Education and Student Experience

Personal Academic Tutors and Feedback

• Revised Personal Academic Tutor policy – handbook and guidance to staff & students; associated training delivered by each Associate Dean, Student Experience in Faculties
• Introduction of university wide feedback weeks – Student Feedback Trackers

Our Student Experience

• Investment in Student Experience Leaders – work on targeted activity to support key areas of School and Faculty work
• Enhancement Funding to support improvements to student satisfaction & graduate employability, organising, taking students on range of trips, employability activities/events

Five strategic action plans as part of new working groups:

• Retention
• Employability
• Teaching & Curriculum
• EDI Student Success
• Student Experience & Student Voice

The key performance indicators of the Education and Student Experience Strategy are four out of the five University Super KPIs, in addition to a range of intermediary measures detailed in the EdSE Working Group strategic action plans. These action plans can be accessed via the Strategic Planning SharePoint site. (include hyperlink: Supporting Strategies (sharepoint.com)

See the Super KPIs progress page for full details. (hyperlink: Super KPI's | University of Bedfordshire (beds.ac.uk))

Following confirmation by the OfS in July 2022 of their approach to assessing student outcomes in Condition 3 and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), two Super KPIs – Continuation and Graduate Outcomes – have been updated to align them with the OfS approach.

Our recent NSS and Graduate Outcomes results demonstrate positive progress. NSS performance has improved across all question areas compared to 2021 and five of the NSS question areas scored in the top two quartiles out of all HEIs, exceeding the target of four for the year 2022. Our Graduate Outcomes KPI now reflects the OfS indicator for Progression and although this signals a slight decrease in Full Time First Degree leavers from 18/19 to 19/20, our performance is considerably above OfS threshold and above the OfS benchmark on which our target is based.

Based on the OfS split indicator for Continuation for Full-time, First Degree new entrants (all domiciles) in 2019/20, UoB has experienced a slight fall in performance of -2.1 percentage points compared to 2018/19 and is below the OfS threshold. The four-year aggregate for Full-time, First Degree continuation (all domiciles) for new entrants is also below the OfS threshold, all other modes and levels are above the threshold for the four-year aggregate Continuation indicators.

Attainment Gap data, based on specific APP target groups, will be available in January 2023.

• Ambitions arising from the Curriculum Change Programme have been embedded in course enhancement plans within the strategic action planning process. Course and School level plans have been completed and staff are finalising their Faculty Development Plans.
  
  
• A Course Organisation and Management checklist implemented September 2022, builds on the ‘back to basics’ guidance of UBBS in the AY2021/22, to support a consistent provision across all subject areas. This checklist demonstrates how core learning and teaching activities can support in raising student satisfaction aligned to each area of the NSS.
  
  
• The Academy for Learning and Teaching Excellence officially launched in September with the Learning and Teaching Excellence Conference attended by over 120 staff. Visit the Academy website to find academic development guides and events alongside details of the teams and initiatives within the Academy. The new PG Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education has now also launched with an initial cohort of 19 students.
  
  
• The Teaching and Curriculum Working Group has initiated three new workstreams for AY2022/23: developing our approach to blended learning and digital pedagogies, a review of the curriculum framework (Cre8) and an Assessment Journey Project to develop policies and practices in parallel with the Registry Assessment Project to review processes and regulations. A launch event for the Assessment Journey Project will be held by 2023 to scope the remit of work.

Aim for AY2022/23: continue to embed best practices in learning and teaching and provide appropriate support for academic staff to take this forward. This work will impact on all four Super KPIs.

• Working closely with Beds SU, recruitment of Student Experience Leaders is underway. Student Experience Leaders will play a key role in amplifying the student voice and will also undertake projects targeted to APP and NSS priorities.
  
  
• We have reviewed and refined the support for academic skills development through provision of the StudyHub, Academic Skills Training Unit (formerly Communication Skills) and the Studiosity writing feedback service. Studiosity was well received by students when piloted in AY2021/22, the writing feedback service was accessed by 2,568 individual students and gave a rating of 99.9% satisfied.
  
