“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
This note points to units, resources and processes that demonstrate the University's commitment to continual improvement in the area of learning and teaching. In so doing, it provides an overview of the University's engagement with the QAA Scotland Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF), which consists of the following five main elements:
A continual enhancement ethos underpins the whole of the University's Quality Assurance Framework (QAF), in accord with the 'assurance includes enhancement' philosophy of the 2nd Edition of Handbook for Enhancement-Led Institutional Review. An overview of the University's QAF is provided here.
The QAF aims to provide a direct link between strategic processes at institutional and college level, and delivery and monitoring of teaching at programme and module level. Crucial in this connection is the intermediate role of schools, with two enhancement-led processes vital to the process. These are:
The former provides a discipline context to the learning and teaching strategies at University and college levels, simultaneously integrating matters arising from annual monitoring and periodic programme reviews. The programme review process focuses on enhancement at the discipline context, providing members of the school with an opportunity to reflect on progress and plan new developments.
Three internal documents support the development and review process in these areas:
The QAA Scotland Enhancement-led institutional review (ELIR) operates on a five-year cycle and examines three main aspects of quality assurance and academic standards within Scottish HEIs:
As part of this process, the University produces a Reflective Analysis where we are expected to set out our view of our own effectiveness under these headings. The University's previous reflective analysis, ELIR report and other internal strategic reviews are provided in the QA Archive.
In 2009, the University was reviewed in the second phase of ELIR. To manage the production of the Reflective Analysis, an ELIR Working Group was convened, chaired by Professor James Calderhead, Vice Principal (Educational Development). The 2009 Reflective Analysis, and information about the Working Group's activities, including meetings, workshops and documentation is available here.
These are essentially the outcomes from the ELIR process, which will now be published by QAAS in two main forms - a detailed report and a confidence grading under the ELIR aspects. For further details, see the relevant QAAS website page.
The QAAS report on the University in the first ELIR cycle is provided in the QA Archive.
The SFC and QAAS expects that students are involved at all stages of the QAF, a principle to which the University has a long-standing commitment. Our policy and arrangements for this are outlined in the Student Representation section of the QAF.
This programme aims to developing and sharing good practice in learning and teaching in higher education. The University's engagement with the QETS is outlined in the University's Quality Enhancement Themes webpages which contains information on the Themes, related events at Dundee and reports from institutional QET teams.
The Directors of the Educational Development Division, Library and Learning Centre, and Quality Assurance work closely to provide educational development events related to quality enhancement, including financial support for individuals and projects, work with teaching teams and schools, and a portfolio of learning and teaching orientated conferences (including an annual Quality Enhancement event) that share good practice by bringing together national and international guest speakers with our own experts and practitioners. These activities are publicised by the Highlighter newsletter (see link on left hand box) which is distributed to student representatives and all staff involved with teaching and supporting students and via the APD website.
Consultation is taking place about the University's scheme for peer support for teaching with the aim of hosting this guidance and support within the Academic Professional Development programme. Meantime, an overview of the current policy and an outline of the process can be accessed from here. Mentoring of new lecturers is already an integral element of the PG Certificate in HE (managed by APD), the first module of which (LTA - Learning, Teaching & Assessing in Higher Education) is mandatory for probationary lecturers and teaching fellows on contracts of three years or more. The LTA module is accredited by the Higher Education Academy for Associate Membership and the full PgCertTHE for Fellowship of the HE Academy. Staff can find detailed information on developing as a Teacher at the University of Dundee here.
The University has 193 fellows of the HE Academy and works closely with Academy Scotland to support and develop its programme for Scottish HE staff.
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