Derby moves up to 13th for teaching quality in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide

The University of Derby is the 13th best university in the UK for teaching quality, according to the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 league table.

The table, to be published this weekend, will show that the University has climbed from 22^nd to joint 13th in the country for its teaching quality.

University of Derby Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, said: “The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide ranking is a very important assessment of a university’s progress across a range of measures. To be ranked joint 13th in the country for teaching quality is a fantastic achievement, and further reinforces our commitment to delivering teaching and learning excellence at Derby.

“Our teaching strategy encourages our academic teaching staff to be innovative in their approach to teaching and to be flexible enough to support the learning needs of individual students. We aim to help every student fulfil their potential and prepare them for their future career or further study.”

This league table position is the latest in a long line of achievements for the University of Derby, which this year has seen it:

• Ranked as one of the UK’s top 30 universities overall in The Guardian’s University Guide for 2019 – it’s highest ever overall position
   
• Named among the world’s top 250 modern universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University rankings
  
  
• Presented with the Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year Award at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs)

The National Student Satisfaction Survey (NSS) reported in July that satisfaction with teaching at the University of Derby had risen to 88%. In the same survey, assessment and feedback had moved up to 79% satisfaction, with student satisfaction at the University overall rising to 86%, above the national average.

In August, University of Derby Online Learning (UDOL) Academic Manager Paula Shaw received a National Teaching Fellowship – the most prestigious individual award in higher education – in recognition of her outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession.

And Dr Ian Turner, Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching at the University, was shortlisted in the 'Most Innovative Teacher of the Year’ category for the 14th annual Times Higher Education Awards 2018. The award ceremony takes place in November.

Those successes followed the Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award from the Higher Education Funding Council in 2017, which puts the University of Derby in the top 20 per cent of all providers in the UK.

This year’s Times and Sunday Times league table also puts student experience at the University of Derby at number 40, up from 55^th last year. Overall, the University was ranked 75^th, up from 81^st in last year’s table - its highest ever overall ranking in the Times and Sunday Times league table.

Professor Mitchell added: “The importance of the student experience of Derby is inextricably linked to outcomes, and we have worked hard with our student body to ensure that they have a greater voice in the way the university is run, as well as investing in new accommodation and facilities.

“Our vision is for Derby to be recognised as an inclusive university, providing the knowledge, experience and support that give our students the skills and confidence to achieve what they are capable of.”