1. A Model for Academic Engagement
Cross Team Working to Enhance the Student Learning Experience
Jason Boulter
LJMU

2. Working With Academics

3. Who Do You Work With?

4. Why Do We Want To? AEU: Key Objectives & KPIs 2012 - 13
To support the implementation of the University’s Strategic Plan, and the related Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy, focussing on identified priorities for the academic year and to monitor and report on progress
Academic and relevant professional services staff are committed to initial and continual professional development related to LTA
Implement Programme Managers Development Programme
3 Schools/Centres involved

5. Example One – Where They Were
A group of Programme Managers but specifically with no management responsibility
Disparate individuals in terms of experience, skills, motivation
Sense that senior management wanted us to tell them what to do – “Fix” the problem for them
Individual DNA’s completed to determine focus of programme
Focus on the Programme Managers working as a team and taking control of their roles
Individual DNA’s completed – overall focus of programme agreed with senior management. Key thing highlighted was interest in looking outside of faculty for advice
Programme was to be skills enhancement & team work based – encourage the team to work together. Looked at what they thought the role should be, how they needed to shape it – what they could take control of and what couldn’t

6. Example One – What We Did
Programme Managers
Director of Academic Delivery – Separate Faculty
Quality Enhancement Officer
L&T Research Officer
Senior Faculty Manager
Input from – Director of Academic Delivery in Fac of Ed, Comm & Leisure – how they manage, what roles their prog mang take on
Quality Enhancement Officer & Research Officer – stats and records, with external banchmarks of how they’re doing
Built up confidence of the team, encouraged them to focus on what they can do, not what they can’t, to take control of the role and look after each other
Manager from faculty met each time the group met to gain feedback on what they had discovered

7. Example One – What’s Happened
Built up confidence of the team
Encouraged them to focus on what they can do, not what they can’t
Took control of the role and look after each other
Created Programme Managers forum
One to one support ongoing
Some have changed roles

8. Example Two – Where They Were

9. Example Two – Where They Were
Wanted to build up student identity
Wanted to improve student experience
Wanted to address NSS results
Lots of good things done already but needing focus
All issues tied into design of the programmes
Where they were:
Initially wanted to build up student identity – started talking about baseball caps…
Want to improve student experience
Lots of good things done already, e.g. residential, employer engagement, etc. Needed focus and greater connection between things
Realised that they needed to think about design of the courses and prepare early for re-validation, even though still 18 months away – ask Q’s on this to others

10. Example Two – What We Did
Stage One – Programme Leader focus group
Stage Two – Peer focus group
Stage Three – Student focus groups
What we did:
Created a structure for investigating the existing state of play and determining what they wanted for the programmes
Session one – programme leaders team focus group
Facilitated by selves – coordinated and recorded what happened.
Lots of ideas came out, ambitions to what wanted to do. Themed these & sourced contacts and info for follow up

11. Example Two – What We Did
Stage One – Programme Leaders focus group
Ideas
Requirements
Ambitions
Motivation
Commitment
What we did:
Created a structure for investigating the existing state of play and determining what they wanted for the programmes
Session one – programme leaders team focus group
Facilitated by selves – coordinated and recorded what happened.
Lots of ideas came out, ambitions to what wanted to do. Themed these & sourced contacts and info for follow up

12. Example Two – What We Did
Stage Two: Peer group
Quality Officer
L&T Development Advisors
Learning Technology Officers
Student Experience Coordinator
Planning Coordinator
Careers Adviser
Placement Officer
What we did:
Session two: Peer group
Brought together staff from within LJMU of different expertise, some from own department: Quality officer, L&T development Advisors, Learning Technology Officers
Advice from other depertments– Senior Lecturer / Student Experience coordinator (new tutorial and lecture format), Senior Lecturer / Planning Coordinator (dealing with external professional bodies demands), Careers Adviser and Placement Officer (investigating credits for short term placments)

13. Example Two – What We Did
Stage Three: Student focus groups
Likes / dislikes
Want more / less of
Delivery options
Faculty based Skills Support Officers
What we did:
Session three: student focus groups – find out what students like / dislike currently, what they’d like to see more / less of, how they’d like the course delivered (but not the curriculum, this was fixed)
Involved faculty based skills support officers – better connection with students, more neutral, etc. to conduct focus groups with students across all programmes.

14. Example Two – What’s Happened
Student focus groups currently taking place
Findings from all three stages to be presented to the wider programme teams,
Commence the rewriting of programmes
Continued involvement and coordination
Student focus groups taking place, scheduled to avoid student voice week
Next stages, bringing back findings from all three stages and presenting these to the wider programme teams, start the rewriting of programmes, involve again expertise of various invidiauls coordeinted by ourselves

15. Additional Faculty wanting combination of both approaches
Next Up – Example Three
Additional Faculty wanting combination of both approaches
ECL wanting a combination of the two approaches – development for the programme team and for the programme/s themselves

16. Brought together our own team
What We’ve Gained
Brought together our own team
Encouraged the view of ourselves as ‘there to help’
Focused more on facilitating & developing
Brought together our own team in clearest way since merging
Encouraged the view of ourselves as ‘there to help’ rather than fixing, regulating, etc.
Focused more on facilitating & developing – suggesting, guiding, feedback, not telling

17. Cautionary Tales
Make sure the people who need to know do – and that they understand your aims
Academics can ‘drift’ – keep at them
It seems like cheating…