The University of Exeter Education Strategy 2014-2020 and ...



The University of Exeter Education Strategy 2014-2020 and beyondContextThe University of Exeter is an ambitious, elite, international University. We have a strong tradition of providing education of the highest quality, inspired by world-leading research, which we deliver across our campuses in the South West of England and with partners across the world.International higher education is undergoing momentous change, with the very best universities in the world transforming their approaches to education and research through new and innovative methods and partnerships.This strategy sets out our plans for educational transformation at Exeter in this challenging international environment. The Strategy builds on our strengths and charts a course for where we will be by 2020, with clear measures of success. It is both ambitious and achievable. At the heart of our approach is a strong partnership between our staff and our students that touches every part of the experience and is central to our success.Our Vision for EducationAn internationally outstanding educational experience for graduates who will change the worldOur MissionTo create an educational experience for every one of our students that is distinctively Exeter and recognised globally as outstanding-19304038925500Our Values Our values are central to the quality of the Exeter Experience. Sharing those values and belonging to a supportive, challenging and inspiring community helps our students to flourish and our graduates to succeed. Our Purpose: The Exeter GraduateOur purpose is to have an impact on the students who study with us and for our graduates to have an impact on the world. The best learners come to Exeter. We expect their contributions as graduates to be marked by significant success: global, responsible, leaders who will make a measurable difference in whatever field they operate. The Exeter GraduateThroughout their time at Exeter, our students will develop a range of attributes that will prepare them for future successIn addition to gaining expertise in their chosen academic field, the Exeter Graduate will be:A critical thinker and problem solverThe ability to think critically, analyse, and challenge, is the essence of what makes Exeter students attractive graduate employees and investable entrepreneurs.An enterprising and creative team player Whatever their chosen professions, Exeter graduates will possess the creativity and drive to inspire change, with an ability to work collaboratively with the widest range of people.A leader able to effect changeAll Exeter students will graduate with experience of leading and effecting change, empowering them to make a responsible and sustainable difference to their future, whatever the context.A confident and adaptable individual Regardless of background, Exeter graduates will be equipped to be effective and influential in any context, with the integrity, attitude and knowledge to succeed.An active global citizenOur graduates will leave the University of Exeter with a commitment to active engagement in society, an awareness of sustainability issues, and an understanding of the cultures and view of others in the world.Our Strategic Aims: Shaping The Exeter ExperienceThe strategic aims and supporting objectives detailed below will ensure the University succeeds in creating an outstanding experience for all Exeter students:Strategic Aim One: Academically-able students from across the world engaged as active learners and agents of changeTo attract the most academically-able applicants to Exeter, from the UK and across the world To increase levels of student engagement with their academic studiesIII.To enable more students to lead change, in the University and community, both globally and locallyStrategic Aim Two: Unrivalled opportunity for graduate-level employment experiences and the development of employability attributesTo measure and improve the employability attributes of all students through course, extra-curricular and out-of-term-time activitiesTo provide the opportunity for every student to gain a graduate-level employment experienceStrategic Aim Three: Research-inspired, innovative, inquiry-led learning To provide the opportunity for every student to learn with world-leading researchersTo extend the opportunities for students to learn in innovative ways through their own research and inquiry in each year of studyTo improve the research environment by enhancing the quality of support and facilities for postgraduate students and increasing the proportion of research studentsStrategic Aim Four: International learning, research and work experiencesTo provide opportunities for every student to study, research or work with a university, employer or voluntary body in another country, and significantly increase the proportion of students taking up those international opportunitiesTo provide international perspectives in all programmes and a multi-cultural experience for all studentsTo grow the numbers of international staff and students in our academic community Strategic Aim Five: First class face-to-face educational experiences enhanced with a variety of technologiesTo ensure all students are taught by the very best educators, providing inspiring, challenging and innovative, learningTo make available the best learning spaces and technologies To equip students and staff with the ability to use technologies effectively for learning and educational successStrategic Aim Six: Multi-disciplinary learning that tackles contemporary global challengesTo make learning from more than one discipline a feature of all programmesTo provide all students with the opportunity to explore the relevance of different disciplines to contemporary challenges facing the worldOur Impact Global measures of success“Exeter will be a world top 100 university for teaching and all subjects we offer will rank in the top 10 institutions in the UK for teaching and graduate destinations.”