Learning & Teaching Institute

This is a report of a research project carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Development and Society and the Learning and Teaching Institute at Sheffield Hallam University into the student perceptions of attendance, engagement, and motivation of academic study at university.

Currently there is no single consensus about international development within Higher Education (HE). The current international landscape is complex and the challenges of the current and future period of sustainability of international recruitment, increasing numbers of international students, the international environment in the UK, changing demographics of the student population, outward mobility of staff and students, trans-national education, research, trade and alumni increase the complexity of Internationalisation of HE as we understand it. There has been much written about the Internationalisation of HE (Hyland, 2008, Drummond, 2008, Eade and Peacock, 2008) which supports international development within HE that enhances the diversity, richness and quality of student experiences and the institutions they are associated with.  Over the last few years, HE institutions have been adopting a variety of approaches to Internationalisation. There is also a body of knowledge which has begun to explore particular challenges within international development such as curriculum development, learner mobility challenges, integration of international students in and out of learning, teaching and assessment practice, institutional partnerships and collaboration.

This report is written in recognition of Sheffield Hallam University's Corporate Plan (2008-2013), section 4, raising our profile (4.3 International), the University's International Strategy (2005-2010), the University's Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy (2006-2010), and Faculty international strategies and plans. The report also acknowledges the wealth of literature and external national and international agendas about the Internationalisation of HE (e.g. Drummond, 2008, Hyland et al 2008), The Prime Minister's Initiative 2 (2006), the Higher Education Academy, the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills, the Observatory of Borderless Higher Education, Northern Consortium, Bologna Process - towards the European Higher Education area , Europe Unit, Leadership Foundation for the UK, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Erasmus Programme and Joint International Unit.

The key purpose of this report is to discuss the outcomes of a qualitative research study conducted in the Faculty of Development and Society at Sheffield Hallam University, which explored the perspectives of academic staff's perspectives of Internationalisation in relation to their learning, teaching, and assessment practice within the course curriculum to enhance student learning experiences. This report outlines some of those practices as they are perceived to exist with examples as described by the staff themselves. It does not aim to provide a definition or critical perspective of Internationalisation.

The main recommendations (section 7) of the report highlight the challenges and perceptions which academic staff raised in being able to realistically transform their students' learning experiences into one that is "internationalised". It provides recommendations to the Faculty for the future development in this area.

Executive Summary

The research reported here focused on the possibility that the practices of the University in assessment, the consideration of extenuating circumstances, and the judgement of appeals, may in some instances pay insufficient attention to the culturally-specific demands placed on ethnic minority students.
The following data and interpretations constitute the basis of this report:
• Appeals statistics 2000-2001, and analysis of the cases of ethnic minority students whose appeals were rejected.
• Appeals statistics 2002-2003, and analysis of the cases of ethnic minority students whose appeals were rejected.
• Interviews with ethnic minority students and some relevant members of staff regarding assessment, extenuating circumstances and appeals. This allowed a test of the validity of the previous analyses.

Peer Supported Review (PSR) is a developmental process through which individuals review, reflect on and enhance their practice, with the support of colleagues. Its aims are to:

- promote and enhance the scholarship of learning and teaching through reflective practice
- improve the quality of student learning through a process of review and development of professional practice.

As a Professional Development activity, PSR is currently underway in Faculties and Departments in one post-92 University, for all staff whose role directly impacts on student learning (e.g. academic (learning support and teaching), colleagues who support learning, technical, administrative, Associate Lecturers).

An evaluation of PSR has been completed and aimed to:

- capture the current range of PSR activity and experience across the University
- provide evidence to inform  the development of PSR policy and practice
- provide evidence for institutional objectives in the Corporate Plan (2008-13)


The evaluation used:

- an online survey in Blackboard (online virtual learning environment). This included questions on staff profiles; PSR groups and process; topics and focus; reflection; engagement; impact; issues and benefits.

- semi-structured interviews with staff in key roles, including Heads of      Department; Heads of Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA);  LTA leads; Line Managers.  Topics covered staff roles and responsibilities; PSR structure and processes; issues and benefits; overview of practice and impacts.


