Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy

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1 Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy Introduction The Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) Strategy outlines the priorities for action over the next three years which will enable the University to meet the academic aims, related to learning, teaching and assessment, identified in the Refreshed Corporate Plan and other associated institutional strategies. The Strategy's function above all is to assist the University in the design and delivery of the outstanding learning experience students can expect when studying at Sheffield Hallam. The strategy articulates the commitment and actions that individual staff, course teams and the University need to make to ensure these outstanding student experiences are achieved. It should be considered alongside the Student Charter which outlines what students can expect of the University and what the University expects of them. The strategy should be used in planning the development and delivery of courses and learning support. The monitoring of the strategy will be integrated into the annual quality review processes of the University's Academic Quality Framework. 2. Strategic Context 2.1 External Context Radical reforms to the funding and structure of higher education are set to have a significant impact on the University in coming years, as will changes to the health sector, schools and teacher education, and immigration. Graduate contributions will replace most of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) income. Student tuition fees will almost triple and this will impact significantly on the relationship between students and the University. The University will need to be more responsive to student concerns about the quality of their experience. Prospective students will be keener than ever to compare universities before applying. Student Charters will make explicit statements about what students can expect in terms of the quality of their learning, teaching and assessment experience and Key Information Sets (KISs) will be published for every course so that comparisons between courses across the institution and the sector can be made. The funding for some health related and teacher education programmes will decline and commissioning is likely to move to new partners under the new funding regimes. Whilst there is potential for international income to increase, patterns of provision will need to become more diverse. Research and knowledge transfer funding is set to reduce and will be focused on world class research of critical mass. LTA Strategy Approved December

2 2.2 University Context In light of the external context the University has refreshed its Corporate Plan for the period This confirms Sheffield Hallam's Mission to be an innovative and responsive university, one committed to the belief that high quality inspirational teaching and applied research can transform individuals, organisations and communities. The Corporate Plan identifies a range of distinctive features which support Sheffield Hallam's mission. These include the excellent reputation it has for the quality of its teaching and the pride it takes in providing a supportive student experience. The University has stated a commitment to innovation in teaching and research, and the provision of professional education and education for employment. In addition it has an established track record for being responsive to both partners and students. It also has a national reputation in the recruitment and success of students from a broad range of social backgrounds and has a commitment to advancing inclusion as a key feature of all activities and internationalisation. Part of the refreshed Corporate Plan's Vision is that by 2015 the University will have established itself as a top 50 university known for the quality of its teaching and learning with a particular commitment to education for employment. In order to achieve this vision the plan outlines a series of academic aims and objectives. The quality of learning and teaching and the character of the student experience are seen as dominant drivers for the University as it prepares itself for these challenges. Alongside its academic aims and objectives, the University has stated its commitment to inspiring students to achieve their potential; enhancing their employability for a wide range of professions; and developing learners to be confident communicators, capable of making effective use of digital technologies and resources. It has stipulated that the outcome for Sheffield Hallam graduates will be that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for a professional life; they will be highly employable, socially responsible and able to live and work effectively. 3. Strategic Implications The LTA Strategy supports the delivery of other University core strategies and their contribution to the realisation of the Refreshed Corporate Plan ( ). The Employability Strategy - Education for Employment ( ) aims to create a distinctive employability offer, which includes the need to deliver structured, supported and accredited work-related and/or work-based learning. It also requires that students develop and enhance high-level employability-related transferable skills and attributes, the Sheffield Hallam Graduate Attributes - Appendix 1, and that these developments are embedded within the curriculum. A key aim of the Sheffield Hallam University Access Agreement (2012/13) is the need to ensure that the University provides a supportive, challenging and inclusive LTA Strategy Approved December

3 learning experience which enables all learners to reach their potential and progress into employment or further study. Furthermore, core requirements of the University's Retention and Student Success Framework are the use of early formative assessment and subsequent feedback. One of the aims of the International Development Strategy ( ) is for the University to offer international students an outstanding experience by providing them with appropriate academic support. Another of its aims is to maximise opportunities for increasing the global awareness of students and staff, including through the curriculum. The LTA strategy is being developed in tandem with the University's Student Support Strategy and synergies between the two strategies are being exploited. In addition, the LTA Strategy has implications for the delivery of both the Professional Development Framework and the Academic Quality Framework (AQF). The University s Continuing Professional Development Scheme will support staff in meeting the aims and objectives of the LTA Strategy, whilst the AQF will facilitate the monitoring of progress against the LTA Strategy's objectives. 4. Key Principles The guiding principles, which define the focus of the LTA Strategy and the approach which will be used to meet its realisation, are that: Priority will be given to activities which support the University in achieving its vision and strategic priorities, as set out in the Refreshed Corporate Plan, and are in tune with its brand values and promise, specifically those which: o promote a supportive and inclusive learning experience; o support the development and maintenance of a course focus; o actively encourage student engagement and participation in the design, delivery and quality enhancement of their courses; and o enhance students' experiences and improve satisfaction ratings. Everyone within the University's learning community is responsible for actively promoting and having positive attitudes towards the delivery of the student experience through the continuous enhancement of their academic and professional practice and a commitment to student engagement and participation. Approaches which maximise the impact of resources will be used in the delivery of the strategy. 5. The Aims of the LTA Strategy This enabling strategy sets out five broad aims for maintaining and enhancing the University s excellent reputation in LTA and meeting the requirements of the refreshed Corporate Plan. Aim 1. All staff will demonstrate an active commitment to excellence in learning, teaching and assessment. This will be achieved by staff who: LTA Strategy Approved December

