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Dean of LALT NEWSLETTER - vOL.1 march 2021

Since becoming Dean in January 2021 I have been able to make some progress on my wish list! Key projects, as outlined in my manifesto, focus upon re-invigorating Student as Producer as the teaching and learning strategy at the University of Lincoln, developing it to be a progressive forward looking model for the future.

In these plans for the model, it is imperative that we build and develop from our foundations, drawing upon the legacy of Student as Producer under Professor Mike Neary. By doing this we are in a position to reflect and advance on the many exemplars of good practice across the institution that already exist.

Dr Kate Strudwick, Dean of LALT

Key Projects as Dean

The following are key projects LALT will be supporting me to deliver, during my term as Dean.

  1. The creation of a Student Executive Teaching Committee in LALT – to enable greater student academic representation to join LALT.
  2. The development of an Undergraduate Journal in LALT – authored by Undergraduate students, with an editorial board of Postgraduate students.
  3. The development of a Regional Teaching and Learning Community Network – to support the position of the University of Lincoln as a Civic University. This will allow us to learn from across the sector to inform our understanding and knowledge, while further providing opportunities to showcase and be part of ‘up and coming’ innovations/ developments in learning and teaching.
  4. To foster relationships with external sectors (employers, opportunities for volunteering, student engagement in the community) – to develop and provide opportunities for students to engage in the wider student experience outside of the curriculum. This will provide those opportunities they may not have had during the pandemic, and look to the future for furthering their learning journey.

I will continue to share updates on these projects as they develop through a number of different forums - where opportunities for colleagues to be involved and share views will be promoted.

Developing LALT

LALT should work as a community of practice – for all of us as members, and to be the first call for support and guidance on learning and teaching.

One of my key aims, as Dean, is develop those links between the community in a more transparent way. This will generate a sense of community that provides the opportunity to learn and develop, and importantly creating the dialogue between colleagues across the University. Having those important conversations about teaching practice, excellence and learning opportunities.

As part of this development I am currently working with the Student Life team on the digital presence of LALT. We are creating a new site which will signpost the 3 teams in LALT (LALT Engagement, Digital Education and Digital Student Life Teams).

This new site will be share best practice and case studies – it will guide the LALT community in a simplified accessible digital format. This new LALT site will offer a more streamlined approach, being both externally and internally facing, to accessing links, information and resources (with Student as Producer having a focal online presence).

Importantly, each team will of course retain their own website that you can continue to access for their support and guidance at any time.

I have also been working closely with the Student’s Union since becoming Dean, to build and develop links between LALT and the SU. With a focus on developing new, and reforming existing Academic Opportunities, these plans align with the other projects – all under the umbrella of Student as Producer for the future!

Future plans for the development of Student as Producer

I will be conducting a long-term staged review of Student as Producer over my two years as Dean of LALT, the project plans for which are set out below:

  1. To foster new opportunities for student academic representation in LALT.
  2. To conduct an institutional audit, to ‘map out’ existing Student as Producer initiative/projects across the University.
  3. To create a dedicated, externally facing website for LALT with focus on Student as Producer.
  4. To launch new model for Student as Producer.
  5. To showcase our outcomes in the RAISE conference in 2022, hosted at Lincoln and themed under the new Student as Producer model.

In all of these plans students are seen as being core to the creative process, to develop innovative teaching and learning in at the University of Lincoln through LALT. When students work together with academics, in partnerships and collaboration, they are able to actively participate, in and outside of the curriculum.

By facilitating these opportunities for student engagement, LALT plays a key role in enhancing their learning experiences, employability and transferable skills.

LALT will provide the structure, operationally and strategically, where ‘student experience’ is firmly embedded within higher education at the University of Lincoln, where core principles and values become practice.

To achieve these proposals it is vital that all colleagues and members of the LALT community have the opportunity to contribute and be involved in this work. If you want to find out more about any of these project proposals, or be involved in shaping their development and delivery I would really like to hear from you.

Please feel free to email me kstrudwick@lincoln.ac.uk or lalt@lincoln.ac.uk