AB/LTC/02/11/4

1

CONTEXT FOR THE REVISED LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY

  1. This is the third statement of the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. The first, ‘Building a Learning Community’, was the outcome of a two-year university-wide consultation and was approved by Academic Board in September 1998. The University had recognised the importance of a strategic approach to learning and teaching and the need for a step-change. Through this strategy, the University equipped itself to respond to the needs of a student body that had grown considerably and was continuing to change in composition, the potential of new information and communication technologies, and greatly changed funding levels. At the same time, the University committed specific funds to support the “Building a Learning Community” (BLC) initiative. A year after the formal initiation of this strategy, the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) required all higher education institutions to develop and submit a Learning and Teaching Strategy in response to its own Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) initiative. The University’s second Strategy was, therefore, a revised version of ‘Building a Learning Community’, approved by the University in December 1999 to cover the TQEF period of 1999-2002. The University took the opportunity to revise its original BLC statement in the light of the good practice guidance provided by HEFCE, to ensure that this revised learning and teaching strategy was closely aligned with its own new Corporate Plan for the period 1999-2004. The Corporate Plan committed the University tofocus on:
  • the quality of the total student experience
  • the provision of a high quality student learning experience
  • widening participation in higher education through its own curriculum and through a new approach to educational partnerships

The Goals of the Learning and Teaching Strategy 1999-2002 were designed to improve quality and standards in learning and teaching in support of the Corporate Plan and were:

  • to continue to transform and improve learning and teaching activities by focussing on student learning
  • to widen participation and improve access to learning by creating more flexible learning opportunities, and through partnership working across the educational, commercial and voluntary sectors
  • to be at the forefront in the development and adoption of resource-based learning strategies, including the appropriate use of ICT
  • to enhance student employability

2.The HEFCE has now (2002) extended the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund and requires the submission of revised Learning and Teaching Strategies for the period 2002-2005. StaffordshireUniversity’s revised Learning and Teaching Strategy, 2002-2005 has been influenced by three considerations:

  • The experience of, and evaluation of, implementing its learning and teaching strategy since 1998
  • The national areas of priority identified by HEFCE for all institutions to support, via their individual Learning and Teaching Strategy
  • The University’s anticipated new Corporate Plan and the agreed revised strategic direction for the University which the new Plan will articulate

Each of these factors is considered briefly below.

EVALUATION OF THE EXISTING STRATEGY WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY AND WITHIN FE PARTNERSHIPS

3.The evidence from both internal evaluation and from external quality assessment underline the value to the University of having a university-wide strategy for learning and teaching aligned to the Corporate Plan. The reports of the eight QAA teaching quality assessments conducted since 1998, the QAA Quality Audit, carried out in May 2001, and the reports of a number of professional and statutory bodies (OFSTED, the Law Society, the British Computer Society), provide evidence of a shared understanding across the University of the goals of the Learning and Teaching Strategy and of widespread implementation. Reviewers have indicated that the strategy is clearly having an impact and that it is being implemented with imagination and subject sensitivity. It is important to recognise the positive nature of the whole series of QAA and professional body reports over the period 1998-2002. As part of its own evaluation the University undertook an analysis of the Subject Review reports in 2001 in order to ascertain any overall areas of strength or areas for further improvement. The conclusions of this analysis, along with the outcomes of recent professional and statutory body reports, have contributed to the revised strategy.

4.The University-wide Student Viewfinder Survey, conducted on a pilot basis in May 2001, refined, and then conducted in May 2002, has also provided important feedback and evaluation of the student experience. Because the Survey is University-wide it enables comparisons to be made and lessons to be drawn. The questions asked, enabled students to rate what mattered most to them on a range of topics including learning resources, personal tutoring, feedback on assessment and the opportunity to develop subject and generic skills.

5.Formal evaluation of the activities funded by the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund has been conducted by the Learning and Teaching Project Managers for each of the academic schools, and overall by the Learning and Teaching Committee. Each School or Service in receipt of funds has reported to the Learning and Teaching Committee which, aided by the co-Directors of the Learning Development Centre, has the formal responsibility for evaluation of the strategy and its implementation. Since each school and relevant service (such as Careers, Information Technology Service and Library, Student Support, Library and Learning Resources) is represented on the Committee, a great deal has been shared as a consequence of this approach and confidence in the design of effective activities has been increased.