4 communicate and encourage enthusiasm and passion for their discipline and learning; enable their students to understand the subject material; facilitate and deliver the course content in a way that is interesting and intellectually stimulating, and infuse their teaching and students' learning with research and scholarship; are approachable, supportive and responsive to their students; consistently uphold academic professional standards; are actively engaged in their personal professional development; and, contribute to a culture of peer support and collegiality across disciplines. Aim 2. Curriculum Design - Each course will be designed so that students are able to acquire and improve their knowledge and understanding of the subject and develop the skills and attributes that will enhance their academic achievement, improve their success in the world of work and underpin their future career development. This will be achieved by ensuring: curricula are designed and developed to be creative, compelling and challenging, with a strong focus on equipping students to enhance their employability or progress to further study, enabling them to reach their potential and exceed their expectations; courses are designed in a logical, rational and uncomplicated way to balance student choice, number of modules and efficient resource management; curricula are designed and developed in partnership with students, employers, professional bodies and central services; the curriculum is designed and delivered to ensure that every student has the opportunity to develop and achieve the University's graduate attributes; high level academic, information and digital literacies, transferable skills related to employability, and graduate attributes are embedded throughout curricula; well structured, supported and accredited work-related learning, work-based learning or work experience are integrated into curricula; the integration of a range of targeted employability and career management opportunities appropriate to all students; the curricula maximise opportunities for students to develop their diversity awareness and global awareness; courses are designed and developed to integrate and maximise the impact of individual academic support. LTA Strategy Approved December

5 Aim 3. Teaching, Learning and Academic Support - Each course will use a range of approaches to learning and teaching and provide academic support to enable its students to actively engage with, develop and demonstrate appropriate levels of skills, attributes and subject knowledge. This will be achieved by: using inclusive approaches to learning, teaching, and academic and other support structures which value, promote and take account of diversity; using student-centred and active approaches to learning, teaching, and academic support; and providing opportunities for students to be researchers, enquirers, and co-producers of and partners in learning; using technology enhanced learning as an integral feature of the delivery of courses; providing students with opportunities to develop and enhance their digital and information literacies; using teaching and learning approaches that progressively develop students' academic literacy as an integral part of their learning experience; following good practice, being reflective and using evidence based innovation in the delivery of the curriculum. Aim 4. Assessment and Feedback - Each course will have an assessment and feedback strategy designed to allow students to engage with and progressively demonstrate their achievement of the course's learning outcomes. This will be achieved by: using appropriate and inclusive assessment tasks that provide clear marking criteria in advance and promote, as well as measure, learning; ensuring assessment regimes are equitable and manageable; using a variety of formative and summative assessment types and approaches to feedback; exploiting the benefits of technology in the delivery of assessment and feedback; ensuring feedback is prompt so that students can reflect on their work in a timely way, rectify mistakes and avoid repeating them, and can measure their own progress; ensuring appropriately detailed comments are provided on assessments, in order to support students to make feed-forward improvements to future learning and assessment, and clarify understanding; promoting assessment and feedback as powerful and integral features of students' learning and development. Aim 5. Course Focus and Management - Each course team will actively work to create and maintain a student experience with a strong course focus and sense of belonging, premised on sound management and leadership, and a collective inclusive ethos which supports and encourages students to reach their potential. The course team will achieve this by: LTA Strategy Approved December

6 developing and maintaining a strong sense of course identity and belonging; supporting students to develop and enhance their skills, knowledge and confidence at key transition points in their learning journey; understanding and being able to explain the connectivity between the learning, teaching and assessment taking place across and between the levels of the course; providing students with advice and academic support on their learning and study choices, which is both sufficient and high-quality, and appropriate to their previous educational experiences; ensuring students are aware of and signposted to faculty and centrally provided student learning and support services and information, and those available through the Hallam Union; responding in a timely manner to student enquiries and making students aware of their availability and contact arrangements. 6. Governance, Monitoring and Reporting The Vice Chancellor has ultimate executive responsibility for the effective development and implementation of the University's strategies and policies. A Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience, Learning and Teaching provides the strategic leadership for LTA and has overall delegate responsibility for co-ordinating the development, implementation and operation of the LTA Strategy. The Student Experience, Learning and Teaching Committee, chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, is responsible for coordinating annual reviews and action plans related to the LTA Strategy. This cross-institutional group also monitors all relevant implementation plans for the duration of the strategy and instigates a three-yearly review. Identifying progress against implementation actions is incorporated into the University's AQF processes and monitoring information will be generated through the collation of information collected during these annual review processes. Incorporating the LTA Strategy's actions into these processes will assist in the further embedding of strategic approaches to LTA into the culture of the organisation. Other specific responsibilities for ensuring that the LTA Strategy is implemented successfully will be identified within the implementation plans. 7 Risks There are significant longer term risks for SHU in not developing and enhancing its approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. The University has set its fee based on delivering an excellent teaching and learning experience for students. National Student Survey results (2011) have shown a decline in teaching and learning satisfaction by students and nationally the University's rankings for teaching and learning are low. It is therefore critically important that Sheffield Hallam focuses LTA Strategy Approved December

