Scotland’s Quality Enhancement Themes:a creative approach embracing institutional diversity

Dr Claire Carney, Head of EnhancementQuality Assurance Agency Scotland

• Background and scene-setting• Scotland’s enhancement-led approach: the Quality

Enhancement Framework• Enhancement Themes

• Graduates for the 21st Century• Current Enhancement Theme: Developing and

Supporting the Curriculum• Conclusions and findings • How to keep informed

Outline:

• a devolved parliament• its own education system• 19 higher education institutions

including:– undergraduate curriculum based on

four-year honours degree programmes

– no undergraduate student fees

Background: Scotland

• Enhancement -taking deliberate steps to bring about improvement in the effectiveness of the learning experiences of students. • Aims to enhance the student learning

experience and encourages student engagement and participation

• Emphasises partnership & collaboration

Enhancement-led approach in Scotland

away from top-down compliance processes to participative and critical supported self-evaluation;

away from audit and towards improvement; away from ruffling the surface of HE practices

and towards permeating the system; away from mechanistic models based solely

on inputs and outcomes and towards more sensitive forms of evidence of cultural change, while maintaining rigour and challenge’.

Quality Enhancement Framework

• Institution-led quality review• Enhancement-led Institutional Review• greater voice for student representatives in

institutional quality systems (sparqs)• improved public information about quality• national programme of Enhancement Themes

Quality Enhancement Framework

Enhancement Themes

• Strategy and vision 2012-16:

Our strategic aim is to ensure that our HE institutions work together to develop, foster and embed a culture of

quality enhancement in learning and teaching, through effective partnerships involving staff, students and other

stakeholders

Oversight of the Themes

• Evidence-based• Evaluation• Internationalisation • Leadership and influence• Quality Culture

• SHEEC decides the broad topic for each Theme including the order in which Themes take place

SHEEC - objectives

10

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012-2014

Enhancement Themes

SHEEC – July 2005 →

Employability

Flexible Delivery

Assessment & IA

The First Year

Research-Teaching Linkages

Graduates for the 21st Century

Individual Enhancement Themes are taken forward through:

sectoral consultation and scopingthe appointment of a steering committee

How are Themes developed?

In all of the above, there is flexibility & evolution

• began work in 2010• steering committee chaired by

Professor Philip Winn, University of Strathclyde

Graduates for the 21st Century

G21C aimed to:• integrate and consolidate aspects of all the

previous Enhancement Themes

and to consider • what should be the attributes of a graduate

from Scottish higher education in the 21st century and how can the achievement of these attributes best be supported?

Graduates for the 21st Century

Shift in approach: process rather than product

• Steering Committee• institutions: teams allow for institutional

priorities to be addressed• areas of shared interest: work facilitated by

project facilitators• sectoral: a symposium series to consider

the Theme’s wider implications

Graduates for the 21st Century

More about sharing and learning

What did HEIs do..?

Evidence-gathering

and enquiry Awareness-raising

& communication channels

Policy refinement & strategic

development

Review & updating of pedagogical

practicesLooking

over the fence - learning from

elsewhere

Seedcorn projects and

Award schemes

Institutions’ strategies for

taking forward the Enhancement

Theme

• Has it been a successful Theme?– Yes – evidence of engagement and interest

across the sector.– Evidence in current ELIR reports– Feature in many HEIs programme designs– Increasingly incorporated into prospectuses

– “Graduate Attributes”, like “Research-Teaching Linkages”, is now a universal concept through the sector.

Graduates for the 21st Century

Current Theme

Developing and Supporting the Curriculum• How is the curriculum, in its

broadest sense, shaped and delivered?

• Who is it for? How is the student body changing?

• What support is required for staff?

• Institutional work: lots of momentum • Student network• Commissioned work

• Flexible Curriculum• Staff: enhancing teaching• Curriculum for Excellence

Developing and Supporting the Curriculum

A Learning Continuum

• New school curriculum (CfE)- Delivering the 4 capacities• successful learner, confident

individual, responsible citizen, effective contributor

• Capacities much in common with graduate type attributes- Make reasoned evaluations

- Apply critical thinking in new contexts

• CfE impact on HE curriculum??• We are all researchers..

Are they worth it…?

• identify sector-wide strategic needs and aspirations

• sector-led and owned • engages with the academic community at all levels• engages with the student body• national and international good practice• supports the management of change

• Themes are not a panacea nor will they be able to answer all questions

• time and resource limited but • cumulative reflection to enhance the student

learning experience• Evaluation – it seems to be working...

Some things to remember…

• Need high level buy-in but also mechanisms to influence middle-layer

• Do not need a huge amount of resource• Build relationships and trust• Don’t do too much too soon• Broad Themes work – it allows for institutional

diversity• It takes time for culture change

Conclusion:

Enhancement Themes website:www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk

International Enhancement Themes

Conference 11-13 June 2015