Institutional Liaison Scheme Emerging Outcomes: Scotland

and the rest of the UK

Alastair RobertsonSenior Adviser, Scotland

Academy Scotland- priorities and plans5 June 2006St Leonard’s Hall, University of Edinburgh

Outline

• Background to Scheme

• Methodology

• Health warnings

• Emerging outcomes

• The bigger picture

• Strategic priorities for the coming year

The Institutional Liaison Scheme

•Mechanism for strengthening engagement with individual institutions

•Enables Academy to ensure a better match between activities and needs of the HEIs

•Links in with key objectives of 2005-10 Strategic Plan

•First Year of Operation

•Future years?

Policy context, infrastructure in Scotland, partnership approaches to working…

Methodology

• 2 FT Regional Senior Advisers (Scotland, Wales). English and NI HEIs sub-divided amongst other Academy SAs.

• Institutions nominated their contact.

• In Scotland 18 visits completed to date, other visits planned.

• Analysis from rest of UK includes 46 English HEIs, 7 Welsh HEIs.

• Format of visits.

• Follow-up activities, other direct interactions….

Health warnings to findings

• Not all subscribing HEIs visited yet- various reasons

• Data collection

• Analysis and interpretation

• Reflects individual nature of HEIs, desire to be flexible in nature of visits to be most helpful for institutions

Emerging Outcomes

• Contacts

• Perceptions of the Academy in general

• Perceptions of the Subject Centres

• Key issues

• Scotland first then comparison with England and Wales

Registrar/ Admin- 3 (15%)

Vice-Principal/ Snr Manager- 12

(60%)

Ed Dev or equivalent- 4

(25%)

Liaison Contact Roles- Scotland

Scottish HEI reports (1)Academy - Perceptions

■ Engagement with Scottish HEIs generally felt to be variable but institutions appear keen to strengthen.

■ Website was criticised- felt not to be very user-friendly, particularly the search facilities

■ Need for increased communication with the sector

■ Apparent lack of clarity re. the remit of the Academy

■ At least one institution mentioned that they felt the Academy was currently doing too much

■ Uncertainties regarding professional recognition of staff unhelpful

■ Recent increased presence of Academy in Scotland universally welcomed by institutions.

Scottish HEI reports (2)Perceived value-added of the Academy

■ Capacity to offer practical “how to” support and consultancy-type services

■ Professional development of individual staff

■ Facilitate the collection and dissemination of good practice

■ Support of special interest groups, communities of practice, facilitate networking

■ Support for curriculum design, including subject-specific resources/ events/activities

■ Research and evaluation work including grants for L&T projects, literature surveys, pedagogic research

Scottish HEI reports (3)Subject Centres- Perceptions

Current engagement:

Good 12%

Reasonable 23.5%

Mixed/variable 47%

Minimal 18%

Need for greater connectivity between central Academy and Subject Centres and Institutions

SCs generally recognised as key for increased buy-in and engagement from Academic staff

Scottish HEI reports (4)

■PVC-VP network: v. positive. 80% of Scottish HEIs currently have a representative.

■Change Academy: generally positive by those institutions who have engaged

■Individual institutional support welcomed in principle but some uncertainty so far as scope and relationship with sector-wide initiatives e.g. SHEEC.

■Institutional evaluation- monitoring effectiveness of implementation of L,T,A strategies- more support welcomed.

Institutional Support

Scottish HEI reports (5)

■Framework cautiously welcomed, felt by some to be rather broad.

■Lament at demise of ILT from some quarters

■Academy’s policy of not being a professional membership organisation- mixed response

■Lack of clarity on future of Register not good.

Professional development,

registration and accreditation

■A lot of interest in the CPD pilot

■HEIs frustrated that don’t currently know who in their HEI is a Registered Practitioner

Scottish HEI reports (6)Research and Evaluation

■ Evidence-informed approach to policy and practice

■ Pedagogic research

■ Evaluation

■ Literature surveys

■ L&T project funding

Scottish HEI reports (7)Thematic Priorities

■ Personal Development Planning (PDP) implementation

■ Assessment

■ Employability (particularly embedding in curriculum)

■ The First Year Experience

■ Research-Teaching nexus and issues surrounding scholarship

■ College to University articulation

■ Widening participation and equality e- and blended learning

38%

4%

5%9%

17%

15%

3%9%

SeniorManagement

Dean/AssistantDean

Director

AcademicRegistrar/Secretary

Educationaldevelopment

Director/ Head L&Tunit

DirectorPersonnel/HR

Other

Liaison Contact Roles- England/Wales

English HEI reports (1)

V.Positive ☺ (33%)……… (7%) Sceptical

Lack of clarity (24%)

Regional focus

Perceived lack of international focus

CETLs

Key role- collation and dissemination of Key role- collation and dissemination of GOOD PRACTICEGOOD PRACTICE

Academy York- Perceptions

English HEI reports (2)

Patchy awareness (39%)

Good contact (30%)

Mixed – Variable service (17%)

Clear purpose and remit

Subject Centres- Perceptions

Professional Development & Recognition

CurriculumDevelop-

ment

StudentSupport

Learning,Teaching

& Assessment

S L E

Institutional Development & Support

Institutional Support

& Development

Institutional LiaisonScheme

PVC Network

Academic leadership

Quality ManagementExternal examiners

HE in FE

Change Academy

ProfessionalRecognition

& Development

Reward and recognition

Innovation and creativity

NTFS

Register

Accreditation

CPD framework

Research

Building capacityLinking pedagogic research to teaching

Research student surveyStudent experience survey

Curriculum development•Employability•Enterprise•Work Based Learning•Sustainability•International

Student Support•Retention•Progression•Diversity•Inclusivity•Induction•Student expectations

Learning, Teaching & Assessment•Delivery•Innovation•Models & strategies •Feedback•Plagiarism

Welsh HEI reports (1)

•Academy needs to work hard at awareness-raising, building a positive image and demonstrating value for money.•Engagement with SCs variable and largely dependent upon individuals.•The Welsh sector is keen that the Academy supports networks and to help identify good practice within Wales and the rest of the UK for sharing in the whole sector.•Support for accreditation positive but the difficulty of obtaining accurate data on the number of registered practitioners is an issue.•Exclusion of Welsh HEIs from some of the funding initiatives e.g. CETLs that are provided for English institutions- some disquiet.

Welsh HEI reports (2)

Thematic priorities for support from the Academy:

•Assessment – particularly feedback, also introduction of skills into the curriculum and the linking of learning outcomes with methods of assessment.•Balance between the RAE and excellence in learning and teaching.•Pedagogic research•Criteria for promoting teachers in research-led institutions. •PVC network•HE in FE felt to be very important in at least one report.•Welsh medium – all institutions are working on this.

The bigger picture:2005-06 Workplan

• Foci

• Discussions and activities with other key stakeholders, organisations

• Work with the Subject Centres

• Solid platform established

2006-07 Academy Scotland Strategic Priorities

• Joining up (variety of levels)

• Strengthening relationships and partnerships

• Practical “how to” support for individual institutions

• Working more closely with SHEEC and partners to offer a coherent package of support for institutions

• Greater focus on supporting the professional development of individuals

• Working with students• Thematic priorities: Employability, PDP, the Research-

Teaching nexus, Assessment, e-learning, Articulation (subject-specific considerations)