MEDEV

School of Medical Sciences Education Development

Introduction

Dr Megan Quentin-Baxter, Deputy Director, LTSN-01, presents an update on the new Higher Education Academy, which came into existence earlier this year.

On 30th April 2004 LTSN-01 formally became part of the new Higher Education Academy. The Academy is made up of the Institute for Learning and Teaching (including the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme ), the Learning and Teaching Support Network and the National Coordinating Team.

The new Chief Executive, Paul Ramsden, will take up post in August 2004. The Higher Education Academy is a company limited by guarantee and owned by UUK and SCOP, thus operates independent on behalf of higher education. A Board is responsible for its strategy, policy, finances and employment, and a Council will oversee professional matters, such as setting professional standards and criteria for admission to the register, and for advising on quality enhancement. Both have representation from practitioners and other stakeholders.

The major part of the Academy's funding will come from the Funding Councils, with other funding coming from institutional subscriptions from HEIs, individual subscriptions from registered practitioners and income from contracts for services provided by the Academy.

Paul Ramsden has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Sydney since 1999 and is author of many well-known books in learning and teaching in higher education (2), and is a very welcome addition to the staff of the Academy.

Paul is committed to establishing a solid, easily-accessible evidence base that will enable all staff who teach and support student learning to choose the course of action that will best achieve their goals, and to set this in a wider policy context.

Cliff Allan has been appointed Director of Programmes (and Acting CEO until August), Victoria Eaton as Director of Registration and Accreditation, and Jane Pither is Director of Finance.

The Leadership Foundation

In parallel, the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (incorporating the Higher Education Staff Development Agency (HESDA) ) also launched recently (3).

These agencies are all committed to consolidating support for education and a common agenda towards enhancement of the student learning experience, and recognise a shared interest with agencies representing staff such as AUT, NATFHE and UNISON:

Academy review

As part of the integration into the Academy a review is taking place of all LTSN subject centres over the next five months, led by a committee chaired by Professor Bob Burgess (University of Leicester), to consider the optimal configuration and focus of subject centres in the new structure.

Those with a role in health and social work (LTSN-01, LTSN Health Sciences and Practice, and LTSN Social Work and Social Policy) are undergoing a special review by a sub-committee chaired by Professor Janet Finch (University of Keele), which will look at the needs of the disciplines presently covered, their relationships within the Academy and elsewhere in the sector (e.g. professional bodies), the potential impact and opportunities arising from policy changes in health and social work education, practice, staff development and funding in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is possible that you will be contacted by evaluators seeking comment in these areas, and we greatly appreciate any advice and guidance that you can offer to us or to the Finch committee.

CETLs

Over the same period, and of strategic importance, institutions may be preparing Stage 2 bids for Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (England) which are due by midday on 29th October 2004. Summaries of the short-listed Stage 1 bids should be available on the Hefce website by the time we go to print. It appears that institutions were very strategic in how they responded to the call as Hefce has received about half the potential number of bids that institutions could return.

Approximately 100-110 bids will be invited to submit Stage 2 proposals, and the funding council is holding a briefing meeting at Olympia on 22nd July, where bidders can raise questions, meet each other and various support agencies, including members of the Academy. Institutions in Northern Ireland responded to a separate CETL call with bids closing on 28th May 2004.

We would like to extend our congratulations to all those who made a case for excellence under these calls, and wish you every success with your bids. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if we can be of assistance (bidders, those who were disappointed, and non-bidders), or if we can help with any questions about the Academy or review, as outlined above.

Useful addresses:

• The Academy: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/
• ILTHE: http://www.ilt.ac.uk/
• NTFS: http://www.ntfs.ac.uk/
• LTSN: http://www.medev.ac.uk
• HESDA: http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/
• HEFCE: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/hefce/2004/04_05/