Teaching & Learning project updates
Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Significant work is under way across the institution on a number of projects to enhance the student Teaching & Learning experience. We've brought together this summary of the main current projects to keep you updated with the latest developments, which we hope you will find helpful.
If you have any queries or would like further information, please do get in touch with the relevant named contact for each project.
Teaching Excellence & Student Outcomes Framework (TEF): The OfS has announced it will develop a new TEF framework during 2020, taking into account the recommendations of the forthcoming independent review and the findings of last year's subject-level pilot. This means that there will be no provider-level TEF Year 5 exercise in 2020. However, it is hugely important that during this period we continue to focus on improving our key T&L metrics and evaluating the impact of our enhancement activities, as overseen by the TEF Strategy Group so we can present the best possible case when compiling our next submission.
Contact Elizabeth McCrum for further information.
NSS, UKES and closing the feedback loop: Our student-facing ‘Together We Have' campaign launched on 13 January, aiming to highlight how we've worked in partnership to make positive changes to enhance the student experience. We've also shared template resources with Schools to ‘close the feedback' loop at a local level. This work is in anticipation of the launch of the NSS and UK Engagement Survey (UKES) on Monday 3 February. Resources to support survey promotion will be shared with Schools in due course.
Contact Jennifer Rich for further information.
Student Voice & Partnership (SV&P): Previously led by Elizabeth MCrum, the SV&P project will be overseen to completion at the end of the current academic year by Orla Kennedy. Following consultation with students and colleagues in the autumn, the group is reviewing our Academic Representation model, including Student Staff Liaison Committees, and planning to pilot a new ‘Student Panel' to enable students to shape their University experience. New resources are also being developed to support Schools with student engagement and to help students navigate through the wide range of enhancement opportunities available to them.
Contact Orla Kennedy for further information.
Focus on Feedback: To support efforts to enhance the student experience of assessment and feedback, colleagues in CQSD have recently developed a new Focus on Feedback Top Tips resource. Additional resources will be shared soon, including further evidence-informed guidance for experienced assessors, specific guides for new assessors, guidance for students on how to make the most of their feedback, and updates to the Feedback Policy. These resources will promote the use of online feedback and the additional feedback tools enabled via the EMA Programme, such as Quick Marks, audio feedback and Rubrics.
Contact Rodney Coombridge for further information.
Completion of Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA) programme: The EMA programme will close on 31 January, having delivered against its three main objectives: enable a consistently good student assessment experience; provide an improved and supported assessment experience for staff; and reduce the administrative burden of assessment for the University. The programme team would like to thank all colleagues who have worked with them to deliver new capabilities, many of which are sector-leading, and develop new ways of working, benefiting our whole community.
Contact Emma Mayhew for further information.
Curriculum Framework: The PGT Curriculum Framework review phase has begun and will run until July 2021. This phase was launched with a highly successful ‘PGT Review in Practice' showcase event, with 46 colleagues in attendance.
Contact Nina Brooke for support in planning and getting started on your curriculum review.
Academic Tutor System (ATS): Save the date for our ATS mini-conference on the afternoon of Wednesday 11 March. The event will provide an opportunity for colleagues to share best practice, with a keynote from Dr Naomi Winstone (University of Surrey). We're also pleased to share the first in a series of short student-facing videos on academic tutoring, with plans to release more in the next few months.
Contact Cindy Isherwood for further information.
Student Attendance Management & Support: This project will see the installation of technology and the development of supporting policies and processes to capture, store and report on student attendance information for scheduled teaching and learning activities. A ‘proof of concept' is currently running in two Schools and we will use this learning to inform our policy consultation and formulation of draft policy in the spring. We're hoping to procure a supplier by June 2020 so we can move into initial roll out with early adopter pilot Schools/departments in the 2020/21 academic year.
Contact Alison Knightley for further information
Learning Capture: We're currently working with prospective suppliers on procuring a technical solution for Personal and Lecture Capture, with a final decision expected in spring. The project will equip nearly 100 teaching spaces (at Whiteknights and London Road) to record live lectures and teaching sessions, in a phased manner over the next three years. A Policy & Guidance Working Group, chaired by Professor Katja Strohfeldt, and with representatives from academic Schools, RUSU, CQSD, IT, IMPS, Legal and HR, is developing policies to enable and guide informed and appropriate use of Learning Capture.
Contact Steve Gough or Vicki Holmes for further information.
Case Management System: Following an extensive review of options and feedback from the sector, it has been agreed that we will use the existing Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform for our Case Management System. This approach will enable us to make best use of existing expertise as Microsoft Dynamics is already being used by other teams here at Reading, while also allowing us to customise the system for our own specific needs. We are currently working on identifying the detailed processes that the Case Management System will provide as distinct from those that RISIS provides, alongside starting work on systems integration with RISIS.
Contact Selina Patankar-Owens for further information.