IOE Learning and Teaching Strategy

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1 Institute of Education University of London IOE Learning and Teaching Strategy IOE Strategic Plan: vision and mission Our vision for 2017: The IOE will be a powerful champion of excellence in education and related social science that has strong impact. We will undertake research and teaching of the highest quality and lead research in education and social science nationally and globally. We will be innovative and relentless in pursuing ways of achieving success. Our priorities for identify outstanding teaching through: Offering an exceptional student experience and extending opportunities to study at the Institute to new audiences. 2. Excellence in teaching and learning The learning and teaching strategy identifies four key strategic priorities to help ensure that the IOE provides all students, wherever and however they may study, with teaching and learning opportunities that are simply excellent and globally recognised as such. The IOE offers high-quality research-informed and practiceorientated learning and teaching that is recognised as a leader in UK higher education. The IOE is committed to securing the highest quality teaching. Our vision is of the strongest possible relationship between research and teaching, with a focus on evidence-informed practice. We intend our teaching, as much as our research, to generate new knowledge and to enable students to take a critical view of existing knowledge, including introducing them to underlying philosophical, epistemological and methodological questions. The IOE s commitment to the promotion of learning enables students to challenge and deepen their understanding of the field of education and related areas. Teaching is focused on developing outstanding practitioners who will make a significant contribution and a difference to their workplaces, communities and countries. The Institute provides a vibrant and intellectually stimulating learning environment which includes practitioner networks, outstanding academic facilities and excellent 1

2 learning support. A growing online learning and transnational education provision complements face-to-face teaching whether on or off campus. The IOE is committed, not only to the participation and success of under-represented groups in higher education, but also to equality and diversity among its staff and students. Student engagement and participation are essential features of learning and teaching at the IOE. This includes a commitment to the promotion of the student voice in decision-making about all matters of teaching and learning, the fostering of active student participation in sessions as well as a full, regular and comprehensive evaluation of the student experience with quality enhancement fundamental to responses to student feedback, however it is obtained. The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is used to gauge the IOE s national standing and the IOE aims to be in the top decile of comparator institutions nationally. The IOE is graded outstanding by OFSTED, in its 2013 inspection, in all areas of its teacher education provision across primary, secondary and further education. The IOE aims to achieve outstanding gradings in future Ofsted inspections. The specialist nature of the IOE means that its students and alumni constitute a local, national and global network of professionals working in, and transforming education and related areas. 3. A changing educational context The IOE s commitment to education in its broadest sense plays out against a background marked both by change and continuity, not only within the UK school, further and higher education system but also beyond in the fields of health and social care, technology and international development. Change in educational policy and funding linked to marketization, globalisation and internationalisation is impacting on higher education institutions, as are technological innovations. While transformation in education and society present challenges increased competition and pressure on resources to name but two they also present new opportunities for collaboration nationally and internationally resulting in the IOE to extending and deepening its reach. Through this teaching and learning strategy, the IOE seeks to maintain and extend its commitment to enhancing the experiences of students from their initial awareness of what the IOE has to offer, through application, to studying at the IOE, onto graduation and becoming alumni and significant leaders across the world. 2

3 4. Key strategic priorities Continually enhancing excellence in learning and teaching is based on four strategic areas in this strategy: 1. continually reviewing and renewing the IOE s teaching portfolio; 2. enhancing the experiences of students; 3. promoting professional engagement and development; 4. increasing the IOE s international reach. The IOE will also adopt a particular theme for each year of this strategy where extra effort will be given to enhancing the learning experience for its students. 5. Reviewing and renewing the IOE s teaching portfolio Working collegially, the IOE will: (a) review, renew and refresh the curriculum, with regard to market research, to ensure clarity, relevance and attractiveness to prospective students, organisations, schools and other stakeholders; academic coherence; and, lifestyle compatibility to help ensure progression from undergraduate and postgraduate and to doctoral study; (b) provide students with opportunities to study courses, modules and programmes online, at a distance, mixed-mode and in a manner that suits, as far as possible, their circumstances and learning patterns; (c) build on our commitment to widening participation, and supporting equality and diversity and enhancing awareness of environmental sustainability through our curriculum; (d) continue to develop a varied and partnership-based portfolio of routes into teaching nationally and internationally that is responsive to participants preferred modes of study and aligned to government policy. 3

