· Web viewOur education will be shaped for and with our students. This means forging good relationships with students, finding out what is important to them, recognising their strengths

Agendum 7.2

LEARNING AND TEACHING COMMITTEE

4TH June 2015

Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-20: ‘Learning by doing’

This paper is proposed by: Dr Stella CottrellPVC Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement

Prepared on: May 2015

Status: For discussion and recommendation.

________________________________________________________________

Executive summary

In June 2014, Academic Board approved the Strategic Direction for Learning and Teaching 2014-16, providing a steer for the University pending finalisation of the Corporate Plan and consultation with staff and students on longer term strategy. A key theme emerging from the consultation was that there was an appetite to retain the core of the Strategic Direction and its priorities for student outcomes, progression, and teaching quality. However, there were also myriad suggestions for fine-tuning of the strategic direction. This document outlines the proposed Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-20, aligned to the agreed Corporate Plan, and incorporating the results of consultation and feedback from staff and students.

The strategy is formulated around five key aims that focus on (a) inclusion, partnership, and celebration of diversity as a learning community; (b) student outcomes; (c) teaching quality; (d) engaging students through their programmes of study; (e) infrastructures that support teaching. This Learning and Teaching Strategy is supported by a raft of underpinning strategies and policies, as referred to within the document. The committee is asked to consider the strategy and recommend for approval to Academic Board. The committee is asked to consider the draft objectives for 2015-2016.________________________________________________________________

Background

Academic Board in June 2014-15 agreed the strategic direction for learning and teaching 2014-16. This provided a steer for the university on learning and teaching for the current academic session pending

Learning and Teaching Committee June 2015 Learning and Teaching Strategy

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Agendum 7.2

finalization of the Corporate Plan. It served as the basis for consultation with staff and students during the current academic session and has been the subject of discussion through university and school deliberative structure. The resulting strategy, documented below, is now aligned with the Corporate Plan agreed during this academic session, and with supporting strategies and policies agreed since June 2015 or under development. It also incorporates key messages derived from staff and student feedback and consultation, committees and from informal feedback mechanisms. These messages reflected a desire to reaffirm the current strategic direction and priorities, albeit with changes that included the following:

earlier involvement of staff and students in our evolving strategy and with future initiatives; allowing time for new developments to take root; recognition of the university’s commitment to widening participation and what that entails in

breadth and depth of support for student learning; recognition of the distinct needs of post-graduate, distant and high-achieving students; emphasis on inclusion, diversity and parity of outcomes for students, closing attainment gaps

and creating a sense of belonging; raising the status and perceived value of teaching to the institution.

Learning and Teaching Strategy and the Corporate Plan 2015-20

UEL’s Corporate Plan affirms the University’s commitment as an ‘anchor institution’ to the community, both local and global, opening up opportunities that make a real difference to people’s lives. Our plan has civic engagement at its heart, recognising social innovation and social justice as core to the way we wish to frame and shape our education and research. We place value on generating and applying knowledge in a spirit of mutuality, both as a community of staff and students, and as part of wider communities.

‘Learning by doing’

Our Learning and Teaching Strategy takes forward the Corporate Plan, focussing on student success through active engagement – or ‘learning by doing’. Our provision will bring together what is important to students with what matters to communities, and with our strengths in research and pedagogy. In the context of UEL, ‘learning by doing’ means learning through:

a) active citizenship, within and alongside the curriculum that develops students as individuals whilst simultaneously contributing to the wider good.

b) curricula and co-curricular activities that create rich opportunities for developing a breadth of knowledge, understandings and abilities, reinforced through practice

c) applying theory in practice d) meaningful and ‘real life’ experience, including experience of worke) student engagement in its broadest sense.

‘Student engagement’ at UEL means students participating…


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Agendum 7.2

(a) in partnership with staff and with each other(b) intellectually, in their subject and studies(c) in a range of experiences that broaden their outlook and enrich their lives (d) in the life of the university, academically, socially, culturally and in decision-making(e) in making their voices heard, such as through student representative and feedback processes(f) in co- curricular activities that contribute to their success as students and in preparing for

graduate employment (g) in opportunities that will equip, empower and inspire them to become leaders in community,

business and society…all to levels commensurate with individuals' broader ambitions, interests and capacity.

Learning and teaching at UEL will be characterised by:

Knowing our students – our learning and teaching strategy starts with our students. Our education will be shaped for and with our students. This means forging good relationships with students, finding out what is important to them, recognising their strengths and developing an understanding of what helps them to achieve.

