ABERDEEN COLLEGE LEARNER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

LEARNER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY 1. Learner engagement at Aberdeen College. The purpose of learner engagement at Aberdeen College is to provide learners and potential learners with a range of meaningful involvement opportunities that can be recognised as impacting upon, influencing and enriching their overall College experience. These involvement opportunities should complement and reflect the professional approach taken at Aberdeen College to the teaching and learning process. Aberdeen College recognises the benefits for providers and for learners as set out in the Learning and Skills document Developing a Learner Involvement Strategy, June 2007 as follows: Benefits for Providers increased participation, retention, progression and achievement. learners who are more expert and independent, and who can help to shape learning experiences tailored to meet their needs and objectives in a way that achieves success. better quality of information about the learners perspective, which can be used to triangulate other sources of data and drive professional and organisational development and quality improvement. better decisions about resource allocation and investment. learners who feel more involved and are motivated to put something back into the organisation, for instance by contributing to the development of policy or by coming back to share their experience of industry with future generations of learners. Benefits for Learners For learners, the benefits of such involvement are clear: a more responsive, more engaging, higher quality offer that empowers learners in shaping their own experience, and delivers improved outcomes for more learners, especially those who might otherwise not succeed. 2. What we are aiming to achieve. Through a range of meaningful engagement opportunities Learners will be able to impact positively upon their own learning and teaching experience and those of their peers. Learners will be able to impact positively upon support services underpinning their learning and teaching experience. Learners will be able to engage with the wider work and life of the College. Learners will be able to recognise where their engagement directly impacts upon and brings about quality improvement. Learners will engage with A Curriculum for Excellence to become successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals. 3. The principles that will guide us in achieving our aims. Aberdeen College is committed to providing learners with a high quality, rewarding educational experience. Aberdeen College recognises the importance of engaging with learners in a variety of ways, listening to their views and acting promptly to address any issues which they raise. Aberdeen College recognises that learner engagement is about more than just student representative structures. It spans a complex range of learning, teaching and related support activities ensuring individual aspirations are realised within a culture of continuous quality improvement. Aberdeen College. All rights reserved. 2

Aberdeen College recognises that engagement may be limited by an individual learner s desire or indeed ability to become engaged. The College offers opportunities for learners to engage, communicates these opportunities effectively and allows individuals to come to a judgement on their own personal or collective level of engagement. Approaches to learner engagement must be not seen in isolation but rather collectively, demonstrating the College s approach and commitment to learner engagement. Learner engagement is owned by all College staff and through the day-to-day application of active listening and negotiating skills. The Aberdeen College Learner Engagement Strategy must be flexible, readily adapting to the needs of learners as required. 4. This Strategy. Learner engagement is embedded in the culture, practices, processes and procedures of Aberdeen College. This is evidenced externally through the continued achievement of awards such as Customer Service Excellence Standard and the Queen s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education. As such it should be clear to learners that learner engagement is at the heart of what Aberdeen College is about and that it adds value to their overall experience. This strategy will therefore: recognise existing opportunities for learners to engage. recognise the role of Aberdeen College Students Association in learner engagement. identify potential future opportunities for learner engagement. demonstrate how the collective impact of the range of opportunities for learner engagement can be measured. 5. Opportunities for learners to engage with learning, teaching and assessment processes and quality improvement activities. Aberdeen College recognises the importance of engaging learners in the learning and teaching process and related quality processes. The College also believes however there is a crucial balance to be struck between levels of learner engagement in these processes and the levels of professionalism and expertise College staff are expected to bring to these processes. The following engagement opportunities impact on the College s approach to the learning and teaching experience and related quality assurance processes: Attendance at pre-entry guidance meetings to ensure placement on the correct course and level of study. Identification of both short and longer term educational goals. Interacting with appropriate materials and resources that promote engagement with the learning and teaching process. Being an active and positive member of a class group. Accepting of the protocol necessary for successful learning especially within a group setting. Involvement in Course Committee meetings. Constructive learner feedback as part of the lesson observation process. Where relevant the completion of Core Skills profiling and agreement as a result of any actions necessary to move to the appropriate level. Participation in the assessment process including online assessment. Uptake of Information, Advice, Guidance and Support entitlement as stated in the Information, Advice, Guidance and Support Policy. Accessing additional support with learning if required through the Learning Development Centre. Having any additional support needs identified following referral for an initial needs assessment and where reasonable having these needs met. Development of a set of effective essential skills. Aberdeen College. All rights reserved. 3

