Abstract:
Quality assurance models play major roles in improving quality of educational services including the
teaching quality and final focus of quality assurance models is to identify the appropriate performance
measurement indicators in different aspects. Yorke (1998) considered performance indicators as
standard components of the language of accountability in higher education. Hence, monitoring and
assessing teaching performance, moving towards greater accountability and thereby making
improvements had become as key requirements for higher education (Maheu, 1995; Alexander, 2000;
Behn, 2003). In a successful organization, performance is measured by the improvements of services
quality experienced by the customers as well as by the results delivered to other stakeholders. Dunkin
(1992, as cited in Richardson, 2005) highlighted the purposes of collecting students‟ evaluation of
teaching to provide diagnostic feedback to teachers about the effectiveness of their teaching and
feedback information can be used as a measurement of teaching effectiveness to be used in
administrative decision making. But the usage of those information and lack of communication of
feedback can be taken as weak points in this process. At the same time, excellence in teaching should
evaluate from different aspects of integrated and coherent academic practice (Harland, 2016; Zou et
al., 2020). In order find a better solution, Department of Finance, introduced and implemented the
Teaching Excellence Model to measure the teaching performance of existing staff members.
The main objectives of implementation of this award are to motivate the staff members, enhance the
quality of the programmes offered by the Department of Finance, University of Kelaniya, to recognize
and reward excellent teaching, to raise the esteem for teaching and to use the student feedback for
administrative purposes.