Being ambitious for student success – as a university committed to social justice and social innovation, we provide outstanding opportunities for widening participation within higher education. We expect staff to be ambitious for our students, creating a learning environment and opportunities that delivers strong outcomes for students.

Teaching in ways that ignite a love of learning – we will provide teaching that can inspire, guide, nurture, innovate, transform and empower. In turn, we will value excellent teaching, as relevant to different subject disciplines, modes of study and student cohorts.

Creating rich learning experiences – we will provide interactive and collaborative learning opportunities that enable students to engage meaningfully with learning, research and the community, gaining enjoyment and a sense of being stretched through supported challenge. Opportunities for civic engagement built into curricula and the co-curriculum will enable students to gain a sense of purpose from their experience, whilst making a difference to others.

Preparing students well for study, life and work –we will provide excellent support and learning experiences, so that students can achieve academically, whilst also cultivating the abilities, attitudes and behaviours to take on new challenges in life and work with resilience, confidence and flair.

Learning and Teaching: Strategic Aims

1. Provide an outstanding education and experience for our students based on inclusion, partnership, and celebration of diversity.

2. Maximise student success, raising expectations and levels of personal performance, and delivering strong outcomes for progression, completion, achievement and employability.


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Agendum 7.2

3. Lead at the cutting-edge of innovative, pedagogically-informed, teaching that attracts, inspires, engages, motivates and develops our students, building on their diversity and strengths.

4. Embed civic engagement within the curriculum, providing relevant opportunities for ‘learning by doing’, and for developing abilities relevant to life, work and future academic.

5. Value, nurture, support and reward excellent teaching, providing the infrastructures, facilities and development that enable our staff to succeed..

Achieving our aims

1. Provide an outstanding education and experience for our students based on inclusion, partnership and celebration of diversity

UEL’s strength lies in its diversity. We recognise that an outstanding education and experience at UEL starts with establishing a sense of community in which everyone can feel that they belong, contribute and achieve. This means creating, together, a culture and ethos where students and staff feel welcomed and enabled to work in creative partnerships within an inspiring learning community.

1.1 Promote the ‘Belong, Believe, Achieve’ Strategya) Design and Implement ‘Belong, Believe, Achieve’ as a high profile strategy for closing attainment

gaps at UEL.b) Develop and implement a comprehensive action plan that embeds the Belong, Believe, Achieve

strategy across all aspects of the student experience.c) Embed ‘Belong, Believe Achieve’ within UEL strategies and polices so that these are consistent in

design, spirit and implementation.

1.2 Involve students and staff in shaping the learning experience a) Formulate a Partnership Agreement as the basis of joint working to the benefit of education and

the student experience at UEL. b) Establish a culture of consultation and sharing of opinion, involving students as well as staff in

proposed initiatives from the outset.c) Employ multiple means of accessing the student voice, reflective of the variety of our students

and their different modes of study.

1.3 Create a welcoming ambiance that celebrates our diversity a) Provide a sense of place that is welcoming of diversity and difference, recognising our students’

varied backgrounds, interests, and ambitions.b) From induction onwards, provide activities and events that enable students to gain enjoyment,

enrichment, knowledge and broadened understanding from our rich diversity of cultures and academic disciplines.

c) Celebrate the achievements and personal journeys of our students, such as through our Inspiring Personal Stories initiative, raising aspirations.


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Agendum 7.2

d) Ensure that our communications with students recognise the diversity of their circumstances.

1.4 Know our students, as the basis for designing relevant provision a) Use pre-entry, induction and orientation time creatively so that teaching staff, personal tutors

and support staff can get to know students, their concerns strengths and interests.b) Use advanced student analytics to help us understand what our students need in order to thrive

and succeed, individually and as cohorts.c) Provide an integrated dashboard of student information to support the work of programme and

support staff and personal tutors. d) Build opportunities for dialogic learning and student narratives into programmes, as means of

understanding what matters to students and how they learn.e) Use early formative assessment opportunities to gain insights into students’ approaches to

learning and assessment; use these to fine-tune inputs that support students. f) Promote our ‘Speak Up’ campaign to encourage student participation in feedback, and make

effective use of the feedback provided.g) Maximise opportunities afforded by mobile devices for gaining insights into students’

understanding of course material and their opinions on learning activities.

