The Higher Education Academy Annual Report 2010-11

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Contents About the HEA ____________________________________________________________ 3

Foreword by Professor Sir Robert Burgess ________________________________________ 4

Introduction from Professor Craig Mahoney _______________________________________ 6

Highlights of the year _______________________________________________________ 8

Learning and teaching _______________________________________________________ 9

National Teaching Fellows 2011 _______________________________________________ 11

Lecturers _______________________________________________________________ 13

Higher education institutions _________________________________________________ 14

The disciplines ___________________________________________________________ 16

Students ________________________________________________________________ 17

National policy making _____________________________________________________ 19

Partnerships _____________________________________________________________ 21

Future plans _____________________________________________________________ 23

Governance _____________________________________________________________ 24

Finance _________________________________________________________________ 25

HEA contact details ________________________________________________________ 26

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About the HEA The HEA is the national body for learning and teaching in UK higher education. It supports the sector in providing the best possible learning experience for all students. Through a range of programmes, events, research, evidence and grant funding opportunities at generic and discipline level it works across the UK to enhance the quality of teaching and the student learning experience. In its work to identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches, the HEA engages academics, subject communities and institutions in examining current evidence about effective practice, and in using this evidence to make decisions about teaching, assessment, curriculum design and support for students. It provides easy access to information and research and initiates dialogue with individuals and institutions about how they can use this evidence to support their students. The HEA brokers relationships that promote the sharing of effective practice. By ensuring the expertise that exists across the sector can be distributed more widely, students are able to benefit from high quality resources and teaching material, whether it is developed in their own or another institution. At this uncertain time within the HE sector, the HEA’s role in supporting universities and colleges in bringing about strategic change is more valuable than ever. In the pages of this report, you can find out about our work over the past year and about our plans for the future. 2 3

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Foreword by Professor Sir Robert Burgess Chair of the Higher Education Academy and Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester It has been a year of challenge and change in higher education. Public finances remain under pressure, with funding for higher education highlighted, and policy changes a key factor. In England, the raising of the cap on student fees so that higher education institutions (HEIs) will be able to charge up to £9,000 from September 2012 has dominated headlines. As we are all aware, the impact on student expectations is likely to be significant. In Scotland, the Green Paper published in December 2010, Building a Smarter Future, urged that higher education use its current resources more effectively. The Welsh Government’s For Our Future current strategy document points to two significant priorities – supporting a buoyant economy and delivering social justice. And in Northern Ireland, as in all UK countries, widening participation continues to be a key focus. The work of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) to support the sector in developing the student learning experience is now more important than ever. Maintaining and improving quality in teaching in higher education has been much debated over the past year, and the HEA’s focus on this area, particularly through its accreditation service and its individual recognition scheme, is set to play an even greater part in HE as institutions seek to demonstrate their commitment to high quality teaching. In the past year, 34 institutions received accreditation for over 70 provisions from the HEA, including a growing number of continuing professional development frameworks. We expect that the number will be even greater in the coming academic year. Critical work has been undertaken by the HEA this year in developing the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), which was first introduced in 2006.The sector consultation, which closed in November 2010, found that there was overwhelming support for the broad aims of the Framework but that amendments needed to be made to keep pace with the changing nature of higher education, particularly the ever-widening international context for our sector and the growth of new technologies. Following the consultation, the HEA has made revisions to the UKPSF to bring it up to date, and I am confident that the sector will find these useful and appropriate. In the current climate, it is particularly important for us to continue to recognise and reward excellence in teaching, and this will become increasingly significant as the focus on teaching quality continues. The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, which is managed by the HEA, goes from strength to strength, and this year we were pleased to welcome Wales to the Scheme. Among the 55 new Fellows, six were from Welsh higher education institutions. In partnership with the National Union of Students (NUS) the HEA piloted the student-led teaching awards in Scotland. In October 2011 this successful scheme was rolled out across the UK. The work that the HEA does with its partners has provided some important initiatives for the sector. This year the HEA has worked with JISC on the second phase of the HEFCE funded Open Educational Resources (OER) programme, which was launched in August 2010 and ran until April 2011. This phase extended the range of materials openly available through the scheme and enhanced the discoverability and use of OER materials. The work also resulted in a greater understanding of the benefits offered by OER release.

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The Change Academy programme, run by the HEA in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, continues to provide institutions with a model to bring about changes that improve the student learning experience. It was announced this year that for the first time an international team will join the programme –York University, based in Toronto, Canada, will join UK teams and will use the year-long programme to enhance the quality of their student learning experience through engagement. The Higher Education Academy has refocused and reorganised over the past year. As the sector faces new challenges against a backdrop of policy and funding changes, as well as changes to delivery modes and with increasing competition from divergent HE providers, the organisation has needed to effect its own change to ensure that it continues to deliver what the sector needs. We have significantly increased the proportion of our resource that we use on working directly with institutions and their staff at both generic and discipline levels. Our work now falls into three broad areas: Teacher Excellence, Academic Practice Development, and Institutional Strategy and Change, and incorporates 38 discipline foci and seven themes: internationalisation, assessment and feedback, employability, flexible learning, retention and success, reward and recognition of teaching, and education for sustainable development. I am confident that the HEA is in a strong position to support the sector in delivering the most effective learning experience possible to the 2.5 million students currently in UK higher education.

