In the latest edition of the QAA podcast, our Chief Executive Vicki Stott talks with Paul Greatrix – who last month retired from his position as Registrar at the University of Nottingham at the end of a 36-year career in higher education.Together, Vicki and Paul consider the changes that the sector has gone through over the last few decades and the challenges it faces today, as they anticipate the developments ahead in 2025.Topics include the challenges and opportunities raised by the lifelong learning agenda – and the importance of robust credit transfer mechanisms – the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and the financial pressures currently affecting the sector.Don’t forget, if you’re a QAA Member you can book your place now at our online Quality Insights Conference on 26 and 27 February and access a range of practice presentations from across the sector and thought-provoking discussions just like this one. Click the link to find out more: https://events.qaa.ac.uk/event/df00c374-fa07-40d1-a833-37686a2bda31/summary
--------
1:04:58
Terms of engagement
Our latest podcast focuses on the challenges and opportunities raised by approaches to student engagement.Hosted by QAA's Dr Matt Denton, this episode considers how strategies for learner engagement might develop to address the needs of a higher education environment which has, in recent years, been radically affected by the impacts of a series of traumatic developments: the Covid-19 crisis, the cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing student mental health crisis.Our podcast considers how educators and providers are responding to the changing ways in which students, often now also facing work, family and carer responsibilities, are engaging with their studies, and asks whether traditional modes of engagement really matter if their academic attainment metrics still look fine.Our host Matt is joined by the University of Manchester's Professor Rebecca Hodgson, the University of Westminster's Tom Lowe, and NUS Vice President for Higher Education Alex Stanley.
--------
43:29
Academic integrity and generative artificial intelligence
Our latest QAA podcast marks the International Day of Action for Academic Integrity (IDOA). This global event takes place online on 16 October and will include a panel convened by QAA and chaired by our Chief Executive Vicki Stott. Hosted by QAA's Dr Kerr Castle, this new episode features Loughborough University's Professor Sandie Dann and IDOA co-chair Professor Mary Davis:Sandie is a member of a team from Loughborough which has led a new QAA-funded Collaborative Enhancement Project exploring and promoting good practice, acceptable use, equity and accessibility in student proofreading processes. Mary is Professor of the Student Experience and Academic Integrity Lead at Oxford Brookes University, and successfully led a QAA-funded collaborative project focused on the improvement of student learning by linking inclusion/accessibility and academic integrity.During the conversation, they talk about putting students at the forefront of developing principles and protocols which underpin the integrity of academic practices, as well as the impact of generative artificial intelligence on issues of academic integrity.You can find out more about our work around academic integrity and generative artificial intelligence on the QAA website.
--------
35:54
Evaluation 101
Chaired by our regular host Dr Kerr Castle, QAA's latest podcast explores the effective evaluation of higher education practices and initiatives, and how to make approaches to evaluation meaningful and manageable. Kerr's guests this month are Liz Austen, Professor of Higher Education Evaluation at Sheffield Hallam University, and Stella Jones-Devitt, Professor of Critical Pedagogy at Staffordshire University. Between 7 November and 12 December, the Quality Assurance Agency will run a training course in the effective evaluation, evidencing and enhancement of the impact of initiatives to promote the student experience. The course will be facilitated by Stella Jones-Devitt and Liz Austen. Please note, this course is now fully booked.In addition to a range of QAA Collaborative Enhancement Projects and Membership Resources focused on different aspects of evaluation and evidence-based decision-making, you may also wish to explore some of the following resources and networks highlighted by Liz and Stella during the podcast:The Evaluation Collective - a cross-sector group of like-minded evaluation advocates working to enhance higher education student outcomes. The founding members are all higher education professionals who work in access and participation and are involved in producing evaluation evidence or translating that evidence into practice. The network welcomes and includes anyone with an interest in evaluation in higher education to join the Collective.SCoLPP (Staffordshire Centre of Learning and Pedagogic Practice) - SCoLPP is a research centre with a difference, immersed uniquely in developing evidence-informed pedagogic practice which aims to connect learning and teaching to enhanced social mobility. SCoLPP is modelled on core principles of effectiveness and levels of evidence, evaluation, and reach and upholds ‘What Works’ principles in learning and teaching for all, given that everyone can have a part to play in positively enhancing student outcomes.The UEF (Universal Evaluation Framework) - the UEF is a freely available online tool designed to enable development of evaluation capabilities, increased confidence in evaluating change in higher education spaces, and in providing a platform to build an
--------
43:11
What we've learnt from TEF 2023
In QAA's latest podcast, our regular host Dr Kerr Castle chairs an expert panel for a lively discussion reflecting on what we've learnt from TEF 2023. Kerr is joined by Professor Claire Pike (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education Enhancement at Anglia Ruskin University), Roscoe Hastings (Director of Teaching Enhancement and Excellence at the University of Exeter), and our very own Helena Vine, the Lead Policy Officer for England here at QAA.During the conversation, they chat about what we've learnt from the analysis of provider submissions and panel statements, what TEF tells us about educational gains, and some key considerations for TEF 2027. Earlier this year, Helena produced a comprehensive qualitative analysis of provider submissions and panel statements from TEF 2023, and Claire completed her own quantitative study of TEF outcomes. Helena's qualitative study and Claire's full quantitative analysis are both available on the QAA website.You may also wish to explore the Collaborative Enhancement Project led by Imperial College London, Accounting for student success: Measuring educational gain, which Roscoe highlighted during the conversation.If you would like to increase your confidence and skills in implementing impactful enhancement of practice, there are still spaces available on our Effective Evaluation Training programme, which runs from 31 October to 12 December 2024.
Ireland