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Episode 1: What to expect in 2025/26
11 Plays2 days ago
In the first episode of the new series, host Charles Knight, Director, Leadership, Governance & Management at Advance HE is joined by Fiona Lennoxsmith, Head of Leadership, Governance & Management, James Dunphy, former Director, Educational Excellence and David Bass, Director of EDI to discuss the work going on in their areas of expertise over the next few months.
They discuss the relevance and importance of the work we're doing, along with how you can get involved and engage with some of the events taking place over the coming weeks.
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Transcript
Introduction to Talking Transformation
00:00:13
Speaker
Welcome to the first episode of Talking Transformation. I'm Charles Knight, Director for Leadership, Governance and Management. And this month, we'll be focusing on the member benefits, which will be available to you across our core themes of leadership, governance, educational excellence and inclusive institutions.
00:00:33
Speaker
Our
Navigating Complexity in Higher Education
00:00:34
Speaker
first theme is governing and leading transformation. Whether you're a vice chancellor, a governor, a head of department or senior professional services leader, navigating complexity in higher education has become the new normal.
00:00:48
Speaker
I'm really glad to be joined by Fiona Lennox-Smith, who's our Head of Leadership Governance Management, who is leading this theme this year to unpack what members can expect from our evolving leadership framework to a refreshed focus on board effectiveness, inclusive governance and supporting senior leaders in the work that they need to do.
Leadership and Governance in Change
00:01:10
Speaker
Fiona, welcome. Thanks very much, Charles. So Fiona, could you start by giving us a high level overview of the leadership and governance theme this year? What's the core ambition driving it?
00:01:23
Speaker
Okay, so this year we're really building on work we began with our member benefits last year, looking at governing and leading transformation. We've got a continued focus on exploring, designing and implementing change across our governance, institutions and our systems.
00:01:43
Speaker
We're aiming to engage and support leads across higher education, recognising that leading isn't confined to executive roles, but needs to flow from our governing bodies and strategic leads through to our academic and professional services areas.
00:02:00
Speaker
Thanks, Fiona. So something I picked up in the work that you've done so far on this, which I think is really interesting, ah this clear focus on shaping the future. What does this mean in practice for our members?
Global Challenges in Higher Education
00:02:14
Speaker
That's a really good question. So almost everywhere in the world, higher education is in a state of flux, and that might be because of increased regulation, financial pressures, technological changes like a generative AI or the skills agenda and lifelong learning opportunities.
00:02:31
Speaker
And so with this in mind, we're actively reshaping our governance frameworks and board diversity toolkits. in line with the future needs of the sector and publishing a series of case studies around merger insights and offering support on embedding our new framework for leading in higher education.
00:02:50
Speaker
We also know that in the here and now, the intensity of work can make future thinking extremely challenging for those leading in our organisations.
00:03:01
Speaker
And so we want to provide space for those with leading responsibilities to make sense of the present which will help them to think forwards about the future. Our Academic Leaders Survival Series and our Strategic Conversation Series are both designed with this in mind.
00:03:17
Speaker
And specifically focusing on inclusion, members can look forward to online events on advancing gender equity and on thinking through inclusive institutions.
00:03:30
Speaker
Great. Thank you, Fiona. So we'll be checking in with Fiona and colleagues in this space across the rest of the year as we run through their member benefit theme.
Focus on Educational Excellence
00:03:41
Speaker
So we now shift to our second member benefit theme in the educational excellence space this year titled Shaping the Future of Learning.
00:03:51
Speaker
One of the most pressing priorities for the sector and our members is how do we evolve teaching, curriculum and support in ways that are not only excellent, but inclusive, efficient and future ready.
00:04:04
Speaker
This year, under our educational excellence theme, we're offering a range of opportunities to help member institutions lead meaningful educational transformation.
00:04:16
Speaker
from our Global Change Academy to new work on AI, student success, and future-focused curriculum design. I'm delighted to be joined by James Dunphy, who's our Director of Educational Excellence, to unpack what's on offer and how we can support institutions to respond to emerging challenges with insight and innovation.
00:04:36
Speaker
James, welcome to Talking Transformation. Thanks so much Charles, i'm really delighted to be with you and also with our members. Thank you. So just to start us off James, can you give us a high-level overview of what you're trying to achieve in the Educational Excellence theme this year?
00:04:52
Speaker
What's the ambition behind it? Yeah sure, so I think the first thing to say Charles is we recognise just how much transformation is happening within and across our membership for all sorts of reasons as Fiona covered earlier. To me changing student need to stay ahead of regulatory requirements and of course to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of education and student support offers.
00:05:14
Speaker
And so the work we are doing this year is firmly in response to that need and drive for transformation and is really being built with a focus on two ah distinct but very closely related elements. The first is how it is we can support our members to change and develop to deliver higher education of the future.
00:05:35
Speaker
but also that second element, which we know is so important in a people heavy a sense as higher education is workforce development. So be bringing support for senior leaders, groups of colleagues and encouraging work between students and staff teams to drive that push for educational excellence.