The key findings include:
- PSR groups work well as a mechanism for support and collegiality, with a wide range of different models.

-  Most groups formed within their subject area and often supported their colleagues by:  identifying useful resources/ideas; helping with reflection and evaluating practice; giving feedback e.g. on materials / e-learning approaches / teaching; and observing teaching.

- Common triggers for PSR activities were: students' feedback e.g. National Student Survey / first year experience / course committees; module/course review; and validation.

- The most common topics were: e-learning e.g. audio feedback / Web2.0 / mobile learning / electronic feedback; assessment and feedback e.g. peer assessment / peer feedback / re-design of tasks; curriculum development e.g. employability skills / incorporating research; and teaching e.g. large groups / changing approach to reduce dependency.

The main issues included: time; lack of clarity of process and expectations; existing practice within staff groups e.g. level of collegiality and communication / engagement with LTA /; and the inclusion of Associate Lecturers, Part-time and Technical staff PSR groups.

The main benefits were: greater collegial working / team building / peer support; giving recognition and value to teaching activities; and improving staff confidence/increasing engagement in Learning, Teaching and Assessment.

"Recent UK Governments over the last decade have promoted the importance of teaching in HE (DfES 2003, BIS 2009, 2011). Academic staff perceive teaching in UK higher education to
be valued and rewarded too little, both in promotion and appointment processes and in the culture of the institution (Gibbs, 2003). There are few national systems which promote the importance of teaching at multiple stages of an academic’s career. “National initiatives in the UK are well developed compared with other countries, but institutional processes are still seen by many academics to be inadequate, despite progress in policies related to promotion and the gradual ‘professionalisation of academics in their role as teachers” (Ramsden, 2008, 1995).
Recognising and rewarding teaching is a highly topical subject and there is no one universal approach to the way teaching should be rewarded.

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) offers a professional recognition scheme for staff teaching in higher education. Recently reviewed following the launch of revised The UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) in November 2011, the scheme provides a unique opportunity for academics to gain recognition and reward for developing their capabilities as teachers and supporters of learning. There have been a number of detailed refinements and improvements based on sector feedback to the Framework following the recent consultation in 2010/11.

The main changes are:
· Removal of the term Standard Descriptor – now simply Descriptors
· Minor amendments, refinements and some additional detail to Descriptors 1 and 2 to enhance their clarity and focus and to tie them in more explicitly to the Dimensions of Practice
· Descriptor 3 revised to clarify purpose and focus
· New Descriptor 4 introduced to encompass wider and deeper strategic roles within teaching and supporting learning context.

Two key changes have been revisions to Descriptor 3 and the addition of Descriptor 4. These two correspond to the categories of Senior Fellow and Principal Fellow respectively. The immediate benefits of these changes will be measured and disseminated via the outcomes from commissioned work to measure the impact of the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning. We hope to be in a position to share these outcomes in Spring 2013.

Some of the key successes of the UKPSF to date include:
· development and operation of institutional CPD Frameworks to enhance learning and teaching
· engagement with accreditation services that provide opportunities for staff to demonstrate their professionalism against the UKPSF at different points in their career
· this academic year alone, over 5000 individuals have been recognised as Associate Fellows, Fellows, Senior Fellows or Principal Fellows which demonstrates a valuable indicator of professional identity for those engaged with HE teaching and learning

The professional recognition scheme provides an indicator of professional identity for HE practitioners at whatever point they are in their careers and uses a combination of methods via accredited provision and individual experience that are deemed fit for purpose, manageable and relevant to the context and purpose of the award.

In light of the revised UKPSF, we aim to explore some of the questions and issues currently being asked about the meaning of Fellowships and its value. We will address questions around the interpretation and engagement of Fellowships both conceptually and practically using evidence from those who have taken part in the professional recognition scheme. We will reflect on the approaches of the Higher Education Academy in how it recognises and rewards teaching with a view to sharing practice across institutions in how they reward and recognise teaching and encourage future development in this area."