Leading a Programme

A free, open, online course and community

(Re) Introductions

What is the role of the programme

leader?

• Troubleshooter

• Dogsbody

• Cat herder

• Agony aunt

• Paper pusher

cartoon from sangrea.net, CC licensed

Review of topic 1

key comments

interpersonal skills

strategic vision

good organisation

Friday, January 23, 2015

Leading a Programme

Complicated context:

• National

• Institutional

• Faculty

• Programme

What are the national priorities?

“providing the best possible

learning experience for all

students”

What are the national priorities?

“Higher education in the UK has

an international reputation for

excellence. Maintaining the

highest academic standards

and quality is crucial to keeping

this reputation..”

Dearing 1997

“Encourage and enable all students – whether they

demonstrate the highest intellectual potential or

have struggled to reach the threshold of higher

education – to achieve beyond their

expectations”

Bologna agreement (1999)

Aims to make qualifications comparable across

Europe

Leitch 2006

40% of the population should be qualified at level 4

or above

More effort should be targeted at adult learners, in

the workplace and through employer

engagement: LLN, RDA and SSCs were created

for this (and have been dismantled since 2010)

Browne 2010

“Higher education matters. It helps to create the

knowledge, skills and values that underpin a

civilised society. Higher education institutions

(HEIs) generate and diffuse ideas, safeguard

knowledge, catalyse innovation, inspire creativity,

enliven culture, stimulate regional economies and

strengthen civil society. They bridge the past and

future; the local and the global.”

How does this surface in practice?

Measurements and comparisons

• Standards

• Competition

• League tables

• Consumerism

• Marketing vs Service delivery

• Student Experience getting more emphasis

MMU in the national context

League Tables 5

• Guardian: 71/116 (up from 108 in 2012)

• Complete Uni Guide: 73/123

WP : around or above benchmarks

NSS outcomes: mainly below average, many

subjects in bottom quartile, but improving

Applications 2014: top 5

Finances: strong

Mission

• To be the UK’s leading university for world class

professionals.

Vision

• place quality and employability as our top priorities.

• place students first.

• produce effective independent learners.

• have a curriculum which is informed by high quality research,

scholarship and enterprise.

• be an enterprising organisation with enterprising staff and students.

• support the social and economic development of the region through

our expertise, research and other resources

• to invest selectively and strategically in research.

• promote, facilitate and achieve good social mobility for our graduates.

Values

• to respect the rights of individuals.

• to promote responsible, ethical and professional behaviour.

• to promote diversity.

• to achieve institutional goals through teamwork and flexible

working

• to invest in staff development.

• to promote and reward outstanding performance.

• to encourage creativity and enterprise.

• to develop and disseminate new knowledge.

• to promote global citizenship in our staff and students

What are the institutional priorities?

1. NSS above benchmark in all subjects

2. 70% students in graduate level jobs and further study

3. 50% growth in postgraduate taught and work based

learning

4. Double the number of international students

5. 4 new [international] partnerships per year

6. Triple the number of study abroad students

There are 14 Key Performance Indicators, of which 6 can be

linked directly to programmes:

Activity: institutional policies and your

programmes

• Choose an indicator (one of MMU’s or one of

your own)

• How could a programme leader contribute to

achievement of the indicator?

• Would you need more information to make a

plan? If so, what? Would you need institutional

support?

• What characteristics are most important for this

activity?

Focus

Return to the padlet : any changes to your ideas?

Make sure you’ve put something up so I can find

you a suitable reading.

Task 2

Reflect on the procedural aspects of programme

leadership. If interpersonal skills, strategic vision and

organisation are the three key aspects (we can continue

to debate that too), then how does the balance of actual

activity look to you? Is there enough time for each of the

three aspects? Does one aspect dominate? If so, what

might be the consequences? How should programme

leaders plan their activities?

Questions?

Suggestions?

Contributions?

Friday, January 23, 2015

Credits

• Free cartoon of ‘dogsbody’ from sangrea.net

• Policy docs all up on the Moodle area