Engaging with Enhancement and the Enhancement Themes at the University of Glasgow

Prof. Frank CotonVice-Principal (Learning and Teaching)

The Framework within which we operate

Guiding Principles of the QE Framework

The University of Glasgow Quality Framework

Glasgow University Senate Committee Structure

Senate

Research Policy and Strategy Committee

Deans of Graduate Studies

Committee

Researcher Development Committee

Education Policy and Strategy Committee

Learning and Teaching

Committee

Working Groups e.g. Graduate

Attributes

Academic Standards Committee

Quality Officers Forum

ASC Sub-committees

Student Support and

Development Committee

Chief Advisors Sub-Committee

Research Degrees

TaughtDegrees

General Student Support

Education Policy and Strategy Committee

Learning and Teaching

Committee

Working Groups e.g. Graduate

Attributes

Academic Standards Committee

Quality Officers Forum

ASC Sub-committees

The Enhancement Focus

Focus on Enhancement

Focus on Assurance

The Quality Processes as Mechanisms for Enhancement

Quality Assurance

Staff Student Liaison

Committees

Annual Course Monitoring

External Examiner System

Periodic Subject Review

Quality Enhancement

Delivering the Student Experience: Embedding Enhancement in Strategy

The Student Experience

Strategy• University

Strategic Plan• Learning and

Teaching Strategy• Internationalisatio

n Strategy• IT Strategy• Capital Investment

Plan• College Plans

The Dimensions of the Student Experience

The External Environment

Extracurricular Activity

University Services

Degree Programme

Subject Area

PriorExperience

Expectation

The Dimensions of the Student Experience

Subject Area

Teaching in the class

Academic quality and pedagogy

Local teaching facilities

Local support staff

Degree Programme

Course Choice

Variability between subjects

Timetabling and coordination

Academic advising

University Services

Library, Careers, Catering etc

Lecture Theatres

Virtual Learning Environment

Student data systems

Extracurricular Activity

Unions, Clubs and Societies

Student representation

Sports

Student volunteering,

internships & part-time work

External Environment

The City

Government Policy

The Economy (Financial and job

prospects)

Culture

The Dimensions of the Student Experience – span of control

Subject Area Degree Programme

University Services

Extracurricular Activity

External Environment

Span of Control

Student-led

We are all in it together – including our students!

Subject Area Degree Programme

University Services

Extracurricular Activity

External Environment

Vice-Principal (Learning and Teaching)

Deans of Learning and Teaching

Heads of School

Clerk of Senate

Heads of University Services

Student Representative Council

Student Unions

Student Sport Association

Senior Management

Group

Subject Leads

Heads of College

Heads of Academic Administration

Secretary of Court

Understanding Enhancement

The External Environment

Extracurricular Activity

University Services

Degree Programme

Subject Area

Service Reviews

Periodic Subject Review

Annual Course Monitoring

Course Feedback

Student Staff Liaison Committees

QUALITYPROCESSES

Horizon Scanning

Student Barometer

Institutionally owned surveys

Postgraduate Taught Survey

National Student Survey

The Student Voice

OTHER FEEDBACK

Strategic Enablers

Teaching Awards

(Student and Staff-led

schemes)

Learning and Teaching

Development Fund

Academic Promotion,

Reward and Recognition

Learning and Teaching Centre

Learning and Teaching

Conference

External funding and initiatives

Student Engagement

• Enhancement is embedded within our core strategy and is supported by established processes

• The Enhancement Themes do not shape our enhancement activities but rather contribute to and extend existing activity

• They provide an opportunity for our staff to work with and learn from other institutions

• They also provide opportunities to identify and take forward sector-wide approaches to issues

So where do the Enhancement Themes fit in?

• Planned and directed by SHEEC on which ALL Higher Education institutions are represented• SHEEC decides the broad topic for each Theme including the

order in which Themes take place• Topics of interest to the Scottish higher education sector

as a whole• They are explored and developed with the aim of

enhancing the student learning experience across the sector

• Funded by the Scottish Funding Council• Managed by QAA Scotland

The Enhancement Themes

• Quality Assurance is relatively straightforward to do in near isolation (external examiners and quality audits aside). This is because the focus tends to be on the refinement of what we are doing now.

• Quality Enhancement is difficult to do in isolation. It requires an outward-looking approach where considerable value is gained by working with and learning from the experiences of others.

