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The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme in England and
Northern Ireland: a review.
Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds1
Philip Frame2
1 Westminster Exchange, University of Westminster
2 Middlesex Business School, Middlesex University
This is an electronic version of paper published in Learning Exchange, 1 (1).
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The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme in England and Northern Ireland: a
Review.
Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds1 and Philip Frame2
1. University of Westminster, Westminster Exchange, 101 New Cavendish Street, London W1W
6XH
2. Middlesex University, Middlesex Business School, The Burroughs, London, NW4 4BT
Contact emails: L.Ealesreynolds@westminster.ac.uk; P.Frame@mdx.ac.uk
Abstract
In the late 1990s, the Higher Education Funding Councils of England and the
equivalent body in Northern Ireland (DEL NI) took the positive step of supporting the
development of initiatives that promoted and supported innovation, and the
recognition of excellence, in learning and teaching in Higher Education. One of the
earliest manifestations of this support was the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme
which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, making this a timely opportunity to
consider the personal and professional impact this scheme has had on the quality of
teaching throughout the Higher Education sector locally, and the implications of this
development for the wider EU community.
Introduction
In this paper we trace the history of the National Teaching Fellowship award scheme
which was introduced in 1999 as part of a complex initiative to raise awareness of
the importance of teaching quality in England and Northern Ireland and to enhance
its status in the light of the traditional focus on the supremacy of research within the
sector. We then outline the purpose of the award and go on to consider the results
so far. This includes the unanticipated formation of the Association of National
Teaching Fellows, a review of the limited work that has been conducted to determine
the scheme‟s success and the impact it has had on students, on the recipients
personally, on their institutions, and on the wider national and international
community. We conclude by considering how this innovation may be extended to
other EU countries, given the concurrent developments which have resulted from the
Bologna Declaration (1999).
History of the Scheme
During the first three years of the National Teaching Fellowship scheme, eligible
Higher Education Institutions were invited to nominate their most outstanding
lecturer. The twenty considered to be the best of those nominated were chosen by a
criterion referenced selection process agreed by a panel of their peers and were
given an award of £50,000. This was to be used over three years to complete what
was termed a “funded activity”, a deliberately vague term which in practice
encompassed anything from funding a music festival to a major pedagogic research
or inquiry project. The process was co-ordinated by a small team of staff from the
Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) who gave preliminary advice
to the winners on how to manage their projects and funding. Thereafter, individuals
were largely allowed to run their projects as they saw fit, without reference to
institutional targets or strategies, though always in line with their institution‟s financial
management systems. In effect the funding body adopted a very light touch in terms
of monitoring and evaluating progress, which was highly unusual for the sector and
which would not have occurred with any disciplinary research grant. It was argued,
successfully, that those who had demonstrated a commitment to teaching excellence
by developing their own practice and that of others were responsible enough to
manage their own funds. The award was modified in 2003 to allow those at different
stages of their academic career, or who were engaged in supporting student
learning, to be considered for an award. Each year a total of 50 awards were made
to those within 6 years of starting their academic career (rising stars), established
academics and those in non-academic roles who were responsible for supporting
student learning, such as librarians and ICT specialists. These winners were again
provided with an award in recognition of their outstanding achievement, which again
was to be used to carry out a specific piece of research or inquiry. In this phase of
the award, a portion of the monies (£5,000) was withheld until a final project report
was received by the funding councils. In addition, the process was managed by the
newly established Higher Education Academy (HEA) who administered the award on
behalf of the funding councils.
In 2006, the award criteria changed again. Now 50 individuals are chosen annually
to receive a reward of £10,000 each. This may be used for their own personal or
professional development. Although, as before, the process is managed by the HEA
through an individual‟s home university, the winners can spend the money as they
see fit within the boundaries of the fiscal policy of their home institutions. The rest of
the National Teaching Fellowship Fund (around £2 million pounds) is awarded to
specific pedagogic research projects in a competitive bidding process with a National
Teaching Fellow making a substantial contribution to the bid. These projects
generally are expected to impact on HE pedagogy and the student experience as
well as address institutional or national strategic priorities. Cross-institutional
collaboration is particularly encouraged as is the inclusion of partners from Further
Education colleges delivering Higher Education, and overseas partners. Between
ten and twelve projects are awarded annually.
