Elec Eng realises true potential

Last week, Imperial College’s Electrical Engineering Department scored 24/24 in an HEFCE teaching quality assessment. Only one other EE department in the country has ever equalled this, the highest score ever achieved by any department at IC.

A team of assessors studied all the departments’ teaching activities at both undergraduate and postgraduate level over a period of three days. They sat in on lectures and discussed aspects of the course with both lecturers and students.

Speaking to Felix, Dr J. Cozens, head of undergraduate teaching explained: "The assessors had a broad and detailed look at the department. They told us they had tried to get the students to criticise the department but had failed. This result will increase people’s estimation of the quality of our degrees."

The HEFCE assessments are a relative innovation, having been introduced only two years ago. The assessors have not yet been able to visit every UK University department. At the time of going to press, Only the following Imperial College departments have been assessed: Electrical Engineering (24 points), ISET (23 points), Chemical Engineering (22 points), and Civil Engineering with 21 points. Reassessment takes place approximately once every five years.

During the HEFCE exercise, each department is assessed against its own standards - whether it performs as well as it claims, and so no direct comparisons between institutions are possible. As a result, Essex University’s EE Department scored the maximum 24 points while the equivalent department at Cambridge University received only 23