6.In relation to the learning opportunities provided within and through the Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF), quality has been judged by QAA subject panels to be high. SURF has recently (June 2002), pioneered a consortium-widesubject review (covering engineering and computing science across the consortium), the first such in the country. To undertake such a venture, only a year after the establishment of the new SURF Quality Committee, indicates the shared commitment to quality enhancement in learning and teaching. Not only did reviewers have confidence in the standards achieved in both Computing Science and Engineering, but judged the provision to be commendable in relation to three aspects; the quality of teaching and learning, student progression, and the quality of learning resources. They welcomed the consortium’s commitment to the consortium model for quality maintenance and enhancement, and noted the reassurance that ‘at this early stage of the consortium’s development,…the SURF Quality Committee has already identified substantive issues that it wishes to see addressed, and has articulated these within the Self Evaluation Document’ (see section 16, objective 2).

7.Overall, therefore, the University is confident that considerable progress has been made in the achievement of the following objectives set for the period 1999-2002:

  • the integration of an access approach into the development of the curriculum
  • the creation of a strong partnership structure with FE college members of the Staffordshire University Regional Federation
  • the establishment of an effective approach to quality maintenance and enhancement, curriculum development and staff development with FE college partners

a pedagogically informed approach to the use of technology in learning, staff development in this approach, and an expansion in its effective use in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes

  • the development and implementation of a university-wide student mentoring scheme as part of student induction
  • the creation of a university-wide personal tutoring scheme, handbook and website to support student progress
  • the introduction of the career development module and materials
  • the establishment of an infrastructure to support future expansion of work and community-based learning

In addition to the achievement of these specified objectives, the University responded positively to the advent of the Institute for Learning and Teaching, and through a scheme to pay part of the costs of membership, supported and encouraged staff to apply for membership. To date 75 have become members. In the same way, parts of the University have been very active in the Learning and Teaching Subject Networks that emerged during the period of the current strategy. There has been clear encouragement, via the Learning and Teaching Committee and the Learning Development Centre, for subjects to engage with their Centre, and a number have been very active in doing so. To date, three LTSN workshops have been held at the University, with a strong focus on virtual learning environments, reflecting the University’s experience and commitment to VLEs.

Progress has also been made in achieving the following objectives that were set for the period of the 1999-2002 learning and teaching strategy:

  • the creation of more flexible learning opportunities
  • cross-disciplinary curriculum development
  • dissemination and sharing of experience within and between subjects and disciplines
  • establishing a career track in learning and teaching through the Learning and Teaching Fellowship Scheme
  • research and evaluation into the quality of technology assisted learning & teaching
  • improvements in feedback to students on their assessment. Two annual Student Viewfinder Surveys have highlighted this as a key area for improvement

These areas of achievement have been evaluated for their continuing importance to the University’s strategic direction and where appropriate, the opportunity has been taken to strengthen the implementation of these strategic objectives within the revised strategy.

THE UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL AREAS OF PRIORITY FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING IN HE

8. In order to achieve the Government target for increased participation in higher education, HEFCE has listed the following as national areas of priority for higher education institutions in their use of the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund 2002-2005, linked to the re-submission of learning and teaching strategies (paras.13-20 HEFCE 02/24):

  • widening participation
  • ensuring fair access
  • maintaining and improving retention rates
  • enhancing the employability of graduates and diplomats
  • encouraging and disseminating good and innovative practice in support of high quality learning and teaching

It can be seen that there is a close correlation between these current HEFCE areas of priority for learning and teaching, and those adopted as goals by the University in its 1999 Learning and Teaching Strategy. The University’s current Widening Participation Strategy, for instance, states that ‘it is supported by the Learning and Teaching Strategy which has widening participation at its heart’ (p6). Employability and the encouragement of innovative practice in support of high quality learning and teaching are already goals of the strategy. The University will further reinforce its commitment to existing goals and objectives and, therefore, will respond very positively to the national areas of priority for learning and teaching in higher education. It will interpret the achievement of national strategic objectives within its own context and according to its own overall institutional priorities.

POLICY FORMATION IN LEARNING AND TEACHING

9. Policy formation for the enhancement of quality in learning and teaching is undertaken on behalf of Academic Board by two of its committees, the Quality Development Committee and the Learning and Teaching Committee. Both Committees are chaired by the Director of Programmes, who is responsible to the Vice Chancellor for both the quality management framework of the University and its learning and teaching strategy. This arrangement has been designed to ensure that there is both an appropriate division of responsibilities between these two senior committees, and an effective cross-fertilisation and channel of communication. The Learning and Teaching Committee will draw its officers from a new, enhanced, Educational Development Unit (see section 16, objective 6), which was formerly part of the Learning Development Centre. Staff are drawn from each academic School, (where they are usually the senior member responsible for learning and teaching), from the relevant professional Services and the Students’ Union, with the addition of elected representatives of the Learning and Teaching Fellows.