Purpose of the Award
The National Teaching Fellowship award was one of several initiatives undertaken
by the funding council. The other major initiatives were the Teaching Quality
Enhancement Fund (TQEF), which provided financial resources to develop the
practice of pedagogy at both an institutional and cross institutional level, and the
establishment of twenty two subject centres, whose purpose was to develop
discipline specific teaching and learning practices.
When the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme was first announced, it was met
with some scepticism. It was seen as an artificial way of attempting to redress the
balance between those who engaged in disciplinary research and those who
focussed mainly on their teaching activities. In fact, as a result of a consultation
process with the wider higher education community, HEFCE concluded that:
„There is considerable support for a programme which recognises and
rewards individual academics who have demonstrated excellence in learning
and teaching. Many see national and institutional funding incentives that focus
on individuals as being crucial levers in increasing the importance and status
of learning and teaching. Furthermore, many argue that this element of the
TQEF should be an early priority for the Council‟ (HEFCE, 1999).
HEFCE‟s strategic plan for 2003-2008 continued to reinforce the need to recognise
and reward excellent teaching specifying one of its core objectives as, „To provide
rewards to celebrate and encourage excellence in all modes, pedagogies and
approaches to teaching, and to promote the professional development of teaching
staff‟ (HEFCE, 2003, p. 15).
Impact of the Scheme
The impact of any single intervention in a complex environment is very difficult to
measure. The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme is no different. Very little
concrete research has been carried out to look at its impact. Initial studies, such as
that by Skelton (2002) failed to reach any meaningful conclusions because they had
been undertaken too soon after the inception of the scheme. In addition, changes in
the criteria meant that the scheme altered quite considerably in the early years.
However a study by Frame et al (2006) examined those who has received the award
between 2000 and 2002 and found evidence of both positive and negative impacts
on those early award winners.
In 2005, the Academy commissioned an evaluation of the scheme which although
not extensive, provided evidence that at a senior management level within
institutions there was concern that individuals were being given large sums of money
to work on projects that did not necessarily impact on, or relate to, the institutional
strategic targets. This argument led to the most recent change in the scheme,
reducing the individual‟s award to £10,000 (still a substantial amount) and pooling
the remaining money to support projects which are led by an NTF but align with
institutional strategies. This has led more recent fellows to initially consider
themselves to be „the poor relations‟. However, their success in attaining NTF project
funding has proven this assumption to be false. In 2008, a review of the HEA clearly
identified the NTF scheme as one of the most successful activities associated with
the Higher Education Academy.
Although extensive, qualitative research has not to date been carried out, in 2006 the
HEA published a number of personal accounts from NTFs which described how the
award had impacted on individual and collective practice. The use of “stories” has
long been recognised as an illuminative research method, and it is from such stories
supported by concrete examples from the academics involved, that we can form a
clear view of the impact of the scheme. In 2007, the committee of the Association of
National Teaching Fellows invited its constituents to contribute to a letter to HEFCE
describing their experiences as National Teaching Fellows. Whilst subjective on an
individual level, collectively it captured the spirit of the Association, the impact of the
award and how much its recipients value it.
Student Impact
Colleagues have stated that receiving the NTF gave them the confidence not only to
continue to develop their own practice, but to go on and lead bids to the Fund for the
Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL), for Centres of Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (CETL) and NTF project bids, thereby multiplying the effect
of their personal award and its impact on student learning by disseminating their
work and embedding it in the practice of their peers. An evaluation of several FDTL4
projects demonstrated that they had a clear impact the student experience (Eales-
Reynolds, 2006)
Such NTF engagement has been to the benefit of thousands of students over the
years. They have developed innovative approaches to teaching, assessment, and
supporting students, which have enhanced recruitment and retention and greatly
improved the student learning experience. This work has been widely shared and
disseminated leading to a much greater impact than individual NTFs may have had
alone.
Personal Impact
At a personal level, many NTFs have identified their award as being the key to their
personal and professional development in Higher Education, as the following direct
quotations make clear.
“A great value of the scheme is the way in which it has recognised the
contribution of "support" staff such as myself on a level playing field. The
opportunities it has given me have been wonderful, not least being accepted
into such an inspirational community of open minded teachers. This is an
important aspect of the scheme - I can't think of any other national arena
where we have such a good mix of academic and other staff.”
