Learning and teaching is a complex area of higher education, influenced by many factors. This Theme focuses on how providers support the provision of high-quality learning opportunities for all students, guiding them in developing effective learning and teaching activities and environments.
Expectations and Practices for Learning and Teaching
Expectations
Expectations for Quality
Courses are well-designed, provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student’s achievement to be reliably assessed.
From admission through to completion, all students are provided with the support that they need to succeed in and benefit from higher education.
Practices
Core practices for quality
The provider has sufficient appropriately qualified and skilled staff to deliver a high-quality academic experience.
The provider has sufficient and appropriate facilities, learning resources and student support services to deliver a high-quality academic experience.
The provider actively engages students, individually and collectively, in the quality of their educational experience.
The provider supports all students to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes.
Common practice for quality
The provider engages students individually and collectively in the development, assurance and enhancement of the quality of their educational experience.
Guiding Principles
- Effective learning and teaching is underpinned by a shared understanding of the provider’s learning and teaching strategy.
- Effective learning and teaching is underpinned by a focus on student achievement and outcomes.
- Effective learning and teaching provides students with an equivalent high-quality learning experience irrespective of where, how or by whom it is delivered.
- Effective learning and teaching is informed through reflective practice and providers enable staff to engage in relevant, timely and appropriate professional development that supports students’ learning and high-quality teaching.
- Effective learning and teaching is underpinned by routine evaluation of provision to manage and enhance their learning and teaching activities, including achievement of qualification and award outcomes.
- Effective learning and teaching activities, facilities and resources make the learning environment accessible, relevant and engaging to all students.
- Effective learning and teaching ensures that information about, and support for, learning and teaching is clear and accessible to all students and stakeholders.
- Effective learning and teaching encourages and enables students to take an active role in their studies.
- Providers encourage and enable students to evaluate and manage their own learning development, supported by opportunities for ongoing dialogue with staff.
- Advance HE
- Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)
- Equality Act 2010, GOV.UK
- Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), ENQA
- Focus On: Feedback from Assessment project, QAA Scotland
- Evidence for Enhancement: Improving the student experience, University of Edinburgh
- Knowledge hub, Advance HE
- Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education, Advance HE
- Creating an inclusive learner journey, JISC (2021)
- JISC Guides
- Subject Benchmark Statements, QAA
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education: Guidance for UK Higher Education Providers, QAA (2018)
- UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF), Advance HE