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Introduction from Professor Craig Mahoney Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy The HEA has gone through many changes since it was originally set up in 2003.Throughout these changes our core purpose has remained essentially the same – to work in partnership with those delivering and influencing higher education, to bring about improvements in the student learning experience, and thus to bring about better outcomes for students. Much has changed in the sector since 2003, and the last year, in particular, has seen massive upheaval. Following Government policy initiatives in all four UK nations (see ‘National policy making’ page 21), the debate about student fees has become dominant. Quality of teaching has become a key focus in higher education. The White Paper for England, Students at the Heart of the System, quotes from Professor Graham Gibbs’ report for the HEA on the dimensions of quality in higher education, looking at what is known about the factors that make up a high quality learning experience. Graham found that the teacher who is delivering the course makes a significant difference, together with factors such as class size, the level of student feedback, and the quantity and quality of feedback students receive. The recently-published Scottish Government pre-legislative paper Putting Learners at the Centre: Delivering our Ambitions for Post-16 Education, following consultation throughout 2010-11, indicates no major Government changes to the arrangements for quality assurance and enhancement for the university sector; however, there is a strong emphasis on maintaining the high quality and distinctiveness of Scottish higher education through a student-centred, enhancement-led approach and developing collaboration between local authorities, colleges and universities. Enhancing teaching quality and the greater professionalisation of teaching in higher education are inherently important in fulfilling these objectives. The Welsh Government’s For Our Future strategy includes proposals for maximising participation in HE, particularly through more flexible and learner-centred ways to access higher education. This will bring into focus how and where teaching is delivered. The Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland’s (DELNI) consultation on higher education strategy for Northern Ireland up to 2020, which closed on 15 April, also focuses on maximising opportunities for all who can benefit from HE. This incorporates flexible learning, workforce development, widening participation and postgraduate research and training, which again will necessitate a focus on teaching quality and provision. I firmly believe the HEA is effective in supporting change in the delivery of learning and teaching with positive impact on the student learning experience, especially relevant at a time when teaching budgets are under immense pressure. By working at a national level on matters that affect the whole sector it is possible to bring about great changes, over and above what can be achieved in any one university. The HEA is committed to researching what helps people become great teachers in higher education, and we are looking at how that expertise can be better recognised by higher education institutions. In November 2011 we published the findings of our sector review of the UK Professional Standards Framework and launched its revised format, which will ensure it is even more effective in supporting individuals and HEIs to accredit their work, a key factor in the professionalisation of teaching.

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As you may be aware, 2010-11 has been a year of change for the Higher Education Academy itself. We have continued to build on many aspects of our work and made considerable plans for our refreshed structure, which will take us forward over the coming years (see ‘Future plans’, page 45). This includes supporting academics at the discipline level through a team of directly employed or seconded staff with pedagogic and subject expertise working with an extensive network of Associates distributed throughout the sector. During this period we continued to provide the higher education sector with events, research publications, guidance and support in a range of vital areas, and the HEA’s input has helped shape the outcome of policy reviews across the UK. I am confident that our work has made a difference and I look forward to effecting even greater positive change in the year ahead.

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Highlights of the year In 2010-11 the HEA: • launched a sector consultation on a revised UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), and, in

November 2011, published the revised Framework on behalf of the sector; • launched the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme in Wales, and made 55 new National Teaching Fellows

from institutions in England and Wales; • responded to the Scottish Government’s Green Paper consultation on the future of higher education;

• ran over 570 generic and discipline-based events and seminars engaging over 12,500 colleagues from across the sector. 98% of UK HEIs were represented at these events;

• worked with all HEIs and key sector agencies in Wales to identify the first Wales-wide quality enhancement theme for learning and teaching – Graduates For Our Future – to address the Welsh Government’s For Our Future: the 21st Century Higher Education Strategy and Plan for Wales;

• launched Teaching Development Grants, which will see £1.5 million of funding distributed to individuals, departments and collaborative teams to stimulate evidence-based research and encourage innovations in learning and teaching that have the potential for sector-wide impact;

• ran the second year of the very successful Scottish student-led teaching awards in partnership with the National Union of Students Scotland;

• ran the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) and the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), which this year had record numbers of HEIs taking part in them: 102 took part in PRES and 80 in PTES;

• launched the Northern Ireland learning and teaching enhancement fund, providing grants of up to £2,500 to support projects led by individuals at Northern Irish HEIs to enhance or support learning and teaching in HE, which are of use beyond applicants’ own institutions;

• contributed to the outcome of key policy reviews, including the HE White Paper for England, Students at the Heart of the System, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) review and revision of the Academic Infrastructure and its replacement with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Key Information Sets (KIS), and the UUK review of external examiners;

• established a sector-wide Scottish Higher Education Employability Forum (SHEEF); • published two well-received guides on academic integrity: Policy works: Recommendations for reviewing policy to

manage unacceptable academic practice in higher education and Supporting academic integrity: approaches and resources for higher education, both of which provide practical guidance for those involved in implementing plagiarism policies;

• commissioned and published Dimensions of Quality by Graham Gibbs, which found that it is what institutions do with their resources that can best predict educational gain. Factors here include class size, who undertakes the teaching and the level of student engagement.

