https://salt.swan.ac.uk/abc-learning-design/
ABC is a very practical curriculum / course development method, originating in UCL and used successfully in Universities worldwide (including Swansea). The method has a strong foundation in learning theory and can produce dramatic and powerful results in a short space of time. Both online and (virus permitting) face to face workshops are run at Swansea and here you can find information on these and a wide range of resources.
(Swansea Resource)
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/learning-analytics
JISC resource bank on utilsiing analytics in cirriculum design and review
(External Resource)
Debbie Jones, Director of Undergraduate Criminology shares here experience of gaining first Fellow, then Senior Fellowship recognition. She gained a student-nominated ELTA in 2018 and has been researching the regulation of the sex industry with Professor Tracey Sagar since 2008. (More details about Debbie: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/law/deborahjones/)
I saw seeking Senior Fellowship recognition as an opportunity to reflect on the curriculum development and design and leadership in assessment that I’d undertaken
“I started work at Swansea University in 2008. Before that I worked in the police force and so it was a big stepping stone coming to teach in Higher Education.
Initially, I had little training for teaching. I was mainly supporting seminars and engaged with the small group teaching course available at the university at the time which was very helpful. But I wasn’t prepared for the wider teaching role and so I embarked independently on the PGCert in Higher Education. I felt it was important to ensure I added value to the student’s learning through the course and doing some Action Research as part of that course in particular enabled me to develop the portfolio work on embedding employability within our curriculum. This certificated course was accredited with the HEA and so I gained Fellowship recognition upon my completion.
I have been programme director for several years and over that time redesigned the criminology curriculum, taking into account student and staff feedback, what’s going on in the sector and it’s been really successful, with very positive NSS scores. I saw seeking Senior Fellowship recognition as an opportunity to reflect on the curriculum development and design and leadership in assessment that I’d undertaken. It also aligned with my participation in the Aurora Leadership course and so it was useful to reflect back on leadership and teaching.
The UKPSF dimensions of practice can be confusing and off putting – written in sometimes jargonistic language and I did find it difficult to align with what I’ve done. What was particularly gratifying though was to see that the professional values I upheld personally were also represented in the UKPSF professional values and so it gave positive affirmation that my practice was in line with those. The process of putting in a claim for Senior Fellowship gave my confidence in my abilities and confirmed that my ideas for curriculum development were sound and aligned with standards in HE.
I found the application writing challenging. While the examples on Blackboard are useful, it can be distracting to refer to them since each one is personal to the individual and there is no right or wrong answer! It took a while for me to come up with an application format that worked for me. I also found it challenging to isolate what was my leadership role in what is ultimately team success.
But more positively – the training was very helpful, the examples as I’ve said before were helpful and I must be in a minority as I like Pebblepad! I’m not a particularly tech savvy person and so in a very practical way, getting to know the software enhanced my IT skills.
Moving forward, I’m continuing to lead the programme and I believe passionately about providing staff with the support needed to develop their skills and provide an environment which encourages creativity and innovation in assessment and technology. As a teaching mentor and Senior Academic Mentor I can support new lecturers with their practice and support to students and encourage them as they develop new modules.
So, just do it and apply! Not just for the recognition it granted, but take the opportunity to reflect on your practice and look for areas to improve upon.
Note: for help interpreting the UKPSF Dimensions of Practice, see these resources available on the HEA’s website: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/dimensions-framework
Dyma Debbie Jones, Cyfarwyddwr Israddedig Troseddeg yn rhannu ei phrofiad o gael cydnabyddiaeth Cymrodoriaeth ac yna Gymrodoriaeth Uwch. Cafodd ELTA a enwebwyd gan fyfyrwyr yn 2018 ac mae wedi bod yn ymchwilio i reoleiddio’r diwydiant rhyw gyda’r Athro Tracey Sagar ers 2008. (Rhagor o fanylion ynglŷn â Debbie: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/law/deborahjones/)
Roeddwn yn ystyried cydnabyddiaeth statws Cymrodoriaeth Uwch fel cyfle i adfyfyrio ar y gwaith datblygu a llunio cwricwlwm hwnnw ac arweinyddiaeth mewn asesu yr oeddwn wedi’u cwblhau
“Dechreuais i weithio ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe yn 2008. Cyn hynny, roeddwn i’n gweithio yn yr heddlu felly roedd yn gam mawr dod i addysgu ym maes Addysg Uwch.
