HE in FE Briefing January 2012

Welcome to the January HE in FE Briefing

Our aim is to provide an informative term-time briefing for colleagues engaged in the management and delivery of higher education in further education colleges as well as other stakeholders. We also hope to draw your attention to sector events of national and local interest.

We warmly welcome your contribution of any news or events for future issues – particularly regional events – which you wish to promote – or any examples of success, good practice or resources which you would like to share with others in our sector.

Deadline for copy: last Friday of month prior to the month of publication. We usually aim to circulate the briefing in the second week of the month. Please send details to: heinfe@heacademy.ac.uk

Please post this briefing on your internal mail system for colleagues to share, or download it in pdf document format from our website.

HEA News

HEA Launches new Strategic Plan

The HEA launched its new Strategic Plan on 9 January. The Plan, which follows wide consultation with the sector, sets out the HEA’s goals and priorities over the next five years in working with universities and colleges to enhance learning and teaching and deliver the very best experience for students.

Our priorities include:

• inspiring and supporting effective practice in learning and teaching;
• recognising, rewarding and accrediting excellent teaching;
• influencing policy, future thinking and change;
• developing an effective, sustainable organisation that is relevant to, and valued by, higher education.

The Strategic Plan is launched under the banner of a refreshed visual identity for the HEA. Our new visual identity is important because it more accurately portrays the energy and commitment we offer in supporting and enhancing the quality and impact of learning and teaching for students in higher education.

Full details and downloads are available on the HEA website.

The Revised UK Professional Standards workshop report

To support the launch of the revised UK Professional Standard Framework for supporting teaching and learning in higher education 2011(UK PSF) the Academy is hosting a series of post-launch workshops in England and Wales. The revisions to the framework were based on feedback to a set of proposals made by the Academy as part of an extensive consultation with the higher education sector completed last year. Download the report from the consultation on the UKPSF (PDF 591.18KB).

The workshops enable participants to engage with the new UK PSF, identify for themselves the main changes to the framework and assess implications for practice at differing institutional levels. The workshops offer a mix of presentations, small group discussions and plenary sessions enabling engagement with the framework at a detailed level through discussion with sector peers and Academy staff. This encourages individuals to reflect on their own practices and on the ways they and other institutions utilise the framework and individuals have opportunities to raise detailed questions with Academy staff and colleagues for immediate response.

Key areas covered to date in workshops include the rationale for the changes made to the framework such as reducing the number of Areas of Activity from 6 to 5 and some fine tuning to the wording and number of Core Knowledge statements and Professional Values whilst retaining the essential characteristics of the original sector-owned framework. Other key changes discussed in recent workshops include the rationale for adding an additional Standard Descriptor making 4 in total in the new framework to reflect more appropriately the categories of activities undertaken by staff in typical higher education settings. The introduction of a new Principal Fellow category means there are now four categories of recognition available to higher education staff offered b y the Academy which can be gained via an individual recognition route or gained via completion of an Academy-accredited programme available to subscribing institutions. Mechanisms for protecting the status of staff holding existing recognition from the Academy and other transitional arrangements for accredited programmes were explained. The Academy is considering calls from parts of the sector to introduce requirements for recognised practitioners to offer evidence of activity to remain in good standing. For more details on these questions go to the UKPSF area of our website.

Further information on these workshops and a complete listing of Academy events is available on our website.

HEA makes subscriber status available to FEC’s delivering HE courses

As a substantial proportion of higher education is delivered by publicly funded Further Education Colleges and by privately funded colleges the Academy, in a new development, is making subscriber status available to these bodies. QAA’s revised method for the review of higher education in further education colleges, which replaces IQER, includes an expectation that the management and quality assurance of higher education is referenced to the UK PSF and other key documents to support the profile of UK higher education. Bradford College has recently become a subscriber to the Academy. Any publicly funded FEC who wishes to express interest in becoming a subscriber institution and gaining access to a range of Academy services including accreditation of staff development programmes against the UK PSF should contact steve.outram@hecademy.ac.uk in the first instance. More details about this significant development will be released in due course. Similarly, arrangements on how private sector colleges can become subscribers to the Academy will be made available in due course.

