Presentation given at HEA/QAA event at Glamorgan Conference Centre, Treforest Campus, University of South Wales on November 27th 2013. Focus of input was to provide examples from the HEA Graduates for our Future initiative which could be used to develop practice in Foundation Degrees across Wales.

1. Future Directions: Opportunities for
Enhancing the Learning Experience
Dr Helena Lim/Dr Jo Smedley
Future Directions: Learning from the Review of Foundation Degrees in Wales
27 November 2013

2. Future Directions for
Higher Education in Wales
Sector-wide response to enhance
specific areas of the student learning
experience
Topics of interest to the Welsh
higher education sector that are
explored and developed with the
aim of enhancing the student
learning experience
2

3. Future Directions Themes
Graduates for Our
Future
• Students as
Partners
• Learning for
Employment
• Learning in
Employment
Global Graduates:
Enabling Flexible
Learning
• Distinctive
Graduates
• Inspiring Teaching
• Learner Journeys
3

4. Partnership approach
All Welsh institutions delivering HE
4

5. Approach
Future Directions Steering Group
• Ensure synergies with other groups
Work strand groups
• Local champions
Institutional teams
• Aligning local activities with FD theme
Individual engagement
• Events, resources
5

6. Who Decides the Theme?
• New theme are work strands
are identified through
sectoral consultation and
scoping
• Planned and directed by the
Future Directions Steering
Group
• Ensures synergies with other
groups
6

7. How is the Theme
Developed
• Developed and delivered by
work strands
• Local champions
• HEA in a coordinating role:
• ensuring synergies between
Future Directions with other
groups and sectoral
developments.
7

8. How Does the Theme Run?
Each work strand:
• sets out the scope, aims
and objectives
• focuses on the student
learning experience
• aims to identify emerging
good practice
• Plans a programme of
projects, commissioned
work, events, expert
contributions
8

9. Outcomes and Activities
• Published outcomes
• Future Directions web-site
• Events workshops, seminars,
conference, institutional
discussions, toolkits, models and
exemplars of good practice, case
studies
• Biennial Future Directions
conference
9

10. Impact
• Future Directions work-strand themes are
key features of institutional L&T strategies
• Focus for collaboration between staff and
students of all HE institutions in Wales, FE
colleges, employer organisations, HEA,
NUS Wales, HEFCW and the QAA
• Events and publications have showcased
innovative approaches to partnerships with
students and working with employers
• Curriculum change and development at
programme and individual level (e.g.
national internships, use of case studies)
10

11. Global Graduates:
Enabling Flexible Learning
• Shift in approach: process as well as product?
• Driven by institutions: theme allows for individual
institutional priorities to be addressed
• Areas of shared interest: work facilitated by work strands
• Sectoral: theme’s wider implications
11

12. Graduates for our Future 2010-2013
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/wales/students-as-partners
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/wales/learning-for-employment
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/wales/learning-in-employment
12

13. Themes
Learning for Employment
Learning in Employment
• Authentic learning
• Learner experiences
• Careers awareness and
application skills in
curricula
• Employer experiences
• Developing graduate
attributes
• Assessment
• Alumni engagement
• Quality assurance
• Developing leadership and enterprise
• Expanding professional networks
• Resources to support employability
13

14. Joined up
strategies and
policies to
enhance student
experience
Employer
Involvement in
validation,
delivery and
assessment
Staff
development
FD
Review
findings
Improve
information and
accessibility to
students and
employers
Sustainability in
FD provision
14

15. Global Graduates:
Enabling Flexible Learning
Learner Journeys
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• Work-based learning
• Full-time
• Part-time
• Online
15

16. Future Directions Conference 2014
Global Graduates:
Enabling Flexible Learning
Aberystwyth University
2-3 April 2014
16

17. Employer involvement in validation,
delivery and assessment
• Aberystwyth
Opportunities Network
(Aberystwyth University)
• Introducing WBL to Health
and Social Care (Swansea
University)
• Integrating employability
into the curriculum
(Aberystwyth University)
• Learning in employment: a
critical evaluation by the
Faculty of Business and
Society (University of
Glamorgan – now USW)
• Learning in work: Leisure,
Events, Tourism and
Sport (Swansea
Metropolitan University)
• Flexible Learning in
Employment and
Community Scenarios
(University of Wales,
Newport – now USW)
17

18. Join up strategies and policies to
enhance student experience
• Learning in employment:
an institutional approach
(Bangor University)
• Undergraduate
Opportunities Programme
(Cardiff University)
• Learning through
employment: framework
and resources (University
of Glamorgan – now
USW)
• Skillset Media Academy
Wales port-graduate
(University of Wales,
Newport – now USW)
• Strategic Insight
Programme (SIP)
(University of Wales,
Newport – now USW)
• Enhancing learning in
employment through
exchange (University of
Wales, Newport – now
USW)
18

19. Staff development
• Developing formal higherlevel qualifications for
learning support assistants
employed in primary and
secondary schools in the
Vale of Glamorgan and
Cardiff (Cardiff and Vale
College)
• Partnership projects in
Sport (University of
Wales, Newport – now
USW)
• Elevate Cymru: a high
performance working
network pan Wales
project (Cardiff
Metropolitan University)
• Pan-Wales Work-Based
Learning programmes
(University of Glamorgan
– now USW)
• Supporting the
development of e-CPD
(Cardiff University)
19

20. Improve information and resources
to students and employers
• Liberating Aptitudes by
Technology-Enhanced
Recognition and
Accreditation of Learning
(University of Wales
Trinity St David)
• Supporting the needs of
dyslexia workers in Wales
(University of Wales
Trinity St David)
•
TELSTAR Open
Educational Resources
(JISC RSC)
•
Postgraduate Certificate
in Leadership in Public
Service: a collaborative
approach to curriculum
design and APEL
20

21. Foundation Degree provision
• The development of Learning in
Action modules within Coleg
Llandrillo-based Foundation
Degrees (Coleg Llandrillo)
• Foundation Degree developments
(Glyndwr University)
• ESF-funded pan-Wales Foundation
Degree programme (formerly
Glamorgan University- now USW)
21