Cyn hynny, prin iawn o hyfforddiant ar gyfer addysgu a gefais i. Yn bennaf, cefnogi seminarau a chymryd rhan yn y cwrs addysgu grwpiau bach a oedd ar gael gan yn y Brifysgol ar y pryd oeddwn i, ac roedd hynny’n ddefnyddiol iawn. Ond doeddwn i ddim wedi fy mharatoi ar gyfer rôl addysgu fwy eang ac felly es ati’n annibynnol i gwblhau’r PGCert mewn Addysg Uwch. Roeddwn i’n teimlo ei bod hi’n bwysig i sicrhau y gallem ychwanegu gwerth at ddysgu myfyrwyr drwy’r cwrs ac roedd cyflawni peth Ymchwil Weithredu fel rhan o’r cwrs hwnnw’n benodol wedi fy ngalluogi i ddatblygu’r portffolio o waith ar gyfer gwreiddio cyflogadwyedd yn ein cwricwlwm. Cafodd y cwrs achrededig hwn achrediad gan yr Academi Addysg Uwch ac felly wrth ei gwblhau, cefais gydnabyddiaeth drwy Gymrodoriaeth.
Rwyf wedi bod yn gyfarwyddwr rhaglen ers sawl blwyddyn ac yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, rwyf wedi ail-lunio’r cwricwlwm troseddeg, gan ystyried adborth gan fyfyrwyr a staff, yr hyn sydd ar y gweill yn y sector ac mae hyn wedi bod yn llwyddiannus iawn, gyda sgoriau uchel iawn yn Arolwg Cenedlaethol y Myfyrwyr. Roeddwn yn ystyried cydnabyddiaeth statws Cymrodoriaeth Uwch fel cyfle i adfyfyrio ar y gwaith datblygu a llunio cwricwlwm hwnnw ac arweinyddiaeth mewn asesu yr oeddwn wedi’u cwblhau. Roedd hefyd yn cyd-fynd â’m cyfraniad at y cwrs Arweinyddiaeth Aurora ac felly roedd yn ddefnyddiol gallu adfyfyrio ar arweinyddiaeth ac addysgu.
Gall elfennau ymarfer Fframwaith Safonau Proffesiynol y DU beri dryswch a bod yn annymunol, wedi’u hysgrifennu mewn iaith jargonllyd, ac roedd yn anodd i mi alinio’r hyn yr oeddwn i wedi’i wneud â’r Fframwaith. Yr hyn a oedd yn rhoi cryn dipyn o foddhad oedd gweld bod y gwerthoedd proffesiynol a oedd gennyf fi’n bersonol yn cael eu cynrychioli mewn gwerthoedd proffesiynol Fframwaith Safonau Proffesiynol y DU ac felly roedd yn gadarnhad dal bod fy null i o ymarfer yn cyd-fynd â nhw. Roedd y broses o lunio cais am Gymrodoriaeth Uwch yn hwb i’m hyder yn fy ngalluoedd, gan gadarnhau yr oedd fy syniadau ar gyfer datblygu cwricwlwm yn gadarn ac yn cyd-fynd â safonau ym maes AU.
Roedd y broses o lunio cais yn heriol. Er bod yr enghreifftiau ar Blackboard yn ddefnyddiol, gall dynnu sylw i gyfeirio atynt gan fod pob un ohonynt yn unigryw i’r unigolyn ac nid oes ateb cywir neu anghywir! Cymerodd beth amser i mi lunio ffurf ar gais a oedd yn gweithio i mi. Roedd hefyd yn heriol i mi wahaniaethu rhwng fy rôl arwain i a’r hyn sy’n llwyddiant ar y cyd.
Ond i fod yn gadarnhaol, roedd yr hyfforddiant yn ddefnyddiol iawn, ac fel y dywedais i o’r blaen, roedd yr enghreifftiau’n ddefnyddiol ac mae’n rhaid fy mod i’n aelod o grŵp prin gan fy mod i’n hoff o Pebblepad! Dw i ddim yn rhywun sy’n graff iawn gyda thechnoleg ac felly mewn ffordd ymarferol iawn, roedd ymgyfarwyddo â’r feddalwedd wedi gwella fy sgiliau TG.
