Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning through an Institutional Teaching Fellowship Scheme

The Edinburgh Napier University Teaching Fellowship Scheme was set up in 1997 as a way to recognise and reward excellence in teaching and to raise the profile of teaching within the institution. Initially fifty Fellowships were created and each successful applicant was awarded a pay increment; it was thus viewed as an academic promotion. The scheme has since evolved with the introduction of a Senior Teaching Fellow grade and the inclusion of professional services staff with a teaching role. The most significant alteration has arisen from the introduction of the national Framework Agreement combined with an institutional review of academic promotions and has led to a fundamental change to the reward mechanism for individual Fellows. This article describes the development and achievements of the Edinburgh Napier Teaching Fellowship Scheme and its role in facilitating good outcomes for the university through the opportunities provided to its staff. In doing so it seeks to pose questions about teaching excellence and its reward within higher education institutions