1. Leading a Programme
A free, open, online course and community

2. (Re) Introductions

3. What is the role of the programme
leader?
• Troubleshooter
• Dogsbody
• Cat herder
• Agony aunt
• Paper pusher
cartoon from sangrea.net, CC licensed

4. Review of topic 1
key comments
interpersonal skills
strategic vision
good organisation
Friday, January 23, 2015

5. Leading a Programme
Complicated context:
• National
• Institutional
• Faculty
• Programme

6. What are the national priorities?
“providing the best possible
learning experience for all
students”

7. What are the national priorities?
“Higher education in the UK has
an international reputation for
excellence. Maintaining the
highest academic standards
and quality is crucial to keeping
this reputation..”

8. Dearing 1997
“Encourage and enable all students – whether they
demonstrate the highest intellectual potential or
have struggled to reach the threshold of higher
education – to achieve beyond their
expectations”

9. Bologna agreement (1999)
Aims to make qualifications comparable across
Europe

10. Leitch 2006
40% of the population should be qualified at level 4
or above
More effort should be targeted at adult learners, in
the workplace and through employer
engagement: LLN, RDA and SSCs were created
for this (and have been dismantled since 2010)

11. Browne 2010
“Higher education matters. It helps to create the
knowledge, skills and values that underpin a
civilised society. Higher education institutions
(HEIs) generate and diffuse ideas, safeguard
knowledge, catalyse innovation, inspire creativity,
enliven culture, stimulate regional economies and
strengthen civil society. They bridge the past and
future; the local and the global.”

12. How does this surface in practice?
Measurements and comparisons
• Standards
• Competition
• League tables
• Consumerism
• Marketing vs Service delivery
• Student Experience getting more emphasis

13. MMU in the national context
League Tables 5
• Guardian: 71/116 (up from 108 in 2012)
• Complete Uni Guide: 73/123
WP : around or above benchmarks
NSS outcomes: mainly below average, many
subjects in bottom quartile, but improving
Applications 2014: top 5
Finances: strong

14. Mission
• To be the UK’s leading university for world class
professionals.

15. Vision
• place quality and employability as our top priorities.
• place students first.
• produce effective independent learners.
• have a curriculum which is informed by high quality research,
scholarship and enterprise.
• be an enterprising organisation with enterprising staff and students.
• support the social and economic development of the region through
our expertise, research and other resources
• to invest selectively and strategically in research.
• promote, facilitate and achieve good social mobility for our graduates.

16. Values
• to respect the rights of individuals.
• to promote responsible, ethical and professional behaviour.
• to promote diversity.
• to achieve institutional goals through teamwork and flexible
working
• to invest in staff development.
• to promote and reward outstanding performance.
• to encourage creativity and enterprise.
• to develop and disseminate new knowledge.
• to promote global citizenship in our staff and students

17. What are the institutional priorities?
1. NSS above benchmark in all subjects
2. 70% students in graduate level jobs and further study
3. 50% growth in postgraduate taught and work based
learning
4. Double the number of international students
5. 4 new [international] partnerships per year
6. Triple the number of study abroad students
There are 14 Key Performance Indicators, of which 6 can be
linked directly to programmes:

18. Activity: institutional policies and your
programmes
• Choose an indicator (one of MMU’s or one of
your own)
• How could a programme leader contribute to
achievement of the indicator?
• Would you need more information to make a
plan? If so, what? Would you need institutional
support?
• What characteristics are most important for this
activity?

19. Focus
Return to the padlet : any changes to your ideas?
Make sure you’ve put something up so I can find
you a suitable reading.

20. Task 2
Reflect on the procedural aspects of programme
leadership. If interpersonal skills, strategic vision and
organisation are the three key aspects (we can continue
to debate that too), then how does the balance of actual
activity look to you? Is there enough time for each of the
three aspects? Does one aspect dominate? If so, what
might be the consequences? How should programme
leaders plan their activities?

21. Questions?
Suggestions?
Contributions?
Friday, January 23, 2015

22. Credits
• Free cartoon of ‘dogsbody’ from sangrea.net
• Policy docs all up on the Moodle area