LONDONS GLOBAL UNIVERSITY

Institutional Learning and Teaching Strategy

2010-15
Vision
1 UCL seeks to:
! Provide a research-led and student-centred learning experience to students from across the world in a
context of innovation, dynamism and inclusivity;
! Locate teaching and learning at the heart of the institutions reputation for international excellence;
! Embody the principles of its education for global citizenship agenda across the full range of its
teaching activity;
! Be recognised as a global leader in higher education provision and policy.
Purpose
2 The UCL Learning and Teaching Strategy (ILTS) provides the strategic framework for development of
teaching and learning at UCL. It articulates UCLs aspirations for the direction of its teaching and
learning activities, and provides a framework within which Faculty and Departmental strategies can be
developed.
3 The UCL ILTS covers the provision of teaching and supervision at all levels, both undergraduate and
postgraduate.
Background
4 UCL first produced a formal institutional Learning and Teaching Strategy in 2000 in response to
HEFCE requirements. Subsequent iterations were produced in 2002 and 2005.
5 This fourth institutional Learning and Teaching Strategy sets out UCLs agenda for teaching and
learning over the period 2010-15. It sets out an ambitious trajectory for the development of teaching
and learning activities at UCL, drawing, where appropriate, from current national and international
discussions about the future of tertiary education and developments in methodologies. The direction
of this strategy document has also been informed by the trends identified by the 2007-8 review of
departmental teaching and learning strategies and by decisions taken by Academic Board and
Academic Committee in the 2009-10 session.
Relationship to other strategies and to legislation
6 The UCL ILTS is one of a number of high-level strategies which underpin the UCL Corporate Plan. In
all of its strategies, UCL underlines its commitment to inclusivity and diversity and maintains a coherent
strategic approach to the delivery of all its activities.
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7 The ILTS is developed with regard to the legislative framework on equal opportunities and widening
access and participation, and reflects the areas of national priority as set out in HEFCEs Mission
Statement:
! Enhancing excellence in learning and teaching;
! Widening participation and fair access;
! Employer engagement and skills;
! Enhancing the contribution of HE to the economy and society.
Social and political context
8 Government assigns a pivotal socio-economic role to higher education. Universities are providers of
life chances for individuals
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and the 2006 Leitch Review of Skills recommended a target of 40% of all
adults in England gaining university qualifications by 2020. In support of this target and in the interests
of the economy more generally, institutions are being encouraged to develop a broader range of
course models and routes through university.
9 The UK postgraduate sector is regarded as a significant asset to the country by government; there is
therefore likely to be continued encouragement to develop activity in this area, particularly with a view
to ensuring that the most prestigious UK universities remain internationally competitive.
10 In the context of governments understanding of the key role of universities in underpinning the UKs
knowledge economy, UCL anticipates that HEFCE will continue to invest in strategically important
subjects and in the STEM subjects in particular.
11 There is a national desire to see universities and businesses work increasingly closely to ensure that
the content of programmes meets the needs of employers and of the UK economy.
12 UCL acknowledges that this ILTS will cover a period of constrained public spending, and is therefore
committed to working creatively and innovatively to attract funding in support of its activities, including
teaching, and to deploying funding in ways which directly enhance the UCL student experience.
International context
13 Higher Education is increasingly an international enterprise, and increased investment in HE is
anticipated in all major competitor countries over the period covered by this strategy. The UK
government seeks to enable UK institutions to compete in this context, and is working to develop the
UK HE brand, in particular through PMI2 and the establishment of the International Education
Research Advisory Forum. In parallel, the British Council aims, through its International Higher
Education Strategy (2010), to provide world-leading market intelligence, a framework for the
development of innovative knowledge economy partnerships, a network of global policy dialogues, and
advice on global student mobility.
14 UCL has increasingly sought to amplify and extend its presence internationally, through institutional
and departmental partnerships with institutions overseas, and through the establishment of overseas
campuses to develop innovative approaches to teaching and research provision in the context of our
overall strategic mission.
15 UCLs International Strategy provides the framework through which the university will strengthen and
sustain its global position. In the context of teaching and learning activity, UCL will extend, develop and
promote its approach to the student experience through its education for global citizenship agenda,
which emphasises international mobility and intercultural communication.
16 UCLs Research Strategy sets out the four Grand Challenges which articulate the strategic direction
for UCLs research ambitions in terms of the universitys contribution to the resolution of major global
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Higher Ambitions: the Future of Universities in a Knowledge Economy (2009)
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issues. The teaching experience at UCL will increasingly reflect this international approach to UCLs
mission and its responsibilities as a global university.
UCL context
17 UCL is a multi-faculty institution offering a wide range of disciplines. UCL students at all levels benefit
from the diversity of the university including through its focus on interdisciplinary and multi-
disciplinary collaboration and from its international research excellence.
