About the Framework
The Career Framework for University Teaching is one element of the Advancing Teaching initiative, a global collaboration to improve the reward and recognition of university teaching.
This website presents a framework for the evaluation of teaching achievement during academic appointment, promotion and professional development. Commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering, it is the product of five years of benchmarking, research, review and piloting at universities across the world.
Why?
The Framework has been developed to improve the recognition of teaching and learning in higher education through proposing a standardised and transparent method for evaluating and evidencing teaching achievement.
What?
The Framework's design rests on a number of guiding principles. One principle, for example, is that it must be applicable to ALL academics, including those in a blended research/teaching role as well as those in an education-focused role.
How?
The Framework’s design draws on feedback from the higher education community, educational research and global best practice. It was developed in partnership with pedagogical experts and partner universities from across the world.
Who?
Commissioned and funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the work was authored by an independent consultant and guided by a range of expert contributors and global university partners from across the higher education sector.
University partners meeting, London, 2017
Who?
Commissioned and funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the work was authored by an independent consultant and guided by a range of expert contributors and global university partners from across the higher education sector.
University partners meeting, London, 2017
Frequently asked questions
Outlined below are a number of points that should be noted about the Framework’s design.
-
Which types of academics is the Framework applicable to?The Framework is designed for all university academics with any responsibility for teaching and learning, ranging from those whose career progression will be based predominantly on their educational achievements to those for whom teaching will play a much less significant role in their case for career advancement.Academic roles typically comprise a range of elements: teaching, research and other professional activities, such as administration or technology transfer.The balance between each of these activities varies considerably between individuals. For example, one academic may focus predominantly on teaching and learning (as illustrated by profile A in the figure opposite), while another may give priority to research with only a minimum of teaching duties (profile C in the figure), and another may achieve a balance of time between teaching and research (profile B in the figure).What these individuals share is some level of responsibility for teaching and learning, and this activity – like all others in an academic’s portfolio – should develop and strengthen as the academic progresses through their careers.
The Framework is designed to guide and support (i) continuing improvement in the quality and impact of an academic’s contribution to teaching and learning, and (ii) the demonstration and evaluation of their achievements in teaching and learning during appointment, appraisal and promotion. It applies to all academics with any responsibility for teaching and learning, ranging from those whose career progression will be based predominantly on their educational achievements (profile A in the figure above) to those for whom teaching will play a much less significant role in their case for career advancement (profile C in the figure above).
The Framework is designed for use in conjunction with evidence of achievement in other domains of the academic role, such as research or technology transfer.Read more -
Is the Framework applicable across all institutions and disciplines?Yes – the Framework has been designed for application across all disciplinary, institutional and geographic contexts. Since its launch, it has been adopted and adapted by more than 50 universities from across the world, covering a wide range of disciplines, institution types and academic cultures.
-
What does the term ‘teaching achievement’ mean?The term ‘teaching achievement’ has been used throughout the Framework to denote an individual’s contribution, quality and impact in teaching and learning. On the basis of the feedback received, this term appeared to be both acceptable to the academic community and the teaching and learning research community. It should be noted that the term ‘teaching achievement’ has been used to cover all educational activity, and not simply lecturing. It therefore includes contributions to educational research, as well as impact on the quality of teaching and learning at an institutional, national and/or global level.
Career Framework for University Teaching, 2024