2012 Conference Strands
The title for the 8th Annual Conference of the Higher Education Academy is “Great Expectations – are you ready?”. Higher education is undergoing transformational change throughout the UK and although policies may be diverging amongst the four nations, the principle of students being central is shared. Their expectations of their course, institution and learning experience are rising. Staff and Institutions have their own aims and expectations too. In the year of the London Olympics where competitors have expectations of winning and are preparing to be ready for the challenge we apply the theme to the higher education sector and explore its implications for 2012. The three conference strands are described below:
Student expectations and the learning experience
Today's students are undertaking their education in a challenging economic environment, with major changes in the financing of education combined with employability pressures. This strand will study the major influences on student expectations and how they can be addressed. It will look at how to assess and implement measures to optimise the student learning experience and to prepare students for lifelong learning. It will also consider student experience issues highlighted by the National Student Survey. A broad range of topics will be accepted but of particular interest are:
• the first year experience;
• widening participation;
• assessment and feedback;
• employability;
• PDP;
• Part-time students;
• retention and success;
• education for sustainable development;
• internationalisation.
Supporting staff to deliver student learning experiences of a lifetime
Staff are experiencing increasing challenges with an ever greater need for them to demonstrate their professionalism in teaching and supporting learning. At the same time they need to develop other strands of the academic role whether that is enterprise, research, or administration. The recently revised UK Professional Standards Framework is a key reference point for the professional development of staff and can embrace development to address the expectations of the HE environment. This strand will explore professional development which addresses the challenges facing staff. A broad range of topics will be accepted but of particular interest are:
• reward and recognition;
• flexible learning;
• employability;
• effective use of resources.
Institutional adaptability
In this environment of change and uncertainty institutions must be agile and receptive to new initiatives that will help them to survive and adapt to the needs and demands of students. Institutions have expectations of sustainable growth in a challenging environment. This strand will explore strategic initiatives that might be/have been adopted to ensure institutions offer a uniqueness of mission with sustainability and creativity. This takes place in a climate of increasing institutional comparison using key information, a changing higher Education landscape, whilst also engaging in the global educational arena. Institutional approaches to internationalisation whilst safeguarding the student learning experience will be explored. Furthermore, the institutional interpretation of UK student survey results will be considered alongside the usefulness of the survey as an indicator for use in enhancement strategies. A broad range of topics will be accepted but of particular interest are:
• Internationalisation;
• student surveys;
• enhancement strategies;
• student engagement;
• policy;
• institutional strategy.
Our conference aims to
- disseminate and showcase evidence informed practice from the sector
- facilitate the discussion and debate of pertinent issues relating to the student learning experience
- provide networking and professional development opportunities for participants
