Updating our Learning,
Teaching and Student
Experience Strategy (LTSES)
Suzanne Cholerton
Learning and Teaching Conference
2012
6 July 2012
1
Aims of the Session
• To reflect on where we are and what has
been achieved
• To provide some context on the current
HE environment
• To provide an opportunity for you to
input into where we want the next
Learning, Teaching and Student
Experience Strategy (LTSES) to take us
• To have an enjoyable time working with
unfamiliar/less familiar colleagues
• And finally - a little brain teaser!
2
Sildenafil
So what is a strategy? What is our strategy?
• "Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the longterm: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its
configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet
the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations". (Johnson
and Scholes, 2006)
Newcastle University’s Mission Statement
• To be world-class research intensive university
• To deliver teaching and facilitate learning of the highest quality
• To play a leading role in the economic, social and cultural development
of the North East of England
3
The current Learning, Teaching and Student
Experience Strategy
• Published in 2006; revised in 2009/10
– To deliver research-informed teaching and facilitate learning of the highest
standard
– To deliver a fully rounded, enjoyable and formative student experience
• Much has happened since then but our fundamental approach to LTSE
remains the same
• Refresh rather than major overhaul
• We are in a good place………
4
Learning, Teaching and the Student Experience
Overall
satisfaction
score for
ISB 2011 is
91.4%
89% for
overall
satisfaction
in NSS 2011
5
Ranked 12th in
Sunday Times
University
Guide in 2012
18,000+
visitors
at July
Visit
Days
Likely to
be 10th in
BUCS
2012
>14,000 ‘ncl+’
opportunities
in 2011/12
PTES 2012
91%
satisfaction
with course
2010 DLHE 94.3%
employed;
77.7% in
graduate
level jobs
Exceed
HEFCE
benchmark
for
retention
(94.6%
2011)
Over to you…….
• How have you contributed to that ‘good place’?
• What have you achieved?
• What are you most proud of?
• What has your School/programme done well?
6
But what are the
challenges and to what
are we already
committed?
Context – the changing basis of funding
• Increased UG fees – decreased HEFCE funding
• Higher UG fees - higher expectations
• Higher fee dependent on meeting WP targets
• Knock-on effects of increasing UG fees (and
debt accumulation) for PG
• Development of Doctoral Training Centres or
equivalent
• Early CSR likely – forcing the cost
down/increasing VFM
8
Context – More competition (and collaboration?)
• De-regulation of UG recruitment
• New providers
• Increasing competition from
international institutions
• Emphasis on collaboration
– with business (Wilson Report)
– Other HEIs - DTCs, N8, RO etc
• Stronger relationships with schools
– Imperative to increase social mobility
– ‘A’ level reform
– UTCs/ HEI sponsored academies
9
Context – Information for stakeholders
• Increased focus on information for
and about students
– KIS (‘comparetheprogramme.com’)
– Student Charter
– HEAR
• A PGT NSS? And then a KIS?
• HEFCE’s ‘The Wider Information Set’
• UK Professional Standards
Framework - publication of staff
teaching qualifications?
10
Internal context
• Societal Challenge Themes
• Internationalisation strategy
– International campus’
– Challenges of diversity
• Digital Campus
– Information systems
– Digital literacy
– Social media, APPs, on-line
learning, teaching, assessing etc
– Open access
11
How have we used the Teaching, Learning and
the Student Experience Strategy? Faculty
LTSES
LT&SES
PGT
‘Offer’
Vision 2021
UG ‘offer’
Vision 2021
• Recently updated and
continues to commit us to:
–Education for life
–Student-centred approach
–Value diversity
–Research-informed
experience
–Support for employability
–A fully rounded, enjoyable
and formative student
experience
Undergraduate ‘Offer’ and Student Charter
• UG offer
– an outline of a set of opportunities
that will form a core of each
Newcastle student’s experience
whatever their discipline
– all our students can expect provision
that meets or exceeds a clearly
defined threshold
• Student Charter
– Articulates the ‘academic’ offer but
also goes beyond to include personal
conduct, health, safety and wellbeing,
etc
– Applicable to all students
– Format: “We undertake.../You
undertake...”
14
1. Coherent
programme
2. Researchinformed teaching
3. Skills development
4. Minimum
contact time
5. Supportive
assessment and
feedback
9. Good standard
teaching and
learning facilities
6. Support from a
personal tutor
10. Support for
academic & personal
development
7. Thorough and
timely orientation
11. Opportunities for
e-learning
8. Active
membership of
University
community
12. High quality
information
What’s next?
• Food for thought
• Recognise external context but don’t let it stifle your thinking
• Consider internal context – how can we harness the initiatives?
