, has just landed a graduate role with Volkswagen, beating 4,000 other applicants to the role. She said: “The lecturers really make ˽·¿¾ãÀÖ²¿ - they don’t just teach you, they support you. They really care about you and want the best for you.”
Every application submitted by a HE provider was assessed by an independent panel made up of academics, students and business leaders. The TEF ranking is in addition to quality assessments and benchmarked against expected outcomes for specific student intakes.
Posted on Thursday 22 June 2017