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Learning and teaching High quality learning and teaching are at the heart of the student experience. The HEA engages with higher education institutions and lecturers on work to support, inspire and recognise teaching. The HEA continued to develop its accreditation programme and this year 34 institutions received accreditation for over 70 provisions including a growing number of continuing professional development frameworks. Accreditation supports the professionalisation of teaching in HE and provides institutions with external confirmation that their programmes are aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). This year the HEA carried out a sector-wide review of the UKPSF and feedback was used to ensure the revised framework provides even greater support for HEIs as they develop their initial and continued HE teacher development programmes. The HEA in Scotland established a sector-wide Scottish Higher Education Employability Forum (SHEEF).The programme of work included the largest employability-specific higher education conference held in Scotland, attracting over 200 attendees from across the UK. The HEA’s Teaching International Students (TIS) project in partnership with the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) came to a successful conclusion. Over 120 academics attended the final TIS conference in June, which explored new and emerging thinking, practice and research around teaching international students. An important legacy from this project is the international student life cycle resource bank, providing materials, advice and key resources to help lecturers and other teaching staff to maintain and improve the quality of teaching for international students. The HEA Travel Fund was launched in Northern Ireland to encourage the exchange and dissemination of good practice throughout the UK. Offering bursaries of up to £200 to academic staff and students in HEIs in Northern Ireland wishing to attend HEA events held elsewhere in the UK, the scheme was specifically aimed at enabling staff and students to engage with colleagues from other parts of the UK and to support their institution’s priorities and developments in learning and teaching. The HEA Annual Conference, ‘Changing practice, changing times’, brought together over 350 delegates at the East Midlands Conference Centre to discuss topics including models of change, internationalisation, postgraduate provision, student engagement and continuing professional development. The HEA successfully trialled the use of live streaming, which ensured delegates who could not attend the event in person could take part. Following the event all delegates, whether they attended in person or remotely, could view recordings of all the conference sessions, maximising the benefits for all those interested in the wide range of issues discussed. Ten HEIs took part in the HEA’s UK-wide Evidence-Informed Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP), which helped them identify and resolve key issues affecting the quality of their students’ learning experiences. Projects included enhancing the learning experience through evidence-informed curriculum design, and co-creating the curriculum through student/academic partnerships.

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The HEA supported Welsh HEIs in their development of new learning and teaching strategies for the period 2011-12 to 2013-14.This included a workshop, ‘Future Directions for Higher Education in Wales: Learning and Teaching and Widening Access Strategies’, on 13 April 2011 at the University of Glamorgan and the publication of a bilingual guide, Assessing the impact of learning and teaching strategies in Wales: A guide for institutions, which supports HEIs as they reflect on the impact of their current learning and teaching strategies to inform future enhancement plans. The HEA delivered two ‘Professional Development Planning (PDP) and Graduate Attributes’ workshops in Wales, and supported a PDP event, ‘Embedding Graduate Attributes and PDP in Teaching and Learning: Key lessons for Student and Graduate Employability’, in Northern Ireland. In partnership with the Centre for Recording Achievement (CRA), the HEA has also supported a Wales and Northern Ireland PDP and e-portfolio JISC mail list, creating a communication channel for the PDP community, for example, for advertising events. Phase two of the HEFCE-funded Open Educational Resources (OER) programme was launched in August 2010 and ran until April 2011. Many subject centres have developed their OER work this year including English, which created ‘The Pool’, a collection of materials that add a subject dimension to accredited courses. The Health Sciences and Practice (HSAP), and Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine (MEDEV) subject centres were also active in OER work: MEDEV’s phase two project, ACTOR, focused on accredited clinical teaching, and HSAP examined the impact of their phase one project, PHORUS (Public Health Open Resources in the University Sector). Gwella (which means ‘to enhance’ in Welsh) has been a three-year programme of support for Welsh HEIs for the enhancement of learning and teaching through technology (2007-08 to 2010-11). Feedback has shown that HEIs have grounded their use of technology to enhance and improve access to learning on evidence-based practice, and the programme has led to more strategic discussions about the role of technology-enhanced learning. The annual Gwella programme meeting took place in October 2010 and focused on ‘Celebrating Success and Meeting Future Challenge’. The HEA continued to develop its role on employability and employee learning. It published Quality and responding to employer needs, a series of nine reports that show good practice in HEIs in the context of employer-responsive provision. Themes include maintaining HE standards in accredited in-company training and managing employer and cross-institutional partnerships. A total of 110 delegates from 55 HEIs also attended the HEA’s employability framework workshop. The HEA has published two guidance reports to support the development of academic integrity policy and practice, including a guide covering a range of educational resources for staff and students. The second report, Policy works: Recommendations for reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice in HE, published in March 2011, is highly regarded by the sector and enables HEIs to review and develop institutional policy in this area.

