{"id":1993,"date":"2021-08-19T08:36:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T07:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/?p=1993"},"modified":"2026-04-01T18:41:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:41:40","slug":"not-just-the-rules-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/2021\/08\/19\/not-just-the-rules-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Not just the ‘rules police’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Jo<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Jo Hicks is Teaching and Learning Manager in the Division of Teaching, Learning and Student Development (TLSD), with responsibility for our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>U<\/span>niversity\u00a0<\/span><\/span>quality framework<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and matters concerning\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidelines<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span>In this blog she explains\u00a0<\/span>the potential for quality to be far more exciting than that makes it sound, and highlights some of the great practice in Faculties over the last year<\/span>.<\/span>She also explains the photo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frequently\u00a0\u2013 and, I like to think, affectionately \u2013 the work that goes on in my area is described in terms of being some form of \u2018rules police\u2019.\u00a0A significant part of my role\u00a0is indeed about\u00a0managing\u00a0processes to assure our\u00a0regulatory compliance\u00a0obligations,\u00a0and for\u00a0CMA.\u00a0My ambition, however,\u00a0is that our quality function is more than this,\u00a0and\u00a0becomes\u00a0an embedded culture of\u00a0what we collectively view to be excellent\u00a0at the University of Manchester,\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0drive\u00a0to continually enhance teaching, learning,\u00a0and the student experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This partnership between assurance and enhancement was never more apparent than through an\u00a0exercise I supported recently\u00a0alongside my colleague Daniel Bayes and\u00a0in partnership with Simon\u00a0Merrywest\u00a0(Director for the Student Experience) and David Horan (Solicitor\u00a0\u2013 University Matters and Employment).\u00a0 Originally\u00a0initiated as a regulatory requirement by\u00a0OfS\u00a0(as they do!) we\u00a0needed\u00a0to audit the 1,200\u00a0plus taught programmes running\u00a0throughout last year\u2013\u00a0after all, we didn\u2019t have much else\u00a0on!\u00a0This\u00a0exercise was\u00a0to\u00a0provide\u00a0assurance\u00a0that our students received a comparably equivalent quality of teaching and learning during the pandemic\u00a0as before.\u00a0However, this became one of the most heart-warming and touching projects I have supported during my\u00a0three-and-a-half years in this role.\u00a0I\u2019m a people person,\u00a0and\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0struggled at times to find the human element in quality, but this exercise changed that and gave me a real sense of pride to be a part of the team at this\u00a0University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0success of this audit simply would not have happened without the tremendous support from faculty and school colleagues, both PS and academic, for which a huge measure of\u00a0gratitude\u00a0is owed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Great practice in Faculties we found out about\u00a0\u00a0<\/h5>\n

As part of the audit, we asked every programme team to reference some of the innovative, inclusive and accessible teaching and learning activities\u00a0which\u00a0they employed to provide students with a high-quality experience during the lockdown.\u00a0The modesty with which academic colleagues described\u00a0their work was amazing.\u00a0The examples offered included\u00a0not only transitioning to what we now commonly\u00a0describe as\u00a0\u2018asynchronous\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0\u2018synchronous\u2019\u00a0activities\u00a0(which were unfamiliar\u00a0even as\u00a0terms to many last March),\u00a0using digital platforms such as Zoom, Padlet, Piazza,\u00a0Softchalk,\u00a0and Discord,\u00a0as well as\u00a0more specialist tools such as\u00a0Audiometry,\u00a0which were\u00a0employed\u00a0to\u00a0engage students interactively\u00a0by\u00a0simulating\u00a0clinical lab work,\u00a0and Turning Point in MACE,\u00a0used\u00a0to poll students live through PowerPoint to provide instantaneous formative feedback.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Digital platforms have also been used widely to secure\u00a0contributions from\u00a0subject experts\u00a0and alumni\u00a0not otherwise able to travel to Manchester,\u00a0who have\u00a0engaged\u00a0and inspired\u00a0our students.\u00a0In May,\u00a0our BA Social Sciences programme\u00a0used this advantage\u00a0of flexible learning to its fullest by arranging an inspirational talk to students by\u00a0Andy Burnham, the\u00a0Mayor\u00a0of Greater Manchester,\u00a0and on the MA Social Work\u00a0programme\u00a0a\u00a0Consultant Psychiatrist from an\u00a0early\u00a0interventions\u00a0mental\u00a0health\u00a0team\u00a0in Hackney, London, delivered\u00a0an excellent Q&A session to\u00a0students\u00a0\u2013\u00a0from the comfort of their\u00a0own home!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Beacons of light in a dark period\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/h5>\n

