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About the University

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Teaching Excellence

Lecture in progress at the University of Stirling

External Quality Assessments

University of Stirling students can be certain to receive a high quality education. A good measure of this quality is the University’s performance in external quality assessment of teaching and research. The University of Stirling is consistently highly rated for both teaching and research. The most recent Teaching Quality Assessment rated Stirling in the top twenty in the UK (Times Higher Education Supplement 2005). In the latest Research Assessment Exercise (2001), Stirling had ten departments that were graded 5 and a further five that were graded 4. This means that 86 percent of all research was rated 4 or above.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methods at Stirling are designed to build knowledge and to prepare students for life after graduation. By encouraging independent thought and discussion, and by teaching you how to apply your knowledge and skills to real-life situations, we hope to offer you an enhanced learning experience. Teaching methods may include:

  • lectures that form the basis of teaching in the early years
  • tutorials that supplement the lectures and call for your participation, whilst ensuring closer supervision
  • seminar discussion groups that form the basis of teaching for many subjects in the later years
  • laboratory sessions that are part of study in all the sciences
  • fieldwork and excursions that form part of many of the biological science courses
  • group project work that forms part of teaching in many departments, where both theoretical and real-life cases are studied

Assessment

During your foundation course you will complete regular assessments. Once you progress onto your degree programme, continuous or periodic assessment will continue. Your final grades for each academic module typically will be based on a selection of assessment types, including:

  • essays
  • short tests
  • projects – individual or in groups
  • presentations – individual or in groups
  • lab reports
  • examinations
This approach is designed to be fair and precise, as well as giving students constant feedback on their progress and minimising the stress of intense exams. Examinations form no more than 60 percent of the total assessment for each module.