18 UCL is also a metropolitan university whose central London location affords access to major scientific
and cultural institutions, key transport hubs and a diverse, urban population. The challenge of living
and studying in the heart of London is an important element of the UCL student experience.
19 In 2007, UCL published its Framework for Education for Global Citizenship at UCL to articulate the
unique characteristics of a UCL education. The ultimate aim of UCLs teaching, learning and other
student provision is to produce graduates who are:
! Critical and creative thinkers;
! Ambitious yet idealistic and committed to ethical behavior;
! Sensitive to cultural difference;
! Prepared to take on leadership roles in the workplace, the home and the community;
! Entrepreneurs who are able and willing to innovate;
! Highly employable, and able to embrace professional mobility.
20 This Learning and Teaching Strategy addresses the needs and characteristics of the UCL student
population and those of the academic and support staff engaged in teaching.
21 In an increasingly international and competitive market for higher education, UCL places teaching and
learning at the heart of its mission and its strategic planning.
Guiding principles informing the strategy
22 The following principles have guided the development of UCLs Learning and Teaching Strategy, and
the proposed activities outlined in the accompanying Implementation Plan:
! A commitment to excellence in teaching and supervision and the highest standards of
academic achievement for students;
! Recognition of the centrality of teaching and learning to UCLs mission as a global
university;
! The primacy of the UCL academic strategy;
! A commitment to identifying, promoting and developing the concept of the UCL degree, in
the context of the Framework for Education for Global Citizenship;
! Acknowledgement of the need to invest in appropriate central support structures which
encourage, foster and invigorate teaching excellence across the institution;
! A fundamental commitment to working with and developing new technologies,
methodologies and approaches to teaching and learning;
! An integrated approach to teaching and learning across the functions of the university,
including the development of physical teaching, learning and social spaces;
! An awareness of ethical, environmental and social issues in teaching and learning;
! Integration with other key UCL strategies and policies;
! An awareness of issues of equality (sex, disability and ethic and socio-economic diversity)
in the learning experience, including the many different learning environments from which
students have come to UCL;
! A commitment to share innovation and best practice globally in teaching and learning
through international partnerships and executive education programmes.
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Aims
23 UCL will develop its teaching and learning activities and support structures to:
! Enhance UCLs position as a world class university by sustaining intellectually rigorous
programmes of study supported by research excellence;
! Consolidate UCLs international reputation through a sustained commitment to innovation,
outstanding pedagogy and a student experience that is recognisably UCL;
! Provide an education for global citizenship through an internationalised curriculum,
opportunities for leadership and social entrepreneurship and an emphasis on global social
responsibility;
! Sustain and enhance quality and academic excellence across the disciplines and across all
forms of teaching and learning support;
! Attract and retain high quality students and researchers from around the world, regardless
of background;
! Be flexible, innovative and at the forefront of developments in the use of new technologies
to support and enhance teaching and learning;
! Invest in and develop innovative and inspiring teaching and learning and social spaces to
support new and flexible modes of learning;
! Enhance the employability of UCL graduates, recognising the networked and global context
of their future employment;
! Sustain and enhance the professional development and status of academic and support
staff engaged in teaching and learning;
! Provide opportunities to students to develop a rounded and engaged view of academia
through volunteering and public engagement;
! Develop and encourage education initiatives and innovations that build income generating
capacity;
! Influence UK Government in policy areas that affect prospective students and the ability of
UCL to offer students the experience they expect and deserve.
UCL Learning and Teaching Strategy
The UCL student experience: Education for Global Citizenship
The UCL Graduate
24 UCL offers an in-the-round student learning experience which produces recognisably UCL
graduates. Through its teaching and the education environment it provides, the university aspires to
foster in its students the knowledge and skills that will prepare them to take on the personal and
professional challenges of their future lives and careers. UCL is committed to extending the education
for global citizenship philosophy which underpins the universitys approach to education. This includes
a commitment to recognising the academic and social value of extra-curricular activity (sustained
participation in student clubs and societies, volunteering, public engagement, entrepreneurial activity,
paid employment and internships) as part of a broad learning experience.
25 The university will continue work to embed the education for global citizenship principles throughout
its teaching provision, including through the delivery of an internationalised curriculum. Departments
and Faculties are strongly encouraged to design modules and programmes which encourage teamwork
and an understanding of leadership models and which enable students to locate their own learning
within a broad, global context. The university will invest in identifying, promoting and disseminating
models of teaching which support these principles, providing students with rigorous training in critical
and creative thinking, the nature of cultural difference and the challenges of international approaches to
knowledge.