7 on making significant enhancements to its teaching, learning and assessment practice and ensures consistent delivery across all provision. The University's Student Charter includes statements which set out the standards of the learning, teaching and assessment experience all students can expect irrespective of their course of study. There are consequently risks in making these clear statements of a universal offer and then not being able to deliver that offer. It will be the responsibility of the proposed governance lead to ensure that risks are monitored regularly through the Academic Development Committee and that appropriate mitigating actions are taken. More detailed local plans that emerge from the LTA Strategy, at the Faculty or Department level, will be expected to be monitored locally. LTA Strategy Approved December

8 Appendix One The Sheffield Hallam University Graduate Attributes Generic graduate attributes 1 have been described as the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students should desirably develop during their time with an institution. They go beyond the specialist disciplinary expertise or technical knowledge and include skills, behaviours and values that can make positive contributions to business and society. They demonstrate the transformational capacity higher education study has on individuals and articulates the distinctiveness of being a graduate in an explicit and positive way. Eight attributes have been identified which encapsulate what a graduate will be able to demonstrate upon successful completion of an undergraduate degree at Sheffield Hallam University. Attributes and the associated disciplinary knowledge, skills and abilities are achieved within the context of the student experience in its widest sense including: extra-curricular activity; the development of student identity and belonging; employability; and lifelong learning. The abilities and skills that comprise each of the attributes are interpreted differently by the different subject disciplines. At a course level specific abilities and skills will be identified under each of the attributes. Sheffield Hallam's students will develop and graduate with the following attributes: 1. Knowledge Application Sheffield Hallam graduates demonstrate high levels of disciplinary, subject or professional knowledge. They are able to understand and apply theoretical concepts to professional and societal contexts. They are capable of understanding and interpreting their research findings with reference to specific published scholarship. 2 Motivation and Engagement Sheffield Hallam graduates are self motivated and will readily engage with learning, and personal and professional development opportunities. They have drive, ambition, and a clear sense of purpose which will enable them to stand out in their chosen career and continuously develop their employability and leadership skills. They are committed to and capable of critical reflection of their own and others practice, and will use this as a basis for making continuous improvements. 3. Social Responsibility Sheffield Hallam graduates are socially responsible and behave ethically in social and professional environments. They have the ability to operate openly, sensitively, and effectively in complex and diverse inter-personal and inter-agency environments. 1 Reference - Bowden, J., Hart, G., King, B., Trigwell, K. & Watts, O. (2000) Generic capabilities of ATN university graduates cited in Barrie, S.C. (2007) A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of generic graduate attributes. Studies in Higher Education, Volume 32, Issue 4, pages LTA Strategy Approved December

9 They have experience of engaging with local, national and international communities and have an awareness of how to communicate and behave in a global context. 4. Creative and Critical Thinking Sheffield Hallam graduates can think critically and creatively, and are able to formulate solutions to problems through reflection and analysis. They can grasp concepts and use knowledge imaginatively and innovatively to confront challenges and opportunities. They are able to knowledgeably critique established theories and professional practices. 5. Integrity and Professionalism Sheffield Hallam graduates are confident and display high standards of professionalism and integrity. They are able to meet the expectations of professional, statutory and regulatory bodies and of society in general. 6. Research and Enquiry Sheffield Hallam graduates are able to take an enquiry based approach to learning and further their knowledge and understanding through research. They are able to generate, apply and disseminate knowledge, critically evaluate existing understanding, and reflect on the limitations of their own knowledge. They have an informed understanding of the principles, methods, standards and boundaries of their discipline and the capacity to contribute to their development. 7 IT Capability (Digital Literacy) Sheffield Hallam graduates are conversant with and understand the challenges of learning and working in the digital age. They are able to work effectively with a range of technology and social media, and have the capability to develop a confident online presence. They are effective at communicating through a range of media and can access and analyse information in a variety of digital formats. 8 Communication Sheffield Hallam graduates are proficient communicators, who confidently interact with others in a range of diverse situations. They are able to collaborate effectively, negotiate and agree goals in variety of contexts and for different purposes. LTA Strategy Approved December