Report 98/34

FDTL Phase Two: Funded Projects

HEFCE and DENI awards under Phase Two of the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning Programme

The electronic version of this document contains the Foreword, introductory text and Project summaries only. The complete printed report is available from the HEFCE.

Foreword

Changes in higher education bring opportunities, and this is particularly true for the development of teaching and learning practices. We wish to ensure the sustained development of high quality teaching and learning opportunities for students in higher education. The quality assessment programme undertaken by the Council has demonstrated the breadth and depth of good practice and innovation. Through the diverse range of activities described in this document, we are taking full advantage of the opportunities to build on the imagination and talent of teachers in universities and colleges.

This document describes the 19 projects supported under phase two of our Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL). The FDTL is a programme of activity which aims to stimulate developments in teaching and learning and to promote and disseminate good practice throughout the higher education sector. Details of the 44 projects funded under phase one of the FDTL programme are included in a separate report, 'FDTL Phase one: Funded Projects, (98/33).

This document is a part of the rich and diverse network of information that the FDTL has generated, and continues to generate. I encourage you to use the contact points for further information; these are provided for each project, as well as for the central FDTL National Co-ordination Team and the FDTL secretariat.

The very high quality of teaching and learning in higher education is a credit to the enthusiasm and commitment of all those who teach in universities and colleges. To sustain and improve on this record of success, we need to create new relationships that will share and embed good practice.

I believe that you will find the work of the FDTL projects both interesting and stimulating. And I hope that you will spread the messages of good practice by telling your colleagues about the FDTL programme.

Professor Brian Fender
Chief Executive

FDTL Phase Two: Funded Projects

HEFCE and DENI awards under phase two of the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning Programme

Executive summary

1. This report gives summaries of the projects funded under phase two of the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning programme (FDTL). It also gives brief details about the projects funded under phase one, and an update of programme activities.

Background

2. The FDTL was launched by the HEFCE and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland (DENI) in December 1995. The aims of the FDTL are to:

• stimulate developments in learning and teaching
• secure the widest possible involvement of institutions in the take up and implementation of good practice.

3. Funds are awarded to projects that show the potential to make a contribution to the development and improvement of learning and teaching through the transfer of information and ideas. This is the first time the HEFCE and DENI have linked the results of the quality assessment process to the allocation of funds to the HE sector. Bids can only be made by those institutions that have demonstrated, through quality assessment, high quality in their educational provision.

Phase one

4. In December 1995 bids were invited under phase one of the FDTL programme. Phase one covered the 15 subjects assessed under the quality assessment method used between February 1993 and June 1995. Forty-four projects were funded at a cost of £8.5 million. Most projects started in October 1996 and will run for three years. Details of these projects can be found in the following report - The Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL) Phase one: Funded Projects.

Phase two

5. In December 1996 bids under phase two were invited. This phase covered the eight subjects assessed between April 1995 and September 1996: chemical engineering, sociology, linguistics, French, German and related languages, Italian, Iberian languages and studies, and Russian and Eastern European languages and studies. Nineteen projects were funded at a cost of £4 million. The majority of these projects started in October 1997 and will run for three years. Projects were typically awarded grants of £250,000. Project summaries and progress to date are given in the second part of this report.

Programme management

6. The programme is guided by an Advisory Group on behalf of the HEFCE and DENI. The FDTL Secretariat, in close liaison with the FDTL National Co-ordination Team (NCT), undertakes day to day management of the programme. They are based at the Centre for Higher Education Practice at the Open University and their role can be summarised as follows:

• providing educational development support for individual projects and project staff
• supporting the management of individual projects
• encouraging co-ordination and connections across projects
• collecting and disseminating information on FDTL projects and for FDTL as a whole
• providing advice and guidance to the HEFCE and DENI through the FDTL Secretariat and Advisory Group
• facilitating the management of change in learning and teaching.

7. The NCT perform this role by: visiting projects; running workshops and publishing briefs on common themes such as project management, dissemination and evaluation; sharing information across projects through a newsletter and web site and by organising an annual FDTL conference for all projects. Further details about the NCT can be found at the following URL: http://fdtl.open.ac.uk/fdtl/

Evaluation

8. Within the portfolio of FDTL projects a range of evaluation strategies are in operation, including detailed arrangements for internal and external evaluation. The continued funding for projects is subject to satisfactory and sustainable progress, and each project has to submit an annual progress report. The NCT also submit an annual report to the Advisory Group detailing their next year's activities and the budget required to support these activities.

9. The 10 modern languages projects under phase two have decided to work together in order to optimise their impact in disseminating best practice. They have set up a group called the FDTL Co-ordinating Group for Languages (FDTL-CGL) which has created a joint dissemination strategy. The group are using the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) as a central information unit. CILT will be involved in disseminating the outcomes of all the FDTL modern languages projects to avoid duplication and to ensure the work of the group is given a high profile. This is a new approach to dissemination for a funding bodies initiative, and may be an option for other initiatives. For further details about the activities of the FDTL-CGL please visit their web site at the following URL: http://lang.fdtl.ac.uk

10. The FDTL programme as a whole is being evaluated. This evaluation will be primarily formative to assist the funding bodies in making decisions about the development of the programme. It will focus on:

a. What have been the main achievements of the FDTL programme to date?

b. To what extent is FDTL meeting its objectives?

c. What lessons can be learnt from the management of, and the procedures for, the operation of the FDTL programme by:

1. the funding bodies
2. the NCT
3. the project teams.
   

Further information

11. All enquiries should be addressed to the FDTL Secretariat through Gerry Taggart on 0117 931 7452 or Caroline Bardrick on 0117 931 7397. Further details about the FDTL programme can be found at the following URL: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Docs/initiat/current/fdtl.htm

Project summaries

The following section summarises the 19 projects under phase two of the FDTL programme. These are listed alphabetically by the lead institution.