The introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework heralds an era of unprecedented scrutiny and focus on the quality of teaching in universities in England. This book offers inter-disciplinary, evidence-informed discussion around notions of excellence in higher education teaching. It will act as a key stimulus for institutional and sector-wide debates and a reference point for initiatives around the TEF agenda. Drawing on the authentic, grounded experiences of practising HE professionals and complemented by a range of recent case studies, this book offers insight into the pursuit of capturing excellence in the complex and wide-ranging context of HE teaching. It will consider what the repercussions of TEF might mean to those involved in learning and teaching in the sector and how this might impact institutional policy and practice.

Concise, well written and thought provoking... The book helps us to understand the TEF by placing it within the social, political, and historical contexts in which it developed. It frames an excellent discussion of some of the key literature around teaching excellence and importantly suggests meaningful ways in which teaching can be developed. -- Alex Patel * Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education *

Dr Amanda French worked in higher, further, adult education and the voluntary sector in the West Midlands for 30 years. She has worked in partnerships and taught across a wide range of settings and agencies including schools, community centres, voluntary and community groups, as well as colleges and universities. Amanda is currently Head of Professional Development,& Enterprise at Birmingham City University’s School of Education. Her particular research interests include child-led research, academic writing practices and development, social justice in education and creative critical pedagogy and methodologies and she has published and presented on her work nationally and internationally.

Dr Matt O’Leary is a Reader in Education at Birmingham City University. He has worked as a teacher, teacher educator, head of department and educational researcher in colleges, schools and universities in England, Mexico and Spain for over twenty years. Many of his research interests are rooted in the field of teacher education, particularly exploring the relationship between education policy and the continuous professional development of teachers. He is internationally recognised for his work on classroom observation, which has been instrumental in challenging engrained orthodoxies and influencing policy makers and national debates.