This paper explores what underlies the recent introduction of a Higher Education Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in England. Related changes to the higher education landscape are discussed: the 2017 Higher Education Act and creation of a new HE regulator, the Office for Students. How TEF works and some of the consequences of TEF are outlined. As well as discussing what constitutes teaching excellence and what TEF itself is attempting to signal (which includes graduate destinations), we also analyse the underpinning ideologies and logics of choosing metrics to assess teaching excellence, albeit accompanied by peer panel evaluation of institutional written submissions, in determining Gold, Silver and Bronze TEF outcomes. We introduce the notion of TEF as an index rather than a measure. It is suggested that what underlies the English TEF is not about improving teaching but rather an endeavour to pit universities against each other in a highly marketised competitive system with an oversupply of places, in which student debt levels are rising fast. TEF policy is considered with respect to features that would be required of an intelligent accountability system for higher education teaching quality.

中文翻译：

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卓越英语教学（和学生成果）框架：高等教育中的智能问责制？

本文探讨了英国最近引入高等教育卓越教学框架 (TEF) 的原因。讨论了高等教育格局的相关变化：2017 年高等教育法案和新的高等教育监管机构学生办公室的创建。概述了 TEF 的工作原理以及 TEF 的一些后果。除了讨论什么构成卓越教学以及 TEF 本身试图发出什么信号（包括毕业生目的地），我们还分析了选择指标来评估卓越教学的基础意识形态和逻辑，尽管伴随着对机构书面提交的同行小组评估，确定金牌、银牌和铜牌 TEF 结果。我们将 TEF 的概念引入为指数而非度量。有人认为，英语 TEF 的基础不是改善教学，而是努力使大学在高度市场化的竞争体系中相互竞争，名额供过于求，学生债务水平迅速上升。TEF 政策是根据高等教育教学质量的智能问责系统所需的特征来考虑的。