Institutional Liaison Scheme Emerging Outcomes: Scotland and the rest of the UK Alastair Robertson Senior Adviser, Scotland Academy Scotland- priorities and plans 5 June 2006 St Leonard’s Hall, University of Edinburgh
Mar 28, 2015
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)