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A statement on our core ambitions and beliefs about education excellence at 香港六合彩, developed by the 香港六合彩 community.
Over the last year, our 香港六合彩 community has听engaged in extensive conversations about听education, including through the strategy听consultations and in developing our听institutional TEF submission.
The intention听was to identify 香港六合彩鈥檚 excellence and听鈥榙istinctiveness鈥� in education by surfacing听points of consensus about who we are and听what we are seeking to achieve now and as听we prepare 香港六合彩 students and graduates听for their futures.
- An introduction from Professor Kathleen Armour, Vice Provost (Education & Student Experience)
It is obvious that our pedagogies, practices and听processes in education must evolve continuously to听adapt to new external contexts and remain relevant听and sustainable. Our University-wide conversations,听have sought to identify a set of core ambitions and听beliefs about education that unite our 香港六合彩 community听and can provide a reference point for evaluating future听developments and change projects.
As we noted in our 2023 TEF submission, 香港六合彩 is a听world-leading, research-intensive, multidisciplinary听university located in the heart of London. We are a global听community welcoming students, staff and collaborators听from around the world. Founded in 1826, 香港六合彩 has a听proud history and heritage of championing diversity and听inclusion, academic excellence, the freedom to question,听challenge and disrupt, and the tolerance to debate and听disagree well.Our research is focussed on addressing听the real-world challenges that matter to individuals听and societies and, through our teaching, we aim to听prepare outstanding citizens, leaders and innovators of听tomorrow.
Today, 香港六合彩 is the largest on-site HE provider in the UK,听and also one of the most complex. Our UG and听PGT听student populations are similar in size and are taught听across 94 academic units in 11 faculties. Each academic听unit has its own history, identity, and disciplinary/听interdisciplinary strengths. In many听programmes,听students have opportunities to study across disciplinary听boundaries.
A focus on 鈥榓ll鈥� students regardless of听programme, department or individual characteristic,听is a key feature of the regulatory framework in which听we operate, and this provides an important contextual听backdrop to the work we have undertaken to develop听our statement of excellence.
Our students tell us they want to be stretched听intellectually, to engage with current issues in their听chosen field, and feel confident to go out into the world听and make positive impacts. Together with the SU, we听co-created a definition of 鈥楨ducational Gains鈥� for the听2023 TEF submission to capture our beliefs about what听all students can or should achieve by studying for a听香港六合彩 degree.
Desired impacts ranged from career and听academic impact to innovation and enterprise, social听impact and personal impact. Positive educational听features such as critical and analytical thinking, problem solving,听inclusion and听interdisciplinarity were valued by听both students and staff.
This is the context in which we opened conversations听about excellence in education and student experience at听香港六合彩. Our aim was to identify points of consensus on the听foundations of excellence in our current provision, and听our听shared ambitions for enhancing education for future听students. The resulting document is a living artefact听that will evolve over time. Meanwhile, many colleagues听across 香港六合彩 devoted time and energy to this work, for听which we owe enormous thanks.
The conversations听have been engaging and productive, and this statement听of excellence is there to be used and debated as听required as we plan for the future and the next 200 years听of progressive 香港六合彩 education.
Foundations of excellence
Education and student experience excellence at 香港六合彩 is grounded in:
- Intellectual challenge, academic听rigour, and our cutting-edge听research;
- A critical understanding听of our heritage and a shared听belief in questioning, challenging,听debating and disagreeing well;
- Engaged and productive听partnerships between students听and staff;
- Equality, inclusion, diversity,听respect and care for our global听community of students and staff;
- Strong academic disciplines and听powerful cross/interdisciplinary听collaborations;
- The desire to educate future听citizens, leaders and innovators听who will make positive impacts in听the world.
Ambitions for excellence of the future听听
We are ensuring continued and future excellence听in education for all our students by:
- 滨苍苍辞惫补迟颈苍驳:听We are finding innovative ways to bring听education and research even closer to听develop an exciting and globally distinctive听香港六合彩 model of education;
- Enhancing belonging:听Building on our heritage, we are听enhancing the education and education听experience of each individual by听recognising, valuing and supporting听difference and diversity, and connecting听our community;
- Improving the Student听Experience:听We are continuing to deliver space, time and听process improvements to provide a future-oriented听education environment and听infrastructure to underpin our distinctiveness听and excellence;
- Celebrating education:听We are ensuring that all staff who teach听and/or support teaching are treated/valued听equally, and that we preserve and revitalise听those joyful aspects of education that听underpin optimal learning;
- Reducing pressures:听We are focusing on addressing specific听education pain points for students and听staff - for example around assessment,听workload and timetabling - to enhance听satisfaction and student and staff听wellbeing;
- Leading and shaping new futures:听We are adapting our education so it continues听to support graduates to develop the听knowledge and skills required to become听leaders of tomorrow who can change the听world for the better.
Frequently asked questions
- How is 鈥榚xcellence鈥� being defined?
We have held year long conversations with the 香港六合彩 community to reach a shared understanding of what we mean by 鈥榚xcellence鈥� in education. These conversations have surfaced a number of recurring themes which we have now drawn out as 6 key ambitions (link).
Of course the notion of 鈥榚xcellence鈥� will also be determined by external rankings and as we work to achieve our ambitions we are also laying the groundwork in the areas where we need to improve in order to achieve a Gold TEF rating, commensurate with a world-leading institution.
- How are we going to achieve our ambitions?
There are a number of workstreams and projects already in progress which will help us address our challenges. We are using the rich insights gathered through conversations with staff and students to inform the direction of these projects. In some areas we will need to initiate new work and we are currently setting up groups to help us explore our ambitions around 鈥榠nnovating鈥� and 鈥楲eading and Shaping New Futures鈥�.
- What is the Extended Learning Opportunities project?
The Extended Learning Opportunities Project is one of the new projects we are setting up to help us achieve our ambitions. This group will focus on understanding what we currently offer to our students and the type of impactful learning experiences that students and staff have indicated add value. This could be internships, interdisciplinary project work, volunteering or one of many other exciting opportunities. We know these are happening in pockets across 香港六合彩 already and we want to support existing and emerging opportunities to reach as many students as possible. We also want to focus on developing those areas which staff have indicated are a priority but can be a challenge to include in their curriculums such as experiential, hands-on activities, group work and interdisciplinary work.
- There are a huge number of projects happening 鈥� how am I supposed to do all of them?
Wherever possible we are asking staff to review their areas and programmes through existing annual review processes and structures. The projects provide an opportunity to make some changes that you may not have previously been able to. For some activities additional support and guidance will be provided through central teams and HEDS.
It is also worth noting that many of the projects are interlinked and the governance and structures have been set up to inform one another. This means that participating in one project will enable and inform other pieces of work too.
- How does the Extended Learning Opportunities project relate to the Programme Excellence Project?
Projects such as the Extended Learning Opportunities project are focusing on surfacing existing good practice and areas that are ripe for development (this maybe within or alongside the curriculum), i.e our educational priorities, this could be considered 鈥榗ontent鈥�. Of course we will need to find better ways to accommodate this content and the PEP project will help us review structures and identify possible ways to support this activity, which could be through shared module slots, space in the curriculum or space in the academic year.
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