26 UCL is committed to fostering an understanding of and capacity for leadership and entrepreneurship in
our students. For undergraduates, the period after examinations has been identified as potentially
providing an opportunity both for short, discipline-specific programmes which offer training in
leadership, entrepreneurship and public engagement, and for activities which prepare students for the
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courses they will follow in their next year of study. A task force will be established to scope potential
approaches to the post-examination period and to develop a model for dissemination to departments
and Faculties. Masters programmes should also seek to develop these skills through taught provision.
27 UCL will seek to exploit opportunities to build social enterprise opportunities into its course provision,
and to support the development of new models for this activity.
28 The university is advantageously located in the heart of London, one of the worlds major capital cities,
housing resources relevant across the discipline spectrum. Departments are encouraged increasingly
to capitalise on this location, developing approaches to teaching which explore the use of non-
traditional venues (including museums, business environments and social settings) and work with non-
traditional audiences (people outside academia, such as local residents, workers, and community
organisations) to stimulate student understanding of the relationship between their studies and the
world they inhabit.
29 Approximately 25% of UCL undergraduates spend at least a term abroad as part of their degree
programme. UCL is committed to increasing the number of students who take up the opportunity to
study abroad during their programme of study and will also work to expand the range and scope of
study placements available at partner universities overseas. UCL will also seek to encourage
departments to explore opportunities for Masters students to spend periods abroad (recognising the
time pressures on such programmes). UCL will promote doctoral modes of study which foster
internationalisation, including study leave abroad; visiting research student programmes and joint
doctoral degrees (where these are commensurate with UCLs International Strategy).
30 From 2012, and to reflect UCLs commitment to educating students for global citizenship, all UK
undergraduate students entering UCL from the UK will be required to offer a modern foreign language
(at the equivalent of a GCSE Grade C or above) on entry, or be willing to take a 0.5 course unit in a
foreign language during their time at UCL. This will ensure that all students leave UCL having had the
opportunity to develop an understanding of the challenges of communicating across languages and
cultures. Students who come to UCL from outside the UK are exempt from the requirement, as UCL
considers that the experience of coming to study in a foreign country represents a substantial lesson in,
and commitment to, the development of intercultural awareness.
31 UCL welcomes the introduction of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), in particular as
a tool which reflects UCLs own understanding of the holistic nature of the student experience. The
UCL HEAR will certify positions of significant responsibility, volunteering activity and periods of study or
work abroad. UCL has been part of the pilot group of universities working on the HEAR in advance of
its introduction from 2012 and will continue to prioritise its refinement after implementation.
32 Pastoral support and skills training for Masters students tends to be focused within departments, and
there is very little centralised support for this group of students. UCL will explore ways of
supplementing and enhancing departmental training and support using central resources.
Graduate employability
33 UCL will encourage approaches to teaching subject matter which reinforce both subject-specific and
generic skills (including the use of new technologies and the ability to engage with a range of public
audiences) and which prepare students for life-long learning and professional development. UCL
acknowledges the challenge of reflecting in its programme provision the need to cater for (a) those
wishing to pursue research, (b) those wishing to use knowledge in a specific environment or
professional context, and (c) those seeking generic skills. UCL recognises the need to help students to
develop skills and literacies to engage with radically new work and cultural environments. UCL is
committed to working with a range of partners, including from the business community, and sets high
store by the need to guarantee the long-term employability of its graduates. We have developed our
education for global citizenship agenda with this goal in mind, and will continue to welcome feedback
from professional bodies and other external partners in the development of the vocational degrees that
we offer. We recognise that Masters programmes in particular typically focus either on research
preparation or on professional development.
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34 UCL's Careers Service provides discipline-specific careers advice to students. Departments are
strongly encouraged to work in partnership with UCL Careers Service to ensure that students receive
timely, appropriate and comprehensive careers advice. Departments should use the personal tutor
system to discuss potential career interests and aspirations with students at regular intervals and to
ensure that students are referred to the UCLs Careers Service for more targeted, personal advice.
Endorsement of the UCL Careers Service by academic staff is vital to its profile amongst students, and
departments should ensure that at least one discipline-specific Careers Service presentation is a
compulsory element of all undergraduate and Masters student timetables in each year of study.
Research degrees lead to many career options beyond academia, and the UCL Graduate School, in
conjunction with doctoral supervisors, should ensure that doctoral students are aware of these
opportunities and prepared for the wide range of careers open to them.
35 Many programmes at UCL are directly linked to the requirements of professional and statutory bodies.
Faculties and Departments offering professionally accredited programmes should maintain close
dialogue with these bodies on matters of curriculum development and quality assurance.
