LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Teaching and Learning Strategy for the Department of Geography
Stage 1: the ‘narrative’ or vision
What does the department stand for? What does it want to achieve? What is it going to do meet its
objectives?
Drafters may wish to look first at the questions below and use them as 'prompts' or suggestions for the kind
of things they might wish to include in their statement – but this element of the strategy is intended to be as
'individual' as possible: a chance for the department to present its vision in its own words.
UCL Geography is one of the best Geography Departments in the country, with consistently top ratings for
research (5**) and teaching (rated ‘Excellent’ in the last TQA). It takes teaching and learning very seriously
indeed, balancing the enormous breadth of the discipline with a commitment to both rigour and innovation.
While students on the five Undergraduate programmes and eight MSc programmes have a good deal of
choice because of the Department’s size, a core of conceptual and methodological modules ensures that
they are introduced to what we feel are the key aspects of the discipline, putting a distinctive stamp on one of
the broadest of disciplines. The Department’s teaching programme aims progressively to develop each
student’s intellectual skills of independent reasoning, analysis and critical thought in Geography and to
advance the acquisition of transferable skills. We have a commendable record of teaching innovation at all
levels: the key skills audit and doctoral student logbooks were both pioneered by the Department. Perhaps a
comment on the way we stream students into the BSc/BA through their choices of options?
Geography graduates are inevitably engaged with issues of global citizenship but UCL Geography puts this
at the centre of its teaching and learning. The close relationship between research and teaching means that
students are encouraged to consider their position on and responsibility for important topical matters, from
environmental change to international relations.
The Department has long been known for its informal atmosphere, maintained by a good staff-student ratio
(by national Geography standards) and a commitment to pastoral care shared by academic and support staff
alike. This encourages student-centered learning as well as generating trust and support between staff and
students.
The Department’s vision for the medium term involves improving upon this reputation while integrating a
large number of new staff, ensuring that academic staff find research and teaching to be complementary
rather than competitive, improving the efficiency with which programmes are delivered, and pursuing
innovation in learning and teaching.
Stage 2: the department in context
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STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT AND KEY GOALS
a) What is the nature of the strategic environment in which the department is working? How do external
demands (and the department’s role in shaping or responding to those demands) affect the education
service that is provided and how it is delivered?
Close links with schools (through the Fawcett Fellowship Scheme, which allows two teachers to spend a term in
the Department every year, Teachers’ Conferences and Widening Participation initiatives) mean that we are able to
follow changes in school curricula very closely. Thus we were able to respond to some changes, for example less
physical geography at A2 level, to tailor more effectively the curriculum in first year. Other responses include
increased skills teaching through GEOG1008 to make up for changes in school curricula.
Despite recent changes in the nature of UK HE our students are still coming in with high grades, and our grade
point average has increased. None the less increased skills teaching through GEOG1008 and first year tutorials, as
well as the introduction of the student mentoring scheme this academic year (2007-8) offer attempts to support a
broader student base. The Department is also making good use of WebCT/Moodle for student learning and is
seeking to develop other e-learning initiatives.
The Department is well-placed to follow UCL’s International Strategy and the international appeal of its
programmes and modules is demonstrated by the numbers of overseas students on our joint honours
undergraduate programmes and our masters programmes, and by the healthy numbers of JYA students who study
geopolitics, development, and other modules while at UCL.
The Admissions Tutor and Admissions Assistant keep good comparative records of our admissions data going
back to 1998. These data are used in conjunction with data provided by the Faculty (e.g. on equal opportunities) to
review and monitor our recruitment through an Admissions sub-committee and the Departmental Teaching
Committee.
The Department is involved in some collaborative teaching with overseas institutions, for example fieldwork
teaching. International research visitors are also expected to teach on undergraduate and postgraduate
programmes.
b) How does the department innovate / mark itself out as distinct in this context?
The Department’s teaching staff are all very active researchers and students are introduced to this research in
teaching. This synergy is very successful, for example the development of a field class to Berlin following Professor
Gandy’s Humboldt research fellowship, or the use of specialised equipment in laboratory teaching. Physical
geography field visits to locations used for research (e.g. Martin Todd, Canaries) or the latest digital mapping and
environmental data (e.g. Lewis, Mat, Helene, Jan for both UG (2021) and PG (MSc Cons)).
