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Comment: David Phoenix on enhancing quality in higher education
Professor David Phoenix, LSBU's Vice-Chancellor, responds to a report from MPs focused on the introduction of the new Teaching Excellence FrameworkLondon South Bank University (LSBU) Vice-Chancellor Professor David Phoenix has responded to a Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee report entitled The Teaching Excellence Framework: Assessing quality in Higher Education, published today (29 February).
The report is focused on the introduction of the teaching excellence framework (TEF), and considers the proposed link between the TEF and tuition fees.
Prof. Phoenix, commenting in his capacity as Chair of leading university think-tank million+, welcomed many of the report’s conclusions. He said: “MPs are right to recognise that it is timely to review how we continue to enhance teaching excellence. Importantly they have fully appreciated that imposing a teaching excellence framework on universities without a period of development and evaluation would divert from current efforts to enhance the quality of teaching, restrict innovation and risk damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of UK higher education overseas.
“I also welcome the Committee’s recognition that the government’s proposals have UK–wide implications and I hope that Ministers will work with their counterparts and with universities in the devolved administrations to explore the impact of their reforms prior to progressing a Higher Education Bill.
“The BIS Committee is also correct to be cautious about transferring all research funding to a single body, potentially undermining the principle of complementary oversight of research and teaching.”