4 6. Enhancing the experiences of students Working together with students the IOE will: (a) ensure the Institute s taught provision is: academically attractive and intellectually stimulating; societally and professionally relevant; globally engaged; benchmarked to global leaders in the field; pedagogically principled and appropriately technology-mediated; (b) promote criticality in the engagement with educational policy, research and practice as well as academic, enquiry and research skills; (c) develop a wider range of innovative and challenging assessment practices that are relevant to the range of contexts in which students apply their learning; (d) harness the potential of learning technologies in and across all modes of delivery; (e) promote students involvement in the academic and social life of the IOE through learning and teaching approaches that are dialogic, reciprocal and respectful. 7. Promoting professional engagement and development The IOE will work towards continually improving the ways it engages with, and supports (education) professionals, both those external to the IOE as well as staff at the Institute. It will: (a) continue to enhance its excellent teacher education partnerships through partnership awards and signature teacher education programmes; (b) provide new and exciting opportunities for practitioner and professional development through the Short Course team, including the fields of healthrelated and clinical education; (c) strengthen its outreach programme under its Access Agreement; (d) further enhance the experiences of post-graduate research students through maintaining excellence in supervision and an attractive portfolio of research training, workshops, courses and programmes; (e) promote the professional development of IOE staff to enable the development, identification and sharing of practice in learning and teaching. 4

5 8. Increasing our international reach Linked to its Internationalisation Strategy, the IOE will seek to extend its global reach to enhance the professional and personal capabilities of UK, EU and international students studying at the IOE. The IOE will: (a) support advocates of the IOE, including current students, alumni and academic colleagues to increase awareness of the IOE and increase participation from a range of target countries and beyond; (b) expand opportunities for financial support for students from low- and middleincome countries and those with the greatest financial need to enable them to study at the IOE; (c) increase opportunities in particular for online and transnational participation by developing a distinct IOE Online offer. 9. Teaching and learning themes Each year of this Learning and Teaching strategy the IOE will adopt a specific theme where additional effort will be focused with the aim of significantly enhancing the student learning experience. The theme for each academic year will be agreed at Senate following discussion and recommendation by Teaching Committee. The theme for the academic year will be: Consistently provide constructive and high quality feedback to all students on their assessed work. This theme has been informed by student feedback on surveys and also emerged through analysis of External Examiner reports. It is important to note that some External Examiners comment on the excellent feedback provided to students and we can use this to disseminate good practice across the Institute. 10. Measuring success: performance indicators The success of the Learning and Teaching Strategy will be measured by the following key indicators: 1. Maintenance of PGT student numbers in FTE [Baseline: 1,314 FTE PGT students ( )] 2. Maintenance of ITE market share. [Baseline: 4.2% ( )] 5

6 3. Managed year-on-year growth of the undergraduate portfolio [Baseline: 225 ( )]. 4. Attractiveness of IOE Online as measured by number of viable award available fully online [Baseline: 11 ( )] and enrolment on them [Baseline: approx. 100 FTE ( )] 5. Continued success in the National Student Survey (NSS) through achieving a high satisfaction rate of 90% or above. 6. Increased participation rates in the Post Graduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) (Baseline: 23.6% in ; national response rate 26%); for the IOE to be within the top decile across all categories in relation to comparator institutions (Baseline: 75% for Teaching and learning; 73% for Assessment and feedback in ). 7. Increased participation rates in the Post Graduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) (Baseline: 65.9% in ) to place the IOE in line with the top responses for larger institutions (top response rate 66.8%). The IOE to be within the top decile for overall experience in relation to comparator institutions (Baseline: 82% in ). 8. Year-on-year growth in the proportion of students who rate modules as good or very good overall (Baseline: to be established from module evaluations). 9. Full levels of satisfaction amongst External Examiners with the appropriateness of the standards set for IOE awards. 10. Maintenance of outstanding rating in the IOE s in future OFSTED inspections, across primary, secondary and post-compulsory provision. 11. Highest possible outcome from the QAA Higher Education Review, measured through less than three advisable recommendations. 12. Availability of a vibrant Widening Participation outreach programme as measured by a year-on-year growth in the number of outreach activities and levels of participation. [Baseline: at least 2 outreach activities/projects per Academic Department reaching a minimum of 60 prospective students from under-represented groups [ ]). 13. Improvement in overall retention and completion rates (baseline to be established). 14. Among academic staff, year on year increase in percentage of staff holding teaching-related qualifications such as Higher Academy Fellowships and/or Qualified Teacher Status etc; for the IOE to be within the top quartile in relation to comparator institutions (Baseline: to be established ) 15. Effectiveness of use of learning technologies as identified in, for example, reports from the Learning Technologies Unit, student module evaluations and Annual programme Reviews. Revised/Approved/April 2014/ASQEU/Senate 6