We also heard about\u00a0\u2018movie-style\u2019\u00a0welcome videos and guided talks\u00a0used by various programmes as part of induction activities.\u00a0These were used alongside such things as\u00a0blended learning digital accessibility checklists, captioning tools\u00a0and\u00a0VoiceThread,\u00a0breakout rooms,\u00a0and\u00a0Blackboard\u00a0discussion boards\u00a0to\u00a0facilitate as\u00a0authentic\u00a0a\u00a0student\u00a0experience\u00a0as possible,\u00a0and\u00a0to\u00a0maintain a strong sense of learning community\u00a0and\u00a0attentiveness\u00a0to\u00a0staff and student\u00a0wellbeing, accessibility and\u00a0inclusivity issues.\u00a0Colleagues\u00a0on the BSc Speech and Language Therapy\u00a0programme\u00a0commented\u00a0that\u00a0\u201dthe\u00a0whole experience has arguably strengthened our already close-knit community of\u00a0practice\u201d,\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0like\u00a0many other programmes,\u00a0feedback\u00a0from students indicated how impressed they were\u00a0with\u00a0all of\u00a0your collective\u00a0efforts to \u2018go above and beyond\u2019.\u00a0At a LLB (Hons)\u00a0Bachelor of Law SSLC,\u00a0when conveying\u00a0their\u00a0thanks to the\u00a0School,\u00a0a\u00a0student\u00a0representative\u00a0notably commented\u00a0that staff\u00a0were\u00a0<\/i>\u201dbeacons\u00a0of light in a dark\u00a0period\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then there were the stories of\u00a0SALC colleagues\u00a0spending evenings on Zoom performing Japanese cook-along socials, or\u00a0the\u00a0live programme-related film screenings\u00a0in Criminology\u00a0where afterward,\u00a0two activists\u00a0who\u00a0featured\u00a0in the film\u00a0were invited to a\u00a0student\u00a0Q&A session,\u00a0and all complemented by\u00a0a\u00a0popcorn competition with a \u00a320 prize for the student who produced the best popcorn on the night.\u00a0On the\u00a0MRes\u00a0in Reproduction and Pregnancy,\u00a0there was even a charity \u2018professor\u00a0headshave\u2019 during lockdown!\u00a0It\u00a0was truly inspirational\u00a0and a pleasure to read\u00a0each and every\u00a0one.\u00a0Thank you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This blog post could not possibly do justice to\u00a0all of\u00a0the wonderful examples\u00a0shared as part of this\u00a0OfS\u00a0exercise,\u00a0but\u00a0it\u00a0does provide a platform to be able to celebrate some selected highlights.\u00a0Some of these examples will be appearing on TEA\u00a0in the future, and the fabulous\u00a0work of\u00a0colleagues\u00a0is\u00a0already being fed into the Flexible Learning Programme to make sure the practice\u00a0revealed\u00a0in this\u00a0quality\u00a0exercise\u00a0is being joined up\u00a0with the consultation and engagement work underway as we shape our flexible and blended learning future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Transforming Teaching Together\u00a0<\/h5>\n

