What degree apprenticeships can do for you
This year sees the introduction of the apprenticeship levy which will help fund degree apprenticeships. As Elena Magrini of Universities UK explains, this is a great opportunity for universities to put themselves at the forefront of degree apprenticeship provision.
Using apprenticeships to bring wider regional benefits
On the HEFCE blog, Sarah Tudor, director of business engagement services at Staffordshire University, explains how apprenticeships have given the university the opportunity to enhance employer relationships and address skills gaps.
How one university is tackling under-utilised teaching spaces
Single discipline teaching labs can often be under used: typically for just 24 weeks per year. Ian Tidmarsh explains how new larger teaching labs at the University of Birmingham aim to provide more flexibility, higher utilisation and thus deliver better value for money.
How lean can nurture the relationship between educators and students
At the University of Winchester, academics are working with professional services to improve the student and staff experience. Dr Tammi Sinha, one of the academics in the HE continuous improvement unit, describes the benefits of lean approaches from the perspective of an educator.
Harnessing attendance data to drive better experiences of learning
Nick Moore is director of IT services at the University of Gloucestershire. In this post, and at Inside Government’s conference this week on utilising data effectively across higher education, he describes how his university is using attendance data to inform decisions on tailoring services to meet the needs of individual students
Giving students power over their learning data
Universities are investing time and money in creating learning analytics systems, but Ed Foster of Nottingham Trent Universities says these systems are only as good to the support given to staff and students who use them.
Analytics in higher education
Universities already collect vast amounts of data about their student populations, but often this is underutilised. This Universities UK report, written in partnership with Civitas Learning and Jisc, sets out the case for better use of analytics in higher education through effective implementation of appropriate technology and techniques.
From manual to automatic: developing learning analytics at Aston
After Aston University carried out a project to identify students at risk of withdrawal or non-progression, they realised they needed to move from manual analytics to a more comprehensive learning analytics system. Following a partnership with Jisc to develop such a system, they are already seeing the benefits, as James Moran explains.
What happens when the dial turns red?
When the data shows that a student is struggling, how should universities respond? Brian Hipkin issues a plea to academics and their professional services colleagues to work together more to understand the student lifestyle from the student's perspective.
Beacons of learning – micro-location technology on campus
The growing use of smartphones is making micro-location technology more attractive and delegates at this week's ALT Annual Conference 2016 will learn about how it could be used in universities. Ahead of the presentation, Sheffield Hallam University's Ian Glover describes a study he has jointly carried out into the use of 'bluetooth beacons' in higher education.