Wrth edrych at y dyfodol, byddaf yn parhau i arwain y rhaglen, ac rwy’n credu’n gryf mewn darparu’r cymorth angenrheidiol i staff er mwyn iddynt ddatblygu eu sgiliau a chynnig amgylchedd sy’n annog natur greadigol ac arloesol wrth asesu a defnyddio technoleg. Fel mentor addysgu a Mentor Academaidd Uwch, bellach gallaf gefnogi darlithwyr newydd gyda’u hymarfer a chefnogi myfyrwyr a’u hannog wrth iddynt ddatblygu modiwlau newydd.
Felly ewch ati i wneud cais! Ac nid yn unig at ddiben cael cydnabyddiaeth ond, hefyd, i achub ar y cyfle i adfyfyrio ar eich ymarfer a chwilio am feysydd i’w gwella.
Sylwer: Er mwyn cael cymorth i ddehongli Elfennau Ymarfer yr UKSPF, gweler yr adnoddau ar-lein isod ar wefan yr Academi Addysg Uwch: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/dimensions-framework
On Tuesday of this week we had the honour of hosting Professor Dilly Fung from UCL who came to Swansea to lead a workshop on Students as Co-Creators. Dilly brought with her a wealth of experience, both from her work at UCL and also her previous role at Exeter University. In particular she helped us to explore how research and education could be brought together by working with staff and students in order to revise the fundamental building blocks of the curriculum. It was a very inspiring day and all those present went away committed to making changes in whatever role they performed within the University.
This event is just the first in a series of events and activities that we will be engaged with over 2017 and through into 2018. Some of these build on work that has already been undertaken through STEP4Excellence. All will be rooted in the work we all need to be involved with through Go Beyond. As with UCL, what I am aiming to achieve is a complete review and rethinking of our education and curriculum here at Swansea.
The UCL Connected Curriculum is based around a series of six basic principles:
These are appropriate for UCL and certainly raise interesting questions for us here in Swansea. What is important, however, is that we find the questions and principles that are appropriate for our situation, our students, and our own ethos and culture. What I have proposed, therefore, is a three stage process within Go Beyond:
2016-17: We are working in various thematic groups to establish to basic principles that we would like to underpin the curricular here in Swansea through investigation across the sector and through consultation with our community of staff and students.
2017-18: These principles will be presented to each subject area as a series of questions and workshops over the year, asking each area to think through how they are currently applied within their curriculum and how they might want to change the curriculum in order to focus on those elements that are most important within their own discipline. These could include changes to content, modular structure, assessment or delivery within classes. We would expect these discussions to embed the work we are currently doing with STEP4Excellence on student engagement and empowerment and involve staff and students at all levels.
2018-19: We will instigate change across the institution that arise out of the local conversations, making the changes that might be needed to regulations where appropriate, revalidating programmes where significant change to content and structure is envisaged, providing training and IT resources where significant changes in delivery and/or assessment warrant this.
One of the things that I personally gained from the workshop led by Professor Fung was a clearer understanding of how the process of curriculum change in UCL is going to be reviewed and evaluated. Using a grid based on the core principles and identifying what ‘initial’, ‘developing’, ‘developed’ and ‘outstanding’ progress might look like within all six principles, each programme will be asked to assess themselves against the grid to measure their own progress towards the achievement of the goals. What is interesting is that this grid was developed through significant consultation with staff and students. One of our goals over the second half this academic year, therefore, will be the construction of such a grid around our own principles, once again through consultation, that we will be asking departments and subject areas to measure their progress against throughout 2017-18 and 2018-19.
This is a major project for the whole University and, while we have working groups developing the principles within Go Beyond, that will be offered to staff and students as part of a wider consultation later in the year, I am intending to spend much of the next six months meeting with colleagues in each department or subject area within the Colleges in order to both explain the plans and also to listen carefully to any feedback that you may have.
Finally, therefore, with specific reference to this blog. I am intending to use the blog over the next few months to raise a number of the questions about our education, our engagement with students, our learning environment, and so on, that I would want to see at the heart of the conversations on curriculum development across the University.
I look forward, therefore, to meeting you all over the next six months, receiving feedback from the blog and expanding the discussion that has already been started within the workshop out to the whole University.
