These acronyms are going to dominate Fundani’s activities this year. The QEP – or Quality Enhancement Project sees the Council on Higher Education (CHE) doing a 180 degree turn from audits to enhancement. Prepare to be enhanced, everyone! This doesn’t involve collecting piles of paper (or it shouldn’t!) – it’s about doing what we do, but doing it better. And here I’m going to break into song – or maybe not…. Let me rather refer to you the classic Johnny Cash singing ‘Do What You Do Do Well’ at the Grand Ol’ Opry – Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVjmYB-YXf0 – and if that doesn’t put you in the mood for the QEP nothing will! And (in case anyone is interested) here is a PowerPoint presentation that I did on the QEP for the Curriculum Officers. From QA to QE_5 Feb 2014
WHAT’s the link between QEP and TDG?
The summary below should help to clarify this!
Summary Report: CHE/CHEC National Symposium on Managing the Teaching Development Grants
Pavilion Conference Centre, Waterfront 8 April 2014
Key learnings from the UK Experience
Presentation and end-of-symposium summary by Prof David Gosling, Bristol University
Very large grants were given to universities in the UK to support teaching and learning, in particular employability/entrepreneurship development, educational technology, widening access (including disability issues), innovation, National Teaching Fellows and Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). Key learnings from the UK experience are that personal capacity development is possible, and ‘pockets’ of good practice emerge as a result of this, but it is not easy to change a university (let alone the whole HE system) – despite the large amounts of money involved, results were ‘modest’. Gosling feels that the ‘fatal flaw’ was the absence of a coherent theory of change (see e.g., Fullan & Scott 2009) and the commensurate assumption that project-based resources would have a systemic and sustainable impact. He referred to the concepts of ‘enclaves, bridgeheads and embedded practice’ as developed by Saunders et al. (2001). What Gosling feels is necessary to change teaching and learning at universities is: 1) understanding the university culture/sub-cultures; 3) understanding the students’ needs (e.g., many 21st C students are audio-visual learners who experience difficulties with written texts), 3) Ensure appropriate leaders with both disciplinary and educational expertise (or ensure there is a team with the necessary expertise to support the project leaders); 4) address the barriers (and avoiding ‘preaching to the converted’), 5) Provide formative feedback/evaluation (preferably external) – and be able to make changes, 6) institutional communication and dissemination is essential; 7) align with strategic direction (and make sure all policies and strategies are ‘joined-up’), and 8) plan for sustainability and transferability (for this project management skills are required). In his end-of-symposium response, Prof Gosling made the point that many projects do not make a strategy – that the strategy should be identified – and projects around it should be supported.
The Quality Enhancement Project (QEP)
Presentation by Diane Grayson (Director: Audits, CHE)
Diane Grayson gave a brief overview of the QEP and its aims. With regard to Phase 1, she emphasised the need for the reports to avoid superficial description and foreground the principles (derived from educational knowledge and research) on which the success claims are based, as well as to use theoretical tools to reflect on why some intervention might not have been successful. In the group discussions (see below) Prof Grayson referred to Meyer et al. (2010) on ‘threshold concepts’ as an important guiding theory for successful interventions. (The term is used by Meyer et al. to describe ‘core concepts that once understood, transform perception of a given subject’. In this regard, the Physics TDG project would be important to include the reports, as it identified ‘threshold concepts’ and developed materials to support students’ conceptual development). She also referred to the importance of drawing on or referring to well-researched and established good AD practice (e.g., the inclusion of ‘space’ for academic literacy development and its ‘mainstreaming’ into programmes; working at coherent programme levels, rather than ‘piecemeal’ interventions, the key issue of assessment for enhancing learning, etc.) In the group discussion she was very critical of those who were working in teaching and learning, but were ignorant of the body of AD knowledge in South Africa, which is respected globally, but often ignored by teaching staff in our own institutions.
With regard to synergy between the QEP and the TDG, Prof Grayson pointed out that QEP focus is on enhancing the core function of teaching and learning and thus the QEP resonates strongly with the TDG priority programmes for the 2014 to 2016 academic years and which would be the focus of QEP enhancement activities.
