Online Resource for Staff new to teaching in HE

An Introduction to Glasgow Caledonian University

The University

The University website offers a

range of information on Glasgow

Caledonian University’s (GCU)

vision and mission, values, strategy

and goals. There is also a short

video introduction to the University.

Information about GCU’s

commitment to the Common Weal

(‘weal’ meaning ‘state of wellbeing,

prosperity, happiness), which is the

University’s motto and forms part of

its Coat of Arms (see image) can

also be found on the ‘Welcome to

the University webpages’.

The University

GCU’s activities reach well beyond its Glasgow campus.

GCU London offers a range of programmes and activities and the

University has expanded its activities to the USA by establishing

GCU New York as a new campus.

Additionally, GCU also works in

partnership with the Caledonian

College of Engineering in Oman and

the Grameen Caledonian College of

Nursing in Bangladesh.

University

Structure

The webpages under

‘University Governance’

offer information about,

and links to, more

information about the

University’s formal

structure and committees.

GCYou – The University’s Staff Portal

GCYou is the

University’s

intranet and

offers

additional

information

for staff on a

variety of

areas,

including

People

Services.

GCYou – The University’s Staff Portal

The University’s staff portal is particularly useful for new

members of staff since it offers valuable information on

the People Services pages, incl. resources, performance

and development, health and safety, equality and

diversity.

Guidance on the Performance Annual Development

Review (PDAR) and the Work Allocation Model (WAM)

can be found under ‘Help and Resources, Section 4.

Recruitment, Staffing and Appointments’ on the People

Services GCYou pages.

Governance and Quality Enhancement

Governance and Quality brings together services and

areas of activity relating to:

• governance and legislative compliance;

• committee secretariat;

• academic regulations;

• academic quality assurance.

More information and relevant documents are available

from the Governance and Quality Enhancement website.

Quality Assurance and Enhancement

The University’s Quality Assurance and Enhancement is

managed by the Directorate of Governance and Quality

enhancement. Its responsibility is to ensure and enhance

the quality of the University's provision, including

research, knowledge transfer and commercial

development. This includes:

• the development and review of policy and procedures for quality

management in compliance with the Quality Assurance Agency’s

(QAA) Code of Practice;

• the preparation and organisation of the QAA Enhancement Led

Institutional Review (ELIR).

Enhancement Led Institutional Review (ELIR)

One of the responsibilities of the Quality Assurance

Agency (QAA) is to review universities and other higher

education institutions. This review is called:

Enhancement Led Institutional Review (ELIR) and takes

place every five years.

The QAA website provides information and guidance

about the ELIR process and links to other important

documents like to Quality Code with which all universities

and higher education institutions have to comply.

Enhancement Led Institutional Review (ELIR)

Enhancement-Led Institutional Review (ELIR) is one

strand of the Quality Enhancement Framework for

Scotland, designed to ensure academic standards and

encourage enhancement.

The principles underpinning the Framework are:

• high quality learning;

• student engagement;

• the development of cultures of quality.

Enhancement Led Institutional Review (ELIR)

GCU is currently undergoing an ELIR (Feb./March 2015)

which includes ELIR Panel visits and meetings with

students and staff.

One major component of the ELIR is the University’s

Reflective Analysis which offers valuable information

about the University.

The staff portal offers more detailed information on the

ELIR and a copy of the University’s Reflective Analysis

can also be found on the Governance and Quality

Enhancement pages in GCYou: Home > Schools and Departments > Governance and Quality Enhancement > Quality

Enhancement and Assurance > Enhancement-Led Institutional Review

Academic Schools

School of Engineering and Built Environment

(SEBE)

Department of Construction and

Surveying

Department of Engineering

Department of Computer,

Communications and Interactive

Systems

Glasgow School for Business and

Society (GSBS)

Department of Law, Economics, Accountancy and

Risk

Department of Business

Management

Department of Social Sciences,

Media and Journalism

School of Health and Life Sciences

(SHLS)

Department of Nursing and

Community Health

Department of Psychology, Social

Work and Allied Health Services

Department of Life Sciences

The University has three Academic Schools with three departments

each:

Academic School Structure • School Management Group (SMG)

• School Dean

• Vice Dean

• Associate Deans: International (ADI), Learning and

Teaching Quality (ADLTQ), Business Development (ADBD),

Research (ADR)

• Heads of Department (HoDs)

