The Scholarship Framework Pauline Osborne – Head of HE Jolanta Peters – Research & Library Services Manager

University Centre Somerset (UCS) Pauline

About University Centre Somerset UCS - part of Bridgwater & Taunton College created following merger of Somerset College and Bridgwater College in 2016 800-1000 HE students at UCS, 20,000 FE students at BTC General FE College: Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Agricultural Management, Animal Management, Creative Arts, Computing, Early Childhood Studies, Health and Social Care, Nursing Associate Degree Apprenticeship….. Pauline

Research & Scholarly Activities Research, Scholarship & Ethics Committee Internal bidding rounds Curriculum development Development of teaching, learning and assessment Subject-specific Action research Pauline

Research & Scholarly Activities Publication Annual publication Scholarly articles - references to literature and staff professional practice Reflective pieces also welcomed Excellent opportunity to disseminate RASA Route to publishing externally Pauline

Research & Scholarship Symposium Annual event – June/July External and internal keynote speakers Annual publication launched at the event Opportunity to connect with colleagues Share and exchange ideas, network with others and more! Pauline

Staff Research Guide The electronic repository on Blackboard (VLE) contains: Access to RASA support materials Access to Research & Scholarship Scheme (internal bidding) documents Evidence from successful past projects, Symposia and annual RASA publications The site is constantly evolving – current focus is on the HEA Fellowship support page Jolanta

AoC Scholarship Project A 3-year project (2015-2018) aimed to support the development and embedding of a distinct college HE scholarly ethos Aimed to help enhance the learning of college Higher Education students The main output – the Scholarship Framework www.thescholarshipframework.co.uk/ Jolanta: Underpinned by Boyer’s (1990) 4 types of scholarship, the Project did not seek to impose a narrow, pre-conceived notion of what scholarship is, but the project was conceptually underpinned by the work of Ernest Boyer on the four scholarships (Boyer 1990) - of discovery, of application, of integration, and of teaching - with the intention of exploring how each form of scholarship might be developed, monitored and evaluated within a college higher education context.

AoC Scholarship Project Discovery Application Integration Teaching Pauline: Underpinned by Boyer’s (1990) 4 types of scholarship. The Project did not seek to impose a narrow, pre-conceived notion of what scholarship is, but the project was conceptually underpinned by the work of Ernest Boyer on the four scholarships (Boyer 1990) - of discovery, of application, of integration, and of teaching - with the intention of exploring how each form of scholarship might be developed, monitored and evaluated within a college higher education context. Boyer, 1990

Illustrative example of ways of engaging learners Types of scholarship Illustrative example of ways of engaging learners Scholarship of discovery Engage in inquiry-based learning; undergraduate research and consultancy projects; co-research projects with staff. Scholarship of integration Engage in integrating material from different sources, including across disciplines; integrate life and work experience with academic studies; reflect on implications of studies for personal development. Scholarship of application/engagement Engage with local, national, and international community service projects; volunteering; knowledge exchange projects; apply knowledge and skills in work-based placements. Scholarship of teaching and learning Engage in mentoring; peer support and assessment; collaborative group work; learners as explicit partners in educational development and inquiry. Jolanta: It’s not only about the scholarship for the academics, it also about engaging learners into all 4 modes of scholarship. Here are some of examples provided by the AoC. Peer support: level 5 mentoring level 4, etc. (AoC, 2018)

Scholarship Framework A free toolkit of resources and a forum Resources by theme and intended user audience Jolanta: Free to all colleges who register Forum is intended for colleagues to engage in conversation relating to scholarly activity and research

Examples of scholarly activity in your institutions A brainstorming activity half-way through the presentation to encourage delegates to give short examples of what is considered as scholarly activity in their institutions (college or university)

Examples of Scholarship at UCS Undertaking research activities into the subject discipline and/or pedagogy Networking with the wider HE community (internal, external and HEI partners) Studying for a relevant higher level subject-based or pedagogical qualification Subject updating Reading on subject discipline or pedagogy Industry engagement and consultancy Mentoring of HE staff Applying for the Professional Standards Framework Fellowship recognition Taking higher qualifications – Master’s, Doctorates and teaching qualifications Delivering a session that is HE relevant and promotes deeper understanding on a subject Leading staff development sessions The Framework encouraged us to develop our Scholarly Activity and Research policy. Here are the examples of activities that are recognised by the College as being scholarly activity are (but are not limited to).

