Refocusing on Teaching and Learning - synopsis

REFOCUSING ON TEACHING AND LEARNING


Lifting Our Game

Why a refocus?

• A necessary step if we are to be the top performing ITP in terms of educational quality, one of our strategic objectives
• To prepare ourselves for the new quality regime, currently under development by TEC
• Because our student success indicators are below our targets, and have slipped again this year

What does refocus mean?

• Putting teaching and learning first
• Applying consistently our current policies and initiatives for quality teaching and learning
• Reprioritising resources, including the roles of some staff
• Ensuring good practices in some Schools becomes good practice in all Schools
• Building a stronger culture in support of quality teaching and learning
• Augmenting our support for teaching and learning

It does NOT mean:

• Big change
• Changing our systems
• Cutting across existing good practice where that is occurring

What does the strategy involve?

Four elements:
1. Enhance leadership of teaching and learning
2. Improve the measurement of our academic performance and act promptly and decisively on the evidence before us
3. Further lift the capability of teachers
4. Require higher levels of accountability

Enhance Leadership of Teaching and Learning

• A Leadership Member with a specific responsibility to champion best practice in teaching and learning
• A new quality improvement team – the ‘eyes and ears’ of best practice within the Polytechnic, and externally

Enhance Leadership of Teaching and Learning

• A team of Principal Lecturers or other top teachers, with time release, to augment EDC to support the development of teaching and learning practice
• A clear responsibility for HOS/HOPs, and Programme Managers to lead improvements in teaching and learning
  • actively lead curriculum improvement
  • observe staff teach

Improve the measurement of our academic performance, and act promptly and decisively on the evidence before us.

• Regular measurement and reporting of key indicators for quality:
  • student withdrawal, retention, completion, success and satisfaction rates
  • student progress towards success
  • staff participation in staff development on teaching and learning
  • staff teaching qualifications
  • uptake of feedback processes

Improve the measurement of our academic performance, and act decisively on the evidence before us

• Listen to students more frequently – focus groups
• I.e. acting on the evidence

Further lift the capability of teachers

• Dedicated staff development days, with an emphasis on teaching and learning- 4 days per year, compulsory participation
• Ensure compliance by teachers with our requirements for student and peer feedback
• Mandate managers to initiate feedback processes where teachers fail to do so, or to demonstrate they have acted on this feedback

Require higher levels of accountability

• Insist on compliance, monitor progress, ensure consequences for non-compliance
• In-depth discussions on the performance of each and every programme
  • i.e. Leadership Team meeting with HOS/HOPs, Programme Managers and staff to review success and quality indicators