Geography is an extremely trans– and interdisciplinary subject and this runs throughout all of our modules and
programmes. We teach with other UCL departments on the joint degrees in Geography and Economics and
Anthropology and Geography – and at postgraduate level through contributions to the MSc Gender Studies, and
the forthcoming Urban Studies MSc. Students are allowed to take ancillary classes in related disciplines at UCL
and other departments within the University of London.
The international dimension forms a natural focus for the discipline, explicitly developed in many courses (e.g.
GEOG 1007 International Problems or GEOG 3018 Tropical Africa, or field classes abroad – recent destinations
include Tunisia, New York City, Mallorca, Berlin, Tenerife) but it is present in every module and programme,
reflecting staff research interests in every continent. Some students organize expeditions as part of their
dissertation research, with trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, Cambodia, Malawi, Belize, Ghana and elsewhere in recent
years. Teaching on places closer to home emphasizes connections with elsewhere e.g. on London as multicultural
city. An average of ten international students have taken one of our BA/BSc programmes every year since 2005.
Our exchange schemes are also healthy, with about eight SOCRATES students every year, plus smaller numbers
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studying in Singapore and Australia. These exchanges also allow the majority of our students to work alongside
visitors from the rest of Europe and further afield.
Stressing that the world is more than just a collection of facts is a very important part of geography; we are bound
up in these issues in complex ways – climate change, geopolitics, development, multicultural societies,
globalization. Questions of our students’ ethical and political orientation towards the world run through the teaching
of courses like GEOG 1001 (London), GEOG 1006 (Ideas in Geography), GEOG 1007 (International Problems)
and throughout core and optional courses in years 2 and 3.
c) What are the department's goals for the next period?
The Department’s goals are to maintain and improve our academic reputation and to ensure that this is
represented in the quality of our teaching, to continue to attract and retain the best students, whatever their
background, to continue to emphasise connections between our world-class research and our teaching, and to
stress that Geography has a unique role to play in helping students explore their responsibility to others at home
and elsewhere.
The Department is well-placed to pursue UCL’s International Strategy (repeated from part a?), as its teaching and
research is directly engaged with the resolution of problems of global significance. It will also continue to explore
ways of recruiting international students at all levels, as well as providing opportunities for student exchange and
travel.
The Department is committed to making the institutional and material changes that will be required to meet these
goals. A successful teaching and learning strategy needs effective professional development for all academic and
support staff engaged in teaching and learning, and this will be facilitated by recent administrative reforms in the
Department. We will also continue to explore the use of new technologies in teaching and learning, building on the
Online Learning Centre in Bedford Way.
APPROACHES TO TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
d) What is the teaching, learning and assessment philosophy of the department, and how does this fit with
UCL's overarching institutional aims?
The Department’s teaching, learning and assessment philosophy is designed to provide students with the
knowledge and skills to engage with the world in a variety of ways. It recognizes that excellence in teaching,
learning and assessment is good for academic and support staff as well as students. The Department aims to
capitalize on its students’ burgeoning curiosity about the natural and social worlds and to further their sense of
global citizenship and responsibility.
Teaching and Learning:
A good deal of teaching touches on staff research areas; students discuss current projects, contribute to ongoing
debates and refer to topical problems. Students find tackling ‘cutting edge’ research topics interesting and exciting,
feel more involved with the Department as a research institution, and get access to unpublished ideas and material.