“As a member of a small and specialist institution I think the scheme has
offered individuals such as myself opportunities that would never otherwise
have been possible.”
However, not all NTFs have had positive experiences on receiving their awards.
„I have been told that winning the NTF has no relevance to my career
advancement in a 5* research department and in fact has the opposite effect
owing to my now being labelled as someone more relevant to teaching.‟
„Professionally here in the institution, it‟s been horrible. No one‟s interested
(apart from a few colleagues); strategy exactly in the area of my fellowship
has completely ignored my work‟
These were comments from NTFs who received their awards in the early years of
the programme, before it became held in such high esteem. However, it is still not
unusual to hear such comments from new winners.
Although fellows have had bad experiences in some institutions, the outcome has
often been that they have moved to universities where the award is appreciated and
desired.
„It [winning] precipitated a spate of bullying from my immediate managers and
a junior colleague ... which precipitated my leaving. The move gained me a
Chair [Professorship].
National Teaching Fellowships have been conferred at every level of organisational
hierarchies. The Association now includes a large number of Professors, Deans and
even some Pro-Vice Chancellors who cite their award as being a key factor in their
career progression. The recently instituted recognition scheme within the Academy –
the award of Senior Fellow of the Academy- also reflects the impact of the national
teaching fellowship scheme. A large majority of the Senior Fellows of the Higher
Education Academy are National Teaching Fellows.
Many Fellows valued the fact that this was a personal reward giving them the
academic freedom to be innovative and inventive. They felt that it had been truly
motivational. This is reflected in the fact that a number of NTFs appointed in the last
few years have deliberately built up their careers with the achievement of this award
as a goal. In effect it has been a significant part of their of profession development
plan. Fellows have also identified the fact that the process of selection for
submission to the scheme was also valuable, since within their institution it placed
their work under the spotlight, thereby raising their profile. In some institutions even
those who are unsuccessful found the process useful because the support and
feedback they had received had helped their career development.
Institutional Impact
There cannot be any question that the NTF scheme has had an institutional impact.
The fact that even those institutions who are research intensive are now encouraging
their employees to apply for the award, and supporting them in this process,
suggests that the reputation of the scheme makes it a sought after accolade. Many
colleagues have stated that through the validation of their activities that their reward
confers, they have been able to positively influence both the policy and practice of
learning and teaching within their institution. This has had a knock on effect with
colleagues who now see scholarship in learning and teaching as not just a valued
professional activity, but as a viable pathway to career development. Indeed, many
institutions have modelled their internal fellowship schemes on that of the NTFS and
some have capacity building schemes for supporting colleagues several years in
advance of their applications as they are regarded as potential future institutional
nominees.
The Scheme has achieved much in changing the perception of what constitutes
good and effective teaching in Universities, and indeed what we now regard as good
academic practice generally. It has also, perhaps more than any other initiative,
encouraged the sector to acknowledge the importance of scholarship in learning and
teaching and the role that committed teachers play in ensuring the success of their
students and thereby, their institutional. The move into strategic leadership roles of a
number of NTFs demonstrates more than a commitment to pedagogy and pedagogic
research. It demonstrates a commitment to “whole institution” development, which
extend beyond the boundaries of an individual organisation to encompass regional,
national and international initiatives.
NTFs act as beacons of good practice, either through taking on leadership roles or
perhaps more indirectly, through sharing good practice in a variety of other ways.
The NTF also provides an externally-calibrated recognition scheme that equates with
the external recognition mechanisms that are available for disciplinary research.
National Impact
The NTF scheme has changed a number of times over its lifetime and definitively
measuring its impact in a meaningful way will not be the easiest of tasks. However,
we believe that if we were to compare teaching and learning practices before the
scheme with those we see now, we would see significant enhancement and be able
to demonstrate the influence of National Teaching Fellows. Indeed, many of the
other major teaching quality enhancement fund initiatives which have clearly
impacted on practice in Higher Education have been led by colleagues who were
NTFs, or those who have come into contact with the scheme or were aspiring to be
part of it.
