St Andrews scoops top teaching award

Wednesday 21 June 2017

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The University of St Andrews has achieved the highest possible ranking in a new assessment of the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience at universities across the UK.

St Andrews has secured a Gold Award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), published today, Thursday 22 June 2017.

TEF panellists found that “students from all backgrounds achieve consistently outstanding outcomes” in St Andrews and that there were “outstanding levels of satisfaction with teaching, assessment and feedback, and academic support”.

“Very high proportions from across the entire student population progress to highly skilled employment or further study,” said the judges.

St Andrews is one of five Scottish universities recognised for high quality teaching in the TEF, which ranks universities Gold, Silver or Bronze according to a detailed analysis of teaching practice, support measures, learning resources and outcomes.

The TEF Panel found:

• Exemplary teaching quality through a strong emphasis on the development, sharing and dissemination of good practice

• An institutional culture of rigour and stretch within a research-intensive environment that stimulates optimum levels of enthusiasm for learning across the entire student body

• Well-equipped learning and teaching spaces and use of digital resources that create a learning and teaching environment of the highest quality

• An overall environment of student engagement, motivation and collective identity supporting optimum retention and completion rates

St Andrews Principal, Professor Sally Mapstone, said: “This excellent result tells existing and prospective students from Scotland, the UK, and across the world that in coming to St Andrews they can be confident of an experience of the highest quality. It also confirms why we are riding so high in league tables.”

St Andrews Proctor and Vice-Principal for Learning and Teaching, Professor Lorna Milne, said: “Wherever they come from, by the time our graduates leave St Andrews they are skilled, questioning, responsible, mature and, as such, an asset to society. We often see them as our main reward for the hard work we put into their education – but it is also gratifying to receive recognition through a national award!”

Charlotte Andrew, President of the St Andrews Students’ Association, said: “St Andrews students have long recognised the exceptional quality of teaching at our University. I hope that this well-deserved Gold award incentivises additional prospective students from around the world to consider applying to our wonderful institution.”

St Andrews is currently the UK University of the Year for Teaching Quality, joint top of the UK National Student Survey, and 3rd top in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2018 and The Complete University Guide 2018.


Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office. Contact Niall Scott on 01334 462244 / 07711 223 062 or [email protected].


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