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National Teaching Fellows 2011 Fifty-five National Teaching Fellows were recognised this year by the HEA, bringing the total number to 478. For the first time academics from HEIs in Wales took part in the scheme. The £10,000 awarded to each new National Teaching Fellow supports their professional development of learning and teaching. A wide range of disciplines was represented. Professor Peter Abrahams University of Warwick Irene Anderson University of Hertfordshire Dr Patricia Black Keele University Dr Robert Blackwood University of Liverpool Robert Bowie Canterbury Christ Church University Dr Isobel Braidman University of Manchester Dr Helen Bruce Queen Mary, University of London Professor Aidan Byrne Swansea University Professor Michael Clarke University of Huddersfield Claire Craig Sheffield Hallam University Steven Curtis London Metropolitan University Dr Will Curtis De Montfort University Ruth Dineen University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Dr Sue Dymoke University of Leicester Professor Joëlle Fanghanel University of West London Sarah Greer University of Greenwich Jon Guest Coventry University Dr Jennifer Hill University of the West of England, Bristol Dr Anthony C Hilton Aston University Cath Holström University of Sussex Dr Robin Humphrey Newcastle University Dr Amanda Jefferies University of Hertfordshire Dr Jill Johnes Lancaster University Paul Jones Northumbria University DrTom Joyce Newcastle University Will Katene University of Exeter Professor Richard Lance Keeble University of Lincoln Professor Roger Kneebone Imperial College, London Dr Gary Lock University of Bath Dr Martin Luck University of Nottingham Dr Jason MacVaugh University of Gloucestershire Professor Paul Maharg Northumbria University Dr Nigel McLaughlin University of Gloucestershire Dr Robert McSherry Teesside University Dr Rosie Miles University of Wolverhampton Professor Jean Murray University of East London Sarah Nixon Liverpool John Moores University Dr Martin Oliver Institute of Education, University of London Julie Price Cardiff University

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Professor Susannah Quinsee City University London Dr Gordon Ramsay University of Nottingham Caroline Reid Middlesex University Patsy Rodenburg, OBE Guildhall School of Music & Drama Dr Andrew Russell Durham University Professor Mark Schofield Edge Hill University Dr Ian Scott University of Worcester Dr Heather Skinner University of Glamorgan Susan Smith Leeds Metropolitan University Professor Kristyan Spelman Miller University of Winchester Professor Richard Tong University ofWales Institute, Cardiff Professor Joanna Verran Manchester Metropolitan University Andrew Walsh University of Huddersfield Dr Shân Wareing University of the Arts London Dr Carol Watts Birkbeck, University of London Professor Chris Webster Cardiff University 19

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Lecturers The HEA leads, supports and informs the professional development and recognition of staff in higher education. Through its reports, research, events and networking opportunities it ensures that individuals have access to professional recognition, advice and guidance. Its work to enhance the status of teaching, and to support new academic staff, continued to be priorities across the UK this year. Over 780 submissions were made to the HEA’s first phase of teaching development grants in July. Fifty-one awards were made to individuals totalling £315,000. The grants will stimulate evidence-based research and encourage innovations in learning and teaching that have the potential for sector-wide impact on learning and teaching in internationalisation and employability. £28,000 was reserved for new academic staff with less than five years’ experience, with the same level of funding reserved for HEA Fellows who have not previously received a teaching development grant. In March 2011 the HEA, in partnership with NUS Scotland, launched the second phase of the student-led teaching awards pilot project, building on the successful pilot run in 2009. Thirteen students’ associations throughout Scotland were supported to run their own awards schemes ensuring students could show how much they appreciate staff dedication to teaching quality. An online toolkit was launched to help associations with planning and preparation of the awards. The marked increase in the number of HE professionals seeking recognition for their learning and teaching provision continued this year. Over 4,450 Associates and Fellows were recognised, an increase of over 800 on figures for the previous year. All subject centres worked closely with lecturers across the disciplines. For example, the UK Centre for Bioscience held its Bioscience Teacher of the Year Award, which recognises excellence in Bioscience teaching. Many subject centres provided events designed to support academic staff new to teaching, or postgraduates who teach. This includes the Economics Network, whose workshops were supported by the Royal Economics Society and the Scottish Economics Society. The Engineering Subject Centre and the Psychology Network were also active in this area. In Northern Ireland the HEA launched its learning and teaching enhancement fund, providing grants of up to £2,500 to support projects led by individuals at Northern Ireland HEIs to enhance or support learning and teaching in HE, which are of use beyond applicants’ own institutions. HEA Wales launched a seminar series in partnership with Welsh HEIs on themes including assessment and feedback, student engagement and student voice, learning for employment, and learning in employment. Seven seminars took place, which were in total attended by colleagues from 11 of the 12 HEIs in Wales. Following an extensive usability study across the sector, the HEA refreshed its website presence in June 2011.The changes were made to ensure the website could better reflect the organisation.

