UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH COLLEGES

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UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH COLLEGES

• Structures and programmes to meet local need

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University of Plymouth - Commitment to Communities

• Service to the Region
• Commitment to Widening Participation
• Supporting local enterprises
• Commitment to increasing opportunity through
  local partnerships

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The far SW - Economy and Geography ( Cornwall)

• A number of TTWAs amongst top 20 in UK for
  unemployment
• Few major employers,(health, education,utilities)
  plus many micro enterprises, particularly hotels
  and tourism ( 12.5 vs..... 5.7 nationally)
• Much part time low paid employment (50 earn
  under 250/week)
• Earnings 31.8 below national average

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Community characteristics

• Low population density
• Most communities are small towns, with an
  integrated population
• Inward migration of wealthy retirees
• Outward migration of (middle class) younger
  people to seek work
• Hence, a large number of low income young
  families, hidden by a wealthier segment of
  retirees

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Rural targets- perceptions

• Not convinced of value of staying on post 16.
  Little family experience of HE
• Serious worries over debt
• Strong desire to remain in own communities
• Much HE seen as irrelevant to employment
  prospects
• HE remote and often invisible

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Solutions

• Outreach tasters - raising aspirations
• Information and guidance - exploding myths
• Earn and Learn -
• Locally based HE
• HE linked to employers

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The UNIVERSITY and its Partner Colleges
CITY of BRISTOL COLLEGE
Associated Partner College
NORTH DEVON COLLEGE
EAST DEVON COLLEGE
Accredited Partner College
SOMERSET COLLEGE of ARTS TECHNOLOGY
Bristol
DUCHY COLLEGE
Minehead
Cannington
Bridgwater
ST AUSTELL COLLEGE
Barnstaple
Taunton
TRURO COLLEGE
BICTON COLLEGE
Tiverton
Bude
Okehampton
CORNWALL COLLEGE
Bicton
Exeter
SCHOOL of MARITIME OPERATIONS HMS DRYAD
Sidmouth
Exmouth
Weymouth
Newton Abbot
Bodmin
Dartington
Duchy
WEYMOUTH COLLEGE
Schumacher
Torbay
Liskeard
PLYMOUTH
Saltash
Brixham
St. Austell
Dartmouth
Redruth
FALMOUTH COLLEGE of ARTS
EXETER COLLEGE
Truro
Camborne
Penzance
SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
Falmouth
Helston
BRITANNIA ROYAL NAVALCOLLEGE
Culdrose
Jersey
HIGHLANDS COLLEGE - JERSEY
PENWITH COLLEGE
RN SCHOOL OF METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY RNAS
CULDROSE
DARTINGTON COLLEGE of ARTS
PLYMOUTH COLLEGE OF FE
PLYMOUTH COLLEGE of ART DESIGN
JOHN KITTO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SCHUMACHER COLLEGE
ESTOVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
RN HYDROGAPHIC SCHOOL HMS DRAKE
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Successes - Local HE

• A network of Partner Colleges providing HE in FE
  in every FEI across Cornwall, Devon and S.
  Somerset
• 5,000 students
• Clear progression paths from FE3, NVQ and Access
  courses to HC, HND FdA and some BA programmes
• Further progression to UoP top-up honours degrees

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Good partnerships add value

• Transparent and secure funding
• Shared Planning and Strategy
• Collaborative access to funding sources
• QA support and enhancement
• Staff Development
• Learning Resources
• Students Union support
• Curriculum Development

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UPC Student numbers
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UPC Student Niche

• Local provision for local needs
• Less expense by studying from home
• ?Fees differential
• Clear link between Foundation degree and
  employability
• Small group sizes, known college environment,
  dedicated teaching staff
• Guaranteed progression and UoP Quality Assurance

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15 years of growth and achievement

• The largest HE/FE partnership in the country.
• 1994 Queens Anniversary Prize
• 1997 Co-location of UoP Institute of Health
  Studies
• 2001 First National Foundation degree pilots
• 2002 Somerset NTI Combined Universities in
  Cornwall major capital investment
• Excellent QAA reviews
• A strong record of student retention and
  progression
• A major contributor to Widening Participation
  successes
• 2005 Centre of Excellence in Teaching Learning
  ( HE in FE)

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-BUT could do better!

• Low community profile,poorly communicated market
  niche
• Lack of understanding of terms HE Partner
  College
• QA lacks local management involvement
• Planning becoming unwieldy
• Variable practice between faculties
• Staff and student identity is diffuse

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University of Wisconsin Colleges

• State wide recognition
• High profile UW branding
• Clear local niche - cost, teaching, progression
• Central Academic planning and deliberative
  functions
• Subject Communities bring college staff together

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University of Plymouth Colleges - a new era

• High profile , University brand for colleges
• Unashamed celebration of dispersed university and
  its niche for local study
• New UPC Faculty Board - Planning, Strategy,
  Deliberative, QA processes.
• Base QA at college level with local Joint Boards
  of Studies
• Focus faculty support activity on Quality
  Enhancement, Curriculum Development, Academic
  Community, Student Progression

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Benefits to Colleges

• Enhanced and clearer profile for university level
  provision - recognition in the community
• Ownership and involvement in planning strategy,
  and quality assurance
• Staff engaged in academic communities course
  development critical friendship
• Streamlined administrative processes

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Benefits for students

• A clearer understanding of the benefits of local
  university level study
• Improved course provision
• Assurance of UoP quality and progression
• Access to UoP facilities -Library, Students
  Union Sport Earn Learn
• Access to learning materials via the University
  e- learning Portal

