Evidence, understanding and practice: the Higher Education Academy's role in supporting institutional change Nick Hammond The Higher Education Academy, York, UK 25 June 2008

Plan for the talk (overview)  Multiple representations for multiple purposes  Framework for research on the student learning experience  HEA and its strategy  Quality assurance and quality enhancement  Evidence-informed policy & practice  Towards a research observatory  Questions & discussion

Plan for the talk (state-transition model) Slide 1 Title Slide 3 oview2 etc… Slide 2 oview1 (If too slow or audience bored) End Impressive slides for planted questions

Plan for the talk (process model) Er… cough and the scope is um… splutter across…

Plan for the talk (communication model) 1st order rep: what I want to say to them 1st order rep: what I understand him to say 2nd order rep: what I think they’re understanding 2nd order rep: what I think he thinks we’re understanding 3rd order rep: what I think they think that I think they understand 3rd order rep: probably too complicated to bother with!

One phenomenon can be modelled in many ways Different models serve different purposes and audiences Model of talkForCriterion OverviewAudienceUtility (helps understanding) State-transitionSpeakerUtility (helps organise talk) ProcessCognitive researcher Efficient explanation; Prediction Communication1. Researcher 2. Speaker Explanation/prediction Utility (meta-knowledge)

Framework for researching the Student learning experience

Political & cultural context National & inst. policy & practice Learning environment T&L practice Student experience Broadening context

World of experience & action World of educational design & development (Application representation) World of abstractions & theory Increasing abstraction

Teaching machine for arithmetic (Skinner, 1954)

Skinner’s teaching machines (1950s) Based on behaviourist principles of operant conditioning –Materials self-contained & broken into small linear steps –Machine asks question, student provides response –Only proceed to next step (& give reinforcement) when correct Grounded in large body of prior research Skinner considered learning only resulted from reinforcement, not from self-evaluation or reflection

Political & cultural context National & inst. policy & practice Learning environment T&L practice Student experience Focuses on a very small part of the learning experience…

World of experience & action World of educational design & development World of abstractions & theory …and a narrow body of theory of questionable generalisability

Taxonomic framework …of teaching & learning …of policy, regulations etc …of the learning environment Experience & action Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Inst policies & management Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Models of org. mngmt & change Discipline epistemologies Broadening context …of wider culture Cultural management Critical / political pedagogy Notional space of institutional research

Taxonomic framework …of teaching & learning …of policy etc …of the learning environment Experience & action Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Models of org. mngmt & change Discipline epistemologies Grounded/illuminative research

Taxonomic framework …of teaching & learning …of policy etc …of the learning environment Experience & action Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Models of org. mngmt & change Discipline epistemologies Evaluation research

Taxonomic framework …of teaching & learning …of policy etc …of the learning environment Experience & action Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Models of org. mngmt & change Discipline epistemologies Investigative research

Taxonomic framework …of teaching & learning …of policy etc …of the learning environment Experience & action Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Models of org. mngmt & change Discipline epistemologies Theory-driven research

Classification of forms of educational enquiry Forms of enquiry Process includesOutcomes include Theory-driven research  Situate within relevant literature  Appropriate study design for study issue  Robust collection and interpretation of evidence in relation to issue  Dissemination to relevant communities  Enhanced understanding of theoretical/conceptual issue  Optionally, recommendations for action on HE issues Practice and Policy based research Investigative study  Situate within relevant literature  Appropriate study design for study issue/problem  Robust collection and interpretation of evidence in relation to issue/problem  Articulate basis for generalisation to wider context  Dissemination to relevant communities  Recommendations for action on HE issue/problem, locally and more widely  Optionally, enhanced understanding of theoretical or conceptual underpinnings Evaluative study  Situated within relevant literature  Appropriate study design for study questions  Robust collection and interpretation of evidence in relation to questions  Articulate of basis for generalisation to wider context  Dissemination to relevant communities  Judgement about value or worth, or actions for local enhancement  Recommendations for wider practice  Optionally, enhanced understanding of theoretical or conceptual underpinnings Scholarship of Teaching & Learning SoTL  Situate study within relevant literature  Cycle of evidence collection, interpretation, reflection and adaptation of practice  Enhancement of local practice or policy

Forms of enquiryOutcomes include Theory-driven research  Enhanced understanding of theoretical/conceptual issue  Optionally, recommendations for action on HE issues Practice and Policy based research Investigative study  Recommendations for action on HE issue/problem, locally and more widely  Optionally, enhanced understanding of conceptual underpinnings Evaluative study  Judgement about value or worth, or actions for local enhancement  Recommendations for wider practice  Optionally, enhanced understanding of conceptual underpinnings Scholarship of Teaching & Learning SoTL  Enhancement of local practice or policy

Assertions (so far)  One set of phenomena can be represented in many ways: utility depends on for whom? and for what purpose?  Student learning experience can be conceptualised in terms of individuals & their wider contexts  Levels of abstraction (experience / application representations / theory) provide a basis for taxonomising forms of research  Different research endeavours have different epistemological purposes (theory-facing & application- facing) and audiences

The HE Academy’s mission  To work with the HE sector to provide the best learning experience for students Through services to  individual academics  Staff in subject communities  universities and colleges And responding to interests of our other stakeholders  Students; professional & employer bodies  Sector agencies; governmental bodies

The HE Academy’s aims  Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches  Broker and encourage the sharing of effective practice  Support universities and colleges in bringing about strategic change  Inform, influence and interpret policy  Raise the status of teaching

Effective enhancement requires  Enabling infrastructures and resourcing  Alignment with academic values and culture  Coherence across levels  Policy, strategy, practice  Agency, institution, individual  Sound evidence base  for interpreting, understanding, applying, evaluating

Mostly assurance QAA remit Mostly enhancement HEA remit Assurance and enhancement Defining standards & checking they’re met Supporting improvements to T&L Ensuring mechanisms for effective improvement to T&L are in place more  External accountability  less

Assurance and enhancement more  External accountability  less Bottom-up Top-down Individual lecturer National agency/body Institution Department [HEA] [QAA] [Institution]

The HE Academy’s aims  Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches  Broker and encourage the sharing of effective practice  Support universities and colleges in bringing about strategic change  Inform, influence and interpret policy  Raise the status of teaching

Achieving aim 1: Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches  Gather, synthesise and make available relevant evidence  Promote the use of evidence-informed approaches to enhancing the student learning experience World of experience & action World of educational development World of abstractions & theory } Evidence of all sorts…

The Academy observatory Sphere: “Synthesis & Practice from HE Research Evidence” To make evidence relevant to HE policy & practice Evidence gathering & categorisation Synthesis, integration & contextualising Application, evaluation Observatory functions EvidenceUnderstanding Use Sector engagement Providing evidence, quality control etc Reviews, commentaries, key issues, priorities etc Applications to policy & practice, evaluative evidence

Observatory plans  Developing web infrastructure  Focussing on three areas  Technology-enhanced learning  Employer engagement  Widening participation  Demo and consultation at Academy Conference  Version for comments later in summer  Full launch in autumn  Further linking into Academy (York & Subject Centres) networks and activities Contact: Rachel Segal or Cristina Sin

Achieving aim 1: Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches  Gather, synthesise and make available relevant evidence  Promote the use of evidence-informed approaches to enhancing the student learning experience  By Academics, subject communities & institutions  Through more effective access to evidence & syntheses [sphere]  Through working with networks and groups at these three levels  Through the encouragement of policy developments & initiatives

Questions & discussion Why Plutarch? “Research is the act of going up alleys to see if they are blind” “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled”