An introduction to Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP)

Session Outline

The session will provide an overview of STEP, its place within the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF), and how enhancement activity contributes to improving learning, teaching and the student experience across Scotland's tertiary sector. Participants will hear about current national STEP projects, including work on belonging, language accessibility, learner support, neurodiversity and student success.

Drawing on practice already showcased through UHI's Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference, the presentation will explore how UHI can continue to build on its strengths and shape future enhancement activity. We will consider opportunities to further develop flexible and inclusive learning, accessibility, belonging, student partnership and personalised support across the partnership.

I will be joined by UHI's Institutional Student Representative, who will introduce the Language Accessibility Promise project and share how students are contributing to national enhancement activity. Together, we will explore what STEP means for students and how student voices are helping to shape future developments.

The session will conclude with the launch of UHI's new STEP SharePoint resource, an overview of opportunities for staff engagement, and guidance on contributing examples of practice through our call for case studies. Colleagues will be encouraged to recognise and share the many ways they already support diverse learner journeys across UHI.

Presenter

Anna-Wendy Stevenson is Head of Academic Standards and Enhancement at UHI and leads the university's Academic Standards and Enhancement Team. She has strategic responsibility for quality enhancement, academic standards, external partnerships and institutional engagement with national quality initiatives, including Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) and the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER).

Before moving into institutional leadership, Anna-Wendy spent many years developing innovative and flexible approaches to music education across the Highlands and Islands. Her work focused on widening access to higher education through distributed and networked learning, creating opportunities for students in remote and island communities to engage in specialist study. She has also worked extensively in the arts and cultural sectors, developing partnerships and programmes that connect learning, creativity and community development.

Anna-Wendy is passionate about supporting diverse learner journeys and believes that enhancement is most effective when it builds on the strengths, experiences and innovation already present across an institution. Through her involvement in STEP, she is particularly interested in how UHI can learn from, celebrate and share the many ways colleagues and students contribute to inclusive, accessible and flexible learning opportunities.

Andi Garrity is UHI Students' Association Vice President for Education and a passionate advocate for ensuring that student voices are at the heart of educational enhancement. Before taking up this role, Andi served as a student representative at UHI Perth, giving them first-hand experience of the college sector and the opportunities and challenges associated with tertiary education pathways. This experience provides a valuable perspective on how colleges, universities and learners work together across the UHI partnership to support successful student journeys.

As Vice President for Education, Andi works closely with students, staff and sector partners to champion positive change and enhance the student experience across UHI. They are actively involved in Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP), contributing to national discussions on supporting diverse learner journeys and ensuring that enhancement activity reflects the needs and experiences of students.

Andi has played a key role in the Language Accessibility Promise as project co-lead -a project which seeks to make learning, communication and educational environments more accessible and inclusive. They are committed to fostering a culture of belonging, partnership and student engagement, helping to ensure that every learner has the opportunity to participate, thrive and succeed. During this session, Andi will share insights from the Language Accessibility Promise project and reflect on the importance of student partnership in shaping the future of learning and teaching at UHI.

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Strategy Values

To Book

Please email events.lta@uhi.ac.uk to book a place on this event.

Accessibility

We want to make this a positive experience for all participants and hope we have met everyone’s needs in joining this event. If you have particular access needs please contact us at lta@uhi.ac.uk so we can work together to get you as good an experience as we can.

Privacy

Please read our policy on how we treat any personal information collected in relation to our events:
Data Protection Statement for Events