00:05:55
Speaker
Great. And I just want to dive in there a bit further. So talking about this question of institutional change, and you've got a number of structured programmes this year, including the Change Academy and Redesigning Higher Education Series.
Role of Change Academy
00:06:10
Speaker
So what kind of institutional changes is the Change Academy there to help our members undertake? Yes, I think the big thing we've heard from members is that change is happening and they want us to support them on that journey. And Change Academy, many ah listeners will know, has been a really important part of our offer ah for a number of years. So the Free to Access Change Academy will support our members in driving sticky and successful transformation. And we're really building it around um three ah aspects. The first is a changing curriculum. As we know, the world of work is changing and so too must the curriculum.
00:06:48
Speaker
We're also looking at how it is we can be innovative in our approaches to pedagogy. And then finally, ah really taking that future-focused, needs-based approach to student support.
00:07:00
Speaker
Our goal through the Change Academy is whatever change you're driving at institutional level, the Academy will have something positive to enable you and your institutional teams to help make successful the change you're seeking.
00:07:13
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And I think the big message really to to share is that we want to be with our members as much as we can on their change journey and support colleagues within our institutions to be able to drive out that kind of successful change that institutional strategies are requiring, but also ah changing needs amongst our student communities that require us to push for.
00:07:35
Speaker
ah That's really interesting. And I can see how that would be something of real resonance to members in this current current period of really fast-paced change. And speaking of fast-paced change, AI and technology have become central to conversations about educational delivery and efficiency.
00:07:53
Speaker
Are
Integrating AI in Education
00:07:54
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we doing anything in that space around digital transformation, AI and efficiency? Yeah, so AI is is everywhere, isn't it? It's popping up in our lives, both personal and professional. So we've got a new offer coming on stream specifically for senior leaders to help those in senior roles think about how AI can be part of the educational excellence of the future.
00:08:17
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Our contention and having listened to members is that AI can be best part of that approach to educational excellence where we take positive decisions upfront. We think about the applications, we think about the ethics, we think about pedagogy, and we think about the opportunities for efficiency and effectiveness.
00:08:36
Speaker
And some of that, of course, requires institution level decision making to enable work happening at other levels within our member institutions. So this offer really is for senior leaders to help them ah think about an action ah the types of decisions they might need to take in order to really maximise the benefits of AI, whilst also ah managing any risks.
00:08:59
Speaker
One
Regional Elevate Programs
00:09:00
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final question for you, James. um There's also, across, I've noticed in your theme, a really strong international element this year with Elevate programmes in Ireland, Australasia and MENA.
00:09:13
Speaker
um How do these regionally focused activities contribute to our broader educational mission? Yes, the first thing I'd say is we are hugely proud ah to have members ah working in many different contexts. I think the one thing that unifies our members, wherever they work, is their commitment to excellence in their educational offers. But we absolutely recognise that if you're based in different contexts, it's really important that we bring you ah support at ELBO and contextualise to
00:09:44
Speaker
ah the needs in your area, the policy agendas and the regulatory expectations. And so for that reason, in addition to the global programme that we've talked a bit about there, if you're based in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand or the Middle East, we'll also be bringing you a new edX enhancement programme called Elevate, which will work with members in those different ah areas to help them to develop and showcase educational excellence.
00:10:10
Speaker
Great. And what would you recommend as the best way for members to get involved in your space this year? Yeah, so the first thing I'd say is is lead with your strategy. you know Make use of the time that you have in our offer based around your needs. We've built the offer ah with your needs in mind.
00:10:26
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um We really would encourage you to share the offer internally within your network's ah Your advocacy can really help ah encourage people to show up and get maximum value.
00:10:37
Speaker
And as well as part participate and really do share your work in progress, we are really committed ah to giving our members a platform to share their work, to talk about transformation, knowing that it isn't easy, knowing that it is a work in progress.
00:10:51
Speaker
And I really would commend to everyone listening at the programme and encourage them to engage in some way. Thanks, Charles. Thanks, James. So
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategies
00:11:02
Speaker
our final guest this afternoon is our Director of EDI, David Bass.
00:11:09
Speaker
At Advanced HE, we know that embedding equality, diversity and inclusion requires more than a commitment. It demands system-wide change and strategic integration.
00:11:21
Speaker
So I'm delighted to be joined by David Bass to talk through the strategic thinking behind our offer in the inclusive institutions theme. Welcome, David.
00:11:33
Speaker
Hi Charles, great to be here. Great. So David, would you like to talk us through the core purpose and thinking behind your theme this year?
00:11:45
Speaker
Sure. So I'm conscious that all of our members are thinking very carefully and hard about their approach to equity, diversity and inclusion in their context.