One of the key National impacts of the scheme has been the development of wide
ranging collaborative networks and the sharing of good practice. Many Fellows
commented on the fact that Institutions are very often inward looking and often
(maybe inadvertently) put up barriers to cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional
collaboration. The NTF Scheme has gone a long way to destroy those barriers with
regard to the scholarship of learning and teaching, by providing a forum where like-
minded and informed enthusiasts can work together productively. Thus a
geographer, a dance specialist, an economist, an IT specialist, a marketer and a
human resource management lecturer, all NTFs from six different universities,
worked together on the topics of transition in university (Frame et al, 2005), and the
impact of age differentials on learning (Frame et al, 2006).
In 2004, HEFCE announced the opportunity to bid for a Centre for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (CETL) which had to be predicated on evidence of existing
excellence within the bidding university and in which it expected National Teaching
Fellows to take a major lead. Indeed, many of the 72 successful CETLs were led by,
or had a major input from, one or more NTFs. These CETLs have gone on to form
networks, often linked to those formed by the involved National Teaching Fellows.
An example is the Healthcare Simulation Education Research Group (HSERG),
which was formed by a group of CETLs to enhance the pedagogic research into the
impact of simulation on learning and teaching in the medical, dental and healthcare
professions. This group now encompasses representation from all four countries of
the United Kingdom and is linking up with established simulation networks which
focus on practice. Thus, the NTFs are again helping to provide the research-
informed evidence-base for teaching and learning.
There is no doubt that there has been a significant shift in attitude towards reflective
and evaluative teaching that is, in part, driven by the greater recognition and rewards
that the National Teaching Fellowship scheme, in its various manifestation, provides
and encourages . The NTF scheme is an important part of such recognition because
it confers external validation on internal, and often unrecognised excellent practice. It
is unlikely that internal schemes, welcome though they are, could provide the same
leverage in themselves, though they are a welcome prelude to the national scheme.
International Impact
There is also clear evidence of the impact of the NTF scheme around the World.
Where other recognition schemes have failed, the NTF has not. This is probably
because of the sizeable investment made by HEFCE in the scheme but also
because it is a National scheme and has been well supported by the Academy.
Indeed, in the recent independent review of the Academy, the NTF Scheme was
held up as an exemplar of the work of the Academy.
Owing to this success, the scheme has been used as a model for similar schemes in
Australia and New Zealand. Although the Canadians have a successful scheme (the
3M Scholars) UK NTFs are envied owing to the financial support which allows those
recognized to develop and embed their work even further. There has also been
interest in Europe in the NTF scheme particularly in Scandinavia and Holland.
It is not just the scheme which has had an international impact. The Fellows
themselves have collaborated with, mentored, and provided consultancy to,
colleagues across the World. NTFs regularly contribute to international meetings
focusing on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and have been highly active
in the Multinational Scholars Forum which has met at a major international
conference for the last 4 years. Through this group, the Association of National
Teaching Fellows has links with the Carnegie Scholars in the USA, the 3Ms Scholars
in Canada and with equivalent Fellows in Australia and New Zealand. In addition,
Fellows have stated that their NTF award has opened doors in their disciplinary
worlds as well, giving them access to international networks that might otherwise
have been closed to them.
“The NTF has given me the opportunity to widen my understanding of how
Higher Education works globally, particularly in disciplinary areas in which I
have an interest. The NTF accolade provides an excellent entree for such
international connections of course, and gratifyingly, colleagues overseas are
interested in the experience of UK NTF people too, so there is reciprocity in
such relationships.”
The Association of National Teaching Fellows
In this, the 10th year of the scheme, we now have around 380 National Teaching
Fellows; a lifetime award which confers on the winners the postnomials NTF. In
2002, at one of the annual events organised by the National Co-ordination Team, the
existing National Teaching Fellows (NTFs) decided that they could have more impact
on raising the national profile of learning and teaching in Higher Education if they
worked together as a co-ordinated group. To this end they decided that they should
form an organisation. A small group of self-selected individuals formed the interim
co-ordination group and worked on developing the vision and mission for the
Association of National Teaching Fellows. They also started conversations with the
Higher Education Academy and developed a Memorandum of Understanding to
cement the relationship between the Academy and the new Association. Finally, in
2004, the memorandum was signed and the new Association came in to being under
the Chairmanship of Mr Bob Rotheram.