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Higher education institutions The HEA liaises directly with institutions across the UK to ensure it develops and provides programmes of support based on institutional needs. Through its regular communication channels it encourages debate so that institutions can collaborate in shared academic research to support the learning experience of all students. The Change Academy programme, which the HEA runs in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, saw change programmes on topics ranging from learning through employment to education for sustainable development. A clear trend towards projects related to employability and graduate skills emerged. One particularly innovative example was ScotPID (Scottish PDP Institutional Development),hich was run in partnership with the Centre for Recording Achievement (CRA) and QAA Scotland. Other change programmes led by the HEA this year included ‘Green Academy: Curricula for tomorrow’. This was a pilot programme in association with the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) and the NUS to help institutions achieve sustainability in the curriculum goals. Feedback from the eight institutional teams includes comments such as: “I think the fact that we’ve got other institutions here, learning from what they’re doing, sharing ideas, sharing best practice, is very valuable indeed.” Over the last year the HEA has worked through the subject centres to provide support to departments and faculties in using National Student Survey (NSS) results to improve the learning experiences of their students. For example, the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Subject Centre held an event that provided academic and support staff with an opportunity to share innovative practice in assessment and feedback and its relation to the NSS. The HEA also engaged with institutions, and with national policy, through the NSS Working Group and national events including the ‘Surveys for Enhancement’ conference. This conference took place in May, and featured presentations and workshops designed to help delegates use survey data to make improvements to students’ learning experiences. The event focused on the National Student Survey, the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) and the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES). The HEA ran four scholarly activity workshops that gave 128 delegates from 58 further education colleges advice to guide higher education in further education teachers in developing their pedagogic or disciplinary research skills. The delegates were also given guidance on the UK Professional Standards Framework. In Scotland the HEA, in partnership with Scotland’s Colleges and the Equality Practitioners’ Network, launched a three year programme of work to support colleges and HE institutions to further embed equality and diversity within curriculum design, delivery and assessment. The programme included the development of a self-evaluation framework, which universities and colleges can use to evaluate and reflect upon their progress in embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum, strategic planning and capacity building workshops, and a regular newsletter. In partnership with Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) the HEA published a commentary to provide higher education institutions with ideas and examples on how to promote higher achievement among Black and minority ethnic students. The online publication, Improving the degree attainment of Black and minority ethnic students, is the culmination of the HEA and ECU summit programme, which brought together 15 higher

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education institutions to plan, develop, and/or pilot initiatives to address the attainment gap in their institutions. The commentary showcases their varying approaches to help others develop their own work in this area.

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The disciplines The disciplines The HEA works across the disciplines to provide subject-specific support for enhancing the student learning experience. Lecturers, subject departments and discipline communities are supported through a range of services including subject-specific information and resources, events and departmental workshops, as well as mini-project funding and support for Special Interest Groups. The work of the Islamic Studies Network continued during this year and was led by a cross-HEA team including the subject centres for Business, Management, Accountancy and Finance; Law; Philosophical and Religious Studies; Sociology, Anthropology and Politics; and Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. An independent evaluation of the Network found that its events and funded projects were all well received by the sector and attracted participants from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. The Network also launched its biannual publication, Perspectives, a forum for those involved in teaching Islamic Studies in higher education to share practice and resources. As well as updates on Islamic Studies Network activity, Perspectives publishes articles on a wide range of topics related to Islamic Studies in higher education. Themes related to employability were key priorities for many subject centres this year. ESCalate, the Education Subject Centre, held its student conference on the theme of employability and enterprise in education. The Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology held a workshop to explore the way the practical aspects of Archaeology are provided at university and the skills required by archaeological employers, and the Subject Centre for Information and Computer Sciences led discussions on enhancing the employability of computing students. The Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Network published a book, Enhancing Graduate Impact. The UK Physical Sciences Centre published the results of three major national surveys of recent graduates in relation to skills development, the teaching of their courses and transferable skills. The reports have been cited in a successful bid by the forensic science community for a national subject benchmark. The STEM group of subject centres, including Engineering, Information and Computer Sciences, the UK Physical Sciences Centre, the UK Centre for Bioscience, the UK Centre for Materials Education and the Maths, Stats and OR Network, held a workshop for academic staff who had either recently been appointed, or aspired to becoming, an external examiner. Delegates experienced several external examining scenarios and considered how the role is likely to develop in the future, and UUK presented their review of external examining arrangements. The Social Policy and Social Work Subject Centre also held a successful event for external examiners in its field, with over 60 delegates attending and 78% reporting they would change their practice following their attendance. The Subject Centre for Dance, Drama and Music, PALATINE, held an event on ‘Digital reflection: using digital technologies to enhance and embed creative processes’, which was very well received, with comments from delegates including: “Since the event I have adapted some of my assessment strategies for next year in light of some of the innovative ideas that were presented at the event.”