36 UCL will continue its work to establish a single portfolio of key skills, ranging from first year
undergraduate programmes though Masters and other taught postgraduate programmes to the end of
PhD level. Students should be encouraged by personal tutors to plan and record the development of
their key skills using the Key Skills System available through PORTICO, and personal tutorials should
be used to reflect on key skills development. UCL will establish a task force to explore institution-wide
provision for support for skills development for Masters students, and will identify financial mechanisms
to support the generic skills training programme for postgraduate students that is currently supported
by Roberts funding.
37 UCL has a strong but growing number of professional doctorates, and will explore opportunities for
developing new, research-led programmes where there is demand.
Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Innovation
38 In line with the notion of an education for global citizenship which is unique to UCL, departments and
Faculties are strongly encouraged to develop teaching programmes which actively set out to challenge
the orthodoxies in their subject or discipline; to go beyond traditional modes of teaching and course
content with a view to reconceptualising disciplines for the future; and to consider alignment or other
activity across disciplines in ways which exploit UCLs strengths as a multi-faculty institution.
39 Many departments at UCL are already highly innovative in their thinking about the programmes they
offer, and UCL would benefit greatly from greater cross-fertilisation between discipline areas on
teaching-related issues. To facilitate this exchange, and to set the agenda for future innovation, UCL
will establish a Task Force for Innovation in Learning and Teaching. This group will also work with
support services to identify ways of enhancing UCL provision in support of innovation (including CPD
and investment in equipment and infrastructure).
40 UCL wishes to respond to the increasing need for graduates who are able to work across disciplines,
and to bridge traditional divisions between arts and sciences degrees. From 2012, UCL will introduce a
flagship interdisciplinary degree type, the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. It is envisaged that this
degree will eventually provide a model for a substantial proportion of UCLs undergraduate teaching.
Ultimately the university aims to offer prospective students the choice between programmes of content
which involve focused specialism in a single discipline or in two closely aligned disciplines, and
programmes which offer breadth of learning across a range of disciplines.
41 Research-led teaching is central to the UCL experience. This necessarily extends to ensuring that all
students have the opportunity to participate in the construction of new knowledge and to develop their
research skills. Building on established models for taught postgraduate students, UCL will promote
teaching models which enable undergraduate research activity, including for refereed publication as
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appropriate.
42 Building on the considerable range of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching collaborations
across the university, specialist undergraduate and masters level teaching will be increasingly
collaborative. UCL has introduced a common timetable which is intended to support the development
of interdisciplinary working. The potential of technology to facilitate and enhance collaboration between
multidisciplinary communities should be exploited. UCL recognises that doctoral research is
increasingly interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral and seeks to reflect these characteristics in
the doctoral research environment it fosters.
43 As UCL increasingly operates in an international HE context, departments are encouraged to build
teaching links with institutions abroad, including through the sharing of pedagogies and approaches to
course design and delivery, as well as through the exchange of both staff and students. This will also
be facilitated through central UCL investment in international teaching exchanges and Fellowship
opportunities and through the use of technology.
44 A UCL degree should provide students with the skills and experiences necessary to encourage them to
develop as learners well beyond their time at university, including through experience of different
modes of learning (classroom-based; on-line; experiential).
45 Regular personal contact with teaching staff will continue to be fundamental to UCLs approach to
teaching and learning. Nevertheless, it will be important for UCL to harness recent, rapid developments
in online technologies to support programme design and delivery. UCL considers the development of
distance learning provision, particularly in terms of its contribution to capacity-building in developing
countries, at a long-term strategic objective for development. An initial Scoping Group will be
established in the 2010-11 session to look at this area in more detail, focusing in particular on the
scope for CPD Masters provision, and on the areas in which such activity might be focused (e.g. global
health; the environment). Additionally, departments are strongly encouraged to explore the potential of
Web 2.0 and other digital tools for content delivery, assessment and extension work.
46 Minimum standards for the use of Moodle were introduced to UCL in 2010, with all modules required to
have at least a basic Moodle presence. Departments are strongly encouraged to invest in enhancing
their Moodle provision in line with the standards as a priority. Levels of Moodle provision and the
quality of use will be monitored by Academic Committee through the Learning Technology Support
Service (LTSS) [E-Learning Environments (ELE)].
47 UCL acknowledges that students will require support to develop information literacy and to respond to
the challenges presented by the use of online collaborative, social and creative technologies in
teaching. The university will therefore provide support to help students to become effective and
confident online learners.
48 UCL recognises the substantial benefits of experiential learning, particularly where this is gained in
authentic settings (in the workplace and on placements or internships related to a students programme
of study). All departments will be encouraged to consider how best to incorporate an experiential
learning dimension into their teaching and UCL will investigate the infrastructure required to support
such expansion across the university.
