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College of Arts and Social

Sciences

Quality Enhancement:

Themes and Strategies

2nd Teaching & Learning Staff Forum

Wednesday 24th November 2004

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Part 1Enhancement Themes

College of Arts and SocialSciences

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Professor Trevor SalmonDirector of Teaching & Learning

Dr Mary PryorAcademic Learning & Study Unit


Responding to Student Needs

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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/

Responding to StudentNeeds

Context

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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

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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?

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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


1st Year Experience Questionnaire

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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 04080

120160200

Coun

ts

Reasons for going to University

1st Year ExperienceQuestionnaire

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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


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Timetabled academic study

Percent(%)

Personal academic study

020406080

100

Percent(%

)

< 10 11 15 16 >< 10 11 15 16 >

020406080

100

Time (hours) Time (hours)


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Submitted first assignment

020406080

100

For somecourses For allcourses Fornone

Percent(%

)

In employment

No job

Percent(%

)

< 10 1115 16 >

020406080

100

Time (hours)


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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

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What can we do to make the transitionto university more effective?

What key areas should we focus on?

In Future..


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Dr Graeme Roberts

Vice Principal Teaching & Learning


Employability

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Because:

Many students believe increases chances of well-

paid and meaningful employment

One of SHEFCs hallmarks of a high quality HE

sector is where learning and teaching promotes the

employability of students

ELIR includes consideration of the HEIs approach to

the employability of its students

SFC publication Learning to Workreport asframework for consultation and policy development

Employability

QE Theme: Important and Timely

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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 HEAsubject centres

Employability

QE Theme: Important and Timely

Great Opportunity for Scottish Universities to build on

and exploit this material

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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.

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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 theentire student experience

Working with the Scottish Group developing material to

support introduction of Personal Development Planning

in 2006

Employability

Aims of Steering Committee

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To ensure that programme of work is informed

and shaped by sectors 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

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Considering:

Mapping current level of employability activity in eachSchool

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 ofLearning to Workreport

Employability

Employability Strategy Working Group

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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 ofLearning to Workreport

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


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Seeking advice and comment on how to:

Develop and implement an effective employabilitystrategy 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


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Part 2Quality Enhancement


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Dr Nick Spedding

Administrative Officer, Registry


Overview of

QE Framework & QE Strategy

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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!

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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

SHEFCs Quality Enhancement Framework

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FiveCore 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

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QAA definition of QE:

Taking deliberate steps

to bring about

continual improvementin 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 collectiveenterprise (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!

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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


UofAs Quality Enhancement Strategyhttp://www.abdn.ac.uk/qe/strategy.shtml

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UofAs 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 primarilywith individuals and groups in the Universitys

Schools and other academic units

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Dr Graeme Roberts

Vice Principal Teaching & Learning


Institutional Priorities:

Preparing for ELIR

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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

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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?

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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?

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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 hocinnovation at subject level - nowseeking to manage process more effectively

Preparing for ELIR

Overall Picture?

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Low participation in educational staffdevelopment and engagement with HEA subject

Strong and effective partnership with students

Committed to excellence in teaching and

research

Preparing for ELIR

Overall Picture?

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Ms Cathy Macaslan

Head of School - School of Education


Institutional Priorities:

Review of Teaching & Learning Strategy

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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

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Teaching and learning in a research-led

institution Outcomes measured against

benchmarks

Information to inform development plan

Dovetailing enhancement theme


Strategic Review

R i f T hi &

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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 LifeSciences and Medicine

Trevor Salmon,DTL, College ofPhysical Sciences

Gordon Walkden,DTL, Collegeof Physical Sciences

Calum Mair, Vice-President(Education), StudentsAssociation

Doug Marr,School of Education,Court nominee on UCTL


Review Group

R i f T hi &

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Research-led University ranked in the UK

top 20

Distinctiveness of the student learning

experience

Students making us their first choiceuniversity

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

Universitys approach to undergraduate teaching, learning and

assessment, in the light of our aims:

C ll f A t d S i l

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Mr Calum Mair

Vice Principal Education,

Students Association


A Students Perspective:What does QE Mean?

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good degree

high essay marks

cheap booze

free gym pass

four years that I enjoy

A Students Perspective

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Student AStudent B

0102030405060708090

T & L Sport Social Job

Student C

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13,500 students would give a

different answer

120 different Nationalities would

give a different answer


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School PerspectiveNo idea

Undergraduate PerspectiveNo idea

Post-Graduate PerspectiveA Reviewof quality and standards

Graduate PerspectiveIncreasing thestandard of educational attainment


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QAA Perspective

QE is a term that describes thecontinuous improvement of both

quality and standards in higher

education, and students have avery important role to play in this

process.


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- Encapsulate all!

- Diverse- Interchangeable

- Open to interpretation


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Quality Enhancement is about

the learning opportunities

available to a student, via

teaching, support, facilities and

services.


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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..


A S d P i

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QE means everything to some

and nothing to others!


A St d t P ti

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To enhance the Student Experience

you need to enhance all aspects of

the system, all aspects that touchon student life 24 hours a day 7

days a week, 365 days a year.

From applying to UCAS to beyond

Alumni Relations.



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Open Forum

Questions and Answers


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We will be asking you for your feedback!


Thank You for Your

Participation

24nov04

Documents

Transcript of 24nov04