1.5 Build a sense of belonging at UEL and pride in cohorta) Provide opportunities, formal and informal, for students to get to know their personal tutors and

teaching staff, building confidence and trust. b) Give students a strong sense of what it is to be a student at UEL, with its focus on civic

engagement, community and distinct identity. c) From induction onwards, develop a sense of the class that will graduate together. d) Through collaborative learning methodologies, assist students to get to know each other as

groups and support each other as peers.

1.6 Implement UEL’s Personal Tutoring Policya) Deliver our Personal Tutoring Policy, optimising its potential for tailoring personal tutoring to suit

the diversity of our schools, students and disciplines.b) Develop guidance, training and information systems that support our personal tutors.

1.7 Embed a sense of our diversity into all aspects of the life of the universitya) Ensure that our curricula, reading lists and learning resources reflect our diverse communities.b) Celebrate cultural diversity across the annual calendar, providing activities and opportunities

that generate appreciation of, and enjoyment in, our similarities and differences.c) Provide events and opportunities that support internationalism and develop cultural sensitivity. d) Establish a ‘global café’ forum for regular discussions and social events that bring together

students of all backgrounds.


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Agendum 7.2

2. Maximise student success, raising expectations and levels of personal performance, and delivering strong outcomes for progression, completion, achievement and employability

In creating opportunities for study at UEL in the context of ‘widening participation’, we recognise that students will arrive with varied starting points and bring individual profiles of strengths, experiences, abilities, levels of confidence and awareness of study expectations. We know that many will be unaware of their potential to succeed well academically; we are committed, through comprehensive, professional and integrated support systems and engaging curricula and teaching, to enabling all our students to achieve to the best of their abilities.

2.1 Strengthen arrangements for successful transition into higher education and to each level of study a) Plan student support and development across the student lifecycle. b) Provide a good grounding for H.E. study through our outreach work, pre-entry and ‘flying start’

activities, foundation years and pre-sessional courses. c) Clarify the expectations of higher level study at UEL to applicants and new starts. d) Provide an enriched, school-focussed, Welcome, Induction and Orientation programme to

support transition and build confidence.e) Provide early diagnostic activities that enable close tailoring of teaching and support to students’

starting places and circumstances; include evaluations of students’ strengths and ambitions as a basis for setting developmental goals.

f) Structure the early weeks of study closely in order to assist students in developing helpful study habits and an understanding of how to use independent study time effectively.

g) Clarify to students the way that thinking, scholarship and the academic culture works within the discipline area, so that they can make sense of what is expected of them.

2.2 Promote and support students’ academic development and achievementa) Implement our Enhancing Students' Performance Strategy and the new model of school-focused

academic support for enabling all students to achieve the best grades possible.b) Provide strong professional service teams to motivate and assist students and to support schools

in enhancing students’ achievement.c) Embed academic skills development into programmes of study, supplemented by additional

support for individuals and groups.d) Provide intensified support for all students at key moments across the year, such as prior to first

assessments, through ‘StudyFest’ and for summer resits, demonstrating to students that the whole university is ambitious for their success.

e) Devise and implement a student digital literacies strategy, to support student’s academic studies and their preparation for employment.

f) Throughout student’ time at UEL, strengthen and fine-tune their underpinning skills in academic English and maths as the basis for academic achievement and to support employability.

g) Promote initiatives that encourage reading, writing and debate, such as the 'Big read' projects; Reading for Pleasure; Book swap; creative writing projects, and student academic societies.


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h) Identify students ‘at risk’ of not completing, progressing or under-achieving; be pro-active in offering them guidance and support at key moments across the year.

i) Implement our tailored support projects for specific cohorts (Accelerate; Advance; Gain).j) Develop a scholarship scheme that recognises student achievement and progress.

2.3 Communicate effectively the requirements for progression, and what students need to do to progress and complete their studies successfully

a) Provide an outline learning strategy, clarifying student responsibilities for their learning and as the basis for developing personalized strategies for success.

b) Ensure students understand the academic framework and the credit they must gain each year.c) Provide clear guidance and examples for what is required to achieve the highest grades.d) Explain clearly the enhanced requirements at each level of study.e) Design assignments and assessments that develop students’ academic abilities systematically.f) Assist students to understand the relevance and meaning of academic integrity; design

assessments which reduce the likelihood of breaches in academic integrity.g) Implement the Attendance and Engagement Policy, ensuring students understand the

importance of systematic engagement with study and ‘time on task’. h) Make effective use of Learning Achievement Assistants (LAAs) and student mentoring schemes

to signpost sources of help and to enable learning from the experience of peers.