49 UCL has an outstanding resource in its Museums and Collections and departments are strongly
encouraged to exploit the potential of object-based learning in their teaching. Departments are also
encouraged to draw on the relationships with audiences, cultural institutions and community groups
provided by the Volunteering Services Unit and Public Engagement Unit.
50 From 2010-11, UCL will introduce a new Teaching Quality Fund to support innovation in teaching and
learning. These earmarked funds will be administered by the Vice-Provost (Academic & International)
with a view to providing a source of seedcorn funding for new developments and interdepartmental
collaborations in teaching.
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Student assessment and feedback
51 All teaching staff are strongly encouraged to use a range of methodologies for the assessment of
students, in particular to reflect the extent to which students have been trained to face the challenges
of the workplace, of interdisciplinary working and of skills development. UCL will provide staff training
and support in the development and use of new assessment methods. UCLs Assessment Strategy
sets out the parameters for this activity.
52 Boards of Examiners will monitor programmes to ensure that departments use an increasingly broad
range of assessment types, reflecting the future challenges for which students are being educated.
UCL will ensure that all of its assessment structures facilitate student progression.
53 UCL acknowledges the challenges inherent in responding to students need for timely and helpful
feedback and has now produced standards for the production and use of feedback. These set out clear
parameters for the provision of feedback, and the expectations that teaching staff have of students in
this regard. Faculty Tutors will work with heads of departments and others, as appropriate, to ensure that
these standards are implemented across the university as a priority.
54 UCL will encourage students to use tools such as Turnitin to facilitate an understanding of the nature
of plagiarism and to provide them with an opportunity to self-police in advance of the submission of
coursework and other assessed material.
Quality and academic excellence
55 Academic Committee is UCLs equivalent of an academic Senate. In 2009-10, UCL reviewed the
processes and terms of reference for Academic Committee, including the sub-committee structures,
with a view to improving transparency and efficiency. The university will now use the outcomes of that
review to streamline and improve the effectiveness of policy-making committees and procedures which
impact upon teaching and learning at UCL.
56 In the context of increasing student mobility within higher education, UCL will promote through its
structures and frameworks a clear understanding of academic equivalence and credit transfer,
including the adoption of ECTS credits across all of its programmes and modules at undergraduate and
Masters levels. UCL does not believe that ECTS or any type of credit system is appropriate for PhD
and project components of other research degree programmes.
57 Robust and transparent Quality Assurance processes are crucial to the success of the UCL Learning
and Teaching Strategy and necessary to demonstrate the innovation and academic rigour of UCL
practice. UCL will maintain a commitment to Quality Assurance processes which are dialogic and
developmental, as well as capable of testing compliance. These processes will be subject to
monitoring and review by the Quality Management and Enhancement Committee and other appropriate
committees, to ensure that they reflect the changing context of teaching and learning, remain fit for
purpose and do not become over bureaucratic. The university is aware of the need for proportionality
and will seek to ensure that the burden of QA processes is not excessive.
58 In line with its ambition to expand the use of technology to support teaching, UCL will introduce a
framework for quality assurance and enhancement of e-learning provision. Departments should include
technology-enhanced learning in the terms of reference of teaching committees, and incorporate it
explicitly in their learning and teaching strategies.
Recruitment and Retention of students
59 UCL will seek to admit the best candidates, regardless of their background. UCLs HEFCE-funded,
taught student numbers will be maintained within contract range. UCL will seek to develop programmes
and routes into the university which are appropriate to its market and to its expertise as an
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internationally-renowned multi-faculty institution.
60 UCL intends to increase the proportion of postgraduate students to undergraduate students and also to
increase the numbers of international students. These changes will take place incrementally, but will
influence the delivery of teaching and learning. UCL will increase its numbers of research degree
students and will work in partnership with employers and national and international agencies in
support of these students.
61 Within those numbers, UCL will work to increase the number of students from non-traditional or
widening participation backgrounds, in line with the 2008 UCL Widening Participation Strategy. Its
Bursary and Scholarship Strategies will seek to target financial support at students from non-traditional
or widening participation backgrounds, in line with UCLs Access Agreement commitments. UCL will
target investment at discipline areas where there is significant under-representation from low
participation groups, with the aim of achieving greater balance in the student population in these
disciplines.
62 In part to facilitate transition to UCL, course content, particularly in the first year of undergraduate
study, should be developed with an eye to school curricula. UCL will have an exciting and unique
opportunity to contribute to and learn from developmental work around the secondary school
curriculum in partnership with the UCL Academy school, which opens in Swiss Cottage in 2012.
63 UCL recognises that students will have an increasingly varied prior educational experience. The
retention rate for UCL is high, but, to enable students successfully to follow its academically rigorous
programmes, UCL will continue to sustain and develop its Transitions Programme for first year
students as appropriate.