The discipline draws on a very wide suite of research skills and practices, across the natural and social sciences
and the humanities. Undergraduates are asked to develop their own research skills from the first year onwards,
from library research to self-directed and staff-facilitated field trips where the emphasis is firmly on independent and
reflexive learning. Students are given a firm foundation in the first year with the Writing and Analysis in Geography
module (GEOG 1008), which allows students to learn and improve upon generic skills through concrete projects
involving library research, writing, debating, interviewing, group and independent work. These and other skills are
covered by pastoral tutorials in the second and third years and by dissertation meetings in the final year. Second
year methodology modules and a course on The Practice of Geography prepare students for dissertation work,
which is a 1.5 unit module for most students and consequently taken extremely seriously by students and staff
alike. The dissertation, and other independent research projects in the second and third years, is supported by
supervisory meetings, feedback and peer group discussion, but the ideas and research are the student’s own. MSc
teaching also involves dissertation work or other substantial research projects, as well as advanced training – for
example the ESRC-approved Social Science Research Methodologies modules, co –taught with the Geography
Department at QMUL. PhD students’ research is supported by elements of these modules plus more specialized
training.
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The breadth of the discipline makes interdisciplinary work natural to our students. While many students specialize
to some extent, most modules ask students to read across several different disciplines. Students can take ancillary
modules in or beyond UCL in the first and final year, and exchange students often take modules outside
Geography.
Geography is an international discipline and we put this at the centre of our teaching, emphasizing the far-flung but
uneven networks that characterize our world. Many of the Department’s students come to us in order to learn the
skills and values that they will need to tackle a wide range of environmental and social issues around the world.
Sustainable development and global citizenship are geographical issues that run through our teaching and
learning, encouraging students to consider their relationships with others and with the natural environment in a
reflexive manner. The combination of generic skills (research, communication and argumentation) and knowledge
(both specialist and general) should allow students to achieve this. The Department is also looking to maintain and
extend its exchange schemes and to recruit students from diverse backgrounds.
The Department enthusiastically adopted WebCt and now Moodle, which have proved very useful in supporting
teaching and improving learning. Individual members of staff have gone further in experimenting with the use of
online data sources in fieldwork or requiring students to develop web resources as part of their assessment. The
Department intends to make the most of its Online Learning Centre in Bedford Way in developing e-learning
initiatives, supported by its Learning Resources Co-ordinator and a PhD Teaching Assistant.
Assessment:
The Department uses a variety of modes of assessment, both formative and summative, to allow students to learn
and to assess their ability. Formative assessment includes tutorial essays, preparation of debates and groupwork,
practical exercises, and lab-work, and the Department is expanding its use of formative assessment to include
tests and practical questions delivered (and sometimes marked) online; there is a good deal of potential for
electronic assessment. The Department uses a variety of kinds of summative assessment, including coursework,
practicals and lab-work, and examinations. Geography makes every effort to consider international and culturally
specific issues in its assessment.
e) How does the department structure its teaching?
Departmental policy is that all academic staff must teach, irrespective of their research activity, although the format
for this varies (e.g. the mix of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching). A good deal of flexibility is allowed for,
though, to take into account sabbaticals, fellowships, experience, administrative responsibilities, and so on. Any
tensions between teaching, research and administration are resolved by those directly responsible for teaching
(Undergraduate and Postgraduate Tutors, Teaching and Learning Co-Ordinator) and those with a wider sense of
career development issues (Head of Department and Deputy Heads)
Lectures are the most common form of undergraduate teaching, although many modules also include seminars or
other small group teaching, and others are largely lab- or computer-based. This teaching is supported by tutorials,
which concentrate on generic skills and assessment – for example essay writing or dissertation planning – rather
than following specific courses. These tutorials also offer pastoral support as tutors provide both group teaching
and one-on-one advice. Tutorials also provide a valuable space in the learning timetable for staff and students to
explore topical or more diverse ideas outside of curriculum constraints. E-learning, through WebCT and now
Moodle, is also being used to provide students with an opportunity to learn about specific modules. Students also
make good use of office hours to consult academic staff. Postgraduate teaching is less likely to be lecture-based,
with more seminars, lab and practical work. A number of postgraduate courses offer intensive short courses. A
good deal of learning time – on all programmes - is taken up by independent study and research.
Due to the transdisciplinary nature of Geography students are likely to make good use of all of UCL’s major
libraries, as well as Senate House and the British Library as required. We maintain good links with its subject
librarian, who attends Staff-Student Consultative Committee Meetings as well as Department Library Meetings.
