Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning is an important strand of work in Higher Education Policy Branch (HEPB). The Department is committed to ensuring that all HE students benefit from a high quality learning experience fully meeting their needs and the needs of the economy and society.
In a competitive world, attracting and retaining the best students is vital. All higher education institutions need to strive for excellence in teaching to fulfil the expectations of their students and other stakeholders. Where higher education institutions (HEIs) have developed particular strengths, we should celebrate their good practice and promote its sharing with others, and encourage the sector as a whole to strive for excellence.
In order to encourage excellence in the higher education sector the Department has introduced a range of teaching and learning initiatives. HEPB manages a wide range of teaching and learning programmes and initiatives, including:
- Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Northern Ireland)
- National Student Survey
- Teaching Quality Information and Unistats website
- National Teaching Fellowship Scheme
- Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund
- Rewarding and Developing Staff in Higher Education
In order to meet specific needs in Northern Ireland, the Department works with several UK-wide Higher Education organisations, including the Higher Education Academy and the Quality Assurance Agency. The Department is represented at national level on various steering groups, covering all areas of Teaching and Learning.
Supporting the Higher Education sector
The mission of the Higher Education Academy is to help institutions, subject groups and staff to provide the best possible learning experience for their students. We work with the Academy to raise the standing of learning and teaching in higher education. The Department also provides funding to the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Ulster.
Links
http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk 
/
Quality and standards in Higher Education
The Department contracts the Quality Assurance Agency to safeguard public confidence in the standard of higher education qualifications and to encourage continuous improvement in managing the quality of higher education. The Agency works with higher education institutions to define academic standards and quality, and carry out and publish reviews against these standards.
Link
Teaching Quality Information/National Student Survey
Following on from the new quality assurance model for higher education which was introduced in Northern Ireland in Autumn 2002, there has been increasing focus on published information, quality and standards, and also on increased opportunities for student involvement; this led to the introduction of the Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website and the National Student Survey, which first took place in 2005. The TQI website has recently been renamed Unistats.
The main function of the Unistats website is to provide access to the general public in relation to key statistics and reports on the quality of teaching at all HEIs in the UK, giving official detailed quantitative data on students’ entry qualifications, progression, and the completion of awards and subsequent employment; the site is also to contain various qualitative reports provided by the institutions themselves. The main purpose of the National Student Survey is to help inform the choices of future students, alongside other new sources of information about teaching quality. The 2008 National Student Survey data will be available on the Unistats website from mid-September 2008.
Links
http://www.thestudentsurvey.com /
Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The Department funds the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) NI initiative, which rewards excellent teaching practice. There are seven Northern Ireland Centres for Excellence, based in the four NI Higher Education Institutions. Many of the CETLs work in collaboration with other HEIs, further education colleges and non-educational organisations. The NI CETLs are developing a significant presence within their institutions and becoming influential across the HE sector in their pedagogic areas.
Links
Queen’s University
Interprofessional Education: Curriculum and Assessment Development
Creative and Performing Arts
University of Ulster
Dynamic and Multimedia Teaching and Learning
Utilising Institutional E-Learning Services
www.cetl.ulster.ac.uk/elearning
St Mary’s University College
Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing
www.smucb.ac.uk/writingcentre/default.asp
Stranmillis University College
Bridging the Gap: Building the Virtual Classroom
