IRVING-BELL, DAWNE

TURJANSKY, ANTHONY

Since gaining Degree Awarding Powers and University title in 2006 Edge Hill University has seen significant growth in numbers encompassing students from a wide range of geographical, social and educational settings; at the same time the Institution has taken seriously its commitment to deliver an inclusive learning experience in which all students are supported to succeed irrespective of their individual backgrounds and entry qualifications. Edge Hill’s Taught Degrees Framework (TDF) represents a ‘whole-University’ approach to supporting programme development, approval and review in which a cross-faculty Project Group including students was convened to review and overhaul pre-existing curriculum frameworks and replace them with a single unified architecture presented as a ‘student journey’ from admission to completion and into employment or further study. The TDF requires all curricula to be viewed through the following ‘lenses’: • Induction and Transition • Learning, Teaching and Assessment • Graduate Attributes, Employability and Work-Related/ Work-Based Learning • Education for Personal Development and Enhancement • Global Citizenship Academic departments and professional services came together to research relevant scholarship and evidence-based practice and produce descriptors, guidance and exemplars for each lens, while a searchable wiki and blog provided access to practical resources and a space for staff to share their own ideas, innovations and practice. Promotion of the TDF is via Edge Hill’s Centre for Learning and Teaching and Learning &amp; Teaching Fellowship which lead the development of effective pedagogic practice within the University. A related professional development programme provides additional opportunities for knowledge exchange, and the Institution’s programme validation process within which the TDF is embedded was peer reviewed by the QAA during 2017 and identified as good and innovative practice in curriculum design and approval. This brief presentation will review and demonstrate the TDF lenses, guidance and resources and consider how they may be applied to any new degree programme development

Edge Hill University Research Information Repository

The Taught Degrees Framework: Academic and Professional Services CollaborationAnthony Turjansky, Director of Quality AssuranceDr Dawne Irving-Bell, Senior Lecturer in Teaching and Learning DevelopmentEdge Hill University• As holder of a Gold award in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework and THE University of the Year for 2014-15, Edge Hill University has a longstanding and strategic commitment to providing teaching and learning of the highest standard for all students• Since gaining Degree Awarding Powers and University title in 2006 we have seen significant growth in numbers encompassing students from a wide range of geographical, social and educational backgrounds - at the same time, we take seriously our commitment to deliver an inclusive learning experience in which all students are supported to succeed irrespective of their individual backgrounds and entry qualifications  The Taught Degrees Framework (TDF)• 2016-17: pan-University Project Group convened to review and overhaulpre-existing frameworks for undergraduate and masters degrees -replacement would be a single unified architecture presented as a ‘studentjourney’ from induction to completion (and beyond)• Project represented the continuation of established Institutional culture andpractice in which academic departments and professional services work inclose partnership with each other and with students to assure and enhancethe quality of learning opportunities – no additional funding was sought orrequired• New Framework to comprise 5 ‘lenses’ to provide the principal internalreference point for programme design, approval and review…TDF ‘Lenses’• Induction and Transition - including transition to higher education and support for in-programme progression between academic levels of study• Learning, Teaching and Assessment - including use of learning technologies and development of students’ ‘assessment literacy’• Graduate Attributes, Employability and Work-Related/Work-Based Learning – including development of subject-related practical and key transferable skills• Education for Personal Development and Enhancement - academic and pastoral support, and careers education, information and guidance• Global Citizenship - locating all curriculum design in the context of social, cultural and ethical dimensions and values, globalisation and technological development• Lenses would be supported by enabling guidance framed around a seriesof High Order Questions that ‘provide the catalyst for excellence inprogramme design based on academic dialogue that encouragesexperimentation, stimulates innovation and delivers genuinetransformation for students’• Guidance should be enabling in that it provides direction and support forcourse designers to address key challenges around learning and teaching,and student support…• … but also constraining, in so far as the questions need to be visiblyaddressed and responded to in any new curriculum developmentTDF ‘Lenses’ (contd)TDF Project  - Planning and execution• Individual workstreams led by expert practitioners tasked toresearch relevant scholarship and evidence-based practice todevelop supporting advice and guidance for each lens - studentparticipation through Edge Hill’s Students’ Union generated valuableuser perspective• University approval of the TDF in January 2017 followed by a furthernine months of activity by the Centre for Learning and Teaching topopulate an online resource bank and deliver professionaldevelopment and awareness-raising activities to support fullimplementation from the beginning of academic year 2017-18• Searchable online repository (wiki) hosts published articles,practical resources and exemplars associated with each lens• Interactive weblog fosters cross-department conversations andenables staff to interact with each other to showcase and sharetheir own practice• Related professional development and conference programme,supported by University Learning and Teaching Fellows, providesadditional opportunities for staff knowledge exchange, mentoringand supportTDF resources - DEMONSTRATIONTDF Project - ImpactInstitutional validation reports from 2017-18 demonstrate how engagement with the TDF has enabled exploration of key themes and identification of good practice – examples include:• Extended induction focussing on support for students with non-traditional qualifications or from low participation backgrounds, and dedicated ‘transition days’ supporting progression between different years/ levels of study• Personal Tutor training including guidance and support for staff engaging with students presenting with mental health issues• Advances in Simulation Learning, including use of immersive technologies and Virtual Reality• Academic resilience training for students, co-delivered with the University’s Counselling Service• Opportunities and support for student participation in staff-led research projects and submitting for journal publication• Identification of students as ‘digital leaders’ to support other students and staff in engaging with new digital learning technologies TDF Project – Impact (contd)• Institutional validation process within which the TDF is embedded was peer reviewed by QAA in 2017 and identified as good and innovative practice in curriculum design and approval• TDF is central to academic staff development including PgCert in HE teaching and UK Professional Standards Framework accreditation• NSS scores for 2018 exceeded the UK average for Teaching on my Course, Learning Opportunities, Assessment and Feedback, Academic Support and Learning Resources• The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 named Edge Hill as University of the Year for Student Retention, one of the key drivers for the TDF project TDF Project – Impact (contd)TDF - Evaluation and further development• Shared development by faculties and services has fostered increased visibility and ownership of the TDF across the Institution• Lenses have proven capable of being adapted and applied to all types of new programme development, e.g. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships• Engagement with the lenses has also stimulated re-evaluation and revision of Institution-level standards and codes of practice for personal tutoring, Technology Enhanced Learning including VLE, and placement learning• New resources added on an ongoing basis and lenses are periodically reviewed and updated based on staff-student feedback and research, e.g. by University Learning and Teaching Fellows, in line with developing L&T agendasAny questions?Thanks very much for your attention!

The Taught Degrees Framework (TDF)

https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/ws/files/20775192/SOLSTICE_e_learning_and_CLT_Conference_Taught_Degrees_Framework_2019.pdf

The Taught Degrees Framework (TDF)

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