Since that time the Association has gone from strength to strength. It now organises
(with the Academy) the induction of new fellows, has representation on the Board of
Directors and the Academic Council of the Higher Education Academy, has a
strategic plan and has re-introduced the annual National Teaching Fellows
symposium. Last year, for the first time, an eminent international keynote speaker
who is also a Canadian 3Ms teaching fellow was invited to attend the conference.
His acceptance provided an opportunity for continuing and developing the dialogue
between international teaching fellows. We hope to extend that opportunity this year
by including fellows from Australia and America. In this our anniversary year we also
hope to enhance the impact of the scheme more widely through a series of
publications and joint presentations. We also intend to run workshops for
organisations who are eligible to propose candidates for a National Teaching
Fellowship but rarely do so. In this way we hope to provide the Higher Education in
Further Education and the small and specialist higher education establishments with
the same type of support that is available within the larger universities.
One of the benefits of the Association is that is gives a voice to a collective of
individuals who have been recognised for their excellence in teaching practice and
their ability to inspire both colleagues and students. NTFs regularly contribute to
national debates concerning strategy and policy development in Higher Education
including Professor Ramsden‟s paper on the student learning experience for the Rt
Hon John Denham‟s governmental review.
In conclusion
This is just a brief and of necessity, a somewhat subjective account of the range of
impacts the NTF Scheme has achieved. The funding body, HEFCE, has facilitated
the development of powerful advocates for enhancing the quality of the student
learning experience: passionate, enthusiastic lecturers committed to scholarship in
teaching and learning. In addition to contributing to the evidence-base for research-
informed teaching practice through the work of Fellows, the scheme has allowed a
transformation of teaching in many institutions. Engagement, inspiration and
leadership in teaching and learning are areas that have flourished in recent years
and National Teaching Fellows believe that there is a direct causal relationship with
the NTF scheme. The scheme has been praised throughout the World and we must
not underestimate the potential damage that would be caused should the scheme be
discontinued or devalued in any way.
Central to HEFCE‟s strategy is the transformation of the student learning experience
but this cannot be achieved by top down legislation. It has to be led by inspired and
inspiring practitioners who are allowed to investigate new approaches to teaching
and learning. A number of Fellows have mentioned that while their Universities were
becoming risk adverse (to greater or lesser degrees) in relation to “experimentation”
in teaching practice, (perhaps owing to the pressures for performance from the
National Student Survey and other quality assurance requirements) they felt that as
an NTF they were allowed more leeway to innovate and support others in doing the
same.
The status (and funding) attaching to NTFs seems to improve the possibility of
practitioner-led innovation, that promises the real possibility of change for the better.
There is no doubt that the scheme has led to the development of a community of
scholars engaged in pedagogic research and inquiry, something which is
desperately needed today where our student body and the ways in which it learns
are vastly different to those that existed even 15 years ago. Higher Education is
facing an identity crisis and rigorous research into higher education policy and
practice should be encouraged and supported. Unfortunately with the current
economic crisis, funding for such innovation is under threat and we urgently need to
work collaboratively with colleagues around the world and especially in Europe to
magnify our impact.
Indeed we would suggest that, as an element of the harmonisation presaged by the
Bologna Declaration, which aims to create a Common European Higher Education
Area by 2010, serious thought should be given to the introduction of a further
objective. This would comprise a reward scheme, similar to that outlined above, but
mindful of the various national contexts, which recognises and celebrates the efforts
of the individual. In this way, the impact of the scheme would have both a macro
impact on the Economic Union as a whole (through enhanced reputation) and a
micro impact at the level of the individual lecturer (through recognition and reward of
excellent teaching practice). Both are needed if teaching quality is to be meaningfully
enhanced and the EU is to retain its competitive position in the global Higher
Education arena.
References
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Teaching and Learning Sector. Evaluation Report for the Higher Education
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Frame, P., Harwood, T., Hoult, L., Jenkins, M., Lynch, K., and Volpe, G., 2005
“Transitions into Higher Education: processes, outcomes and collaboration” 2nd
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Learning, Vancouver, Canada
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and the University” Higher Education Academy Annual Conference, Nottingham
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