Education strategy

• Continue to develop our portfolio to ensure a set of internationally attractive and efficiently delivered programmes which attract students and are valued by employers.
• Ensure curriculum design and redesign is informed by and responds to employer insight and student demand. 
  Place future-facing graduate skills at the heart of our curricula.
• Take opportunities to diversify the portfolio through new routes and modes of study enabling flexible study pathways and paces of study for learners at all stages.
• Ensure all students have highly relevant work-related opportunities within their programmes.
• Embed an international dimension into the curriculum experience of all students.
• Engage a range of external stakeholders, including employers and alumni, in shaping the design and delivery of our programmes.
• Ensure our strengths in research, scholarship and professional practice are reflected in stimulating, current and relevant programmes.
• Achieve efficiency in the structure and delivery of our programme, maximising larger credit structures, reduced optionality and deliberate reuse of content.
• Enable students to develop the full range of skills, mindsets and behaviours to equip them for future success in highly-skilled work and further study, and to contribute positively to addressing the real-world challenges our society and world is facing, including social justice, digital opportunities and sustainability.

In 2024-25 we will focus on implementing a full curriculum and learning design process to ensure thorough programme and module development for E2025, in addition to operating an agreed process for all design processes (leading to major modification, approval and revalidation) to include input from key stakeholders including employers and students. We will fully embed in design/redesign Keele learning principles, Curriculum Expectations, Graduate Attributes, institutional policy and OfS B conditions as standard frames of reference, and KIITE will be putting in place curriculum design support in place through guidance, resources, facilitated design sprints/workshops and wider development activity.

• Place active learning experience through social learning, collaboration, and enquiry-based learning as a core expectation in our delivery.
• Take a programmatic approach to the design of assessment for learning, promoting progressive knowledge and skill building through authentic assessment activities and effective feedback practices.
• Embrace opportunities offered by digital technologies to promote greater engagement in learning, and greater flexibility for learners in how and when they learn in both physical and online environments.
• Make a step-change in the use of digital technologies in teaching beyond baseline expectations to innovative and ground-breaking practice making a difference to student learning through in-person and interactive on-line modes.
  Provide progressive and useful support for staff to develop relevant digital skills for education delivery.
• Realise the benefits and opportunities from technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality to transform the staff and student learning.
• Ensure expertise in research and professional practice is harnessed to engage and inspire students through enquiry-led teaching and student research opportunities.
• Promote staff reflection, evaluation, innovation and sharing of effective practice building on scholarship of teaching and learning.
• Ensure all students benefit from consistently well- designed, current and constantly updated resources for learning.

In 2024-25 we will be embedding the Ultra version of Blackboard (our KLE) and building clear expectations relating to the progression of digital capabilities, inclusive educational practice, active learning, and experiential learning. 

• Focus our enhancement activity on priorities to improve student success, drawing on external and internal data and evidence.
• Actively engage with students to inform our practices to engage, inspire and challenge students to achieve. 
  Tailor our learning opportunities and support to our diverse student needs and measure the impact on their progress, whatever their starting points.
• Develop responsive student management information dashboards to enable the tracking of student outcomes.
  Ensure initiatives and interventions are planned and evaluated based on a theory of change.
• Focus our efforts on the most impactful teaching and learning opportunities, prioritising time and resources. 
  Support a positive culture of continuous improvement within our schools and directorates which is directly informed by the student experience.
• Promote and value the widest range of student voices as integral to our enhancement activity.
  Support our staff in taking an evidence-based approach to education, through development and training opportunities tailored to those leading through roles and projects.

In 2024-25 our focus will be on using our data – both qualitative and quantitative – to improve our performance. Student feedback through surveys such as NSS, PTES and PRES is vital for us to improve. Data on our student outcomes (Continuation, attainment and progression to employment) is central to our success and a key focus this year we be student retention through teaching and academic support measures, identifying at risk students, and supporting those at risk of disengagement, withdrawal and failure).

Responding to the increasing diversity of our students across the range of programmes and courses we offer, we need to evaluate and adapt our processes and approaches to provide opportunities for all to succeed.

• Tailor our approaches to the diverse experiences of students across the student journey through active engagement and partnership working with students including: commuters, mature students, postgraduate and international students, those with disabilities and from less represented backgrounds.
• Successfully develop and implement a series of policies under the Inclusive Education Framework, ensuring that equity, diversity and inclusivity underpin all our practice.
• Ensure programme teams and directorates actively target interventions on the differential experiences and outcomes of student groups across the university.
• Develop students’ ability to manage their wellbeing and feel welcome in a welcoming, respectful and inclusive community.
• Enable all students to access co- and extra-curricular opportunities to support their success, such as global study, local community activity in work placements, volunteering, field trips and projects with employers.
• Improve our welcome and transition activities to strengthen students’ engagement with their peers, staff  and the wider university to foster a greater sense of belonging.
• Break down barriers to students accessing and benefitting from the full range of support services and learning opportunities, including access to digital technologies.
• Achieve consistency of delivery and effectiveness of support through school-based academic mentoring.
• Move the dial on the use of  learner analytics to personalise and support the student experience and target interventions where needed.
• Drive student self-management of their own learning and career development through a structured tool  tracking progress towards individual goals.

In 2024-25 we will be continuing to focus on barriers to positive experiences and success as part of our approach to inclusive education. This will include working closely with diverse student groups, establishing intercultural awareness training, and developing personalised measures of educational gains.

• Strengthen the community of scholars in education through vibrant networks, events, project initiatives and conference activities.
• Achieve greater external recognition through professional body awards, external activity such as examining and panel membership, fellowships of the HEA (Advance HE) at all levels, especially senior and principal fellow, and success in external awards such as National Teaching Fellowship and Collaborative Teaching Awards.
• Strengthen staff support to successfully progress through either Education career routes (E&R and E&S).
• Achieve high levels of staff satisfaction and experience in delivering a high quality teaching and learning through relevant and appropriate workload, support for skills development, the environment for teaching and the recognition of staff achievement.
• Provide excellent, inspiring, sector-recognised education-focussed workshops, projects and initiatives drawing on sector-wide practice and expertise.
• Focus our investment in spaces and resources to support high quality teaching and assessment.
• Build evaluation and the measurement of impact on student learning into all educational practice, and ensure that this is systemically used in staff development review processes and promotion.
• Encourage the sharing of problem solving and enhancement across programmes, schools and Faculties through Education-focussed workshops, awaydays, and events.

In 2024-25 we will be building on the successful pilot of the Programme Directors Development series by mainstreaming and expanding this programme to wider sets of colleagues. We will be strengthening the work of all staff involved in education through a range of support opportunities, and further building the vital contribution of the scholarship community to meeting the university’s strategic priorities.