Creating and Leading a Cross-Institutional Learning and Teaching CPD programme (STEP)

Outstanding teaching makes a key difference to learning and the student experience. I am dedicated to leading and supporting my colleagues to enhance the quality of their teaching at all levels and in all aspects of its delivery knowing that this aim can be challenged in a research-intensive setting.

Upon taking up my role in 2014, the learning & teaching development provision consisted of the academic credit-bearing PgCert aimed at early career academic staff. I led a formal consultation with academic professional staff indicating that they felt unsupported in their learning and teaching roles and that opportunities for development at all levels (teaching support through to leadership of learning and teaching) were required. With strong buy-in from Deputy Principals Learning and Teaching, and approval from University Senate, I designed and implemented the Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Programme (STEP).

My determined vision for the programme was, and remains to:

•Align with institutional learning and teaching strategy;
•Respond in an agile way to emerging institutional priorities;
•Provide evidence-based provision, but in a practical way that supports staff to apply learning in their own context;
•Provide a single point of delivery for all learning and teaching support;
•Encourage the development of communities of practice;
•Promote innovation and excellence in teaching; and
•Support, nurture, and value all staff involved in the support and delivery of learning and teaching

I led and championed the institutional launch of the programme in 2015 at our first annual L&T conference. Influencing the University Principal to launch the programme here signaled the commitment of the university to supporting, growing, and developing our L&T talent. After this, I used key influencing skills1,2 to bring together teams with a common goal and purpose, ensuring the coordination and integration of all L&T support at Strathclyde. Under my direction, the STEP programme now comprises input from various teams including the university library, disability and wellbeing services, student support services, study skills, and education enhancement. These teams (from across difference directorates) now collaborate and support one another to ensure that fully integrated experience for participants. Notably, I secured recurrent annual funding for the STEP programme enabling external speakers to be invited to provide masterclasses and workshops aligned to current sectoral issues and trends.

Through my membership of key L&T committees I have been able to ensure STEP’s alignment with L&T strategy and emerging institutional priorities. Each year I assess our institutional performance in the NSS and ensure that the STEP programme supports institutional improvement plans for this key metric.

The STEP programme generated 700 engagements within its first year, increasing year on year with engagements now approximating 800 - 900. However, this massively increased during the pandemic to more than 900 engagements per month evidencing its value, University-wide reach and impact.

Impact of the STEP programme is best evidenced from the participants themselves,

“As a direct result of attending a range of STEP courses I have enhanced my pedagogy and scholarship knowledge. This led to my development of innovative learning and assessment practices (i.e. jigsaw learning) that have been recognised by students through teaching awards and noted in annual NSS free text responses.”

“Participating in the STEP programme has provided me with a huge range of high-quality, tailored CPD … and I have been able to cascade some of what I have learned – especially the workshops on flipped learning and digital assessment and feedback – to my colleagues and teaching team.”