NORTH EAST SCOTLAND COLLEGE
EMBEDDING GOOD PRACTICE IN THE CURRICULUM STRATEGY
EMBEDDING GOOD PRACTICE IN THE CURRICULUM STRATEGY
1. 0
Introduction/Background
1.1
North East College is committed to providing the highest quality of learning and teaching opportunities
for all students.
1.2
The College is committed to engaging learners in enhancing their own learning by encouraging them
to be effective contributors, confident individuals, responsible citizens and successful learners.
1.3
The College recognises the need to identify good practice and to embed it as the required standard
on all programmes.
1.4
It is expected that all teaching staff of the College will continuously seek to improve their practice so
that good practice becomes the norm and excellence is the aim.
1.5
The College recognises that good and innovative practice can be identified and acknowledged
through lesson observations, quality audits, peer observation, student focus groups, course committees
involving students and other means. The challenge is to ensure that the high standard of learning and
teaching identified through these approaches is provided universally in all areas of provision and for
each student, irrespective of the mode of attendance or location.
1.6
The College recognises that the main challenge is the dissemination – not the identification – of that
good practice.
2.0
The Strategy
2.1
The main strands of the strategy are to:
2.2
2.1.1
Ensure that all staff recognise good practice and apply it across the curriculum and in all modes
of attendance.
2.1.2
Ensure that all staff understand the benefits of sharing good practice with colleagues.
2.1.3
Assist staff with the identification and dissemination of good practice.
2.1.4
Facilitate good practice dissemination events for all appropriate staff.
2.1.5
Undertake lesson observations to ensure that good practice is implemented in accordance
with the needs of individuals within the group.
2.1.6
Ensure that individual members of staff take responsibility for embedding good practice in the
learning and teaching experience of their students.
2.1.7
Ensure that technology is utilised as appropriate to disseminate good and innovative practice
across the curriculum.
2.1.8
Ensure that students are engaged in the identification and promotion of good practice in
learning and teaching.
2.1.9
Measure the extent to which the benefits of good practice dissemination are having a positive
impact on learner engagement and relevant high quality outcomes.
The College will identify and disseminate good practice by:
2.2.1
Facilitating Good Practice Dissemination Events for teaching staff and managers.
2.2.2
Establishing good practice forums for all teaching staff, particularly Faculty Managers and
Curriculum and Quality Managers.
2.2.3
Ensuring that Faculty and Curriculum and Quality Managers are fully involved in promoting
good practice in identified curriculum areas and across the wider College.
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2.2.4
Providing opportunities for students to identify Good Practice in the Curriculum by organising
events for students, chaired by the Vice Principal Learning & Quality and Directors of Curriculum,
that encourage learners to identify good and innovative practice.
2.2.5
Ensure Learner Focus Groups are held with Senior Lecturers (Quality) from the start of the year
to engage learners at the earliest stage in the identification of good practice in their learning
and teaching and to seek their views on areas for improvement.
2.2.6
Communicating Good Practice ideas discussed at Good Practice Events throughout the year
through the Knowledge Base section of the College website.
2.2.7
Utilising The Good Practice area in Blackboard to collect examples of the effective use of the
VLE from across all College teams.
2.2.8
Working with colleagues in the school and university sectors to promote good practice in the
senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence.
3.0
Responsibilities for the Strategy
3.1
Strategic responsibility for the Dissemination of Good Practice in the Curriculum Strategy rests with the
Vice Principal Learning & Quality.
3.2
Responsibility for implementing the Strategy across all areas of the curriculum rests with the Directors of
Curriculum.
4.0
Related Documents
4.1
The Embedding Good Practice in the Curriculum Strategy is a sub-strategy of the Learning and
Teaching Strategy.
Status:
Approved
Considered by:
Learning and Teaching Strategy Group
Approved by:
SMT
Date of Version:
August 2015
Date of EIA:
To be completed
Responsibility for Strategy: Vice Principal Learning & Quality
Date of Review:
July 2017
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Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) Form
Part 1. Background Information. (Please enter relevant information as specified.)
Title of Policy or
Procedure. Details
of Relevant
Practice:
Embedding Good Practice in the Curriculum Strategy
Person(s)
Responsible.
Vice Principal Learning & Quality
Date of Assessment: 15/4/16
What are the aims
of the policy,
procedure or
practice being
considered?
To ensure that staff recognise and have opportunities of sharing good
practice with colleagues in order to delivery high quality learning and
teaching.
Who will this policy,
procedure or
practice impact
upon?
All students, all teaching staff
Part 2. Public Sector Equality Duty comparison (Consider the proposed action against each
element of the PSED and describe potential impact, which may be positive, neutral or
negative. Provide details of evidence.)
Need
• Eliminating unlawful
discrimination, harassment
and victimisation.
Impact
The policy defines how the College
will ensure that it provides
opportunities for staff to share good
practice in learning and teaching to
enhance delivery of the curriculum
to learners. It assists staff to
identify and understand the
importance of sharing good practice
with colleagues across College.
Identification of good practice is
embedded into the lesson
observation and internal audit
processes. Good practice
dissemination events are held for
teaching staff at all levels. Learner
focus groups allow learners
representative from the full range of
courses within the curriculum to
Evidence
Notes of Good
Practice
Dissemination events
Notes of Focus Group
meetings
Lesson Observation
Reports
Internal Audit Reports
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identify good practice within their
learning experience.
•
Advancing Equality of
Opportunity
The policy ensures that a clear and
consistent approach is adopted
throughout the College to ensure
that opportunities for all staff are
made available to engage in the
dissemination of good practice.
As above
•
Promoting Good relations.
Learning and teaching is enhanced
and staff are encouraged to
collaborate with their peers across
College. Staff and students are
enabled to identify where areas of
good practice exist and are provided
with opportunities to share their
experience.
As above
Part 3. Action & Outcome (Following initial assessment, describe any action that will be
taken to address impact detected)
No action required, other than to review as per schedule.
Sign-off, authorisation and publishing *
Name:
Joan Thorne
Position:
Director of Curriculum
Date:
15 April 2016
*Please note that an electronic sign-off is sufficient
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