Learning,
Teaching and
Student
Experience
Strategy
2012-2015
Teesside University
2
Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy
2012-15
Goal: To educate our students in their chosen discipline to become confident, critical,
creative, adaptable, articulate and aspiring.
Introduction
The development of the new learning and teaching strategy, which underpins related work from the
new Academic Strategy, builds from evaluation of and wide consultation on the previous Learning,
Teaching and Assessment Strategy. Building from the previous successful strategy consideration has
been given to students’ learning in its widest sense. In recognition of the learning that takes place
beyond formal teaching, and with University ambitions to “produce highly employable graduates
and post graduates”, the new strategy seeks to extend its remit to the broader student experience
recognising where learning takes place outside the curriculum.
The Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy (LTSES) is one of the main drivers for quality
enhancement at Teesside University (see Appendix One). It incorporates the goal, principles, aims
and targets that address the ambitions of the Institutional Plan and in particular the Academic
Strategy 2012-15. The LTSES provides a framework for the School/Department annual
implementation plans, where specific objectives to meet the aims necessary for achievement within
the local context will be developed. An annual evaluation of the development work and
achievements towards targets will be undertaken and reported on through the Committee
structures. The goal driven nature of this work frames our quality enhancement for learning and
teaching.
Context
External
The new strategy coincides with the first cohort of students paying higher fees. It is not yet clear
what the expectations of these students may be, but whatever else, they should receive a high
quality learning experience. They could also expect that the University accommodate different
patterns of study that best suit their varied life circumstances and that the University operates with
the technologies they themselves use every day. Many students will be concerned about their
employment beyond their studies, or their opportunities for further study. International students
will continue to expect a high quality experience and perhaps more opportunities to learn in more
flexible ways at home and abroad.
Institutional
The 2012-15 Institutional Plan identifies the period covered as ‘one of the most challenging periods
faced by the HE sector in recent years’. It outlines Teesside University’s Mission, Vision, Character,
Principles and Values and identifies a number of key University aims. The Plan includes: the
Academic Strategy; the Business Engagement Strategy; and the Research Strategy. There are targets
for each Institutional aim, and a series of annual KPIs in each of the three primary strategies to
enable monitoring of progress towards achieving the aims and objectives of the Institutional Plan.
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
The Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy (LTSES) is primarily a sub strategy of the
Academic Strategy, however the LTSES also supports some aspects of the other two strategies, so for
example in the Business Engagement Strategy, objectives include: ‘Encourage and inform learning
and teaching to support innovation, employability and entrepreneurship’ and ‘Provide students with
direct ‘real world’ business experience’ (Institutional Plan p.55); and the Research Strategy highlights
the aim that ‘programmes of study’ be ‘appropriately underpinned by research, scholarship and
evidence based contemporary professional practice ’ (p.74).
The Academic Strategy states a primary aim “is to ensure that Teesside University is recognised for
its commitment to the student experience by the provision of:
 High quality, innovative teaching
 Supportive learning environments
 Opportunities for positive engagement with industry, communities, enterprise and research
activities that will produce highly employable graduates and post graduates.” (Institutional
Plan p.28)
The following areas are identified as priorities in the Academic Strategy:
 The changing size and shape of the student community;
 The development of the academic portfolio - on the main campus, at Darlington, through
new academic UK partnerships, international developments and through open and distance
learning development;
 Student recruitment;
 Retention, progression and achievement;
 Enhancing our students’ experiences;
 Student employability and employment.
Connection with other strategies
There are a number of other sub-strategies of the Academic, Research, and Business & Community
Engagement Strategies and some of the LTSES aims require alignment and some new activities
within these sub-strategies. The Learning and Student Experience Policy Committee will work with
the owners of the relevant sub strategies towards securing necessary alignment of aims and
activities.
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
LTSES Goal
For the LTSES to gain widespread understanding and ownership by both staff and students we have
striven to create a single clear goal that can easily be remembered and continuously acted upon by
all members of staff:
To educate our students in their chosen discipline to become confident, critical, creative,
adaptable, articulate and aspiring.
Rationale
There is no single ‘student experience’ and increasingly there will be a wider range of identifiable
groups learning together and singly, on and off our campuses, at work, abroad and in part and full
time capacities. The University experience, whatever its guise is one in which learning happens in
many ways outside the formal curricula. This new strategy therefore seeks to acknowledge that
wider set of potential learning opportunities, create new learning opportunities and develop a
culture in which all engagements become possible spaces in which learning can happen. We seek to