The presence of international students – taking the whole programme, or present for a term as JYA and
Erasmus/SOCRATES visitors – as well as ancillary students from other UCL/UL programmes makes teaching and
learning more interesting as student participation encourages dialogue with students from outside the Department.
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f) How does the department’s approach to student recruitment impact upon its teaching and learning
policies?
The Department supports the integration of first year students in three main ways: GEOG 1008 includes a
substantial induction course in the first few eeeks of term; we are operating a new mentoring programme; and the
Geographical Society runs an ‘Intro Weekend’ which allows first years to meet each other as well as second and
third years.
There are no obstacles to successful recruitment that might affect the teaching and learning agenda, although the
Department is keen to increase our numbers of BME and state school students as part of its commitment to the
UCL Widening Participation initiative.
g) How is the department engaged with the widening participation agenda and what measures are in place
to support students from less-traditional backgrounds?
Good progression and retention rates are maintained for all students, including under-represented groups, through
personal tutoring, the skills training element of GEOG 1008 and the new mentoring scheme. The geography
department has been an active participant in Widening Participation schemes including Sixth Form Taster Days,
the SHS Summer School and work with CIC. So far we have not found it necessary to provide any additional
support courses for students; our close contact with students seems to have been sufficient.
The Department’s support for the University Preparatory Certificate in the Humanities demonstrates our recognition
of potential access issues.
h) Are there any issues around staff recruitment that might impact upon teaching and learning? How does
the department encourage staff development in this area?
The last few years have seen a relatively high level of staff turnover and this offers positive opportunities for the
Department to develop its teaching. The Department remains committed to the personal tutor system and provides
training and support for new and existing staff. In addition to the UCL probationary scheme the Department has
worked closely with new staff to identify teaching needs in the short term and has already begun to involve new
colleagues in the longer-term planning of teaching and learning. A number of these new colleagues are
experienced and innovative teachers and we intend to learn from them. In addition support staff have traditionally
offered additional pastoral advice and the importance of this should be recognised and further developed. Changes
to Geography’s management structure will make for a more efficient and supportive appraisal system under a
Deputy Head of Department. Geography does have a record of promoting staff on the basis of teaching excellence
and will continue to value this highly in appraisals and other forms of career development.
Geography provides staff with the equipment and in-house support to allow them to use and develop e-learning
opportunities; e.g. WebCT and now Moodle for all undergraduate modules. Support staff have advanced training
with specialist software e.g for GIS, remote sensing, mapping, etc. All staff are encouraged to make the most of
UCL training in C&IT. The Department also intends to work more closely with CALT/ ACME.
i) How does the department measure its success in teaching and learning?
The Department measures its success in several ways.
In terms of student achievement, between 2005 and 2007 the average proportion of First Class and Upper Second
Class degrees awarded has been 10.6% and 64.1% of the total respectively. The proportion of Distinctions
awarded at MSc level averages at 28.3% between 2005 and 2007. On the whole success in graduate teaching is
not judged differently from success in undergraduate teaching, beyond the higher pass mark.
Our students are also extremely employable. Of the 68 students who informed the Careers Service what they were
doing a year after graduating in 2006, 36 were in employment, 20 in full-time study, and 11 combining work with
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further study. Employment was in a mix of graduate jobs – retail, finance, teaching – as well as more specialised
fields.
The average ‘satisfaction rating’ (the proportion of students reporting themselves satisfied or very satisfied with
their modules) for all undergraduate modules between 2004-5 and 2006-7 was 94%. MSc programmes attract
smaller numbers so the information is essentially qualitative; again we receive very few complaints.
The department has a strong reputation for teaching nationally and internationally. It was assessed as ‘Excellent’ in
the TQA and receives good results in internal QA assessments.At postgraduate level the Department receives a
quota of three ESRC 1+3 studentships in recognition of the strength of its teaching (particularly
methodological/conceptual modules), with three MSc programmes recognised. The AHRC has also recognised the
relevant MSc programmes though we have yet to receive studentships from this source. International recognition
can be seen through our exchange programmes with SOCRATES, Singapore and Western Australia, through the
large numbers of JYA students taking Geography modules, and by the international composition of our
postgraduate body, for example we have won four Dorothy Hodgkins Awards since 2004.
