Future Directions Celia Hunt Head of Strategy, Learning and Funding

Background Higher Education Academy: evaluation of Learning and Teaching Strategies and evaluation of Widening Access/Reaching Wider Mechanisms for Supporting the Enhancement of Learning Opportunities (W10/02HE): Support for L&T strategies; Support for UK agencies which support enhancement; Coordination of enhancement themes; Encouraging Student Engagement Theme: Graduates for our Future Yesterday: Feeding Forward, Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through Technology

Today’s event: Aims To support Welsh institutions to develop, implement and evaluate their new L&T and WA strategy(ies) through building on lessons learnt from previous initiatives; To strengthen the alignment between the L&T and WA strategy(ies) and other related institutional strategies To ensure that student experience and success is explicit within the strategy(ies) and in line with For our Future

For our Future: twin priorities Social Justice Buoyant economy

Develop a regional dimension to planning and delivery of HE Develop greater diversity and flexibility in programme design, duration and delivery to match need and demand Increase the impact of university research, through targeting support on areas of strength and national priority, and promoting collaboration Enable study through the medium of Welsh to take place in a wider range of programmes and locations in Wales Increase collaboration among HE providers and between HE and other providers Promote the role of HE providers as Corporate Citizens Renew the approach to widening access to HE Employability is a key outcomes of the HE experience Ensure that the student voice strengthens HE Strengthen the contribution of HE to workforce development Strengthen the exploitation of knowledge For our Future expectations Improved part-time opportunities are offered

Fees Arrangements: Wales Basic fee: £4,000; maximum £9,000 Fee plans to be approved by HEFCW (W11/14HE) Fee plans cover equality of opportunity (widening access) and promotion of higher education Welsh domiciled students gain fee grant HEFCW pays fees and fee grants and also funds institutions Part-time support (awaits White Paper)

HEFCW guidance Learning and Teaching and Widening Access Strategies 2011/12 – 2013/14: Initial Guidance, December 2010 (W10/41HE) Supplementary Guidance to be published by the end of April to include funding allocations. Outcome of review of TEL strategy, June Deadline for submission, 29 July 2011 Annual monitoring, October each year.

Feed forward from group discussions – Questions: Reflecting on what has been achieved and the challenges we face Bearing in mind the ‘Graduates for our Future’ quality enhancement theme Groups considered the following: –Engaging institutions in the enhancing learning and teaching through technology (ELTT) agenda –Short- and long-term challenges raised by the increasing flexibility of provision offered by ELTT –Making institutional collaboration around ELTT work effectively –Enhancing the student learning experience and the role of ELTT in this –Key approaches are needed to make teaching and assessment 'smarter' and the role of ELTT in this

Feed forward from group discussions – Points (a flavour): Development needs of key groups – students, staff, employers, FE, schools, community –Carried out by people who have done it Partnership opportunities - students, staff, employers, FE, schools, community – Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! » Long history of success » Sector-wide approaches (eg. assessment, feedback, group work) » Sharing practice within and across institutions Students » As individuals (pasta sauce analogy) » As active critical friends – Sustainability –Given number of pilots –Is collaboration sustainable? –Avoid zombie projects i.e. without a strategic soul!

Common question: What else needs to happen for institutions to sustain developments in ELTT in order to deliver against national strategies? In particular, what is the role for collaborative projects and services?

Group answers: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! –HEA and JISC – continue to encourage collaboration, supporting what's in place now –Collaboration helps competition –Support collaborative initiatives through SIGs (institutions value this) – OER – “Welshify” and share Embed, embed, embed –strategy for cascading information –Sharing and embedding (number 10 bus) Meeting needs –Aligning student expectations with what we deliver –development needs of staff in an unpredictable staffing situation Aspirational: Discussions around human enhanced learning V technology enhanced learning in the future?

Contact: HEFCW Circulars can be found on