Examples of Scholarship at UCS Attendance at relevant conferences (internal and external) Attendance at talks by external speakers Curriculum/programme development, review or approval Peer review and formal observation of teaching and learning Participation in programme/HE review processes Presentation of a self-authored paper at a conference Exhibition, performance or demonstration of activities Knowledge transfer groups Being an External Examiner Professional memberships Engagement with government agencies, policy makers, employers, etc. The Framework encouraged us to develop our Scholarly Activity and Research policy. Here are the examples of activities that are recognised by the College as being scholarly activity are (but are not limited to).

Self-Evaluation Tool Pauline Type Approaches to achieve this type of scholarship Overview of activities Evaluative statement Scholarship of discovery   Research projects and activities Students find study intellectually stimulating Definition of experience between levels of study is evident Evidence of innovative approaches to teaching and learning Scholarship of integration Active engagement with employers that enhances course delivery Employability of students Curriculum design that engages students in the application of theory in to practice Scholarship of application/ engagement Engage with local, national and international community service projects and/or knowledge exchange Evidence of continued efforts to enhance the student experience through scholarly activity Students feel ready for work through the application of their course to work based situations. Staff are actively preparing students for the workplace at the relevant level. Scholarship of teaching and learning Staff engage in mentoring, peer review activities Group work and team approaches to enhancing and developing teaching and learning. Evidence of active and effective partnerships with students in shaping their teaching and learning experience Pauline

How the Framework helps UCS Progresses our scholarship agenda further Embeds scholarship culture throughout UCS Provides evidence for Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Enables research with employers Impacts on NSS scores, retention and employability Provides evidence for any Degree Awarding Powers application Ensures HEness of our delivery Supports currency of discipline knowledge Encourages student progression to Level 6, Master’s and employment Supports HEA Fellowships Pauline: Not just pockets of scholarship going on, but throughout the College

Jolanta: The Framework opens doors to a number of scholarship examples that can be adapted at colleges to help them enhance their RASA

Employer engagement mosaic Scholarly spaces/cafés Students as co-researchers Intellectual property Collaborative RASA: colleges and universities UCS Abridged Version Collaborative peer observation Jolanta + show the website: this is not an expansive diagram on what’s on offer through the Framework: just a few ideas. We will have a look at the Framework itself and how to navigate it and ideas you may want to implement in your institutions or develop your own professional practice further. All the resources are arranged by 4 categories to help users navigate to the resources they are most interested in: curriculum development, student engagement, professional development and quality enhancement. A lot of these resources are toolkits, healthchecks, mosaics, action plans, self-assessment tools and other support documents to help implement a particular aspect of the scholarship development. RASA dissemination Multi-disciplinary delivery

Activity: “Next Steps” Activity – next steps (pathway with steps) Now it’s time for an activity. Think of 4 next steps that you think you could take away from this session in terms of developing scholarship further at your institution. If you are from a university, what can you do to collaborate together with partner college colleagues in developing scholarship?

References AoC (2018) Enhancing scholarship in College Higher Education: the Scholarship Project. Available at: https://www.aoc.co.uk/enhancing-scholarship-in-college- higher-education-the-scholarship-project (Accessed: 8 February 2018). AoC (2018) What is Scholarship? Background and definitions of scholarship. Available at: https://www.thescholarshipframework.co.uk/framework/what-is- scholarship (Accessed: 8 January 2019). Boyer, E. (1990) Scholarship reconsidered: priorities of the professoriate. Princeton University, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Lea, J. (ed.) (2015) Enhancing learning and teaching in Higher Education: engaging with dimensions of practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press. The Scholarship Framework (2018) Resources. Available at: https://www.thescholarshipframework.co.uk/resources (Accessed: 20 December 2018).