Author: Shaun Williams, Executive Director, Engagement and Advancement
A short UEB meeting today recognising many colleagues are now embarking on periods of summer annual leave.
- UEB were updated on the timeframe for the next Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), established to assess excellence in teaching at higher education providers in England and assess how they ensure excellent outcomes for their students in terms of graduate level employment or further study. The Office for Students will appoint its TEF panel in September this year, the provider and student submission window will open in late September and close in mid-January 2023; with providers notified about the panel’s provisional decisions about their rating between July and August 2023.
- Following discussions at the last two UEB meetings about the complex transition of academic content to a new website structure last month, which has raised a number of concerns about some errors and omissions, UEB heard that the inaugural meeting of a new Website Oversight Board would take place immediately following UEB, and will meet on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. This Board, chaired by the Vice-President (Operations) and reporting to UEB, will help ensure concerns are heard, prioritised appropriately, and that the teams dealing with them are adequately resourced and supported.
- UEB heard that, as part of our planning for the new academic year, we remain fully prepared for any contingencies in respect of COVID and other seasonal viruses. We are currently awaiting government decisions about flu and COVID vaccinations and boosters in the autumn, and we will provide any support we can to encourage take-up.
- UEB were pleased to hear there has already been strong take-up to our new low emission car salary sacrifice scheme , which provides our staff with a tax-efficient way to lease a brand new fully electric or ultra-low emission car.
- Finally, there was the regular review of the University Risk Register, the format of which is being changed to be structured around our underpinning strategic plans.