64 The diversity of the student body makes an important contribution to the unique student experience
UCL offers. UCL acknowledges that many overseas students may come with cultural expectations of
teaching which differ from the conventions which operate in the UK. UCL will extend the support
structures currently in place for international students, particularly in relation to their personal wellbeing
and their English language skills, but also in terms of their ability to accommodate themselves within
new systems of working and of assessment.
65 In 2009-10, UCL reviewed its policy on the personal tutor system and renewed its commitment to this
vital element of support for undergraduate students. Departments will be supported to implement the
recommendations of this review and to ensure that personal, one-to-one pastoral support for students
is a cornerstone of the UCL experience. The process of compiling and verifying an individual students
HEAR will be managed, in part, through dialogue with personal tutors. Pastoral support structures for
Masters students will be evaluated as part of the broader review of the Masters student experience at
UCL.
66 UCL recognises that Doctoral Training Centres bring substantial benefits for postgraduate research
students, including through increased interdisciplinary working and the provision of a rich and diverse
training environment. UCL will seek to foster the establishment of further DTCs at UCL, both with the
financial support of Research Councils but also through other sources of funding where these centres
align with UCLs research strengths.
67 Educational Liaison can provide advice and support to departments in developing programmes at both
undergraduate and taught postgraduate Masters level which will have relevance to a world market.
68 Government is increasingly concerned to ensure that prospective students can access comprehensive
and comparable information from institutions about course content, teaching provision, contact hours
and measures of quality. UCL will encourage students to respond to the National Student Survey, and
will continue to participate in UCAS-led work to improve the course information available to students at
point of application.
69 In order to promote and embed the notion of a UCL approach to education, and to encourage
applicants to identify with UCL from a very early stage, departments will be encouraged to develop pre-
entry materials for applicants holding conditional offers from UCAS for undergraduate programmes.
Such materials should be designed to give an introduction to the approaches to teaching and the
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subject offered by UCL, taking advantage of the various online and e-learning media now available and
accessed by students. A Scoping Group will be established in the 2010-11 session to develop a model
for such activity.
70 UCL acknowledges that students can have varying expectations of academic and pastoral support
structures, and the need for staff to work with students to manage expectations. UCL will work to
improve the quality of communication with students about their role and responsibilities, the ways in
which they can articulate their concerns, and the sources of support and information available to them
across the university. JSSC has had its remit expanded to monitor student feedback and to
recommend appropriate action to Academic Committee and other bodies across the university as
appropriate. UCL will support the Student Unions work to establish the role of StARs Student
Academic Representatives with a view to increasing undergraduate and postgraduate student
representation at departmental and Faculty level.
71 UCL will continue to use the data generated by surveys of students, including the I-Barometer and the
National Student Survey, as well as by departmental Staff-Student Consultative Committees, to
monitor the extent to which the teaching and support services it provides are meeting the needs and
expectations of students. Such data are monitored on behalf of UCL by JSSC and will be used to inform
future strategic decisions.
Raising the profile of teaching: staff development
72 UCL recognises the need to invest substantially in ensuring that excellence, aspiration and innovation
in teaching are rewarded and disseminated across the university. To this end, and over the next five
years, the university will introduce a series of measures designed to revise and re-profile support for
teaching and learning across all subject areas.
73 UCL recognises the pressures on staff and the need to provide information and dissemination of good
practice for teaching and learning in forms that can be easily accessed at convenient times. Exploiting
the potential of video streaming and other online technologies, UCL will work to develop an improved
web portal for teaching and learning materials, to include online CPD modules and videos of good
practice. This new portal will also facilitate greater dissemination of ideas that could be effective across
disciplines. UCL will also develop innovative opportunities for staff to develop teaching-related skills
outside a teaching context, for example through public events.
74 Help and guidance will be provided to ensure that all staff have the skills and support necessary to use
new technologies to enhance their teaching. Engagement with technology-enhanced learning will
become part of the standard requirement of the duties of all teaching staff, and will be recognised in
workload management, recruitment and promotion criteria.
75 UCL wishes to build on its reputation for excellent teaching and to establish itself over the coming
years as a significant international hub for innovation and challenge in teaching and in the way in which
undergraduate and Masters level programmes are constructed and delivered. It will seek to provide a
hub for collaboration with international partners in a network of teaching innovation, which will facilitate
inward and outbound teaching exchanges, international Teaching Fellowship opportunities and other
mechanisms for dialogue.
76 UCL will continue to ensure that all new supervisors receive appropriate training. Experienced
supervisors should be encouraged to undertake regular training to ensure that their practices keep
pace with changing patterns in research degree supervision.