Isabel Costello has been part of the SALT Team over the summer on a SPIN placement. You may have met her at the SALT Conference. She is also a University rep for the Students as Partners Network. In this role she recently attended the Students as Partners Network conference in Cardiff. Her report of the conference is below.
Background to the Conference: Graduates for our Future
In response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for higher education, representatives from all major higher education stakeholders agreed to a focused enhancement theme for Wales: Graduates for our Future. The theme is built around three major work strands: Learning for Employment, Learning in Employment and Students as Partners. The work strands were launched in March 2011 and the three work strands aimed to discuss how they could best capture innovation and practise from the sector.
The purpose of the Students as Partners is to develop partnerships between staff and students. In addition, the strand aims to develop new initiatives and programmes by encouraging student engagement. The Students as Partners team collaborate with other sector agencies and support colleagues working within and across disciplines in Higher Education.
Students as Partners is structured around three dimensions of student engagement:
Membership
Membership of the group will comprise of one sabbatical office and one student representative from each Welsh institution, one representation from WISE Wales, NUS Wales and Higher Education Academy Wales, three work strand leaders and two student Chairs.
Students as Partners Network Conference
The Students as Partners Network conference on Friday 11th July was the first official meeting of the work strand. The conference was attended by delegates from the Higher Education Academy, WISE Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff University, University of Wales, Aberystwyth University, University of South Wales, Jisc RSC, NUS Wales, The Open University, Colegau Cymru and Swansea University (Appendix 1 has the full list of delegates).
As the conference was the first one, the event provided delegates with an opportunity to meet other representatives and network. The event discussed what ‘we’ as Student Partners want and how can students be embraced in Higher Education. The conference also provided an opportunity to share good practise of ‘Students as Partners’ from across Welsh institutions and to support and provide advice. In addition, work strand leaders, Graham Lewis (Inspiring Teaching), Lloyd Williams (Distinctive Graduates) and Jo Smedley (Learner Journeys), from the Future Directions for Higher Education in Wales presented their current projects and delegates provided feedback on the themes.
Inspiring Teaching
The Inspiring Teaching group consists of representatives from institutions and key sector agencies in Wales. It is led by Graham Lewis, of Aberystwyth University.
It seeks to explore how Welsh HE providers both inspire teaching development and value examples of inspired teaching. It is about how we create an environment which encourages enquiry into teaching practice and celebrates innovation. It is about how we ensure that the support we give to teachers in HE, takes account of the environment in which academics work and is fit for purpose.
The Inspiring Teaching strand aims to continue to share and celebrate existing good practice and explore how we can work, across Wales, to further enhance the quality of HE teaching and the student experience.
Distinctive Graduates
The Distinctive Graduates group consists of representatives from institutions and key sector agencies in Wales. It is led by Lloyd Williams, of the University of South Wales.
It seeks to identify and understand the unique set of skills and attributes developed by students in Wales. A global mind set, cultural agility and advanced communication or language skills were identified recently as features that are likely to lead to graduates performing successfully on an international stage. Welsh institutions provide a mode and delivery of learning and work related experience that is likely to influence the evolution of these attributes.
The strand plans to explore whether there are specific elements of the student experience in Wales that shape the ability of graduates to perform successfully in the international labour market.
Learner Journeys
The Learner Journey group consists of representatives from institutions and key sector agencies in Wales. It is led by Jo Smedley, of the University of South Wales.
It offers a window on the provision of learning in various non-traditional modes. It provides a cross-Wales response to the Welsh Government’s Policy Statement for Higher Education in early June 2013 identifying the need to develop “more flexible models of provision” within its set of priorities up to 2020.
Learner journeys are many and varied ranging from traditional, full time experiences to more bite-sized learning experiences which involve stepping on and off learning, learning portability and learning which occurs at various paces and places. Curriculum design and assessment are important elements in ensuring that the learner experience is consistently of a high quality, irrespective of the path of engagement.
Conclusion
The Students as Partners Network conference provided a useful opportunity to share good practise, to generate ideas and provide students with advice and support. The network will continue throughout next academic year and more information will be circulated.
Follow the links below for more information on Students as Partners Network:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/students-as-partners
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/wales/students-as-partners-network