Keele ranked in Top 10 of new teaching and research league table
New analysis published by Times Higher Education has found that Keele University is part of a ‘new elite’ of universities excelling in both teaching and research.
The table, combining the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and Research Excellence Framework (REF) results, has highlighted the institutions which can genuinely combine high quality education and teaching with research intensity, and ranks Keele in the UK Top 10.
Whilst Cambridge and Oxford retain the top spots, combining the quantitative elements of the TEF and the REF data allows a ‘new elite’ of universities to emerge.
Professor Trevor McMillan, Vice-Chancellor at Keele University, comments:
“I am delighted to see Keele highlighted as a university which excels in both research and teaching, as excellence in the two are not always seen side by side in Universities. The balance of research and teaching is a critical one, and when that balance is right, it benefits our staff, our students and the many organisations that work with us. Keele has always sought to balance these two endeavours, and we are proud that this has been recognised in this new national analysis.”
Lancaster University's Mark E. Smith and Nicola Owen, who constructed the new league table, commented: “It is time to use new metrics to provide students and parents with a fresh perspective of what an ‘elite’ university is and create a more level playing field than that based on shorthand and historical artefact.”
In 2017 Keele was awarded a Gold ranking in the TEF, which was decided by an independent panel of experts including academics, students and employer representatives. Drawing on national data, and evidence submitted by each university or college, the TEF measured excellence in three areas: teaching quality, the learning environment and the educational and professional outcomes achieved by students.
The REF assesses the quality of research in all higher education institutions in the UK. In the most recent REF (2014), 97% of Keele’s research was classified as world leading or of international importance.