develop a culture in which students engage fully with their own learning and development and all
staff are concerned with the learning of each individual student in whatever capacity they interact.
The clear goal of striving for all our students to become confident, critical, creative, adaptable,
articulate and aspiring will be the key to finding ways of individually as well as collectively enhancing
the students’ experiences.
Guiding principles
The guiding principles indicate the way in which Teesside University expects to work to achieve the
goal and aims of the LTSES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
staff will work in partnership with students and the wider community to achieve the LTSES goal.
students will give full commitment to engage with their own learning and development.
staff will give full commitment to each individual student’s learning and development.
staff will underpin a high quality student learning experience with discipline specific pedagogic
approaches that are informed by research, (subject and pedagogic).
5. staff will recognise individual student learning needs and support them through the transitions
in the (various) student life cycles.
6. staff will ensure the quality enhancement of learning opportunities through engaging in
continuing professional development.
Aims and Targets
The LTSES aims and targets are derived from the Academic Strategy 2012-15. Schools and those
Departments who support and enhance student learning opportunities will create an annual
operational plan against these aims within their own context. Schools and Departments will develop
objectives that take account of the principles, and reach the targets as identified by the Academic
Strategy and the LTSES.
LTSES Aims
1. To enhance practices and
provide new opportunities
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
a. To meet School KPIs on retention, progression and
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
that improves the retention,
progression and attainment
of students.
attainment.
b. All programmes will have reviewed the retention, progression
and attainment of their students and (with appropriate
support from the wider community), create, implemented
and evaluated enhancement interventions.
2. To enhance opportunities for a. To meet Academic Strategy targets on employability and
the personal development of
employment (Institutional Plan p.51)
each student, both within
and outside the curriculum to b. To have a substantial programme of opportunities outside the
curriculum to support individual student development and
support their progression into
employment, further study or
their gaining employment, further study or promotion.
to enhance their potential for
c. All programmes to have considered and where appropriate
career progression.
developed enhancements to the curriculum and learning
opportunities for international students in the UK and
aboard.
3. To encourage and inform
learning and teaching to
support innovation,
employability and
entrepreneurship
a. To develop opportunities for creative and critical
engagement by working in partnership with students in
developing all new curricula.
4. To develop and enhance
discipline appropriate
pedagogic approaches for online and distance learning.
a. To develop at least six on-line programmes/short courses.
5. To develop approaches and
infrastructure that supports
and enhances the part-time
students’ learning and
experience.
a. To develop at least six new part-time programmes/courses
that can may run from Teesside, Darlington campus or within
workplaces.
6. To improve learning spaces
both physical and virtual to
enhance the students’
learning experience.
a.
To have developed (where still necessary), and
evaluated in all Schools and the University libraries
appropriate spaces for individual and group study.
b.
To have developed a common, student centred,
virtual space for all students to quickly access their virtual
resources and sites, store their work and share in a wider
learning community.
a.
To have 95% of academic staff with a recognised
teaching qualification, mainly through staff gaining HEA
Fellowship.
b.
To have institutional accreditation for its CPD
framework up to Descriptor 4 (Principal Fellowship) UK
Professional Standards Framework. (UK PSF).
7. To enhance the excellence of
teaching through the
engagement of staff in
scholarship of L&T and
continuing professional
development.
b. To provide the majority of undergraduates with direct ‘real
world’ business experience.
b.
Every programme to have at least one module that
can be undertaken at a distance.
b. To have developed a Teesside virtual learning community.
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
Culture
Students will be encouraged to understand their own learning and goals and take responsibility for
pursuing opportunities that enhance their knowledge, understanding and personal
development/career progression. The University will seek to work in partnership with students and
the wider community in pursuit of the LTSES goal and work with them to develop new learning
opportunities and enhancements to their learning experiences. The LTSES goal will therefore need
to become known, owned and engaged with by students and staff. All students who achieve this
goal will be employable and or well prepared for further study. Students will also be encouraged to
see themselves as part of a scholarly community in which we share common enterprise.
Change agents and processes
The strategy will be achieved through:
 Development of LTSES Implementation Plan (See Appendix Two), working in conjunction
with individual School and Department annual implementation planning.
 The use of School and Department Annual Learning and Teaching implementation plans to
meet the strategy goal and LTSES School/Department objectives, working within the
principles of the LTSES.
 Leadership at every level with clarity of responsibilities for implementing the goal and aims
