College of Arts and Social Sciences Quality Enhancement: Themes and Strategies 2nd Teaching & Learning Staff Forum Wednesday 24th November 2004

College of Arts and Social

Sciences

Quality Enhancement: Themes and Strategies

2nd Teaching & Learning Staff ForumWednesday 24th November 2004

Part 1Enhancement Themes

College of Arts and Social Sciences

Professor Trevor Salmon

Director of Teaching & Learning

Dr Mary Pryor

Academic Learning & Study Unit


Responding to Student Needs

• Quality Enhancement Theme for 2003/4

• Led by Professor John Harper (RGU)

• Project Report available January 2005

• Work to be disseminated through a web-based tool-kit

• http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/


Context


Four Strands

Academic Learning Support, Assessment, Technology-Related, Course Content,Staff Professional Development

Increasing diversity, Holistic Approach: Academic, Administrative and Pastoral Approach, Key Issues

Models and Systems of Support, Use of Technology, Student Expectations

Student Transition, Staged Dissemination of Information

Developing the first year curriculum

Approaches to integrating student support

Personal tutor systems and their alternatives

Induction

• Make first year a priority– Foundation for retention and student development

• Deliver effective transition– Understand student expectations– Understand what happens in Schools– Meet diverse needs


What do we need to do?

• Communicate our expectations

• Appropriate curriculum– Best teachers– Common ‘intra-disciplinary’ expectations– Right tools at the right time– Early assessment


What do we need to do?

• Approachability - Smile for Students• Person and Professional Advisors - Accessible!• Compulsory year 1 learning course• Induction days/coffee/small teambuilding sessions• Practice exams with detailed feedback• Maximum numbers in tutorial groups, badges• Encouragement to join discipline societies• Easy access to information (Noticeboards/web)• Getting student feedback


CASS Activities: School Level

• Re-launch of SK1003– Theme - ‘Get yourself connected…’– Early computer registration– Students as demonstrators– Pilot scheme

• First MA Welcome

• First Year Experience Questionnaire


CASS Activities: College Level

• Academic Welcome (2 sessions)

• Thursday 23 September - Freshers’ Week (Advising)

• Inspirational and informative!

• 200+ students at each session

• Speakers:• Professor Trevor Salmon – CASS DoTL

• Mr Steve Duggan - Student Support Services

• Dr Mary Pryor – Academic Learning & Study Unit

• Dr Aenea Reid - DISS


MA Welcome

Rationale

• Identified by the Retention & Progression Strategy Team as

an important research area for the University

• Identified by CASS as a key priority

• CASS – SK1003 students - pilot for the Institution


1st Year Experience Questionnaire

Questionnaire

• Web-based questionnaire - 25% response rate (7% for

Napier)

• Prize draw (£20 book tokens) offered as an incentive

• Run during the 8th week of teaching



Student Profile• 69% < 18 yrs (9% 26+)• 71% from Scotland

(23% from Aberdeen)• 80% MA, 16% BEd/BMus• 99% Full-time

• 99% Entered into Year 1 0

40

80

120

160

200

Family

exp

ecta

tions

To stu

dy a

partic

ular c

ourse

It post

poned w

orkin

g full-

time

To impro

ve c

aree

r pro

spec

ts

Other

C

ou

nts

Reasons for going to University


Preliminary findings…MA Welcome

• 56% attended the MA welcome – 75% found it useful

• 81% non-MA students had an Induction – 91% found it useful

Information related to their Academic Studies


Timetabled academic study

Per

cen

t (%

)

Personal academic study

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t (%

)

< 10 11 – 15 16 > < 10 11 – 15 16 >

0

20

40

60

80

100

Time (hours) Time (hours)


Submitted first assignment

0

20

40

60

80

100

For some courses

For all courses

For none

Per

cen

t (%

)

In employment

No job

Per

cen

t (%

)

< 10 11–15 16 >

0

20

40

60

80

100

Time (hours)


Overall 1st Year Experience

• 74% feel they belong to the University community

• 72% agreed that their experiences so far match their expectations

• 88% would recommend the University to their friends

• 20% have changed their courses

• 69% agreed that their courses are as good as they were expecting


Information related to their Academic Studies

• What can we do to make the transition to university more effective?

• What key areas should we focus on?

In Future…..


