Why should anybody outside of university walls care about the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) awards?

What’s the point of TEF?

Many universities will be making some noise about their TEF results, announced recently, and quite rightly so. We certainly are – in our first TEF award we got Silver!

The TEF Panel judged that we ‘deliver high quality teaching, learning and outcomes’ for our students, and ‘consistently exceed rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education’.

We’re very proud that all our efforts are paying off, and that our students are getting a high quality experience.

But what does TEF really mean, and why should anybody outside of university walls care?

The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) awards encourage and recognise excellence in teaching, above and beyond national quality standards.

The ratings can help prospective students decide which university they may want to attend, providing confidence that the degree (that they will be paying for) is of a high quality and will help them achieve their best.

The awards are judged by an independent panel of students, academics and other experts, with the process managed by the Office for Students.

So if you’re a teacher, parent, or student, looking at different universities, the TEF award should be something you look for. It provides an indication of the quality of the teaching and content of the programmes. So a useful indicator.

As a provider of degrees in banking and finance, our aim is to ensure all our graduates leave us with the right skills, knowledge and confidence to go on to achieve successful careers in the sector.

For us, helping our students take the first steps on the career path is fundamental to everything we do. A large part of that is ensuring we focus on providing an excellent academic experience, one that not only helps bring banking and finance to life but also prepares our students for whatever a future career in the sector might hold for them.

For us providing good value for money means our degrees, and the whole university experience, should ultimately be focused on helping students get a good job.

With our degrees there’s a very clear line of sight to a career. Our Faculty is composed of academics who also have experience of working in the finance sector – so they really can breathe life into the theoretical.

And our industry links – for the inside track on what’s happening in the sector right now, for job fairs, internships, apprenticeships and, of course, permanent jobs – are another essential element of that.

The TEF Panel agreed. We achieved Silver in recognition of our:

• Clear focus on the finance sector and keeping pace with developments
• Course design that provides high levels of stretch
• Support for students in developing the independence, knowledge, skills and understanding they need.

A TEF award is a sign of quality, above and beyond national standards. So while we’re thrilled to achieve Silver we’re even more thrilled for our current and prospective students, particularly when we see them take the first steps on the career ladder.

Everyone with a TEF award should shout about it!

Hema Tank is Associate Dean at The London Institute of Banking & Finance