of the LTSES.
 The monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the quality enhancements being
achieved through annual monitoring processes within the School/Department and reported
through the Learning and Student Experience Policy Committee.
 Ownership of the LTSES goal at individual staff level for daily action/interactions with
students.
 Ownership of the LTSES goal and implementation plans at Subject/Section and Module
leader levels.
 The creation of new opportunities for working in partnerships with students.
 The implementation of Significant Interest Groups (SIGs), led by a University Teaching
Fellow/National Teaching Fellow or L&T Coordinator to bring together expertise for sharing
good practice and addressing challenges.
 Workshops, master class series and seminars led by experts from within and outside
Teesside University learning community.
 The leadership of key agendas by University Teaching Fellows.
 The use of the Teaching Innovation Fund to pilot new practices.
 The sharing of good practice at the Annual Learning and Teaching and Three Rivers
Conferences.
 Schools and Departments working together to provide the infrastructures necessary for
change and quality enhancements to the students’ learning experiences.
 The development of staff capacity through their continued engagement in professional
development.
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
Securing Schools’ and Departments’ implementation and accountability
Teesside University Depts.:
L&IS, DfLD, DAE, SS, Estates, ICT,
collaborating with students
Project teams and Significant Interest Groups
Programme
Leader and
Section/Subject
Head
Module
leaders and
tutors
School
Learning
and
Teaching
Committee
Course Reps
and SU
School
Policy
Committee/
School
Academic
Standards
Committee/
Senior
Leadership
Team
L&T School
Leaders
Learning and
Student
Experience
Policy
Committee
Academic
Board
School Reps
and SU
L&T
University
Leaders
There will be inter dependencies between Schools and Departmental operations to enable change to
be achieved.
Evaluation
A crucial aspect of any development is the evaluation of the impact and agreement about measures
of success. An evaluation strategy will be developed following agreement of the Strategy and run
from the Department for Learning Development in collaboration with the Schools and Departments.
Measures of success will be developed as part of this strategy and methods for evaluation will be
embedded within the development processes.
Monitoring
The development and implementation of the institutional, departmental and School plans will be
monitored through regular reporting to the Learning and Student Experience Policy Committee.
(See Appendix Three)
Learning and Student Experience Policy Committee
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
July 2012
10
Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Appendix One
Quality enhancement
drivers
Institutional Learning and Teaching Quality Enhancement Drivers
Working
in
partnership
with
students
School/Department
Learning, Teaching
and Student
Experience
Implementation Plan
School/Department
Annual
Development Plan
Policies
and
Threshold
Quality
Standards
Learning, Teaching
and Student
Experience Strategy
Institutional
Goals/Values/Mission
Learning and
Teaching
Innovation
Projects
Academic Strategy
Annual Learning
and Teaching
Conference
Subject/Programme
Approval and Review
Annual quality
monitoring
University
Teaching
Fellowship
Projects
Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Continuing
professional
development
Working
with
external
partners
and
agencies
Drivers are inter-related in
complex ways and at points
intersect together through
quality enhancement loops:
Quality Assurance processes
Right hand/ blue QE loop:
Quality assurance drives
enhancement through
monitoring, programme
development, delivery and
review processes, from Schools
and Departments up to
University Committees’ level;
Goals from Institutional Plan
with its associated strategies
Centre /Green QE loop:
University mission and goals
drives the Institutional Plan,
Strategies and its sub-strategies,
which flow into planning and
quality enhancement
developments;
L&T enhancement
interventions
Left hand/Red QE loop:
Specific quality enhancement
interventions such as L&T
Innovation projects, the Annual
L&T Conference, University
Teaching Fellow projects etc. all
drive quality enhancements.
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Appendix Two
LTSES Implementation Plan
GOAL
To educate our students in their chosen discipline to become confident, critical, creative, adaptable, articulate and aspiring.
Guiding principles
The guiding principles indicate the way in which Teesside University expects to work to achieve the goal and aims of the LTSES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
staff will work in partnership with students and the wider community to achieve the LTSES goal.
students will give full commitment to engage with their own learning and development.
staff will give full commitment to each individual student’s learning and development.
staff will underpin a high quality student learning experience with discipline specific pedagogic approaches that are informed by research, (subject and
pedagogic).
5. staff will recognise individual student learning needs and support them through the transitions in the (various) student life cycles.
6. staff will ensure the quality enhancement of learning opportunities through engaging in continuing professional development.
Activity Strands and University aims and
targets.
Enhancing practices and providing new
opportunities to improve the retention,
progression and attainment of students.
Brief Description of University led initiatives (To be reviewed annually)
Time
AD L&Ts, L&T
Coordinators,
Students, and
DfLD, L&IS
2012-14
Schools and Departments will each have an annual implementation plan
in addition to this work to address local needs.
Learning and student experience