“The proportion of alumni and employers recognising the attributes and contributions of Exeter graduates in the world increases.”Performance Indicators and TargetsPerformance Indicators and targets are defined below for each of the aspects of this strategy. Where no prior data exists we will establish baseline positions and targets by August 2014, with annual milestones set and reviewed each year. Targets below are to 2019. Sources of evidence are published in the Education Strategy area of the University website and available here. The numbering of the PIs below aligns with the corresponding Strategic Aims.1aThe University has one of the top 10 highest UCAS entry tariffs (and its international equivalents) of all universities in the UK.1b1cThe engagement of students (curricular and extra-curricular) increases each year over an initial baselineThe number of students from low performing schools increases [in line with agreed targets in the Strategy for Access and Student Success] by 2019.2aThe total number of University-supported international work experience or study opportunities, listed on University websites, exceeds 22,000 by 2019.2bThe proportion of students gaining graduate-level employment experience in the UK increases to XX% and internationally increases to XX% 3a100% of students experience teaching from world-leading researchers during their studies. 3bThe proportion of programmes involving student-led original research and inquiry increases by 10% per annum from an initial baseline established in August 2014.3cThe proportion of postgraduate research students relative to the total student population increases from 8% in 2011/12 to 12% in 2019/204aThe proportion of students taking up international opportunities increases from [693 study +work/tot students] in 2012/13 to Y in 2019/20204bThe total number of international students increases to 4600 with no more than XX% coming from any single country 5aEvery discipline has at least one educator recognised as a national leader for learning and teaching and more than 75% of staff who teach exceed national standards for learning and teaching5b75% of staff and 90% of students demonstrate high levels of digital literacy in an annual survey6a95% of undergraduate programmes provide the opportunity to take modules from more than one discipline and 75% of undergraduate students take up this opportunity6b100% of undergraduate programmes include an applied elementAnnex OneThe Strategy in Practice – Indicative actions for implementationThe Strategy touches every part of the University and all parts are committed to delivering it. Success will be achieved through effective partnership: between students and staff, and between Exeter and other like-minded universities, employers, voluntary organisations and alumni, from our foundations in the South West of England, to our future in our expanding global collaborations. The Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group drives this Strategy. Our Colleges and Disciplines lead the delivery of education and will be responsible for ensuring the greatest part of its achievement. The Strategy is realised through an annual cycle of operating plans from academic and professional service teams across the University. An annual Progress Report will be produced each year. We will revisit our Strategy in 2016 to ensure it remains current. The Education Quality Enhancement Division of Academic Services will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of delivery, including the setting of annual milestones towards delivery of the five year targets.Practical action will be shaped by teams of staff and students throughout the University through the period to 2020, ensuring the best course of action in each context, College, and discipline. We understand the principal tasks required however and provide this annex to the Strategy as an internal University document to prompt debate, planning and implementation. Each section below identifies indicative actions and gives an illustration of how we might put our strategy into practice to realise our vision of an internationally outstanding educational experience for graduates who will change the world.Strategic Aim One: Talented, Active, Engaged StudentsAttract the most academically able students to Exeter through effective international and UK marketingIdentify and attract academically-able students from an increasingly diverse range of social backgrounds and locations through strategically-focused outreach activities in our region, the UK and across the world, and provide them with the support and resources to succeedReview the incentives we provide to attract the most talented undergraduates from widening participation backgrounds to study for masters or research degrees, and explore further progression agreements with our international partner universities to bring talented research students to ExeterIntroduce new processes to ensure students inform us of the full range of their achievements Use our Massive Open On Line Courses to extend our connections with learners who may not have considered ExeterWork with our international university partners and INTO to provide opportunities for talented international students to study with Exeter.Annual reviews of student experience in all disciplines with sophisticated data analysis to assess the levels of student engagement as active learnersA programme of learning analytics for students to understand what they need to do to reach their goals and our educators to understand what learning tasks maximise academic success and engagement in activities that lead to graduate employmentNurture effective learning communities, provide effective pastoral and academic guidance and understand the impact of a sense of belonging on student successExtend Students as Change Agents to support students to transform education, organisation and life at university and contribute to the creation of The Exeter ExperienceSupport, through partnership with the Students