Evidence-Informed Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP)

EVIDENCE-INFORMED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (EQUIP) PROPOSAL FORM

Please note: the word limits for sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, stated in brackets. Appendices will not be accepted and text in excess of the section word limit will not be considered.

1. Institution name: only one proposal per institution

De Montfort University

2. Project title:

Sharing views and making links: student perception of outstanding teaching and exceptional learning (SPOut)

3. Rationale, scope and aims (600 words): What is the nature and scope of the project? What are the aims of the project? How does it align with the institutions mission and strategic plan? Give an indication of how the project will enhance the quality of student learning experiences. What ‘evidence’ will be used to inform change?

This project aligns with the University's Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy which highlights the need for academic colleagues to share good practice as part of curriculum development and foregrounds the importance of communicating with students and responding to their voice. In doing so the project is also aligned with the University's mission statement which highlights the institution's student focus and the need to develop excellence through responding to the needs and aspirations of its stakeholders, including its students. The project also aims to build capacity within the institution by creating a new project and extending current approaches in order to take a holistic view of DMU's approach to quality improvement. DMU already has strong processes in place for putting into practice recommendations for improvements and makes significant use of the internal and external data and processes available to it: NSS results, programme and module feedback, external examiner reports are analysed and programme teams respond; subject-based periodic review is designed to be evaluative and developmental; specific project groups have the remit to investigate student retention and achievement (with a focus on BME students); and central departments work with the students' union to take forward learning and teaching projects. This project will further enhance and embed these processes. Alongside this an internal research project is reaching its conclusion. This project has investigated staff perceptions of what outstanding teaching and exceptional learning might look like across subject disciplines. This also chimes with the doctoral research of the project leader which looks at the ways subject staff define good practice in learning and teaching. Both pieces of research show that whilst there may be links and similarities across subject areas, these are often unexplored due to the predominance of the subject discipline. This project aims to focus on the students' views of outstanding teaching and exceptional learning to investigate whether there is an echo of the findings found amongst academic staff groups. The outcomes of the project will be important in their own right and will have even greater impact if they also triangulate with other research findings already discussed. The identification of examples of outstanding teaching and exceptional learning and an evaluation of what characterises them will thus help stimulate institution-wide debate around learning and teaching, leading not to a slavish copying or unthinking transfer of practice from one context to another but a deeper critique of the practices within subjects which will promote the process of identifying similar examples of excellence within individual subject teams. As a result of such a dialogue between academic colleagues and their students it is anticipated that definitions of what is considered best practice within a subject will be established. Following this examples can be identified, verified, disseminated and then embedded within the subject teams to the direct benefit of the student learning experience. it is not anticipated at this stage that a direct causal link will be found between this process and metrics such as retention, progression and achievement, but it is expected that the conversation envisaged by the results of this process will create a culture shift within the institution which will foreground both quality improvement and the student learning experience. Where it does prove possible to measure impact in an objective manner then this information will be brought to the attention of all subject teams through the learning and teaching networks that currently exist within the institution and adaptation and adoption will be expected. In this way the exceptional starts to become the expected norm and the bar can be raised to the benefit of the institution, its students and the wider HE sector.

4. Student voice (100 words): Describe how the student voice will be used to inform change.

Gathering and listening to the student voice is central to this project. The semi- structured interviews at the heart of the methodology will enable participants to explore ideas in depth and gather the rich data upon which decisions of consequence can be made. A member of the Student Union executive will be a part of the research team, enabling them to help formulate the conclusions that emerge from the outcomes. Dissemination and promotion of the project findings will be a key phase and the SU involvement in this will be key to obtaining buy-in from the student population as a whole.

5. Support (100 words): Describe the level and nature of support from senior management.

The University's Head of Department of Academic Quality, Director of Library Services and Director of Human Resources, as direct line managers to members of the project team, have approved the prioritising of this project within workflow and have pledged support in terms of time allocation and funding. The University's PVC (Academic) has also approved the project and as Chair of the University Learning and Teaching Committee will ensure debate of the findings is prioritised. This will enable the use of formal university structures to monitor actions agreed and commitments made, adding importance and impetus to the dissemination and embedding process. 6. Sector-wide interest (100 words): Describe what you think other institutions will learn from your evidence-informed approach to enhancing quality.

The greater use of "contextual data" was highlighted in the Higher Ambitions paper published by the previous government and HEIs are working to provide meaningful data for their various stakeholders. This project keys into that drive. Equally there is sector-wide debate as to the ways in which quality in learning and teaching can be identified and agreed. The project will provide a case study of one approach which, by securing buy-in from its academic community, demonstrates that positive change is possible. This will provide an evidence-led approach which will be adaptable by and relevant to the sector as a whole.

7. Team leader: the team leaders must be available for both team leaders’ events and the residential.

Name Nick Allsopp Institutional role Quality Improvement Manager Telephone 0116 2577665 Email [email protected]

8. Team members: Teams are limited to a maximum of four and must be able to attend the residential event. Please provide details of the team members (institutional roles, names and emails if known). We are keen for teams to include a senior member of staff and a student participant.

Institutional role Name Email Head of Academic Jane Clarke [email protected] Professional Development President of Student Andy Schooledge [email protected] Union Senior Learning & Sophia Goddard [email protected] Teaching Advisor University e-learning Richard Hall [email protected] Coordinator Student Union Vice Amy Seabrook [email protected] President

9. Web summary (250 words): if the proposal is successful, a summary of the project will be provided on the Academy website along with the team leaders’ and institution name. This web summary will not be used in the selection process.

The SPOut project bid aims to build capacity within the institution by taking a holistic view of DMU's approach to quality improvement. DMU already has strong processes in place for putting into practice recommendations for improvements and makes significant use of the internal and external data and processes available to it and central departments work with the students' union to take forward learning and teaching projects. The SPOut project will further enhance and embed these processes. It will also link with work which has investigated staff perceptions of what outstanding teaching and exceptional learning might look like across subject disciplines and with other research which looks at the ways subject staff define good practice in learning and teaching. Both pieces of research show that whilst there may be links and similarities across subject areas, these are often unexplored due to the predominance in higher education of the subject ethos. The SPOut project aims to focus on the students' views of outstanding teaching and exceptional learning to investigate whether there is an echo of the findings found amongst academic staff groups. The identification of examples of outstanding teaching and exceptional learning and an evaluation of what characterises them will help stimulate institution-wide debate around learning and teaching, leading not to a slavish copying or unthinking transfer of practice from one context to another but a deeper critique of the practices within subjects which will promote the process of identifying similar examples of excellence within individual subject teams.

10.Cancellation policy: The full fee of £1000 will be charged for withdrawal from the programme after 1 September 2010.

11.Signature: The Higher Education Academy will be storing data on the successful proposals and teams. By submitting this proposal you will be indicating your agreement to this. The proposal should be signed and dated by a senior manager at your institution, such as a Pro Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor or Head of Quality.

Please indicate your agreement with the following:

 I understand that the information I have provided will be stored in an electronic format by the Higher Education Academy and its Subject Centres.  I understand that the information I have provided will be accessible to, and shared by, the Higher Education Academy and its Subject Centres.  I understand that my name, job title and department may be shared with my employer for networking, professional development and reporting purposes.

Signature*: Name: Emma Sheffield Position: Head of Department of Academic Quality Institution: De Montfort University Date: 17th June 2010

* An electronic submission with no signature is permitted but if the proposal is successful, a signed hard copy must be posted to Wendy Burns, Programme Co-ordinator, The Higher Education Academy, Innovation Way, York Science Park, Heslington, York, YO10 5BR.