‘It’s not about the money’
Presentation by Jeff Jawitz (UCT)
A/Prof Jawitz provided reflections on 1) the difficulties of spending TDGs on the allowable items[1]; 2) the need for more time than the funding cycles allow, and 3) the difficulties of working with ‘targets’ and ‘indicators’ that are not aligned to educational theory or research findings (e.g., the assumed link between enhanced teaching practice and improved graduate results). Four universities presented on large group teaching approaches: 1) use of tutorials UJ; 2) writing tutors at UWC; 3) videos and workbooks in Accountancy at UCT; and 4) videos and workbooks in Law at UFH. The projects were interesting, but I felt that CPUT is way ahead in terms of innovative teaching (e.g., pod-casting, screen-casting, flipped classroom, use of social media, etc.).
Group discussions
Symposium participants were grouped to discuss issues emerging from the presentations. Dr Lorraine Hassan and I were fortunate to have Diane Grayson, Nan Yeld and Mandisa Cakwe in our group – and their responses were extremely useful and insightful to us in going forward with the next round of TDG funding (The main points are captured above and below).
The QEP, the TDG (and other earmarked funds)
Nan Yeld (DHET, Directorate Teaching and Learning)
The (long term) QEP and TDGs have similar end goals, i.e., to widen access and to enhance teaching and learning for the purpose of increasing the number and the quality of graduates, but they are not the same. The purpose of the TDGs is to resource and ‘steer’ the HE system through earmarked funding to improve teaching and learning in particular. There are other earmarked funds for infrastructural development, ICT development, Extended Curricula, etc. Phase 1 of the QEP intends to take a ‘snapshot’ of current practices with regard to teaching and learning, learning spaces and the provision of access. The TDG is particularly intended to support and incentivise innovation – e.g., the tutor funds should be used innovatively rather than to support the tutor programme, which should be the institution’s responsibility. Prof Yeld did concede that what was innovative at one institution might be ‘business-as-usual’ at another – thus the line between ‘innovative’ and ‘everyday’ is not a clear one. The process of ‘mainstreaming’ innovation is a developmental one, and should be given due consideration.
The QEP and the TDG have another similarity, in that they both have the intention of building capacity and expertise in teaching and learning through collaboration – through disciplinary experts and T&L experts working together. According to Prof Yeld, the biggest challenge is the shortage of T&L capacity, and the renewal of the AD sector. The DHET is providing the resources for this, while the CHE will play a facilitating role.
The CHE and the DHET T&L directorate work closely – Prof Yeld is on the CHE’s QEP Steering Committee and Diane Grayson is part of the team evaluating the TDGs and the National Collaborative TDGs. Two National Collaborative TDG proposals were singled out by Prof Yeld and Diane Grayson as excellent: a TDG on Teaching Fellowships (clearly influenced by the UK experience!) and A/Prof James Garraway’s proposal: ‘Enhancing the scholarship of teaching and learning in Teaching Development Grant activities’.
Closing remarks – criteria for judging the TDGs
Prof Ian Scott drew the proceedings to a close, with a proposal for criteria for judging the TDG proposals (or ‘desirable characteristics’ of TDG projects). The following broad principles were supported:
1) TDG projects should be informed by the scholarship of teaching and learning, in particular by systematic educational knowledge and research;
2) TDG projects should be informed by nationally driven, strategically important topics;
3) TDG project should ensure accountability and professionalism through collaborations with disciplinary and teaching and learning experts, external peer-review and appropriate management structures.
In conclusion, what was most useful about the symposium was the ‘higher level’ of discussion; there were higher education experts talking to other higher education experts – being critically reflective, but sharing a common vision on the enhancement of teaching and learning for student success.
References
Abbas, A. and McLean, M.(2003). Communicative Competence and the Improvement of University Teaching: Insights from the field. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24 (1): 62-84.
Fullan, M. & Scott, (2009). Turnaround Leadership for Higher Education. London: Jossey Bass.
Meyer, J.H.F., Land, R. (2005). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 49 (3): 373-388.
Meyer, J.H.F., Land, R. and Baille, C. (Eds) (2010). Threshold concepts and transformational learning. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Saunders, M., Charlier, B. and Bonamy, J. Some concepts and tools for evaluating the effects of complex change projects. Higher Education Academy. Available at: http://www-new1.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/changeacademy/2010/amended_resources/saunders-toolsforevaluatingcomplexchange.pdf
[1] Prof Yeld said that staffing was allowed, provided the institution ensured sustainability and shortfalls. She pointed out the Chair in Higher Education Teaching and Learning at UJ that was part TDG- and part-UJ funded.
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