• Head of Administration (HoA)

• Assistant Heads of Department (AHoDs)

• Learning and Teaching Quality Leads (LTQLs)

• Business Partners (Finance, Human Resources (HR),

Marketing)

• Learning Development Centre (LDC)

• Blended Learning Technologists

Departments

Head of Department (HoD)

Assistant Heads of Department (AHoDs)

Programme Teams (PTs)

[Learning and Teaching Quality Leads (LTQLs);

International/Exchange; Business Development]

Administration (admin) team

The Learning Development Centre

Each Academic School has a Learning Development

Centre that provides academic face-to-face and online

support for students:

• SEBE LDC;

• GSBS LDC;

• SHLS LDC.

The Learning Development Centre teams are normally

comprised of a Director, Academic Development Tutors,

ICT Skills tutors and an administrator.

ELISR (Enhancement Led Internal Subject Review)

• Every five years an ELISR (enhancement Led Internal

Subject Review) will take place at department level.

• The review process is organised and facilitated by the

Department of Governance and Academic Quality.

• It will include programme approval and/or programme

re-approval as far as possible.

• For more information and to download a copy of the

Quality Assurance and Enhancement Handbook,

please visit the Governance and Quality Assurance

Website.

ELISR (Enhancement Led Internal Subject Review)

The purpose of the ELISR is to support quality assurance and

enhancement across departmental programmes.

Reviews will:

• Promote dialogue in order to enhance quality and identify good

practice;

• Reflect critically on practice;

• Take full account of student feedback;

• Review programmes against benchmarks and the QAA Quality

Code and where appropriate, professional and statutory bodies;

• Take account of the Scottish credit and Qualifications Framework

(SCQF);

• Consider the effectiveness of annual monitoring arrangements;

• Consider the impact of central and school-based student support

activities in enhancing the student experience.

University Funding

The University receives its main funding from the

Scottish Funding Council (SFC). The funding is based on

an Outcome Agreement (OA) that is negotiated on an

three-yearly basis and which covers all areas of

university funding. These areas are referred to as:

• Excellence in Learning and Teaching;

• Excellence in Research;

• Delivering for business, the public and voluntary sectors;

• Sustainability.

The SFC monitors the performance of the University

annually based on National Performance Measures.

University Funding

Other sources of funding include:

• External Research Grants (i.e. Economic and Social Research

Council (ESRC), Nuffield, Carnegie)

• External Development Grants (i.e. European Union (EU),

Nuffield)

• Collaborations with industries, business, third sector

organisations (i.e. business academies)

• Consultancy and knowledge exchange

• Conference and Events Management

Supporting Learning and Teaching @

GCU

GCU LEAD (Learning Enhancement and Academic

Development) is a central academic department that

drives and supports an enhanced student learning

experience through collaborative working across the

University and to support the Common Good mission

through its commitment to learning and teaching

excellence and widening participation.

It offers a wide variety of activities, one of which is

academic and professional development and recognition.

GCU LEAD

Strategic

Activity

(1) Engaging staff and

students in enhancing the

student learning experience

(2) Leading

academic and professional

development and recognition in

Learning &Teaching

(3) Researching

HE, Learning &Teaching, Widening

Participation and the student

learning experience

(4) Developing

policy and strategy in Learning

&Teaching and Widening

Participation

Research @ GCU

Research at GCU is aligned with the University’s

commitment to the common good. It aimed at enabling

communities to build inclusive societies and live healthy

lives in sustainable environments.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) has

confirmed GCU’s status as a world-class research

institution and more detailed information on the results

can be found on the REF 2014 webpage.

Research Institutes, Centres and

Support Departments

There are a variety of research institutes, research

centres and support departments at the University

covering a wide range of areas, from research and

development to social innovation.

GCU Research Institutes

There are three research institutes, which are aligned to

the three academic schools:

• Institute for Applied Health Research

• Institute for Society and Social Justice Research

• Institute for Sustainable Engineering and Technology Research

They were established to build on the University’s

strengths and to meet future societal challenges. They

aim to:

• Consolidate GCU’s success in attracting major grants;

• Further develop collaborations with partners outside Scotland;

• Work with end-users in the public and private sectors.