2012 National Teaching Fellowship Scheme launched

Nominations for the individual awards in the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) 2012 have now been opened.

NTFS is an annual competition which seeks to raise the profile of learning and teaching, recognise and celebrate individuals who make an outstanding impact on the student learning experience, and provide a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes.

The NTFS 2012 nomination documents and guidance are now available on our website. The deadline for submission of nominations is 12 noon on Wednesday 21 March 2012. Winners will be announced on 26 July 2012 and will be presented with their awards at a prestigious ceremony in October at Middle Temple Hall, London.

The scheme is open to Further Education institutions (FECs) which have 100 or more full-time equivalent students on higher education programmes directly funded by HEFCE or HEFCW. Download a full list of eligible institutions (DOC 118KB).

HEA Annual Conference

The HEA Annual Conference will take place at the University of Manchester on 3-4 July. The title of the conference is ‘Great Expectations – Are you ready?’ and there will be three main strands: Student expectations and the learning experience; Supporting staff to deliver student learning experiences of a lifetime; Institutional adaptability. Early bird bookings will open on 17 February 2012.

HEA launches employer engagement publication

The HEA has published “Learning from experience in employer engagement”, which shares the learning from higher education institutions (HEIs) involved in projects to enhance their employer engagement policy and practices so that all institutions can make informed decisions when embarking upon their own employer-responsive provision.

Each of the publication’s three sections focuses on a common theme, identified through the findings of the 39 HEFCE-funded projects.

The first section looks at engaging academic staff and approaches to embedding employer engagement within an institution. It also demonstrates how cross-disciplinary teams can work successfully across the boundaries of institutions for maximum benefit.

The second section explores how to make learning accessible to adults in employment, and the final section proposes new kinds of curriculum and awards to suit the interests and learning pace of adult learners.

Read the full review and download the report (PDF 2.77MB)

Sector News

Action on Access launches Associates Network

Action on Access in its new 2012 role is developing a national network of ‘AonA Associates’, building a strong collective network of colleagues from all sections of the HE access and widening participation community to work together, drawing on and harnessing the enormous expertise that has been established.

Action on Access has launched this new network, and intends to bring together and coordinate the work of a new capacity building and consultative network, the ‘Action on Access Associates Network’. This is intended to be one new mechanism to ensure that despite the ending of the HEFCE funding for a WP national coordination Action on Access will continue its important role as a national coordinator and facilitator in this uncertain and turbulent landscape.

Further information is available from the Action on Access website.

University applications drop

Fewer students are applying to university as tuition fees are set to rise to £9,000.

The number of UK-born students applying to university for autumn 2012 dropped by 7.6% according to Official UCAS 2012 applicant figures (December).

UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Part C: Information about higher education provision - Draft for consultation

QAA has opened a public consultation on Part C: Information about higher education provision of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. We are inviting comments on this new guidance relating to UK higher education providers’ information about themselves and the higher education they offer. Full details on the consultation can be found on the QAA website. The closing date for responses is 24 February 2012.

New inclusive learning and teaching support programmes from TechDis

Accessible IT Practice Support Programme

The JISC Techdis Accessible IT Practice Support Programme consists of 12 training modules that focus on using IT effectively, inclusively and accessibly for learning and teaching.

Each module contains pragmatic advice and guidance on inclusion benefits, barriers and suggested workarounds where appropriate. The programme and modules are flexible and can be used in many ways including:

• Just-in-time staff development;
• As part of an internal training programme;
• As part of an accredited qualification.

TechDis have worked with City & Guilds so that, on completion, participants can gain a recognised qualification (ITQ). You are invited to try the Word Processing module for free.

TechDis Tuesdays – dialogues to make a difference

TechDis Tuesday is a new programme of short, online fortnightly workshops to help you get the most out of our tools and services.