77 The Provosts Teaching Awards were introduced in 2007 to reward outstanding commitment to, and
achievement in, teaching. The awards will continue to play an important role in raising the profile of
teaching and learning at UCL. From 2010-11, UCL will work to develop new routes for the recognition
and promotion of teaching excellence, including through international teaching exchanges, through the
online teaching and learning portal and through the continued profile accorded to teaching in promotion
routes.
78 In an international institution such as UCL, the research profile of a department can have a significant
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impact on the direction and focus of undergraduate and Masters teaching provision. UCL strongly
encourages departments to take steps to make appointments that are strategic in terms of the
departments teaching profile, with a view to ensuring that staffs research strengths are an equally
good fit with the departments teaching aspirations and the collective understanding of the direction that
the discipline should be taking.
79 UCL has procedures in place to enable promotion up to Professor based on excellence and innovation
in teaching. These procedures will be reviewed in 2010-11 to ensure they reflect the strategic priority
that UCL places on teaching. UCL has also put in place mechanisms for developing the skills of senior
academic managers to enable them to address the many management issues that arise in their roles.
These opportunities will contribute to enhanced career progression prospects, both through the
acquisition of additional skills and as a result of greater reflection on academic practice.
80 A challenge of a research-led university is to balance the commitment of academic members of staff
both to teach and to engage in leading-edge research. This tension can lead to junior and part-time
staff being given responsibility for over-much of the undergraduate teaching, and administrative staff
being made responsible for e-learning development and support. UCL is committed to giving full
training and support to all engaged in both teaching and in research and will monitor the use of relief
teaching staff.
81 UCL operates an effective and accredited programme of training for probationary staff and will continue
to ensure that all new members of staff at the start of their academic careers complete this programme
of training.
Investment in teaching and learning
82 UCL notes that HEFCE has prioritised strategic support for STEM subjects. UCL will seek to build on
its own considerable strengths in these subjects, but will continue to invest across the discipline
spectrum in line with its broader ambitions as a global multi-faculty university. This will include a
commitment to apportioning teaching grant funding in ways which support the strategic ambitions of the
university, rather than to allocate this funding narrowly in the proportions assigned by HEFCE to each
discipline.
83 From 2010, the review of departmental (and Faculty) learning and teaching strategies will be
undertaken alongside the production of departmental Strategic Plans. This will allow teaching strategy
and funding for teaching to be considered in the context of the departments other strategic priorities.
84 UCL already invests substantially in financial support for teaching innovation and equipment. There is,
however, a need to raise the profile of funding, to make it easier for staff to identify appropriate funds
and for the outcomes of schemes that receive funding to be disseminated more widely, including
beyond the university. UCLs existing funding schemes for teaching and innovation will therefore be
reviewed and a single, annual funding round created, with improved guidelines for applications, and a
strategy for dissemination which is integrated with other teaching support activities.
85 UCL will make it a strategic priority to support departments and Faculties to capitalise on the potential of
new technologies, including blogs, video streaming, social media and wikis to facilitate regular
opportunities for interaction, discussion and shared activity between academics, students and
overseas-based collaborators. Support for such activity will be provided through the Learning
Technology Support Service (LTSS) [E-Learning Environments (ELE)].
86 In the context of a global, information-driven society, e-learning and the use of online technologies is
an essential component of the way in which students access and engage with the curriculum at UCL.
Departments are strongly encouraged to consider the potential of technology to promote knowledge
building and reflective, student-centred, creative and collaborative learning. The university will continue
to invest in comprehensive support for staff in the use of these technologies in line with the UCL E-
learning Strategy. Faculty and School-based champions will be identified to promote the use of these
tools, both in terms of information delivery to students and to support the construction of new
knowledge.
12
87 UCL Museums and Collections will continue to be resourced to promote both the use of object-based
teaching using the new technologies and the dissemination of such methodology across discipline
areas within UCL.
88 UCL has one of the finest research libraries in the UK; its collection, which includes substantial
electronic holdings, is a powerful learning resource. UCL will continue to invest in Library / information
provision, including the use of appropriate technologies. The Library Services Strategy articulates the
future direction of library support for learning and teaching, as well as for research.
89 One of the most serious challenges facing UCL is the use and development of its teaching spaces.
There is a need to adapt to the changing needs of students and staff against a background of the
physical constraints of site and limited resources. It is essential that there is an integrated approach -
involving educational development and e-learning support staff - to planning and developing teaching,
learning and social spaces. However, the essential criteria governing future developments will be (a)
fitness for purpose and (b) adaptability. UCL will seek to use the results of the 2010 master planning
exercise to inform strategic decisions about the ways in which it will develop its teaching spaces over
the period covered by this strategy.