• The Enhancement Themes provide a focus for cooperation and collaboration

A key lesson from the Enhancement Culture

A Diverse HE Sector

• The significant diversity in our HE sector is actually a real advantage

• Different institutions often face similar issues in different contexts – cooperation leads to deeper understanding of the limitations of specific approaches and can inspire the evolution of new strategies

A Diverse HE Sector

Steering Committee (including two students)

Sectoral Events

Commissioned Work

Student Network

Institutional Project Teams

How the Enhancement Themes Run

• Assessment and Integrative assessment (2003-04)• Responding to student needs (03-04)• Employability (04-06)• Flexible delivery (04-06)• First year: engagement & empowerment (05-08)• Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate

attributes (06-08)• Graduates for the 21st century: integrating the

Enhancement Themes (08-11)• Developing and supporting the curriculum (2011-14)

Case Study: Graduate Attributes at the University of Glasgow

Linking to the Enhancement Themes

• Employability (04-06) Linked well with institutional involvement in SFC funded Learning to Work 1 which kicked off an internal working group looking at employability and PDP within UoG. Carried on until 2008 with the publication of the Employability Strategy Review.

• Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate attributes (06-08) Started a genuine internal debate amongst staff on how Graduate Attributes are developed through research-teaching linkages

• Graduates for the 21st century: integrating the Enhancement Themes (08-11) Brought the work of the two previous themes together in the development of the University Graduate Attributes Framework.

Case Study: Graduate Attributes

Case Study: Graduate Attributes

GA Working/ Action Group

Institutional Senior

Management

Careers

Employability Advisers

Academic Staff

Educational Developers

International Students’ Adviser

Students

• Develop a University-wide approach to Graduate Attributes that

» enhances student personal development» recognises attribute development is continuous and

pervasive» allows personal/subject specific variations in attribute

competence» can be embedded in and beneficial to curriculum

design and review» enhances student engagement with the curriculum» encourages reflection by students…..and staff!

• Use data generated to inform the University Learning and Teaching Strategy and assist in decisions concerning the implementation of this strategy (2011-2015)

The original working group’s aims

2009-2011• Starting from existing implicit attributes, design and populate a

graduate attributes matrix -one-to-one consultations. • Student-led, enquiry-based project - qualitative data gathering

concerning staff and student perceptions of graduate attributes.• Electronic questionnaire focused on senior academic staff & new

lecturers• Focus group sessions with the Students’ Representative Council• An employer consultation process

2011-2012• Graduate Attributes and international students (student-led project

funded by the Higher Education Academy)

Institutional research and building consensus

1. Capable of Engaging in Enquiry-led learning2. Capable of Independent and Critical Thinking3. Breadth and Depth of Knowledge Base within Discipline

4. Motivated, Confident, Adaptable, Resilient5. Capable of Self-Evaluation and Reflection6. Capable of Effective Professional Interaction

7. Entrepreneurial and Career Aware8. Equipped for Global Citizenship9. Ethically-Minded

Academic abilities

Personalqualities

Social aware-ness

Identified order of importance

Attributes from original Learning & Teaching Strategy (2006-10)

Student-led institutional research

• A team of paid students acting as student enquirers over the course of a 9 week project.

• Undertaking interviews with staff and students as a form of action research:

o Each student enquirer to interview at least 3 staff and 3 student subjects each

o Each interview subject interviewed twice to assess attitudinal change over time

o Student enquirers asked to participate as research subjects themselves

• Key outputs: staff and student guides to the benefits of developing graduate attributes

Strong agreement on which attributes were most important to develop:

Top 10 Staff Attributes Top 10 Student attributes

Independent & critical thinkingCommunication & presentationMotivationConfidenceSubject knowledgeProblem solvingResearch skillsSelf-sufficiency / independenceSelf-reflectionTeam workers

CommunicationConfidenceMotivationTeamworkProfessionalism/interpersonal skillsResearch skillsSelf-reflectionIndependent and critical thinkingSelf-sufficiency / independenceSubject knowledge

What did the consultations find?

Graduateattributesstaff guide

Our Graduate Attributes

http://www.gla.ac.uk/students/attributes/

Personal dimensionTransferable dimensionAcademic dimension

10 Graduate Attributes:

1. Subject specialists2. Investigative3. Independent and critical

thinkers4. Resourceful and

responsible5. Effective communicators6. Confident7. Adaptable8. Experienced collaborators9. Ethically and socially

aware10. Reflective learners

Three inter-dependent dimensions

University of Glasgow’s Graduate Attribute Framework

…and we did not make this journey alone!

Thank you!