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Students The HEA’s approach to student engagement considers students as active partners in their learning experience. It promotes the value of student engagement and shares effective practice across the HE sector. The HEA has worked with HEIs to ensure that all students, whatever their background, can benefit from inclusive teaching practices. Results from this year’s HEA postgraduate experience surveys showed the highest overall experience ratings since the surveys began. 88% of students who took part in this year’s taught experience survey said the programme had met or exceeded their expectations, up from 85% in 2010. 86% of students who took part in the research experience survey said that the overall experience of their programme met or exceeded their expectations. This compares to 84% in 2009, and 83% in 2008 (the survey did not run in 2010).A record number of higher education institutions and postgraduate students took part in the surveys. A total of 102 HEIs and 31,202 students took part in PRES and 80 HEIs and 38,756 students took part in PTES this year. In Wales, the HEA has continued to be a key partner in the Wales Initiative for Student Engagement (WISE), a cross-sector approach that engages students as active participants in the leadership, management, development and delivery of their own educational experience. Partners include Colleges Wales, the HEA, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Higher Education Wales, the National Union of Students in Wales (NUS Wales), and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). The partners work closely and collaboratively with learners to empower students to engage with the processes that will enable them to participate in the enhancement of their own learning experiences. The WISE approach is underpinned by three principles: working in partnership, valuing feedback, and harnessing expertise. The HEA continued to prioritise its work on education for sustainable development (ESD) this year. In March it published a report on First-year attitudes to, and skills in, sustainable development, which showed that first-year students believe their university should be responsible for actively incorporating and promoting sustainable development to prepare their students for graduate employment. Commissioned by the HEA, the report was undertaken by NUS Services, in collaboration with Student Force for Sustainability and the University of Bath. The report gathered responses from over 5,760 first-year students and was the inspiration for a Guardian HE Network online discussion on the topic of ESD. Teams from eight HEIs took part in this year’s UK-wide pilot Green Academy programme, which supports institutions as they embed sustainability into the curriculum. All institutions have reported significant impact and progress with their projects. The project directors have formed a community of practice offering peer support and further capacity development and are preparing a joint bid for a presentation at the international ESD conference in Rio de Janeiro, June 2012. The HEA launched a programme this year supporting 16 HEIs to create an inclusive learning and teaching culture to improve the success of all students. The projects being developed by the HEIs include an inclusive assessment and feedback policy and the development and use of inclusive educational resources. A further ten institutions from England and Wales (eight HEIs and two FE colleges) were selected to take part in the

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‘Meaningful student engagement’ programme to enhance the engagement of disabled students in the design and delivery of learning and teaching. The HEA has worked with the NUS on student engagement this year. This includes two successful conferences which brought together students, academic staff and managers in institutions to explore the meaning of student engagement and share practice and approaches including an HEA commissioned literature review and the jointly badged student engagement toolkit. The HEA also supported ten development grants to institutions across the UK to support development of evidence-based work in student engagement. The subject centres’ student awards programme engaged hundreds of students in developing their ideas on a discipline-specific topic. Topics included: ‘Is the Law degree fit for purpose?’ and ‘When studying Mathematics my biggest surprise was…’ Nine of the winning students attended the HEA annual conference. The Art, Design and Media Subject Centre asked students to submit a visual entry (image, film, etc.) reflecting their perception and experiences of higher education.

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National policy making The HEA works to inform, influence and interpret policy decisions across the UK and home nations. It does this through representation on committees and through formal responses to relevant consultations. It also facilitates policy debates that affect learning and teaching in higher education to give the maximum benefit for students’ learning experiences. The HEA in Wales led the quality enhancement agenda in Wales through the ‘Future Directions’ programme of work during 2010-11.Working with the sector, Wales’ first enhancement theme was identified – Graduates For Our Future. The theme has three work strands: Students as Partners; Learning in Employment; and Learning for Employment. The theme and work strands are helping to address the dual priorities set out in the Welsh Government’s For Our Future strategy document: HE supporting a buoyant economy and delivering social justice. The HEA has been fully engaged in the current review of Scotland’s arrangements for quality assurance and enhancement in colleges and universities by the Scottish Funding Council. It has also responded to the Scottish Government’s Green Paper consultation on the future of higher education. Its student-led teaching awards initiative with NUS Scotland goes from strength to strength and is cited in the recent White Paper for England. The HEA has also been taking a lead role in co-ordinating the work of the new Scottish Higher Education Employability Forum (SHEEF). This year has seen the publication of the White Paper for England, Students at the Heart of the System. The HEA had discussions with officials preparing the White Paper, and both the Chair of the Board of the HEA, Professor Sir Bob Burgess, and the Chief Executive, Professor Craig Mahoney, met with the Minister and senior officials as it progressed. The HEA was specifically mentioned in the White Paper, which stressed a pivotal role for teaching in higher education “at the centre of every higher education institution’s mission”. Work by the HEA and the GENIE (Genetics Education Networking for Innovation & Excellence) CETL at the University of Leicester is referred to, as is the NUS and HEA’s Student Engagement project and the associated toolkit that was produced. In Northern Ireland the HEA responded to DELNI’s consultation on the development of the higher education strategy, emphasising the importance of student engagement, flexible learning and employability skills. This consultation was a result of an earlier DELNI review, led by Sir Graeme Davies in 2009-10.The HEA contributed to this review through leading the learning experts group. The Network of Deputy and Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Vice-Principals provides a forum for senior managers in HE to enhance their understanding of current learning and teaching issues through biannual meetings. The meeting held in November 2010 focused on the theme of ‘Sustaining excellence in challenging times’. It included an after-dinner speech given by Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of HEFCE. The April 2011 meeting looked at the implications of the changing system for funding and student finance on student choice, participation and engagement, and included an after-dinner speech by Mark Batho, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council.