00:11:57
Speaker
um This is an area that really hasn't been very easy for institutions for a lot of reasons. you know the The financial context of the sector is something that we're all familiar with, um but higher education institutions all over the world are facing really tough choices about their size and structure. They're trying to determine new strategies approaches to ensure financial viability and sustainability, um that's having an inevitable impact on the availability of resource for inclusion activity.
00:12:28
Speaker
And we're seeing a rethink at how institutions approach equity, diversity and inclusion, um including rethinking some of the initiatives that we have designed and undertaken in the past.
00:12:40
Speaker
So there's real growing focus on efficiency. um We're seeing institutions think about how they can streamline um resources or staffing dedicated to inclusion um and eliminate duplication of effort?
00:12:55
Speaker
um How can we be more strategically aligned? There's also ah political backlash that we're seeing in relation to inclusion work. There's this idea of overreach or disproportionate investment in diversity work. um And at the same time,
00:13:17
Speaker
Institutions are navigating really difficult, complex geopolitical dynamics. um There's a conflict in Israel and Gaza. um There's Supreme Court ruling in the UK on the definition of sex in the Equality Act.
00:13:32
Speaker
Institutions are navigating some really hard things. And so our efforts to advance inclusion, promote good relations, build more cohesive, respectful campus communities,
00:13:43
Speaker
These are more challenging, but more necessary and important than they ever have been. And they're really integral to all of our staff and students and stakeholders. The main work that we're doing and that Advance HE has been prioritizing for the past few years in this space is developing our inclusive institutions framework.
00:14:02
Speaker
And the framework is really designed to be something that um supports institutions to carefully interrogate their data, have really clear priorities around inclusion, um and then think quite innovatively and differently about efficiency and targeted interventions and working at the whole institution level.
00:14:22
Speaker
So we're really excited about that for this year.
00:14:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's really interesting. And one of the things that I thought about a lot, as a membership organisation, we have such a diversity of members, and many of our institutions are at different stages of maturity when embedding EDI.
00:14:40
Speaker
and How does the framework, which is a really keystone piece of work for us, how does the framework support support that diversity of starting points? It's great question.
00:14:52
Speaker
So this is the first time in our inclusion work that we have designed a framework and thought about our global membership, the entirety of our membership, kind of from the ground up.
00:15:05
Speaker
um So institutions are able to work through a process with the framework that's based on their context. They're supported to think about their structures, their governance procedures, their resourcing, um what their evidence in local context says, think about the priorities based on that evidence, based on engagement with your stakeholders and and staff and students, and then come to actions that are relevant and and set by
00:15:37
Speaker
the the resources that you have, the priorities that you've identified, as well as the different you know regulatory drivers and and legislative requirements that you have, because we know we're seeing this um growth and diversity in regulatory requirements and expectations across our membership as well.
00:15:53
Speaker
um So this is a much more um supportive and consultative model to work with our members ah to grapple with some of the really difficult challenges that they're facing in this space.
00:16:07
Speaker
And David, I'm really interested because I know the members listening to this will be. What's your advice to institutions who are considering deeper involvement with us around both the wider ah EDI member benefit work and the inclusive institutions framework?
00:16:26
Speaker
What's their route to work with us? So I would say there'll be lots of opportunities to hear what we're doing, to learn from the institutions that we're working with through the Pathfinder series.
00:16:38
Speaker
We'll be prioritizing kind of sharing some of that experience and some of the lessons that they're learning as they go through um the first cohort. There'll be further opportunities to to get involved and take part in the program if you'd like.
00:16:51
Speaker
um But there are also wider initiatives that will link to the Inclusive Institutionist Framework, but also be relevant if you're working with us on the Race Equality Charter,
00:17:02
Speaker
for Athena Swan. So um for our members in the UK, we'll be producing new guidance on embedding free speech and academic freedom within equality initiatives and within our chargers in particular.
00:17:15
Speaker
um There'll be some really interesting guidance in that on how institutions think about an approach impartiality, for instance. and We'll also be trying to engage with our global membership um because we know that there's shared challenges around um how do we work with and reach diverse student cohorts? How do we teach across differences?
00:17:40
Speaker
How do we build community cohesion in the classroom? um So we'll be looking at those types of challenges. We'll also be doing some work within the Race Equality Charter, looking at antisemitism and Islamophobia, um which again will have global relevance and salience for all of our members.
00:17:56
Speaker
and So think keeping an open mind and looking at the range of our activity um and being really clear about your institutional priorities and being able to spot those opportunities where you want to engage and and contribute.
00:18:10
Speaker
Great. Thank you, David. As
Conclusion and Resources
00:18:14
Speaker
always, full details of everything mentioned today, including registration links when they become live and downloadable resources, are available on the Advanced HE website.
00:18:25
Speaker
In the description for this podcast, you can find a link to our dedicated member but benefit website. Thanks for listening. And if you found this helpful, please do share with colleagues across your institution.
00:18:39
Speaker
We'll be back next month with more highlights, insights, and also voices from across the sector. Until then, stay connected and keep leading transformation.