Not everything worked as anticipated, but that was equally to be celebrated.\u00a0The significance has been as much about how our learning has developed by taking those risks, in order to begin our transformative journey,\u00a0and how we measure quality around a curriculum\u00a0in a way\u00a0that offers the best of all modes to our students.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I am fortunate to\u00a0be\u00a0working\u00a0alongside Professor Judy Williams\u00a0(AVP\u00a0for\u00a0Teaching, Learning,\u00a0and Students and Director of\u00a0the Institute\u00a0of\u00a0Teaching and Learning)\u00a0to refresh our quality framework,\u00a0and\u00a0I\u2019ve been\u00a0given the exciting opportunity to\u00a0enhance our current framework,\u00a0processes,\u00a0and\u00a0quality\u00a0measures. The ambition is\u00a0to develop a framework that makes us\u00a0transformative\u00a0in approach,\u00a0and that continually\u00a0drives\u00a0positive change\u00a0in teaching and learning\u00a0as much\u00a0as it ensures we\u00a0comply\u00a0with requirements,\u00a0and to focus on areas that need more\u00a0work to get them\u00a0right.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our vision is encapsulated in the project title \u2018Transforming Teaching\u00a0Together\u2019,\u00a0and our mission\u00a0is to create an inclusive, values-based,\u00a0and enhancement-led approach to quality activity,\u00a0which\u00a0recognises\u00a0the\u00a0unique features a taught programme at Manchester can offer to its graduates, supporting curriculum development to reflect these from programme inception\u00a0to ensure accessibility for all.\u00a0Pivotal\u00a0to\u00a0the project\u2019s\u00a0success\u00a0is its partnership with students, through\u00a0student representatives\u00a0past and present;\u00a0current and future UMSU Education Officers;\u00a0and\u00a0our\u00a0Educational Engagement\u00a0Manager at UMSU.\u00a0The contribution from staff too\u00a0–\u00a0PS and academic\u00a0–\u00a0will be\u00a0invaluable\u00a0in\u00a0collectively identifying\u00a0the values that\u00a0define Manchester teaching excellence.\u00a0Alongside\u00a0establishing a\u00a0task-and-finish group, we\u00a0are creating groups where colleagues can contribute their\u00a0perspective\u00a0and knowledge\u00a0asynchronously\u00a0via Teams,\u00a0without a fixed time commitment.\u00a0We\u00a0are keen to engage\u00a0as widely as possible\u00a0to\u00a0have\u00a0insight into the most up-to-date pedagogic expertise\u00a0from across the\u00a0university.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Remaining closely linked with the Flexible Learning Strategy and Graduate\u00a0Attributes\u00a0strategy\u00a0(to name but two),\u00a0this exciting project will identify the hallmarks of Manchester excellence and consider the data we use to measure high-quality teaching and learning, including\u00a0the\u00a0development of\u00a0a new student survey and feedback strategy as one of the key measures we use to judge the quality of our students\u2019 learning experiences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The photo\u00a0– and\u00a0now\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0cooking with gas<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

So back to the photo.\u00a0A wise\u00a0woman\u00a0(you will know who you are!)\u00a0said to me recently\u00a0that\u00a0excellent teaching and learning is a journey,\u00a0and not a destination.\u00a0For\u00a0Line of Duty<\/i>\u00a0fans out there,\u00a0and\u00a0those of you who\u00a0have (fondly?) compared quality\u00a0activity\u00a0to rules policing,\u00a0then \u201cJesus, Mary and Joseph, and the wee donkey<\/a>\u201d,\u00a0let\u2019s serve a\u00a0Regulation\u00a015 notice<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0seeing\u00a0quality\u00a0as\u00a0only\u00a0something we\u00a0have to\u00a0comply\u00a0with, and\u00a0tolerate.\u00a0I\u2019m interested in\u00a0\u201cone thing and one thing only<\/a>\u201d, and that is continual enhancement\u00a0and working in partnership to drive positive change.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy reading about our colleagues\u2019 wonderful work as much as we have.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you would be interested in\u00a0contributing to the Transforming Teaching Together project by\u00a0joining an\u00a0academic\u00a0and\u00a0PS staff\u00a0consultation\u00a0group\u00a0via\u00a0Microsoft Teams,\u00a0please contact Daniel Bayes\u00a0for further details, by email at: daniel.bayes@manchester.ac.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

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Contact Us<\/h4>\n

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+44 (0) 161 306 6000<\/p>\n

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Find Us<\/h4>\n

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The University of Manchester
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Manchester
M13 9PL
UK<\/a><\/p>\n

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