Income generation and business planning
90 Departments should have regard to UCLs business planning process when developing proposals for
new modules and programmes, in particular with a view to determining whether the proposed course is
financially viable. Such decisions will be supported by the alignment of the teaching and learning
strategy process with broader strategic planning work in departments.
91 Innovation in course development is recognised to be more challenging when the overall student
numbers remain stable (as is UCLs strategic intention). Faculties and departments are encouraged to
review their modules and programmes to ensure that they do not maintain those that no longer recruit
adequately. Modules and programmes with fewer than 10 students enrolled should only be maintained
in exceptional circumstances.
92 UCL will continue to monitor student satisfaction through the results of the National Student Survey and
through the I-barometer, as well as through the well-established internal mechanisms, such as staff-
student consultative committees, and to adapt its provision and support structures to respond to issues
that are raised.
The wider context for Learning and Teaching at UCL
International
93 UCL operates in a global context. The ILTS engages with the strategic aims of the UCL International
Strategy by promoting the internationalisation of the student experience through the teaching and
learning agenda and by fostering an improved understanding of international issues and contexts via
the curriculum.
94 UCL already enjoys a number of strategic partnerships with institutions overseas in respect both of its
research and its teaching activities. With regard to the latter, UCL will seek to develop relationships
with other research-intensive, internationally-recognised institutions, particularly with a view to
establishing teaching fellowship opportunities, and to facilitate the sharing of ideas, approaches to
teaching and opportunities for student-to-student project activities.
95 UCL recognises the value and the strategic importance of locating its own ambitions in the context of
international developments in higher education and beyond, particularly as these relate to innovation in
teaching models, programme design and in the use of new technologies. The university has recently
established an overseas campus in Australia and is a founding partner of the Nazarbayev University in
Kazakhstan, and it will be exploring the possibility of further targeted international expansion over the
coming years. Such expansion will have regard to UCLs aspirations to foreground innovative and
effective teaching in all of its activities, and UCL will exploit all opportunities for inter-campus synergies
and collaborations, including research degree supervision.
96 UCL will review its Bologna Strategy in 2010-11 with a view to ensuring that the universitys strategic
aims are developed with an eye to developments in the broader European context.
97 UCL will work with government ministries, other relevant agencies in the UK and overseas and the UK
professional bodies to secure international recognition of UK / UCL qualifications.
98 The Bologna process has made it increasingly necessary for UCL to establish clear postgraduate
pathways for students entering UCL from other education systems. This work will be led by the Graduate
School, and is expected to facilitate the approval of new programmes, as well as to support potential
students to understand the level of programme they should seek to enter.
Community
99 UCL serves many communities, internationally, nationally and locally. UCL has a commitment to
maintain and strengthen its links to its surrounding community in London including businesses, the
NHS, voluntary organisations, local and regional government and schools. The voluntary work undertaken
by students is important both for their personal development and future employment and to strengthen the
ties between UCL and its neighbourhood.
100 In support of its community engagement, UCL funds the Volunteering Services Unit (VSU) to identify
and foster opportunities for UCL students to use their skills in UCLs immediate community. The VSU
works in collaboration with UCL and UCL Union to increase the proportion of students volunteering in
the community through UCL by 10% year on year. UCL considers volunteering to be beneficial to students
in terms of their academic learning as well as their personal development, particularly where it provides
experience of teamwork, time management and project management. Departments may wish to explore
the potential for synergies between the local community contacts held by the VSU and their own
academic activities.
101 UCL puts its research excellence at the service of government organisations, NGOs and leading
charities in the fields of health, environment and social welfare, both nationally and internationally. UCL
will ensure that this dimension of its work brings ethical, social and sustainability issues back into the
learning experience.
Monitoring
102 Academic Committee will have responsibility for the monitoring of the implementation plan for this
strategy, which will be subject to review in 2012-13.
103 UCL will ensure that all policies, regulations and procedures that make up the framework for teaching
and learning are monitored in line with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, Special Educational
Needs and Disability Act (2001) and Equal Opportunities legislation.
Links to Departmental and Faculty Learning and Teaching Strategies
104 The development of this Institutional Learning and Teaching Strategy has been informed by the trends
identified in the 2007-8 review of departmental teaching and learning strategy documents.
105 The 2012-13 review of the ILTS will be informed by departmental and Faculty learning and teaching
strategies. UCLs template for the production of departmental teaching and learning strategies will be
revised and updated to support this process (and will have regard to the broader contexts of the
departmental strategic planning process). A template will also be developed for Faculty teaching and
learning strategies.
UCL Institutional Strategies which informthe Institutional Learning and Teaching Strategy
! E-learning Strategy
! Assessment Strategy
! Library Strategy
! Museums and Collections Strategy
! Widening Participation Strategy
! International Strategy
! Estates Strategy
May 2010 [minor amendments October 2012]