QAA Scotland’s Enhancement Conference was held in June 2022 with a hybrid format offering the opportunity to attend in person in Glasgow or participate online.
The programme featured a refreshing and versatile mix of live and pre-prepared content
to allow both synchronous and asynchronous engagement. It included a range of speakers and activities relating to our current Enhancement Theme, Resilient Learning Communities, following two main strands:
Day 1 - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Learners have a wide range of characteristics, experience, needs and expectations. How do we support our diverse learning communities in 2022 and beyond, ensuring that individual learners have equity of opportunity and that all learning environments are inclusive?
Day 2 - Flexible and Accessible Learning
Flexible and accessible approaches to learning and teaching, as well as flexible pathways into and through higher education are more important than ever recognising individual learner journeys across students lifetimes. The pandemic has accelerated changes across the sector faster than ever before. What changes are here to stay and what can be improved?
RESOURCES AND RECORDINGS
Resources and session recordings from the conference keynote presentations and plenary sessions are available to view.
- Session 1a - Student experiences of loneliness and social isolation during Covid
Linnea Wallen and Mhairi Scally-Robertson - Queen Margaret University - Session 1b - Student success officers and a personalised approach to success
Lee Hutchison, Jan Law and Noelle McAra - Abertay University - Session 2a - Building Community and Developing a Sense of Belonging through PhD internships
Nichola Kett, Yuemiao Ma and Bradley Sharples - University of Edinburgh - Session 2b - A student-led exploration of the effects of online and hybrid learning on the student experience
Dr Paula Miles - University of St Andrews Enhancement Theme Lead | Nicole Cizauskas and Hitanshi Badani - University of St Andrews - Session 3a - Foundations for All: Lessons learned from a pilot designed to bridge access to higher education for refugee students in Uganda
Dr Michael Gallagher - University of Edinburgh | Sandra Nanyunja - Refugee Law Project - Session 3b - Sanctuary St Andrews: Journey to becoming a University of Sanctuary and supporting the growth of a diverse scholarly community
Harriet Sheridan - University of St Andrews - Session 5 - The Anti-Racist Curriculum Project: continuing the conversation and making the change
Chair: Khadija Mohammed - University of the West of Scotland | Professor Nazira Karodia - Edinburgh Napier University | Patrycja Mitrut - sparqs | Dr Saima Salehjee - University of Strathclyde | Katerina Vilemova - University of Aberdeen - Session 6a
- Facilitating widening access students’ transition into postgraduate studies
Dr Manuela Williams and Nicola Sutherland - University of Strathclyde - Session 6b - Learning from the impact of individual identities on staff’s experiences during Covid-19: Moving toward ethically implementing new styles of working
Dr Sam Illingworth - Edinburgh Napier University - Session 7 - Evaluation Made Much Easier?
Professor Stella Jones-Devitt - Staffordshire University and Director of SCoLPP (Staffordshire Centre of Learning and Pedagogic Practice) | Dr Liz Austen - Sheffield Hallam University and Visiting Professor at Staffordshire University - Session 8
- Supporting student reps to engage with issues of equity
Megan Brown - sparqs | Ondrej Kucerak - Aberdeen University Students’ Association and Student Enhancement Theme Lead - Session 9 - Resilient Academic Leadership: A Kaleidoscope of Metaphors
Dr Alison Nimmo - Glasgow Caledonian University | Professor Fiona Smart - Edinburgh Napier University and the University of the West of England - Session 10b - A Scotland wide approach to student mental health
Katie Gilbert - National Union of Students (NUS) - Session 11a - Supporting the resilience of Advanced Entry students as they transition to and through university
Dr Heather Branigan and Dr Jacqui Hutchison - University of Aberdeen - Session 11b - Harnessing learner engagement analytics to improve student support and enhance online-enabled learning and teaching
Scott Connor - University of the Highlands and Islands - Session 13
- Reflections on Decolonising the Curriculum in the Time of Pandemic
Jasmine Millington and Professor Catriona Cunningham - Edinburgh Napier University - Session 14b
- Male students in Higher Education: addressing the disparities in outcomes
Dr Liam Waldron - Robert Gordon University - Session 15
- What does 'resilience' mean for PGT Learning Communities?