2.4 Promote and develop student employability a) Refresh our employability strategy regularly so that it remains relevant to our academic

portfolio, student profile and the labour market. b) Provide a high profile, well-resourced professional service through the newly established Careers

and Student Employability (CaSE) centres on each campus. c) Integrate careers education, guidance and employability-related activities into all stages of the

student life cycle and curriculum.d) Develop an ‘entitlement’ model for career development, assisting all students to gain a solid

understanding of what is required to compete for graduate jobs and to access opportunities for developing the requisite attributes.

e) Seek professional accreditation for our programmes of study, wherever relevant.f) Build our outreach to business, industry and community, increasing the range of employability-

related opportunities available to our students, and linking our students with employers.g) Provide work experience, placements, or equivalents for students during their time at UEL. h) Provide high quality before, during and after work-placements and for students in employment,

to help them to optimise the learning and development that can derive from the experience.i) Promote and facilitate the use of Mahara as an e-portfolio to coordinate and advance students’

engagement with career development and employability.


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j) Set challenging KPIs for the number and proportion of students actively engaged in Careers and Student Employability opportunities (mentoring, work placements, internships) and (b) support activities (attending workshops, career interviews, guidance on job application processes, etc.).

k) Develop a UEL professional development award to provide recognition of students’ engagement with employability-related activities through and alongside,, the curriculum.

2.5) Provide excellent student support that enhances the overall student experience a) Provide high quality, integrated, comprehensive and accessible services through the Student

Support Hubs at each campus.b) Provide state of the art telephony, technologies and apps to underpin the work of the Hubs so

that support is timely, tracked, communicated, evaluated and reported effectively.c) Map the student experience for different cohorts of students across the student life-cycle,

ensuring that the needs and interests of different students are addressed.d) Review and refresh student-facing policies so that these are as supportive and enabling as

feasible whilst promoting timely completion and achievement and maintenance of standards. e) Encourage and enable well-trained peer support to supplement support services. f) Through close partnership of the Student Experience team, Schools, UEL Sports and UELSU,

provide a rich programme of events and activities relevant to a diverse student body, increasing engagement in the social and cultural life of the University.

3 Lead at the cutting-edge of innovative, pedagogically-informed, research-led teaching

Our students deserve excellent educators who exude a love of teaching and ambition for their students’ success. We will cultivate teaching that attracts, engages and develops our students, building from their diversity and nurturing their strengths. We will encourage and support our teaching staff in trialling and introducing innovations that enhance student learning.

3.1 Provide teaching that ignites a love of learning

We will promote and facilitate teaching that makes a difference to students through its power to:

a) Inspire: enthusing students to want to learn more, stimulating their curiosity, motivating them to engage with their studies and to put in ‘time on task’

b) Guide: clarifying expectations and helping students to develop roadmaps to success

i) Nurture: Raising student aspirations for personal success, fostering their ambitions as future academics, entrepreneurs, innovators, professionals and leaders; scaffolding their learning by introducing concepts and methodologies in ways that build solid foundations for future study helping students to identify and play to their strengths whilst also developing new abilities;

c) Innovate: Identifying creative ways of engaging students, improving access and enhancing their capacity to achieve well

d) Transform: enabling students to realise new insights and levels of understanding that make a difference to the way they lead their lives as students, global citizens and future professionals


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Agendum 7.2

e) Empower: giving students a voice in the learning process so that can contribute to key decisions; enabling students to gain an early taste of success so that they can recognise their potential, and develop an appetite, to achieve; developing students’ abilities so that they can achieve at higher levels than would be expected typically from their entry profiles; providing an overall experience that leaves students confident about what they have to offer when they graduate.

3.2 Share teaching expertise across UEL, to the benefit of all schoolsa) Facilitate the development and dissemination of innovation, pedagogy and practice through the

Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).b) Draw explicitly on the specialisms of UEL Schools and Services, drawing on our experts in

education, psychology, social sciences and other fields to enhance our understanding of our students and in developing new learning opportunities.

c) Undertake periodic audits of helpful practice at UEL, such as in TEL; embedding skills and civic engagement; distance learning; supporting disabled students; closing attainment gaps.

d) Provide up-to-date literature reviews in areas that support our provision, including for distance learning, TEL, and closing the attainment gap.

e) Support and develop our Leaders in Learning and Teaching (LILTS) so that they can advance teaching in their schools and to UEL as a whole.

f) Provide multiple and diverse opportunities for teaching staff to share practice across schools and UEL, drawing on developing practice within the sector.

g) Provide opportunities for teaching staff to share concerns, experiences and ideas. h) Employ the CELT suite to as an incubator for new ideas and innovations in teaching.