Involvement in course related competitions both locally and nationally where the opportunity exists. Involvement in external learner focussed activities such as Education Scotland aspect and wider reviews. As contributors to the Community of Practice for Curriculum for Excellence through Learner Case Studies which will take the form of talking heads where they will talk about how their skills for learning, life and work have been developed through their College experiences. As contributors to learner Good Practice in the Curriculum events, chaired by the Director of Curriculum and Learning, where they will have the opportunity to contribute to the dissemination of good practice across the College. 6. Opportunities for learners to engage with the wider College environment. Aberdeen College actively promotes engagement with the wider College environment through a range of engagement opportunities. By necessity these opportunities will span other processes such as learning and teaching and quality assurance. The following engagement opportunities allow students to participate fully with the wider College environment: Attending discussion group meetings with the Principal and Senior Management Team. Attending focus group meetings with Senior Lecturers (Quality). Attending specific focus group meetings e.g. International Students. Meeting with other College managers as relevant throughout the year. Visits to College areas by the Board of Management and where appropriate meeting staff and learners on these visits. Completion of satisfaction surveys at key points in the year. Completion of Suggestions/Comments. Taking part in wider College events e.g. International Day. Participating in the consultation process relating to relevant College policies. Undertaking an induction programme. Where required, implementing the College complaints process. Implementation of extra curricular events involving active participation as part of the College s approach to Enterprise in Education. Participation where feasible in sports, health and exercise activities. The continued development of the concept of student led user groups to complement other forms of evaluation of the College s services. 7. Opportunities for learners to engage through electronic media. Aberdeen College recognises the value in engagement opportunities through the use of recognised technologies and other emerging media. These opportunities are aligned to everyday technological experiences which most students will be familiar with. The following engagement opportunities allow technology to be used in both a learning and teaching setting and in the wider College environment: Through the use of the College s VLE (Blackboard system). Participating in online / electronic forms of assessment. Sending and receiving text messages. Sending and receiving email. Accessing key College information through StudentNet or the College s main website. Taking part in online blogs or wikis related to courses. Making use of mobile technology e.g. laptops, netbooks. Accessing itunesu. Through the use of specialist software or equipment relevant to courses. Aberdeen College. All rights reserved. 4

8. Opportunities for learners to engage through the Aberdeen College Students Association (ACSA). Aberdeen College recognises the importance of an active students association in any learner engagement process. It also recognises the greater opportunities both for learners to interact with the association and the association to interact with the College through the appointment of a sabbatical President. The following engagement opportunities can be directly attributed to the association: Membership of Aberdeen College Student Association. The Class Representative system assisted by training from SPARQS. Student representation on the College s Board of Management and its various Committees. Student representation on a range of cross College groups. The involvement of the President in the student disciplinary process. With College colleagues working with SPARQS on activities directly related to student involvement in quality improvement. Fresher s Fayre. A range of social and other events throughout the year. 9. Future opportunities for learners to engage. Aberdeen College recognises that it must strive to identify new and innovative forms of engagement to complement what it currently does in this respect. The following is a range of such future engagement opportunities the College will explore in the life of its latest Strategic Development Plan: Ensuring the range of opportunities for meaningful engagement is regularly reviewed and adapted as necessary. The further development of learner led reflection. Greater use of electronic means of engagement especially for those learners who may not physically visit a College site. Further strengthening the part learners play in the range of self evaluation activities within the College. 10. How we will measure the impact of the range of Learner Engagement opportunities at Aberdeen College? Aberdeen College takes account of the normal set of key performance indicators for retention, achievement and attainment. It will also reflect annually through the normal self evaluation process on a wider range of measures of success of engagement such as: Evidence that learners views have been listened to and where appropriate, corrective action is taken. Evidence that learners views are considered across a range of self evaluation activities. Evidence that learners views lead to more informed decision making. Evidence that learner engagement feeds into good practice forums. Learner surveys continue to demonstrate high levels of learner satisfaction. Learner feedback on lesson observation continues to drive improvement. ACSA can evidence a range of successful events held across the College achieved through the support of the College. The class representative system is effective in engaging with the College in matters directly affecting the learning and teaching process. The impact of learner engagement is not limited to full time learners. Aberdeen College. All rights reserved. 5

11. Responsibilities Essentially all College staff have a responsibility to engage meaningfully with learners. The majority of the existing opportunities for learner engagement within the College feed into many existing policies, procedures and processes. Within the Senior Management Team the Associate Principal (Student Support Services) will assume a co-ordinating responsibility across all the threads of learner engagement and will produce annually a high level self evaluation. This Strategy should be read in conjunction with the Assessment, Core and Soft Skills, Information Technology, Learning and Teaching, Inclusiveness, Dissemination of Good Practice in the Curriculum, and Retention, Achievement and Attainment Strategies. Aberdeen College. All rights reserved. 6