The document discusses the role of the Institute of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE) in enhancing learning and teaching. It provides an overview of ILTHE, including that it seeks to enhance teaching status, improve learning experiences, support innovation, and maintain teaching standards. It outlines ILTHE's core functions such as self-regulating standards, providing member services, fostering communities of practice, and representing practitioners' voices. The document encourages joining ILTHE for recognition, resources, and relationships.

1. 1
Enhancing Learning and Teaching -
The Role of the ILTHE
Dr Rob Macpherson
UHI Millennium Institute

2. 2
Plan of Talk
1) What is ILTHE?
2) Professionalism
3) Routes to membership
4) ILTHE membership services
5) Why join?
6) Conclusion - the four Rs

3. 3
What is ILTHE?
• The Institute of Learning and Teaching in
Higher Education (ILTHE) is the
professional body for all who teach and
support learning in Higher Educationin the
UK
• It was set up in the aftermath of the
Dearing Report to address the fact that
there were no professional standards for
Learning &Teaching within the sector

4. 4
What is ILTHE?
It seeks to
• enhance the status of teaching
• improve the experience of learning
• support innovation
• maintain professional standards of practice
• professionally recognise all staff involved in
Teaching & Learning

5. 5
ILTHE: Core Functions
• Self-regulation of professional standards in
learning and teaching in higher education
• Provision of services to individual members
• Creation of inclusive community of practice in
teaching and learning support
• Growth of evidence of best practice in T&L
• Representation of the practitioner’s voice in
national debates on learning and teaching in HE

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Characteristics of “Professionals”
• Possession and use of specialist knowledge
• Long training and socialisation
• Use of discretion, not only rules
• Control over recruitment/training
• Control over standards of performance
• Code of ethics; disciplinary procedures
• Self-definition of scholarship base

7. 7
Professionalism: Sector Views
• Possession of appropriate knowledge and
skills
• Achievement of adequate standards of
performance
• Commitment to students’ achievement
• Commitment to continuing development
• Adherence to set of values

8. 8
Enhancing Professionalism
• Membership: mark of recognition of
professionalism as a teacher/facilitator of
learning: therefore initial entry criteria plus
continuous professional development (CPD)
• Routes to membership: flexible routes to
recognise differences in staff responsibility,
staff experience, institutional setting.

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Routes to Membership
• Accreditation: ILTHE acknowledgment of
formal training of institutional staff in staff
development programmes - in UHI’s case,
MA Professional Development
• ILTHE evaluation of individual applications

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Six Areas: Basis of Evaluation
• Teaching/support of learning
• Design/planning of programme of study and/or
learning activities
• Assessment and/or giving feedback to students
• Developing effective learning environments and
student learning support systems
• Improvement through reflective practice and
personal development
• Integration of scholarship, research and
professional activities

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Basis of Evaluation
Your application should explain the following:
• What you do
• How you do it
• Why you do it that way
• How you know what you do is effective

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Membership Services
• Journal: 3 issues a year
• Books: 2 different series
• Newsletter: 4 issues a year (paper/online)
• Website: www.ilt.ac.uk
• Workshops: held throughout the UK
• Forums: eg North of Scotland Forum
• Conferences:annual and local

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Why should I join?
The ILTHE offers:
• a kitemark of experience and expertise in
teaching/learning support
• membership of a community of learning
through which to share best practice and ideas
• influence and the chance to shape the
direction and services of the ILTHE
• a performance indicator for external scrutiny

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Some potential UHI objectives for
ILTHE membership?
The objectives are
• to contribute to attaining excellence in all our educational
provision
• to maximise the status of teaching within UHI and the
external profile of UHI in teaching-related areas
• to support the professionalism of teaching-related work
and associated staff development activity
• to ensure equality of esteem for all HE activities within UHI

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ILTHE membership
• Widespread membership of the ILTHE is a UHI
strategic aim and, with only a few exceptions, it is
expected that all academic and academic-related staff
should become members
• Currently, 74 staff out of 540 on the academic register
are ILTHE members (14%) - 6 from Orkney College
(but not your Principal!!!)
• The target for 2003-04 is 108 members (20%)

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Conclusion - The Four Rs
The ILTHE provides:
• Recognition of professional skills
• Responsibility for sectoral accountability
• Resources for the development of
teaching and learning support
• Relationships: community of teaching
and learning practice