3.3 Realize the Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) strategya) Embed the TEL strategy, evaluating and refreshing this so that UEL remains at the cutting edge of

technology enhanced teaching and learning.b) Implement and evaluate the mobile learning project.c) Provide all teaching staff with mobile devices and training in technology-enhanced learning. d) Promote smart and flexible use of open learning to support distance and blended learning.e) Update and train students in the use of technologies, resources and apps that facilitate study.

3.4 Design an ‘Ability-focussed’ approach to teaching and learninga) Research the strengths of our students and use this to inform our provision. b) Design curricula, assignments and assessment that empower students to make the most of their

personal strengths, experiences, interests and backgrounds. c) Design learning experiences that assist students to perfect their understanding and skills through

repeated practice and reinforcement.d) Provide prompt feedback on assessments (of all kinds), emphasising how students can apply

feedback to future learning and assessment.


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Agendum 7.2

e) Through diagnostic and reflective activities, support students in understanding and appreciating the strengths they bring to study and the knowledge and abilities acquired through their study.

f) Ensure that students can articulate their knowledge and skills clearly and effectively to others. g) Encourage and support students to develop as future academics and as leaders in their fields,

assisting them to develop roadmaps towards achieving their ambitions.

3.5 Promote interactive and personalised approaches to learning a) Create opportunities for students to undertake projects in areas of personal interest. b) Encourage and enable the use of high quality, interactive, adaptive, online resources that enable

learning to be tailored to an individual’s pace and current level of performance. c) Design engaging resources and activities for students to use through the virtual learning

environment at times that suit their circumstances.d) Use approaches, resources and technologies that make most effective use of teacher contact and

students’ time, such as through ‘flipped classroom’ methods; podcasts and video capture; use of open resources; bespoke e-books; apps; etc.).

3.6 Create close links between research, professional practice and teaching a) Encourage and support the research base that underpins teaching and learning at UEL, as

central to business research and development (R&D).b) Embed our schools’ research excellence within curricula. c) Offer speaker programmes that expose students to leaders in research, professional practice

and ideas at the cutting edge of their field, from within UEL and beyond.d) Celebrate our researchers and leaders in professional practice, linking this with our Belong,

Believe, Achieve strategy by cultivating pride in being a student at UEL. e) Encourage and support students to draw upon academic journals in their own work.f) Provide opportunities for students to develop research skills and understandings, introducing

these early and building these at each level of study. g) Encourage and support PGR students to contribute to the academic life of the university.

4 Embed civic engagement within the curriculum, providing relevant opportunities for ‘learning by doing’, and for developing abilities relevant to life, work and future academic careers

We will promote and enable 'learning by doing', providing opportunities for students to engage in active citizenship in a spirit of mutual benefit. We will encourage a ‘joined-up’ approach to civic engagement, looking for natural synergies with employability, with the development of research skills, and with outreach to schools, colleges, business and the community

4.1 Develop an engaged curriculum that supports civic engagementa) Identify learning outcomes developed through civic engagement activities.


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b) Identify UEL graduate associated with civic engagement and means of helping students to articulate these effectively to employers.

c) Give recognition, including academic credit, for student contributions to enhancing the economic and cultural life of UEL and local communities.

d) Engage students in real-life, enquiry-based projects that address key social, business and cultural challenges, including the ‘big questions’ facing us in the modern world.

e) Involve students as co-producers of knowledge, contributing to, and drawing from, the research base of the University.

f) Provide rich opportunities for students to broaden their outlook and develop initiative, from work experience and volunteering to activities that raise international awareness and cross-cultural understanding.

