School welcomes Gold Award in Teaching Excellence

The University of Kent has been awarded a gold rating, the highest, in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

Head of School, Professor Richard Jones, said: ‘I am delighted that this award recognises the excellent teaching within the University, and within the School of Computing.

‘In particular, I am pleased that the wonderful employment prospects for Kent students have been given recognition. We have played an active part in this with the School’s hugely successful industrial placement programme and innovative Year in Computing.

‘This award is a testament to the dedication of our academic staff and the professional services team who support our students and is well deserved.’

The TEF Panel judged that Kent delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

A total of 295 higher education providers took part in the TEF. In the assessment, 59 providers were rated gold.

Kent's Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow was the first to receive the news. She said: 'I am absolutely delighted that the strength of our teaching and our longstanding commitment to academic excellence has been acknowledged in this way. The hard work and dedication of our staff and students continues to ensure that the University of Kent has some of the best teaching in the country. I would like to thank all those who have made this possible.'

The TEF Panel reported that Kent 'students from all backgrounds achieve consistently outstanding outcomes. Very high proportions of students from all backgrounds continue with their studies and then progress to employment, notably exceeding the provider benchmarks. The metrics indicate very high levels of student satisfaction with teaching, academic support and assessment and feedback.'

The Panel considered all the information in Kent's submission in relation to the TEF criteria and stated that its judgement reflects, in particular, evidence of:

• an outstanding Student Success Project dedicated to closing the attainment gap for students with protected characteristics
• an institutional culture which facilitates, values and rewards teaching and which is embedded across the institution
• the provision of a wide range of co-curricular opportunitiesfor students to enhance their skills
• physical and digital learning resources of the highest quality
• a flexible and personalised approach to academic support for students which is underpinned by a college system and enhanced through student peer mentoring and an academic adviser scheme
• a systematic approach to embedding employability in the curriculum and providing employment placements for large numbers of students which, together, enable them to acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding that are most highly valued by employers

Implemented by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the TEF aims to recognise, reward and improve excellent learning and teaching at higher education providers across the UK. It also aims to provide students with clear information about where teaching quality is best and where students have achieved the best outcomes.

The awards are decided by an independent TEF Panel of experts, including academics, students and employer representatives.