Research Centres

The University has a number of research centres that

focus on specialised research areas, such as:

• The Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health which examines the

relationship between social business and health improvement;

• The Moffat Centre which is one of the leading university-based research

and consultancy centres in Europe;

• Social History of Health and Health Care which focuses on issues arising

from the social history of health and healthcare in modern societies;

• Scottish Poverty Information Unit which is an established applied

research unit which has attained a reputation as an authority on matters

pertaining to poverty and social justice in Scotland;

• The Women in Scotland’s Economy (WiSE) Research Centre which aims

to promote and make visible women’s contribution and to boost

Scotland’s economy.

International Activity

The International Partnerships Office (IPO) was formed

last year and consists of the International Partnerships

team and the Study Abroad and Erasmus & Exchange

team.

It combines existing partnership activity related to GCU

student and staff mobility within Study Abroad and

Erasmus+ agreements, with a new service created to

facilitate, support and administer ongoing and new

relationships with overseas institutions, with the aim of

developing GCU’s international activity.

Support Departments

A list of all central support departments can be found on

the University website under ‘Services and Directorates’.

These include:

• Admissions and Registry;

• Student Experience, Governance and Quality;

• Disability Service and Positive Living Team;

• International Student Support;

• Library and IT Support;

• Finance and Facilities.

Widening Participation

GCU is viewed as a key player with regards to Widening

Participation (WP). This means that a large proportion of

its students come from non-traditional backgrounds.

GCU’s Widening Participation Activities are part of the

University’s commitment to the common good. There are

a number of initiatives and programmes that support

Widening Participation, these include:

• Caledonian Club – raising aspirations by working with children

and teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds;

• Articulation Hub – offering pupils from schools with low

participation in higher education the opportunity to study for their

Advanced Highers at GCU;

• College Connect – offering articulations paths from college into

the University.

GCU Students’ Association (GCUSA)

The GCUSA is the student representative body for the

University. All GCU students are automatically members

of the Students’ Association and have the right to stand

as and/or elect student representatives for their classes,

Schools and members of the GCUSA Executive

Committee at the University level.

Their roles include:

• Student President

• Vice President Education

• Vice President Well Being

• Vice President Activities

GCU Students’ Association (GCUSA)

As the student representative body for the University, the GCUSA

supports all class representatives (‘class reps’) and school officers.

Class reps represent students at programme level and they are

members of their programme’s Student Staff Consultative Group

(SSCG). School Officers represent students at School level.

GCUSA also offers specialised training for class reps and school

officers as well as campaign training for all those who decide to

stand for any of the full-time officer posts.

It organises events that allow class reps and school officers to share

experiences and learn from each other, like the class rep gathering

and also runs the Student Leaders Programme which enables

students to develop their leadership and employability skills.

GCU Students’ Association (GCUSA)

The GCUSA also run an advice centre for students that

covers a wide range of areas from academic advice to

personal issues, bullying and harassment, health,

finance, accommodation and employment.

It also organises activities and there are sports clubs and

about 60 different societies that students can join.

GCUSA also a volunteering service and last but not

least, the University’s own student radio station ‘Radio

Caley’.

GCU Students

As a key player in Widening Participation GCU attracts a

large proportion of its circa 16,000 students who come

from non-traditional backgrounds and are often the first

in their family to study at a University.

Other aspects include*:

• 97% of GCU students come from state schools;

• 34% come from a disadvantaged background;

• 17% of Scottish entrants come from the lowest quintile of Multiple

Deprivation

The Strategy and Planning Service offers more detailed

information on the GCU Student Profile on the staff portal

(GCYou). *these are 2012-13 figures

GCU Student Profile (2012-13)

*PG = Postgraduate; *UG = Undergraduate

Gender of Students

• 58% Female

• 42% Male

Mode of Study

• 77% full time

• 23% part time

Level of Study

• 3% Research PG*

• 13% Taught PG

• 84% UG*

GCU Student Profile (2012-13)

EU = European Union

Domicile of Students

• 88% UK

• 3% EU* (Outside UK)

• 9% Outside EU

Disability

• 6% known to be disabled

• 94% no known disability

• 0% not known/sought

Ethnicity of UK domiciled Students

• 90% white

• 9% Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)

• 1% not known

GCU Student Profile (2012-13): Age

• 15% are 18 years or younger

• 12% are 19 years old

• 12% are 20 years old

• 25% are between 21 and 24 years old

• 14% are between 25 and 29 years old

• 22% are 30 years or older

GCU Student Profile (2012-13)

Thank you!