Project to develop interventions in support of students’ higher
attainment to stretch TU best students.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To meet School KPIs on retention,
progression and attainment.
Responsibility
Teaching Fellow
2012-13

TF project on progression to level 5 transition point and
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
All programmes will have reviewed the
retention, progression and attainment of
their students and (with appropriate support
from the wider community), create,
implemented and evaluated enhancement
interventions.
student support beyond week one.
Teaching


Collaborative project on development of possible
interventions in effective teaching in support of higher attainment to
increase Upper second and first class degrees
Collaborative project to target programmes for enhancement
where progression and completion is below average.
AD L&Ts, L&T
Coordinators,
L&IS, Students,
and DfLD
2012-14
AD L&Ts, L&T
Coordinators,
Students, and
DfLD, L&IS
2012-14
Teaching Fellow

2012-13
TF led Significant Interest Group: Student retention and the underachievement of males.
Assessment


Collaborative project on development of possible
interventions through assessment for learning in support of higher
attainment to increase Upper second and first class degrees
TF led Significant Interest Group: Electronic Feedback/on-line marking
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
AD L&Ts, L&T
Coordinators,
L&IS, Students,
and DfLD
2012-14
Teaching Fellow
2012-13
Teesside University
Enhancing opportunities for the personal
development of each student, both within
and outside the curriculum to support their
progression into employment, further study
or to enhance their potential for career
progression.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To meet Academic Strategy targets on
employability and employment (Institutional
Plan p.51)
To have a substantial programme of
opportunities outside the curriculum to
support individual student development and
their gaining employment, further study or
promotion.
Learning and student experience


See Employability Plan
DAE, SS, L&IS and
DfLD
2012-13
Teaching Fellow
2012-13
Teaching


TF Project on understanding international learning culture and
enhancing their learning opportunities.
Project in support of embedding employability within curricula. (See
employability Plan)
Assessment
To encourage and inform learning and
teaching to support innovation,
employability and entrepreneurship
Learning and student experience



Project on enhancement and sharing good practice in work
based learning assessments.
See employability Plan
Further development of the student numbers and
engagement of students on entrepreneurs@tees programme
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
2012-14
Enhance and run Graduate Interns’ Programme
All programmes to have considered and
where appropriate developed enhancements
to the curriculum and learning opportunities
for international students in the UK and
aboard.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
Student Services
AD L&Ts, L&T
Coordinators,
L&IS, Students,
DAE, Student
Services and DfLD
2012-15
DAE, Students,
Schools and
DfLD.
2013-15
SS
2012-13
DAE
2012-14
Teesside University
To develop opportunities for creative and
critical engagement by working in
partnership with students in developing all
new curricula.
To provide the majority of undergraduates
with direct ‘real world’ business experience.
To develop and enhance discipline
appropriate pedagogic approaches for online and distance learning.
Teaching

Use of Teaching Innovation Fund to support curriculum
enhancement projects in support of employability and
entrepreneurship
DfLD
2012-13
DVC (Learning
and Student
Experience) ICT,
Students, L&IS,
Schools, DfLD
2012-14
Teaching Fellow
2012-13
Development of new courses through the use of technologies to reach
new markets.
Schools, MSR and
DfLD, L&IS
2012-15
2012-13
Library led project on the development of digital literacies:
staff and students
L&IS, Schools,
Students, and
DfLD
Assessment
Learning and student experience

Collaborative project to develop the technology enhanced learning,
(infrastructure and pedagogies) to support a high quality student
experience.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To develop at least six on-line
programmes/short courses.
Every programme to have at least one
module that can be undertaken at a
distance.