4.2 Design and manage the student experience at programme levela) Implement learning and teaching strategy in ways relevant to the programme of study and

student cohort, to provide the best possible experience and outcomes for students. b) Design programmes of study that are coherent and consistent within and across levels.c) Provide a planned structure of assignments, assessments and learning opportunities that assist

students to build their learning and expertise in a systematic way.d) Introduce new students to concepts of civic engagement as relevant to the discipline.e) Build, from entry onwards, students’ abilities to initiate and/or participate in high profile civic

engagement projects. f) Create within the programme’s assessment strategy regular opportunities for clarifying to

students their development and achievement to date, to build their confidence and sharpen their awareness of what they need to do next.

g) Map learning activities and assessments across programmes to avoid unhelpful repetition and over-reliance on particular forms of teaching or assessment.

h) Clarify to students the rationale for the ways that their learning, assessment and pattern of attendance have been designed and planned to assist their development.

i) Monitor student participation, development, outcomes and feedback at programme level, as the basis for continuous improvement.

5 To value, nurture, support and reward excellent teaching and those who provide it, providing the infrastructures, facilities and development that enable our staff to succeed.

Our teaching and professional staff are dedicated to the success of our students. For them to do the best for students, they need infrastructures that help them to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, at the forefront of the sector.

5.1 Develop and implement a UEL framework for excellence in teaching


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Agendum 7.2

Through collaboration and consultation with staff and students, develop and implement a framework for teaching excellence that:

a) Enhances the experience and outcomes of our students b) Helps and assists all engaged in teaching at UEL, developing their confidence and expertisec) Supports professionally recognised high standards in teachingd) Promotes, enables and recognises ongoing professional developmente) Values peer input and supportf) Builds capacity for leadership and excellent practice in teachingg) Encourages and employs pedagogical research relevant to UEL h) Promotes, celebrates and rewards strong contribution to professional teaching practicei) Feeds constructively into reflective annual review processes.

5.2 Provide excellent training, guidance and support for teaching staffa) Maximise the use of our Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, (CELT), as a resource for

all engaged in teaching at UEL.b) Provide high quality guidance, support and resources for teaching staff through CELT, drawing on

peer experience and excellence from across UEL and beyond. c) Provide excellent accredited programmes and courses in professional development, articulated

with the UEL framework for excellence in teaching. d) Set minimum requirements for initial training for those new to teaching.e) Set clear parameters for the deployment and training of PGRs in teaching, supporting PGRs in

their professional careers as teachers. f) Provide an extended programme of academic induction and orientation to teaching at UEL.g) Implement a refreshed peer support scheme for teaching (based on pilots 2014-15). h) Provide support for staff for integrating UEL’s strategic objectives into teaching. i) Facilitate access to information on developments in learning and teaching across the sector.

5.3 Enhance the status, recognition and reward of teaching a) Strengthen appointment processes for new teaching staff, promoting the value that UEL places

on high quality teaching.b) Develop career pathways that recognise, reward and promote excellence and leadership in

teaching and pedagogy. c) Through the UEL framework for excellence in teaching, give recognition to excellent teaching and

for innovation, leadership, and contribution. d) Celebrate the excellence, creativity and innovation of our teaching staff, such as through CELT

events and case studies. e) Provide opportunities, formal and informal, for staff to develop and nurture a shared passion for

high quality teaching.

5.4 Build leadership capacity for learning and teaching


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Agendum 7.2

a) Put mechanisms in place to fuel a culture of innovation, pedagogy and debate on learning, teaching and the student experience.

b) Create opportunities for staff to lead on teaching and learning initiatives that add value to UEL, supporting them to develop in leadership roles.

c) Provide learning enhancement opportunity funding (LEO) for projects in learning and teaching.d) Investigate the development of a dashboard, or equivalent, to enable teaching staff to collate

and articulate their contribution to raising the quality of teaching.

5.5 Provide environments and infrastructures that promote effective teaching and engagement a) Reduce staff: student ratios to 1:20 or lower.b) Provide state of the art timetabling and facilities to facilitate excellent teaching.c) Provide a friendly, welcoming and inspiring ambiance, which communicates that our students

are valued, and which is conducive to active participation in learning.d) Create spaces, virtual and physical, that enable students and staff to develop a sense of identity

and belonging, as members of their programme, school and UEL.e) Provide teaching staff with a toolkit of relevant, cutting edge technologies that enable them to

offer effective, enjoyable and collaborative learning.f) Ensure that students have easy access to technologies and resources that enable them to

participate in innovative approaches to learning and teaching on and off campus, and which prepare them for their future academic and professional careers.

g) Continue the rolling review of, and investment in, the physical and virtual spaces so that these support the Learning and Teaching Strategy as well as the needs of a diverse student body.