Dr Donna Murray and Dr Gale MacLeod - University of Edinburgh | Ms Julie Brooks - University of St Andrews
- Welcome and looking forward to Year 3 of Resilient Learning Communities and 20 years of Enhancement Themes
Caroline Turnbull, - QAA Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland | Debra Macfarlane - QAA Scotland - Resilient Learning Communities – Flexible and Accessible Learning
Professor Ruth Taylor - University of Aberdeen and Deputy Theme Leader - Keynote - Successful Flexible, Accessible Pathways: Making this Work
Professor Ruth Whittaker - University of Brighton and Chair of The Enhancement Theme RPL Framework for Scotland Review Group - Session 1a - Promoting student resilience through the curriculum via an online micro-credential course
Dr Ceri Trevethan and Dr Heather Branigan - University of Aberdeen - Session 1b - Student-Led Project 2021-22: Promoting the Equity of the Student Learning Experience
Megan Brown - sparqs | Ondrej Kucerak - Aberdeen University Students’ Association and Student Enhancement Theme Lead - Session 3 - Widening Access that Works – Building Capacity and Connections with the practitioner, evaluation and research communities to evidence impact
Muriel Alexander - University of Stirling | Kenny Anderson - SWAP West - Session 4 - Removing disabling barriers in Education
Naomi Waite and Ellis Moffat - Inclusion Scotland | Rebecca Scarlett - Lead Scotland - Session 5 - Exploring the potential of micro-credentials and digital badging for tertiary education, widening access and employers
Dr Anne Tierney - Heriot-Watt University - Session 5 - Exploring the potential of micro-credentials and digital badging for tertiary education, widening access and employers
Kerry Heathcote - Edinburgh College - Session 6a - Strengthening our Global Learning Community: Resilience in Action
Dr Anne Tierney and Assistant Professor Dr Rob Daley - Heriot Watt University - Session 6b - Student Resilience in HE: A Strathclyde Toolkit to Support Resilience Development
Professor Debbie Willison and Dr Rosanne English - University of Strathclyde - Session 8 - Harnessing the power of curriculum design: Journeys of change to support diverse hybrid student communities as we emerge from the pandemic
Claire Mackie, Dr Avril Edmond, Dr Alison Gilmour and Helen McLean - University of the West of Scotland - Session 9 - Scottish Tertiary Education Network for micro-credentials
Professor Jonathan Powles - University of the West of Scotland | Dr Ann Cotterill - QAA Scotland - Session 9 - An introduction to the QAA’s micro-credentials Characteristics Statement
Dr Demelza Curnow - QAA - Session 10 - Diagnostics and a Personalised Approach to Building Foundations for Student Success
Dr Luke Millard - Abertay University | Maggie Gibson - Birmingham City University - Session 11a - Resilient future mathematics education for students on technical degree programmes
Dr Chris Guiver, Dr Kate Durkacz and Dr Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki - Edinburgh Napier University - Session 11b - Group Coaching, Action Learning Sets and Developing Resilience
Jamie Mackay and Ken Davidson - Royal Conservatoire Scotland - Session 12 - Creativity, Collaboration and Confident Change: A Manifesto for Programme Leadership
Professor Martha Caddell - Heriot-Watt University | Dr Kim Wilder-Davis - University of Glasgow | Dr Christine Haddow - Edinburgh Napier University | Dr Julie Blackwell-Young - Abertay University - Session 13 - Developing a Tertiary Quality Framework, what do we need to know?
Simon Hewitt - Dundee and Angus College | Kathryn O’Loan - Scottish Funding Council | Professor Clare Peddie - University of St. Andrews and Enhancement Theme Leader - Session 14 - Addressing the digital divide: International approaches to digital inclusion and accessibility
Amy Eberlin - QAA Scotland - Session 15 - Work experience deserves credit: RPL processes in practice
Marty Wright - Glasgow Caledonian University | Alen MacKinlay - Glasgow Caledonian University | Shariq Sheik - Glasgow Caledonian University - Closing Keynote - Reflections on Resilience and Moving Forward
Dr Delroy Hall - Delwes Consultancy Ltd
Watch Day 1 recordings
Watch Day 2 recordings
keynotes and contributors
keynotes
DR AMANULLAH DE SONDY
Head of the Study of Religions Department and Chair of the Race Equality Forum, University of Cork
PROFESSOR RUTH WHITTAKER
Pro-Vice Chancellor Education and Students, University of Brighton
DR DELROY HALL
Delwes Consultancy
Contributors
PROFESSOR CLARE PEDDIE
Vice-Principal Education, Enhancement Theme Lead for the Resilient Learning Communities University of St Andrews
DR OMOLABAKE FAKUNLE
Chancellor’s Fellow, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh
SIR PAUL GRICE
Principal and Vice Chancellor, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh
ONDREJ KUCERAK
Vice President for Education, Aberdeen University Students’ Association
JOANNA CAMPBELL
Principal and Chief Executive, Dumfries and Galloway College
JAMES DUNPHY
Director of Access, Learning and Outcomes at the Scottish Funding Council
PROFESSOR ALASTAIR ROBERTSON
Chair of SHEEC and Pro Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Glasgow Caledonian University
PROFESSOR RUTH TAYLOR
Vice-Principal Education, University of Aberdeen