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Member Benefit Round-up June 2022

27 Jun 2022 | Advance HE This round-up provides a summary of recent and upcoming member benefit activity including the Assessment and feedback phase of the Connect Benefit Series on Student Success, outputs for the Organisational Wellbeing and Inclusive Institutions projects, and the Professional Standards Framework review.

As ever, our member institutions and colleagues employed at those institutions are at the heart of everything we do. In order to make our member benefits as available and accessible to you as possible, each month this summary will provide an overview of recent and upcoming member benefit activity, including the Connect Benefit Series and Fellowship and Accreditation, including the Athena Swan and Race Equality charters.

Advance HE member benefits are open to all colleagues at Advance HE member institutions. Our member benefits are built from services our members have enjoyed over many years, plus new services developed based on your feedback to ensure greater accessibility and engagement.

Connect Benefit Series – Inclusive institutions: enabling and supporting culture change

This project addresses the barriers that limit access and belonging, with particular attention to removing barriers to marginalised groups which can only be implemented and sustained through an inclusive institution with a culture that is well aligned to purpose, values and goals. The project aims to:

  • Stimulate new thinking for governing bodies and senior executive
  • Consider wellbeing through the lens enabling culture
  • Explore inclusive culture and creating the right conditions for academic staff to be innovative and deliver flexible teaching and learning.
  • Identify ‘what works’ examples via case studies and reflections from a range of institutions.

Find out more here.

At a virtual sandpit event covering a theme common to both our Inclusive Institutions and Organisational Wellbeing projects, we invited senior leaders to explore the question: ‘Have we managed to create healthier and more compassionate institutions as a result of the pandemic and has that had a positive impact on an inclusive and enabling culture?’ In their written overview, Advance HE senior advisors Kim Ansell and Barbara Bassa reflect on the thinking, ideas and questions arising from the event. Read the overview here.

Connect Benefit Series – Organisational Wellbeing

The Organisational Wellbeing area of focus explores the link between healthy and prosperous universities and the wellbeing of staff and students.

The project has already delivered a range of events and outputs, including an introductory blog from Advance HE senior adviser Barbara Bassa, a Tweetchat, and the Organisational Wellbeing – Everyday Ways of Working series, comprising three recordings each considering practical ways in which we can create more wellbeing at work.

Podcast: 'Wellbeing as a strategy - the management response'

In this podcast following on from our sandpit event, Advance HE's Barbara Bassa and Kim Ansell interviewed Vinita Suryanarayanan and Paul Britton, respectively COO and Head of EDI and Colleague Wellbeing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, to reflect on the ideas and operational realities emerging from the session. The conversation explores the benefits and challenges that might be faced with implementation of such a strategic approach to wellbeing.

 

Reflective workshop Monday 4 July 11.00 BST

To complement the Everyday Ways of Working series, an online workshop will take place on Monday 4 July (11.00 BST) to allow participants to discuss and delve deeper into the approaches set out in the recordings, whilst sharing good practice and examining further ways of working that can enhance wellbeing. You can book your place here.

Connect Benefit Series - Student Success: Assessment and Feedback

The Assessment and Feedback phase of the Student Success series centres on our latest Assessment and Feedback literature review (2016-2021).

At a webinar held in June, the review’s authors Professor Kathleen M. Quinlan and Dr Edd Pitt spoke to their findings and took part in a Q&A session with AHE members. You can watch a recording of the webinar here.

Professor Quinlan and Dr Pitt have also recorded two Assessment and Feedback podcasts, each focusing on one side of the project and how it integrates with the other. You can access the Assessment podcast here, and the Feedback podcast here.

Invitation to comment on draft revised Professional Standard Framework

We announced earlier this year the Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in HE (PSF) is under review. The strategic importance of the PSF is clear, but we know that the learning and teaching landscape has changed considerably since the last review in 2011. This sector-led review, facilitated by Advance HE, will ensure the framework continues to be relevant to higher education now and in the future.

A thorough review of the existing substantive evidence base gathered from multiple sources over the last seven years informed the first phase of the review’s consultation. More than 20 sessions were held and in excess of 300 attendees contributed constructive, insightful comments in a collaborative and positive manner, to help inform the next iteration of the PSF.

Drawing on the evidence base and the phase one consultation, a draft revised PSF has now been produced and we would like your views on it as part of a wide sector consultation.

  • The draft revised PSF can be found here.
  • Please comment on the draft PSF via an online survey which is now open, here. Please be aware that feedback to this phase of the consultation can only be received via the online survey.
  • If you would like to refer back to the PSF 2011 you can find it here.

The online consultation on the draft revised PSF closed on 17 July. Thank you to everyone who took part in this phase of the consultation, and previous consultation sessions. Further updates will be communicated as the review progresses. 

Collaborative Development Fund

Established to enable collaborations between our members to address challenges within the HE sector, the Collaborative Development Fund (CDF) is supporting twelve projects currently in progress for the 2021-22 member benefit year:

  • Inclusive institutions: enabling and supporting culture change:
    • Deakin University
    • Imperial College London and University of Reading
    • Kingston University
    • University of Salford

       
  • Exploring a holistic approach to equality, diversity and inclusion:
    • Newcastle University

       
  • The Future Student Experience Project:
    • Deakin University
    • Staffordshire University
    • Manchester Metropolitan University
    • University of Brighton
    • University of Greenwich and Ravensbourne University London

       
  • Utilising the Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning for strategic change:
    • University of Hull

       
  • College-based HE Network: a collaborative space for developing HE culture and practice:
    • University Centre Leeds

Outputs from each project will become available from July. You can find more information and updates on all the CDF projects for 2021-22 here.

Enhancements to the Race Equality Charter: A Focus on the Revised Principles 19 July (14.00-15.30 BST)

Following the Phase 1 and 2 reviews of the Race Equality Charter, consultations with our members and guidance from the REC Governance committee, the REC principles have been revised to reflect the feedback received. This online event is free to attend for both REC members and non-members and will focus on the updates to the REC principles, guidance on the REC criteria and introducing the REC’s 5-year strategy. Book your place here.

Recent publications

 

Report: Adding value through enterprise and entrepreneurship education in HE

A new case study collection on adding value through enterprise and entrepreneurship education in higher education, which highlight colleagues’ experiences and developments from the Embedding Enterprise in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences collaborative project, as we work to enhance student success. Access the report here.

Student Academic Experience Survey 2022

The Advance HE/HEPI Student Academic Experience Survey 2022 reflects the responses of over 10,000 full-time undergraduate students. This year’s survey shows student perceptions of value for money and other key indicators have shifted positively towards pre-Covid levels. Access the survey here

Report: Exploring the impact of Principal Fellowship on individuals and institutions

Principal Fellowship is awarded to professionals who demonstrate they meet Descriptor Four of the UK Professional Standards Framework. This report details the findings of research conducted by the University of Plymouth to assess the impact of achieving Principal fellowship on areas such as individual identity and career. Access the report here.

 

We feel it is important for voices to be heard to stimulate debate and share good practice. Blogs on our website are the views of the author and don’t necessarily represent those of Advance HE.

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