Dr Graeme Roberts

Vice Principal Teaching & Learning


Employability

Because:• Many students believe increases chances of well-

paid and meaningful employment• One of SHEFC’s hallmarks of a high quality HE

sector is “where learning and teaching promotes the employability of students”

• ELIR includes consideration of the HEI’s approach to the employability of its students

• SFC publication Learning to Work report as framework for consultation and policy development

Employability

QE Theme: Important and Timely

Because:• ESECT (Enhancing Student Employability Co-

ordination Team) briefings and practical toolkits• LTSN Generic Centre guidance on enhancing student

employability• Support for employability theme in 2004 by HEA

subject centres

Employability

QE Theme: Important and Timely

Great Opportunity for Scottish Universities to build on and exploit this material

Employability

What is Employability?

“A set of achievements - skills, understandings and personal attributes

- that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in

their chosen occupations.”

To help Scottish sector engage effectively by:

• Creating a clearer understanding of what it means• Raising its profile and its benefits across the sector• Encouraging and assisting the development of

institutional strategies that embed employability in the entire student experience

• Working with the Scottish Group developing material to support introduction of Personal Development Planning in 2006

Employability

Aims of Steering Committee

To ensure that programme of work is informedand shaped by sector’s needs and priorities,ICs have provided detailed information about:

• How each university plans to engage with theme

• What it hopes the outcomes of that engagement will be

• What assistance it needs

• Any proposals it may have for a local employability event

Employability

Network of Institutional Contacts

Considering:

• Mapping current level of employability activity in each School

• Identifying good practice for sharing with the rest of University and sector

• Assisting Schools to embed employability in curriculum

• Working with Students’ Association to promote employability through extra-curricular activities

• Addressing implications of Learning to Work report

Employability

Employability Strategy Working Group

Has agreed to develop an institutional strategy that:

• Builds on current policy on provision of career education, information and guidance (February 2002)

• Incorporates provision for PDP

• Takes account of Learning to Work report

• Provides overarching framework and guidance for development and delivery of College and School action plans and development partnership between Students’ Association and Careers Service

Employability


Seeking advice and comment on how to:

• Develop and implement an effective employability strategy in a research-led university

• How to make the best use of briefing materials and toolkits developed by ESECT

• How to take account of the needs of local and national employers

• How to monitor and assess effectiveness of our strategy

Employability


Part 2Quality Enhancement


Dr Nick Spedding

Administrative Officer, Registry


Overview of

QE Framework & QE Strategy

Quality Assurance - ensures things are OK

– Focuses on what is taught at what level– Retrospective– Bureaucratic, confrontational– Box-ticking, form-filling, hoop-jumping extravaganza

QE Framework & Strategy

Quality Enhancement is not…..

As it turns out, we are very good at this!

Quality Enhancement - always making things better

– Focuses on students and the wider learning experience– Forward thinking: future actions, strategic planning– Partnership, constructive dialogue– To produce genuine change


Beyond Quality Assurance

This is work in progress, guided by SHEFC’s Quality Enhancement Framework

Five Core Aspects:

– New standards of public information– Working more closely with students– No more QAA subject inspections; Internal Teaching Review

(ITR) only– Key themes to guide Scotland-wide QE activities– Enhancement-Led Institutional Review (ELIR)


Quality Enhancement Framework

QAA definition of QE:“ Taking deliberate steps

to bring about

continual improvement

in the effectiveness

of the learning experience

of students”

HE Academy definition of QE:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/896.htm

“An inclusive concept and a collective enterprise (that) includes

significant strategic initiatives and

the many small things that people

do to try and make things better”


This is the gap our QE strategy should help us bridge!

– Explicit statement of intent– Draws together key principles of QE and identifies key

agents– Includes action points for the central administration– Toolkit to guide thought and action at all levels


UofA’s Quality Enhancement Strategyhttp://www.abdn.ac.uk/qe/strategy.shtml


UofA’s Quality Enhancement Strategyhttp://www.abdn.ac.uk/qe/strategy.shtml

“The QES provides a central framework to encourage and support the pursuit of better practice

in teaching and learning, but the responsibility to undertake enhancement activities rests primarily

with individuals and groups in the University’s Schools and other academic units”

Dr Graeme Roberts

Vice Principal Teaching & Learning


Institutional Priorities: Preparing for ELIR

• Audit of management of quality and standards through institutional review

• Also looks at our management of QE• Outcome of a public document - judgement and

commentary• Opportunity for a serious critical reflection on

our strengths and weaknesses• Comments on draft by end of term

Preparing for ELIR

ELIR

• QE strategy and action plan• New teaching and learning infrastructure• Robustness of revised ITR system• Revision of class representative system*• Promotion of e-learning*• Investment in teaching infrastructure*

(*case studies)

Preparing for ELIR

Strengths?

