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Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs)
Clare Saunders
Invitation to Bid
In January 2004 HEFCE published the Invitation to Bid for Funds to establish Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). The full text of this document can be accessed from the HEFCE website: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/hefce/2004/04_05/
The purpose of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is:
- To reward excellent teaching practice and
- To invest in that practice further in order to increase and deepen its impact across a wider teaching and learning community (HEFCE 2004/05 para. 2).
A total of £315 million is available to fund CETLs over the five-year period from 2004-5 to 2008-9; this will be used to fund 74 CETLs.
For further details:
- Consult the information provided below.
- See the 'Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' section of the HEFCE website - including 'frequently asked questions'.
- See the 'Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' section of the Higher Education Academy website - including 'frequently asked questions'.
What are CETLs?
Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning may be structured around a particular discipline or discipline cluster; and/or they may address learning and teaching issues in a thematic (cross-disciplinary) way. It is expected that CETLs 'are most likely to be led by academic staff who are themselves directly involved in teaching' (HEFCE 2004/05 para. 27), but may also involve a range of other staff - e.g. library, technical, educational development.
CETLs should be focused around an existing (group of) programme(s) or area(s) of study; which provide the basis for demonstrating existing excellence. It is open to applicants to provide a definition of 'excellence' in their chosen area(s) - which may include (but need not be exhausted by):
- A form of teaching
- A way of conceptualising, organising or supporting student learning
- A way of designing the curriculum or developing it to encompass new qualifications or issues
- A way of designing student assessment to enhance and deepen learning
- A way of involving students in active understanding and monitoring of learning effectiveness
- A goal of higher education (HEFCE 2004/05 para. 29).
Who could apply?
- HEFCE-funded higher education institutions
- HEFCE-funded further education colleges with at least 500 full-time equivalent higher education students
Bids could be submitted from individual institutions, or from a consortium of two or more institutions. There were restrictions on the number of bids that could be submitted by any one institution. For further details, consult the Invitation to Bid (especially paras. 23-33 and 53-58).
What funds are available?
Funds are available, for both capital and recurrent costs, at three funding levels:
- Capital funding (for the first two years): up to £800,000 / £1,400,000 / £2,000,000
- Recurrent funding (per year for five years): £200,000 / £350,000 / £500,000
It is expected that funds requested will be proportional to the number of students who will benefit from the work of the CETL - see the Invitation to Bid for details (especially paras. 34-39).
HEFCE also provided funds to bidders who were successful at stage one of the bidding process, to support the development of stage two CETL proposals.
How to apply
There was a two stage application process:
- Stage One focused on the case for excellence and the rationale for the CETL's focus
- Stage Two bids ... were assessed ... on their business case for developing the area of excellence and increasing its impact on teaching and learning (HEFCE 2004/05 para. 5).
The criteria for assessment of applications was accordingly different at each stage of the bidding process. Detailed guidance is provided in the HEFCE Invitation to Bid:
- Defining excellence: see especially Annex B
- Stage One: see especially para. 65 and Annex A
- Stage Two: see especially para. 66, and further guidance notes from HEFCE (forthcoming April 2004).
Timetable for applications
- 23 April 2004: Deadline for submission of stage one bids to HEFCE
- April 2004: HEFCE publish further guidance re: applications for stage two
- End of June 2004: Outcomes of stage one application process announced; successful bidders invited to prepare stage two submissions
- 22 July 2004: Seminar for stage two applicants, to support the development of stage two bids
- 29 October 2004: Deadline for submission of stage two bids
- January 2005: Final decision on successful CETL proposals and announcement by HEFCE
- March 2005: CETL contracts agreed and funding released
CETLs and the Higher Education Academy
CETLs will be required to work closely with the new Higher Education Academy - for example:
- Liaising and collaborating re: dissemination strategy
- Establishing and making use of links between CETLs, the Higher Education Academy and its network of expertise, and academic communities
- Consulting the Higher Education Academy for advice and support re: good practices, evaluation strategy, and general operational and management issues.
The constituent partners of the Higher Education Academy - e.g. what was formerly the LTSN (Subject Centres and Generic Centre) and ILTHE - will provide support and advice to bidders throughout the application process.
The Higher Education Academy, in collaboration with HEFCE, held two support events for prospective bidders (London, 2nd and 4th March 2004). You can view or download the seminar presentations here:
- 'Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning' (Carole Webb, HEFCE)
- 'Developing your Bid' (Sally Brown, ILTHE); 'The Role of the Higher Education Academy' (Brenda Smith, Higher Education Academy); and 'What can Subject Centres Do for You?' (Mike Kelly, Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies)
Further details about the working relationship between CETLs and the Higher Education Academy, during both the bidding process and the lifetime of the CETLs, can be obtained:
- Consult the HEFCE Invitation to Bid - especially paras. 46-49.
- See the Higher Education Academy's dedicated CETL webpages - including detailed advice on the 'terms of engagement' re: support for CETLs from the Higher Education Academy.
- Contact your Subject Centre.
Further Information
Consult HEFCE's webpages for 'frequently asked questions', and other information, about the CETL initiative. Please note - these 'FAQs' will be updated regularly.
Additional information and guidance will be provided by the Higher Education Academy - please consult the Higher Education Academy website for further details, including (regularly updated) FAQs and detailed guidance on the relationship between CETLs and the Higher Education Academy.
See also the information provided at the support seminars for prospective bidders (above).
For subject-specific advice on Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in areas relating to Philosophy (including History and Philosophy of Science), Theology and Religious Studies, please contact us: enquiries@prs-ltsn.ac.uk
For general advice on the bidding process, please contact HEFCE: cetl@hefce.ac.uk
This page was originally on the website of The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies. It was transfered here following the closure of the Subject Centre at the end of 2011.
