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Nick Hammond The Higher Education Academy, York, UK Nick.Hammond@HEAcademy.ac.uk 25 June 2008

Evidence, understanding and practice: the Higher Education Academy's role in supporting institutional change. Nick Hammond The Higher Education Academy, York, UK Nick.Hammond@HEAcademy.ac.uk 25 June 2008. Plan for the talk (overview). Multiple representations for multiple purposes

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Nick Hammond The Higher Education Academy, York, UK Nick.Hammond@HEAcademy.ac.uk 25 June 2008

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  1. Evidence, understanding and practice: the Higher Education Academy's role in supporting institutional change Nick Hammond The Higher Education Academy, York, UK Nick.Hammond@HEAcademy.ac.uk 25 June 2008

  2. Plan for the talk (overview) • Multiple representations for multiple purposes • Framework for research on the student learning experience • HEA and its strategy • Quality assurance and quality enhancement • Evidence-informed policy & practice • Towards a research observatory • Questions & discussion

  3. Plan for the talk (state-transition model) Slide 1 Title Slide 2 oview1 Slide 3 oview2 etc… (If too slow or audience bored) End Impressive slides for planted questions

  4. Plan for the talk (process model) Er… cough and the scope is um… splutter across…

  5. 1st order rep: what I understand him to say 1st order rep: what I want to say to them 2nd order rep: what I think they’re understanding 2nd order rep: what I think he thinks we’re understanding 3rd order rep: what I think they think that I think they understand 3rd order rep: probably too complicated to bother with! Plan for the talk (communication model)

  6. One phenomenon can be modelled in many ways Different models serve different purposes and audiences

  7. Framework for researching the Student learning experience

  8. Political & cultural context National & inst. policy & practice T&L practice Broadening context Student experience Learning environment

  9. World of abstractions & theory Increasing abstraction World of educational design & development(Application representation) World of experience & action

  10. Teaching machine for arithmetic (Skinner, 1954)

  11. Skinner’s teaching machines (1950s) • Based on behaviourist principles of operant conditioning • Materials self-contained & broken into small linear steps • Machine asks question, student provides response • Only proceed to next step (& give reinforcement) when correct • Grounded in large body of prior research • Skinner considered learning only resulted from reinforcement, not from self-evaluation or reflection

  12. Political & cultural context National & inst. policy & practice T&L practice Student experience Learning environment Focuses on a very small part of the learning experience…

  13. World of abstractions & theory World of educational design & development …and a narrow body of theory of questionable generalisability World of experience & action

  14. Notional space of institutional research Taxonomic framework Theories of learning & teaching Abstraction & theory Discipline epistemologies Models of org. mngmt & change Critical / political pedagogy Ed design & development Cultural management Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Inst policies & management …of the learning environment …of teaching & learning Experience & action …of policy , regulations etc …of wider culture Broadening context

  15. Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Discipline epistemologies Models of org. mngmt & change Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Taxonomic framework Grounded/illuminative research …of teaching & learning Experience & action …of the learning environment …of policy etc

  16. Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Discipline epistemologies Models of org. mngmt & change Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Taxonomic framework Evaluation research …of teaching & learning Experience & action …of the learning environment …of policy etc

  17. Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Discipline epistemologies Models of org. mngmt & change Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Taxonomic framework Investigative research …of teaching & learning Experience & action …of the learning environment …of policy etc

  18. Abstraction & theory Theories of learning & teaching Discipline epistemologies Models of org. mngmt & change Ed design & development Principles of T&L practice Curriculum specs, resources etc Policies & management Taxonomic framework Theory-driven research …of teaching & learning Experience & action …of the learning environment …of policy etc

  19. Classification of forms of educational enquiry

  20. Assertions (so far) • One set of phenomena can be represented in many ways: utility depends on forwhom? and for what purpose? • Student learning experience can be conceptualised in terms of individuals & their wider contexts • Levels of abstraction (experience / application representations / theory) provide a basis for taxonomising forms of research • Different research endeavours have different epistemological purposes (theory-facing & application-facing) and audiences

  21. The HE Academy’s mission • To work with the HE sector to providethe best learning experience for students Through services to • individual academics • Staff in subject communities • universities and colleges And responding to interests of our other stakeholders • Students; professional & employer bodies • Sector agencies; governmental bodies

  22. The HE Academy’s aims • Identify, develop and disseminateevidence-informed approaches • Broker and encourage the sharing of effective practice • Support universities and colleges in bringing about strategic change • Inform, influence and interpret policy • Raise the status of teaching

  23. Effective enhancement requires • Enabling infrastructures and resourcing • Alignment with academic values andculture • Coherence across levels • Policy, strategy, practice • Agency, institution, individual • Sound evidence base • for interpreting, understanding, applying, evaluating

  24. Mostly assuranceQAA remit Mostly enhancementHEA remit more External accountability less Defining standards & checking they’re met Ensuring mechanisms for effective improvement toT&L are in place Supportingimprovements to T&L Assurance and enhancement

  25. Top-down [HEA] National agency/body [QAA] more External accountability less Institution [Institution] Department Individual lecturer Bottom-up Assurance and enhancement

  26. The HE Academy’s aims • Identify, develop and disseminateevidence-informed approaches • Broker and encourage the sharing of effective practice • Support universities and colleges in bringing about strategic change • Inform, influence and interpret policy • Raise the status of teaching

  27. World of abstractions & theory } World of educational development Evidence of all sorts… World of experience & action Achieving aim 1:Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches • Gather, synthesise and make available relevant evidence • Promote the use of evidence-informed approaches to enhancing the student learning experience

  28. Evidence Understanding Use Observatoryfunctions Evidence gathering & categorisation Synthesis, integration & contextualising Application, evaluation Reviews, commentaries, key issues, priorities etc Applications to policy & practice, evaluative evidence Providing evidence, quality control etc Sectorengagement The Academy observatory Sphere: “Synthesis & Practice from HE Research Evidence” To make evidence relevant to HE policy & practice

  29. Observatory plans • Developing web infrastructure • Focussing on three areas • Technology-enhanced learning • Employer engagement • Widening participation • Demo and consultation at Academy Conference • Version for comments later in summer • Full launch in autumn • Further linking into Academy (York & Subject Centres) networks and activities Contact: Rachel Segal or Cristina Sin

  30. Achieving aim 1:Identify, develop and disseminate evidence-informed approaches • Gather, synthesise and make available relevant evidence • Promote the use of evidence-informed approaches to enhancing the student learning experience • By Academics, subject communities & institutions • Through more effective access to evidence & syntheses [sphere] • Through working with networks and groups at these three levels • Through the encouragement of policy developments & initiatives

  31. Questions & discussion Why Plutarch? “Research is the act of going up alleys to see if they are blind” “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled”

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