Building a national QA E Culture Ailsa Crum

Building a national QA & E Culture Ailsa Crum Head of Quality & Enhancement SPHERE Study Visit 6 October 2017

Scottish university sector • • 15 universities 2 small specialist institutions 1 tertiary institution OU in Scotland

Scottish university sector

Who are our students? • 235, 565 students • Including 56, 715 postgraduates • 21. 6% students from outside the UK • 43, 705 staff (45. 5% academic staff) 2015 -16 HESA data

Quality of Learning & Teaching • Evaluated through the Quality Enhancement Framework since 2003 • Partnership of agencies: – Scottish Funding Council – NUS (Scotland) – Student partnerships in quality Scotland (sparqs) – Universities Scotland – Higher Education Academy – QAA Scotland

Quality Enhancement Framework ELIR Enhancement Themes Public information Institution-led quality review Student engagement

Enhancement Themes • A very distinctive aspect of Scottish HE • Foster partnership and collegiality in the sector • Allow us to achieve things collectively that we might not be able to do individually

14 years of Enhancement Themes • • • Assessment and Integrative assessment (2003 -04) Responding to student needs (2003 -04) Employability (2004 -06) Flexible delivery (2004 -06) First year: engagement & empowerment (2005 -08) Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate attributes (2006 -08) Graduates for the 21 st century (2008 -11) Developing and supporting the curriculum (2011 -14) Student Transitions (2014 -17) Evidence for Enhancement: improving the student experience (2017 -20)

Oversight of Themes • Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee • Vice-principals (learning & teaching) • Theme Leaders’ Group • Staff & student member from each institution • Institutional teams • Responsible for local delivery

Student Transitions Theme • Commissioned work • International student transitions scoping report • Skills & strategies to support transitions • Transitions map • Institutional contracts • Individual & inter-institutional activity • Annual Conference • 3 rd International Enhancement Conference 6 -8 June 2017

Student Transitions Theme • Dissemination • http: //www. enhancementthemes. ac. uk/ • Webinars (eg on skills & strategies resources) • Evaluation

Student Transitions Map

Evidence for Enhancement: improving the student experience What information is useful to help us identify and understand what we do well and what could be improved? This information, which includes qualitative and quantitative evidence, can be used to identify the issues that would benefit from intervention, help prioritise interventions for improving the student experience, and evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions including reporting on the ways in which the student experience has been improved.

Quality Enhancement Framework ELIR Enhancement Themes Public information Institution-led quality review Student engagement

The Enhancement-led Institutional Review (ELIR) process • Peer review of all Scottish HEIs on a four -year cycle • Student reviewers since 2003 • International reviewers since 2008 • • First cycle: 2003 -2007 Second cycle: 2008 -2012 Third cycle: 2012 -2017 ELIR 4: 2017 -2022 • Threshold judgement plus commendations & recommendations

ELIR is interested in Strategic priorities & student population Implications for learning and teaching Commitment to self-evaluation (use of data & reference points) Institutions taking action on findings

Focus On: projects

Focus On projects cover topics that occur frequently in ELIR outcomes as positive practice or areas for development • All HEIs in the sector work collectively to promote policy and practice on the topic. • One topic is chosen each academic year and all Scottish HEIs work collectively to promote policy and practice around this topic. • Staff and students identify priority areas and a programme of activity is designed to ensure a positive impact on practice in the sector.

Focus On projects • • Focus On: Assessment and Feedback Focus On: Collaborative activity Focus On: Institution-led review Focus On: Postgraduate research student experience

Focus On projects • Topics identified from ELIR outcomes & agreed with Scottish HE Enhancement Committee • Quick scoping with all institutions to identify priority areas • Activity delivered within 1 academic year

Focus On: Assessment & Feedback

ELIR identified a need for… • More consistent implementation of policy • Better communication and timing of feedback on assessment

Three strands of work 1. Use of technology to support feedback on assessment 2. Consistent application of policy regarding feedback on assessment 3. Student-led and student-friendly activity

Use of technology to support feedback on assessment • Practitioner event with around 80 delegates • Keynote speakers • Twelve case studies • Ten key messages for policy makers

Policy and Practice Summit Senior managers & student representatives Institutions sharing policy initiatives and approaches

Sharing practice on institutional policy development and implementation What improvement in assessment and feedback would look like

Focus On (2016 -17) Why the PGR student experience? In 2015 -16, aspects of the postgraduate student experience were areas for development in 4 out of 5 institutions reviewed. From 2012 -16, aspects of the postgraduate student experience were areas of development in 13 out of 18 ELIRs. #Focus. On. PGR

Focus On: The PGR student experience priority areas 1. Training and support for postgraduate students who teach (PGWTs) 2. Support for staff who supervise research students 3. Building a research community for PGRs 4. Student representation for PGRs #Focus. On. PGR

Focus On Activity 2016 -17 • PGWT film, ‘What I wish I’d known when I started teaching’ • ‘Statement of Expectations’ for the support of PGWT (Amy) • Research supervisor resources/films • Webinars on research supervision • Developing the research community • Work with students’ associations and sparqs (Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland)

Focus On projects Materials on http: //www. enhancemen tthemes. ac. uk/focus-on Including films & digital storytelling

Ailsa Crum Head of Quality & Enhancement a. crum@qaa. ac. uk

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