Guild and FXU, increases in the levels of co-curricular student engagement: global and local action, democratic participation and representation, healthy and active living; and understand its contribution to student academic and graduate employment successStrategic Aim Two: Unrivalled employment experiences and capabilitiesProvide an extensive range of award-winning services to students to support their employability from pre-arrival through to successful graduate employment or entrepreneurship Reviews of programmes and curriculum design by Disciplines and Colleges to ensure students have the option to gain employment experience relevant to their degree within the curriculum, and to learn in ways that develop the capabilities for high impact graduate roles such as through group work, problem-solving, and research inquiry.Establish the Exeter Placement and Internship Centre (EPIC) to source over 5000 international and UK placements and internships per annum, exploit the University’s corporate partnerships and alumni network and provide over 400 bursaries will be distributed to students in needStrategic Aim Three: Research-inspired, inquiry-led learningProvide every undergraduate student the opportunity to learn with a world-leading researcher, taking appropriate action, such as through timetabling, curriculum development or new appointments, to ensure that every programme of study offered engages world-leading researchers, and inspires students through an education at the frontiers of knowledge. Use our international and UK university partnerships to make world-leading researchers from other universities part of the Exeter Experience, either virtually or through face-to-face contact. Conduct a baseline survey of learning and teaching methods adopted in our programmes to establish the extent to which they provide students with the ability to be researchers themselves and to adopt inquiry-based approaches to their study and review progress through College Annual Student Experience ReviewsSupport a programme of curriculum development with disciplines across the university to introduce new approaches and elements to the curriculum to enable students to undertake more research. Provide role models, mentors, champions and change agents to inform the development of the most positive environment to nurture student research, from undergraduate to doctoral. Maintain total student numbers at below 22,000 but increase the proportion of research students at Exeter. Investigate, with our international partners and those within our doctoral training partnerships the best ways to support the training, development and success of PhD students, Create virtual collaborative spaces to facilitate collaborative student research and the sharing of resources. Conduct a specialist review of the learning and social space needs of postgraduate researchers and identify the capital investments necessary to implement its recommendations. Review the appropriateness of our postgraduate taught provision, assessing, amongst other things, the extent to which those taught programmes maximise the number of the most talented research students joining us to study for a research degree. Explore new organisational arrangements such as the creation of a Graduate School or Research College, in order to bring more concerted leadership and coordination to the interventions from across the University to support research students Measure our progress in creating a positive research environment and high quality experience, through the use of PTES and PRES surveys, with Colleges reviewing progress annually through ASERsStrategic Aim Four: International experiencesCreate additional Discipline and College Erasmus partnerships within Europe and work with an increased number of international university partners to develop new international study exchanges and summer school opportunities. Use our international corporate partnerships, offices and alumni to generate placement and internship opportunities for our students through EPICExtend curricular opportunity for an international experience, through module development and programme redesign, and facilitated access to experiences outside of term time. Undertake a study into the barriers to student taking up opportunities for international experiences with the Students Guild and FXU and put in place measures to tackle these, measuring our progress through collecting data on international student engagementFurther internationalise The Exeter Experience by capitalising on the contributions that our staff and students make to learning and life at Exeter Continue to grow our community of international educators, through search and recruitment that seeks to attract the best candidates from across the worldFurther increase the numbers of international students from a wider range of countries through new College approaches to recruitment, partnerships and commercial relationships in order to create a more diverse student body Draw on the diverse perspectives of international students through active and inquiry-based learning in the curriculum, analyse engagement data and commission evaluation reports on the International Student Experience in some disciplines, to ensure the quality of experience is high, regardless of where students originate from Systematically evaluate programmes through a new College-led process of programme review with a view to incorporating international perspectives into curricula Develop an institutional body of resources and expertise on effective practice in internationalising the curriculum and support programme teams with this processStrategic Aim Five: First class education and technologyRecruit, support and develop our educators with the aim of providing a world-class educationRevise our Aspire framework, incorporating our Learning and Teaching in HE taught programme, our Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and our Fellowship Scheme, with a view to developing capability in our educators