TF led Significant Interest Group: On-line distance and flexible
learning
Teaching


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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
Assessment

To develop approaches and infrastructure
that supports and enhances the part-time
students’ learning and experience.
TF led Project on developing and sharing good practice for
formative and summative assessments for distance on-line learning.
2012-13
DVC (Learning
and Student
Experience) ICT,
Schools, L&IS,
Students, DfLD
2012-15
Learning and student experience

Development of infrastructure to enable high quality part-time
undergraduate provision to be developed.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To develop at least six new part-time
programmes/courses that can may run from
Teesside, Darlington campus or within
workplaces.
To have developed a Teesside virtual
learning community.
Teaching Fellow

DfLd, L&IS,
Students,
Learning
Coordinators, ICT
2012-13
Working with Schools and Directors ICT and LIS develop a road map
for infrastructure technical developments to support ambitions for
technology enhanced learning – supporting on-line and distance
programme goals. (JA)
Teaching

Working with the principles and recommendations of the Senior
Leadership Part time Students Project (2011-12) to develop a project
to enhance discipline appropriate pedagogic approaches and
infrastructure for on-line and distance learning.
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
DVC (Learning
and Student
experience) ADs,
Students, DfLD,
L&IS, Schools
2012-14
Teesside University
Assessment

To improve learning spaces both physical
and virtual to enhance the students’
learning experience.
TF led Project on developing and sharing good practice for
formative and summative assessments for flexible and distance online learning students.
To have developed a common, student
centred, virtual space for all students to
quickly access their virtual resources and
sites, store their work and share in a wider
learning community.
2012-13
DVC (Learning
and Student
experience) ADs,
DfLD, Students,
Estates, Schools
2012-15
Schools, DfLD
2012-13
ICT, Schools,
Students, L&IS,
Registry, MSR,
DfLD
2012-14
Learning and student experience

Support the development of social learning spaces in all
teaching buildings including the new Library spaces.
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To have developed (where still necessary),
and evaluated in all Schools and the
University libraries appropriate spaces for
individual and group study.
Teaching Fellow


Work with Schools to ensure all text based assignments are submitted
electronically by end 2013.
Develop a virtual ‘presentation layer’ to enhance student
experience and ensure student ease of access to all their information.
Teaching

Significant Interest Group in the use of mobile technologies
E-Learning
Coordinator and
DfLD
2012-14
Project on enhancement of on-line assessments
Teaching Fellow
2013-14
DfLD and Schools
2012-13
Assessment

To enhance the excellence of teaching
through the engagement of staff in
scholarship of L&T and continuing

Develop current Initial and HEA CPD framework and map provision to
new UKPSF achieving new institutional accredited status including
Descriptor Level 4
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
professional development.

Support staff towards entering the University Teaching Fellowship
Scheme, the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and explore
possibility of extending this recognition route to professorial level.
DfLD
2012-13

2013 L&T Annual Conference (Working in Partnership with Students)
Teaching Fellows
2012-13

Use the 2012-13 L&T innovation fund to drive changes and
innovations detailed in Academic Strategy.
DfLD
2012-13

Project Re-launch of peer review of teaching with initial evaluation at
end of 2012-13.
DfLD and L&T
Coordinators
2012-13

Develop and deliver an Academic Leadership Master class Programme
to link the development of leadership skills and behaviour for
programme and subject group leaders through the Academic
Leadership Programme to support for leadership of key University
agendas
DfLD
2012-13

TF Project working with Schools to develop/enhance programme
leaders
Teaching Fellow
2012-13

Work with PGCert LTHE Team to explore the development of an online version of programme.
DfLD and SSSL
2012-13

Run workshops and sessions to reach target of 95% of academic staff
with teaching qualification.
DfLD and Schools
2012-14
Academic Strategy Targets 2012-15
To have 95% of academic staff with a
recognised teaching qualification, mainly
through staff gaining HEA Fellowship.
To have institutional accreditation for its CPD
framework up to Descriptor 4 (Principal
Fellowship) UK Professional Standards
Framework. (UK PSF).
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
Teesside University
Appendix Three
Academic Board
(Review / update)
Learning, Teaching
and Student
Experience Strategy
LTSES Review by
LSEPC for any
updating of targets
Academic
Strategy
Annual LTSES School /
Department Review to
LSEPC
School and
Department
evaluation work on
impact of changes.
LTSES Institutional oversight
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Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2012-15
School and
Department Annual
LTSES Plan
developed and
presented for
approval to LSEPC
by September
each year.
First review and
update to include
any additional
actions (possibly
from NSS), by
December each
year for report to
LSEPC.