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UPC QA Processes

• Implementation of UoP regulatory framework.
• UPC Faculty Board oversight- reporting to
  Academic Board and Learning Teaching Cttee
• Executive responsibility - Dean and AD (Quality)
• Local QA monitoring by JOINT BOARDS OF STUDIES
• Programme Committees with UOP representation
• Quality Enhancement through SUBJECT FORUMS and
  UPC Staff Development
• UoP Quality Network and UoP Staff Development

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Foundation Degrees- context and policy
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Fd - Government Policy Deliverables

• Twin drivers
• Widen participation
• Economic competitiveness HE delivers higher
  level skills linked to RES
• Foundation degrees seen as a way to
• Radically improve the delivery of technical
  skills
• Modernise both private public sector work
  forces
• Step change in the way employers are involved

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Fd Original Key Features Recap

• New HE Qualification - First offered Sept 2001
• Integrates academic and work-based learning
• Close collaboration between employers and
  providers
• Accessibility and Flexibility
• Articulation and Progression

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Foundation Degrees in the South West

• Validated FD programmes at October 2004 267
• Additional planned programmes for October 2005
  141
• Total by October 2005 in South West Region 408

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FDs Validated at October 2004
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Fds for the Far SW - context

• Few major employers (Health, Education, Local
  Govt.)
• Numerous SMEs
• Many self employers and consultancies
• Key employment sectors are Engineering Marine
  Env. Science Land Based Tourism Creative Arts
  IT for small business
• Tradition of limited support for day release to
  HE from SMEs

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Fd for the Far SW target markets

• PT and work based for the major employers (
  Health, Local govt Education)
• FT to prepare the workforce of the future for
  SMEs and the self employed
• Work Based for the Small business Lifelong
  Learning Self-improver

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UoP policy

• Replace HND with Fd
• Embed HNC into Fd where appropriate
• Design to be strongly employer and SSC influenced
• Recognise work-related learning is deliverable in
  a range of learning contexts that are appropriate
  to learning outcome employability ( e.g.
  Creative Arts)
• Develop core curricula that are adapted to local
  delivery by Colleges through validation not
  franchise.

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Articulation from Fd to Honours

• Long and successful history of one- year top-ups
  from HND,
• Fd are designed in partnership with receiving
  BA/BSc
• Where good fit is not possible, exceptionally
  progression to Stage II Honours, or use of UoP
  delivered bridging modules
• Where no UoP progression route, negotiated
  progression route elsewhere (e.g. Comp. Therapy)

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UoP/BU Structure

• Stage I - 160 credits, delivered over an extended
  academic year, of which at least 120 credits at
  Level I, and normally 20 credits of research and
  Study Skills and 20 credits Learning from Work.
• Stage II 120 Level II credits.
• Design to permit progression to a one- year
  top-up to Honours, if necessary with a summer
  bridging programme.

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UoP/BU Model - rationale

• 160 credits at level 1 - why?
• To have a wider entry gate than would be the case
  for and honours degree
• Encompass the need for Work Experience.
• Enable students to handle more demanding Level 2
  and lay foundations for progress to Level III
  work.
• Give space for flexible Stage I content

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FdA -Links to employers - microenterprises

• The majority of employers in the far south west
  employ no more than 10 people. Large, employer-
  led part-time programmes are impractical
• Skills development must be generic, focussed on
  transferable skills as well as broad sectoral
  skills
• Focus as much on flexibility and self employment
  as on a career within a single industry

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The Work Based Model-1 Vocational Management

• Many sectors do not need higher HE level
  knowledge, but Do need employees who can MANAGE
  within a technical context.
• For many sectors, microenterprises and self
  employment require a very different Fd to that
  established for a major employer - a small- scale
  boat builder is very different to KLM Engineering.

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Fd model for the small business sector

• Core generic business skills (Marketing HR
  Customer Care Business Planning Money
  Entrepreneurism)
• Skills application into the workplace
• Workplace analysis ( reflective log)
• Vocational subject-specific strengthening
• Major work-based project

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Structure
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General Content

• Cross cutting themes
• Entrepreneurship and Leadership
• Thinking Smart
• DCoR (Direction and Control of Resources)
• Money
• Constant Re-Engineering

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Delivery Modes

• NOT FT NOT PT
• Blended Learning
• Some intensive 1 or 2 day events
• Some web based
• Some problem-based BUT real problems

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BA top-up -Flexible Learning in Early Childhood
Studies

• Early Childhood Studies team writing on-line
  final eyar BA resources
• Existing network of Fd ECS provides location and
  students
• On-line editors identified
• Identifying on-line tutors
• Preparing starter packs
• Preparing study pack
• Planning for 40 learners

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University Certificate Cert/Dip HE Personal
Professional Development

• Level 1 60 CATS ? University Certificate
• Level 1 120 CATS ? Certificate of Higher
  Education
• Level 1 120 CATS Level 2 120 CATS ? Diploma of
  Higher Education
•  Compulsory modules (Research Study Skills
  ICT Personal Professional Planning)
• Option modules (e.g. Ceramics Woodland
  Environments Popular Music Running Lean
  Businesses Health Safety in the Workplace The
  Law relating to Community and Voluntary groups)

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Employer/NTO support

• Supportive of the concept, planned outcomes and
  the award
• Keen to advise
• Happy to provide placements and engage with
  assessment
• Not happy to come to regular meetings
• Welcomed us going to see them and focussed
  consultative meetings