10.The establishment of posts of responsibility for learning and teaching at School level across the academic organisation of the University, has pushed forward implementation and provided a peer group for leadership. This group has worked closely with the Learning Development Centre. As part of the new direction for the University outlined in Strategic Futures, the Learning Development Centre has been split into two sections: a newly enhanced Educational Development Unit and the mainly technology-based Learning Development and Innovation Team. It is expected that these two sections will continue to work in close collaboration, particularly as the continuation of the development and delivery of high quality technology assisted learning will continue to require a critical base in pedagogy.

11.Over the past three years, the Quality Development Committee and the Learning and Teaching Committee have developed the following policies relating to the objectives of the learning and teaching strategy, and these have been adopted by the University. They are:

  • personal tutoring system
  • student employability and career
  • accreditation of prior learning and prior experiential learning

The Learning and Teaching Committee currently has working groups developing policies on:

  • personal development planning
  • e-resources working group. This group is using practical exemplars from across all academic areas to assist in the creation of enhanced learning support systems aimed primarily at overseas, distance and distributed learning awards.

12.The Committee is responsible for ensuring that the University responds appropriately and with vigour to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act in relation to learning and teaching. A new Disability Forum, reporting to the Learning and Teaching Committee, was set up in 2001/2002, chaired by the Dean of Students and Academic Registrar, with membership drawn from across all Schools and Services in the University. The Forum is conducting an audit of current provisions for students with disabilities and aims to develop and disseminate good practice across the University.

THE UNIVERSITY’S STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2002-2007

13.The existing Corporate Plan has served the University well but has now reached the end of its projected life. During the past eighteen months the external environment has changed significantly and must be taken into account in all the University’s strategic planning. For this reason, the University has agreed with the Funding Council that a year’s extension be included in its corporate planning cycle, so that it could undertake a thorough revision during 2001-2002. A new Plan will be published during 2002-2003. It will develop the core mission of the University to meet the anticipated challenges for the medium term in the context of significant new government policies for the higher and further education sectors, and changes in the pattern of demand for higher education. A combination of the removal of the MASN and the expansion of many pre-1992 universities, the requirement on all universities to engage in widening participation, and the step-change that must be taken to achieve the national 50% participation rate, all act together as external forces shaping the University’s strategy for the medium term. The main thrust of the new direction has already been published for the University community, in a series of papers, “Strategic Futures”, from the Vice Chancellor and University Executive. In order to achieve “Strategic Futures”, a number of changes to our working arrangements have been introduced, with the academic profile changing by the:

  • introduction of four academic clusters (each consisting of a pair of Schools), each led by an Academic Cluster Director (one of the Deans of School), to support the on-going progression to effective collaborative working
  • introduction of three new Pro Vice Chancellor portfolios - Director of Planning and Innovation, Director of Programmes, and Director of Partnerships

Five other new University strategies have been developed and approved by the Academic Board during 2001-2 with the same purpose in mind - the Widening Participation Strategy, Personnel Strategy, Research Strategy, Taught Post-graduate Strategy and a Curriculum and Award Strategy (for the period to 2006). The Learning and Teaching Strategy is aligned with them and anticipates the new Corporate Plan. It will be an important instrument for building the capacity to support the re-shaped strategic direction, and to sustain the established tradition of providing access to high quality learning and teaching in the University. As part of its recent management restructuring the University has created a Directorate of Planning and Innovation. The new Directorate will co-ordinate, review and monitor the implementation of university strategies ensuring effective congruence with the evolving corporate plan.

THE LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY 2002-2005

14. Principles underpinning the strategy:

  • We will continue to align our strategies for Curriculum and Awards, Widening Participation, Research, Personnel, Information, Estates, and our policies on disability, diversity and employability, with those for learning and teaching to create an integrated Learning and Teaching Strategy.
  • We will make use of distributed learning and virtual learning environments in specific focussed areas, in order that we add quality and value to our learning and teaching provision.
  • We will employ the University’s business model in assessing our investments in learning and teaching developments, to ensure that they provide an efficient use of resources.

15. Goals

ATo continue the transformation and improvement of teaching for all the University’s students by focusing on learning.

BTo place the creation and support for more flexible learning opportunities at the heart of new developments in the University and with educational partners.