Events

If you have an event local, regional or national which will interest colleagues in the HE in FE sector, please forward details to us at heinfe@heacademy.ac.uk

A full list of upcoming subject based, national and international events is published on our events page.

The Future of Higher Education Funding

22 February 2012, Central London, 09:00 - 16:15

Full programme details and booking.

Collaboration in the new HE landscape - AoC, UUK and GuildHE

1 March 2012 - 10:00am – 4pm - Woburn House, London

Who should attend

• Principals and Vice Principals from FE Colleges
• Vice Chancellors from Higher Education Universities
• All those tasked with partnership working within HE and FE

For further information or to book a place please visit the registration website.

The Future of Education-Employer Partnerships: Creating closer ties between colleges, universities & businesses: Westminster Briefing

7 March 2012 - 10.40am - 3.15pm (including networking lunch): Westminster, London

Further information is available on the Westminster Briefing website.

Improving Graduate Employability: Responding to the Needs of Students and Employers - Westminster Briefing

27 March 2012 - 10.40am - 3.15pm (including networking lunch): Westminster, London

Further information is available on the Westminster Briefing website.

What Works? Student Retention & Success Conference 2012.

28-29 March: University of York

The two-day conference, taking place on 28-29 March at York University, will take a research-informed approach to answering the question 'what works' to improve student retention and success in higher education

See the HEA website for further information.

AoC Annual HE in FE Conference 2012

29 March 2011 Holiday Inn, Kings Cross London

This well established one-day conference will explore the significant changes higher education is undergoing particularly the challenges faced by Colleges as they seek to ensure more people can benefit from local, flexible and affordable HE. Workshops will include presentations on the information needs of the new market, the emerging regulatory framework, funding HE teaching, external quality assurance, and higher level skills policy. This event will identify the key policy characteristics of the emerging HE market, provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss with fellow HE in FE senior post holders the implications of the emerging market, and provide an opportunity for AoC to explain its HE in FE policy positions.

For more information on the conference and to book your place, visit the conference website.

'Future Directions' conference - Graduates For Our Future.

26 April 2012: Glyndŵr University in Wrexham.

Wales’ first national Learning and Teaching Conference

The focus of the inaugural conference will be to showcase and celebrate the first Wales-wide quality enhancement theme, Graduates For Our Future, and its three work strands: Students as Partners; Learning in Employment; and Learning for Employment.

Wales’ Graduates For Our Future theme was chosen to help higher education in Wales address the priorities outlined in the Welsh Government’s For Our Future: The 21st Century Higher Education Strategy and Plan for Wales, in which two priorities for the sector are highlighted: delivering social justice, and supporting a buoyant economy.

Further comment, details and booking arrangements.

Degrees for the Future: A New Way of Providing Higher Education

Westminster Briefing

2 May 2012 - 10.40am - 3.15pm (including networking lunch): Westminster, London

Further information is available on the Westminster Briefing website.

Higher Education, Further Education & Skills Conference

17 May 2012 – Central London

Government Knowledge are pleased to present our Higher Education, Further Education and Skills Conference, which will provide attendees with a forum for discussion on the key issues surrounding these vital sectors. Some of the issues to be discussed include; FE, HE & Skills reform, investment in apprenticeships, the importance of community skills, widening participation, tackling NEET issues, student funding and loans and the opportunity for higher and further education institutions to increase social mobility.

Further information is available on the Government Knowledge website.

If you have any enquiries or wish to book via email or telephone you can contact the GovKnow office at info@govknow.com or on 0845 647 7000.

SEDA Spring Teaching Learning and Assessment Conference 2012

‘The Student Journey’

17 May 2012 - 18 May 2012; Chester

Conference Themes include:

 Student transition

• Engaging students in their learning design and /or assessment
• Students as researchers
• The student voice in staff professional development
• Preparing students for work

Full details on the SEDA website.