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Workshop outline

The Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR) Developing an institutional strategy and plan: where do we begin? Professor Stephen Hill Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation University of Gloucestershire shill@glos.ac.uk. Workshop outline. Introductions Who you are Why you are here

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Workshop outline

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  1. The Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR)Developing an institutional strategy and plan:where do we begin?Professor Stephen HillDirector of Teaching and Learning InnovationUniversity of Gloucestershireshill@glos.ac.uk

  2. Workshop outline • Introductions • Who you are • Why you are here • What you want you know • Purpose • To help you develop institutional strategy and plan • Outline • Our experience at Gloucestershire • Your questions • (The tricky bit – section 6.1)

  3. Don’t panic! The way to eat an elephant is to do it in small pieces. And I didn’t want to do it….

  4. HEAR = • Academic Transcript (module marks and grades). • Diploma Supplement. • Additional information esp. section 6.1 - a ‘richer picture’ of student achievement, verified additional achievements recorded under one of three headings: • University, Professionaland Departmental Prizes; • measured or assessed performance in non-academic contexts accredited by, or with external accreditation recognised by the University, e.g. awards concerned with employability; • additional formal roles for which no recognition is provided in terms of academic credit, e.g. Course Representatives or Students’ Union Officers. IN OTHER WORDS…. The HEAR has 2 main bits : • Accredited achievements in the formal curriculum • Verified achievements in the co-curriculum

  5. UoG situation • Work on the European Diploma Supplement meant that much information required for the HEAR was available • Existing transcripts granulated information even to assessment methodologies at assignment level • Previously available data: • University prizes • Period of study abroad • Additional awards (e.g. coaching, ECDL) • Student Ambassadors • Student Mentors • Worked with Students’ Union and Careers to establish process to allow for verification of additional achievement through small non-accredited (ghost) modules • Students to present claims for verification of achievement • Great concern to ensure equity of access

  6. First questions • What’s already available and in place? • How do your transcripts work currently? • How far can you granulate student achievements in the formal curriculum? • by year? • by module? • by individual assignment? • Who are your stakeholders? • Student records • #Students and Students’ Union • Staff (academic, support, careers, student records, etc) • Employers • How well does the HEAR fit with institutional strategies and systems?

  7. Barriers and obstacles? • Systems? • Resources? • Allergy to change? • Other priorities (e.g. KIS)?

  8. Get your SU and your employers on board early – they are your most effective advocates • Keep your enemies close…..

  9. Employers’ reactions: UoG Employability Forum • Keep it simple • Fairly happy with traditional classification • Interested in real-world, co-curricular, non-formal learning as well as academic learning • Not greatly interested in drilling down into details of marks • In favour of evaluation and articulation of achievement rather than bare lists of activities • Want graduates who show that they can think and adapt, with transferable skills • Want graduates who can articulate how they did it and why their achievement matters

  10. Identify the benefits for students and staff • Enhances student experience – more holistic and transparent acknowledgment of achievement • Explicit record of employability skills with evidence • Encourages students to articulate why they are employable • Can be used formatively as scaffold for student development • Employers can search for particular types of graduate • Can drive enhancement of TLA • Encourages students to be reflective • Supports more strategic approaches to public and community engagement • Strengthens links between HEI and SU • AND…….

  11. Form a Steering Group. We had • VC (Project Sponsor) • Dean of Teaching and Learning (Chair) • Registrar • Head of Student Records • Head of Careers • Head of Academic Practice • Academics • SU Sabbaticals and officers • Student Reps And we consulted employers, community groups, and alumni

  12. Necessary conditions • Led from the top • SMT support for embedding it in strategies and systems • Working Group including representatives of • SMT • Academics • Support units • Students • Registry • Real engagement of ‘can-do’ systems magicians • Lateral thinking (‘if we’ve got to do this, let’s find something useful and/or exciting in it.’)

  13. Generic Issues • How does the HEAR fit into your systems? • How much detail about assessment methods can you produce? • Key issues for Section 6: • The HEAR is about achievement, not just about activity • What does ‘verification’ look like? • Does the HEI or the student control what goes into 6.1? • Scaling up to work for all you students. • What about part-timers, PG students, collaborative provision?

  14. Gains • Speeded up thinking about graduate attributes • Productive work with SU • Advanced implementation of EDS • Clarifying purpose and transparency of programme specifications and associated learning outcomes • Re-thinking PDP • Promoted understanding of the employability agenda to students, staff and employers • Has already enhanced student community engagement • Has been a major driver for re-thinking the academic year

  15. Piloting HEAR: Section 6 • Section 6 of the HEAR contains ‘Additional Information’ which can be verified by the institution • University, Professional and Departmental prizes • Accredited performance in non-academic contexts • Additional recognised activities undertaken by students which demonstrate achievement but for which no recognition is provided in terms of academic credit. • Key issues for Section 6: • are we considering experience or achievement? • How do we secure equity of opportunity for all students? • What does ‘verification’ actually look like and how does it differ from assessment or evaluation? • Who will ‘verify’?

  16. Student Learning Experience • Curriculum: accredited and formal • Co-curriculum: not accredited, but verified, can involve application of knowledge and understanding from formal curriculum, or development of graduate attributes which are part of broad programme outcomes • Extra-curriculum: not accredited, not verified, but achievement may still contribute to development of graduate attributes

  17. Section 6.1 – Gloucestershire Verified but not accredited: Students complete a brief personal statement in order to claim achievement as suitable for verification. Achievement could be from volunteering, work experience, or other activities. The intention is to be as inclusive as possible in terms of types of achievement in order to provide equitable opportunities for the full, diverse range of students. The Students’ Union will be involved in the verification process.

  18. Electronic HEAR • UoG investigating the use of Gradintel • Gradintel: • is aimed at providing an online resource for students to identify their employability skills • can be searched by employers on the basis of certain criteria to identify appropriate students • provides an e-transcript service • is ‘free’ for students and universities

  19. Personal statement of achievement for verification • What did you do? • Details of your achievement • How much effort was involved? • What impact did it have? • How would you do it differently next time? • Was the activity University-initiated? • Do you want the achievement reported in your HEAR? • Confirmation by mentor/supervisor • Verified by approved member of staff or SU

  20. PSA PSA PSA PSA Experience gained through... Communication & Literacy Award =

  21. PSA PSA PSA PSA Experience gained through... Employment Award =

  22. PSA PSA PSA PSA Experience gained through... GenericAward =

  23. PSA PSA PSA PSA PSA PSA PSA PSA Experience gained through... EnterpriseAward Business/Social Awareness Award = =

  24. Extending the Student Year • Teaching blocks extended by one week to 13 weeks. This allows 2 weeks per year in which activities relating to development of generic graduate skills (employability, information and digital literacy) can be delivered by staff from Careers, LIS, TLI). Content and timing of the weeks will be negotiated between central support units and academic schools. • 4 intercalated weeks in which co-curricular and extra-curricular activities can take place, including volunteering, sports events, work placements and internships, training courses, etc. These weeks will be common for all students, and, whenever possible, scheduled to coincide with occasions such as Gold Cup Week. • Space at end of academic year for preparation for following academic year, and celebration of student achievement through end-of-year shows and a UoG Festival week. • Expectation of student engagement across year, with the achievement of a UoG Skills Award, and various co-curricular activities including the Employability Award which can be reported in the HEAR. • Uses central support resources most effectively; • Causes least disruption to the academic timetable; • Most likely to secure continuous student engagement; • Enables progression and student development most effectively.

  25. DRAFT

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