By Dr Laurence EagleUniversity of Sunderland

HEA conference 5th July 2011

ContextI took over Programme Leadership of the MA

Teaching and Learning in HE in May 2010The PG Cert portion of this Programme should

be taken by all new staff with less than 2 years teaching experience.

The Programme suffered from poor student feedback, principally regarding a perceived “sense of isolation” after the formal teaching weeks were completed.

The Programme had a non submission rate of 68% for the PG certificate phase of the course and 86% for the MA phase.

MethodologyPrevious studies have shown that increasing

the Tutor/Learner and Learner/Learner interactions can have a beneficial effect on students’ learning (Trigwell, Prosser and Waterhouse 1999, Biggs 1996).

I employed a range of techniques to combat the “sense of isolation” that previous students had felt on the programme (Knight, Tait and Yorke, 2006)

HEA AssistanceHEA Annual Conference 2010

HEA Senior AdvisorHEA Website

Strategies employed to enhance the student experience on the MA programme

Evidence that the enhancement strategies are improving the student experience.

Day & Date/

Timing &

Rooming

Monday

September 6th

Tuesday September

7th

Wednesday

September 8th

Thursday

September

9th

Friday

September 10th

9.30-12

321c

DG

How do you

learn? LE

(10.30 start)

What is a “quality”

Course?. LE

Care and student

support. LE.

How can we

adapt our

teaching for

other

cultures? SD

How can I

improve my

teaching? LE

1-3

321c

DG

What is your

teaching style?

LE

Quality in a national

context. IR

What can we do

for Adult

Learners? LB

Introduction to

educational

research. BC

Assignment

seminar. LE

Here it is, the day that I'm sitting down to rewrite the MA. I'm a bit scared and I have to say also quite exhilarated. this is where I have the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. If you don't like something then we should as academics change it.

So here goes!

Student feedback

Clustered Learning Outcome

Original Learning Outcome/s

1 12 2,3,4,53 6,7,8,94 10,115 126 137 14,15,168 17,18,19,20,219 22,23,24

Table depicting the relationship between the original and the clustered Learning outcomes for the MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Programme Leader Action Examples of Student Comments

•Excellent! (and very clearly shown how they have been reduced)

•Reducing 24 LOs makes good sense!

References1. Biggs, J, 1996. Enhancing teaching through

constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347-364.

2. Knight, P, Tait, J, & Yorke M, 2006. The professional learning of teachers in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), 319-339.

3. Trigwell , K, Prosser, M, & Waterhouse, F. 1999. Relations between teachers' approaches to teaching and students' approaches to learning. Higher Education, 37, 57-70.