• Student feedback system• Lack of co-ordination of learning support services• Arrangements for sharing of best practice• Professional development of staff for their role in

teaching and learning• Recognition and reward of teaching excellence• Management of implementation of QE strategy

Preparing for ELIR

Weaknesses?

• Effective approach to QA - moving emphasis to QE• Regularly reviews key elements of QA strategy• Staff conscientious about teaching but perceive

advancement depends on research• Effective ad hoc innovation at subject level - now

seeking to manage process more effectively

Preparing for ELIR

Overall Picture?

• Low participation in educational staff development and engagement with HEA subject

• Strong and effective partnership with students• Committed to excellence in teaching and

research

Preparing for ELIR

Overall Picture?

Ms Cathy Macaslan

Head of School - School of Education


Institutional Priorities: Review of Teaching & Learning Strategy

• Critical reflection

• How effective are we? In which ways are we effective?

• Strengths

• What are our target areas for development?

• What should inform such choices?

Review of Teaching & Learning Strategy

• Teaching and learning in a research-led institution

• Outcomes measured against benchmarks

• Information to inform development plan

• Dovetailing enhancement theme


Strategic Review

C. Macaslan, Head of School of Education (Convener)

• Bill Long, Director of Undergraduate Programmes (Science)

• Gillian Mackintosh, Registry

• Julie McAndrews, Centre for Lifelong Learning

• Darren Comber, Educational Staff Development Unit

• Aenea Reid, DISS

• Clerk, TBC

• Mary Cotter, DTL, College of Life Sciences and Medicine

• Trevor Salmon, DTL, College of Physical Sciences

• Gordon Walkden, DTL, College of Physical Sciences

• Calum Mair, Vice-President (Education), Students’ Association

• Doug Marr, School of Education, Court nominee on UCTL


Review Group

• Research-led University ranked in the UK top 20

• Distinctiveness of the student learning experience

• Students making us their first choice university

• Fees-only students• Students from low participation groups• Students successfully transferring from

FE

• Part-time and mature students• Our student body• Student retention and progression rates,

especially in year 1• Employability of our graduates• Develop and deliver within the University a

new evidence-based model for the Scottish teacher in the 21st century (the Hunter Project)


RemitTo conduct a thorough review and holistic revision of the

University’s approach to undergraduate teaching, learning and assessment, in the light of our aims:

Mr Calum Mair

Vice Principal Education,

Students Association


A Students’ Perspective: What does QE Mean?

“good degree”

“high essay marks”

“cheap booze”

“free gym pass”

“four years that I enjoy”

A Students’ Perspective


Student A

Student B

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

T & L Sport Social Job

Student C

13,500 students would give a different answer

120 different Nationalities would give a different answer


• School Perspective – “No idea”

• Undergraduate Perspective – “No idea”

• Post-Graduate Perspective – “A Review of quality and standards”

• Graduate Perspective – “Increasing the standard of educational attainment”


QAA Perspective

“QE is a term that describes the continuous improvement of both quality and standards in higher education, and students have a very important role to play in this

process.”


- Encapsulate all!

- Diverse

- Interchangeable

- Open to interpretation


‘Quality Enhancement is about the learning opportunities available to a student, via

teaching, support, facilities and services.’


Therefore QE differs for every student perspective;

It differs for the Student Sabbatical

It differs for the Active Student Rep

It differs for the In-Active Student

It differs for the Future Student…..


QE means everything to some and nothing to others!


To enhance the Student Experience you need to enhance all aspects of the system, all aspects that touch on student life 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

From applying to UCAS to beyond Alumni Relations.



Open Forum

Questions and Answers

We will be asking you for your feedback!


Thank You for Your Participation

Documents

College of Arts and Social Sciences Quality Enhancement: Themes and Strategies 2nd Teaching & Learning Staff Forum Wednesday 24th November 2004