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Many subject centres contributed to policy making in their disciplines including the Centre for Education in the Built Environment, which was involved in the development of a national framework specification for foundation degrees in Construction Operations Management in partnership with Construction Skills, the Chartered Institute of Building and representatives from a range of higher education institutions.

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Partnerships The HEA works in partnership with educational organisations and HEIs to share expertise and guidance. These deliver a range of resources and outcomes that directly impact the student learning experience. The HEA’s partnership working ensures that those with expertise in areas of common interest can help shape the future of the student learning experience. NUS The HEA’s work with NUS this year includes the second year of the two-year pilot student-led teaching awards in Scotland. The President of the NUS, Liam Burns, sits on the HEA Board to ensure the student voice is represented at a strategic level. Leadership Foundation for Higher Education The HEA’s flagship Change Academy programme forms part of its work with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. Change Academy continues to drive the agenda across institutions seeking to deliver strategic change programmes that benefit students and attracted its first international team this year. The Quality Assurance Agency, GuildHE and Universities UK The HEA has worked with the QAA, GuildHE and UUK on external examining and this year began working on a guide that will complement the QAA’s new UK Quality Code for HE chapter on external examining. Through this partnership the QAA had input into the HEA’s forthcoming assessment guide. The HEA also sat on the Sounding Board for the QAA’s Academic Infrastructure. In Scotland, the HEA and QAA have worked in partnership to support the sector through several national enhancement initiatives over the past year; the Enhancement Themes, the Scottish Higher Education Employability Forum (SHEEF) and the Scottish PDP Institutional Development programme (ScotPID). JISC This year the HEA worked with JISC on phase two of the HEFCE-funded Open Educational Resources (OER) programme, which was launched in August 2010 and ran until April 2011. Equality Challenge Unit The HEA’s partnership projects with ECU included the publication of a commentary, Improving the degree attainment of Black and minority ethnic students. The commentary followed a joint developmental change programme and draws upon the experiences of 14 participating institutions as they addressed this challenging agenda. It offers the sector ideas, strategies and examples of initiatives on how to better support Black and minority ethnic students. Action on Access, funded by HEFCE and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation This partnership continued its ‘What works? Student Retention and Success’ programme to generate robust, evidence-based analysis and evaluation about the most effective strategies to ensure high continuation and completion rates. The seven projects, involving 22 HEIs, completed this year. The resulting work suggests that student engagement lies at the heart of retention and success, and successful higher education depends on a partnership between a student and the institution they attend. The findings will be disseminated throughout 2011-12 and beyond.

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Scotland’s Colleges and Equality Practitioners’ Network This year the HEA launched a three-year programme of work focusing on equality and diversity in the curriculum in Scotland in partnership with Scotland’s Colleges and the Equality Practitioners’ Network. It is funded by the Scottish Funding Council to support the delivery of their equality and diversity framework for 2010-2013. The programme works with institutions in the higher education and college sectors. Work completed this year includes a survey to better understand the priorities across the sector and a self evaluation framework to enable the review and evaluation of progress. The activities offer institutions and individuals the flexibility to engage with the programme at times and in ways that help them to further the embedding of equality and diversity within the curriculum.

