Senate meeting - Wednesday 6 February
All members of staff are warmly invited to the presentation and discussion section of Senate, which takes place at 2pm on Wednesday 6 February.
The presentation and discussion section of this meeting will cover two separate themes:
- Research Excellence Framework
- Student Experience Plan
This section poses a valuable opportunity for all staff members to engage with, and contribute ideas to, this discussion.
The session will take place on Wednesday 6 February at 2 pm in West Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Main Building and will last approximately 90 minutes.
Tea and coffee will be served after the session.
Research Excellence Framework
UK universities take part in a UK-wide assessment of the quality of their research around every six years via the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
The 2014 REF results affirmed the University’s position as one of Britain’s leading research universities (4th by research power, the measure least susceptible to ‘gaming’, after Oxford, UCL and Cambridge), and as Scotland’s top-ranked research institution.
Submissions for the next REF will close in November 2020 and the results will be published in December 2021.
This session of short presentations and discussion will provide an overview of the preparations which the University has made for REF2021 and the impact that they have had on research in colleges.
Senate will be invited to discuss how the University can position itself for future REF exercises, building on the experience of preparing for the current and previous REFs. This discussion will also invite Senate to consider the implications of the exercise on University strategy and how we define academic roles.
Speakers
Introduction and overview
Professor Jonathan Seckl, Vice-Principal Planning, Resources and Research Policy
Implications of the REF for University strategy
Pauline Jones, Head of Strategic Performance and Policy Research
College perspective on preparing for the REF
Professor Christina Boswell, Dean of Research, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Implications of the REF for the academic role
Professor Jane Norman, Vice-Principal People and Culture
Student Experience Plan
The Principal has set out a vision of a culture at the University in which students feel cherished and staff are energised by the contributions that they can make at work.
What changes are needed if we are to deliver on this aspiration?
In this slot Gavin Douglas, Deputy Secretary, Student Experience and Professor Charlie Jeffery, Senior Vice-Principal, will present and discuss the emerging Student Experience Plan.
The plan identifies seven broad areas for enhancement* and proposes a range of actions, some already in train and others to be started, for each area. Overall, this is a major programme of work that sets out to make a lasting and positive change to our students' experience of the University.
*excellence in teaching; a curriculum that is inspiring, challenging and inspirational; high quality and timely student support; high standards of customer service; excellent facilities and good quality transport links; sense of belonging and community; and ensuring that "things generally run smoothly.")
Meeting details
Wednesday 6 February 2019, 14.00 – 15.30, West Court, Edinburgh College of Art, Main Building
Members of staff who are interested in attending the meeting must book a place through MyEd due to venue capacity requirements.
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