Institutional context
This chapter outlines the ways in which the flexible Connected Curriculum framework has been introduced to UCL in the UK as part of a wider institutional strategy. UCL’s intention is to build on, extend and celebrate established areas of good practice across the institution. The Connected Curriculum, with its core principle that students learn through research and enquiry and its six related dimensions, is becoming a catalyst for dialogue among faculty members, professional staff, students and alumni.
UCL is a large, research-intensive university based in central London. It was founded in 1826 as a secular alternative to Oxford and Cambridge. Now with nearly 40,000 students, it comprises a very wide range of academic disciplines and professions, ranging from Fine Art to Physics, from Architecture to Medicine, and from Classics to Computer Science. It is particularly known for its research. Its research ‘intensity’ was evidenced in the UK’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework research evaluation exercise, where it was the top-rated university in the UK for research strength, by a measure of average research score multiplied by staff numbers submitted (UCL 2016c). More than half of UCL’s students are postgraduates, which makes its profile unusual. Its eleven Faculties have a considerable degree of autonomy, with very distinctive cultures and histories.
How did the Connected Curriculum initiative at UCL come into being? In the summer of 2013, Professor Michael Arthur took up the post of UCL President and Provost. His appointment heralded a new focus on raising the quality of student education in the institution to mirror that of its research and on building synergies between the two. During the academic year 2013–14, a series of events, seminars, ‘town hall’ discussions and online consultations at UCL engaged academics, professional staff, students and other stakeholders in discussion about UCL’s values and mission. This led to the development and publication of a 20-year strategy, ‘UCL 2034’ (UCL 2016d). Its key objectives include ‘addressing global challenges through our disciplinary excellence and distinctive cross-disciplinary approach’; developing as ‘an accessible, publicly-engaged organization that fosters a lifelong community’; and ‘delivering global impact through a network of innovative international activities, collaborations and partnerships’.
The section of the UCL 2034 strategy articulating intentions for student education focuses on UCL becoming ‘A global leader in the integration of research and education, underpinning an inspirational student experience’:
We will inspire our students at every level – undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research – and equip them with the knowledge and skills that they need to contribute significantly to society and be leaders of the future in their chosen field and profession. All our students and staff will be seen as collaborative members of our university community, with a shared interest in the future of UCL.
Our students will participate in the research process and the creation of knowledge, supported by our academic and research staff. They will understand the ‘edge of knowledge’ and learn how to deal with uncertainty. Through this integrated approach, they will develop their critical independent thinking skills, become confident problem solvers, be well-versed in communicating complex information and experienced at working in a team. With these skills, our graduates will excel in the workplace and be highly valued contributors across all walks of life.
(UCL 2016d: Integration of research and education)
Playing a key role as a catalyst for taking forward these ambitions was the UCL Centre for Advancing Learning and Teaching (CALT), now known as the Arena Centre for Research-based Education. I am the Academic Director of this department, working directly to the Vice Provost for Education and Student Affairs, Professor Anthony Smith. The UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education aims to:
ensure that the university offers the best possible quality of education for its students, by forging creative connections between its world-leading research and its teaching and learning at all levels of the curriculum, and by enabling students to learn through participating in research;
provide authentic opportunities for all faculty members and professional staff who teach, support students’ learning and/or are leaders of education to develop their teaching and educational leadership practices, and to gain appropriate qualifications;
work with students as partners, encouraging them to be leaders and makers of change;
influence and contribute to the higher education sector nationally and internationally in relation to the development of research-based higher education, academic practice and academic leadership.
Comprising Senior and Principal Teaching Fellows with different kinds of disciplinary and educational expertise as well as professional staff, the Arena Centre liaises with faculty members to develop student education in ways that suit different disciplines and curriculum levels. The team also undertakes education-focused scholarly research; we aim to draw on evidence-informed research in all projects and activities. We offer modest amounts of funding to UCL’s Faculties for innovative developments, allocated through competitive bidding schemes. Regularly welcoming visitors from across UCL and from the wider national and international higher education community for discussions and events, we collaborate on numerous developmental projects.
In my role as Academic Director, I worked closely with Vice Provost Professor Anthony Smith to develop a way of framing discussions about new approaches to enhancing student education particularly, but not exclusively, through connecting students with research. The intention was to share existing good practice and to stimulate creative thinking, across the range of diverse disciplines and contexts, about how we could ensure that all students had regular opportunities to benefit from studying in a research-rich environment. This means thinking about the ways in which programmes of study, both undergraduate and postgraduate, are designed; it also means looking again at the wider culture of departments and Faculties in which students are studying. The intention is also to shine a light on cross-institutional features and systems that need to be improved. These include physical learning spaces, online administrative systems and academic regulations. We work closely with other UCL departments, such as Digital Education and Academic Services, to join up opportunities, challenges and solutions.
The senior leadership team is always keen to work in partnership with students and their representatives, and the relationship between the institution and the student union, UCLU, has been steadily strengthened. The UK National Student Survey (NSS), which asks students about their experience across a number of themes, including teaching, assessment and feedback, and academic support, has also been helpful. We have been able to draw on student feedback data from this and other surveys to understand better where our students are getting a great experience and where there are aspects of educational provision that needed to be improved.