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Future plans Over the past year, against a backdrop of budget changes, and after consultation with the sector, the HEA has refocused and restructured. The new structure and operational plan, in place since 1August 2011, have been designed to maximise the HEA’s ability to work directly with academics and learning support staff, and to provide even greater flexibility to meet demands during a continued period of uncertainty in higher education. The work of the organisation is built around three related aspects of the student learning experience –Teacher Excellence, Institutional Strategy and Change, and Academic Practice Development – and operates at both the generic and discipline levels. Changes to the student fee regime in England from 2012 have highlighted teaching quality. This was signalled in the White Paper for England, Students at the Heart of the System (see ‘National policy making’ chapter). HEA recognition and accreditation provide two means for institutions to demonstrate their staff are qualified to meet recognised standards, and our services in these areas will be further developed in 2011-12 to anticipate an increase in future demand. The development of the HEA’s postgraduate experience surveys will also be key. The White Paper for England refers to the benefits of postgraduate students having access to information relating to the student experience. The UK-wide Higher Education Public Information Steering Group (HEPISG) may consider introducing a National Student Survey of taught postgraduates and consider that institutions could make available “a standard set of information similar to the KIS for ... taught postgraduate courses” (para 2.13). The HEA’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), which is being further developed in 2011-12, could form the basis of the proposed survey. Student engagement remains an underpinning principle across the UK, with students involved as partners in supporting educational change; for example, in the institutional change programmes for 2011-12, students will be team members for institutional initiatives. The HEA will continue to focus on the themes of flexible learning, and retention and success, and to examine and develop appropriate services and products for all subscribing providers. New services in 2011-12 will include PhD studentships and a policy think tank on learning and teaching in higher education. Finally, in 2011-12, new systems for management of relationships with institutions subscribing to the HEA and its principal partners will be developed. Work in this area will include institutional account management: the maintenance and enhancement of partnerships and support for subscribing higher education institutions, and partnership development with key non-institutional stakeholders – the HEA will work closely with sector-wide agencies/stakeholders and non-HE organisations to develop effective and efficient partnership working in areas of joint interest and benefit to the sector.

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Governance As of 31 July 2011 Chief Executive Professor Craig Mahoney HEA Board Members Professor Sir Robert Burgess Chair of the Board, Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester Robert Barlow Founder and Managing Associate, YourTalent Ltd Liam Burns President, National Union of Students Anthony Carey Partner at Mazars LLP Professor Antony Chapman Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University Geoff Donnelly Non-Executive Director, NHS North Yorkshire and York, and

independent governor, Oxford Brookes University Professor Janice Kay Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter Professor Mike Mannion Vice-Principal and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching,

Glasgow Caledonian University Johnny Rich Publisher, Push/RealWorld Rama Thirunamachandran Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Keele University Professor Dianne Willcocks Former Vice-Chancellor, York St John University

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Finance Income and expenditure account Year ended 31 July 2011 2011 2010 £000 £000 Income Funding body grants 24,357 26,660 Other income 3,196 2,940 Investment income 55 44 Total income 27,608 29,644 Expenditure Staff costs (4,528) (5,498) Subject Centres (11,372) (13,667) Other operating expenses (9.532) (10,025) Restructure (1,059) (3) Depreciation (76) (127) Interest and other finance costs (4) (5) Total expenditure (26,571) (29,325) Surplus for the year retained within the 1,037 319 Income and Expenditure reserve The income and expenditure account is in respect of continuing activities for the HEA and TechDis. There were no gains and losses other than those reported in the income and expenditure account.

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HEA contact details General enquiries enquiries@heacademy.ac.uk

+44 (0)1904 717500 Professor Craig Mahoney Chief Executive craig.mahoney@heacademy.ac.uk

+44 (0)1904 717521 Professor Grahame Bilbow Head of Arts and Humanities grahame.bilbow@heacademy.ac.uk Dr John Craig Head of Social Sciences john.craig@heacademy.ac.uk Dr Janet De Wilde Head of STEM janet.dewilde@heacademy.ac.uk Geoff Glover Head of Health Sciences geoff.glover@heacademy.ac.uk Heather Jackson Head of Organisational Effectiveness heather.jackson@heacademy.ac.uk Elaine Payne Head of Institutional Strategy elaine.payne@heacademy.ac.uk Helen Thomas Head of Teacher Excellence helen.thomas@heacademy.ac.uk Marketing, Media and Communications pressoffice@heacademy.ac.uk Website address www.heacademy.ac.uk

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The Higher Education Academy Innovation Way York Science Park Heslington York YO10 5BR +44 (0)1904 717500 enquiries@heacademy.ac.uk ©The Higher Education Academy, 2011 The HEA is a national body for enhancing learning and teaching in higher education in the UK. We work with institutions across the HE system to help bring about change in learning and teaching to improve the outcomes for students. We do this by recognising and rewarding excellent teaching, bringing together people and resources to research and share best practice and by helping influence, shape and implement policy. The HEA supports staff in higher education throughout their career from those who are new to teaching through to senior management. We offer services in 28 disciplines throughout the UK and have offices in England, Wales and Scotland. Through the partnership management team we work directly with institutions to understand individual circumstances and priorities and bring together resources to meet them. The HEA has knowledge, experience and expertise in higher education. Its service and product range is broader than any other competitor, and it is trusted to deliver HE system advancements in partnership with its member institutions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Editor. Such permission will normally be granted for educational purposes provided that due acknowledgement is given. To request copies of this report in large print or in a different format, please contact the communications office at the Higher Education Academy: 01904 717500 or pressoffice@heacademy.ac.uk