to deliver the Exeter Experience set out in this strategy and develop in our graduates the attributes we have defined. Set a threshold proportion of staff in all disciplines that demonstrate their capability at both descriptor two and three of the UK Professional Standards Framework for Learning and Teaching (UKPSF) and develop College and Discipline plans to attain itEnsure each discipline has at least one member of staff that has evidenced they are a recognised national leader in learning and teaching in HE in the UK (that they meet descriptor 4 of the UKPSF), and monitor student engagement data to check on the proportion of students that are taught by these ‘Principal Fellows’ Pilot arrangements for enabling educators to evidence continuing professional development or ‘maintenance of good [professional] standing’, in anticipation of required sector regulatory changesReview the balance of incentives, reward and recognition for different elements of academic staff portfolios, and revise appointment and promotion criteria and processes to ensure that we recruit, recognise and reward the best educators, whether they are employed on Education and Scholarship or Education and Research contractsReview the framework of support for the identification, development and success of staff who will take educational leadership roles, to ensure that the quality of educational leadership at all levels of the University remains highDevelop detailed College and Discipline action plans for the improvement of the educational experience, supported by a coordinated approach from professional services, evaluating the impact of these plans on an annual basis and benchmarking their progress against the same disciplines in other institutions in the UK Enhance services in the interpretation of educational data and pilot targeted support to discipline with interventions to address issues identifiedContinue to improve the ratio of staff to students, and benchmark our progress against comparator universities in the UK and internationally Provide targeted and bespoke programme level support as well as initiating coordinated cross-institutional initiatives where common themes for improvement are evident, such as with assessment and feedback practice and policy, the teaching of international students or the application of technologyUnderstand and apply the most innovative and effective practice from across the world through forming new international university partnerships, joining international education networks and creating educational alliancesContinue a programme of capital investment to upgrade all of our physical learning spaces to meet the changing needs of our student community and invest in major new learning spaces to ensure postgraduates and undergraduates have the best spaces possibleReview working practices on campus with the aim to improve the efficiency of how we use the learning spaces available whilst maintaining high levels of student engagement with their studiesUpgrade our virtual learning environment, learning management systems, student portal, on-line course management system and mobile and video capabilityProvide specialist systems for postgraduate researchers, building on the Exeter MyPGR relationship management system, to facilitate greater collaborative learning across disciplines and across institutional research partners such as GW4Provide students with personalised dashboards and predictive analytics using big data to allow them to monitor their own progress against their cohort and the achievements of previous successful alumni Bring our world-leading education and research to tens of thousands of new learners across the world through the development of Massive Open On-line Courses (MOOCs) Introduce a new module in digital literacy into our ASPIRE suite of programmes and support out educators to develop digital literacy (a confidence to appraise a range of possible technology tools and solutions, decide which is best for the situation, and then know how to use it to best effect) Create a team of student Technology Champions to support student and staff technology skills through professional development events, resources and adviceStrategic Aim Six: Multi-disciplinary learning for global challengesContinue to build our new inter-disciplinary programmes in Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Medical Sciences, and carry out a review of our most diverse and flexible multi-disciplinary programme in Flexible Combined Honours offered at both our Exeter and Cornwall campuses Develop new programmes and modular options in quantitative social sciences methods, through the ESRC supported Q-Step initiative Conduct a review of the administrative barriers to multi- and inter-disciplinary programmes of study that cross College administrative boundaries, and make recommendations for actions to remove the barriers and facilitate expansion Grow the numbers of students engaged in our flagship first year ‘Grand Challenges’ multi-disciplinary, inquiry-led team learning experience, and provide students with the opportunity to gain credit for successful completion of the week-long programme as part of their academic award Continue to support the extension of sustainability literacy within the curriculum as part of our institutional commitment to sustainabilityReview postgraduate taught programmes to explore the market demand for multi-disciplinary programmes that address contemporary global challenges Commission a report on multi-disciplinary learning at the University and make the necessary reforms, within and across disciplines to ensure all students have the opportunity to experience itDevelop Discipline or College plans for either curricular or co-curricular opportunities to enable students to apply their disciplinary knowledge, epistemology and ontology to contemporary challenges, complementing research projects, voluntary work and employmentV4.9 13-1-14 ................
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