GENERAL NEWS - from HE

EVENT - Equality and diversity in the curriculum in Scotland: Embedding your changes and making them sustainable

Stevenson College, Bankhead Avenue, Edinburgh

24 April 2012

This workshop, organised by Scotland's Colleges, the Higher Education Academy and the Equality Practitioners’ Network in association with the Scottish Funding Council, will build upon an existing three year programme of work examining equality and diversity in the curriculum in Scotland. In Scotland every institution in further and higher education must acknowledge and accommodate the diversity of students and staff.

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EVENTS - HE in FE/QAA Joint Regional Workshop: Engaging with the new process for reviewing higher education in further education (RHEFE)workshops

See below for locations and dates

The revised QAA methodology for reviewing higher education in further education (RHEFE) is coming on stream in the 2013 summer term. The recent White Paper has put the student experience at the heart of the system and the QAA process and judgements will be key factors for institutions in assuring students and other stakeholders of the quality of their higher education provision. In view of these wide ranging changes in the sector, QAA and HEA are jointly delivering workshop opportunities in England for HE in FE staff to come together to engage with the revised process at an early stage. The workshops will held at:

Sheffield College

3 May 2012

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Solihull College

12 June 2012

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Kingston-upon-Thames College

27 June 2012

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Bristol Radisson Blu

5 July 2012

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EVENT - External Examiners Conference

Birmingham

10 May 2012

The HEA and QAA are jointly organising a conference on external examining. This will disseminate the new QAA guidance for external examiners within the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, and also the HEA external examiners handbook. Participants will be able to explore the new QAA and HEA guidance and consider the impact on their practice.  There is no charge to attend this conference.

For more information
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EVENT - Widening Participation in Higher Education: A New Direction for Fair Access

Central London

15 May 2012

The Government’s White Paper, ‘Higher Education: Students at the Heart of the System’ outlines a new framework to encourage fair access, focusing on the outcomes rather than the inputs and processes, and placing greater responsibility on higher education institutions. With the Government’s radical reforms due to take effect in 2012, this symposium offers an opportunity for local widening participation practitioners, universities, FE colleges and schools to assess the impact of the latest developments in the higher education sector on fair access and the widening participation agenda. The organsiers are offering a 20% early registration discount for all bookings received by 13 April 2012.

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CALL -  for submissions to the HEA/SEDA conference 2012: Open Horizons: Sharing the future
Aston Conference Centre, Birmingham
20 July 2012

Deadline for proposals:  27 April 2012

Following three years of funding from the Higher Education Academy and JISC, a wide range of programmes and projects have explored the creation, development, use and reuse of open educational resources. Globally, the open resources movement is changing polices and the development needs of staff and students alike.  This timely conference will explore answers to the question: Where next for open practice and staff development? It will feature contributions from funded projects and new directions in thinking on this exciting and challenging area of developing academic practice.
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