5.6 Optimise the impact of management information, monitoring and reviewa) Set challenging targets, at all levels of UEL, for student outcomes and satisfaction, including for

distance learners and for closing gaps in attainment and satisfaction. b) Provide personal tutors, programme staff and managers with easy access to reliable student

data, including data on student profiles, engagement and uptake of support.c) Enable ‘real-time’ gathering of information on student views and understanding through using

devices provided to staff and students. d) Use module, programme and student survey data for identifying good practice to share /areas

for intervention.e) Monitor and report on learning and teaching at programme, subject and School level, focussed

on measures to improve student outcomes. f) Target Subjects or programmes with relatively weak student metrics; undertake early monitoring

of these within the year and provide additional support towards improvement.g) Undertake early monitoring of modules with known risk factors.

Underpinning and associated strategies and policies


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Agendum 7.2

(a) Assessment Policy (AB June 2014?)(b) Belong, Believe, Achieve: Closing the Attainment Gap (AB June 2015) (c) Employability and Student Success (AB tbc)(d) Enhancing Student Performance (AB March 2015?) (e) Personal Tutoring Policy (AB June 2014)(f) Research Strategy 2014-17 (AB June 2014)(g) Student Digital Literacies (AB tbc)(h) Technology-Enhanced Learning (AB January 2015? ) (i) UEL Teaching Excellence Framework (AB tbc). (j) Welcome, Induction and Orientation (AB tbc)(k) Suite of Student Support policies (June 2015).

Risk assessment

The key corporate risks that are addressed by this strategy are: (a) failure to align discrete elements of the corporate strategy and core business; (b) failure to recognise and meet the diverse needs of our students; (c) student under-achievement and poor student outcomes; (d) failure to engage and retain good teachers through undervaluing teaching as an essential part of core business; (e) reputational and opportunity costs as a result of the above.

Equality impact assessment

The key impacts on equality associated with this strategy are (a) improving outcomes for underachieving students; (b) a more inclusive learning environment that contributes to the well-being and sense of belonging of all students, and (c) more equitable recognition and reward for teaching.

Recommendation

Academic Board is asked to approve the Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-20

DRAFT for DISCUSSION


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Agendum 7.2

1) Learning and Teaching Priorities 2015-16In line with the Corporate Plan and Learning and Teaching Strategy, the following objectives, priorities and projects are proposed for the 2015-16 academic session.

2) Objectives 2015-16

a) Implement at every level of the university the strategies, policies and action plans that underpin Learning and Teaching Strategy (LTS); Complete the process of formulating the suite of strategies and policies that underpin LTS

b) Develop Partnership arrangements between UEL and UELSU

c) Embed civic engagement into programmes and the student experience

d) Close student attainment gaps, driving ambition for high outcomes for all students

e) Improve support structures for distance learning students and PG students

f) Extend Welcome, Induction and Orientation processes in order to engage students earlier with their programmes of study and as members of a learning community.

3) Key Priorities for 2015-16

We will continue to focus our energies on the three priorities identified for 2014-15:

a) Driving up teaching quality

b) Building student engagement and progression

c) Achieving high rates of graduate employability.

4) Projects 2015-16

a) Extend our pilots in Technology Enhanced Learning (1) Mobile Learning; (2) e-portfolios (Mahara); (3) teaching capture and ‘flipped classroom’

b) Fine-tune projects for discrete groups (1) Accelerate; (2) Advance; (3) Gain; (4) Ring! Ring!

c) Extend projects for diagnostic activity and additional support for underpinning literacy and numeracy (1) Numbas (2) BKSB (English)

d) Develop/Implement projects for Belong, Believe, Achieve: Closing the attainment Gap (1) Inspiring Personal Stories;(2) School-based projects CAG (3) Young BAME scientists and innovators initiative

e) Implement and plan the extension of Employability projects: (1) Professional development Certificate (2) Young BAME professionals

f) Develop a new scholarships project to reward student progress and achievement (OFFA)

g) Extend the student engagement dashboard (through Qlikview)

h) Develop and implement teaching excellence framework and related ‘dashboard’

i) Library refurbishment project (Docklands- phase 1)

j) School LEO projects for Learning and Teaching

k) LTSE departmental projects


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Documents

· Web viewOur education will be shaped for and with our students. This means forging good relationships with students, finding out what is important to them, recognising their strengths