Centre for learning and teaching


Vice Principal David Swinfen reveals all

All you ever wanted to know (and more) about the centre for learning and teaching, but were afraid to ask.

Here are the four most commonly asked questions about the centre, or would be if anyone knew enough about it to ask them.

What is it?
Why is it?
What does it do?
How will we know if it is doing it?

What is it?
The University's centre for learning and teaching is made up of six units, some of which are survivals from the old institute of lifelong learning, and some of which are quite new. These are:

  1. Quality enhancement unit (Alan Davidson)
  2. Learning enhancement unit (Jonathan Weyers)
  3. Wider access study centre (John Blicharski)
  4. Flexible programmes development unit (Viv Urquart)
  5. Continuing education (Keith Mackle)
  6. Teaching resources unit (Stephen Welsh)

The Centre has a director, Ian Francis, who doubles up as academic secretary, while overall strategic responsibility for the centre, and for learning and teaching strategy generally, lies with the Vice Principal (from next year, the Vice Principal for educational development). Centre administration is kept to a minimum, but there is a centre management committee (all the above individuals) and a board, consisting of all staff (33 at the last count). Links have been or are being established with faculties, student services, the centre for medical education, and the faculty of education and social work. A key feature of the centre is the establishment of links internally between each of the units.

Why is it?
'Learning and teaching' is in danger of becoming one of those phrases like 'lifelong learning' and 'quality assurance' to which we pay lip service, but forget what they really mean. Yet learning and teaching are what university education is all about. We are reminded of that by the funding council, which requires us to have a learning and teaching strategy, and by government, who press us on the one hand to take in students from areas of social exclusion, and on the other to maintain or improve standards. We have our own agenda - to improve student retention rates, to explore effective innovation in teaching methods, and to establish closer links with FE colleges and the community.

What does it do?
a photo of Alan Davidson Each of the units has a specific job to do - usually several.

Quality enhancement unit - combines quality assurance with staff development in support of teaching. It will need to address the new arrangements for quality assurance in Scotland, as well as reviewing our approach to staff development to make it more targeted towards real staff needs.

a photo of Jonathan Weyers

Learning enhancement unit - to introduce new learning technologies including the VLE, and support improvements in student progression. The University has opted for Blackboard as the VLE to be supported, and much progress has already been made towards getting it operational. The Unit also supports Advance@Dundee, student IT induction, and will carry out research into student retention rates.

a photo of John Blicharski

Wider access study centre - concentrates largely on widening access through the provision of five programmes (access summer school, ASPIRE, DUAL, TASC, and Transition) which both qualify and prepare potential undergraduates. Nearly 10% of our own entrant students now come into the University by this route. WASC also operates an extensive programme of student tutoring in schools, and pupil shadowing of students in the University

a photo of Viv Urquart

Flexible programmes development unit - to enable the provision of flexible learning and teaching programmes. Viv's group has been helping faculties develop part-time degrees, establishing formal articulation agreements with FE colleges, collaborating with St Andrews on a part-time evening degree programme, and have set up the learning and teaching forum.




a photo of Keith Mackle

Continuing education - provides a range of high quality, part-time, open access leaning opportunities for adults in Tayside. Increasingly the unit provides credit rated courses in the context of part-time degrees.




a photo of Stephen Welsh


Teaching resources unit - provides a high quality range of AV services to support effective delivery of teaching and learning. Responsible for provision and maintenance of AV equipment in teaching rooms, and room bookings.

Collaborative projects - each of these units is involved with one or more partners in joint projects, ranging from research into the reasons for student dropout to the progressive improvement of teaching methods and staff development.

How will we know if it is doing it?
The University has approved a learning enhancement plan, which effectively sets objectives and targets for the centre to aim at over a three year period. This plan will be reviewed annually, and the performance of the centre measured against it. Over and above that, we expect that faculties, departments and individual members of staff will begin to see the benefit of having the centre, whether it be in the form of improved technical support in the teaching rooms, help with using the VLE in their teaching practice, more and better prepared students, fewer dropouts, new more attractive courses etc.


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