The University has, for many years, been a subscriber to the UK Higher Education Academy (HEA).  The HEA currently accredits our PGCAP programme for new academic staff and our Recognising Excellence in Teaching (RET) scheme for more experienced staff.  It has also provided a range of additional services in the past along with some grant funding opportunities which are no longer available.

As a result of the removal of direct financial support from the UK funding councils, the HEA has had to revise its subscription model. In Scotland, a sector wide discussion has been ongoing with the HEA about this for the last two years. At the same time, the University has been reviewing the benefits our staff and students derive from HEA membership.

Earlier this year, the HEA invited Scottish institutions to subscribe at a level that was considerably higher than previous years but with an accompanying reduced level of service. The Scottish sector largely rejected this offer. This was followed by a further round of negotiation which led to a revised offer which has been accepted by some institutions while others have taken the decision to withdraw from the HEA. The University is one of the institutions that has taken the decision to withdraw.

Professor Frank Coton, Vice-Principal (Academic and Educational Innovation) said: “This decision was not taken lightly. We had to look carefully at the impact on our staff and students and assess what was in the best interests of the University as a whole. 

"The negative aspects of the move are the loss of accreditation for our teaching related staff development programmes and, in particular, it will mean that staff who complete these programmes in the future will not automatically receive recognition from the HEA. We do not believe that this will in any way be detrimental to the career prospects of our staff either in this University or if they move to another institution. Staff will still have a teaching qualification from one of the UK’s leading universities. 

"In addition, we now have a real opportunity to redesign our programmes, while maintaining their alignment with the UKPSF, to strengthen their value within academic career and promotions pathways. This will make the PGCAP and the RET scheme more relevant to our staff, and students will see benefits flowing from this in terms of the quality of the learning experience we support.  It also creates the opportunity to reinvest in supporting other activities for staff and greater engagement with students. Over the next year, the Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Service (LEADS) will be offering a greatly expanded CPD programme and the Learning and Teaching Conference will become a two-day event. These were already in planning before the HEA decision was taken but we now have scope to significantly enhance the range of teaching development opportunities for staff and we will be taking this forward in the coming months.”

For the longer term, the University is engaging with other HEI’s across Scotland to explore Scotland-wide cooperation in support and mutual recognition of teaching development. This could create significant opportunities for the University and the sector in the future.  

First published: 24 August 2017

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