  
• In semester one we have opened a new Social Learning Space and revitalised Bedford Campus Library to facilitate learning and building a sense of belonging. A range of events have been planned to support positive wellbeing and bring people together in these , for example celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Bedford Campus Library, SASS Changemaker guest talks and LGBTQ+ Student Inclusivity Network Group meetings.
  
  
• The Student Experience and Student Voice Working Group has oversight of the provision of sports, events and social opportunities, ensuring that there is a variety to suit our make-up of students. The Belong@Beds pilot is expanding from the HSS Faculty to the wider University and dedicated budget has been allocated in faculties to continue with student enhancement activities introduced in January 2022.

Aim for AY2022/23: through increased support, engagement and belonging we anticipate a positive impact on our continuation data. We are aiming to have a nominated student representative for over 90% of courses and a Student Experience Leader project running within each faculty.

• The University approach to ‘Welcome’ was expanded to consider the entire student journey and the multiple transitions students will experience as they progress between years of study and beyond university. ‘Begin, Thrive, Succeed’ launched in September with a range of events to help students settle into university life and learn about the services and opportunities available to them. The new Student Journey survey opened in October and will provide insight into new students’ first impressions and their expectations.
  
  
• With refreshed staff and student resources, two new systems launched this year to enhance Personal Academic Tutoring – the PAT e:Vision task and StREAM for HSS. These systems will allow us to monitor students’ engagement with PAT and also streamline the process for tutors to raise a referral to internal support services. HSS are further using the StREAM system to monitor other aspects of academic engagement, to enable early intervention for students that are facing challenges or barriers to success.
  
  
• The Mental Health Charter project group has been working on the self-assessment aspect of our submission, with sub-groups focusing on each of the four domains: learn, support, work and live. An action plan has been implemented for AY2022/23 to address priority areas and we will make our submission for accreditation at the end of this academic year. Positive actions have already been implemented including embedding mental wellbeing through the Curriculum Change Programme and mental health training opportunities via the People Development Team, such as Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Skills for Managers.

Aim for AY2022/23: We are aiming to increase satisfaction with registration and the course induction to 80% as identified through the student journey survey. We will also be undertaking an evaluation of PAT, with staff and student consultation on the provision and resources available to support PATs to undertake the role.

• Our Student Success Framework, a commitment of our APP, has been finalised and will be developed as a web resource for use in AY2022/23. From January, we will be working with students to review the support and opportunities offered within the framework to seek input into our approaches moving forwards. These discussions will inform a co-authored Student Futures Manifesto, which will supersede the Success Framework in future.
  
  
• Eight Educational Research Awards have been approved to support staff in undertaking projects aligned to our strategic priorities and KPIs. Topics include inclusivity, personal academic tutoring, employability and continuation and staff will be presenting findings at the LTE Conference 2023.
  
  
• Our priorities within the Employability Working Group seek to enhance graduate success. A core aspect of this is embedding three aspects of employability throughout the curriculum across all courses and all levels: work-based or work-related learning, graduate competencies and career readiness/ advancement.
  
  
• In addition, the Careers and Employability Service continue to review and adapt activities so they are tailored to our student and graduate needs. This includes expanding the accessibility of support online, working with faculties to run engaging masterclasses and employability fairs and implementing the Graduate Advancement Programme once again.

Aim for AY2022/23: Primarily, to embed the Curriculum Change Programme across all courses and increase student engagement and satisfaction with support and opportunities offered by the Careers and Employability Service.

• Within the Curriculum Change Programme, course approval and periodic review processes will seek to advance education for sustainability. Each course has been tasked to focus on one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and actively engage students in real-world challenges, working collaboratively with the community, employers and researchers.
  
  
• The Sustainability Forum brings together internal and external stakeholders to focus on key sustainability challenges, with events publicised on the in.beds and Academy events calendars.
  
  
• Staff can undertake online Environmental Awareness training via the Olas system and access guidance relevant to teaching and learning through the Academy website.

Aim for AY2022/23: Embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals within the curriculum.