• Consider what we’ve already committed to
• What
– Education for life
– Student-centred approach
– Value diversity
– Research-informed experience
– Support for employability
– A fully rounded, enjoyable and formative student experience
16
The Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
Strategy
‘It is concerned with how a business competes successfully in a
particular market. It concerns strategic decisions about choice of
products, meeting needs of stakeholders, gaining advantage over
competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities etc.’
17
Patterns, Profiles and Demographics:
UK, EU and International non-EU
2004/5
2009/10
14%
Student FTE - United
Kingdom
4%
Student FTE - Other
European Union
82%
18
Student FTE - Non
European Union
18%
Student FTE - United
Kingdom
5%
Student FTE - Other
European Union
78%
Student FTE - Non
European Union
19
Queen's
Dundee
Leeds
Glasgow
Liverpool
Cardiff
Durham
Bristol
Birmingham
East Anglia
Southampton
York
Sheffield
Sussex
Reading
Newcastle
Lancaster
Exeter
Nottingham
Queen Mary
King's
Edinburgh
Manchester
Leicester
Bath
Oxford
Surrey
Cambridge
Essex
Royal Holloway
Warwick
UCL
Imperial
St Andrews
LSE
How do we compare (% non-UK) (2009-10)?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Patterns, Profiles and Demographics:
Split between faculties
Student Numbers 2004/5
Student Numbers 2010/11
19%
21%
MedSci
MedSci
SAgE
SAgE
HSS
HSS
50%
52%
29%
29%
20
Patterns, Profiles and Demographics:
UG, PGT and PGR
2004/5
2009/10
9%
10%
Student FTE Postgraduate Research
Student FTE Postgraduate Research
13%
15%
Student FTE Postgraduate Taught
77%
21
Student FTE Undergraduate
Student FTE Postgraduate Taught
76%
Student FTE Undergraduate
How do we compare (% postgraduate)?
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
22
Patterns, Profiles and Demographics:
Full-time or part-time students
2004/5
2009/10
5%
5%
95%
23
Student FTE - Fulltime
Student FTE - Fulltime
Student FTE - Parttime
Student FTE - Parttime
95%
Part-time (actual) numbers by Faculty and level
• HASS
SAgE
Medical Sciences
2
21
28
112
155
352
328
267
Postgraduate Research
Postgraduate Taught
Undergraduate
24
44
25
St Andrews
LSE
Exeter
Edinburgh
Newcastle
Queen Mary
York
Durham
Cambridge
Royal Holloway
Leeds
Nottingham
Sheffield
Manchester
Bristol
Lancaster
Oxford
UCL
Glasgow
Imperial
Reading
Liverpool
Surrey
Southampton
Sussex
Essex
Bath
Queen's
East Anglia
Leicester
Dundee
Warwick
King's
Cardiff
Birmingham
How do we compare (% part-time)?
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Patterns, Profiles and Demographics:
Age profile
2004/5
2009/10
0%
1%
Student FPE - 17 &
under
23%
77%
26
Student FPE - 17 &
under
20%
Student FPE - 18-24
years
Student FPE - 1824 years
Student FPE - 25
and over
Student FPE - 25
and over
79%
27
St Andrews
Royal Holloway
Newcastle
Exeter
Durham
Queen Mary
Leeds
Edinburgh
Imperial
Lancaster
Sheffield
Manchester
LSE
Bristol
York
Liverpool
Nottingham
Southampton
Cambridge
Bath
Birmingham
UCL
Sussex
Cardiff
Reading
Queen's
Glasgow
Essex
East Anglia
Surrey
Leicester
Oxford
King's
Warwick
Dundee
How do we compare (% over 25)?
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Portfolio
• Most of our (UK-based) undergraduate portfolio is traditional
full-time Bachelor’s or integrated Master’s provision, delivered
in 2 semesters per year over 3, 4 or 5 years
• We have little involvement in part-time, out-of-hours or
distance learning delivery
• We have ventured only tentatively into the Foundation
Programme/Degree market
• We do not validate other organisations’ degrees (e.g. local FE
colleges)
• We do not generally offer accelerated degrees
• We have recently rejected the notion of two year intensive
degrees
• Our PGT provision is more diverse than UG
28
Portfolio continued
 230 Undergraduate Degree Programmes (3, 4 or 5 Years)
 220 Postgraduate Taught and Professional Development
Programmes (1 Year or 2 Years)
 Postgraduate Research Programmes (including traditional
doctorates, 1+3 Research Masters plus PhD, professional
doctorates e.g. DBA, Clinical Psychology