Demonstrating the 'value-added' by the Department's teaching is relatively difficult because our students arrive with
very high grades and leave with excellent final degree results, but we feel that we broaden as well as deepen our
students’ learning.
j) How does the department prepare students for employment / further study?
The Department ensures that its students are highly employable through its generic skills training (see above) as
well as specialized training. Geography graduates are attractive to employers because they are literate and
numerate, are familiar with a wide range of C&IT applications, and often possess specialist graphical and visual
skills. The Department’s emphasis on global citizenship and its international composition and philosophy
encourages students to work or study beyond the UK and gives them a cosmopolitan outlook on working within the
UK. The Department ensures that students are aware of the Careers Service’s work and brings a representative in
to speak to students starting their final year.
The Department’s teaching and learning strikes a balance between the independent learning that is the hallmark of
UK higher education and the care and support necessary to facilitate this. Student independence and responsibility
is well demonstrated by their dissertation work and other project work, which often involves a good deal of original
thought and solo effort. Key skills are developed by a core of undergraduate modules from the first year onwards,
with much of this assessed through tutorials. For example GEOG 1008 provides an opportunity to develop
expertise in different forms of academic writing, IT, presentation and argument, interviewing, groupwork, etc.
Specialist skills are available through core and optional modules.
Geography does not have a professional accreditation scheme of the kind possessed by some other disciplines,
and students take up a very wide range of forms of employment and study after graduating. As a result a close
relationship with employers is not as useful as it might be for more focused disciplines. However the Department
has good contacts with the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental
Sciences (GEES), the Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British
Geographers). These act both as champions for Geography HE and as clearing houses for information, much of it
relevant to teaching and learning.
DEPARTMENTAL BUSINESS PLAN AND RESOURCES
k) How is the department funding its strategic aims?
The Department is able to fund its activities through a balanced and near equal mix of income from research and
teaching activities; Departmental strategy has been to shift to a larger proportion of overseas and graduate student
numbers in line with UCL White Paper policy, although this has been re-adjusted in the light of Faculty
undergraduate recruitment programmes, the erosion of PGR QR and slower progress on overseas student targets
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than anticipated. Increased income arising from fully economically costed research projects will contribute to the
department's ability to retain relatively low SSRs.
ENGAGEMENT WITH INSTITUTIONAL POLICY
l) How far does the department's approach to teaching and learning draw on UCL's institutional policies
(and other external bodies’ requirements where appropriate)?
The Department’s approach to teaching and learning draws upon UCL and Faculty requirements and advice.
Geography is well-placed to meet and develop the requirements of UCL’s International Strategy, is already working
hard on Widening Participation schemes, and its staff are actively pursuing the possibilities of e-Learning. Equal
Opportunities policies are also closely followed.
As a very broad subject Geography does not have its own professional accreditation which means that there are
few requirements from external bodies. However our success with the ESRC postgraduate quota (three 1+3
awards annually) places some obligation on us to provide methodological and theoretical training for MSc/PhD
students.
NERC obligations? Any other organisations we’re beholden to?
m) How does the department monitor the areas identified above?
The Department’s Staff-Student Consultative Committee is genuinely popular, student-led and organised, and
minutes are widely available. Problems that cannot be solved in the SSCC are automatically referred to the
Departmental Teaching Committee. Student feedback is obtained for all modules and programmes and the
processed data is considered by the DTC. Where satisfaction ratings are lower than expected the DTC asks the
convenor to address stated criticisms, though this is rare. All programmes are regularly reviewed by DTC.
Undergraduate and postgraduate students are represented at the Departmental Meetings. Postgraduates on taught
courses and PhD students pass on comments to tutors, convenors or supervisors and these are fed through to the
DTC by the Postgraduate Tutor when necessary.
In the last five years DTC reviews of first and third year curricula, as well as more focused projects on e-learning
and first year study skills, have allowed the Department to monitor the extent to which it is meeting its strategic
goals for teaching and learning. Recent changes in the management structure of the Department should make the
monitoring of teaching and learning strategy easier.
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